Mr. Dragon Knight, the dragon girls are chasing you!

Passing through layers of carved corridors and turning through an arched doorway, they bumped right into Elder Eldron, the Grand Elder of Eternal Night, who was hurrying over.

The elder had heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his long, gray hair, braided into a crooked plait, clearly showed that he had been worried about the situation these past few days and had hardly had a proper rest.

The moment Eldron saw Luo Ye carrying the sleeping Elvia in his arms in the main hall passage, he froze on the spot.

Those bloodshot, dark purple dragon eyes trembled violently, and his lips moved several times, as if he wanted to immediately ask if he had obtained the fragment.

Before he could even finish his question, his gaze had already involuntarily swept over the girl's perfectly intact black dress, her slightly flushed ears, the tip of her dragon tail that was slightly upturned and swaying, and her little face that was fast asleep with drool running down her cheeks.

Eldron's expression shifted rapidly within seconds, from anxiety to astonishment to relief and then to a meaningful look.

He slowly closed his mouth, a measured smile of satisfaction curving his lips. He clasped his wrinkled hands together in front of him, slightly bent over, and took a step back.

"My Lord Dragon Knight, you're back."

He lowered his eyes and spoke in a very low voice, afraid of waking His Majesty the Dragon King.

"I am overjoyed to see you return safely. Your Majesty... seems to be doing well as well."

Luo Ye looked slightly embarrassed: "She just fell asleep from the lingering shadowy aura emanating from the fragments."

Upon hearing about the fragments, Eldron's face lit up with joy.

He nodded, indicating his understanding, his expression saying, "I've lived for tens of thousands of years and know everything, so I won't ask a single question."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the Grand Elder slowly turned and left.

As he walked out of the main hall, he suddenly stopped, looked up, and gazed at the sky outside.

The morning light was perfect, the sky was clear and the air was crisp. Even the thick, dark clouds that had shrouded the Evernight Mountains for years had parted to let in a large patch of warm, golden sunlight.

Eldron stood quietly in the sunlight, remaining silent for several breaths before a genuine, relaxed smile slowly spread across his aged face.

"Dawn has broken, the eternal night has finally dawned."

He spoke softly to himself, his voice hoarse yet unusually cheerful.

Then he raised his withered palm and quietly wiped away the wet streak that wouldn't stop from appearing at the corner of his eye, before striding toward the outer edge of the dragon's nest.

As he passed the guard platform outside the main hall, he swiftly reached out and grabbed a jet-black dragon tail that was dangling from the roof beam.

Salta was fast asleep on the crossbeam when its tail was suddenly pulled, causing it to shudder violently and tumble down from the height, crashing heavily to the ground with a "thud".

He groggily opened his sleepy amber vertical pupils and subconsciously smacked his lips.

"What's going on? Enemy attack? Who attacked?!"

"Ahem." Eldron cleared his throat lightly and gestured with his chin towards the interior of the hall.

"The weather is perfect today, ideal for a mountain patrol. Let's take a thorough look around the back of the mountain."

Salta glanced into the hall in the direction the elder indicated and immediately saw a scene of a person standing, an embracing, and a sleeping dragon.

His amber pupils suddenly dilated by half a circle, but in an instant he returned to his usual nonchalant and lazy demeanor, slowly getting up from the ground and shaking off the dust.

"Okay, okay, I'll go, alright?"

He strolled out with a leisurely gait, muttering to himself as he went, "In my opinion, our Eternal Night Dragon's Nest will soon welcome a human king consort."

After taking only a few steps, Salta stopped, turned around and looked in the direction where Luo Ye was. A meaningful smile appeared on his lips as he spoke.

"Hey, Dragon Knight."

Luo Ye turned to look at him upon hearing the sound.

Salta casually waved his dragon claw, his tone still nonchalant, but there was a hint of seriousness hidden within.

Welcome back.

Luo Ye paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "...Yes, thank you."

Salta nodded and strode out of the hall, a faint warmth emanating from his amber vertical pupils.

This guy is much more pleasing to the eye than when I first came to the Eternal Night Dragon's Nest.

Inside the vast main hall, only three people remained at this moment.

Serafina stood quietly to the side, her silver eyes watching as Luo Ye carefully carried Eluvia into her bedchamber and gently placed the sleeping girl on the large throne.

Luo Ye moved with utmost gentleness, as if afraid of disturbing the other party with the slightest sound.

Just as the arm slowly withdrew from under Eluvia's waist, her shoulder and wrist twitched slightly out of control.

After holding it for most of the day, my arm muscles were already sore and numb.

He straightened up and flexed his numb wrists.

Looking down at the sleeping girl, whose face had been pale all along, he finally saw a faint rosy glow return. Her long, dark purple hair was scattered on the throne, and a little bit of water still lingered on the corner of her lips.

This curled-up sleeping posture is exactly the same as the mini dragon form that used to snuggle in his arms, which is somewhat nostalgic.

Luo Ye bent down slightly, reached out and pulled a soft, thin blanket from the side, gently covering Eluvia with it and carefully tucking the edges in.

Once everything was in order, he straightened up and turned around, only to find Serafina leaning against the door frame of the bedchamber, her arms crossed over her chest, quietly watching him.

She didn't say anything, but the smile and teasing in her eyes said it all.

Luo Ye felt a little uncomfortable under her stare and said helplessly, "...Why are you staring at me like that? There's nothing on my face."

"It's nothing." Seraphina tilted her head slightly, a strand of long, silvery hair slipping down her shoulder, her smile impossible to hide.

"I'm just remarking that the Dragon Knight's way of carrying people is quite skilled."

"...Would you like to try it yourself?"

This time, Luo Ye did not back down at all, and met her gaze head-on to fight back.

When dealing with this kind of mature, assertive woman, you can't give in. If you give in even a little, you'll just keep getting teased.

We must fight back!

Serafina raised her long eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She slowly walked towards Luo Ye, her steps light and almost imperceptible, and finally stood steadily in front of him, tilting her head slightly to look at him.

The distance was so close that Luo Ye could smell the cool, moonlit fragrance emanating from her, and that he could count the curves of her long eyelashes with just a slight downward glance.

Serafina tilted her head back, her gaze fixed on his face without flinching, a smile playing on her lips, as if she were waiting for him to speak first, or perhaps enjoying the process of "seeing how long he can hold out."

Luo Ye swallowed hard.

He suddenly remembered what Seraphina had said in the rift—"If you dare to make me cry again, I'll make sure you can't get out of bed."

A chill ran down my back for no reason.

Eluvia rolled over, muttering incoherently, "Stupid dragon knight... don't leave... I haven't finished eating yet..."

She turned over, wrapped the thin blanket around herself like a caterpillar, and fell into a deep sleep again.

Seeing this, Serafina took another step forward.

The two were almost breathing together.