Chapter 77: Give Me Some Motivation

When Noia returned from another break, she brought back some news.

“A family sports event?”

After dinner, the family of four discussed this topic at the dinner table.

Noia nodded, “Yes, the academy is going to hold a family sports event. It’s said to be a new attempt.”

“Huh, our family is really lucky. The interview process for new members was called a new attempt at the beginning, and now we have this family sports event,” Leon quipped from the side.

Leon recalled some specific kindergartens in the Empire.

They often had to drag parents along to accompany their children in completing certain tasks.

They called it “family homework” in the name, but it was actually the teacher being lazy to care more about the children, dumping all the trouble onto the parents.

If you argued, they would say you weren’t cooperating with your child’s learning; if you complied, you’d have to do the teacher’s work.

That’s why the Master didn’t send Leon to kindergarten back then.

It was said that he was too old for kindergarten at the time, and “the family was too poor, so let’s tidy up and get ready to go straight to the  Dragon Slayer Academy.”

But later, Leon realized that Master, that old guy, was just too lazy to help the kindergarten teachers take care of the kids, so he didn’t let Leon go.

“A sports event, huh? I also participated when I was studying at the St. Hys Academy,” Rosvitha recalled, “But at that time, it didn’t involve families; it was just the students participating alone.”

“So, Mom, what place did you get back then?” Muen’s eyes sparkled.

Rosvitha rested her cheek on her hand, squinting and smiling, raising one finger.

“First place~ Mom is amazing!”

Then, Muen looked at Leon again, “And what about Dad?”

“I? I didn’t place,” Leon said.

Muen tilted his head, asking, “Why didn’t you get a place?”

“Yeah, did you chicken out?” Rosvitha tried to tease from the side.

But Leon just gave a disdainful snort and leisurely said, “Because my final score was so far ahead of the second place that the academy suspected me of cheating during the competition. They temporarily withheld my results and didn’t include them in the public rankings.”

“So, Dad cheated? Ohh—” Leon lightly flicked Muen’s forehead. “Of course not. Later, the academy secretly awarded me a medal, which I melted down and made into a gold bracelet for your grandmother.”

Rosvitha raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you usually very concerned about honor and championships? You just melted it down like that?”

Leon shrugged. “Some honors aren’t meant to be flaunted.”

Rosvitha chuckled. “Your stubbornness is as strong as that mule’s.”

Then, Rosvitha looked at Noia. “So, are you planning to sign up?”

“Well… although this family sports event is more for entertainment, and the results don’t count towards our usual grades, but…”

Noia hesitated, as if considering how to phrase it.

“But it will still have rankings, distinguishing between first and second place, right?” Rosvitha voiced her daughter’s thoughts.

“Yes, Mom. I also want… to get first place.”

Noia’s determination for excellence surpassed that of ordinary young dragons by far. This trait wasn’t solely inherited from Leon or Rosvitha but was a combination of the competitive nature inherited from both this couple, or perhaps she just snatched it from Muen? It didn’t matter.

Anyway, Noia having such a strong competitive spirit isn’t a bad thing.

Leon and Rosvitha exchanged a glance, both nodding in agreement. They were both very supportive of participating in this family sports event, especially since their obsession with coming first was no weaker than Noia’s.

“So, when does it start?” Leon asked.

“Next Saturday. The academy has given us a week to prepare,” Noia replied, then turned her gaze to Leon. “Are… you feeling okay?”

Noia still remembered Muen’s comment on Monday when school started: “When Dad is weak, Mom is strong; when Mom is weak, Dad is strong.”

She was somewhat worried that Leon’s health might deteriorate again during the sports event. If that were to happen, she would be more concerned about this guy’s health condition than his grades. Grades were important to her, but… his health was even more crucial.

Upon hearing Noia’s concern, Leon immediately patted his chest, making a pledge, “Don’t worry, sweet daughter. Daddy is in good shape.”

Noia asked skeptically, “Really?”

“Absolutely. If you don’t believe me, ask your mom.”

To ensure that Leon’s physical strength remained within the range she could control, Rosvitha regularly subjected him to an “assessment.” After each assessment, Leon’s energy levels would be depleted for a few days, all absorbed by Rosvitha.

Recently, she had been diligently following this routine. It could only be said that the results were remarkable. And considering the time, Leon hadn’t been ‘assessed’ for three days straight, so his body had just recovered to a good level.

Rosvitha smiled knowingly, “Hmm, your dad should be in great shape now.”

“Oh, I see. So, you guys will be able to join me for the event, right?”

“Of course.”

“Um…”

“Can Muen participate?” Muen leaned in next to his sister, shaking her small hand.

“Only up to three people, okay?” Noia pinched her little sister’s cheek.

“Oh… okay…”

Seeing the little girl’s drooping antennae, Leon’s heart softened, and he patted her head, “But Muen can be the cheerleader.”

