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“Lucella!”

For the first time, Lucella understood the meaning behind Kafal’s call of her name.

—“Daughter of Luja, our beloved child, the fragment of heaven and earth!”—

The seemingly light nature of that name didn’t concern her much, likely because Lucella had originally been human.

Dragon’s words carried a multitude of layered meanings, spanning across various dimensions.

Now, Kafal addressed her as “Lucella” with the word’s true meaning.

It wasn’t that the name “Lucella” inherently possessed that meaning, but rather that a dragon’s name encompassed the intended nuances behind it too.

—Until now Mom had intentionally omitted that “nuance” from the name when referring to me.

She understood it. That was Kafal’s consideration for her. And perhaps it was the wariness towards the Blue group.

She judged that Lucella shouldn’t be burdened with the destiny concerning Luja, who was not directly related to her and had already died by the time Kafal picked her up. Lucella was not born from an egg between the two dragons, but rather taken in by Kafal’s sole discretion.

However, such consideration was no longer relevant now.

—If this is the destiny that would follow me everywhere no matter how I try to shake it off, then I’ll settle it here and now. I… made up my mind to be a dragon’s daughter!

Strength surged through Lucella’s worn-out body.

When Lucella received her name from Kafal, she took on the form of a young girl and gained powers surpassing those of a mere human. Now, a comparable transformation was on the verge of occurring once more.

Power surging through the world formed a link with her. She connected to one part of the vast cycle. Flowing in, flowing out. It surpassed the mighty power of surging flames…

—Deep, deep, blue!!

Drip.

A raindrop brushed against Lucella’s nose. The once clear sky darkened, and thick, layered clouds akin to a heavy blanket began to spread across the heavens. A deep, rumbling noise reverberated in her ears.

Mount Kuguse was known for its abundant waters, receiving ample rainfall that transformed into rivers. Now, somewhere, those rivers surged with increased force, threatening to overflow.

She had a peculiar sensation, as if her arms were on the verge of bursting. As Lucella swung her sword made of lava rock, droplets scattered and burst in all directions.

“That…!”

The blue dragon incarnations were fully aware of this anomaly. Strange rain started to fall from the dense rain clouds. Twisting like a tornado, it took on a directed flow, creating a unified stream of rain.

Lucella sprinted forward.

Although the rain had barely dampened the ground, each step caused water to erupt like splashing into puddles.

Shurei was enveloped in flames, creating a swirling wall of fire.

—…I can break through!

Her sword felt heavy.

Lucella ran, seemingly dragging the heavens with her.

No longer a mere sword made of lava rock, what she wielded now was a tempestuous blade, a torrential storm weapon swirling with a colossal water current, capable of rivaling the length of Kafal’s body as it cascaded from the heavens!

“Ryaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”

With her entire body spinning, Lucella swung the sword.

After the resounding explosion of water, silence followed.

Shurei’s flaming barrier was swept away, and his humanoid chest was torn apart. Deep and wide lines were carved in a straight line on the rock wall behind him, dripping wet from the high-pressure water.

“…That was a magnificent Tidal Breath,” Shurei spoke in admiration.
“To think that Lucella possessed such power…” Kafal followed.

The Red Dragon King, now soaked to the skin, chuckled softly and kneeled down.

Two pterosaurs soared through the sky after the rain had ceased.

On the back of one of them, there were the figures of a red and blue silhouette.

“I am glad that it was an outcome that you could accept,” Shurei spoke with a mischievous grin while holding the reins of the Variant that he had tamed himself.

The wound on his chest had already closed. As long as he had the power to repair his temporary physical body, no amount of damage could truly faze him. The Blue nobleman riding beside him let out a sigh, wearing an expression of being outdone.

“After witnessing something like that, I have no choice but to accept it!” he exclaimed. “You must have planned this from the beginning, Red.”
“Hahaha, now what could you possibly be referring to?” Shurei answered with a burst of laughter.

If Lucella underwent a transformation defined as “Dragon’s Daughter” through Kafal’s naming, it would be natural to assume that she might also inherit the characteristics of the father who was the original bearer of that name.

However, upon meeting Lucella in person, it was evident that she did not possess the power of water. The reason became clear as soon as Kafal called her by name. It turned out that Kafal had only given her half of the name “Lucella.”

There was no need to question why. The wise old dragon could see through the thoughts of his inexperienced daughter. And so, he gave her a gentle nudge.

But frankly, it was beyond his expectations that Lucella had displayed that level of power just with that. Perhaps it was thanks to her training until now. She proved her power to be worthy of the dragon’s name. It was a fortunate turn of events, as it saved him the trouble of convincing the blue dragons, at least for now.

With the cooperation of the Sylnir Sea Group secured, the fate of their mission now rested solely with Kafal. They were unable to meddle in the conflicts between humans as a group.

The harrowing specter of another devastating “Human-Dragon War,” where humans and dragons slaughtered each other to claim dominion over the land, had to be avoided at all costs.

After over a hundred years of relentless warfare, the human population had been decimated to less than half its former numbers. In turn, humans had adopted tactics that could inflict lasting damage on dragons, targeting their vulnerable young and eggs, no matter the cost of countless lives.

Both sides had suffered tremendous losses and were left drained. The need to fight over land had dissipated, and the Human-Dragon War had ended abruptly, without any formal peace agreement. Preventing the repetition of such a conflict remained the shared objective for humans and dragons, at least for the time being.

Therefore, the humans were strictly admonished against targeting dragon groups, and the dragons, as a group, vowed not to engage in warfare against the humans. Only dragons at least temporarily separated from their groups could participate in human conflicts.

Shurei could offer his daughter only a small token of support. Beyond that, he could only pray that she would handle the situation adeptly.

…Along with his granddaughter-in-law.

“Good grief. It seems that the Dragon King of Belmar has mellowed quite a bit to feel attachment and joy toward humans,” the Blue nobleman’s words dripped with bitterness as he spoke candidly. Their closeness allowed for such unreserved conversations.

“Perhaps you, too, should have revealed your true identity, Blue. You persist in disguising yourself as someone younger.”

As if to retaliate, Shurei rebuked his companion, who didn’t reveal his identity to Lucella until the end.

“Perhaps she would have called you ‘Grandpa.’”
“Wha…!”

The Blue nobleman… The Blue Dragon King of Sylnir, lost his words with a shocked expression as if he swallowed a spear.

“…Good grief! You remain shrewd no matter how many hundreds of years pass!”
“Wahahahaha!!”

The Blue Dragon King turned the other way to hide his expression, while the Red Dragon King burst into laughter.

With a resounding and cheerful roar, reaching all the way to the horizon, the dragons disturbed the birds flying towards the evening sky.

Author’s Note:

The term “Dragon King” lacks a precise definition and is bestowed as a title of respect upon the leader of a large-scale dragon group with a wide control domain.

It’s worth noting that dragons can engage in polygamous relationships, but they are different from lion prides with a single dominant male, so their social structure does not necessarily mean that all members of the flock are offspring or mates of the group leader.