Chapter Twenty-One: I Was Clearly First

The Poison Dragon, a creature whose existence had always been entwined with solitude, was not abandoned by her parents because of her kind. Instead, like all dragons, she was left to her own devices. The dragon race cared little for familial bonds; most parents guarded their treasures and slept, indifferent to their offspring. Even when a father and son who had not seen each other for centuries happened to meet on the continent, they would simply ask, “Have you eaten?” and, upon receiving an answer, part ways once more.

They might even quarrel over trivial matters. There was a notorious anecdote in the dragon's nest: one day, a dragon father and his son both set their sights on a noble’s treasure vault. Upon meeting, they argued over its ownership, and, as expected, fought without hesitation. In the end, the son knocked out his father’s front tooth and claimed victory, seizing the treasure, while the poor noble was left foaming at the mouth in terror by the spectacle of two dragons battling.

Relying on her parents was futile. The lively dragon hatchlings could only find companions among themselves, gradually forming a small social circle—the basis for their future friendships as adults. Of course, Feiloxis was excluded from such circles. Unable to control her own toxins, she found that even the dragons’ renowned resistance to poison was as fragile as paper before her. Stories frequently circulated in the nest about which dragon child had been poisoned by Feiloxis this time.

Thus, Feiloxis’s greatest pleasure in leaving the nest was bathing or sleeping. She often curled up in her cave for decades at a time, and when she could not find a suitable bathhouse in the dragon nest, she would venture out and inevitably cause trouble for humans.

It didn’t take long before Feiloxis earned a reputation as the Poison Dragon—a notorious one, at that. Any skilled mage who saw her would relentlessly pursue her. Knowing her actions were far from commendable, she rarely took lives; if discovered, she would simply flee.

One day, she arrived at an inconspicuous hill, where a pristine lake caught her eye. The water was so pure that, under the sunlight, it gleamed like gold, mesmerizing the dragon. As she prepared to enjoy it, she was discovered by a human.

Feiloxis remembered searching for a long time before finally spotting the diminutive human. Ordinary folk would have fled at the sight of her, but this one not only refused to run, he forbade her from entering the lake. The Poison Dragon was amused and asked how he intended to stop her. The human, instead, bargained and exchanged information until they struck a deal: from then on, he would bathe the Poison Dragon himself.

The Poison Dragon’s body carried a fragrance—though not a pleasant one, but rather the scent of the toxins that seeped through her skin. The human, upon sealing the agreement, promptly fell unconscious, only to be revived by a mermaid who leapt from the lake and cast a detoxification spell.

What happened next was remarkable. This powerless human managed to resist the Poison Dragon’s toxins with a peculiar mask, and worked tirelessly beside his home to dig a pool for her.

The notion that all humans were evil existed only in the minds of young dragons. Adult dragons understood there was good and bad in every race. The one before her was surely a good one. Whenever Feiloxis recalled Ruby’s meticulous care in bathing her, warmth filled her heart, and she would often miss the frail human after returning to the dragon nest.

Yet she knew that, compared to humans, dragons lived far longer; even sleeping too long might mean missing the human’s funeral. Determined to remember him, she gradually reduced the interval between her baths—from once every six months, to every three months, and then every month.

“It’s been so long since I’ve slept in human form,” Feiloxis sighed, opening her eyes to a strange ceiling. Last night, after bathing, it was already late, so at Ruby’s suggestion, she stayed over. Usually, she would leave immediately after her bath, but this time she made an exception, partly because of the mage girl at Ruby’s side.

“Why would a great mage live here?” Feiloxis pondered, as she skillfully opened the passage to the basement. Naturally, Mayuna would not allow her to stay underground, nor were there any spare beds, though the Poison Dragon wouldn’t have minded squeezing in with Ruby.

“You’re up. Here’s your breakfast,” Ruby said, placing the last piece of steak from the pan onto the pile already on her plate, making exactly twenty portions.

“Thank you. I feel my debt to you grows ever larger.” What would kill an ordinary person was merely a breakfast for Feiloxis. Yet, as she ate, the mage girl clutched her glass of milk and stared, making the Poison Dragon tense and dampening the pleasure of the meal.

“You lied to me!” Mayuna instantly confronted Ruby after Feiloxis finished her meal without batting an eye.

“How did I lie?” Ruby replied.

“You said her stomach was constructed like a human’s. Tell me, what human could eat all that in two minutes?!”

Mayuna was furious. So much meat—she wanted it too. But she knew she would likely die from overeating, or at least become unbearably fat.

“I can’t explain such unscientific things. This is a world of magic, after all.” Ruby shrugged, unable to answer her doubts.

