'The second sneeze.'
'Master said two sneezes in a row means someone is cursing you.'
'Tch~ Could it still be that dragoness? Thinking and thinking and then starts cursing? Heh, then don't even think about me confessing to you!'
However, just when Leon thought it ended here—
"Achoo!"
The third sneeze.
'One sneeze represents missing someone, two sneezes represent being cursed, then what does three sneezes represent?'
'Master said, you still freaking have time to sit here wondering what three sneezes mean? It means your ass caught a cold! Go take some medicine!'
Leon rubbed his itchy nose, indeed feeling a bit congested. Signs of a cold.
"The Gate of Nine Hells strengthens the body and transforms the bones, and yet it still can't prevent a cold..."
It was probably because last night he got locked out on the balcony by Rossweise for quite a while and only returned to the bedroom in the middle of the night, caught a bit of a chill.
But it wasn't a big deal.
This kind of minor cold, General Leon didn't even need medicine—he could just tough it out.
He put on his clothes, finished washing up, and went to the training ground in the backyard.
His daughters were there too.
Noah was teaching Luna some basic magic in the training ground.
She was recently on a short vacation. After playing with Luna for several days in a row, the ultimate overachiever really couldn't hold it in anymore. But not wanting to leave her little sister alone, she compromised, practicing to reinforce previous spells while also teaching them to Luna.
Two birds with one stone.
Leon didn't disturb them and quietly sat down on the bench beside the training ground.
The morning sunlight was warm, and the breeze brushing his face felt nice too.
But Leon's nose still felt a little uncomfortable, and his head slightly ached.
He didn't care too much and continued watching his two daughters practice magic.
Before long, footsteps approached.
Leon looked over—it was Little Light.
His youngest daughter had once again secretly snuck out of the temple by herself. Not far behind were two maids rushing to catch up.
This scene reminded Leon of that winter when Rossweise was pregnant with Little Light.
Anna was also worried about Her Majesty's health and wouldn't let her run around in the ice and snow.
But Rossweise back then was very stubborn. Whatever she was forbidden from doing, she insisted on doing—she went back and forth in wits with Anna for a long time.
Didn't expect the youngest daughter to inherit her mother's traits from when she was pregnant.
Always disobedient, always sneaking away.
"Daddy~"
No doting father can resist a soft, sweet "Daddy" like that.
Leon picked up his little daughter and waved to the two approaching maids, signaling that he'd take care of Little Light himself.
The maids stopped, gave a small bow, and left.
Leon sat Little Light on his lap and pinched her chubby little cheek, "Why did you sneak out again? Finished reading all the books your mom gave you a few days ago?"
Unlike other young dragonlings who go wild at four or five months old like home-wrecking huskies—
Little Light preferred quietly reading books over wrecking the place.
Any kind of book.
History, novels, popular science, as long as it was a book, she'd pick it up and read.
If she came across characters she didn't know, she'd look them up in the dictionary. Dictionaries were also a category of books she was very interested in.
In terms of absorbing new knowledge, Little Light was a very independent child.
Just like when she chatted with Leon at the training ground recently. She said she was working on creating a learning method suited to herself.
"Mhm mhm, I finished them all!"
Little Light nodded and looked at her dad with her beautiful pink eyes, "Daddy, are there more books?"
If the Silver Dragon Temple lacked anything, it surely wasn't these two: the couple's stubborn mouths—and all kinds of books.
Rossweise had been a proper top student even before ascending the throne. Even now, she would occasionally read classic literature despite her intense workload. Her love for books was evident.
Leon was, of course, very happy that his youngest daughter had such a strong thirst for knowledge and was happy to take her to read more books.
But before that, he had a few questions he wanted to ask Little Light.
"Little Light, why do you like reading books so much?"
When Little Light first showed interest in reading and learning, Leon didn't ask much and just let her absorb all kinds of knowledge from different books.
But now that it was clear she genuinely loved reading, Leon wanted to know the reason behind it.
If he understood why Little Light liked reading, he could guide her better in the future and help her find the path most suited to her.
Little Light blinked and thought for a moment, then replied:
"Because reading is relaxing~"
Leon raised an eyebrow, "Relaxing?"
"Mhm mhm. I think, compared to the magic Big Sis and Second Sis are learning, reading is much more relaxing."
Little Light said, "I already told you before, Daddy. I don't think I'll become someone as hardworking as Big Sis, and I'm not as talented as Second Sis, so for me, reading is something that's both easy and can make up for what I lack."
