Chapter 7: The Cunning Dragoness and the Erased Memories

“Achoo!”

Far away, in an elven city thousands of miles across the continent, Theresia awaited the most esteemed elven appraiser to verify the materials the old dragon had retrieved, ensuring no tampering had occurred.

Despite the sheer volume of materials, she had meticulously arranged everything with the elves here a full fifty years in advance.

She had deliberately flown towards a coastal city, intending to mislead the old dragon’s judgment. Mid-journey, she then utilized a teleportation scroll to reach this elven metropolis nestled deep within the continent.

Elves were renowned for their trustworthiness when it came to services spanning such a ‘slightly’ extended duration.

Their longevity was the sole reason. From the initial booking to the present execution, neither the head nor any member of the appraisal team had been replaced; indeed, each one remained vibrant and diligent, just as they had been for five decades.

Yet, both the ultra-long-distance teleportation scroll and the dozens of elven appraisers had cost Theresia the vast majority of her accumulated wealth from her dragon life.

But it was all worth it!

For the countless dragon kin who had braved trials by fire and water!

For her noble soul, unyielding to fate!

For the sake of escaping the destiny of being ‘taken’ by another!

Money!

It was merely an external possession!

“Achoo!”

Just as Theresia’s fighting spirit soared, her nose suddenly tickled, prompting a loud sneeze. She frowned slightly, sensing that someone might be speaking ill of her.

Hmph!

‘That outdated old dragon, always slandering behind my back. Just wait a few more millennia until I’ve matured, and I’ll give you a wheelchair—’

‘It must be that old dragon. Wait, who is he badmouthing me to?!’

Theresia’s expression shifted subtly. On that island, besides the old dragon, only Theodore and Catherine remained.

Catherine was her dearest friend and confidante. Given Catherine’s carefree nature, even if the old dragon spoke ill of her, a mere serving of shaved ice would instantly max out her favorability. Thus, the old dragon had long ago given up ‘treating’ Catherine.

The only one left who would listen to the old dragon’s gossip, and was powerless to resist, was Theodore, with whom she had only lived for three years.

[Theresia’s perception of time, having lived nearly 200 years as a dragon, was now akin to that of her dragon kin.]

‘I shouldn’t have left Theodore on Dragon Island. Heaven knows what wicked thoughts that old dragon might be implanting in his mind.’

‘He couldn’t possibly tell Theodore what’s going to happen three days from now, could he?’

Theresia’s face paled drastically. The more earnestly she had described the trial to Theodore in the past, the more utterly mortified she would be when Theodore finally learned what the ultimate trial entailed.

Theresia’s plan was clear: if she successfully overcame the curse and ushered in a new chapter for the dragon race, she could simply pretend nothing had ever happened, preserving her pristine reputation.

As for Theodore, she could tell him he was a good person and that they could still be friends.

However, if she failed to overcome it and truly needed Theodore’s help, she could choose to evade him for a few centuries afterward. Once centuries passed and her skin grew thick enough, she would then face the matter head-on and offer Theodore an explanation.

As for human lifespans, they didn’t seem to last that long.

‘Well, that wouldn’t be *her* problem then!’

She would erect a cenotaph for Theodore and offer him her most devout repentance.

Theresia’s calculations clanged loudly in her mind. She truly didn’t want to be a heartless dragon who pulled up her pants and disavowed all responsibility.

Yet, she believed that if Theodore could put himself in her shoes, he would surely agree and do the exact same thing!

‘She was merely a male who had transformed into a female dragon. What else could she do?!’

But if that old dragon were to spoil things, it would be truly troublesome.

With a pang of heartache, she retrieved the teleportation scroll from her embrace. Of these ultra-long-distance scrolls, she possessed only four.

She had already used one to arrive, originally intending to use another to return to Dragon Island after the appraisal. Now, it seemed she needed to make an early trip back, which would exhaust all four of them.

The dragon race’s inherent avarice caused Theresia’s eyes to become bloodshot. ‘These were all my precious little coins!’

But!

‘One cannot catch a wolf without sacrificing a cub!’

Theresia steeled her heart and directly crushed the teleportation scroll. Accompanied by a flash of white light, she vanished from her spot.

On the other side, the elven employee responsible for her reception scratched their head, utterly bewildered.

‘What just happened? Why did the customer just leave? She has a huge pile of materials here, and she hasn’t even paid yet!’

“Manager, the customer ran off!”

Facing her employee’s outcry, the green-haired elven manager merely lifted her eyes, speaking indifferently, “What are you afraid of? The materials she left here are more than enough to cover ten appraisal fees. We’ll wait ten years for her. If she doesn’t return in ten years, we’ll sell everything.”

As one of the few races capable of vying with dragons over who could outlive the other, their perception of time was measured in years.

