Sheer Freeze: Concentrates mana in a single area to flash freeze everything around the magic circle. Requires line-of-sight and direct mana stream until the materialization finishes. Bypasses [Ice Resistance] and similar skills, although still affected by Wisdom and general damage mitigation skills and effects. Damages the user equally during the materialization phase, although this damage may be affected by user’s [Ice Resistance] and similar skills

“By targeting your chest, the spell was meant to fully disable your ability to fight just long enough for the other dragons to retake the air. As a level seven advanced magic spell, it had the potency to deal major damage, as your [True Draconic Barrier] cannot fully protect you from ice spells,” Tasianna stated, looking quite conflicted. “The spell is also quite fast to cast, but it is extremely obvious since it usually starts freezing your fingers when you cast it, since the spell damages the caster as they cast the spell, even if it was dodged. Yet, I missed the signs while trying to occupy the fire dragons. I apologize, my lady … Let me show you the spell for you to note.”

Tasianna reached her hand out, but I immediately placed my giant foot in front of it.

[“It’s all right … Take care of yourself first. You can draw the magic circle for me when we get back home. Don’t hurt yourself,”] I pleaded, eying her dark blue-colored fingers wracked in pain.

This wasn’t arcane corruption, it was the backlash from her using Mom’s [Fimbulvetr Wall]. When she mentioned how she hadn’t fully mastered it, she hid the fact that, by “lack of mastery,” she really meant she couldn’t control the conversion of her mana into true ice properly, causing her own body to take the brunt of the stress.

This wasn’t even deep frostbite, when your skin turned black like necrosis; her fingers had literally turned into ice so thoroughly that even her [Frost Body] couldn’t save her fingers. Her elemental alignment to ice was hopeless against a chill colder than what was natural. The result was her fingers now breaking apart.

Noticing my saddened gaze, Tasianna looked at her right hand when her thumb broke off, falling onto the ground to splinter like glass. Even if she tried, she wouldn’t be able to move any of those transformed fingers.

“My lady, they—”

[“‘They will grow back because my body is made out of mana,’ is that what you wanted to say? Do I have to remind you how much you and Saori chided me for how recklessly I treated my own body, or whenever I push my body to the breaking point for the sake of the party?”] I interjected. [“Is this why you wanted my help to get that ‘organ’ thingy, to help your body adapt to the cold?”]

Tasianna nodded.

[“Creating the true ice is equally as difficult for her as it is for us,”] Shay added. [“Her Majesty, though, suggested this method to Tasianna alone since, as long as we master her spells, we won’t need to gain an external power source. We will naturally learn how to control the true ice through our evolution.”]

“Equipment can mitigate some of the issues, but unless Grimnir learns how to process Her Majesty’s scales and claws, it is a futile effort. Even then, I don’t think she would hand them over to anybody but you, my lady, and only for your personal equipment,” Tasianna said. “I think you noticed my robes, correct?”

I nodded. [“It is the same one you got from the dungeon in Inkoran-Tazul. Of course, I would notice; although, the last time I checked, it wasn’t infused into your normal maid clothes.”]

“Miss Saori’s work.” she smiled, twirling around to show it off. “My [Glacial Witch’s Wardress] hardens my mana into ‘true ice’ against foreign attacks, and [Fimbulvetr Wall] and [Sheer Freeze] count as such, but the former spell is stronger than the protection from my robes. We used some of Her Majesty’s mana to create this new outfit for me, but it still can’t release its true potential.”

Glacial Witch’s Wardress: A dress made from natural mana made from the essence from the glacial stones of the north. An imperfect mana dress made from a dungeon, this dress constantly exudes a blood-freezing ice aura that assaults its owner. In the possession of a true ice magician who had turned their mana into the ice element, this dress protects its user from fire attacks and keeps their body temperature low, while hardening upon impact from foreign attacks, whether magical or physical.

Skills: [Ice Amp] [Ice Magic Efficiency] [True Ice Resistance Lv. 3]

Enchantment: [Sealed Potential] [Glacial Witch’s Protection (Limited)]

Sealed Potential: An enchantment created by the System for specific dungeon loot. Requires an assessment by an expert to recreate this object to unleash its full potential. Until recreated, it will seal most of this object’s skills, enchantments, and runes

Glacial Witch’s Protection: Hardens the mana surrounding it into true ice, making it impossible to melt. Consumes mana of the user while active. Ice spells cast while this enchantment is active are less susceptible to fire and high heat, while also increasing their damage to those weak to ice

It’s still in the same state as it was a year ago …

[“Mom didn’t say anything?”]