Make up for what I lack.
That's something not even Noah had ever said to Leon.
To make up for one's flaws meant one had already recognized their own shortcomings and wanted to use other methods to compensate.
It sounded simple, but very few could do it.
Yet Little Light was only five months old.
'Baby, aren't your thoughts a bit too ahead of your time?'
"Then what shortcomings does Little Light think she has?", Leon asked.
"Um… a lot, like not knowing enough characters."
Leon paused, then couldn't help but laugh.
Alright, it seemed Little Light hadn't quite grasped the deeper meaning of "make up for what I lack" yet, so Leon didn't pursue it further.
He held his daughter and gently squeezed her soft little hands, then changed the topic, "Little Light, what do you want to be in the future?"
"Be?"
"Yeah, like, what job do you want to do, what field do you want to go into? A warrior on the battlefield, or a strategist aiding royalty?"
Little Light's pupils flickered as she thought for a moment. She answered seriously, "I want… to be a scholar. Or, a scientist."
.
.
.
Leon brought the future scientist to Rossweise's library.
After his relationship with the mother dragon eased, she gave Leon keys to most of the rooms in the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
Naturally, that also included her private library.
Pushing open the door to the library, rows of neatly arranged bookshelves came into view. The elegant and simple decor added a scholarly atmosphere to the place.
As soon as they entered, Little Light widened her eyes in surprise, clenched her little fists in excitement, and even her tail lifted slightly. Her pink pupils sparkled with anticipation and longing for books and knowledge.
It was her first time in Rossweise's library, so this level of excitement was expected.
Leon patted Little Light's head.
"How is it here?"
"Super amazing!"
Leon smiled, "Big Sister Noah also studied here for a while, and this place was also where Sister Luna began her magic education. If you want to learn more knowledge, the books here can completely satisfy your needs."
The reserve of books in Rossweise's library could even satisfy someone as extremely studious as Noah, let alone a beginner little dragon girl like Little Light.
Leon patted Little Light's back, "Go ahead, pick a few books you're interested in. Daddy will be waiting for you at the desk by the floor-to-ceiling window."
"Okay~"
Little Light ran eagerly between the rows of bookshelves, picking out the books she liked.
Leon went to the spot he often used when accompanying Noah and Luna to study and quietly waited.
After about ten minutes, Little Light came over, wobbling while holding a stack of books taller than her head.
Her tail swayed behind her as she tried hard to keep her balance.
Leon shook his head and laughed, then stepped forward to take the books from Little Light's arms.
"You took so many. Can you finish them all?"
"Daddy, you don't understand. Books are the ladder of progress for children."
Leon was stunned.
He had heard that famous quote before, but wasn't the original version, "Books are the ladder of human progress"?
'Hiss~'
Could it be that the half-human bloodline inside his little daughter was starting to awaken?
No wonder Little Light was quieter compared to other young dragons and showed a stronger interest in books. So this was the reason?
'Good, good, my good girl, truly making Daddy proud!'
However, before Leon could get too smug, he realized things didn't seem to be what he thought.
He watched as Little Light took the books from Leon's arms one by one and placed them on the chair beside the desk, stacking them layer by layer.
Finally, she climbed up and sat on top of the 'little book mountain.' The height was just right for her to lean over the desk and read.
"Look, Daddy, the ladder of progress!", Little Light proudly patted the books under her bottom.
So that's what she meant by "books are the ladder of children's progress." Well, adults reading at desks indeed don't need to sit on a few books.
While Leon marveled at his daughter's cleverness, the flame of hope just kindled in his heart was doused with a bucket of cold water.
'Human genes, wake up! Do something, human genes!'
The old father walked over and sat opposite his little daughter, "Sweetheart, this isn't a ladder of progress—it's a progress cushion."
"'Ladder' sounds more literary," Little Light said with a serious face.
Leon chuckled, his gaze falling on the few books Little Light didn't sit on, "What books did you pick?"
"A Brief History of the Dragon Race, The Hypothesis of the Origin of Magic, From the Void to the Stars, and…"
As she spoke, Little Light held up the book in her hands.
When he saw the title on the cover, Leon froze and involuntarily read it out loud, "A History of Human Art?"
Little Light nodded obediently, "Mm-hmm!"
Hope was extinguished too soon.
This time it was truly a victory for human genes.
But amid the joy, another question suddenly popped up:
'Why does Rossweise's library contain books about humans?'
When he previously brought Noah and Luna here to study, there wasn't a single book about humans.
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