A few days later, in the evening, Leon, Rossweise, and Muen stood in front of the temple. Just like when they had seen Noah off, they tilted their heads back at a forty-five-degree angle, watching the sky. They were waiting.
"Does the academy really provide transportation back home?" Leon asked, his eyes still fixed above.
"Yes, their service has always been very considerate," Rossweise confirmed.
"So, how will they bring Noah back? Magical teleportation or…"
Rossweise raised a hand to shield her eyes, squinting at a small dot in the distance. "No, it's not that advanced. They will bring her back the same way we sent her. Look, it's almost here."
Leon followed her gaze. A small dot was slowly growing larger. A few minutes later, his eyes widened in shock.
What was that dot? As it came closer, he saw it was a dragon of an exaggerated, massive size!
He estimated this dragon was at least five times larger than Rossweise in her dragon form. In his entire dragon-slaying career, he had never seen one so enormous.
"The Leviathan Dragon, the largest dragon type. Despite its size, it's not very combative. It serves as transport for the dragon community. It has great endurance and, very importantly, stable emotions," Rossweise explained.
"Eh? Why mention stable emotions?" Leon asked.
"Imagine one hundred and eighty lively, playful dragon hatchlings sitting on your back, chattering nonstop and running around. Could you keep your composure?" Rossweise replied.
Leon swallowed nervously. "I would not…"
"Exactly. But the Leviathans can. Their emotional control is excellent. It's said that a Leviathan, from birth to death over thousands of years, won't even throw one tantrum," Rossweise said.
Leon was impressed.
Who would have thought there was such a relaxed type among the naturally fierce dragon species?
It gave a feeling of pure acceptance.
The Leviathan dragon drew closer, finally stopping to hover above the Silver Dragon Temple. Its size made landing impossible.
A magical pillar of light shimmered around the Leviathan, connecting it to the ground. Once everyone saw Noah land safely, the Leviathan retracted the magical pillar. Its huge body began to ascend, and with a few flaps of its giant wings, it slowly flew away.
The wingbeats stirred a powerful gust of wind. As the air settled, Muen eagerly ran to Noah.
"Sister!"
The little dragon girl threw her arms open and leaped into her sister's embrace, rubbing her face against Noah affectionately.
Noah pinched the silly tuft of hair on her sister's head and smiled. "Did you miss me?"
"Missed you a lot! Did big sister miss Muen?"
"Of course I did!"
"Yeah!"
The two little sisters walked hand-in-hand toward Leon and Rossweise, their tails linked together.
Noah gave a small nod to Rossweise. "I'm back, Mom."
"Welcome home, Noah."
Then she looked at Leon. "I'm back—"
Her mouth had already formed the beginning of the 'D' sound for 'Dad'.
But she still hesitated on the word. Seeing her struggle, Leon quickly stepped in. "It's good to have you back. Come on, let's eat. Your mom and I made a lot of your favorite food."
"Okay."
The family of four went inside and sat around the table for the long-awaited meal. Noah instinctively began to cut the steak for her sister and serve her vegetables.
But Muen grabbed her wrist. Before Noah knew what was happening, Muen, in a clumsy but earnest way, started cutting the steak for herself.
Then, Muen pushed all the delicious dishes on the table closer to Noah.
"Sister, eat quickly. Mom and Dad said you've been working hard at school, so you should eat more," Muen said.
"All right, thank you!"
It was true. The right amount of independence could help a person grow. Well, even if her sister's growth was just for now, it was still a big step forward.
The family ate, talked, and laughed together. In that moment, it seemed no one cared if the warmth was completely real or partly acted. They were, without a doubt, a happy and content family.
As dinner was finishing, Noah took several report cards from her bag. She placed them on the table one by one.
"Alchemy and Mechanical Basics, first place," she announced.
"Introduction to Magic, Dragon Edition, first place."
"Dragon History, Dragonlings Upper Level, first place."
"All-Around Physical Fitness Test, third place."
Noah pushed the last report card to the middle of the table. She looked very tense. "Sorry, Mom. I only got third place in the last subject."
Rossweise didn't even look at the report cards. "No need to apologize, Noah. Third place is already very impressive."
"Yeah, sis, Mom is right! In Muen's heart, you are the best!" Muen added.
Even with their comfort, Noah's mood didn't seem to lift.
Leon looked at his eldest daughter, then at Rossweise and Muen.
One was not good at showing feelings, and the other showed almost too much. What Noah needed wasn't coming from them.
Sigh!
It looked like the old father had to step in. Leon took the report card, glanced at it, and said, "Oh, this is all about physical training, right? Running, push-ups, pull-ups…"
Noah pressed her lips together and answered quietly, "Yeah."
"You started school very early, Noah. The other dragonlings in your grade are at least five or six years old. They're taller than you by a whole head."
Leon spoke seriously with her. "You got a high score in practical combat training, right? You fought ten opponents and won against nine. That's the highest win rate in the whole class. What does that tell us? It tells us that my eldest daughter might not be as strong as those little brats, but she is far better in strategy and fighting skills."
Leon put the report card down. "So, you don't need to worry too much about this third place. You've already done your very best with what you have, and that is more than enough. Many grown adults can't give their all like you do."
After Leon's careful explanation, Noah's face finally relaxed a little.
She hesitated and said, "But I heard Mom say that when you were in school, you were first in every subject."
When Leon heard this, he felt a surge of pride. It sounded like Noah saw him as a role model.
The old father was thrilled!
But now was not the time for boasting.
"Actually, when I first started school, I wasn't first in every subject either. It was through hard work later that I moved up, step by step. So, Noah, falling behind is not forever. Don't let a small failure make you feel down, okay?"
"Okay, I understand," Noah replied very seriously.
Leon believed her. Her personality was not one for lying. If she said she understood, she truly did.
Seeing her sister's mood improve, Muen came closer. She grabbed Noah's wrist and asked curiously, "Sister, sister, what is practical combat training?"
"It's one-on-one fighting between two people. They spar until one person gives up or gets pushed out of the ring."
"Oh, I see. Sister, winning against nine people is really amazing."
Muen was also impressed by Leon's story, her eyes wide with admiration. "Wow, Daddy is amazing! Dad is so powerful. So if he fights with Mom, who will win?"
Both Leon and Rossweise answered at the exact same time.
"ME!"
"HUH!?"
Leon said smugly, "In my actual combat training back then, for hand-to-hand combat or weapons and magic, no one could beat me. Of course, I'm better."
"Although I didn't win as many honors at the academy as you, I only win the most important games," Rossweise replied.
"Wasn't it because you never beat me that you married me?" Leon teased.
"It was because you failed to beat me that we have two lovely daughters, Muen and Noah," Rossweise countered, a sly look in her eye.
Rossweise squinted. "What's the matter, Leon? It's been two years since we married, and you still want to spar?"
"I've been wanting to for a long time."
The two of them were in a standoff. Sparks seemed to fly as they stared each other down.
"Are they going to fight? Let's go, let's go, Big sis!" Muen whispered, tugging Noah's sleeve excitedly.