“She said, ‘If you wish for answers, you should ask the inhabitants living in the glacial north.’ Her Majesty stated this dress is a dungeon creation and that she has never seen anything similar. However, if I could obtain some materials from the north, maybe Grimnir could figure something out. Or, maybe Ellaine since her artificer training has advanced quite a bit.”

That settled it. We would be going to the northern icelands, even if the whole core awakening thing didn’t amount to anything.

[“Your quest is also mine—Aurora’s,”] I stated, earning me a gracious bow from Tasianna.

I let out a deep sigh, feeling a bit anxious about actually going there with my current ice defenses. Yet, I couldn’t call myself an adventurer if I wasn’t willing to face some challenge in the pursuit of strength … Then again, maybe I should deal with my current problems first before thinking of running away from them.

“Euriiaaahk! Eiruak eirrak eriiik.” I turned around as I finally tuned back into the constant screeching. I looked up, staring at the giant, emerald-black feathered dragon before me.

His plumage made him seem as bulky as me, but his feet and the underside of his tail—the only spots not completely covered by his feathers—suggested he must have a more sleek and serpentine body type under the feathers. Considering his two pairs of bird-like wings, he must be built for pure speed in the air.

Yet, this stranger was my brother. He surely was a black dragon just like Neill, it just wasn’t as obvious under all his feathers. His accent was tough to understand, but I could pick out the gist of what he was saying to the fire dragons—he wasn’t scolding them, he was merely speaking to them about me. How I performed during the fight.

He isn’t an extremely protective brother, that’s for sure. Still … he did protect me from the [Sheer Freeze].

[“Hmm, all right, up to date on the situation.”] He raised his head into the air, tilting it a bit as if he was thinking, only to snap it down and suddenly launch it forward like a spear!

His beak pierced right through the fire dragon leader’s shoulder, releasing a shockwave from the speed he used to catch him off-guard. Like a woodpecker, my brother retracted his beak as the dragon snarled in pain, prompting the other two to try and interfere, but before they could, Brother’s wings unfurled.

Similar to the spell, [Hammerfist Bellow], a strong wind pushed the spikey and lava dragons into the ground, pushing them down so strongly that I could see them sinking into the ground. Their mouths began to catch on fire, but that was when Brother’s aura burst from him, causing every single fire dragon but me, to start shivering and lower their heads.

With most of them suppressed, Brother turned his head back to the leader and started pecking him at a supersonic speed, causing more and more shockwaves to shoot out from the attacks. Growling in pain, the leader could do nothing but take every single attack, to the point his entire front was covered in his blood. Numerous holes destroyed the layer of scales.

What is he doing!

I charged forward. [“Hey, what are you trying do?”] I shouted, drawing his attention to me. I didn’t feel the need to save the fire dragon for what he just did, but this was starting to look like an execution.

[“A punishment,”] he answered. [“Not for fighting you, if that is what you were wondering. That’s just dragon culture, little sis. More like, they approached my mother and I as guards for our travels to Frozen Nest to see you, but look what they did the moment we stopped keeping our eyes on them. I will not have my youngest sibling ‘tested’ without proper supervision. I do not like my trust being betrayed.”]

… ‘Not another youngest sibling?’ He’s talking about Neill, right? Also, did this mean they weren’t ‘invading’ us as Rhekk suggested?

Brother then grabbed the fire dragon by his neck with his talon-like claws, slamming him onto the ground before leaving a deep cut on his face. [“However, this punishment should be enough. Killing them will only anger their parents and that would make our brother uncomfortable.”]

The wind stopped, turning back into a breeze, leaving the fire dragons huffing and puffing as the threat ended. While the rank As tried to regain composure, the rank Bs all tucked their tails in between their legs as my brother passed them by to come to me. He laid down, allowing his eyes to meet mine comfortably.

[“They bothered you and you handled it in your way, so you have the right to punish them. Remember, my little sister, we are Kargryxmors! If they dare look down on us, scorch them. Make them remember where our bloodline comes from!”] he said with a prideful tone, sounding a noble fully invested in his lineage. [“Although, I can leave that lecture to our elder siblings. This isn’t my kind of thing, you know? Haha, haven’t introduced myself yet, right?”]

