The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 405: A Peaceful Visit

The words "return," "school," and "together" reverberated in the mind of a completely startled dragon.

In that fleeting instant, Orien was convinced those words had pierced straight through him and lodged themselves in his heart before his vision even fully cleared.

And frankly?

For a terrifying moment, he wished they had never entered.

Filthy little human hands were everywhere on the bed. One arm was wrapped around the small sprite, flowers were being thrust haphazardly, and faces were pressed against those cheeks without a shred of modesty.

Orien’s golden eyes instantly narrowed, sharp as a detective meticulously assembling clues during a life-or-death situation.

Orien Vathros, the undeniable rising star of the sadly sparse golden dragon clan, simply could not fathom what his incredibly keen sight was registering.

The little sprite!

H-how could he be so easily surrounded after he insisted on becoming HIS knight?!

And where exactly were these suspicious little humans intending to take him?!

School?!

Why would Liam require schooling when someone as adept and knowledgeable as Orien was already imparting all of life's crucial lessons?!

Nevertheless, the deeply agitated golden dragonling never had the opportunity to voice these perfectly valid questions, as the questionable dragon knight in question abruptly leaped from the bed and bolted directly towards him.

Heads turned as Liam practically flung himself at Orien, enveloping him in an embrace.

"Everyone! This is my partner-in-crime, Lord Orien!" Liam announced with immense pride, appearing extraordinarily joyful as he beamed at everyone present.

The children and adults alike stared, their surprise evident.

It was understandable; they had known Liam as a common human child for years, whereas the golden-haired boy by the doorway was unmistakably the young dragon featured extensively in recent news.

But if they were bewildered, Orien was in an even more precarious state.

Because before he could even regain his composure, the brazen little sprite casually added, "Isn’t he super cute?"

Orien felt as though his ears might detach.

His entire being flushed a brilliant red with such speed it seemed he might spontaneously ignite.

"W-who’s cute?!" the golden dragonling shrieked, utterly incredulous.

Meanwhile, Liam’s expression remained one of pure innocence. Innocent, proud, and genuinely delighted as he responded without a moment's hesitation.

"You, of course!"

The children observed this exchange with rapt attention.

Like miniature sponges soaking up clandestine wisdom, they silently reached a single, rather perilous conclusion.

Liam had somehow managed to domesticate a dragon.

And not merely any dragon!

A charming, formidable, and evidently very huggable dragon!

It was at precisely that moment that any hope of projecting an intimidating, majestic, and fearsome image vanished for Orien Vathros, the golden dragonling who had just been publicly proclaimed the most adorable of them all.

The children, who had initially been tentative and nervous, immediately shed all apprehension.

They then surged forward with unrestrained excitement, joining Liam.

No!

"Nooooooo!"

Orien emitted frantic, desperate cries as he found himself overwhelmed by a mob of zealous and equally unhinged youngsters who had all yearned to witness a dragon firsthand.

How had it devolved to this?!

This was an utter catastrophe!

__

Simultaneously, beyond the supposedly thin curtain, seven adults were present, each struggling to maintain their composure.

Contrary to the golden dragonling's assumption of a solitary suspicious individual behind the partition, an entire contingent had convened there today for support.

In truth, far more critical matters demanded their attention.

Additional criminals to apprehend.

More investigations requiring oversight.

Countless impending disasters.

Yet, today was a marked exception for multiple significant reasons.

For while this situation appeared to be merely an innocent and heartwarming visit, under no circumstances would anyone permit a group of young, vulnerable human children to wander unsupervised within the MBE premises.

Especially not when several factions were keen on pursuing their own agendas.

Children possess curiosity. Curious children explore, and they wander. Within the Ministry, even the slightest misstep could easily escalate into a tragedy they frankly had no need for.

And so, they were there.

Five dragons. One drake. One adult human.

All diligently suppressing their inherently imposing auras to ensure the children could experience a tranquil visit without succumbing to tears.

More importantly, their presence was intended to observe how a dragonling like Orien would interact with children of his own developmental stage.

