Editor : Amethyst00



As the subtle tension between Leo and Lysinas lingered, the two walked down the corridor.

Suddenly, Melina appeared before them.

No longer in the form of Professor Lumene, Melina now stood before the Great Heroes as the Dragon Lord. She gave a polite bow to Leo, then turned to look at Lysinas.

Seeing this, Lysinas widened her eyes in surprise.

Melina tapped her right chest three times, then bowed deeply and bent her knees.

It was the traditional etiquette of dragons.

"I humbly greet the Great Wise Queen, Lady Lysinas. I am Melina, though lacking, I currently serve as the Dragon Queen."

Melina, who usually carried herself with calm and a smiling face, was visibly tense for once.

It was Lysinas—the Wise Queen—after all.

In particular, Melina was a dragon who had conquered Lysinas's world and inherited her power.

Naturally, her reverence for Lysinas was profound.

Watching the nervous Melina, Leo commented.

"Your kneeling posture is wrong."

"Pardon?"

Startled by Leo's remark, Melina hurriedly tried to correct her knee position.

However, she stepped on her long hair, lost her balance, and fell.

It was far from dignified behavior for a Dragon Queen.

She looked more like a nervous child.

In fact, her appearance—due to her sealed powers—was that of a young child, which only highlighted the awkwardness.

Seeing Melina's embarrassed expression as she tried to get up, Lysinas instinctively covered her mouth.

"Pfft."

Startled, Melina looked up. Lysinas turned her head and quietly laughed.

Her slightly trembling shoulders revealed she was trying hard to suppress her laughter.

"I-I apologize for the disgrace."

As Melina bowed deeply, Leo lightly patted her on the head.

"It was pretty disgraceful. Didn't you say I looked like an old man when I tried dragon etiquette for the first time? You should've practiced."

"L-Leo…"

Melina looked flustered as Leo chuckled quietly.

"Ahem."

By then, Lysinas had composed herself and returned Melina's greeting.

She tapped her right chest, bent her knee, and bowed.

A flawless display of etiquette.

Even in such a simple motion, there was elegance.

"It's an honor to meet you too, Dragon Queen Melina. I'm Lysinas."

"P-Please feel free to be informal, Lady Lysinas. I'm terribly sorry…"

Melina, overwhelmed and unsure what to do, continued to bow her head.

Though regarded as the strongest hero alive, Melina couldn't help but feel small before Lysinas.

Lysinas smiled warmly at her.

"Then I'll be informal as you wish."

With that, Lysinas stared intently at Melina's face.

Melina froze under that gaze.

"You don't need to be so nervous. I'm just a little fascinated."

Lysinas stepped closer and reached for the corner of Melina's left eye.

As Lysinas's hand touched her skin, Melina felt not the warmth of a living being, but the unique, foreign sensation of a spirit.

Understanding what Lysinas wanted to see, Melina opened her previously closed left eye.

"Wow, someone else is holding my mana… That's fascinating. So this is the power of the Hero Record."

Lysinas marveled.

True to her nature as a seeker of knowledge, she was deeply intrigued by the phenomenon before her.

"I've humbly inherited your power, Lady Lysinas."

"It's not humble at all. I'm glad such a remarkable dragon like you inherited my strength."

Melina blushed at the genuine compliment and said with a shy smile:

"When I heard of your arrival, my successor and I hurriedly prepared a small welcome party!"

"Really?"

Lysinas looked genuinely pleased.

"Yes! Let me show you the way."

Melina led the way to where the celebration had been prepared.

Moments later—

At the entrance, En politely bowed to Lysinas.

"I am Enkinas. It is an immeasurable honor to meet you."

Unlike Melina, who had expressed her feelings, En was too tense to show any emotion, maintaining a stiff demeanor.

In fact, she was so nervous she mistakenly tapped her left chest instead of the right.

Lysinas gently reassured the frozen Enkinas and whispered to Leo

"Kyle, what's with the kids these days and their messed-up etiquette?"

"I was wondering when you'd say that."

Leo shook his head lightly.

Melina and En opened the door.

Upon seeing the decorated interior, Lysinas made a troubled smile.

Leo clicked his tongue loudly.

In the center of the room was a large banner: [Congratulations on Your Marriage].

Then—

Pop! Pop!

Melina and En, standing behind, set off celebratory fireworks.

Petals from the fireworks fell onto Leo's head.

"We threw it together as best we could on short notice."

Melina said with a bright smile.

Leo smiled faintly.

"We just got divorced, though."

"…What?"

Melina and En looked completely confused at first.

But moments later, their faces turned pale.

Lysinas gave them an apologetic look.

"Sorry about this. You worked so hard… but yeah, as he said, we're divorced."

At those words, Melina and En went blue in the face.

Seeing this, Leo chuckled.

"Are you dragons or chameleons?"

"W-We… oh… such… a disgrace… waaaa…"

"M-Melina!"

Melina fainted, and En rushed to catch her in panic.

"I'm fine… but I do feel bad."

Lysinas muttered with a sympathetic face, glancing at Leo.

Leo watched the pair, deep in thought.

'What? Is he also feeling a little complicated about this?'

"Lysinas."

"What?"

She responded, pretending not to notice.

Leo asked her.

"When a dragon turns pale or goes white like just now, does their real body change color too?"

"…Is that what you're wondering right now?"

"I just got curious."

"Just die already."

Annoyed, Lysinas shoved the cake Melina and En had prepared into Leo's face.

bl

Late at night.

Returning to his room, Leo frowned at how empty it was aside from a few pieces of furniture.

