Miss Black Dragon Refuses to Be a Mount

"What exactly did the letter say?"

Ailolin's tone carried some concern, because Likaro lived in the Empire's Edafalon Region. In other words, Likaro was an Imperial citizen. If unrest broke out in the Empire, Ailolin was worried for Likaro's safety.

"Don't be afraid. This isn't the first time something like this has happened." Vidian guessed that Ailolin was worried about her human friend, so she added, "Don't forget, that little girl lives in Edafalon. That province is close to the heart of the Empire. Even if war really breaks out, it won't reach that region."

Hearing Vidian say that, Ailolin's worries eased somewhat. Thinking it over more carefully, Likaro's family should be nobles, and in many cases, nobles had a better chance of surviving than commoners.

PS: Let me recommend another book OVO

The Years I Became Black Hairless

A genderbender fanfic. You can tell who the protagonist is just from the title.

Here's the introduction—

During the Fifth Holy Grail War, she unleashed magical energy and cut down Black Mud Gilgamesh in three strikes.

In Terra, drowned beneath Originium, she ruled all the infected with death and terror.

She was Black Hairless!

A pitch-black flower blooming upon the battlefield! Spreading destruction and fear!

Elves looked mostly the same as humans, but their pointed ears clearly set them apart. Their lifespans also generally far surpassed those of humans, which seemed somewhat unfair to humankind.

However, because of their long lives and traditions carried on since the birth of their race, most elves did not like having too many children. As a result, the number of elves could not compare to that of humans.

According to Vidian, Elven language was more elegant than other languages, more pleasant to hear, and especially suitable for singing.

But perhaps Ailolin simply had no appreciation for it at all. She felt that Elven language sounded no different from any other language.

"You've never heard an Elvenkind songstress sing. Once you're fortunate enough to hear one in the future, you'll understand what I mean."

Vidian's words gave Ailolin something to look forward to, though that was a matter for the future.

Once she formally began studying Elven language, Ailolin still encountered no obstacles. Perhaps her memory was excellent, or perhaps she possessed great talent for languages. On top of that, Vidian taught her entirely in Dragon language, and Ailolin's learning speed shot upward like a rocket.

The only flaw was that Ailolin had never practiced writing. Although she remembered what the letters looked like, writing them was inconvenient. Carving them into stone with her claws would be far too troublesome.

During a break, Ailolin remembered a question she had forgotten. She had stayed with Vidian for a month, yet somehow this issue had completely slipped her mind.

Taking advantage of their rest, Ailolin eagerly asked, "Will I be able to transform into a human form in the future?"

Hearing the question, Vidian silently stared at Ailolin for a long while before finally speaking. "Didn't you carefully comprehend your Dragonkind inheritance?"

"But there's nothing about that in the information from my Dragonkind inheritance." Ailolin was thoroughly confused.

"Huh? That's impossible." Vidian seemed surprised. "Such basic information would definitely be recorded in the inheritance."

"I'm not lying to you. It really isn't there."

"..."

Vidian could not understand it. Why was Ailolin's Dragonkind inheritance incomplete? She had never heard of such a thing before, so she asked, "Then where did your name come from?"

"The inheritance told me."

"What about your parents' names?"

"I don't know."

"...What?"

"I don't know. There's no relevant information in the inheritance." Ailolin repeated herself.

Vidian was clearly stunned for a moment. After recovering, she asked, "Although you didn't tell me when we first met, can you tell me your surname now?"

"Um..." Ailolin thought for a moment. After spending this time together, she felt Vidian was worthy of her trust. Besides, Ailolin truly wanted to understand what was going on with her Dragonkind inheritance, so she said, "Ailolin Furnoscott. Ailolin is my given name, and Furnoscott is my surname."

"Furnoscott..." Vidian fell into thought, but eventually shook her head. "I've never heard of that surname."

"So all dragons know their parents' names when they are born? Then why don't I?" Ailolin simply could not figure it out, so she guessed, "Could it be that I don't have parents?"

"Pfft!" Vidian laughed at Ailolin's words. "Where would you have come from without parents? Since you hatched from an egg, you must have parents."

"Um."

Ailolin suddenly realized something: she did not seem to be a native inhabitant of this world. She still had memories of living on Earth!

