Of course, being the hopeful person that he was, Riley clung to the idea that he had simply made a mistake.

Instead of doubling down and justifying why his guess had to be right, the worried aide found himself doing the opposite. He started picking apart his own conclusions, listing all the ways his findings could be wrong.

For one, he definitely lacked the proper tools. He tried to factor in possible changes in landmasses over time, but surely he could have missed something. He was insistent on that even if what he had seen looked eerily similar to what the map flashes had shown him.

And even then, there could still be errors.

What if he had missed the proper landmarks? Like what if that closest body of water just looked similar?

What if he had identified the wrong kind of tree? Maybe that species had not only been endemic to that area. Maybe his professors had gotten the "facts" wrong and maybe Riley didn’t get perfect marks for the exam that involved those blasted trees.

See. There were plenty of ways this could have gone wrong.

He really could have misinterpreted everything.

And maybe, just maybe, if he had gotten it wrong, then they could move forward much faster.

Haaaay.

He really had to be wrong.

Because in the first place, it made absolutely no sense for a water park to be built right where his clan’s crypt was supposed to be.

Gaaah.

But then again, when he thought about it more carefully, the best place to hide something valuable was often right in plain sight.

Just like they had hidden him all those years ago.

Maybe the place really had been considered safe back then. If the crypt had existed since time immemorial, then the dragons who ruled the world at the time probably never imagined that in a few thousand years, human civilization would suddenly advance to the point where someone would casually think, hey, why not build a water park here.

Riley’s head throbbed.

And honestly, he could only hope that the park’s existence was nothing more than a coincidence.

Eventually, they would have to check. To do that, they would need to figure out how to get Riley proper reference materials, better tools, or at the very least, access to the internet.

But in the meantime, they decided to distribute tasks.

Lady Cirila was the first to step forward.

In the end, she volunteered to both distract and investigate Chancellor Malrik. Since he had used the premonition as a reason to intrude on the estate, she would similarly use that same premonition as an excuse to visit the nest herself.

While there, she would actively look for clues about the state of the dragonlings.

At the very least, they needed to uncover the truth behind the sigils that shouldn’t have been on the attendants of the nest. Because that was something she could work with even if her other search led to nothing.

She volunteered after nearly exploding in anger at both Malrik and herself, so the dragoness swore she would figure something out.

Lord Karion, on the other hand, was given a different assignment. He would look into the other Elders, especially since the issue of the stolen artifact had yet to be resolved.

That problem was still very much hanging over their heads, and now they were not even sure if any of the other elders could be trusted.

All things considered, the delegation actually went relatively well despite their conversations being extremely charged and distressing.

The only real issue relating to delegation was Kael.

Or more specifically, Kael being forced off the responsibilities he very clearly wanted to take on himself.

Regrettably, the golden dragon was still the head of the MBE. Which meant he actually had to return to work instead of staying behind at the estate to oversee everything personally.

He was, unsurprisingly, very against that idea.

However, enlightenment came with perks.

The aide who once walked on eggshells around his boss had finally learned how to use those same wiles against him.

The price was steep.

He may have had to "sacrifice" a bit more sleep and a lot of energy.

But in the end, Riley successfully sent Kael Dravaryn back to the MBE, where he would have to deal with the traitors who were finally starting to reveal themselves.

Things were, at the very least, looking up.

Well, provided no one mentioned the possible apocalypse as well as how he had only been successful in localizing his mana around his right knee.

Yes. Just his right knee. Don’t ask because seriously, even he wasn’t sure why his right knee of all places. He could’ve worked with at least his hands but no.

Ugh. But that was fine. There was other good news anyway.

Orien seemed capable of sleeping again. That alone felt like a small miracle after Kael’s method of springing his traps around the estate worked exactly as intended.

Sure, the baby dragon looked like absolute hell when he woke up in the wee hours after Kael had followed through with his claim. His scales were bristling, his tiny wings drooped awkwardly, and his tail kept sticking out in directions that made Riley want to laugh and cry at the same time.

