Chapter 49: Homeward Bound
Three days later.
Lia stood at the foot of the volcano, looking up at the familiar peak.
It had been three years.
The entrance to the Lava Dragon Court was exactly as it had been when she left—a massive rock fissure with edges blackened by fire, emitting a dim red glow from the Lava Lake within. Above the entrance, a line of crooked words had been added, looking as if they were carved with claws:
[Welcome Home, Mother]
The four characters were carved with varying depths and sizes, and the character for "Mother" was even carved backward, but every stroke was forceful and deep.
Lia stared at that line of text, silent for three seconds.
Then she stepped into the entrance.
The passage was wider than it had been three years ago, and the ground was much smoother. Torches were placed every ten meters along the rock walls, their flickering flames lighting up the entire passage. From the end of the passage came the familiar heatwave and smell of sulfur, and—
And the sound of chirping and bickering.
"You're crowding me!"
"I'm not crowding you, you're the one leaning over!"
"Stop arguing, stop arguing! Mother is coming back today, can't you all be quiet for a moment?"
"I don't care, I want to stand at the very front!"
"Why do you get to stand at the front? I'm the eldest son!"
"So what if you're the eldest? I'm the strongest!"
"Stop fighting... I think I smell Mother's scent..."
Lia's footsteps paused.
She continued forward.
At the end of the passage, by the entrance of the main hall.
Three small figures were huddled together, six eyes staring at her in unison.
Kalendil stood at the very front, his bright red scales shimmering under the lava's glow. His golden dragon horns were much longer than they were three years ago, with more branches and a more imposing air. He tried his best to puff out his chest and hold his chin high, attempting to look "composed," but the tip of his tail wagged uncontrollably from side to side like an excited dog's.
"Mother!" He was the first to rush forward, but he skidded to a halt halfway, coughed, and tried to slow his pace. "Um... you're back. On behalf of all members of the Lava Dragon Court, I welcome you—"
Before he could finish, Valerion squeezed out from behind him. His round body rolled in front of Lia like a ball, and he looked up with amber eyes filled with tears.
"Mother!" he cried out, then opened his mouth to reveal a ruby held between his teeth.
It was the size of a fist.
The color was pure.
There were faint cracks inside—like teeth marks from being bitten.
Valerion placed the gem at Lia's feet, nudged it with his head, and looked up at her with sparkling eyes. "A gift for Mother! I dug it up myself!"
Lia looked down at the gem and the clear little tooth marks on it.
A second of silence.
She reached out a claw and gently patted Valerion's head.
"Good boy."
Valerion's tail instantly started spinning like a propeller.
Aetheriel was the last to approach.
He took three steps, a spark of electricity flashed on him, and he twitched. He took another three steps, another flash, and another twitch. By the time he reached Lia, he had shocked himself six times, and his mane was standing completely on end like a puffed-up hedgehog.
But he insisted on standing tall, looking up with a spark in his left eye and an arc in his right, reporting seriously, "Mother, I've made progress lately! I only shocked myself seven times this month! That's two times less than last month!"
Just as he finished speaking.
"Snap!"
A small arc of electricity shot out from the tip of his tail, accurately hitting his own back leg.
"Ow—!"
Aetheriel jumped up, clutching his leg and grimacing, tears nearly welling up from the pain. But he immediately stood firm after landing, looked up again, and continued seriously, "That one didn't count! That was an accident! I'm serious, I've really improved!"
Lia looked at him.
She looked at the bald patch on his tail.
She looked at his eyes, which were practically screaming "praise me."
She reached out a claw and gently pressed down on his head.
"Not bad."
Aetheriel froze for a second, then grinned so wide his whole face wrinkled.
Another flash of electricity—this time from joy.
Lia withdrew her claw and looked toward the depths of the main hall.
A lot had changed here in three years.
The Lava Lake was still boiling, but a stone railing had been added around it, carved with crooked patterns—dragons, Kobold, Fire Hawks, Fire Dwarves, and a few round Fire Elementals. The ground was paved with smooth stone slabs, no longer the pitted mess it was when she left. In the corner of the main hall, there were several neatly organized piles of treasure—gold coins, gems, and magical items. Each pile was cordoned off with rope and had a small wooden sign:
[Kalendil's] [Valerion's] [Aetheriel's] [Public] [Dedicated to Mother]
Lia's gaze lingered on the "Dedicated to Mother" pile.
That pile was the largest.
Gold coins were piled into a small mountain, gems were scattered within, and at the very top sat a fist-sized Fire Diamond, refracting a brilliant halo under the lava's light.
The Kobold Chieftain emerged from a corner, followed by forty-seven Kobold, all kneeling neatly on the ground. He still wore that tattered leather cap on his head and a beast-tooth necklace around his neck. He looked up, his murky old eyes filled with tears.
"Dragon Queen!" he cried out, his voice hoarse. "You're finally back! For these three years, we've hoped every day and every night, hoped until our eyes nearly fell out!"
Behind him, the forty-seven Kobold shouted in unison, "Welcome the Dragon Queen back to the nest!"
Lia looked at them.
In three years, the Kobold tribe had grown from forty-seven to fifty-three—six more little ones were hiding behind the adults' legs, peeking at her. Each little one had a small tag around its neck with crooked writing: [The Dragon Queen's Servant].
The Fire Hawk King flew in from the entrance and landed by the Lava Lake, tilting its head to look at her.
In three years, its feathers had become redder and its wingspan larger. Behind it were fifteen Fire Hawks—three more than three years ago. They lined up by the lake, nodding at her in unison.
"Screech!"
The Fire Hawk King called out.
The fifteen Fire Hawks echoed in unison, "Screech!"
Lia understood.
A single screech meant welcome.
