Chapter 84: Please Don’t Kill Me

"Papa..."

"Yeah..." Zishan’s expression softened. Then, he leaned farther into the sofa.

His life since arriving in Cyrune had become increasingly difficult to understand.

Reaching Level 99 had felt absurdly fast to Zishan. He had fought for every jump, survived enough close calls to make the progress feel earned, and had actually been proud of how far he had come.

Then, Silvy hatched at Level 400.

For a Human, his achievement should have been absurd, but... alas!

’It’s not like I can compete with a dragon. Of course, they’re stronger than humans. I should’ve known that from the beginning. How the hell am I supposed to compete with a dragon anyway? And I can tell... Silvy is different...’

[The Host is Human. Different races and species possess different natural advantages.]

Zishan continued petting Silvy. ’So that’s like saying Humans are naturally disadvantaged, though.’

[No. At earlier stages of development, Elves generally possess greater natural Mana capacity than Humans.]

Zishan listened.

[Humans generally possess stronger physical development than Elves at comparable early stages.]

His eyebrows rose. ’So Humans get better bodies, while Elves get more Mana?’

[In simplified terms, yes. However, not always. There are exceptions.]

’What happens later then?’

[Training, Bloodlines, Physiques, Mana Affinities, Classes, Skills, individual talent, and other factors eventually create differences too large for racial averages to remain reliable.]

Zishan nodded slowly. That made more sense, although his attention soon returned to Silvy as another question came to mind.

’Wait. If she’s Level 400 already... does that mean she’s basically an adult dragon in terms of strength?’

[No.]

Zishan looked down at the hatchling sleeping against him. ’Then what the hell does Level 400 mean for a newborn?’

[Level and biological maturity are not the same measurement.]

His eyebrows rose.

[Different species begin life with different physical conditions, Mana capacities, Bloodline inheritances, and developmental advantages. A newborn belonging to one species may possess greater combat capability than a fully grown member of another.]

[The Host is an exception. His Level has advanced much faster than his biological maturity.]

’Do you want me to delete you? Are you calling me dumb again? But discreetly?’ Zishan calmly asked, but he was seething inside. When he did not receive an answer, he just ignored it. ’It’s an AI, so that’s why it’s probably like that—never mind... calling it an AI is a bit of a stretch. At least, I still think AIs on Earth are much more accommodating and kinder. Ugh! I just hate that it’s right most of the time, if not all the time!’

Zishan stared at Silvy.

She had one tiny claw curled against his shirt.

Zishan forgot about the system, smiling at her as he gently rubbed between Silvy’s horns again.

’And what advantage do dragons get?’ he asked the System once more.

The System took a moment before answering.

[The Host should stop comparing himself to a dragon.]

Zishan’s hand paused over Silvy’s head. ’You could’ve said that nicer.’

[It would not become less true.]

He was about to argue when he noticed someone standing beside the sofa.

Elinox had returned and was staring directly at him.

Zishan stiffened slightly as their eyes met, and for several seconds, neither of them said anything.

Stare...

Ollie looked between the two of them, then down at Silvy, before seeming to reach some kind of decision. He leaned over, carefully slipped both arms beneath the baby dragon, and pulled her away from Zishan before moving toward the other end of the sofa.

Silvy barely protested.

Ollie placed her beside him and began petting her head while staring very intently at anything, except the two people beside him.

Zishan noticed. ’Little brother... why are you abandoning me? Help your big brother out... wait... why did the sky outside suddenly become so peaceful? What the hell? Did she take care of all of those Wyverns so fast? I know she’s strong... but that’s actually scary...’

Elinox continued staring at him.

Her expression gave away very little, though her thoughts were far less quiet. ’Who are you really? Why do I feel different every time I’m with you?’

She had asked herself those questions several times since meeting him.

Zishan had appeared from somewhere with knowledge that made no sense, ignorance that made even less sense, growth that should have been impossible, and Skills he acquired at a rate that would have caused half the capital to start investigating him. And despite all of that, she found him interesting, especially since he liked cupcakes so much—that only nobles could enjoy eating.

And now, there was a dragon. A dragon that had hatched in his arms. It hatched from an egg he somehow obtained out of nowhere. Additionally, she had not seen a dragon hatch at that level—at least to her knowledge.

There was something more peculiar that happened. That dragon...

’Why is it calling me Mama?’ she asked in her mind.

Her gaze remained on Zishan.

She could simply ask, yes.

There was no reasonable explanation for why she had spent this long standing in front of him without asking the questions already filling her mind.

However, her status was somehow preventing her from doing so. A High General asking why her subordinate’s dragon pet was calling her Mama? That would be embarrassing. She did not care much about status when it came to being a noble, but in the military, maintaining her bearing as a High General was necessary.

’I’m a High General, and I can’t even ask my soldier a simple question? So what if I’m a High General? This is not a military procedure or anything.’ Elinox became annoyed with herself. ’How pathetic.’

Zishan completely misunderstood the silence. He swallowed and straightened his back before finally speaking. "High General... please don’t kill me."

Elinox’s eyebrows moved slightly.

"I swear I did not order Little Silvy to call you Mama!" Zishan raised one hand as though he were already defending himself before a court. "I swear! Even if you’d make me bald, I still wouldn’t lie about this!"

Elinox continued staring at him, which only made him more nervous.

"I swear in the name of my little brother! I swear!"

Ollie’s hand stopped halfway across Silvy’s head before the boy slowly turned toward him, wide-eyed. "Ehhhh? Big Brother... why are you using me to get out of this situation?"

Zishan froze as Ollie’s large green eyes stared at him from the other side of the sofa. His face twisted, and he shut his eyes while gritting his teeth.

’Oh Goddess of Cupcakes, help me! He misunderstood what I said! That wasn’t the point!!!’