Lina's Morning

"Of course it's for playing! What else did you think?"

Lina, who had changed into clean clothes and taken a bath, sat at the table and looked at me with a look of grievance.

"No. Not even for playing."

I glanced back at Astrid, who was hiding behind me.

Regardless, this little fellow had to stay by my side. I didn't trust anyone else with it, nor did I dare to.

Most importantly, if anything happened to this little one, the result would be the wrath of the entire dragon race.

No one could withstand such a thing.

Although the true dragon species was rare, there were many sub-dragons. Once you incurred the hatred of the dragon race, the only path left for humanity would be extinction.

Dragons were notoriously petty.

Fortunately, dragons didn't have many other desires.

What the vast majority of dragons wanted most was a stable life and to spend every day mating incessantly.

In fact, that was exactly what most dragons did.

Because their fertility was poor, their reproductive cycles were long, and their survival rates were low.

So, the adaptability they evolved was an intensified desire, ensuring there was never a dry spell.

Those who know, know.

For the continuation of their species, this was a desire etched into the dragon race's DNA.

This drive only slowed down once they reached the level of the Dragon King, but even then, it would never stop for long.

It could be said that a dragon spent one-third of its life sleeping, one-third on daily activities, and the remaining third almost entirely on procreation.

Infancy was the only exception.

Therefore, one could guess with their toes what the consequences of marrying into the dragon race would be.

Getting out of bed would be out of the question; you wouldn't be able to leave the bed for the rest of your life.

Even going to the bathroom would likely be a struggle.

You would be confined to the bed forever.

So, as for marrying a dragon... don't even think about it.

I simply couldn't accept that kind of life.

"Hmph... if I can't play with it, then I can't. Why get so angry?"

Lina pouted, looking a bit hurt.

"I'm angry because you, you silly girl, rushed in without thinking. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Fortunately, Astrid is still just a child. Otherwise, that Dragon Breath would have sent you to meet God."

"Oh..."

Lina lowered her head, looking like a child who had done something wrong.

Seeing her look so aggrieved, I could only rub my forehead and explain helplessly.

"Lina, it's not that I won't let you play with it. I don't mind you having some contact with Astrid. After all, it helps it get used to humans. But... your reckless behavior won't do. Besides, Astrid doesn't belong to me."

Hearing this, Lina's interest was piqued again, and she looked up at me.

"Then how did it end up with you?"

"The Dragon King entrusted it to me. The story goes like this..."

I explained the situation to Lina. By the time she understood most of it, my throat was dry, so I took a sip of tea.

I set the teacup down.

"Now do you understand why it can't be sold? Even if I dared to sell it, would your Kingdom of the Highlands dare to buy it? Buying it would mean offending the entire dragon race. Forget just your Kingdom of the Highlands; even if all the nations gathered together, it's uncertain if they could withstand the dragon race's wrath. If your Grandpa Scott found out about this, wouldn't he be so overwhelmed with anxiety that he'd drop dead on the spot?"

"Alright, alright, I know I was wrong~"

Lina kept her head down, but her eyes drifted behind me.

Astrid was currently hiding in back of me. Its massive dragon head was impossible to hide completely, so half of its face peeked out, its large eyes watching Lina quietly—or rather, quite openly.

Clearly, Lina's earlier outburst had given Astrid quite a scare.

"Alright, it's getting late. If there's anything else, we can talk tomorrow."

It had been another busy day. Although many problems had been solved, the major ones were still right in front of us.

I didn't have many days left. Once the reinforcements from His Holiness the Pope arrived, the defenses would be strengthened, but it would be impossible to hold out forever. I needed to set out as soon as possible.

Once the reinforcements from the Kingdom of the Sea and the Kingdom of Flame arrived, it would be time to depart.

Lina thought about it and didn't refuse. However, her almond-shaped eyes were still fixed on Astrid, causing the dragon to keep baring its teeth in fear.

That night, I returned to the bedchamber. However, the original one needed major repairs since... well, the windows were gone.

I moved to a backup bedchamber. Although it wasn't used often and lacked a 'lived-in' feel, having Astrid with me made it quite peaceful.

