Chesia and Tilly differed in many ways.
She had made remarkable progress in learning to fly, mastering numerous techniques after just half a day of practice. Though Chesia had lost most of her power, she could cast aside the trivialities of her past without a second thought, fully embracing her new identity as the Evil Dragon’s baby—and she had retained that terrifying aptitude for learning from before.
By contrast, Tilly threw herself into anything that caught her interest with abandon, picking it up even faster than Chesia, but Chesia was more well-rounded overall—a true jack-of-all-trades.
Unfortunately, Tilly had little interest in flying.
The next morning at six o’clock, once the little dragon babies had slept until they woke naturally, the family of four set out.
By then, Tilly had grown large enough to stand on all fours at about two meters tall from back to ground, while Chesia—being a few months younger—was roughly fifty centimeters shorter.
By all rights, such a stark size difference should have meant a clear edge in skills, but Tilly’s flight speed still fell short of Chesia’s.
As a result, Xuefei and Leia normally had to throttle back, shrinking into “little dragons” ten meters tall and over twenty meters long to guide them through the air.
When the two little ones tired of flying on their own, they would transform into fifty-meter-tall Giant Dragons, letting their mothers ride on their backs or perch atop their heads as they accelerated, giving everyone a chance to rest.
“Mama’s like a cozy mobile home—so big, so safe,” Tilly said, blissed out, her mouth stretching into a huge grin. “Mama Leia’s a little bigger still.”
She wasn’t wrong. Leia had progressed the most. After her steady growth, she could now transform into a Giant Dragon nearly a hundred meters tall, with a body length stretching to an absurd two hundred meters. With magic, she could even grow larger still for short bursts. Xuefei, without magic, topped out at seventy meters for the time being.
Tilly looked utterly lazy.
Xuefei suddenly realized Chesia had gone quiet up on her head. Unable to see if the little dragon was upset or uncomfortable, she asked, “Little Ya, is the temperature okay? Do you feel unwell? Are you hungry? Tell Mama.”
“I like being on Mama’s head~”
“Alright then.”
Xuefei let out a sigh.
The terrain below was treacherous—plunging beneath the clouds meant thunderstorms and demonic energy rampaging through jagged peaks and valleys, visibility reduced to a pitiable haze. Up above the clouds, though, the views were stunning: clear skies, brilliant sun. The only downside was the chill.
Evil Dragons had no fear of demonic energy, but Xuefei worried the little ones might not handle the lightning, so they stuck to cruising in the lower stratosphere. Xuefei and Leia constantly adjusted altitude based on the babies’ reactions, doing their best to keep them comfortable.
“As long as Chesia is comfy~”
Seeing Xuefei dote on Chesia like that, Tilly got a little anxious.
“Mama, you’re fussing over Chesia—don’t forget me!”
“You’re a good little baby too~”
“Hmph~ What about Mama Leia?”
Tilly snuggled against Leia’s head, and Leia chimed in, “Tilly’s the best… Um, Chesia’s the best too.”
To be inclusive of Chesia, Leia had said her name as well.
It was curious.
Chesia and Tilly never competed over things like combat prowess or learning ability… but they were intensely aware of their standing in their mothers’ eyes. Whenever Xuefei praised them for being good girls, the pair would light up with joy—the same went for Leia.
Evil Dragons simply idolized their tall, powerful mothers, it seemed.
Xuefei suddenly remembered that human children went through a “rebellious phase.”
Evil Dragons, though? Not at all.
An Evil Dragon’s dependence on her mother only ended once she grew stronger than her—but what followed wasn’t rebellion. It was tenderness.
Evil Dragons prized family ties above any other race.
They were also the greediest race of all.
“So between the two of us, who’s the goodest girl?” Tilly pressed, a touch dissatisfied as she lightly grumbled, “Mama always says we’re both good, but really—who’s better?”
Xuefei pondered it and realized it was impossible to say.
Tilly might love to play and make a bit of mischief, but she was utterly devoted to Chesia.
Any night Chesia ran into trouble or started crying from some grievance, Tilly would rush to tell Xuefei right away—a model big sister. For all her energy, she seldom wrecked the lawn or garden and even pitched in to tidy up.
Chesia, meanwhile, focused her devotion squarely on Xuefei and Leia.
She simply loved sticking close to them, especially Xuefei.
Whenever Xuefei extended her hand, Chesia would rest her chin on it and act spoiled like a little kitten. If there was room in Xuefei’s arms, Chesia would nestle right in, becoming the quietest baby as she drifted off to sleep. Even if Xuefei accidentally woke her, she wouldn’t cry or fuss.
Sometimes, she would “arrest” Tilly—who was always “harassing” the maids—and drag her back to Xuefei or Leia’s side so they could sleep together. It was a common sight to see the two little dragons curled up against each other for warmth.
“…”
“I…”
Xuefei froze, shooting Leia a meaningful glance.
But it was clear this question had stumped Leia too.
Just then, Xuefei felt the tail of the usually well-behaved Chesia on her head begin to sway. This meant the little dragon was locked in a fierce internal struggle.
“This time…”
“Chesia?”
“This time… the most obedient one goes to Tilly,” Chesia said, her voice tinged with hesitation and disappointment, yet resolute all the same.
Xuefei sighed inwardly at this gracious act of stepping aside.
She wasn’t surprised. The gesture had a hint of sore-loser petulance about it, but the bond between Chesia and Tilly was plain for all to see. Xuefei had once fretted over potential sisterly squabbles, but so far, none had ever materialized!
“Yay! I love you so much, Little Ya~,” Tilly cried, flapping her wings like a triumphant victor. She even threw Chesia a flirtatious wink for good measure…
She’d accepted it just like that!
Xuefei could tell at a glance that the wink was something Tilly had picked up from Leia.
She was no longer fazed by the daughters’ remarkable knack for picking things up. She would never allow her own girls to go around flirting and charming others, and she wouldn’t forgive anyone else for trying to seduce her daughters either.
“Tilly is my best big sister~”
“Hee hee, of course! You’re my only little sister, after all!”
This wasn’t Tilly telling a fib.
She had spent every day eagerly awaiting Chesia’s hatching, and now her wish had finally come true.
A few minutes later, Leia and Xuefei both slowed their flight. Leia took the lead in urging them on.
“Alright, time to fly on your own~ It’s exercise time!”
The moment Tilly heard she had to fly solo, her blissful expression crumbled.
“Ugh, no! I want Mommy to carry me!”
That sort of spoiling usually worked like a charm.
But things were different this time.
Chesia gave the top of Xuefei’s head a quick lick, marking her with more of her scent, then leaped down. She flapped her wings in an awkward but determined rhythm.
With her little sister setting the example, Tilly was the only one left feeling awkward.
“Wah…”
She had no choice but to fly down herself and keep practicing her flight skills.
Before long, the family of four reached their first destination: the Steranta Mountain Range.