“Pfft, you two have such an amusing relationship. I feel reassured,” Feiloxis suddenly laughed, covering her mouth. She had suspected Mayuna’s presence beside Ruby to be part of some scheme, but now that suspicion was gone. Watching their interactions filled her with warmth, and the warmth radiating from the pair was palpable.

“Reassured? Reassured about what? Why are you still here?” Mayuna retorted, glaring at the Poison Dragon, her hostility obvious—though even she didn’t know its source.

“I’ll leave now, but before that—Poison Magic: ‘Venomous Grasp.’”

Feiloxis had no intention of lingering. As she cast her spell, a visible purple mist emerged from her hand, condensing into a large hand that floated up the stairs.

“Let me go, let me go!” Soon, the spectral hand returned, clutching a small boy—Mers—who struggled in vain.

“Mers? Now that you mention it, you’ve been missing since yesterday,” Mayuna realized something had been absent, yet his disappearance had not bothered her.

“He knows I’m here, so he hides. If you kept your distance, I wouldn’t catch you, but hiding nearby—what were you thinking? Are you really that foolish?”

“I must stay by my beloved’s side to protect her. What if you hurt her?”

“Oh, so she’s your so-called human fiancée? For a dragon to marry a mage, that would be quite the achievement—I support you.”

Feiloxis knew a bit about Mers. After returning from the continent, he’d gone awry, proclaiming he’d marry a human. Douglas soon discovered the human was a mage—who else but Mayuna? There was only one mage in the human world, so if she and Mers ended up together, that would be delightful for the Poison Dragon.

“Really? You’re the first dragon to support me!” Mers exclaimed, elated. No dragon believed in his quest to marry a mage; his father had even locked him up to cool off. Mages were out of dragons’ league; killing a hatchling would take them no time. Luckily, Mers escaped.

“That’s enough joking. I’m taking him with me. Uncle Douglas has been hunting you for ages—‘If you see that hatchling, beat him up and drag him back,’ were his exact words.”

Seeing Mayuna about to lose her patience and slaughter a dragon, Feiloxis dropped her cheerful demeanor, pinching her nose and mimicking a middle-aged uncle’s gruff voice.

“No, I don’t want to go back! The dragon nest is too boring!”

“That’s not my concern.”

“Hurry up and leave,” Mayuna encouraged, pleased to see them go; both were annoyances to her. Now, the mage girl’s advantage was clear—alone, she could stay as long as she pleased.

“Mers, take this,” Ruby intervened, seeing Mers about to cry. He pulled a translucent sphere from his pocket, about the size of a bun, with a silver ball embedded at its center.

“What’s this?” Mers asked.

“A toy I made, thanks to the copper ore Mayuna found. Just throw it on the ground, and it’ll light up—like this.”

Ruby tossed the ball, and the silver bead inside, triggered by the impact, began to glow. Golden light radiated through the sphere, shining beautifully like a miniature sun.

Everyone knows copper is one of the best conductors. With Dragon’s help, crafting copper wasn’t difficult. Using the knowledge in his mind, Ruby created the ‘bouncing ball’ toy, and, knowing dragons loved shiny things, designed it to glow when shaken.

Both dragons were dazzled by the luminous sphere, unable to look away, lost for words.

“My reasoning is that dragons love coins not for greed, since human currency is useless to you, but because coins shine so beautifully. If it’s just light, this toy delivers. But I’m surprised you like ceramics—Mers always hides my plates after meals.”

“You mean white stone? Yes, we love those beautiful, smooth vessels that reflect our faces,” Feiloxis replied absent-mindedly, tempted to ask Ruby for one, but unsure of its value and embarrassed if it was precious.

“So this is a love gift from my beloved? I’ll treasure it forever,” Mers said, delighted, ignoring Ruby’s explanations and hearing only that Mayuna provided the materials.

“No, I made it myself...”

“What’s this? Saying no, but your actions say yes. Is this tsundere? Hehe...” Mers continued, oblivious to danger, while Feiloxis sensed the magical energy surging around Mayuna and fled upstairs without a word of farewell, escaping slaughter. With the troublesome dragons gone, the little cabin returned to its peaceful state with only two people.

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PS: Please add to your favorites and recommend.
PS: I could use this title a hundred times for a book! Truly a cure-all.
PS: The toys I played with as a child are now obsolete.
PS: Thanks to Mo Yu Xiao Mo for the 2000 reward, Cang Zhi Meteor Rain, Yue Jian Wu Hua, Masked Dance Tian for 500, Cute Bird for 400, Moon-Eyed, Helper You, and This World Is Too Chaotic for 100.