But then something shifted.

The moment Orien realized what had woken him up, the golden dragonling’s eyes sharpened.

He puffed himself up, little chest out, claws flexing as he released a low, warning growl that was far more impressive than it had any right to be given his size.

Riley had to clamp a hand over his mouth.

What got him, though, was what Orien did next.

Instead of charging forward, the baby dragon shuffled sideways and planted himself squarely in front of the still sleeping Liam. His wings spread just enough to shield him, his tail curling protectively as if that alone could block the world.

The other child slept through the entire thing.

Completely oblivious.

Riley felt something in his chest seize.

Who would have thought they would end up this close. Who would have thought that despite the differences, they would look like this. Protective. Instinctive. So very innocent.

It was adorable.

Infuriatingly adorable.

And Riley thought so when he watched Orien practically sparkle when Kael gave that curt nod of acknowledgement.

There was pride there. Clear and unmistakable and from then on, the golden dragonling seemed more confident in sleeping at night.

Riley had to resist the urge to scoop the kids up and squeeze them.

Cute. So damn cute.

Then again, maybe he should not have spoken too soon.

Because the two supposedly cute kids learned fast.

Very fast.

Somewhere along the way, they had discovered that looking small and innocent was a weapon.

Or maybe Riley was just weak.

Either way, one inevitable morning found him buried up to his elbows in research, surrounded by notes, half-written theories, and reference materials spread across the table.

And at some point, in a moment of sheer exhaustion, he committed the worst possible crime.

He left his work lying around.

Unattended.

Within reach.

For two sharp-eyed kids who absolutely should not have been allowed to read Riley’s notes, the outcome was, frankly, inevitable.

Technically speaking, Orien could read them.

That was not the problem.

The problem was that while the baby dragon could read the words, he wouldn’t have been able to fully understand what most of them meant. But unfortunately for everyone involved, his avid companion understood just enough to be dangerous.

The enabler and the enabled truly made for an unholy tandem.

And that was when the unfortunate thing happened.

"Water park!"

Liam’s shriek nearly blew Orien’s ears off.

"Lord Orien! Lord Orien!" Liam yelled, practically vibrating in place as he pointed at the paper. "It says water park!"

The golden dragon blinked.

He had absolutely no idea what that was.

Naturally, he pretended that he did.

Orien shrugged his shoulders and struck what he clearly believed was a knowledgeable and dignified pose, arms crossed and chin lifted like someone who was definitely not about to ask a stupid question.

"Ah. Yes," Orien said gravely.

Thankfully, he did not have to actually ask anything.

Liam immediately launched into an explanation so enthusiastic it bordered on incoherent.

He talked about slides. About water everywhere. About food stalls and colorful drinks and giant pools where people splashed around and played. About places to climb and jump and run until everyone was exhausted and happy.

Orien listened very seriously.

He didn’t understand why any of that sounded appealing.

Water was wet. Slides sounded ominous. Pools were just... large containers of water that they definitely had back at home.

But then Liam grabbed him by the wrist.

"Come with me. I will show you!"

Before Orien could object, he was dragged away to what was now their room, where the boy eagerly pulled up a worn photo album.

Photos of Liam and Riley when they were much younger.

Photos where they were soaked, grinning, laughing so hard their faces hurt.

Photos where they looked genuinely, overwhelmingly happy.

Orien stared.

Something clicked.

He slowly turned back to Liam.

"Fine. We will go to this water park," the golden dragonling declared.

The demand escalated quickly.

Very quickly.

Strong enough, in fact, that Riley was abruptly called in for what was described as an emergency family meeting.

Apparently, Orien was adamant.

They had to go to this place called a water park.

"What?" Riley said blankly when he finally arrived.

The golden dragonling, who had earlier looked menacing enough to ward off threats twice his size, immediately shifted tactics.

He huffed, softened his expression, and clasped his hands behind his back.

Wide eyes. Chubby cheeks.

"Wouldn’t it be more believable if adults came with kids?"

Riley felt it.

A direct hit.

Bullseye.