Ch.5858. Now We’re on the Same Page.

“Why can’t I sleep with Father?”

“That’s because we’re not ‘married’ as humans say. You need to be married to have a baby.”

Lucien, sitting across from me at the study desk, snapped his thumb and middle finger.

“Ah! I know. I read it in a book. Humans get married and then have children.”

“Yes, and I don’t want people to misunderstand our relationship, so I hope you can understand, Lucien.”

“Then… I shouldn’t call you Father in front of people, right?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“Should I call you Young Master like Uncle Jawill Wilson does?”

Though Lucien was trying not to show it, his dejected expression was clearly visible on his face.

For some reason, my heart ached, and I bit my lip slightly.

“When it’s just the two of us, you can call me Father.”

“R-really?”

“But in return, you need to listen well to Uncle Jawill Wilson normally.”

Lucien clapped his hands with an innocent smile.

“Yes! That’s why I read all the books Uncle told me to read yesterday.”

“I see, what books did you read?”

“101 Reasons Why Women Should Be Careful Around Men, How to Reject Men’s Requests, How to Distinguish Between Good Men and Bad Men. These are the ones Uncle recommended so far.”

That bastard Jawill Wilson…

What kind of ridiculous books is he recommending to a child who hasn’t even formed a proper identity yet?

No, am I the crazy one for trusting him?

I need to call him in and give him a proper education.

I cleared my throat and continued speaking.

“Lucien, you don’t need to read those kinds of books until you’re older.”

“But Uncle said they’re essential for surviving in this harsh world?”

“…I’ll explain that to Uncle later in a way he’ll understand. For now, don’t read them.”

“Alright. If that’s what Father wants, then it must be right.”

She doesn’t just learn one thing when taught; she learns two.

No, she easily grasps ten or twenty things at once.

Moreover.

With just her Breath and Meteor skills alone, Lucien was already surpassing elite knights.

That’s why it was more important for her to develop her character first rather than immediately building her skills by hunting monsters in the forest.

If her abilities grew while she remained immature, it could return as tremendous destruction.

I slowly turned my gaze toward the bookshelf filled with books.

Perhaps because appearances were important for nobility, these books had been piled in the study even before I possessed this body.

With various subjects and genres mixed together, there was such a vast amount that even I couldn’t read them all.

“Lucien, if you need books, you can come to the study and take them anytime, even when I’m not here.”

“Wow, thank you!”

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Actually, Father, I’m curious about something.”

“Oh, what is it?”

“I remember everything from when I was an egg.”

“When you were an egg?”

“Yes, even memories from inside that musty wooden box.”

How far do a dragon’s abilities extend?

I was quite surprised, but outwardly maintained my composure as I continued.

“You must have had a difficult time for a long period.”

“It’s okay. I got to meet you in the end, Father.”

“Haha… yes. So, what are you curious about?”

“When I was an egg, you stroked me and asked me to help you when I hatched. Do you remember?”

I couldn’t recall exactly.

However, I think I did stroke the egg with my palm and grumbled some words as a form of prenatal education because the situation was so difficult at the time…

What did I say again?

I gave Lucien a gentle smile.

“I’m sorry, but my memory isn’t very good…”

“You said you were having a hard time because of those crazy bitches… and asked me to hatch quickly and help you.”

I was so startled by the word “crazy bitches” coming from Lucien’s mouth that I almost jumped out of my seat.

I had just muttered a few words out of stress at the Evis territory inn because of Luna’s fluctuating affection deficiency levels, but to think she remembered something even I had forgotten…

I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and avoided her gaze.

“Haha! Did I say that?”

“Yes, but who are these crazy bitches Father mentioned? Should I just kill them?”

Looking at Lucien tilting her head with a bright, innocent face, I gulped nervously.

Indeed, I became convinced that developing her character was more important than building her skills.

“You shouldn’t kill people recklessly.”

“But the people Father called crazy bitches fall under ‘bad’ rather than ‘good,’ right?”

“Even if they fall under ‘bad,’ you can’t kill people without reason.”

“Even if they troubled Father?”

“Y-yes.”

Lucien stroked her chin with her small hand, as if she couldn’t understand.

I wonder when she learned this behavior too?

“Then there’s no way for me to help Father…?”

In the end, Lucien started to whimper, seemingly without a satisfactory answer.

