C20 I Am a Proper Dragon!

"Alright, let's put the chitchat on hold. Everyone's ready, right?"

Renafam cast a questioning look at Hecarim and Modsart.

"Absolutely."

"We came here for this very reason, didn't we?"

Hecarim and Modsart both nodded in agreement.

"Then let's review the details. Igrel, step aside for a bit—I have matters to discuss with them."

Renafam lowered his head slightly to address Igrel.

"Uh... understood."

Igrel met Renafam's eyes, shrugged casually, and walked over to the far side of the platform.

"Albert, Aliya, go join him. It's a good chance for some camaraderie."

Hecarim encouraged his grandchildren.

"Yes..."

With a hint of reluctance, Albert and Aliya moved towards Igrel, swayed by Hecarim's authoritative aura.

"Dimir."

With a brief word from Modsart, Dimir nodded and stepped aside.

"Now that they're gone, let's talk about the Dragon Whelp Baptism in detail."

With the young dragons out of earshot, Renafam spoke with a serious demeanor, matched by the solemn faces of Hecarim and Modsart.

...

"It's so quiet here; seems like no one's in the mood to talk."

Igrel watched the three mute Dragon Whelps, his pupils scanning back and forth as he pondered the silence.

"Aliya, he's been staring at us. You think he's looking for payback for what we pulled earlier?"

"Keep it together, Albert. We can't give him any reason to strike."

Albert and Aliya locked eyes, quickly coming to a silent understanding and kept their heads down, staying mute.

"They live up to the 'three great dragon breeds' reputation, staying calm under pressure. I've got to keep up."

Dimir's gaze shifted, as he quickly played out potential scenarios in his mind, then followed the lead of the other whelps by remaining silent.

"Isn't anyone here a talker? Someone say something to lighten the mood. This silence is killing me."

Igrel's eyes wandered among the three Dragon Whelps, who stiffened as his gaze passed over them.

"Aliya, I think he's about to make his move. Think of something, fast."

"What am I supposed to do? Don't put me in such a tough spot."

Albert and Aliya trembled slightly, their eyes flitting about as they locked gazes, too fearful to even sneak a peek at Igrel.

"Why are they looking at me like that? Could he be harboring ill will? Is he itching for a fight to establish his dominance? This is not good, not good at all. I can't look up. If our eyes meet, I'm done for."

Dimir, too, was in a state of mental disarray. With that thought, he shrank back even more.

"Why is everyone trembling? Is it the height that's making them cold? It's possible; the magic power of ordinary dragon whelps might be limited. Should I tell Grandfather and the others? But they're discussing something important; best not to disturb them. What should I do?"

Igrel pinched his claws subconsciously, deep in thought.

"Aliya, did you see that? He's moving his claws. He's definitely about to make a move!"

"I saw it, Albert. Stay close. We need to be ready to retaliate."

Albert and Aliya pressed close to each other, taking a few steps away from Igrel.

"He's going to make his move!"

Dimir's heart tightened, and he edged backward slowly.

"Something's... not adding up."

Igrel stopped short, noticing the young dragons' odd behavior. He extended a claw, trying to speak.

"Hey, you guys..."

"Don't move!"

"Any closer and we'll be forced to fight back!"

Albert and Aliya exclaimed together, their pale blue eyes staring down Igrel.

"No, you're misunderstanding something..."

Igrel didn't stop; he took another step forward and persisted.

"Yiya!"

Overwhelmed, Aliya screamed. Her eyes clamped shut as an invisible psychic force surged outwards.

“！”

Albert, caught by surprise by Aliya's sudden, wide-ranging attack, didn't manage to put up his psychic defense in time and was left reeling for a few seconds.

"Wuwaa!"

Dimir, a little further away, had no defense against the unexpected, unblockable onslaught. He didn't last a second before he fell to the ground, unconscious, letting out a woeful cry.

"Uh..."

Igrel's claw hung in the air as he looked around, bewildered, his expression one of complete bemusement.

"Hey, just calm down a bit. I'm not planning to do anything," Igrel said to Aliya, who was still screaming.

"Mental power fluctuations? That's a first for me," Igrel thought to himself, remembering the surge that had momentarily overwhelmed his brain.

"You, you..."

Aliya's screams stopped as she saw Igrel was unfazed. Terror filled her pale blue, slit-shaped pupils, and she instinctively stepped back, bumping into Albert, who hadn't yet recovered. In the next second, they both fell to the ground.

"Eh? Eh!"

Albert, too, came back to his senses amidst the pain. He lay sprawled on the ground, struggling to breathe with Aliya on top of him.

"Is your composure really that fragile? You need to toughen up, or you might accidentally hurt someone. It looks like Dimir's already passed out," Igrel sighed, looking down at the trembling Aliya and the squirming Albert beneath her. He reached out his claw to help Aliya up, saying, "You should really stand up."

"Don't, don't touch me..."

Aliya managed to choke out the words, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Albert looks pretty uncomfortable there. I'm just trying to help you up," Igrel responded, frowning.

"Then, if that's the case, please..."

Aliya seemed not to hear Igrel's words, her gaze locked on his approaching figure. Her mouth opened and closed, as if she wanted to say something.

"Hmm?"

Igrel's claw reached out in front of Aliya, tilting his head in confusion.

"Please, be gentle..."

Aliya closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, and turned her head away, too frightened to move.

"Huh?"

Igrel's claw froze in mid-air, and he paused, taken aback.

"Hold on, what do you think you're doing to Aliya? If you dare touch her, I'll knock you flat—I mean it!"

Albert, pinned to the ground, shouted fiercely, his voice filled with protective rage.

Igrel silently retracted his claw, watching as Albert struggled to push Aliya off. A thought crossed his mind: "Have these two lost their minds? Can't I run into someone normal for once?"

He stepped back, giving Aliya and Albert some space, not wanting to get entangled in their apparent madness.

"Do you believe me if I say I'm innocent?" Igrel called out, his voice steady, to the three immense shadows that loomed from behind and stretched out before him.

"Igrel, I think it's best if you wait until you're a teen dragon. You're not fully grown yet." Renafam's laughter echoed from behind Igrel.

"I refuse to believe you're unaware of what's happened here. Don't make me lose respect for the title of Dragon King." Igrel turned to face the three Dragon Kings, who watched the scene with evident amusement, and spoke with a touch of exasperation.

"I was hoping for at least a little chaos. Renafam, your grandson is truly unamusing—doesn't provide any entertainment at all." Hecarim complained to Renafam, his voice laced with disappointment.

"Really, with your grandchildren still lying on the ground, you think now's the time for jokes?" Igrel's face twitched as he suppressed a sigh.

"Oh dear, to be taken down in a single encounter, how utterly shameful." Modsart clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, effortlessly lifting the unconscious Dimir by his tail.

"Yet, that smirk tells me you're plotting something. Dimir, it seems your grandfather might have a scheme in the works. I do hope we meet again, and that you're still in one piece." Igrel paid a silent three-second tribute to Dimir in his mind.

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