Chapter 98: Chapter 98 – Unexpected Advancement in Strength

Morning sun spilled across the training courtyard of the Valentine mansion, casting long shadows as two figures clashed in a flurry of steel. Luca, wielding his twin sabers, moved with sharp precision, his strikes meeting the firm guard of Vincent’s sword. The rhythmic sound of their spar echoed between the marble pillars, accompanied by the steady beat of their breaths.

Sweat dripped from their foreheads as they finally came to a halt, blades locked for a moment before stepping back.

“You seem to have grown stronger,” Vincent said in his usual cold tone, sheathing his sword. “Have you broken through?”

Luca nodded, wiping the sweat off his brow. “I seem to have broken through the Meridian Saturation Stage.”

Vincent tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. “But you feel stronger than that.”

Luca let out a quiet sigh, not surprised by his observation. “I have an abundance of aura… I just need to compress it into a seed to advance to the Core Compression Stage.”

He paused for a moment, thoughts swirling. Looks like when Her Majesty passed her energy into me, I must’ve absorbed a part of it. My meridians got saturated to the limit—that explains why I collapsed. If I hadn’t, I might’ve exploded from the force. Did she do that intentionally… knowing it would benefit me?

But Vincent didn’t pry further. He wasn’t one to ask too many questions.

Before the air could settle, light giggles and the sound of tiny footsteps disrupted the courtyard’s quiet. Lisa emerged, carrying the baby dragon snugly in her arms. The little one was dressed in a frilly frock with ribbons, her wings tucked neatly, a tiny smile on her lips.

She looked at Luca, eyes sparkling, and called out, “Papa!”

Luca approached, still breathing heavily from the spar. “Not now,” he said, gently brushing her head. “I’m all sweaty, okay?”

She blinked, then softly echoed, “Pa…” as if understanding.

Lisa burst out laughing, clearly amused. “She only seems to say ’papa’ so far. How cute.”

Then, smiling at the baby dragon, she added, “Let papa take a shower first, alright?”

Luca shot her an irritated look. “Don’t you start as well now,” he muttered, walking off to clean up.

—

After his shower, Luca dried his hair, dressing himself for the day. He then summoned the Kunpeng with a wave of his hand. A soft gust of wind swirled in as the beast appeared, still yawning and lazily fluttering its wings.

“Done sleeping?” Luca asked dryly. “Now answer my question.”

“Ask,” the Kunpeng replied, voice groggy but focused.

“What’s with the baby dragon? How is she even in human form?”

Kunpeng paused, then answered thoughtfully, “It likely has something to do with your Empress. Her energy is… special. She’s already at the peak of Transcendent Convergence. That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

Luca raised an eyebrow. “Empress?”

“Yes,” the Kunpeng clarified. “The one who passed her energy to you. That kind of force doesn’t just disappear. It might’ve awakened or triggered something in the baby dragon.”

Luca sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Then I guess I should leave her here. The academy… the dangers I’ll face there—I can’t risk her safety.”

But Kunpeng snorted. “No way. She’s still a baby. You need to keep her close. She’s contracted to you, remember? Do you really think she’d be fine away from you?”

Luca didn’t answer, but even from here, he could hear the faint echoes of a happy “Papa! Papa!” coming from the hall.

He shook his head with a helpless smile.

The scent of freshly baked bread and spiced stew lingered in the air as the midday sun streamed softly through the tall arched windows of the Valentine mansion’s dining hall.

The long mahogany table was set with elegance, silver cutlery gleaming and crystal water goblets catching the light. Seated together were Luca, Vincent, Lisa, Lady Selena, and Lord Darian, the family gathered in a rare moment of calm.

On Lady Selena’s lap sat the tiny baby dragon in her humanoid form, dressed in a frilly pink frock Lisa had picked out for her, complete with little blue bows behind her horns.

She giggled gleefully as Selena lovingly brought a spoonful of mashed fruits to her mouth. The little one munched, licked her lips, and then twisted around, looking straight at Luca with gleaming golden eyes.