He jumped back on his feet and spread his wings out, raising them in such a flamboyant manner, it actually made him seem like a peacock—a bragger.

[“I am the one closest to remind this era of grandfather’s glory! To show everybody once again what the ‘Black Tyrant of the Skies’ title actually means! The fastest tyrant of our family! The most beautiful of us all!”] he shouted with all his might. [“Nongramos Eluccierra Kargryxmor! Son of the most beautiful of the Empress-Mothers, Virrflax Kainena Arviosa! A feather dragon, as you can see.”]

He lowered his head and used one of his wings like an arm, bowing before me like a Victorian gentleman with how showy he was with it.

[“And, your fourth brother, little scamp. May I also receive a brilliant introduction from you, as well?”]

[“… Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. Daughter of Melloxtressa Wisperia Nordor. Nice to meet you, too, Nong-bro.”]

Nong stared at me with empty eyes. [“… Y-you … You could have put more effort into it. I mean, we’re Kargryxmors. You shy?”]

[“Not really?”] I tilted my head, a bit weirded out. [“I mean, we’re strangers, no? Sure, you’re my half-brother, but that would only make it weirder if I gave you an introduction so over the top that it would turn cringe.”]

[“You don’t think ‘Nong-bro’ isn’t cringe?”] he jerked up, opening his mouth in bewilderment. [“Nongramos! That’s my name! That’s the name my mother gave me, so why are you shortening it?”]

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

[“Yeah, but your name is super long, don’t you think so? It’s similar to Neill. Far-gry-neill. It’s a bit of a mouthful to say it every time I have to address you, so let’s keep it short. I’ll strike out the ‘bro’ part if you don’t like it.”]

[“I … I see? I guess that is the privilege of the youngest.”] Brother looked up into the sky, letting out a deep sigh. [“I guess, if you think about it, ‘Nong’ has a bit of a charm. My full name would make our relationship too formal, or maybe too distant? Always felt that way whenever Fargryneill addressed me. Always kept a wall in between us … Hmm, it might be better. Makes us sound like siblings, right? Hmm, yeah, actually, it does sound good. ‘Nong. Nong. Nong.’ Hey, Cs, it does sound cute, right?”]

Addressing the rank C fire dragons, Nong’s simple nickname caused them to nod like crazy. Whether they agreed or not didn’t matter.

[“Haha, perfect then! A cute nickname from my little sister is the best way to kickstart our relationship. I guess that doesn’t make us strangers any longer, right?”]

… Yup, he is a bit of a narcissist. But, he doesn’t seem too bad, albeit a bit overbearing and quick to inflict physical punishment. Dragonish behavior, though.

[“It seems so, bro. This young scale lowers her tail in your presence,”] I bowed, showing him proper respect as an elder scale. Seeing this, Nong scoffed through his nose, but I could see from his smile that must have enjoyed that. I didn’t know what his true personality was right now, but I had this feeling that what Neill told me about our family was true. They cared about each other, no matter how different each of our half-siblings was.

After this little fanservice, Nong told me I should “take responsibility” for what happened. As an imperial princess, I had the duty to handle the situation after the fight. I didn’t know what he expected, but this was a perfect time for him to learn who I was as a person. Place somebody in power over others and their actions would betray their true persona.

Expecting something similar, the rank As and Bs eyed me with suspicion, almost like they were awaiting me to abuse them, secure in the fact my brother would fully support whatever decision I ended up making. Honestly, if they had only given a bit of thought of why I even intervened in their battle, they would understand my true intention.

I cast [Sanctified Blaze: Halo of Consecration], materializing a halo of white flames on my head before letting it blast a wave of it onto the fire dragons. Unafraid as it was fire, they didn’t react much, but instantly made weird noises as they noticed me healing their wounds. The fire dragon leader, especially, had the wounds my brother left on him healed, earning me an annoyed groan from Nong.

[“Tell me, why did I attack both sides?”] I asked.

[“… Because you didn’t want to take any sides. You truly held up to your words, your grace,”] the leader stated, eyes filled with wonder as he touched his healed face. Even the wounds the ice dragons caused were gone.

