Leon was genuinely dumbfounded upon hearing the Tiefling maid’s words.
After all, he wasn’t someone who transmigrated as a soul or into the body of an adult Red Dragon. Instead, he had hatched from an egg and was just currently a teenage dragon. Other than some "relations" with Tassera—and for various reasons, without even using his hands—he was completely clueless on this matter.
No matter how confused Leon was, Cecilia was clearly enjoying herself.
The short-haired girl loved to watch drama unfold. Her eyes widened slightly, her eyebrows lifted, and with a mischievous grin, she exclaimed, "Master actually has a daughter? Who’s the lady of the house?"
"Shut up." Leon knew full well that Cecilia lived for moments .
What Leon worried about most was Tassera also giving him a suspicious look and saying, "Are you two stupid? Use your brain for once! I’m a teenage dragon! Teenage dragons haven’t even fully developed their bodies and don’t have the ability to reproduce yet."
"Your body might be that of a teenage dragon, but your soul..." Tassera gently bit her lip. "When I first met you, you were just a juvenile dragon, but the vibe you gave off felt completely devoid of energy or vitality—like a mature adult with no desires or ambitions."
"Is there some kind of spell in this world that can return a dragon to its youth?" Tassera muttered to herself.
"You two, calm down with the nonsense," Leon exhaled in frustration, feeling too tired to deal with the lunacy. He turned toward the Tiefling maid and asked, "How big is this Red Dragon you’re talking about... Wait, what did you say she called herself?"
"Your daughter." That wasn’t the answer the master wanted to hear, so the Tiefling maid cursed herself for speaking too quickly and promptly corrected herself, "Salolas."
"Salolas, Salolas..." Leon muttered the name a few times. "Why does this name sound so familiar?"
"No way. Master, do you really have a daughter?" Cecilia had been joking earlier, but now she was starting to wonder if it was true.
Tassera looked a little tense. Could she have had Leon all wrong? Had he been hiding a ton of things from her this whole time?
Leon remained silent but eventually recalled who Salovis was—it was his sister.
He could understand her hearing his name and coming to find him, but he couldn’t figure out why she’d claim to be his daughter. She hadn’t seemed stupid as a kid... Well, maybe a little. She loved showing off, always dreamed of outdoing him, and kept trying to surpass him even in her dreams.
Leon started to get up and considered going out to greet Salovis himself but decided against it. He sat back down and waved to the Tiefling maid, saying, "Go bring them to the reception room."
The Tiefling maid left.
Leon picked up his cards again and said, "Alright, let’s continue. We still have time for a couple more rounds."
"Master, you’re really in the mood for games right now?" Cecilia asked in shock.
"Why shouldn’t I be?" Leon shot back, pretending to be calm.
"Exactly who is this Salovis?" Cecilia couldn’t focus on the game anymore; she couldn’t concentrate on anything right now.
"You’ll find out soon enough." Leon dismissed her concerns casually.
"I want to know right now!" Cecilia clutched Leon’s arm. "Tassera probably wants to know, too."
"Fine, fine, I’ll tell you," Leon relented, softening under her insistence. "She’s my sister."
"Master has a sister?" Cecilia said, surprised. "How come you’ve never mentioned her before?"
"Because there’s really nothing worth mentioning," Leon shrugged. After pausing to recall, he added, "We only lived together for about a year, maybe not even that."
"So why’s she calling herself your daughter?" Cecilia didn’t let go of this odd detail.
"How should I know?" Leon rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
While Leon was nursing his headache, Salovis was pacing uneasily at the docks of Volcanic Island, trying her best to avoid drawing attention. This was mainly because the sword-wielding Efreeti was glaring at her fiercely.
Dealing with just one Efreeti was challenging enough for her, given her teenage dragon state, which was significantly weaker than the Efreeti. To make things worse, there was a group of spear-carrying Salamanders beside him.
"You’re sure he’s your father?" Biska asked quietly.
"Red scales like rubies, uses a sword, prefers to stand tall—there can’t be too many Red Dragons like that," Salovis replied with a solemn expression. "And since arriving here, I’ve felt a strong blood connection—a feeling so intense it can only exist between close relatives."
The twenty-minute wait felt exceptionally long as the Tiefling maid, who had gone to relay the message, finally returned.
"Lord Selim, the master told them to come over," the Tiefling maid announced. "An official in master’s house might seem insignificant inside, but outside—it’s a different story entirely. She used to be dismissed at Watchtower Port, but now, wherever she goes, she holds her head high... though she still remembered to show respect to the Efreeti."