Although this little fellow wasn't old, its ability to knock back Lina, the Saintess of War, with a single strike meant its strength couldn't be underestimated. At the very least, it would have no problem protecting me in an emergency.

After producing a pool's worth of Holy Water, I returned to the room. My hair wasn't completely dry yet, leaving it with a slightly damp feeling.

My hair had grown to waist-length. With a bit of moisture, it felt quite heavy, even giving me the sensation that my scalp was being pulled.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I wasn't very sleepy, so I went straight to the balcony and opened the window to look at the distant street scene.

I had changed into a simple nightgown. It was simple because I wasn't wearing anything underneath it.

Fortunately, it was a dress-style nightgown, so at least I wouldn't accidentally expose myself.

Except for occasionally wearing it after a bath, I was usually too lazy to wear this kind of nightgown.

Isn't it better to sleep naked?

On the balcony, a sofa and table had already been prepared. I didn't call anyone else in and just took a glass of red wine, sitting there in a daze as I watched the scenery outside.

From here, I could see the street scene in the distance.

Although the Temple had an outer wall, it wasn't particularly high—only about eight meters. So, sitting on the third-floor balcony, I could pretty much see the outside world.

The Temple was indeed a grand place; every structure was massive, making it feel somewhat empty.

A single floor was nearly six meters high, so the third floor was close to twenty meters up, providing a clear view of the outside.

People outside could also see this way.

I poured the wine into a decanter, gave it a swirl, and sat on the balcony to enjoy the cool breeze.

Because of the Temple's unique magic protection mechanism, it was difficult for insects to enter. However, this mechanism was only for repelling pests and wasn't used to drive away animals.

So, not far from the balcony, there was a tall tree. At the very top of the tree lived a nest of red-feathered fledglings.

I didn't know their name, but the young birds were quite beautiful.

The adult bird was perched in the nest, seemingly not afraid of people at all.

The adult was about half a meter tall, with a long tail trailing behind it that was much longer than its body. At the tip of the tail was a long plume, and the crest on its head curled backward into a spiral.

Looking at the bird's appearance, it really did resemble a phoenix.

This nest of birds had probably lived in the Temple for a long time, right?

Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to be so fearless.

The adult bird watched me, occasionally moving slightly before settling back into the nest. The fledglings poked out their small heads, their eyes full of curiosity about the world.

Actually... I was also very curious. If I had the chance, I really wanted to travel this world and see the different landscapes and cultures of various places.

"Gya?"

From behind me came Astrid's characteristic youthful cry. There was a hint of confusion in its voice, as if it didn't understand why I hadn't gone straight to sleep today.

I looked back at the bed. Because of Astrid's presence, my bed had undergone some modifications.

The whole thing had been expanded.

Originally, it was at most three meters by three meters, but now it was five meters by five meters. Even if six or seven people stood on it to dance, there would be no problem.

At this moment, Astrid was lying on the bed, its large eyes watching me curiously.

"You go to sleep first. I'm having a bit of trouble sleeping."

I said casually before turning back to look into the distance.

When I first arrived in this world, my mind was a mess, thinking only about how to survive. Now, although my goal hadn't changed, my thoughts had become much more complex.

Conquering the world?

Touring the world?

In short, ambition changes as one's status changes.

Now, I at least had a goal.

However, the outcome of this expedition was unpredictable. If things went poorly, I might lose my life there.

I poured the decanted wine into a magnificent crystal glass. Watching the red liquid reflect the crescent moon in the sky, my mood seemed to lighten significantly.

I slowly raised the glass toward the crescent moon.

In my heart, I couldn't help but ask: God, just why did you throw me into this world?

Unfortunately, God didn't seem to want to pay me any mind.

So, I received no response.

I wanted to live. Even though I had become a woman, that thought had never changed.

It's just that back then, I never expected I'd die from my own... overindulgence. And I certainly didn't expect to be reincarnated after dying that way.

Looking back now, I still felt a sense of total humiliation.

Though I could no longer hear the gossip and comments of those people.

I raised my glass, inviting the bright moon.

"To being alive!"

The crescent moon in the sky was incredibly bright, even making the starlight recede.

For a moment, I had the illusion that it was responding to me.

I downed the wine in the glass in one gulp.

