How to Survive as a terminally-ill Dragon

Chapter 5. The Solution (2)

The solution close at hand that Lois had thought of – he called out for it with booming confidence.

“Daddy!”

Lois’s call was met with an immediate response.

“My sooon!”

As soon as he heard the word ‘Daddy’, Genelocer flung open the door and barged into the room.

With a sense of urgency, he scooped up Lois.

“What, what? My son, what’s wrong?”

Seeing his son, who had been quite dejected recently, suddenly full of life made Genelocer’s face light up as well.

Lois looked up at the beaming face of Genelocer.

‘Why worry alone when I have the best partner right beside me?’

Lois asked with a slight smile.

“Daddy, do we have any artifacts that protect the owner at home?”

“Artifacts?”

Artifacts. In the original work, it was a term used for objects with special powers.

Genelocer tilted his head curiously at this unexpected question from his son.

“Why do you suddenly ask?”

“I want to use it.”

“There are some, but…”

Caught by his son’s imploring gaze, Genelocer hesitated before answering.

“You are still too young to use them.”

“Why?”

“To utilize an artifact, one needs elemental power… And it’s still too early for you to learn how to handle such power. That’s something you can learn when you’re bigger… It won’t be late to learn that later.”

Genelocer gently admonished, but Lois was not convinced.

If he stayed passive, he might just end up dead, there was no time to deliberate.

Lois pleaded with Genelocer.

“Then teach me how to use power!”

“What?”

This unexpected request from his son took Genelocer by surprise, his expression registering his bewilderment.

“How to wield power. Whether it’s mystical arts or martial skills! Anything’s fine!”

“Why all of a sudden…?”

“I want to learn!”

“But you’re still quite young…”

“Doesn’t that matter? Can’t I learn because I’m young?”

“Well, it’s not that exactly…”

Faced with his one-month-old child’s demand, Genelocer found himself conflicted.

Even to Genelocer, Lois seemed more serious than ever.

‘Do other kids do this, too?’

As a novice father, the childrearing knowledge Genelocer acquired said that normal children were too busy playing at a young age.

‘Children usually start to take an interest in learning after their second sleep cycle has passed…’

He was thrown off by this unexpected request, which was not part of the parenting knowledge he had been told.

“Hmm… well… you are still young, but… perhaps it’s possible?”

Genelocer recalled his own childhood.

‘I just remember playing treasure hunt in my father’s vault…’

His reminiscences of his own youthful years brought no helpful insights.

Genelocer’s indecision dragged on.

‘Um… what to do?’

Even for a dragon who often commanded awe among humans, he had to be careful with his child’s upbringing.

After prolonged consideration, Genelocer finally reached a decision.

“It may be a bit early, but since you desire it, there’s no helping it.”

“Are you going to teach me?”

“Yes, but first there’s a place we must visit together.”

“Where?”

Lois’s large, round head tilted cutely.

“To learn mystical arts or martial skills, we must find out what your inherent attribute is.”

“Ah!”

With that explanation, Lois’s eyes shone with understanding.

In the webcomic created by the original author, the dimension was named “Evan”.

The underlying energy of Evan, like in many fantasies, was mana.

While this was a universal concept, what set this work apart was that the author divided mana into 13 attributes.

The nine natural attributes: Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth, Thunder, Darkness, Light, Wind.

And the four non-natural attributes: Time, Space, Strength, Mind.

Every creature of Evan was born with at least one of these 13 attributes, and among them, dragons were beings entitled to reach the zenith of these attributes.

Remembering this, an excited Lois asked.

“When do we check for that?”

His question teeming with eagerness and impatience made Genelocer smile softly.

“A different race might simply use a spell or two to identify their attributes, but we dragons have traditions.”

“Traditions?”

“When a young dragon first discovers their attribute, it is confirmed by the elders. It’s a longstanding tradition of our dragon kin.”

“Ah!”

Given that hatchlings were born only once every few hundred, or perhaps a thousand years, such attention to them was imperative.

“Let’s visit them tomorrow then.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Lois’s reply, full of determination, brought a warm smile to Genelocer’s face.

What Lois thought of seeking power, Genelocer did not know.

But to Genelocer, Lois was simply a beloved son with an exceptional zeal for learning.

‘Maybe my son is a genius?’

Even dragons, it seemed, were not immune to the common delusions of parenthood.

As Genelocer left the room with light steps, Lois was left immersed in thought.

‘Now that I think about it, what attribute was Lois supposed to be in the original work?’

Lois, a character who vanished from the original story before it even began, pondered what attributes the author might have intended for him.

‘Since it was a throwaway character anyway… did he even bother to assign one? If not, what will my attribute be?’

There were many thoughts, but no definitive answers came to mind.

‘All will be revealed tomorrow. No need to rush.’

With that thought, Lois went to bed, his heart brimming with anticipation.

* * *

The next morning.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

“Hahaha.”

Lois, who usually didn’t make such calls, clung to Genelocer’s legs while calling him Daddy repeatedly.

Pretending not to care but with eyes brimming with expectation, Genelocer laughed heartily and picked up Lois.

“Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

With Lois in his arms, Genelocer strode forward.

Emerging from the lair, he set Lois down on the flat ground.

Lois looked up at Genelocer in puzzlement as he suddenly halted.

“Aren’t we going?”