They had hastily brought in a bed and a sofa, but the already bleak room now felt desolate.

"Why is your room always like this, past or present?"

"Thanks to someone, two troublemakers trashed my place."

Leo clicked his tongue as he sat on the sofa and nodded toward the bed.

"You sleep on the bed."

Lysinas chuckled.

"A spirit sleeping on a bed?"

Though she could exert physical force, a spirit had no physical body.

It had been different with Luna.

Back then, Luna had a vessel—Cometes—that served as her body.

Lysinas, on the other hand, didn't have one.

"It just bothers me."

Lysinas looked at Leo for a moment, then nodded.

The sofa was big enough to sleep on comfortably.

Leo pulled a pitch-black cloak from subspace.

Lysinas's eyes widened.

"That cloak still exists?"

"It was the Hero Record reward. Apparently, someone named Lumene conquered my world and got it."

"Ah, that's why it's still intact."

Lysinas nodded.

Leo lay down, using the cloak as a blanket.

"We have a lot to talk about, but I'm tired. Let's sleep."

"I was planning to even if you didn't say it."

Lysinas clicked her tongue and lay on the bed.

Soon, only Leo's quiet breathing remained.

Lysinas, pretending to sleep, sat up.

She felt nothing.

She was just a spirit.

Floating up, Lysinas drifted over to sleeping Leo.

She watched his peaceful face for a moment, then returned to the bed.

'I wish I had a body like Luna did.'

With that thought, Lysinas gradually drifted into unconsciousness.

bl

Chloe's eyes fluttered open.

Sitting up, she rubbed them.

"Yaaaawn…"

She stretched with a long yawn.

It felt like she had just awakened from a deep sleep.

"Wow, Chloe yawns like that too?"

Startled by the voice beside her, Chloe snapped alert.

Eliana was staring at her with curiosity.

"Eliana?! What are you doing in my room…?!"

"This isn't your room. According to Eliza, it's a punishment room."

Besides Eliana, several other female students were in the room.

"Why are we in a punishment room?"

Seeing Chloe's panic, Celia asked?

"Chloe, don't you remember?"

"Huh? Remember what?"

"Wow… so it's true Lady Lysinas possessed you?"

"Lady Lysinas? Ah!"

Chloe gasped as she recalled her last memory before blacking out.

Moments later—

Creak

The door opened, and Melina walked in.

"Professor Mel?"

"Huh? Who's Professor Mel? I'm Dragon Queen Melina."

Everyone knew Melina was the Dragon Queen.

But since she always denied it, everyone just played along.

Now that she openly admitted it, the students were shocked.

Melina spoke.

"You weren't brought here because you did anything wrong."

She smiled warmly to ease their worries.

Eliza asked:

"Is it because of Lady Lysinas?"

"Yes."

Melina smiled brightly.

"These past few days, Lady Lysinas borrowed Miss Chloe's body."

Chloe opened and closed her mouth in shock.

"Are you telling us not to speak of this?"

Celia asked, and Melina shook her head.

"No, Lady Lysinas's descent will be officially announced. Of course, to avoid noise, the public will be told she's staying in Dragonia, not Lumene."

"Wait, what does 'officially staying' mean?"

Eliana tilted her head, and Chelsea explained

"It means she's staying somewhere else unofficially. Like Lumene."

"Ohh!"

Eliana nodded in understanding.

Luna and Aaron, as heroes of the elves and beastkin, had to remain hidden due to political reasons.

But Lysinas was a dragon hero.

Even if people wanted to make a pilgrimage to Lumene, it was unlikely.

"What if dragons try to pilgrimage to Lumene?"

Eliana asked.

Melina grinned.

"Let them try if they dare."

"…"

The students were reminded again of the overwhelming presence before them.

"Oh, and that's not why I called you all here."

"Then…?"

"You all know who Lady Lysinas likes, right?"

"Yes! I even gave her advice!"

Eliana proudly puffed out her chest.

Melina smiled at her.

"Don't tell anyone else about that."

"Huh? What if we do by accident?"

"Then I'll scold you a lot."

Eliana shrank.

It was clearly a delicate issue, tied to the honor of great heroes.

"We've also informed the male students who know the secret."

"Who are they?"

"Carl, Abad, and Leo. So, everyone…"

Melina put a finger to her lips.

"Let's keep it a secret, okay?"

bl

Chirp chirp…

The birds chirped outside, and sunlight poked at his eyes. Irritated, Leo reached out to pull the cloak over his face.

But it was gone. Instead, he felt something heavy on his body.

'What the hell?'

As he reached out, he felt the soft warmth of skin.

'Bare skin? Not mine…'

Realizing that, Leo opened his eyes and lifted his head.

He found Lysinas asleep, using his chest as a pillow.

Leo's face grew serious.

'Why is she… naked…?'

Just then, Lysinas's eyes trembled and opened.

Their eyes met.

With a blank stare, Lysinas sat up.

Long hair cascaded down her body.

Still sitting on Leo, she examined herself, then touched her cheek.

"Kyle! I have a body!"

"Looks like my cloak worked like Luna's Cometes."

Since it was made from Lysinas's own leather, it could serve as her vessel.

"Kyle!"

Lysinas beamed and threw her arms around his neck.

"Okay, okay. I get that you're happy, but… this is a little much."

"Ah…"

Blushing, Lysinas quickly pulled away and ran to the bed, hiding under the blanket.

Leo looked away and muttered inwardly.

'So that pervert was obsessed with Lysinas and Luna to be a model for a reason.'