Why Did You Summon Me?

Baiyi was a firm advocate for proper child education, and he confidently believed that he was pretty experienced in this field; in fact, he was a veteran. If one were to ask him where this confidence came from... ‘could you not tell that Mia and the girls are more well-behaved and more beautiful than ever and that their potential grows consistently, day-by-day?!’

Hence, this little dragon-lady... could not compete with him when it came to child education! Baiyi was very proud of himself. He seemed unaware that there was a problem with washing his daughters’ undergarments.

Baiyi’s washer spell was very effective. Water-based magic, which was rarely ever talked about, was exceptionally useful in this area. The clothes were completely dry even before the girls were done with their bath; it was even neatly folded. He handed the pile of clothes to Aya and made a request, “Sorry to bother you, but please take these to them.”

Aya lowered her gaze and noticed some leftover traces of fire-based enchantment on the garments. In a tone that contained no humor, she laughingly asked, “Sir Hope, you seem to be very well-trained in this?”

‘ Who do you think I am? Do you know how hard is it to breed these little rascals? ‘ Although he had assistance from Attie, his cute Kitty-cat maid required quite some care as well, so how could he afford not to acquire experience in these domestic matters? Baiyi bemoaned internally.

Although his thoughts were not expressed aloud, Aya, a parent herself, understood his woes. She spoke up, albeit gently, “To care for them is a tough enough job for you, and you still need to find time to save the realm. Perhaps Sir Hope requires a partner for the job?”

‘Looks like she had mistaken the hierarchy between saving the world and domestic affairs... but, for that thing about being partners, did a single-mother like you reflect on yourself before asking that question?’ Baiyi contemplated. He did not utter a word and gave his chest a few hard knocks. Two loud bangs reverberated through the air.

He was hinting that he was a Soul Armature.

“Ah, there’s also this... although there have been cases of marriages occurring between Soul Armatures and humans, most humans wouldn’t accept it, right? The dragonkin is no different,” Aya said, with a hint of pity. For some reasons, her heart was filled with empathy, as though they were in the same boat. She now saw Baiyi in a different light.

‘Why are you looking at me with such a pitiful gaze?’ Baiyi was not amused. ‘You think I’m unwanted? Don’t you know how many beauties out there in the Void were begging for me to call them my wife?’ However, it was certain that this fellow would not be an ideal candidate as a stepmom. She ridiculously regarded little Mia as a rival. Mia could end up being fed to death—no extra effort was needed.

‘But how’s that a problem? She’s really, really good-looking! That record-breaking beauty was enough to make a lot of men leave their wives!’

‘But, all in all, elves were not ideal partners, if their beauty and loyalty were put aside. Warriors, however, were the most ideal. They did not pale in beauty, and through various games, they had proven that they had a paternal side to them, but it was a pity that this fairy-like perfection-of-a-woman did not seem interested in me at all, with all that mumbling to vouch for that...’ Baiyi pondered. Perhaps because of this dragon-lady, a single-mom... he actually began putting some serious thought into something that he had hardly ever given any consideration. Marriage. Family. Children.

At that moment, however, a shriek erupted from the bathroom. It was Attie’s.

“Stop it... Mordred! Stop licking me! I’m not a piece of chocolate! Uuuu—”

“I already said that I was born with it... sto-op! I’m very sensitive there—argh!”

‘What in the world are these kids up to? Were they bullying Attie again? Come to think of it, was Attie that vulnerable? Where is the might she wielded as the king she once was?’

“Please forgive me. My child is being naughty again. Let me go have a look,” Aya said, feeling embarrassed. She entered the bathroom with the clean clothes that Baiyi had laundered.

“Sister Aya, your complexion is very good! It’s almost similar to a human’s!”

“Of course, my mama is the most beautiful woman in the world!”

“Hehe. Mia, your skin is very smooth, too! It seems that Sir Hope had taken care of you very well... eh? Those parts? Oh, don’t you worry my dear. It’ll get bigger when you hit puberty... look, Mordred’s is almost the same size as yours!”

‘So this means that that unreliable dragon-lady has joined them in their shower! And what... they were discussing... puberty?! What the hell. Why can’t these little rascals discuss this on their own and in private!’

“They could discuss it with me...” The Warrior interrupted.

‘And what would you be discussing about? You’re not their mom.’ Baiyi did not pay much attention to the Warrior’s comment.

After some time, the few girls finally emerged from the bathroom. They were all great beauties with their own unique characters. Their charming and gorgeous faces had been colored crimson from submerging in hot water. Their wet hair was slicked back against the back of their skulls, and their fair skin, which was as delicate as a deshelled egg, looked extremely enticing.

