Nearby, someone exclaimed happily, "This book is so good. When is the next volume coming out?"
Dragon Valley was a strange Extra-Dimensional Space much like Elven Homeland. Two rows of towering pillars held up the entire Barrier, and the ecosystem here could be summed up in one word: big. The land was wild and untamed, filled with massive trees hundreds of meters tall, their leaves as large as a Bathtub, forming an endless green canopy.
Even the vines were thick enough for a normal human to walk on, and the creatures here had scales, wings, or horns. There was only one reason for this. Every living thing here was at least of the Wyvern kind, and even the plants carried dragon blood. From a hollowed-out cavity high in one giant tree, faint laughter could be heard.
Inside, a black-haired girl with horns and a tail rolled around on a straw bed while clutching a book. Ham closed the book reluctantly, her vertical pupils sparkling with longing for the outside world. "Stories written by humans are so interesting," she said. "When I get stronger and become a great evil dragon, I will…"
"You will what, exactly?" a voice asked.
"I will… huh?" Ham froze.
The first thing she noticed was that her beloved novel was gone, and when she looked up, she saw it was just as she expected. A silver-haired loli stood there, calmly glancing at the cover before slipping it into an extra-dimensional space behind her. She had not managed to get the latest volume yet, so keeping an eye on this girl really paid off.
"Hey! You short loli old hag!" Ham shouted. "Give me back my latest volume!"
"I have told you many times to show a bit of respect when speaking to your elders," the silver-haired girl replied coolly. "It seems you did not listen."
In a flash, she appeared behind Ham, and a small, pale fist smashed the black-haired girl's face straight into the ground. The silver-haired loli showed no expression at all. Being called an old hag when she was not even five thousand years old yet was extremely rude.
"You…!" "Enough nonsense," she interrupted. "You disobeyed my rules again, sneaking out of Dragon Valley and even entering a human town, did you not?"
Her voice was not loud, but Ham felt a chill all the same. After instantly recognizing the gap in strength, she almost backed down, but that would not suit her reputation as a problem child. She planted her hands on her hips and spoke boldly.
"Impressive, right? My human form is even more perfect than yours. No one could tell at all!"
Bang.
The tree house floor gained a second crater. Judging from the many dents and repair marks around, this was clearly not the first time. The silver-haired girl did not hold back at all, as the girl she had brought back was tough, thick-skinned, and a Black Dragon, so she could be hit without worry.
As for whether she might get hit stupid, that was not much of a concern either. There was not much intellect to lose anyway.
"This is what you call perfect, a transformation so perfect you even lose your Great Dragon power?" she said coldly. "I warned you many times that the outside is dangerous."
Ham popped back up immediately and began rolling around on the floor, throwing a tantrum without any shame. "You are the one who keeps forcing me to play with them. They all look down on me, a real Great Dragon but a Black Dragon with no inheritance at all."
"They mock and bully me all the time. Who wants to play with them? They even laugh at me for not speaking Dragon Tongue properly. I would rather read novels and sneak out on my own."
The silver-haired girl paused, then walked over and pulled the unlucky child up. She brushed the wood chips off Ham's head and spoke more gently. "I am sorry, but this is a path you must walk. Your problems will be resolved in the future. I promise."
"Huh…?" Ham blinked at the rare apologetic smile and was about to speak.
Bang.
She was pressed into the ground again. The time limit for gentle mode was over, and with experience, the silver-haired girl struck first to preserve her image in the child's eyes. "The earlier matters were arranged by me, so I apologize for that," she said. "But sneaking out on your own is another issue."
"I said you can only go out when you truly come of age," she continued. "It seems you did not listen at all."
Watching Ham struggle and nearly tear the floorboards into a Shard with her brute strength, the silver-haired girl expressionlessly reinforced the ground with magic. In short, although she did not know why the child could now ignore the rule that each Great Dragon could only enter and leave Dragon Valley once in their lifetime, it did not stop her from finding her. She had many ways to deal with that.
"In any case, stay here and reflect," she ordered. "Do not go out until I open the door, and finish double the Dragon Tongue homework. I will check it."
The ruthless silver-haired girl locked the Black Dragon girl inside the tree house and casually cast a spatial confinement Magic, sealing the surrounding space into one. After confirming that things had quieted down inside, she sighed and vanished in an instant.
She reappeared in a newly built kitchen inside a stone chamber. Opening a new cooking book, she took out sugar, eggs, and other ingredients, planning to bring some freshly learned pastries once the homework was halfway done. As for why Ham, this little Black Dragon, was looked down upon by other dragons in Dragon Valley, that story went back several decades.
For Dragonkin, it was not long at all, like just a few naps ago. Most dragons only knew that the nominal ruler of Dragon Valley, the silver dragon Sylvia, had brought back a Black Dragon egg one day. The egg quickly hatched into a young Black Dragon, and within a few decades grew rapidly into a young dragon.
This alone was astonishing. In age she was still a juvenile, but her physique matched a young dragon, and she was outstanding even among her peers. Eight years old, my ass. However, gains came with losses. This Black Dragon named Ham had normal intelligence and a soul, but her dragon soul carried no inheritance at all. Even her name was self-chosen.
That was rarer than a mindless dragon beast. Every Great Dragon inherited knowledge and memories from their ancestors, but Ham had nothing, a complete blank. When she first arrived, she could not even understand Dragon Tongue, and Sylvia had to teach her personally.
As for why Sylvia brought this child back, it began with a human god's prophecy book hidden among the Dragonkin. Acting on it decades ago, she found a cave within Rohn Empire territory and discovered two dragon eggs that seemed dead. Using her special silver dragon ability, she sensed faint vitality in one egg and took it away.
That egg hatched into Ham. As for her strange condition, the old Ancient Dragon dragons in Dragon Valley believed it was due to hatching too late, which damaged the dragon soul. The result was abnormal physical growth but the loss of all inherited knowledge, since dragon souls controlled development after awakening.
This widely accepted explanation became the reason other dragons mocked and excluded Ham. It was much like children bullying a mentally challenged classmate. Sylvia still sometimes arranged for Ham to try to make friends, but now she herself was unsure whether following the prophecy book was the right choice.
Maybe letting Ham grow on her own would make her happier. Or maybe the prophecy was flawed. "It says Ham will take over my role and become the next silver dragon," she murmured. "But looking at things now, perhaps…"
She finished a plate of freshly baked small cakes, made using advanced Magic and rare culinary knowledge from Dragonkin inheritance, perfectly baked in three minutes. She paired it with a glass of orange juice that the silly girl liked and gently knocked on the door.
"Have you finished your homework? I made some…"
In an instant, the silver-haired loli's expression changed. She pushed the door open, only to find no one inside. There was only a homework notebook with a single opening line written, and a huge hole torn through the tree house wall.
"Ugh… I made it out! Just as expected of me! I broke through that fake-young loli granny's Magic without any trouble!" "I am not doing homework! Don't even think about making me go back and play with those annoying people!" "Roar!"
Water burst upward with a heavy splash, and the sound of something large hitting the lake scared off several monsters that had been drinking at the shore. A Black Dragon over ten meters long lifted its head from the water, several fish hanging from its mouth. After finally getting out of Dragon Valley, Ham felt dizzy, fell straight into the lake, then resurfaced and swallowed the fish without thinking, before looking around.
"Good, this isn't the last exit point. Looks like I finally cracked that Spatial Magic!" "The old lady's tricks to lock me up were already figured out long ago. Bet she didn't expect that!"