Chapter 19: Xiaguang Shows Magic, Educates Zhu Qiu

“Fine, since you’re being so stubborn, let me tell you—I’m not a child. I don’t need you to play with me! Got it?!”

Zhu Qiu clenched her pink fists in anger and struck the floor.

Hiss… ‘This floor is actually a bit painful.’

“Oh.”

“As long as you understand. Now, hurry up and leave.”

“I cannot leave, because Her Majesty the Queen ordered me to play with you.”

Seriously?

‘Is she just completely stubborn? Or is she a nutcase like that Evil Dragon, Zhu Xiaxia?’

“I don’t need you to play with me. Go away. I just want some peace and quiet, okay?”

“Not okay.”

Xiaguang stood beside Zhu Qiu like a robot, answering every question.

“What on earth do you want! And can’t you look at me when you talk? Why do you have to hide your face behind those two wicked things? Are you afraid of me?”

?!

Xiaguang suddenly realized that in order to slack off at work, she had been staring at the wall even while speaking to the Princess.

‘Am I being a bit disrespectful to the Princess? If the Queen sees this, will she fire me?’

Xiaguang glanced at the stairs.

No one was there. Everything was fine.

She walked directly in front of Zhu Qiu and crouched down, meeting her eyes at the same level.

The Queen hadn’t come, and besides, the Princess was just a child.

She surely didn’t understand things like respect yet, so there was no need to worry about her filing a report with the Queen.

“Princess, I am crouching and speaking to you now. Do you see my face?”

“I see it.”

It was as if a little black bird flew across the sky, leaving behind a trail of ellipses.

‘Oh, she crouched down. I see her. And then?’

The two stared at each other for ten or so seconds, eyes locked.

It was a contest of wide-eyed staring.

Finally, Zhu Qiu broke the silence.

“How long are you going to keep staring at me?”

“I will keep staring. If the Princess has questions, I will answer. If there are no questions, I will play with the Princess. If we aren’t playing, I will stay crouched here and wait for the Princess’s instructions.”

…

‘So you’re just going to haunt me and never leave?’

If she said that, did it mean she was completely under my command?

“Will you do whatever I say?”

“Yes, Princess.”

Zhu Qiu looked at the Toy Room behind Xiaguang, and a great idea formed in her mind.

‘Since you want to play so badly, I’ll let you play until you’ve had your fill.’

“Xiaguang, move all the toys from the Toy Room out there.”

Zhu Qiu pointed toward the main entrance of the Imperial Palace.

“I’m going to play with them in a bit. Go, hurry.”

“Certainly, Princess.”

Zhu Qiu nodded with satisfaction.

Since this was the Toy Room of the Dragon Race Imperial Palace, there had to be a lot of toys.

This would keep Xiaguang busy for a while, allowing her to think in peace about how to turn back into a human and return home.

First, the prerequisite for returning was becoming human again.

Otherwise, if her father saw her as a member of the Dragon Race, he would definitely treat her like an Evil Dragon and kill her with a single sword strike—just like last time, even though she hadn’t died then.

So, she had to find a way.

Zhu Xiaxia had said there was no way, but who would believe that?

There was a solution for everything; she probably just lied to make her accept her new identity.

“Princess, the task is complete. Please inspect the work.”

Zhu Qiu wanted to continue her train of thought, but Xiaguang’s voice interrupted her.

Xiaguang was already standing respectfully before Zhu Qiu.

‘Seriously? Does the Dragon Race Imperial Palace have that few toys? How did she finish moving them so quickly?’

Zhu Qiu glanced toward the entrance.

Plush toys of all shapes and sizes were piled up like a mountain, blocking the palace gates so tightly that not a single ray of light could peek through.

Huh?

‘There were so many toys… and Xiaguang moved them all in just a few seconds?! Is she even human?’

Wait, she was a dragon.

‘My memory must be scrambled. No one can be allowed to disturb my thinking.’

“Then… move the toys back.”

“Certainly, Princess.”

‘Now, where was I? Oh, right. Finding a way to change back.’

“Princess, the task is complete. Please inspect the work.”

?!

It was the same as before.

In just a few seconds, all the toys had been returned to the Toy Room.

How on earth did she do it?

“Xiaguang, how did you clean up so fast?”

“Princess, that is because I am a Tier 7 Ice Dragon. I know a bit of minor Magic.”

“Tier 7? Ice Dragon?”

“So the Dragon Race is divided by ranks and elements?”

“Of course.”

“Then tell me about it.”

“Certainly, Princess.”

‘She really is a stupid dragon cub who was just born. She doesn’t know anything. The Queen should have been the one to explain this, yet here she is asking me.’

Xiaguang began to explain tiers and elements to the Princess.

“Tiers are simple. The higher the tier, the stronger you are. The power of a subsequent tier is often ten times or more that of the previous one.”

“As for elements, they are something every member of the Dragon Race is born with. We can use and learn different types of Magic based on our element.”

Xiaguang opened her right hand into a claw-like shape.

Facing the toys in the Toy Room, she began to chant.

In less than a second, the surfaces of the toys were encased in ice.

Under Xiaguang’s control, they lined up one by one and flew out of the room.

Zhu Qiu’s eyes sparkled.

Her eyes went wide like a curious baby, her gaze following the flying toys.

After circling the first floor of the palace, they returned to the Toy Room and settled back into their original places.

“This is my Ice Element Magic. The reason I could move the toys so quickly was also because of this Magic.”

Wow!

‘Is this the legendary Magic? It’s amazing!’

Among the Human Race, she had indeed heard of Magic and seen books about it.

She had even encountered some people who knew a tiny bit of Magic.

However, powerful Mages among humans were few and far between.

They could be described as extremely rare.

Most gathered at the Mages Association and rarely showed their faces unless something major happened.

This resulted in many ordinary people knowing very little about Magic.

To become stronger, the vast majority of commoners chose to learn Swordsmanship.

Even Zhu Qiu was no exception.

Zhu Qiu had also studied Swordsmanship, and combined with her natural talent, she had learned very quickly.

These were originally things she was proud of, but she never expected that even after obtaining the Holy Sword, she would still fail to defeat Zhu Xia, who knew Magic.

Instead, she had been outmaneuvered and turned into a little dragon girl.

Hmph!

‘I’ll eventually find a way to change back. Let’s not mention those things; it’s too embarrassing!’

Xiaguang continued her explanation.

“Elements are mainly determined by heredity. Generally, we are single-element dragons. If the ancestors were Fire Dragons, the descendants will be Fire Dragons. If the ancestors were Ice Dragons, the descendants will be Ice Dragons. Even if two dragons of different elements breed, the offspring will inherit the mother’s attribute.”

“However, a very small number of dragons gain an extra element through mutation. But so far, no one has seen such a mutation be passed down.”

“Elements are fixed and cannot be changed. Multiple elements are stronger than a single element. Furthermore, for those with the same element, power is related to Affinity.”

“The higher the Affinity, the greater the control over that element, and the faster it can be gathered.”

Xiaguang didn’t want to waste any more breath.

She had said enough for the Princess to digest.

“So, Princess, do you understand?”

“Uh… I understand. I think?”

After listening to the long string of explanations from Xiaguang, Zhu Qiu felt as if a door to a new world had opened.