The Fire Dwarf Chieftain ran over from the direction of the forge, followed by a group of Fire Dwarves, each holding freshly forged weapons, armor, and equipment. He ran to Lia, knelt with a thud, and held the items above his head.
"Dragon Queen! In the three years you were away, we've crafted three hundred weapons, one hundred sets of armor, and twenty catapults! And this—"
He pointed toward the mountainside.
A brand-new building stood there, made of stone, with thick smoke rising from its chimney and the constant sound of clanging hammers.
"A new forge! Three times larger than the original!"
Lia looked in the direction he pointed.
At the entrance of that building, three Fire Elementals were carrying stones in and out, as busy as ever and as unable to understand human speech as ever. One was carrying stones into the kitchen, another was carrying ore into the bedroom, and the third was carrying a bundle of wood into the Lava Lake—the wood ignited instantly upon contact with the fire, and it stood there dazed, looking at the burning wood with a confused expression.
Lia withdrew her gaze.
She looked down at everything before her.
The Kobold kneeling on the ground.
The Fire Hawks lined up in a row.
The Fire Dwarves holding up weapons.
The three still-clumsy-and-cute Fire Elementals.
And the three little dragon cubs huddled beside her, staring at her without blinking.
She was silent for a long time.
Then she spoke, her voice as calm as if she were discussing what to eat today:
"I'm back."
——————
That night, a bonfire was lit in the main hall.
The Fire Dwarves roasted a whole bison, the Kobold served gathered wild fruits, the Fire Hawks brought a string of plump pheasants from outside, and even the three Fire Elementals contributed a pile of stones—though no one knew what stones were for, they were serious about it.
Lia lay on her familiar lava rock slab, her tail hanging loosely over the edge.
Kalendil crouched to her left, trying to act like an adult dragon, but he couldn't help leaning against her.
Valerion lay to her right, his head resting on her front claw, already asleep, his snoring as light as a kitten's.
Aetheriel squeezed in next to her tail, hugging the tip of it. Every time a spark of electricity flashed, he would shiver, but he refused to let go.
A system pop-up appeared silently:
[Three-year undercover mission completed]
[Mission Evaluation: S (Exceeded expectations: Established 3 intelligence networks, acquired 5 magical items, saved a Orcs child on the side, and scared the demons out of their wits)]
[Reward Distribution: Transfiguration Technique Mastery—Human form is now permanently stable, no more worrying about your tail showing]
[Extra Reward: Significant increase in offspring's favorability]
[Valerion's Loyalty: MAX (Mother is the heaven, Mother is the earth, Mother is the best mother)]
[Aetheriel's Adoration: MAX (Mother knows everything, Mother understands everything, Mother doesn't even get shocked)]
[Kalendil's Approval: Grudgingly admits Mother is stronger than him (He thinks he can definitely surpass Mother in another hundred years)]
Lia stared at the last line, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly.
A hundred years?
Brat.
She closed the panel and looked down at the three little heads huddled together beside her.
Kalendil was already asleep, but before he drifted off, he didn't forget to drape his tail over her, as if claiming ownership.
Valerion was sleeping soundly, occasionally smacking his lips, who knows what he was eating in his dreams.
Aetheriel was hugging her tail, shivering every now and then, but he never woke up.
The light from the Lava Lake reflected off them, their scales shimmering with a warm glow.
Lia watched for a while, then closed her eyes.
It had been three years.
Finally.
——————
Early the next morning, Lia was awakened by a commotion.
"You stepped on me!"
"I didn't step on you, you're the one who rolled over!"
"Be quiet! Mother is sleeping!"
"But she's awake..."
Lia opened her eyes and looked at the three faces huddled together in front of her.
Kalendil stared with wide eyes, wearing an "I wasn't noisy, you heard wrong" expression.
Valerion was smiling goofily, with bits of meat from last night still stuck to the corner of his mouth.
Smoke was rising from the top of Aetheriel's head, and his mane was standing up again—it was hard to tell if he had just been shocked or was about to be.
Lia was silent for three seconds.
"What's for breakfast?"
The three little dragon cubs froze for a second, then cheered in unison.
Kalendil turned and ran: "I'll go tell the Fire Dwarves to roast a bison!"
Valerion scrambled up to follow: "I'll help carry the meat!"
Aetheriel took off running, took three steps, shocked himself twice, stumbled, and kept running.
The three heads disappeared at the end of the passage, their bickering voices fading into the distance.
Lia looked at the empty passage entrance and slowly stood up.
She walked to the treasure pile and gently pushed aside the "Dedicated to Mother" treasure with the tip of her claw, revealing the ruby at the very bottom.
The one with the tooth marks.
She picked up the gem and held it up against the light of the Lava Lake.
The tooth marks were deep, but the edges had been worn smooth—Valerion must have licked it every day.
She put the gem back and walked toward the cave entrance.
Outside the entrance, sunlight flooded the volcano. Kobold were busy at the mine entrance, Fire Hawks were circling in the sky, and the Fire Dwarves' forge was filled with the sound of clanging.
In the distance, a blue light flashed through the clouds and quickly disappeared to the north.
Lia stared at the blue light, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Talos?
What was he doing in the Northlands?
She withdrew her gaze and turned back into the main hall.
Behind her, the three bickering voices grew closer:
"Where's the meat? Where's the meat?"
"Don't grab! I can carry it!"
"I'll help! Whoops—"
"Snap!"
"Ow—!"
Lia stopped and looked back.
At the end of the passage, three little heads were huddled together. Kalendil was carrying a whole bison, Valerion was holding half a side, and Aetheriel stood there clutching his leg and grimacing, but his eyes were bright.
The corner of her mouth curved slightly.
Then she walked back, reached out a claw, and took the bison.
"Come on, let's eat."