Chapter 39: That Kid is Strange

Chapter 39: That Kid is Strange

Dragon Rider Father returned to his own camp with a half-smile. Although he didn’t get to discuss what he wanted to today, he could at least be sure that kid was strange. He had a feeling that something unpredictable must have happened between those Northlanders and that child. Even though my son was useless today, it seems your sons aren’t doing so well either. No hurry. Once my child completes the heritage Trial, we’ll settle the score then.

Facing his still furious child, Dragon Rider Father shook his head helplessly. “Anger only clouds your judgment.”

“It’s your judgment that’s cloudy! They were mocking us! How could you all just stand there without reacting!?”

“What reaction did you expect? And why were we being mocked?”

“It’s all because of that Idiot! I…”

A fierce strike cut off Little Dragon Boy’s words. Dragon Rider Father looked at his defiant child and slapped him again. Seeing the boy about to talk back, he followed up with a kick. This wasn’t a child’s playful scuffle; even a seemingly light kick sent his son tumbling to the ground like a gourd.

“First, think carefully. Why were we mocked? We were mocked because of your failure. We were mocked because you didn’t listen to me and still provoked the other side. We were mocked because while all the younger generation kept their heads down eating, only you jumped up and shouted. We were mocked because you simply cannot see reality.”

“You’re all just cowards!”

Dragon Rider Father snorted dismissively. “In that dining hall, any one of those adult Northlanders could have crushed you like a bug. Before them, you should at least show some due respect and humility towards the strong.”

“I wasn’t provoking them! I was just challenging that Idiot!”

“In front of his father? At a banquet, shouting in front of a father that you’re about to beat up his son, and that’s not provoking the father? That’s why he ignored you. At his own banquet, whether he hit you or you hit him, it would have ruined his own feast. That’s why he ignored you. I’m starting to wonder, who’s more of an Idiot, Bran or my son!?”

“He’s the Idiot! He would never think of any of that.”

Dragon Rider Father sighed helplessly. “You’ve always thought he was an Idiot, so you’ve always looked down on him. And even after getting slapped three times, you still think he’s an Idiot?”

Dragon Rider Father suddenly roared in agitation, “You! On what grounds do you think he’s an Idiot!?”

“He never talks to others, he lets Danny carry him, he holds Danny’s hand…” The more Little Dragon Boy listed, the less confident he sounded.

Dragon Rider Father gave a bitter smile. “Anything else? He sits alone by the entrance watching the commotion, with no guardian nearby. He can look at my two children with the eyes of someone watching prey. His pet can almost surround you all without anyone noticing. He can sit quietly listening to a little girl talk for half a day, even making agreeing sounds so she keeps talking enthusiastically. He leads you to the Training Ground, beats one of you to vent his anger, and scares the other off from fighting. So, let me ask you, would you be afraid of an Idiot?”

“No!”

“That’s right, you wouldn’t. So my foolish son, after calming down, felt aggrieved. The next day, he went to provoke him again and got soundly beaten.” Dragon Rider Father gave another bitter smile and continued, “He must have been prepared, waiting for you to keep provoking him, and you just walked right into his trap.”

“No way! It was a fair duel.”

“Fair, my foot! That kid is clearly skilled at close-quarters combat. Whether it’s us or the Northlanders, at this age, who doesn’t start carrying a knife or a sword? Even his little sister carries a thin rapier. Our strength lies in weapons and mounts. Even if you were holding a broom, that kid would have run for his life. Yet you went up there empty-handed!”

“It was still a fair duel. I lost the bet, I accept the loss.”

“Now you’re talking about chivalry? His two Short Blades were hidden at the small of his back the whole time, never off his person. You are a Knight, a Dragon Knight trained strictly since childhood. Even though you haven’t started the heritage Trial, unless you sensed a mortal threat, why would you be afraid? That’s why that Northlander Warrior Danny appeared and carried him away. You should thank her for saving you.

The most laughable thing is, my foolish son went the next day, took off his weapons, and went with his two bare claws for a ‘fair’ fight. So fair. It’s a miracle you didn’t get sliced in half!”

“He spread his hands open, palms facing us, and placed them at his sides like this,” Little Dragon Boy said, demonstrating as he spoke.

“Nonsense!” Dragon Rider Father grew angrier as he spoke. “That’s the starting stance for drawing a blade from the small of your back with a forward grip!!! It’s a miracle you came back alive!”

Little Dragon Boy retorted with an incredulous look, “Why are you only telling me this now?”

Dragon Rider Father blushed slightly. “I only figured it out today myself. Something felt off.”

“How did you figure it out?”

Facing his son’s wide, starry eyes, Dragon Rider Father felt a bit awkward. “When I was standing up for you, calling their son an Idiot, the Northlanders’ reaction was strange. Then I thought about it carefully, and the more I thought, the more something felt wrong. Stay away from that kid from now on. No wonder that kid isn’t growing taller; he’s too wicked. And even though he’s not an Idiot, he seems a bit mentally unstable. Stay away from that kind of lunatic. We can’t afford to mess with him.”

Little Dragon Boy seemed to have grasped part of the meaning. “So, you weren’t just mad at me earlier? You were also mad because you got tricked, so you took it out on me?”

“Get out!” Little Dragon Boy was kicked out the door by his father.

Dragon Rider Father sighed inwardly. He had been careless. Who would have thought? How did the Northlanders learn to be so crafty, and so quickly? Fortunately, he noticed in time. If it weren’t for his own child’s foolishness, he might never have realized something was wrong. Thinking of it that way, his child actually did a good deed. This child takes after me, he’s blessed…

As the father and son ended their conversation, Little Dragon Girl, who had been acting like an invisible person, seized the chance to slip away.

…

In the Mountain Villa, Bran’s two sisters watched him clowning around, his two foot-long Short Blades weaving a blur of light.

Lily wore an unhappy expression. “You should at least wear a weapon at your waist.”

“It goes against my Idiot persona. But that Little Dragon Boy’s father might have figured it out already. During the feast, I could feel the pressure he was putting on me.”

“He found out you almost chopped up his son?”

“No. He was thanking me for sparing his life.”

“Pfft, he should be thanking Danny,” Lily said, laughing.

“No, he should still be thanking me.” After saying this, he threw the two Short Blades in his hands at the wooden training dummy. Watching them sink into the post, he shouted, “I’m practicing throwing knives!”

The Little Loli copied him, flicking the hidden Short Blade from her waist backward, and it also stuck into the wooden dummy. Then both siblings looked at their Sister. Lily had no choice but to throw a throwing knife too. Then the three of them just laughed like that.