The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 442: Absolutely Unfair

Giving these kids even the tiniest bit of leeway was really never a good idea because the moment they found an opening, they’d work miracles and run with it.

Just like they had with this conversation.

"We can do both!" Orien immediately argued. "Like you said, we’re really capable! Everyone else is doing more than one thing too, so we’ll protect them first, then we’ll come back and help!"

Liam nodded so enthusiastically that everyone briefly worried his neck might give out.

Well, that hadn’t exactly gone according to plan.

Riley quietly tried to think of another approach.

Some people would probably say he was being too soft on the children.

Then again, those people had likely never met dragons before.

They probably had no idea what an annoyed dragon, even a young one, was capable of. Even those convinced that a little discipline would straighten children like these out would probably never make it past the first step. Their crying alone would likely disable them long before anyone could even attempt something more in line with their preferred methods of discipline.

And if strength alone were the deciding factor, Orien wasn’t wrong when he said he could go. The little dragonling was already more than capable of replacing an entire team of MBE agents, which was precisely why this wasn’t simply a case of cute children insisting on tagging along.

Well, they were undeniably cute. That much was true.

But they were also genuinely strong.

Even his baby brother.

And that could’ve made all the difference in his decision-making, when even Kael had gone against the wyvern queen at the tender age of "young enough."

Still, Riley refused to budge.

For all their strength, and despite always trying their absolute best at looking and sounding like villains with nothing better to do than laugh maniacally, the two of them were simply too kind. The moment someone cried for help, they’d throw themselves forward without stopping to consider that it might be a trap.

Against enemies like the wyverns, that kind of kindness could very easily become fatal.

So no matter how much damage the two kids could realistically inflict on the merfolk or the stitched-up horrors marching under the Wyvern Queen, Riley wasn’t about to let them anywhere near the battlefield.

"As nice as that sounds," Riley said patiently, "it would also be very dangerous."

The two children immediately looked up at him.

"What if traveling back and forth accidentally leads someone to the safehouse? Wouldn’t that put everyone there in danger? And what if an attack happens while both of you are away?"

He paused before asking the question that made them hesitate.

"Or are you saying one of you stays while the other comes with us?"

Surprisingly, that was the argument that landed really hard.

The enemy somehow sounded far less terrifying than the thought of the two partners in crime being separated.

"No!" Orien exclaimed in complete disbelief. "How could you even suggest that, Auntie?!"

"But... big brother..." Liam whimpered as he instinctively grabbed Orien’s sleeve.

The two of them looked genuinely horrified, and it took everything Riley had not to immediately pull them into a hug.

"But that’s exactly my point," he said gently. "Even if all of us wanted to stay together, we can’t. We’re already going to different places because that’s what our missions require. If you joined the main operation, then the same rules would have to apply to the two of you."

The pair exchanged worried glances.

Riley decided to press the advantage.

"Also..."

His gaze shifted between them.

"Did either of you even ask your guardians for permission?"

Liam immediately shrank a little.

"Liam," Riley continued, "I don’t remember you asking Mom and Dad, and I have a feeling they’d tell you no."

Then he turned toward the golden dragonling.

"As for you, Orien—"

"He’ll have to say yes!" Orien immediately declared.

His brows furrowed, his arms folded tightly across his chest, and one foot tapped insistently against the floor as though he’d already thought this through long before today.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hale aren’t allowed to go either, so it makes sense if they say no. But my father has to say yes because if he says no while he’s going himself, then that’s just unfair!"

The words left his mouth.

So did every sound in the room.

The silence became deafening.

Eventually, even Orien noticed.

Confused, he looked around.

Liam’s eyes had become impossibly wide.

The little dragonling stiffened.

Realization slowly spread across his face.

His own eyes widened.

Then both hands immediately flew over his mouth.

Everyone stared at him.

He stared right back.

__

Apparently, nobody except Liam, who’d faithfully kept the secret they had chanced upon, realized that the golden dragonling already knew.

As it turned out, the two little troublemakers had stumbled upon the truth one day while sneaking around the MBE together. They hadn’t actually been looking for secrets. If anything, they were just wandering about as usual when they accidentally overheard Orien’s grandparents speaking with Orryn about him.

The little dragonling who was practicing stealth up until that point had frozen on the spot, so stunned that Liam immediately grabbed his hand and dragged him away before anyone noticed they were there.

Only after they reached somewhere safely out of earshot by any other capable dragon did Liam finally stop. Looking worriedly at his friend, he quietly asked whether Orien wanted to talk about it or maybe they should simply ask the adults themselves.

Orien stayed quiet for a long while before eventually shrugging.

"No."

His answer came awkwardly, almost as though he was trying to convince himself.

"If there was a reason to tell me..." He lowered his eyes to the ground. "Then he would’ve told me."

He rubbed the back of his neck before adding more softly, "And if he wanted to go back to living peacefully as a human... then maybe not saying anything would be better."

It hadn’t exactly reassured Liam. If anything, the most unconventional drake became even more worried after that conversation, constantly watching Orien to make sure he was really alright.

Surprisingly, though, the golden dragonling never brought the topic up again. He acted as though he’d completely forgotten about it, and little by little, Liam started believing that maybe his partner had truly decided to leave the matter alone.

Well...

At least until today.

The words slipped out so naturally that Orien himself didn’t seem to realize what he’d just admitted.

Unfortunately, that happened at the exact moment Orryn walked into the room carrying a stack of reports.

The papers slipped from his hands before he even realized he’d let go.

They scattered across the floor.

The red dragon stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the little dragonling as though the entire world had stopped turning.

"Orien...?" he managed to choke out.

His heart sank.

All this time, he’d convinced himself he was simply waiting for the right moment to tell him. Heck, he was fighting to end this war so he could finally do exactly that. He’d thought that if they could meet again in more peaceful circumstances, then the reunion would be far less frightening for the child.

Ever since making that decision, he’d clung to the belief that there was still time. But who was he trying to fool? Looking back now, he was probably just too much of a coward to face the conversation.

And now this was where all that hesitation had led him.

It turned out Orien had known all along.