"Alright, take them over," the Efreeti said, waving them through. He was currently in charge of security on Volcanic Island.
The Tiefling maid greeted the Githyanki and Red Dragon politely.
Honestly, she thought the Red Dragon looked quite like her master, though the claim of being a daughter seemed far too ridiculous.
"Your master’s nickname is Cliff Sword. Does he really use a sword?" Biska asked directly, ignoring decorum completely.
"He does," the Tiefling maid replied succinctly, not trained for diplomacy.
Biska glanced at Salovis, her surprise evident, and continued her questioning. "Your master really killed a full-grown Red Dragon?"
"Of course," the Tiefling maid said enthusiastically, her worshipful admiration showing as she began to boast. "The Great Evil Dragon that ravaged the Lost Plateau for hundreds of years was chased by our master until it disappeared completely. And once, a Death Knight foolishly set foot on the island—our master eliminated him with a bolt of lightning."
"He killed a Death Knight?" Biska, well aware of how powerful Death Knights were, asked in shock. "You said lightning—does your master use lightning spells?"
"Our master knows all kinds of spells," the Tiefling maid said proudly, lifting her chin.
Biska and the Tiefling maid’s exchange left Salovis swelling with pride—she really did have a mighty father! She started imagining how she should greet him... Should she rush forward and hug him, or keep her composure? And how best to express how much she’d missed him...
Ordinary dragon overlords act much like mages or warriors who accidentally ascend to positions of power. Despite their incredible abilities, they can’t be everywhere at once and often delegate responsibilities to subordinates.
If given the chance, dragon overlords prefer weaker dragons to fill these roles, believing that only another dragon can understand and execute their laws and vision. However, they’re wary of granting too much power to potential rivals, so older dragons favor appointing their younger offspring to various positions.
Salovis mulled over endless scenarios during her journey, wondering what to do if ruling Watchtower Port was out of reach, whether replacing the Efreeti might work, and contemplating the tediousness of the Star Realm.
"Is this where your master lives?" Biska had expected the Tiefling maid to guide them up the volcano but was surprised when they stopped in front of a villa instead.
The Tiefling maid didn’t bother explaining. Their master had been obsessed with playing cards recently and only flew to the volcano for a Lava Bath in his dragon form.
"Let’s head to the reception room," the Tiefling maid said, leading Biska and the human-shaped Salovis to the reception room. She prepared tea and snacks for the pair before quietly departing.
Salovis, in her human form, looked slightly chubby—evidence of how much she liked to eat—but she wasn’t touching the food, which prompted Biska to ask, "Are you nervous?"
Salovis nodded lightly.
Biska perked her ears and whispered, "I hear footsteps."
"I hear them too," Salovis said. "He’s coming."
"Who’s my daughter? Where is my daughter?"
The voice came before the person appeared.
Salovis felt her heart leap and then saw a young man with black hair and black eyes walk into the reception room.
"It’s you—" Though decades had passed since their last meeting, and both were now in human forms with no resemblance in hair color, eye color, or appearance, Salovis immediately recognized Leon’s identity for no reason whatsoever. "Brother?"
"You came here to seek Father too?" Salovis asked.
"What Father?" Leon tilted his head slightly, amused. "There’s only one Red Dragon here."
"Two," Salovis said. "I’m a Red Dragon too."
"I came to meet my daughter," Leon teased.
"Try accepting it, and I dare to call you that," Salovis glared at Leon. "Do you dare to?"
Salovis didn’t dare gamble on it. She was starting to grasp the situation: there was no father—just her delusion. Gritting her teeth, she asked, "You’re Cliff Sword?"
"I don’t like that nickname, but people insisted on calling me that," Leon said, pulling up a chair to sit across from his sister. "Aside from me, have you seen another Red Dragon using a sword?"
"You," Salovis said. "You—you killed a full-grown Red Dragon, a Death Knight, and seized a Mind Flayer colony?"
"I didn’t kill the full-grown Red Dragon..." Leon stretched out his legs and watched as Salovis’s lips curled up slightly. "I almost killed him; someone else finished him off. But yes, I did kill a Death Knight and take over a Mind Flayer colony."
Red Dragons always noticed other Red Dragons; they couldn’t stand another Red Dragon holding a better position than theirs. Salovis pouted, struggling to accept that her strange brother—who ran away from home and acted so odd—had somehow become so powerful that she couldn’t even see his shadow anymore.
Leon burst into laughter. Somehow, teasing his sister was just the best entertainment.