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As they continued talking, Elizabeth suddenly heard approaching footsteps. A tall figure stepped forward. It was not a full dragon, but a Dragonoid, the very same person who had fiercely protected her during the last battle.
"I do indeed remember that bloodthirsty side of you, Your Majesty," said a tall, handsome young Dragonoid man as he stepped into view. It was Uncle Yudrak. He had short white hair, pale skin, and patches of soft white fur, particularly around his neck. Fluffy animal-like ears crowned his head. He was the son of Yudra, the fourth child of Drake, the Divine Dragon King, and the current Empress of Zipangu, the Ancient Land of Myths and Legends.
"Yudrak…" King Louis fell silent for a moment before greeting him. "We meet again. It has been only a few times we have had that privilege. I do regret that our first meeting was a battle where I nearly killed you. My bad."
"?!" Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock. She fell completely silent as she heard her father speaking in such a threatening manner. "Y-You don't look like you regret it at all, Dad…"
"I do regret it deeply," her father replied with a calm smile. However, his eyes gleamed with clear superiority as he looked at Yudrak, the weaker dragon. "And it was he who decided to remind me of those darker times."
"Hahaha, very funny," Yudrak laughed. Once an expressionless child, he had grown into a sharp-tongued young man. "Shall we tell your daughter about those times? How you were so desperate to gain a dragon form that you extorted us after defeating us? You demanded our blood and scales, Your Majesty."
"Eh?!" Elizabeth gasped. "Dad, were you really that desperate?"
"Ngh…" King Louis clenched his teeth. The wine cup in his hand shattered into pieces. "Yudrak, you…!"
Elizabeth gasped again. She had never seen her father so enraged outside of actual battles against powerful enemies who threatened her life.
"Hahaha! Okay, okay! That's enough!" A third figure appeared. Mirai quickly stepped between them and patted both her husband's and Yudrak's shoulders. "Let's get along, alright? That was decades ago! We are all friends here. Come on, we fought together against a common enemy. We're family!"
"Mirai…" Yudrak's gaze softened noticeably. "You're right. I'm sorry… Maybe I shouldn't have said those things."
"You really shouldn't have!" Mirai scolded lightly. "Please, Yudrak, let's leave all of that in the past."
"I suppose you're not wrong," Yudrak nodded. "Things must be left in the past. However, some people may not be as forgiving. King Louis, please be careful with those you consider friends. Because of my mother and because we are family, I have chosen not to hold any grudges. But others may not be so understanding."
King Louis remained silent for a long moment as he absorbed Yudrak's words. He knew exactly who the young Dragonoid was referring to. "I know who you're talking about. Don't worry. I am well aware that such things cannot be forgiven so easily. There is a reason why I keep a tight leash on all of them."
"Hm, that might only make things worse, you know, Your Majesty?" Yudrak sighed.
"Thank you for the advice," King Louis replied with a sigh of his own. "Now tell me, Yudrak, how are your efforts to take over the throne of Zipangu progressing? How is your training? Your mother, my aunt, seems eager to finally pass the throne to you. And yet… I wonder if you have been avoiding her. I've heard you haven't visited Zipangu in quite some time. You've mostly been roaming between worlds, hunting divine beasts and little else."
"We dragons live for eternity. There is nothing wrong with spending some time idling now and then," Yudrak answered. "And that is… uh, part of my training as well. Of course, I will gladly take the throne once I fully master Mother's Divine Cultivation Method — the Primordial Frozen Sun Spiritual Soul Body Method. Until then, I am not worthy."
"You still haven't mastered it?" Mirai asked, surprised. "If you had, you might have been able to fight the Nightmares more effectively…"
"Hm," Yudrak sighed. "I am working on it, okay? It simply takes time. A lot of time. Perhaps in a few hundred years… Now, I wonder where Great Grandmother is?"
Yudrak walked away after the conversation, clearly bothered by how insistently they were pushing him to take the throne and relieve his mother. She had been reluctantly ruling that realm for thousands of years and clearly needed a break.
"Did Auntie Yudra not come today?" Elizabeth asked.
"Not everyone could make it. We only received the message about what was happening here a short while ago," her father explained. "Still, it was good enough that we could come and help."
"Yeah, I suppose so," Elizabeth nodded. "Though this meeting really needs Grandma here at least. I wonder if Grandpa could come too…?"
"We'll be leaving soon, though. You need to wake up," her mother said.
"Ah, right. Yeah… sorry," Elizabeth muttered. "Um… am I grounded?"
Her parents looked at her with an expression that needed no words.
It clearly said "yes you are, young lady." Even though they didn't speak, Elizabeth let out a small sigh.
"Okay then… eugh," she sighed again. "What am I going to do while grounded? It's not like it's any different from being confined in the castle for years, unable to do anything. The castle is beautiful and has everything I could ever want, but… it's so boring. I'm not even allowed in most parts of it…"
King Louis and Queen Mirai exchanged a long glance. They realized their daughter had indeed been quite bored within the castle, with very little to occupy her time or attention.
"If being grounded feels the same as staying in the castle, then I guess we've been doing something wrong," her mother sighed. "I'm sorry, dear. You won't be grounded."
"No, we were planning to, but after thinking it through, it's better if we don't," her father added. "What you did worried us deeply, but it also made us incredibly proud. You fought against many Nightmares on your own, all to save your aunt. And you weren't easily defeated. You came back stronger than ever. We can all feel it within you now."
"R-Really?!" Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with pure happiness. "So I'm not grounded?!"
"No," her mother said with a warm, kind smile. "If anything, I want to congratulate you! You have not only refined your combat abilities, but your transformation powers have improved greatly as well. I can also feel the power I passed down to you — the Path of the Chaos Demon — beginning to awaken fully inside you. Did you manage to transform into one?"
"Oh yeah! It happened when… uh…" Elizabeth grew nervous. She knew that if she told her parents she had literally shattered apart and a huge butterfly had emerged from her, then eaten her remains and fused with her, it would sound extremely strange. "I awakened it when I thought everything was lost. I suppose life-or-death situations like that really do make one stronger!"
"I always dreaded putting you in such danger," her father sighed. "But I suppose when one is a dragon, getting into battles is inevitable."
"Me too," her mother agreed. "I guess we need to get used to it and do everything we can to raise you into a strong young woman."
"I agree," her father nodded. "The tutoring she will receive under Surtr and Hydra will surely help. Triton was also planning to teach her a few things, right? Then she can learn even more from us. I could give her classes on her newly awakened Esper abilities with my father, and teach her about the light aspect of her dragon powers with my mother."
"And I can teach her about the power of Chaos Demons," her mother added with a nod. "I suppose it might even be possible to call Mom and Dad."
"Wait… Mom and Dad?!" Elizabeth gasped in shock. "Is there another set of grandparents I don't know about?!"
"Well, it's complicated," Queen Mirai said gently. "But yes, they don't live within this plane."
"…What?" Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. "Where do they live then?"
"In… uh, in hell," her mother muttered.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. She did not remember any development like this in the world she had originally designed. This was more proof that the world had become its own living thing rather than simply copying what she had created. The realization left her with far more questions than answers.
"Your grandparents from your mother's side are called Pandemonium and Chaos," King Louis explained. "They are powerful Primordial Beings who once fell in battle against your great-grandfather, the Divine Dragon King."
"Eh?!"
"Dear, I don't think she's ready to hear that story yet…" Mirai muttered, looking a little sad.
"It's fine. We have to tell her the truth," King Louis replied firmly.
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