There were now two possibilities for Ailolin's body. One was that she had been completely reincarnated, gaining a new life in another world while retaining memories of her previous life. The other was that her soul had crossed into another world and attached itself to an unhatched dragon egg.

But no matter which possibility it was, Ailolin had no way to verify it.

And what did it mean that she had received an incomplete Dragonkind inheritance?

Ailolin realized that the mystery of her origins might simply be impossible to unravel.

"Although I don't know what happened, my Dragonkind inheritance truly is incomplete. So I hope you can tell me any useful information that was left out..."

"That won't be a problem. I already promised to help you grow."

Vidian had become interested in Ailolin's origins. She wanted to determine which Dragonkind group Ailolin came from, and she also wanted to find out why Ailolin's Dragonkind inheritance was incomplete.

Such a situation had never occurred within Dragonkind before. Vidian had to pay attention to this matter.

Next, Vidian asked Ailolin many questions, all related to the inherited knowledge dragons received at birth.

In the end, Vidian reached a conclusion: roughly half of the Dragonkind inheritance was absent from Ailolin's own inheritance.

Ailolin was surprised, but she also felt fortunate. If she had not met Vidian, she truly would never have known that her inheritance was incomplete.

And she had encountered someone so familiar with Dragonkind just after leaving Aidefalong. Her luck really had exploded through the roof.

"Phew..." Vidian let out a long breath. "From now on, I'll have to set aside some of the time I spend teaching you languages to teach you the basic knowledge of Dragonkind."

"Mm, thank you."

"No need to thank me. It's merely mutual benefit."

"But I still have to thank you."

Ailolin understood that it was indeed the relationship of interests Vidian had described, but Vidian had been very serious during her teaching. Ailolin was extremely satisfied with this teacher.

Just then, an eagle suddenly swooped down from the sky and landed on Vidian's shoulder. Ailolin noticed a message tube tied to its foot.

This was probably the messenger Vidian had mentioned before. From its appearance, it did not look any different from an ordinary eagle...

After Vidian removed the letter, the messenger spread its wings and flew away.

Ailolin silently watched as Vidian read the letter. During that time, it was obvious that Vidian's expression changed from calm to astonished.

Lowering the letter in her hand, Vidian said in disbelief, "Even my prediction was wrong. I didn't expect the situation to be this serious."

"What happened?"

"The Empire has gone to war."

Vidian had originally thought the previous incident was merely an ordinary border clash, but she had never expected the enemy nation to launch a direct attack. The Empire's northern border fortress had already been surrounded and besieged.

However, Vidian was only briefly surprised. She smiled and said, "I'm not an Imperial citizen, and I don't care at all who wins or loses these worldly wars."

"But..."

"Don't worry. Aidefalong, where your human friend lives, is far from the northern border. The war won't reach her."

"Mm."

"The Empire is powerful. At least in this region, no one can rival it. The ruler of the enemy nation that started this war may have something wrong with his brain."

However, when the weak attacked the strong, they might be moths flying into a flame—or the weaker side might possess something capable of changing the entire course of the battle.

She would continue watching the situation.

PS: Is nobody reading anymore? Sob sob. Updating at midnight last night was a special case; I'll still keep updating steadily.

Also, the plot in these recent chapters really has been rather plain, so there haven't been many comments. But this is groundwork for the future, and I'll definitely work hard to write exciting plots!

So... even leaving a comment or giving me a vote would be nice...

Time flew by. While Ailolin studied languages and hunted Demonic Beasts, she also kept an eye on the Empire's situation. This morning, Vidian's friend brought the latest news.

"Ailolin, the Empire's front line has held. The enemy has been stopped in the border provinces."

Vidian told Ailolin the good news, but she also brought another piece of terrible news—the Empire's army had sealed off the border of the Southern Wilderness and placed it under round-the-clock guard.

Simply put, the Imperial military fortresses in the Southern Wilderness had entered a state of war readiness. They had blocked every route from the Southern Wilderness to the Empire's other provinces, including the skies.

With warning devices and anti-air magic in place, not even a bird could fly through.

"Why would the Empire do that?"

