Chapter 849: Father and Daughter

During all these years in the human world, Maggie had imagined more than once what it would be like to see her father again.

But none of her imaginings matched the scene before her now.

A black dragon clad in mechanical armor gazed at Sir Gorosh standing before him. The magical crystal lamps around the plaza bathed the entire square in light. The subtle awkwardness between father and daughter upon their reunion was eased by a small, unexpected moment, and Maggie realized her own nerves weren’t as tense as she had feared.

She even smiled faintly. “Tomorrow, I’m going to apply to have this place repaired, Father—you really left quite a crater here.”

Sir Gorosh spread his hands. “Well, it’s not entirely my fault.”

Maggie froze, stunned for two seconds before looking at her father in surprise. “You’re joking?”

“I’ve been learning from Sir Casimir for quite some time,” Gorosh said with a hint of embarrassment. “After you left… I thought that way, when you came home, you wouldn’t complain that your father was as stiff as a stone, unable to even take a joke.”

The black dragon’s long tail flicked unconsciously across the ground, the tough scales sparking bright flashes against the hard surface.

“Looks like you’re doing well in the human world,” Sir Gorosh cleared his throat softly and looked up at his daughter. “The Cecileans made you an incredible suit of armor—more impressive than any king’s or knight’s. It must have been no easy task to create.”

“This is the Steel Wings,” Maggie said, gently moving her neck as layers of shimmering light rippled across the armor plates on her upper body. “It allows dragons born with deformities to fly freely. You’re right, it took an enormous amount of manpower and resources to make, but it’s not just for me—it’s the first set of many.”

“The first set…” Sir Gorosh’s eyes widened as he caught the hidden meaning in her words. “You mean the Cecileans designed this armor for all dragonkin? It’s… mass-produced?”

Having just been briefed on Gawain Cecile’s investment plans and trade proposals, the knight’s mind immediately jumped to the idea of a “product.”

“You could put it that way,” Maggie nodded slightly. “But it’s not listed in any regular trade catalog. His Majesty Gawain understands some of the restrictions in the Holy Dragon Principality, so this armor is currently just a personal ‘gift’ to me. I’m showing it to you to see if it could be presented to Duke Balogur. If it’s approved, Steel Wings will go into mass production. If not, then this will forever remain the only set.”

Sir Gorosh listened with a mixture of shock and contemplation. After a long pause, he finally broke the silence. “Maggie, Cecile has already surprised me many times, but this is the greatest surprise yet.

“I’m afraid I can’t give you an answer right away… This is incredible, and as you know, it openly challenges the traditional order of the Holy Dragon Principality. If this really goes into mass production, we can imagine the scene—young dragonkin recklessly taking to the skies, flying freely among the sacred northern mountains. The principality is indeed changing; we’re even actively engaging with the human world and trading with the south. But that doesn’t mean we’re ready to break all traditions.”

Maggie wasn’t surprised by his answer. She only felt regret and sighed softly. “I knew it would be like this. The Holy Dragon Principality has countless traditions and taboos, but over the centuries some have changed. Only the taboo of the sky… has never changed. Father, I’m really curious—what is it about the sky that makes us, born with wings, so resistant to it?”

“When I was young, I was curious too,” Sir Gorosh said after a moment of silence, shaking his head. “But Duke Balogur and the Dragonblood Council will tell you the highest taboo is the highest taboo. Even asking why is forbidden. Maggie, as a courtier of Duke Balogur and your father, I can only tell you the one ‘leniency’ behind this taboo: at least south of the Northern Mountains, you are allowed to fly.”

“South of the Northern Mountains…?” Maggie repeated the strange limitation softly. “Why only south? Is there something to the north?”

Sir Gorosh sighed and revealed a secret known only to some upper-class dragonkin. “That’s the direction of Talrond.”

Maggie was stunned, speechless for a moment.

Sir Gorosh shook his head. “Anyway, I will report the matter of Steel Wings to Duke Balogur. For whatever reason, this must be brought to the attention of the Dragonblood Duke and the Council. Also, I will express my gratitude to His Majesty Gawain Cecile—for this gift to you, and for respecting the traditions of the Holy Dragon Principality. Humans have mastered the technology to make Steel Wings but didn’t exploit it for profit. Instead, they asked for my opinion. For two races with no prior connection, I think that shows a considerable degree of respect.”

The atmosphere between father and daughter grew a bit tense after Gorosh’s response. They both fell silent, lost in thought. Soon, Maggie asked another question.

“Father, if some young dragonkin were willing to accept certain regulations and restrictions, only operating in the southern human realms and using Steel Wings within prescribed limits, do you think the Dragonblood Council and the Duke would allow it?”