“Ha, the place where the elders reside isn’t somewhere we can simply walk to.”

“Then?”

“We have to fly.”

With a charming smile, dark energy swirled around Genelocer’s entire body, gathering strength.

“Ah!”

Startled by the sudden transformation, Lois quickly stepped back.

“What is this…?”

His mouth voiced the question, but his mind knew exactly what was happening.

‘Transformation into Dragon Form!’

The phenomenon that occurs when dragons, living as other species, reveal their true forms.

As he witnessed his first transformation, a sense of tension filled Lois’s eyes.

‘…?!’

As time went by, the dark energy enshrouding Genelocer grew larger.

3 meters, 10 meters, 15 meters.

After surpassing 20 meters, the dark energy finally stopped expanding at 30 meters.

Shortly afterwards, the energy dissipated, revealing a shape.

Metallic black scales, teeth sharp as blades.

Long and slender legs, wings so large they could flip the whole body over.

A hefty torso and a neck and tail that reminded one of thick pillars.

‘Wow…’

Merely observing was enough to feel the imposing presence of the monstrous figure in front of him.

‘Is this… a real dragon?’

Lois couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of Genelocer, who was in another league compared to his own pitiful physique.

With shining eyes, Genelocer felt pleased and said,

-Come here, my son.

Lois gazed at the enormous hand extended towards him and clambered onto it with some effort.

Finally settling down on Genelocer’s palm after a comical struggle with his small backside and short hind legs.

-Grip tight.

Genelocer wrapped his hand protectively around his son nestled in his palm and started to flap his wings.

Whoom, whoom—

Genelocer’s wings stirred up a dust-laden gale, and soon the massive body defied gravity and shot towards the sky.

“Wow, wowaaah!”

Lois exclaimed in amazement at the swiftly shrinking view of the ground.

But that awe was short-lived.

“Where are we going up to?”

“Ha ha. We’re not there yet.”

They had climbed for a while, but Genelocer remained ascending.

‘At this rate, will we break through the atmosphere into space?’

While the thought was more of a jest, it turned into reality.

“Ah…”

The surrounding blue vanished, and soon darkness enveloped his field of vision.

“How far are we going?”

“We’re almost there.”

Genelocer’s words met a puzzled tilt of Lois’s head.

‘And I can breathe?’

The realization that he could breathe in space was novel to Lois, who sniffed repeatedly in marvel.

While Lois was bemused by this, Genelocer effortlessly glided through space, passing clusters of stars.

“Ah…”

Lois’s mouth fell open slightly at the close brush with stardust.

One wonder popped up after another, leaving him with no chance to calm down.

And then, shortly after.

“My goodness…”

A view unfolded that had Lois gawking in awe.

Noticing Lois’s dropped jaw, Genelocer faintly smiled.

“Surprised? That is the sacred place of dragons, the Silver Lotus Castle.”

The architectural structure resembled a flower crafted exquisitely from silver.

Even Genelocer, who measured 30 meters, appeared as small as a baby’s fingernail compared to the colossal size of the Silver Lotus Castle.

Forgetting to even speak, Lois kept rolling his eyes in awe as Genelocer entered the castle.

Inside the Silver Lotus Castle, everything was covered in silver just like its exterior.

Every decoration in sight was the same.

Soon reverting to human form, Genelocer walked briskly with Lois in his arms towards a specific destination.

Finally, they arrived at a massive cavern.

Within it gathered thirteen dragons.

‘Wow, they’re huge!’

The inner cavern was much larger than he had imagined.

However, the space felt almost cramped due to the dragons, twice the size of Genelocer, taking up residence there.

-Have you arrived?
-Oh ho? Is that child yours?
-The rascal Phamus’s son has his own child now… Time sure flies.
The voices of the ancient dragons echoed and resounded in the cavern.

Genelocer bowed respectfully towards them.

“Phamus’s son Genelocer pays respects to the elders.”

“Hellooo.”

Lois, feeling the intimidating presence on his skin, wisely followed in mimicking his father’s greetings.

Thirteen pairs of eyes looked down fondly at the small white dragon hatchling.

They seemed charmed by Lois’s unchildlike manner.

-That little one certainly appears bright.
-Hahah, and whose grandson would he be!
-Unlike Phamus’s grandson, he seems quite well-mannered.
-This child!

One ancient dragon, scales shining a brilliant blue, laughed loudly, baring his sharp teeth.

Genelocer once again bowed his head.

“It’s been a while. Father.”

-Ah, yes. It has been 623 years. The last time was when you introduced Valentina. But having born a grandchild, shouldn’t you have hurried to show him to me first! Is it right for me to first meet my grandson in the presence of these other old fogeys?

“It’s only been a month since Lois was born. Coming to Silver Lotus Castle was quite a stretch as it is.”

-Eh, tsk!

Although he clicked his tongue in disapproval, Phamus seemed to empathize with Genelocer’s statement.

Phamus brushed off his disappointment and gazed intently at his grandson.

Feeling the gaze on his crown, Lois craned his neck upwards to look at Phamus.

After a brief moment where their gazes met.

-…….
“…….”

Lois titled his head slightly to the left and ventured a guess.

“Grand… daddy?”

“……?!”

At the sight of his grandson’s violet eyes, Phamus felt his ancient dragon heart skip a beat with a peculiar jolt.