“Papa!” she chirped.

A soft thud followed as Luca nearly dropped his fork, cheeks twitching.

Lisa smirked, immediately leaning forward on the table with mischief dancing in her eyes. “My, my… I didn’t know my brother was planning on starting a family so soon,” she teased, tilting her head.

“Who’s the lucky girl, hmm? Or did the baby dragon appear just like that, magically calling you papa?”

Lord Darian chuckled, hiding his amusement behind a sip of his wine. “Should I be preparing a nursery in the east wing, then?” he added with a raised brow. “I must say, she’s rather attached to you.”

“I—I didn’t do anything,” Luca muttered, clearly flustered as he looked between them. “She just… keeps saying that.”

Lisa gasped with mock drama. “You’re rejecting your own daughter now? Heartless.”

“I’m not—she’s not—ugh.” Luca groaned, burying his face in his hands as Vincent silently ate, lips twitching just slightly.

Lady Selena only smiled warmly, brushing the baby dragon’s hair back gently. “Well, whether it’s true or not, she seems to have chosen you. You should take responsibility, Luca.”

The baby dragon, unfazed by the adult chatter, clapped her hands and sang, “Pa-pa, pa-pa!” clearly proud of her vocabulary.

Lunch eventually wound down with laughter still echoing in the air. Lord Darian, having finished his meal, dabbed his lips with a cloth and then turned toward Luca with a more serious expression.

“When are you leaving for the academy?” he asked, voice calm but laced with weight.

“Tomorrow morning,” Luca replied without hesitation.

Lord Darian nodded once, the mirth from earlier gone from his eyes. “Then meet me in the study this evening.”

Luca felt the shift immediately. “Understood.”

With that, everyone slowly excused themselves as Luca arrived in his room and collapsed onto the bed.

Luca lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, his fingers resting behind his head.

These past few days… they’ve been good. Not peaceful—but still… good.

For the first time in both this life and the one before it, I felt the warmth of a family. Genuine warmth. Not the cold politeness of nobles nor the scripted affection of visual novel flags—but something real.

Two stages stronger in just days. That dragon egg hatched… and then there’s Aurelia.

His face flushed lightly at the memory of her lips. The kiss. The stupid, bold way he’d leaned in. The even stupider fact that she kissed him back.

What was I thinking…? No, what was she thinking?

A stupid grin tugged at his mouth before he shook it off with a small groan and turned over, burying half his face into the pillow.

“…Father asked me to meet in the study,” he mumbled to himself, eyes narrowing. Right. I think I know why.

He sat up.

Evening rolled in faster than he expected. The sky outside was stained with twilight, casting golden shadows across the marble floor as he made his way down the quiet corridor. He stood outside the door to the study, exhaled slowly, and knocked.

“Come in,” Darian’s voice called from within.

Luca stepped in. “Father.”

Darian looked up from the old desk, papers pushed aside. His expression was calm, but there was a heaviness in his gaze.

“…Son. You’ve changed.”

Luca’s heart skipped.

Did he notice something?

But Darian only smiled faintly and added, “But in a good way, although you still have the same personality you are now …… .more opened up, more happy, I think…happier than ever..”

Luca blinked. His chest relaxed, tension melting slowly. He stayed silent, unsure how to respond.

“Strength isn’t the only thing you’ve gained, it seems,” Darian said, rising from the chair and walking toward the tall window that overlooked the garden. “And that’s why I think it’s time you know something.”

He turned his back now to the fading sun, casting his face in partial shadow. “Something about our family.”

Luca straightened.

Finally, first that massive estate, then the way even Her Majesty mentioned it… I have been dying to know what’s with this family.

He leaned in slightly, every nerve focused, ready to connect dots, uncover flags, decipher routes.

And then—

“Our Valentine family is the descendant of a hero….. who fought against the Devil cult 7000 years ago.”

And just like that all the confidence ,all the info ,all the knowledge Luca thought he had about the game….. crumbled.

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