****

Teleporting back near the island, Theresia instantly reverted to her true form, soaring with powerful wingbeats. In mere minutes, the island’s dark silhouette imprinted itself upon her draconic eyes.

As Theresia perceived, the old patriarch was indeed with Theodore.

Without an ounce of hesitation, Theresia let out a thunderous roar.

“Old dragon, release that young man!”

She then executed a sixty-degree dive, plummeting like a missile towards the aged yet muscular figure.

‘Behold, my Dragon Charge!’

Black Dragons were a species renowned for their physical prowess. Few beings in the world dared to face such a high-speed Black Dragon Charge head-on.

Regrettably, the Dragon Patriarch, the Golden Dragon, stood as one of the world’s apex powerhouses, and he was indeed one of those few.

****

The old patriarch watched the approaching Black Dragon Charge with an impassive face. Calmly, he squatted down, rubbed his hands with sand from the beach, and spoke to Theodore, “The last one who dared to play like this with me was Theresia’s old man.”

Theodore, however, was no longer listening to the old patriarch’s words.

He shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand, straining to gaze at the Black Dragon’s perfect, colossal form—its shimmering black scales, its mighty and imposing horns, and its strong, powerful wings.

‘How beautiful and magnificent!’

Theodore found himself momentarily captivated. Though he was clearly within the Dragon Charge’s impact zone, he held absolute confidence in the elder’s strength beside him.

“Are you planning to meet it head-on?”

The old patriarch calmly replied, “If it were me a thousand years ago, I’d have simply drop-kicked her out of the sky. If it were me five hundred years ago, I’d have used her own force against her, burying her in the sand with perfect technique. As for now…”

Theresia’s Dragon Charge closed in, and then, the old patriarch, who had moments ago appeared ready to meet it head-on, revealed a cunning smile.

“Young dragon, do you know what magic is?”

Immediately, a vast magic array unfolded before the old patriarch.

To Theresia’s astonishment, terror, and helplessness, the entire Dragon Charge was swallowed by the magic array.

Following this, towering plumes of water, dozens of meters high, suddenly erupted from the nearby sea surface.

The patriarch roughly measured the water’s height, sighing with emotion, “Not bad. Her strength has improved.”

The next second, a Black Dragon leaped out of the water.

During this process, the Black Dragon’s enormous body gradually shrank. By the time she landed on the beach, she was nothing more than a girl, drenched to the bone.

Seawater completely soaked her smooth black hair, with glistening droplets continuously falling from her strands. Her handsome features were drawn together in a frown, and her soaking wet single garment clung tightly to her graceful, slender figure, perfectly accentuating her captivating physique.

Unfortunately, Theresia’s clothes were not translucent, so there was no delightful ‘fan service’ to be seen.

However, Theodore had already feasted his eyes. ‘While her human form was beautiful, her dragon form was clearly more stunning,’ Theodore thought.

Theresia stormed towards the old patriarch, but as she reached Theodore, she suddenly turned to him and asked, “The patriarch told you about the trial three days from now, didn’t he? Do you know what you need to do?”

Theodore was caught off guard, then displayed a bewildered expression.

“Tell me what? The patriarch didn’t say anything.”

Upon seeing Theodore’s instinctive reaction, Theresia let out a heavy sigh of relief.

‘Thankfully, she was clever enough.’

‘Thankfully, she returned in time.’

‘Thankfully, she used the teleportation scroll decisively enough.’

Theresia uttered three consecutive exclamations of relief, which considerably soothed the frustration caused by using up a scroll. Inside, she was roaring with laughter.

Unbeknownst to her, however, the old dragon, who stood expressionless beside them, was also roaring with laughter internally.

‘Heheheh.’

‘Young dragon, when this old dragon was out making his way in the world, your grandfather was still chewing on eggshells.’

After providing Theodore with psychological counseling, he had simply deleted all of Theodore’s ‘superfluous’ memories.

And Theodore knew that some of his memories had been erased, but he didn’t know what those memories were. He only knew they were important and that he needed to cooperate with the old patriarch.

The old patriarch and Theodore exchanged a glance, everything unspoken.

The old patriarch calmly inquired, “Are your materials all appraised?”

“Not yet. I forgot to grab something, so I came back first.”

Theresia, without a blush or a hint of breathlessness, said to Theodore, “I remember you told me last time you were tired of staying on Dragon Island and wanted to go explore. It’s perfect timing, as I’m back to get something; I’ll take you with me this time.”

While Theodore was still pondering which ‘last time’ she was referring to, he suddenly found himself lifted off the ground.

When he regained his senses, he was already seated on a smooth, hard ‘surface.’

It was a dragon’s back!

Theodore’s pupils contracted sharply, and his vision instantly broadened. He was sitting on Theresia’s back in her Black Dragon form!

He had become a Dragon Knight!

Woohoo, taking off!

[There’s one more update today, coming soon.]