"So, you’ve all known I’m human for a while now…” Leon glanced at his youngest daughter. “Then why did you, Aurora, keep asking me to transform into a dragon? I mean, can I? Can I even transform?"

Aurora smiled silently, saying nothing.

Leon blinked and then suddenly realized.

“Oh… you were just messing with me…”

When Leon had first met the future version of his little girl, her cold, mechanical way of speaking had made him think that twenty years of life had changed her playful nature.

After all, this was the same little girl who had kept silent for two months just so she could watch her parents bicker without them knowing.

But now it was clear—

Her nature hadn’t changed at all.

Aurora was still the same mischief-maker, just a more beautiful, mature version wrapped in a lab coat.

"Mom used to love seeing you get frustrated, Dad. I just inherited her sense of humor," Aurora explained, completely justified.

"So... when can we go see your mother and Moon?" Leon asked, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"You can go now," Noa interjected. "But I thought you'd have a lot of questions. Like, what’s the situation now... and all that."

Leon’s eyes flickered as he answered, "I can ask questions on the way. Besides... no matter how bad the situation is, I can solve it. Right now, I just want to see your sister and mother."

“Hiss—”

Aurora sharply inhaled, “If anyone else said that, I’d think they were just bragging, but coming from you, Dad… I actually believe it.”

This matched her feelings when she had first reunited with Leon a few hours ago: 

Dad was back. The strongest man was back, and everything would fall into place.

Noa smiled knowingly as well. Her old man was just as confident, with that small hint of dramatic flair, as she remembered.

"Alright then, let’s go." Noa stood up and headed toward the cave's exit. “Aurora, you must be tired from flying all the way here.”

“Yeah, I’m pretty exhausted.” Aurora rubbed her shoulder. “I only recently learned how to shift into my dragon form, and flying such a long distance while carrying a 77-kilogram dumb old man took a lot out of me.”

“Did you really have to specify the exact number?”

“That’s just how a scientist treats numbers, Dad.”

Leon chuckled.

Talking with Aurora felt so much like his usual banter with Rosvisser. It made him even more eager to see her after all these years—as long as she didn’t greet him with a punch like their daughters had. 

He could barely handle the strength of his girls, but if Rosvisser, a Dragon Queen, delivered a punch... she might actually shatter his entire ribcage.

With these thoughts swirling in his head, the trio reached the cave’s entrance.

Noa spread her wings and shifted into her dragon form.

Her form was similar to Rosvisser’s—completely silver, a trait of the Silver Dragon clan.

But due to her half-human lineage, some of her scales were black.

It wasn’t a jarring black; it was a smooth, elegant gradient.

Apart from being smaller than Rosvisser, there was little difference in her dragon form.

Leon and Aurora climbed onto Noa’s back, and with a powerful flap of her wings, she soared out of the cave.

As they left the gorge, Leon glanced back, remembering what Aurora had told him earlier—that Noa had waited here for him.

"Wait..."

Leon thought for a moment before asking, "Noa, you’ve been waiting for me here the whole time, right?"

“Mm-hmm.”

"And... Aurora, you were waiting at the Silver Dragon Temple?"

“That’s right, Dad,” Aurora said from beside him. “Because those were the only two places we figured you’d return to. We weren’t sure which, so we had to split up and wait.”

Leon let those words sink in.

She had said they had waited for him at two different places, but she deliberately hadn’t mentioned that they had waited for twenty years.

Aurora was still the carefree girl who loved to joke around, but she had grown just as thoughtful.

Leon scratched his head, thinking, and then asked, "But what if I never came back…?"

"Then—" 

"We would have kept waiting," Noa finished for her sister.

Leon looked down at the dragon beneath him.

His daughters had grown, but in some ways, they hadn’t grown at all.

They had become strong, mature, and responsible, yet they remained as stubborn as children.

Waiting for someone who might never return was one of the hardest things in the world.

Leon placed his hands over his face and let out a heavy sigh.

Aurora quietly watched him, saying nothing.

The silver dragon flew on through the night sky, heading toward the place where all the answers lay.

...

After eight or nine hours of flight, Noa finally began to slow down.

Below them stretched a dense forest, and they hadn’t seen a single dragon village along the way.

Noa descended into the forest, landing softly among the trees.

She returned to her human form and glanced back at the others. “Let’s go.”

Leon nodded and followed her with Aurora close behind.

They were far, far away from the Silver Dragon territory now. Judging by the surroundings, there were no signs of war here either.

Leon didn’t know if they had left the Silver Dragon Temple voluntarily or if they had fled from pursuers.

But whatever the reason, he was about to see Rosvisser and Moon soon—and finally learn the full story.

They followed Noa deeper into the forest.

The path twisted and turned, a maze of narrow trails. Without a guide, anyone could easily get lost.

After walking for about twenty minutes, they arrived at a large stone wall.

The path seemed to end here.

Noa slowly raised her hand and gently pressed it against the stone.

In the next moment, the stone began to shimmer and then vanished.

An illusion.

And a highly advanced one at that. Even Leon hadn’t been able to tell. He had assumed there would be some kind of secret switch.

Beyond the illusory stone was a hidden tunnel.

The two daughters stepped forward, and Leon followed closely behind.

Once they were all inside, the stone wall reappeared behind them.

Their footsteps echoed in the dark tunnel. Noa bent down and picked up a torch from the corner, lighting it with dragon fire.

The fire illuminated the path ahead.

Leon was slightly surprised.

Noa’s elemental affinity was lightning, just like his.

Although many people learned secondary elemental magic later on, it usually took much more time to master it.

But Noa’s control over fire magic was incredibly precise for someone her age.

It seemed his hardworking daughter hadn’t changed at all.

“Keep moving,” Noa’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“Got it.”

They continued down the tunnel until it ended in a spiral staircase leading underground.

Following the stairs, they entered a well-maintained underground space.

Noa placed the torch next to a wooden door, then pushed it open.

As the door creaked, a cheerful voice identical to Noa’s called out from inside:

"Sis, Aurora, you’re finally back!"

“What did you find this time?”

“Mom’s still the same. I’ve been chatting with her as usual.”

“Sis, can we have grilled steak later—wait... Dad? Dad?!"

_____________________________
TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - I'd really like to see how far Leon goes and how far we can increase the number of chapters. Thanks~!