I sighed briefly and gently stroked her head.

“If you grow up to be a good person, that’s how you help Daddy.”

“R-really?”

“Of course.”

“Hehe, I understand! I’ll grow up well!”

Come to think of it.

When I first saw Lucien, her appearance looked like that of a 6 to 8-year-old, but in less than a week, she now looked like a 10-year-old.

Is it because dragons have a rapid growth period?

Even so, if she grows this quickly, the people in the mansion will soon notice.

“By the way, Lucien, you seem to be growing too quickly in a short period?”

“Dragons naturally grow faster during what humans call ‘infancy.’ The growth slows down as we get bigger.”

“Can you possibly adjust your appearance so it doesn’t look like you’re growing?”

“Yes, should I match my growth to humans from now on?”

She understood immediately.

If she grew up properly, she would become a more reliable ally than anyone else.

“Even if it’s uncomfortable, please do that from now on.”

“I understand.”

“Then, could you call Uncle Jawill Wilson for me? I’d like to talk to him alone.”

“Yes! Before I go to call Uncle, may I take a few books?”

“As many as you like.”

She reached out to the bookshelf with her small hands, took out a few books, and then bowed to me.

“I’ll be going now.”

“I’ll talk to Padericks separately, so like I said earlier, if you want to read books, take them anytime without hesitation.”

“Yes!”

After Lucien left, Jawill Wilson entered the study.

I adjusted my posture in the chair, sitting slightly askew.

“Jawill Wilson.”

“What is your command?”

“Do you want to die?”

“…Pardon?”

“Who told you to recommend strange books to Lucien?”

Jawill Wilson hesitated for a while and then tilted his head.

“What do you mean by strange books?”

“101 Reasons Why Women Should Be Careful Around Men, How to Reject Men’s Requests, How to Distinguish Between Good Men and Bad Men—are these normal?”

“Young Master, what’s wrong with you!? Don’t you worry when you see our Lucien’s appearance?”

Jawill Wilson raised his voice defensively, turning the tables on me.

His bold attitude momentarily made me stutter.

“W-what did you say?”

“All men are wolves. I’m just letting our Lucien know that fact early!”

Jawill Wilson kept adding “our Lucien” at the end of his sentences.

No matter how much he doted on his niece, this level was a “sickness.”

“Those things can be taught later without being too late.”

“The earlier she learns, the better.”

“Hah, and what if she decides that all men are bad people and should be killed?”

“What? T-that’s not…”

I sighed deeply at the flustered Jawill Wilson.

“Sigh!! Jawill Wilson, Lucien is not human but a dragon. Common sense doesn’t necessarily apply to her.”

“…I apologize.”

“She might hastily conclude with that smart brain of hers that the faster she learns, the more cautious she needs to be.”

“I think I was shortsighted. As you said, Young Master, because she learns so quickly, I was eager to teach her various things.”

I looked at Jawill Wilson, whose shoulders had slumped, his spirit crushed.

Although his method was wrong, his feelings toward Lucien were surely genuine.

So…

“Let’s just meet in the middle, okay?”

“I understand.”

“Don’t think on your own; report to me first whenever something happens. And from now on, I’ll be the one recommending books, so don’t worry about it.”

“…Then what should I do for our Lucien?”

I smiled subtly at Jawill Wilson, who was shrugging his shoulders as if frustrated.

“You know what you’re good at.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Getting beaten up.”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re exceptionally good at getting beaten up.”

“Well, that is my specialty… but I don’t see how that relates to helping Lucien.”

I leaned back comfortably in my chair and continued.

“Character development comes first, but shouldn’t we also teach her basic swordsmanship?”

“Then when you say I’ll get beaten up…”

“By my estimation, Lucien will catch up to your swordsmanship in about a week?”

Having slightly provoked his competitive spirit, Jawill Wilson immediately burst into a maniacal laugh.

“Haha! No matter what, I won’t lose in swordsmanship to a child!”

“Right, then I’ll look forward to it.”

Tap tap tap tap!

Just as I had successfully coaxed and comforted the gloomy Jawill Wilson, Padericks rushed into the study.

“Y-Young Master, right now—”

“Father has arrived, right?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“I just know these things now.”

Having resolved Lucien’s issue, I felt much better about meeting Father.

I rose from my chair and dusted my palms decisively.

“Shall we go then?”