[“Remember this, then. I don’t need more people coming up to my door, trying to ask to fight a whelp,”] I snarled at their behavior. [“Now, if you’re done here, you may leave. I don’t think you’re welcomed after—”]

[“Wait, hold on, please!”] the leader urged. [“My name is Fehrkatruk, I am the youngest son of one of the retainers of the current Dragon Ruler of Fire. I understand it might be hard to understand, but we truly didn’t come here purely to assault you for no reason. My father asked me to come here, wanting to know who the youngest spawn is.”]

[“Ooooh? Mind elaborating on that?”] Nong interjected. [“How did you know my sister had awaken from her hibernation, when our entire family hadn’t heard anything about it?”]

I turned around, surprised to hear this. [“No, mind elaborating on that for me, too? What do you mean by that? I thought my mother made an announcement or something, that we would be coming to visit the rest of the family in a few days.”]

[“She did make such an announcement through her dragonewt clan. However, she never mentioned you in it. My mother and I are visiting Frozen Nest to see how she is holding up, including to see how you are faring while sleeping. You don’t know this, but every single member of the family, aside from Father, had visited out of curiosity for our newest sibling. I didn’t need your smell to know who you were, I already saw you when you were still sleeping cutely, haha!”] He raised his head up with pride, as if that was worth bragging or something. [“Today was nothing special. I don’t think I conveyed my surprise well, but I was flabbergasted when I saw you.”]

[“If that is the case, then—”] I snapped back to Fehrkatruk. [“I think you should explain yourself then, before my brother hits you again.”]

[“Of course.”] He bowed his head, keeping his tail down. [“My father, Hedthalak, isn’t a hardliner like the rest of the fire dragon flight. He is currently neutral, to ensure that another travesty like the civil war wouldn’t happen again. I was sent here to first see if you have any intention to compete in the succession war and if you were worthy of it; should you prove yourself worthy, then I was to bring you back to the mainland if the ice flight are incapable of defending you. Of course, with permission of Empress Melloxtressa.”]

“Grrrrk …”

I turned around to the ice dragons growling at us. They were keeping to themselves since Nong was around, but their icy stares told me I had to deal with them after this. As Rhekk mentioned, I did abuse their trust, so I had to clear up the air.

I continued my interrogation. [“No, I don’t need to know your entire background story, I need to know from whom did you learn this?”]

[“My father didn’t specify who it was, but I presumed it was common knowledge. At least, at this point, it should have spread amongst the fire dragon flight. I apologize if this isn’t sufficient.”]

Was he hiding more information from me? I wasn’t sure. Mom did mention true dragons had no inclination to lie since trickery was usually used by those weaker than them, and dragonkin tried to maintain their dignity and honor. If he wasn’t lying, then asking him any further wouldn’t help.

I presented the question to the other members of this group, but the lot of them admitted they only came since Fehrkatruk was their leader. They didn’t know anything more than he did. In the end, I told them to leave Frozen Nest and to never come back here without a proper invitation. Not unless they wanted me to reveal to Nong what they said about Neill. Intimidated by this threat, all of them acquiesced.

In any case, this at least confirmed that the permission part about Thalaxarus’s barrier could be circumvented if you accompanied somebody who received permission from a native. It shouldn’t happen often, or perhaps, Nong and his mother were a bit naive. I could imagine Nong being persuaded by people showering him with praises.

Nevertheless …

[“Rhekk, I—”]

[“Save your words, ‘princess.’ We understand our position,”] he snapped at me. [“You might be a Nordor, but you still carry the blood of that conqueror, Kargryxmor. You are nothing more than an outsider, like all of those fire dragons. You can be at peace. I will not support a betrayer for the throne. Better any other black dragon, than you.”]

[“What? Hold on, didn’t you even listen to what I said? I sent that telepathic link to everybody so you could listen in! I didn’t betray anybody, I stepped in to prevent you from killing them! Don’t try to deny that!”]

[“A fitting end for an invader. They even confirmed they illegally entered our island, and you still decided to let them go without a punishment? You even healed the wounds Prince Nongramos fittingly gave them. You are a human in dragon form, nothing more. We will not support an outsider, and that is it.”]

The ice dragons all turned their backs to me, beginning to walk away as I hadn’t had the chance to heal their wounds at all. Aside from one of them, the rank As had their wings critically injured by Vifi, and the rank Bs were covered in burns and ash. Were they all that stubborn to ask for help?