Sir Gorosh clearly hadn’t considered this angle before. His face showed surprise, then furrowed in thought. “You mean bringing young dragonkin to Cecile just to experience flying with these mechanical suits? That…”

“Strictly speaking, they’d be exchange students, Father,” Maggie quickly corrected him. “The civilian and official exchange channels between Cecile and the Holy Dragon Principality are about to open, right? So dragonkin coming to Cecile would be outside the ‘no-fly zone’ of the Northern Mountains, just like me. Using Steel Wings to fly wouldn’t violate tradition—ah, and for both countries, this wouldn’t even be ‘trade.’ Cecile would be producing these devices on its own soil, not selling them north, and the dragonkin would simply be experiencing a ‘local activity’ on Cecilean land…”

Maggie’s rapid-fire explanation made Sir Gorosh’s eyes grow wider and wider, until he was almost dumbfounded. When she finished, he looked at her with a strange expression. “Maggie, where did you learn such… unusual ideas? You never used to think like this.”

Maggie opened her mouth. “I…”

“My child, you’ve learned too much from the human world, including their cunning. In this, you’re a bit like Lady Asralena,” Gorosh said with a wry smile. “Your way of thinking is practically human now!”

Nearby, Asralena, maintaining the soundproof barrier, shouted indignantly, “Hey! I’m just standing here listening!”

Maggie winked at her father. “Father, no matter how I think, at least what I say makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“I…” Gorosh hesitated, then shrugged helplessly with a bitter smile. “Well, from one perspective, yes. I’ll think it over and report to the Duke.”

He frowned and said to Maggie, “Child, we haven’t seen each other for many years. Don’t you want to talk about anything else? Don’t you… really want to come home?”

Maggie was silent for a few seconds. Her massive head dipped slightly as she spoke words Gorosh never thought he’d hear: “Father, my actions back then were impulsive.”

The knight was stunned. For a full minute, he stood like a statue, surprise etched on his face. Only when Asralena coughed nearby did he snap out of it and instinctively ask, “So, you want to…?”

Maggie shook her head gently. “Father, I left impulsively, but I haven’t stayed in the human world on impulse. I’m no longer a child. I have my identity and responsibilities here—whether before His Majesty Gawain or Grant Duchess Victoria, I can’t just walk away. And… returning to the Holy Dragon Principality now would be awkward, as you know. Unlike Lady Asralena, I’m not a born Dragonmark Witch. Aside from being your daughter, I have no special bloodline.

“The Dragonblood Council will definitely hold me accountable for breaking taboos back then.”

As she spoke calmly, memories from years past flashed through Maggie’s mind.

Years ago, when she leapt from Dragon Leap Cliff, she was still a young child, protected by her family and the mountains. Many of her thoughts then now seemed laughable—the yearning for the sky, the pursuit of so-called freedom. Those pure, intense feelings once stirred a young dragonkin’s heart, but years later, they seemed naive and reckless.

After weathering storms and hardships, she increasingly felt how small those youthful ambitions were in this complex, dangerous world. In this unsafe world, there was war, death, deadly struggles between dark cults and gods, and the turbulent waves of an era’s upheaval. A dragonkin leaping from a high cliff into this chaotic world was as insignificant as a flying insect, with no time to dwell on dreams.

The “outside world” wasn’t all romance and epic tales. More often, it was the hunger and cold at the foot of the northern mountains, the despair facing the Crystal Legion, and the helplessness amid the rise and fall of alien dynasties.

But it was precisely these trials that stripped away youthful recklessness. The dragonkin who jumped from Dragon Leap Cliff back then could no longer leave this “new home” so lightly.

“I’m now an air force instructor for the Cecilean Empire, a senior advisor on several flying machine projects at the Imperial Magic Research Institute, and also the deputy to Grant Chancellor Victoria and an advisor to His Majesty Gawain. This position is comparable to yours before Duke Balogur. I did leave home hastily, but by the time I realized it, I was deeply rooted in the human world. I have to stay—whether out of duty, affection, or for the honor of the dragonkin, I must remain.”

Sir Gorosh was silent for a long time. Finally, all he could do was smile bitterly. “I… understand. You’re right.

“But Maggie, even with all these reasons, you can still come home to visit. Just as I, a courtier, have the chance to come here and see you.”

“The Holy Dragon Principality is establishing formal diplomatic relations with the Cecil Empire. The gates to the northern mountains are about to open. We will exchange ambassadors with the humans, open civilian channels, and launch long-term trade routes. Maggie, once these channels are established, the Principality will no longer be a closed-off place. You won’t have to endure the harsh judgments of old traditions anymore—even the Dragonblood Council won’t pursue the past charges against you for ‘escaping abroad’ from Dragon Leap Cliff. After all, you’re the only dragonborn holding a key position within the Cecil Empire—a precious bridge between our worlds.”

Maggie gazed quietly at her father, then after a long moment, she gently lowered her head. “You’re right… When that time comes, I will come back to see you.”

(End of chapter)