Chapter 13: A Dragon’s First Flight and a Morning Surprise

As night had fallen, most of the town’s inhabitants were already asleep, so no one noticed the anomaly. Perched upon the dragon’s back, Gern watched the distant town recede at an astonishing speed, a sense of wonder blooming in her heart. Though she had lived two lives, riding a dragon was a first, filling her with exhilaration.

“Sister, do you feel short of breath when you fly?”

“Hm? Not at all, little sister. You haven’t transformed into a dragon and flown yet, have you?”

Gern scratched her head awkwardly. Her knowledge of the Dragon race was sparse; she only knew of their existence on the continent, with little understanding beyond that.

Sensing the little loli’s embarrassment on her back, Eliza chuckled and said,

“It’s alright, I’ll teach you in a bit.”

It was somewhat strange, for by all accounts, transforming into a dragon should be an innate ability for every member of the Dragon race. Given Gern’s physical condition, it seemed unlikely she wouldn’t be able to transform. A flicker of doubt crossed Eliza’s mind, but as she didn’t know the specific reason, she could only attribute it to Gern having grown up without parental guidance.

Soon after, Eliza carried Gern, soaring over to a desolate plain on the outskirts of the town.

The moment Gern dismounted the dragon, she felt a dizzy spell, clearly unaccustomed to the sensation of flying through the sky.

“Alright, little sister, I’ll teach you how to transform into a dragon first, then how to conceal your features.”

Eliza, having reverted to her human form, affectionately ruffled Gern’s small head. Though a hint of displeasure stirred within Gern, she was currently reliant on Eliza, and thus had no choice but to let herself be petted.

After indulging her urge, Eliza stepped back a little. Her hands formed a seal, and a faint blue light seemed to shimmer around her. Then, her body began to undergo a transformation. Before long, she had once again transformed into that majestic and formidable giant blue dragon.

“Little sister, when you transform into a dragon, you must remember to perform the hand seal and infuse your power into it. Otherwise, your clothes will burst off.”

“You wouldn’t want to change back only to find yourself completely naked, would you?”

Gern’s mouth twitched. Ignoring Eliza’s teasing, she began to mimic her, pressing her palms together. Swiftly, she sensed a change within her body. The instant white light radiated from the girl’s hands, her body completed its metamorphosis.

A silver-white hatchling, three meters long, just over a meter tall, with a snow-white body and a pair of wings on its back, stood where Gern had been. As she gazed at her new body, an unparalleled sensation of exhilaration surged through her. It was like the refreshing relief of returning home on a scorching summer day and shedding all your clothes. It made her feel that this was her true self, that she was meant to be this way.

The sudden emergence of this thought startled Gern, and she quickly suppressed it. ‘I am human, I am human, I am not a dragon, I am not a dragon…’

After silently repeating it a few times, Gern finally calmed herself and looked towards Eliza.

Noticing the little silver dragon’s gaze, a hint of amusement sparkled in Eliza’s eyes.

“How does it feel?”

“It feels…”

Gern carefully chose her words before replying,

“It feels quite comfortable.”

“Naturally. Dragons should look like dragons, shouldn’t they? Alright, how about we have a little race to see who can fly faster?”

“But…”

Gern desperately wanted to say she couldn’t fly yet, but Eliza had already flapped her wings and soared away.

Gern gritted her teeth, attempting to control the wings on her back. The silver-white dragon wings began to flap slowly, but it was nowhere near enough to lift her into the air. The strange sensation on her back prevented her from concentrating, and even with her best efforts to control it, nothing happened.

Seeing that Gern hadn’t followed, Eliza flew back.

“Little sister, let me help you.”

No sooner had she spoken than Eliza, without a word, scooped up the entire dragon form of Gern. Her own body was at least three times the size of Gern’s, making it effortless to lift her.

“Eh?! What are you doing?!”

“What am I doing? Why, making you fly, of course.”

Her speed was incredible; in just a few breaths, she carried Gern high into the sky. Then, she inverted her entire body, and a powerful gravitational pull instantly bore down on Gern. Gern tried to cling to Eliza, but she had already flown away, leaving Gern plummeting downwards.

‘It’s over… It’s all over…!’

Gern frantically flapped her wings, but she hadn’t yet adapted to this new body, and simply couldn’t control them properly. With a resounding crash, a colossal cloud of dust instantly billowed outwards in all directions. Gern lay sprawled on her back, the intense pain nearly causing her to lose consciousness. A chorus of crackling, mournful sounds emanated from various parts of her body. Gern thought she was surely dying, but after a short while, she miraculously discovered that her body had already recovered.

From high above, Eliza slowly descended, then reverted to her silver-haired maiden form. She crouched beside the crater Gern had made, and upon seeing Gern’s comical appearance, she genuinely couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Gern’s face flushed crimson. She sheepishly transformed back into her adorable silver-haired loli form, the blush on her cheeks making her even more endearing.

“Laugh, what are you laughing at? Is it really that funny?”

The little dragon girl fumed, her expression a picture of indignation.

****

In the early morning, as the first ray of sunlight illuminated the room, Gern, who had fallen asleep on the living room table, slowly opened her eyes. Still somewhat groggy, she had returned home very late last night and was still quite fatigued, intending to snatch a little more sleep. Suddenly, a pink-haired figure materialized within her blurry vision.

Gern instantly sobered up. She instinctively clutched her forehead and backside, and only after confirming there was nothing amiss in either spot did she slowly let out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank goodness, the secret technique she had learned from Eliza last night hadn’t worn off. Otherwise, revealing her true form in front of Sina would have been quite troublesome.’ She herself hadn’t realized that this particular gesture of hers was a little too alluring. Though she hadn’t fully matured yet, it would undoubtedly capture the hearts of most men.

This sight made the pink-haired girl’s eyelids twitch. She harbored a suspicion that the young girl before her might have done something rather peculiar to gain the opportunity to become an entry-level knight. A trace of pity flashed in Sina’s eyes. This little girl looked only seven or eight years old; she wondered which noble was so utterly devoid of conscience.

“Ahaha, morning.”

Gern chuckled awkwardly, quickly sat up, and hopped off the table.

“You slept here yesterday?”

“Yeah, yeah, what’s wrong?”

Hearing this, a fresh pang of guilt struck Sina. She squatted down and then pulled Gern into a tight embrace.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“Eh?!”

To be honest, Gern’s mind was reeling. She hadn’t anticipated Sina would hug her so directly. Completely enveloped by the girl’s soft, delicate body, Gern struggled to extricate her head from between the girl’s breasts. Her small face was flushed crimson, her shyness reaching its peak.

“Sister, please… please let me go first.”

“Oh, I apologize, I overstepped.”

Sina released her. Gern hastily retreated a few steps, gasping for breath, her gaze involuntarily darting towards the girl’s chest. ‘That “facial cleanser” was truly terrifying; I nearly suffocated just now.’