A tantrum? Seriously? Man-children—If you don’t want help, then I don’t need to extend my hand.

[“Embarrassing.”]

However, just then, Beth’s voice entered my mind and caused the ice dragons to freeze on the stop.

[“These are true dragons we worshiped for so long? The priestesses always continued on how we needed to lower our tails to them, but these are the beings we fantasized about? Embarrassing.”]

[“Beth!”] Shay bodychecked his sister, trying to stop her from speaking, but his younger twin couldn’t be silenced.

[“No, Shay, this isn’t the time to shut our mouths! You heard them! These imbeciles call themselves a higher life form, treating us lesser dragonkin like we are nothing, but unlike them, we are willing to stand with Princess Hestia through even the toughest times! They are so filled with pride, they can’t even properly assess themselves, and only end up embarrassing themselves!”] Beth shouted. [“I’ve had enough. Asterios was a fool who died because of his impatience, and now I have to witness these idiots mistreat Princess Hestia because they wanted to push their ambitions on her. And now, with their feelings hurt, they are trying to blame everything on her! Betrayal? Guilt? Come back here and beg with your tails tucked for Princess Hestia to heal you! Now!”]

“Krahkk!” Rhekk and the rank As snapped around, only for Vifi, Nong, and I to stare them down. They jerked back, only for all of them to walk away, yet, unlike before, the rank Bs didn’t follow them. Instead, they turned around and lowered their heads to me.

[“Princess Hestia, please, forgive us,”] they said, earning them the scoffs of those who left.

I couldn’t only heave a sigh of regret that we had to continue on this bad footing. Knowing it was futile, I focused on healing the ones who listened. [“I’m sorry for hurting you, and thank you for putting your trust in me here.”]

Once that was over, they flew away while Nong and my party returned to the city. My party made a quick stop at the sashimi restaurant to pay for our meals, while Nong flew to the floating city, intending to pay for the damages done as well, but the manager told me it was quite okay. The money for the meal was good enough, they said, before they prepared a take-away for us.

[Humanize (Moderate)] inflicted on [Young Sunfang Dragon, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor]

“Please, come back!” they said while waving at us with beaming smiles. Although I felt a bit awkward, we accepted their words and flew up to the floating city above Iceskale, where we reunited with Nong.

He stood at the entrance in his [Beastialize] form. Befitting of his bird-like form, his humanoid form was that of an arvisian with feathered arms and a pair of wings on his back. His feather’s general color scheme was consistent while his scales covering his limbs were black.

Nong’s preferred form was his minor stage, meaning his head was similar to that of a bird, rather than a human. Still, his facial movements were far more developed compared to his dragon form, so I could see his sheer surprise when he gazed at my dragonewt body.

“Yeah, you look like a little sister.” He stared at me for a bit too long. “Your dragon form doesn’t resemble either father or your mother, but the moment you’re in your dragonewt form, your horns and tails fit Empress-Mother Melloxtressa perfectly.”

Due to Nong’s bird face, it made it hard to know how old he was, but his dragonewt form did showcase his personality better. Muscular and dressed in a revealing black-scale kimono like Neill, Nong really did seem like a Hollywood celebrity that demanded everybody looked at him. If he had a pair of sunglasses, it would have elevated his image even further.

“So, you have had enough time to look at me. How does this form look, hmm?” Nong was baiting for a compliment.

Should I say the truth?

“I imagined my good-looking brother would look more stylish, instead of like somebody who just came out of the shower,” I remarked, causing him to freeze in place, inspecting his clothes before correcting it with a few more scales. He then came running at me, trying to ask my opinion, but I ignored him.

This is my family, I guess.

While leaving him hanging, I clapped Beth on her back for what she said before. Considering their general demeanor towards true dragonkin, I didn’t expect her to go ham on them that much.

“Once again, why should we cower before dragons, when we serve the greatest ice dragon there is?” Beth said with pride. “Besides, hearing them speak like that was starting to annoy me, my princess. If we hadn’t said anything then, I believe it would just make your life here more difficult.”

“Oh no, you’re right. Thank you for speaking up, though. I wanted to leave the situation alone since I was getting frustrated by how they were acting and was about to say something I would regret later. For the first time, I’ve really understood why Kramps feels so disappointed in Kargryx. People that old were acting so childish, it was baffling.”

“Kramps?” Nong asked.