A mother and daughter pair, and another pair of sisters... this after-shower scene was perfection.

Upon noticing Baiyi, Aya was suddenly hit with a moment of embarrassment. She could not believe that she had abandoned an important guest to take a bath...

To break the awkward silence, Aya quickly thought of something to say. “Ahh, I was wondering... would you please stay the night? I’ll get the servants to prepare the rooms. Also, when the leaders return, we could have a more in-depth discussion about that question from earlier.”

Baiyi did not reject the offer and nodded in agreement. If there was a need to investigate this weird phenomenon, it would not hurt to get extra hands and more clues. Working with the Brotherhood of Fire Wyverns was not a bad idea at all.

Mordred was elated at the prospect of getting to spend more time with her new friends, but she seemed to sense something and quickly scurried into her mother’s lap. She crinkled her nose, getting a whiff of something in the air. She brought her lips to Aya’s ear and whispered, “Mama, you have a very nice scent on you...”

“Eh?” Aya hesitated for a moment. “Perhaps it was the newly added flower-scented lotion in the bathtub?”

“Mmm...” Mordred shook her head vigorously and said in a softer tone. “It’s not the scent of flowers—it’s the scent of dad...”

“How is that possible?” Aya asked peculiarly, as her expression changed. Mordred was an abandoned orphan, and she could not accurately understand the concept of a father, so how could she suddenly say something like that?

Baiyi did not hear what were the mother and daughter were talking about, but it seemed like something personal and private. He had no intention on eavesdropping, so he lead the girls further away from them, giving them a private moment.

“Although I’ve never seen dad, I’ve seen other dads! I believe it would be the same feeling, right?” Mordred blinked her large eyes, spouting statements that Aya did not understand.

Even though she could not comprehend what Mordred was saying, a trace of sadness was still visible on Aya’s face.

Mordred was barely thirty years old this year, but she was still an infant amongst her kind. However, due to her consistent exposure to humankind, she knew a lot more than her dragonkin-peers.

The dragon knight clan did practice familial concepts, and those kids used to be her playmates; thus, she must have picked up the concept of a father from them. Whenever little Mordred saw other children jumping into their fathers’ embrace, or when they were placed atop their fathers’ shoulders, what did she think about in that little heart of hers?

It was a pity that she was Dragon-kind, making the speed at which she matured relatively slower, in both physical and mental development. The human kids matured at a much faster rate, and they would often separate after a few years. They would still return to see her, but those human kids were no longer the playmates she once remembered.

Perhaps this fun and understanding dragon child had been lonely for a long time, and that was why she acted so welcoming towards Mia and the rest? Maybe she wanted the girls’ company for a little longer, and that was why she blurted out a bunch of nonsense as a reason to stay.

“You stayed with Sir Hope for a bit just then, didn’t you, Mama? Is this his scent? Why would your body have his scent? Did you guys kiss? Did he press you against the bed and...”

Aya’s face flushed into the deepest shade of red possible. No matter how much she loved Mordred, she lashed out instantly, pulling her daughter’s cheek in embarrassment, imitating the two-way pulling that little Mia was disciplined with earlier. She chided Modred with a mixture of embarrassment and rage, “You stupid child. Just what do you think you’re talking about!”

“Ughh... it’s painful...” Mordred whined like a hurt animal, causing Aya to loosen her grip in heartbreak.

“Don’t you ever think about such nonsense again! There is nothing between Mama and Sir Hope!” Aya rubbed her hand against Mordred’s cheek to sooth the burn and lectured her patiently.

“But Mama! Your face... it’s so red! Uuggh—sorry Mama! It’s my fault, stop pinching me!”

Baiyi wandered around for half a day before Aya reappeared with Mordred and invited Baiyi and the girls for lunch. Mordred did not seem as cheerful as she was earlier, and instead, her face twitched involuntarily, and she wore had on an unnatural expression; she did not even dare to look straight at Baiyi.

‘What’s gotten into this dragon-lady? Wasn’t she just joking around just now?’ Baiyi watched curiously.

Suddenly, Mordred approached him and held his fingers. She crinkled her nose, then scurried away looking disappointed.

‘What is wrong with this pair?’ Baiyi’s curiosity increased.

Mordred scurried back to Aya’s side. She stuck her nose against her mother’s body and gave sniffed deeply. Seconds after that, she cocked her tiny head to the side, as though she found that something wrong. Her mama’s warm scent was completely different from Sir Hope’s scent.

‘What’s going on? Mama has never gone out for a meal with anyone before...’ Little Mordred simply did not get it.