Muen’s eyes lit up as she looked at her dad. “Yay! Muen will be the cheerleader!”

However, her cheers were short-lived as confusion filled her big eyes. “What’s a cheerleader?”

Although she didn’t know what it was, whatever Dad said must be a good thing. Let’s pop the champagne first and figure it out later. That’s just how the little dragon’s mind works.

Leon patiently explained, “A cheerleader is someone who cheers and supports. With Muen’s encouragement, Mom, Dad, and Noia will definitely achieve great results.”

“Wow! That’s great! Muen will cheer enthusiastically for Dad, Mom, and Sister!”

“Yes, if we all work together as a family, winning the sports event won’t be a problem.”

“But the academy still hasn’t told us what specific events there will be,” Noia said, “Mom, do you know?”

Rosvitha nodded, “When I participated back then, it was endurance events for dragons, like racing, high jumping, and long jumping. But since this time the academy specifically added ‘family’ to the event, the events might have changed accordingly, right?”

“That makes sense,” Noia mused.

Rosvitha thought for a moment and continued, “Since the academy has given us a week to prepare, during this week, we should not only practice some basic events but also focus on building teamwork and do some team-building exercises. What do you think?”

Team-building exercises.

This reminded Leon of the teamwork tests he and Rosvitha had stayed up late to do before Noia’s entrance exams. Honestly, despite the animosity between humans and dragons, this couple was surprisingly high in sync.

Even the completely unprepared interview back then managed to pass with the highest score, proving their teamwork. So, for this family sports event, Leon and Rosvitha were quite confident.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Leon said.

“I’m okay with it, Mom.”

“Good, then let’s start tomorrow. Rest well tonight.”

“Okay~”

Noia and Muen hopped off their chairs, hand in hand, and left the dining room.

Rosvitha stretched lazily, resting her chin on her hand, looking at Leon with a teasing smile.

“Considering the date, shouldn’t you be coming to my room tonight?”

Leon rolled his eyes at her. “Can’t you think of anything other than getting back at me? You yourself said we’re starting training tomorrow. Don’t you want me to rest up my body?”

“Ha, you sure have a way with words. Finally caught a chance to rest, huh?” Leon shrugged. “Mother Dragon, don’t you want our daughter to perform well at the sports event?”

Rosvitha chuckled. “Don’t try to sweet-talk me. Since you won’t be coming to my room these past few days, you better make sure to train your body well, understand?”

“I don’t need you to tell me, I’ll do it.”

“Don’t underestimate it; our dragon sports events are not as simple as you think,” Rosvitha reminded him.

Leon smiled confidently. “And being Dragon Slayers isn’t as simple as you think.”

“OK, see you tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

The couple bid each other farewell and returned to their respective rooms.

The next morning, before the two little ones even woke up, Leon and Rosvitha were already at the practice track, warming up.

Rosvitha was still in her sleek and simple workout outfit, her long legs on full display. She had the classic clothes-hanger body type, looking good in everything she wore.

“The kids aren’t up yet. Shall we run a couple of laps to warm up?” Rosvitha suggested.

“Sure, sounds good.”

The couple started jogging on the track, one behind the other. At first, Leon could keep up with Rosvitha’s pace, but as the laps increased, his stamina began to lag behind.

Despite Leon having recovered to a relatively healthy level, after a few laps, he started to pant heavily.

He leaned on his knees, gasping for air.

He finally lay back on the grass.

Leon closed his eyes, the sunlight shining on his face, allowing him to vaguely see the blood vessels beneath his eyelids.

But the next moment, someone stood beside him, blocking out the sunlight.

Leon opened his eyes, and a brilliant silver hair swayed gently before him.

“What, can’t handle it anymore?” Rosvitha teased. “I didn’t keep you up all night doing homework, did I?”

“Don’t talk nonsense, I’m just taking a break.”

“Tsk, I can see you’re lacking motivation.”

Rosvitha squatted down, arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting on her knees, her tail curling around the tip of her shoe. “How about I give you some?”

“Give me something? Motivation? No need, helping Noia get good grades is enough motivation for me.”

Rosvitha narrowed her eyes and smiled. “The more, the better, and I’m sure you won’t refuse my proposal.”

Leon was intrigued. “Tell me about it.”

Rosvitha gestured with her finger toward him.

Leon leaned in, suspiciously.

Rosvitha cupped Leon’s ears with her hands and whispered, “If you can get first place, I’ll give you a week off.”

Leon was ecstatic. “Really?”

Rosvitha nodded. “Yes.”

With that said, Leon sprang up from the ground and shrugged off his jacket, then resumed his jogging.

With the dual “motivation” from his daughter and wife, someone’s desire for the championship had never been stronger!

“The champion of the school sports meet must be from our family!”