"But you heard it too, even if we include Aunt Isha, we still don't have enough people to play this game," Noah said.
"Use that smart brain of yours to come up with a solution. Think about what your unbeatable father would do," the ancestor suggested.
Hearing that, Noah thought for a moment and replied seriously,
"He would first figure out how to get out of the wheelchair."
...
Her cheeky answer had a touch of dark humor, but it was the truth.
Setting aside the issue of not having enough people, even if they managed to gather enough participants, her dad's limited mobility meant he couldn't join in an interactive game like this.
The ancestor, despite her reluctance, had no other ideas either.
The Night Spirit Crystal, even when it wasn't driven by primordial power, was still valuable for crafting decorative items due to its rarity. It wasn't something that could be obtained easily.
With that in mind, the ancestor sighed.
"All right. But if the opportunity arises, try to go for it."
It was rare for the ancestor to speak in a negotiating tone, showing just how important the Night Spirit Crystal was to her.
Noah nodded.
"All right, I understand."
Leaving her consciousness, Noah saw that Muwen and Aurora were already preparing to play a game of blindfolded ghost-chasing.
The game was a bit old-fashioned but still classic enough to be a go-to pastime for the young dragon girls.
"Come on, big sis!" Muwen called, waving at Noah.
"Coming!" Noah responded, getting up and running to join her sisters in their game.
For now, the matter of the live-action game would be put on hold.
---
But two weeks later, just as the sisters were starting to forget about it, Helena and Claudia visited the Silver Dragon Clan.
Since Claudia was the eldest princess of the Sea Dragon Clan and the future Sea Dragon Queen, both Leon Cosmodeous and Rossweisse personally welcomed them.
Compared to their previous encounters, the elegant woman appeared more relaxed today, her blue hair flowing freely and her makeup light, enhancing her refined charm.
When Noah heard that Helena had arrived, she excitedly ran out to the courtyard.
"Long time no see, Rossweisse," Claudia greeted.
"Long time no see, Your Highness."
"Aunt Rossweisse, hello!" Little Helena greeted warmly.
Rossweisse bent down slightly, her silver hair cascading down as she reached out to ruffle Helena's hair. "Hello to you too, Helena."
"Hey Leon, it looks like your leg has almost healed?" Claudia remarked.
Leon patted his knee and smiled. "Yes, thanks to Rossweisse's Silver Dragon secret remedy, I recovered quickly."
"Secret... remedy? What kind of remedy works so instantly?" Even the well-informed Claudia was intrigued.
But her question left the couple speechless.
They exchanged glances, and Rossweisse's eyes held a touch of exasperation, as if to say, "Idiot, why did you have to mention that?"
Leon shrugged innocently.
Truth be told, the so-called "secret remedy" was indeed hard to talk about.
It was the infamous Leon's Not-So-Good Medicine—better known as Dragon Strength!
Desperate to heal quickly and resume his training, Leon had tried various special remedies Rossweisse found for external injuries.
None of them worked.
Until they discovered the hidden effects of Dragon Strength. Within three days of taking it, General Leon was out of his wheelchair, had thrown away his crutches, and was moving like the wind!
Of course, the night before he regained full mobility, Rossweisse had experienced the effects of Leon's Not-So-Good Medicine for the third time.
It was... unforgettable and left quite an impression.
Rossweisse shook her head, dispelling those thoughts, and said,
"Nothing special, just an old recipe passed down through generations."
Claudia nodded. "If it's a secret recipe, I won't press for details."
"Noah!" Helena's voice called from behind.
Everyone turned to look.
Seeing Noah, Helena's smile widened.
She waved and ran toward her friend, calling her name aloud,
"Noah-chan~"
Over two weeks ago, Noah's parents had told her that Helena would be visiting. After waiting so long with no sign of her friend, Noah thought Helena might have forgotten about her.
But it turned out she had worried for nothing.
Helena had come to see her and even brought Aunt Claudia along. Did this mean Helena might stay for a few days?
As Noah's excitement grew, she felt a sudden chill behind her.
Turning slowly, she saw a single upright hair sticking up, sharp as a sword, exuding a menacing aura.
"Big sis, I tried to stop her, but I couldn't," Aurora explained.
Noah could only give a helpless smile. "Muwen, Helena's here to play with us."
Muwen pouted, the tip of her tail twitching as she said in a tone that was overly cheerful,
"I'm so glad you came to visit, Sister Helena."
It didn't sound cheerful at all...
Helena, knowing she couldn't do much about the jealous younger sister, replied,
"Thank you~"
The pink-haired dragon girl blinked her big eyes, looking at her older sisters and Helena. She understood.
During her many late-night reading sessions, Aurora had come across certain novels that depicted tense scenarios involving a "charming protagonist" and "various potential love interests."
When all these love interests appeared at the same place and time, with the protagonist present, such classic situations were known as—
A battlefield of love.
Readers loved seeing these "time management master" protagonists caught in sticky situations, stuck between the affections of multiple girls. It made their toes curl with second-hand embarrassment, yet they couldn't get enough!
If Aurora hadn't misunderstood the stories she read, her big sister was now facing a delightful battlefield of love!
On one side, a best friend from school.
On the other, a sister she grew up with.
Mmmmmm~
The air was filled with such delightful tension!
Aurora debated whether to fan the flames and heighten the drama when Claudia spoke,
"Oh, right, Leon. Now that your leg has healed, it's time to fulfill that promise you made to me."
Promise?
The young dragons exchanged confused glances. They had no idea what promise Claudia was talking about.
"Of course, Your Highness," Leon replied.
With that, the three adults turned to look at the four young dragon girls.
Helena scratched her head, puzzled. "What is it, Mom?"
"Remember how you told me you wanted to join Noah in that... what was it... live-action game?"
Helena's eyes lit up. "The live-action interactive game!!"
Claudia smiled and nodded. "Yes. Now that Noah and her sisters are all here, and her parents agreed to come with us, we have enough people, right?"
"Interactive game?" Noah asked, joining the conversation. "Is it the castle exploration game that's popular in Sky Castle?"
The young sea dragon princess nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! How did you know?"
"I saw the flyer a few days ago and wanted to go, but we didn't have enough people," Noah said with a smile. "I didn't expect you and Aunt Claudia to plan on going too."
"Yes, yes! I begged my mom for a long time before she agreed."
Back when they were at the Imperial Library, Claudia had mentioned this as one of her conditions.
At that time, Leon had been confused and asked why she was interested in such a game.
Claudia explained that it was because Helena wanted to go.
Attending a family-friendly game like that with their daughters was something Leon and Rossweisse were happy to agree to.
Now, hearing that their daughters wanted to go too, it seemed perfect.
"Muwen, Aurora, didn't you both say you wanted to go play this game a few days ago?" Noah asked.
Muwen nodded.
She had wanted to join ever since she saw the flyer, but they hadn't had enough people, so the plan had been shelved.
Now, with Helena and Aunt Claudia joining, Muwen was definitely going.
Besides...
There was no way she was letting her sister and Helena play an interactive game without her!
So, she had to join!
But Aurora, who had been quiet until now, pointed out the one oversight in their excitement,
"But we still don't have enough people."
"Dad, Mom, big sis, Muwen, Helena, Aunt Claudia, and me—there are only seven of us. The flyer said the game needed eight people."
Leon put his hands on his hips and said confidently,
"Don't worry about that, Aurora. Your red dragon aunt who loves excitement won't miss this chance for anything."