Ailolin could not understand it. The war was clearly at the Empire's far northern edge, while she was at its far southern edge...

Not to mention that several provinces in the central regions lay between them.

"Perhaps it's to deal with the Magic Beast Tide. This year's Magic Beast Tide should be coming soon."

The Magic Beast Tide was easy to understand. After the Magic Beasts in the Southern Wilderness had reproduced for a long time, their numbers exceeded what the wilderness could support. They would then naturally gather into herds and migrate toward other regions.

During the time she had spent with Vidian, Ailolin asked her whenever she encountered something she did not understand. Now, Ailolin had a question. "Can I return to Aidefalong now?"

"Unfortunately, no." Vidian shook her head. "Even if you fly as high as you can, you'll still be discovered. The Imperial Legion in the Southern Wilderness is no rabble. They are one of the Empire's elite forces."

The Imperial Legion stationed in the Southern Wilderness had accumulated valuable experience through their battles against Magic Beasts. It was not as though they had never dealt with flying Magic Beasts before. Under the firepower of anti-air ballistae and mage units, even an adult dragon would have to weigh the matter carefully.

Much less Ailolin, who was only an immature young dragon.

It had been easy to come, but difficult to return. When Ailolin first came to the Southern Wilderness, the Imperial army had not been on alert, and it had been nighttime, so she had not been discovered.

But now, faced with a heavily guarded border blockade, Ailolin was not foolish enough to think she could successfully fly across it.

"Then what should I do if I want to return to Aidefalong..."

"You can only wait until the alert is lifted. Don't worry, it won't last too long."

"All right."

Ailolin felt somewhat regretful. After learning Human language some time ago, she had planned to return to Aidefalong to visit Likaro. Yet now she had run into this situation. She really was having terrible luck.

But Ailolin thought of another option. "Can I take a detour? Go to Aidefalong from somewhere else?"

"Unfortunately, that won't work either." Vidian tapped the stone slab, and a map appeared across its surface. "You'll understand if you look at this map. Aidefalong is near the Empire's central provinces, where the blockade is extremely strict. Even if you somehow pass through the border regions, you'll still be discovered once you reach the Edafalon Region."

The Empire was currently at war, so every province would certainly be under martial law, especially those close to the central provinces.

Under the combined effects of the Imperial war and the Magic Beast Tide blockade, returning to Aidefalong had become unrealistic.

Come to think of it, the Magic Beast Tide was understandable, but who was the Empire fighting in this war?

"Can you tell me who the Empire is at war with?"

"Of course."

Vidian sat down again beside the small table in front of the door. Since Ailolin was far too large to enter the house, Vidian had spent these days keeping her company outside the doorway.

After calmly taking a sip of tea, Vidian began her explanation.

The Empire was merely one of the human nations in this world. Its full name was the Silver Eagle Empire, though people usually omitted the words Silver Eagle when referring to it.

Before the Silver Eagle Empire, there had once been an illustrious Lineage called the Silver Eagle Lineage. Its leader, Pet Silver Eagle, was a man of extraordinary destiny. He led his once insignificant Lineage upward step by step until he unified the surrounding lands and established the Silver Eagle Empire.

The Silver Eagle Empire was simply too vast, keeping the surrounding nations awake at night. Under that immense threat, many moderately powerful nations formed a defensive alliance to counterbalance the mighty Silver Eagle Empire.

The cause of this war was unclear. It seemed to have begun over a territorial dispute in the border regions. The Empire was the defending side in this war, while the attackers were an alliance formed by five nations.

"There are many suspicious things about this war," Vidian said.

"Suspicious?"

"The Empire and the surrounding regions have been stable for many years. Even if there were territorial disputes, they would be resolved through diplomacy."

War was the continuation of politics. Unless there was no other choice, nations would not start wars lightly, because war brought enormous economic and population losses. Besides, the Five-Nation Alliance could not defeat the Silver Eagle Empire at all. Their decision to initiate a war was truly incomprehensible.

"War... started by nobles, then fought by soldiers mostly made up of commoners. Tsk tsk."

Vidian seemed to find the whole matter rather laughable.

In truth, Ailolin did not care what became of the Empire. The only one she cared about was Likaro, an Imperial citizen.