And yes, that held considerable significance.

For one, the complete collapse of the Nest had made it painfully obvious that the dragons’ educational system needed to be rebuilt from the ground up.

Honestly, if they were already being forced to overhaul everything, then why not modernize it while they were at it?

Wouldn’t it be better to have functional immortals who benefited society rather than conceited ones completely detached from it?

Of course, that was still a pipe dream, and they likely wouldn’t be able to overhaul everything overnight since most dragons were resistant to change. But nothing would ever move forward if they didn’t start somewhere. And for this, Orien was the perfect test case.

Still, if they were being completely honest with themselves, administrative concerns weren’t even the real reason they were here.

It was actually simpler than that. They were just worried.

Worried about Orien. Worried about Liam.

While that was ironic considering those two could probably fend off half the people at the MBE if they really tried hard enough, the adults huddled within that cramped space still felt the need to protect and watch over them.

See, neither of them had properly interacted with children their age for months now.

And Riley, in particular, kept glancing toward his own mate because possessiveness practically ran through dragon bloodlines like a hereditary disease.

And unfortunately, the golden duckling just happened to be related to one Kael Dravaryn.

Which meant there was always a nonzero chance that Orien might get upset enough to accidentally (decisively) set someone’s hair on fire.

So, with such ticking time bombs around, the ex-mortal had long since learned to pray for patience, deliverance, and emotional resilience.

Still, even he hadn’t expected Liam to be this effective.

Apparently, his baby brother was simply built differently because somehow, someway, the boy had managed to lower Orien’s guard enough that the other children no longer seemed afraid to approach him.

Actually...

Maybe Liam lowered that guard a little too much.

Because now the adults were struggling not to burst out laughing at the golden dragonling’s current predicament.

"I said it already! I’m not cute!"

The screech echoed throughout the room before being followed by what was clearly supposed to be an intimidating roar.

Unfortunately for Orien, however, the dragon-obsessed children only looked even more amazed afterward.

"Whoa!"

"That sounded so cool!"

"He roared at us!"

"Do it again! Again!"

Next to Riley, the red dragon who was technically the legitimate patient occupying that room had started visibly shaking.

His shoulders trembled violently as he fought for his life not to laugh out loud.

Unfortunately, judging by the expression on his face, the battle was not going very well.

But honestly, this kind of battle was infinitely better than the one they’d faced just days ago.

Moreover, being haunted by laughter was far more preferable to being haunted by one’s own mind.

Simon Mercer.

No, Orryn Vathros, who had since gone through absolute hell trying to recover his memories, looked far healthier today at the very least.

And honestly, it became increasingly obvious that surrounding him with the children was currently the fastest way to improve both his mental and physical condition.

After all, despite the overwhelming risks, the red dragon had stubbornly insisted on being freed from the restraints placed on him.

Even while fully aware there was an extremely high chance he could lose control and go insane.

Still, Orryn insisted he needed to do it.

Because according to him, if he truly wanted to start living again and properly make amends, then he needed to regain enough stability to remain beside his child for a long time.

And in his own words, a dragonling courageous enough to stand against a mature dragon deserved a father capable of risking everything just the same.

Riley still remembered the look on Orryn’s face when the red dragon first woke up.

Of course, there had been confusion initially. Shock too.

The disorientation of someone piecing themselves back together after spending far too long shattered apart.

Then came the frantic questions about his mate even while his head seemed moments away from splitting into pieces.

But before Orryn could even fully process any of that, he suddenly froze in stunned recognition after realizing there were two children holding onto his hands.

And honestly, his reaction had been extremely understandable.

Because one child looked almost exactly like his beloved.

Meanwhile, the other looked nothing like either of them, yet possessed an unbelievably familiar and painfully missed mana signature.

"Ilyss and I..." Orryn had croaked out in utter disbelief. "Did we actually have two kids?!"

"..."

"..."

Ah.

Yeah.

Riley definitely remembered how catastrophically long that night became afterward.