"Time for sleep! Tomorrow, there are still tomorrow's things to do~"

"Gya?"

"It's got nothing to do with you. You should just go to sleep."

"Gya!"

"Don't crowd me, don't crowd! You're so big, be careful. Don't roll over and crush me to death. I already came here because of a humiliating death in that world. If people found out the Saintess was crushed to death by a dragon in her sleep, wouldn't that be another total humiliation?"

"Gya~"

...

The morning breeze drifted past the clouds and into the room with the open window.

The curtains trembled slightly, as if expressing dissatisfaction with the morning air.

The timid breeze turned around... only to discover the sleeping girl on the bed.

Like a mischievous child, it spun in place, gently brushing against the silver strands on the girl's face.

"Ugh..."

In my daze, I felt like a fly or a mosquito had landed on my face.

I subconsciously reached up to brush it away. I didn't catch a bug, but I did grab something thin.

I tugged on it, wanting to throw it away.

But with that tug, I felt a tightness in my scalp.

The grogginess of sleep vanished instantly.

I opened my heavy eyes, looked at the silver strands between my fingertips, and blinked.

Alright, I'm still not used to long hair.

But as for cutting it... on second thought, never mind.

Such beautiful silver hair would be a shame to cut.

I sat up, gave a deep stretch, and looked out the window, only to realize I had forgotten to close it last night.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see the bird's nest at the top of the tree. The red-feathered fledglings were staring at me.

Stretching and yawning—actions that felt like a morning ritual—still brought a sense of refreshment.

"Who's outside?"

"Your Highness, I am here."

Tasha's voice came from outside. This girl was usually quite sharp, so she had gradually become a permanent fixture by my side.

As for Nara, although she was my personal nun, she actually had a lot to manage every day. All the nuns and priests in the entire Temple were under her direct supervision.

Whenever there was something to do, she would instruct Tasha to stand guard here.

"Come in."

"Yes."

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Tasha walked in with her head lowered cautiously.

"Good morning, Your Highness."

"Mhm. Bring me a nightgown. I want to bathe."

"Yes."

It was a morning like any other. After quickly producing some more Holy Water, I changed into a clean Saintess's robe.

It was the same form-fitting waist cincher and the same wide sleeves. Looking at this Saintess's robe, which was such a hassle to put on...

I was stunned to realize... I had already become accustomed to this life of having everything handed to me.

As expected, I've been corrupted~

I shook my head, tossing that thought aside, and patted the still-sleeping Astrid. Dragons tended to sleep much longer than humans.

So, no one would care how long it wanted to sleep. Since it wasn't awake, I'd let it keep sleeping.

With a group of people attending to me, I arrived at the rear hall.

From quite a distance, I could hear shouting from the courtyard: "Nine hundred seventy-two! Nine hundred seventy-three! Nine hundred seventy-four!"

I looked up at the courtyard and immediately noticed something different from usual.

At this moment, a young girl dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and long trousers was wielding a massive sword over three meters tall, swinging it over and over again.

Sweat slid down the girl's forehead, splashing onto the greatsword, her wrists, and the ground.

However, the girl didn't care at all. Her eyes were fixed on the wooden training dummy in front of her.

Every time she swung the greatsword, it stopped exactly less than a centimeter from the wooden dummy's forehead, without the slightest error.

Her movements were fluid yet somewhat mechanical.

The fluidity came from the smoothness of every swing, while the mechanical nature came from the fact that... after every swing, she would swing the blade again with the same fluid motion.

That massive blade, which looked like a door, was light as a feather in her hands. With every swing, I could hear the wind howling.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The solid ground, unable to withstand the weight of the greatsword and the girl's movements, formed indentations under her feet that perfectly matched her footprints.

"Her Highness Lina is practicing this early?"

I looked back at Tasha behind me in surprise. But Tasha's answer made me feel a heartfelt admiration for this simple-minded girl.

"Her Highness Lina got up before dawn today. She has already finished one thousand horizontal sweeps and one thousand diagonal slashes."

She had been doing her morning exercise all morning?

As expected... great strength ultimately comes from daily accumulation.

Now, I would never again doubt where this Saintess of War's strength came from.

"One thousand!"