“Kargryxmor, our grandfather.”

“Ah, the old man …” Nong’s energy suddenly dimmed, causing him to look pensive. “Right, I heard from the Empress-Mother that you’re his Champion, right? How funny.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No, no, don’t misunderstand. I know your whole situation, and my anger isn’t exactly directed at you. Did the Empress-Mother ever mention anything about the old man above?” he asked, making me worry.

“Yeah, she did … Hold on, you just kept on spouting how much you wanted to be the next ‘Kargryxmor’—I think Neill said the same thing. So why are you acting like this the moment I mentioned Kramps?”

“I want to embody the image of ‘Kargryxmor.’ The Conqueror and Black Tyrant of the Skies. I don’t want to share our grandfather’s personality, definitely not. There is a difference, and that line is made between the image of the God Kargryxmor and the Emperor Kargryxmor who left our empire in the rot.” Nong stood still, letting out a heavy sigh. “Hestia, remember these words, no matter what happens, we accept you as our sibling. Every single one. From Kahalameet to Fargryneill.”

“Pardon?”

Yet, instead of answering, he pointed forward. “Come on. The Nordor clan’s mansion is close. My mother is waiting for us there.”

“Wait, hold on, say—” I tried to reach out, but my brother spread his wings and flew forward, escaping before we could finish speaking. I turned to my companions, with all of them looking like they knew what was up, but weren’t willing to say anything. “All of this is making it harder for me, people. Just say it already! Haaa.”

Fuck it …

First the ice dragons, then the fire dragons, and now my own brother. All of this hinted to something related to my father, so what exactly did all of this mean? Something inside me could already figure the answer out, but no matter how much I tried to focus on the answer, my mind was actively rejecting it. I couldn’t form a coherent thought on it, prompting me to simply forget it for now.

As such, my party walked to the Nordor clan’s mansion as we initially planned. Notified by my presence by the gatekeeper, my dragonewt relatives greeted me, with the majority worryingly asking me if I was all right. The news of the fire dragons attacking me had already spread around the city, so I made sure to calm them down.

“We apologize for not being able to do anything.” All of the dragonewt bowed in apology, but only one spoke to me. This silver-scaled dragonewt was somebody I’ve already met before my stay in Frozen Nest, and that was Skardrvo. “We were stopped from mobilizing our dragoons, so we couldn’t defend you. Please, accept our apology.”

He wasn’t exactly a friend, but he was a good acquaintance when I first visited the dwarf’s capital, Inkoran-Tazul, during the Event Quest situation. He was one of the ambassadors who worked in the city’s Loatryx embassy, and now he was here to act as my spokesperson for the clan, since I hadn’t gotten used to my life on this continent yet.

“No need to apologize.” I heard Nong’s voice coming from deeper into the mansion. He opened one of the doors of this middle-European styled mansion, waving his hand out, where I caught a whiff of something familiar.

Mom?

“Hello, dear.”

I was right. Mom was here. She somehow flew over here just in time for me to meet a new part of my family. Sitting next to her was a rainbow-feathered arvisian woman with green scales, smiling softly before she stood up.

“Let me introduce you, this is—”

“No, no, it’s fine, Melloxtressa. Son, come here.”

The woman and Nong stood back-to-back, showcasing the clear size difference between the two of them, with the women being a head shorter. Both had the same amount of wings and there was a clear familiarity between the two with the shape of their beaks, but what was more obvious they were related was the manner they introduced each other. Just like Nong, the woman was flamboyant, posing as if she was an anime character.

Even worse, she was doing it with her son! Neither had the shame to blush about it, proudly bragging about themselves.

“It is I, the most beautiful and elegant of the empress-mothers! The most cunning, kindest, and the fastest of them all! The fourth Dragon Empress of the Dragon Empire, Kargryx, and mother of my beautiful, handsome, and fastest son, Nongramos Eluccierra Kargryxmor! Witness me, my dearest youngest step-daughter, tis your fourth Empress-Mother, Virrflax Kainena Arviosa!”

Virrflax raised her arms and wings out, showing them off almost in the same manner Nong did when he first introduced himself to me. Meanwhile, that same brother of mine was kneeling down before his mother, quietly clapping to his mother’s posing.

“Hehe, aren’t they just cute together, my dear?” Mom said with a smile.

… Exactly, how old were they again?

I was about to die from cringe.