None of this had been part of the plan.

From the very start of the day, things had already gone wrong.

It should’ve been obvious when the smiley face he’d drawn using ketchup ended up with three eyes, all because of a frustrating breakfast incident involving a squeeze bottle that just wouldn’t cooperate.

That alone should’ve been a sign.

Because ever since then, nothing had gone the way it was supposed to for the youngsters of the dragon estate.

Forget about the problem with the Chancellor since that one seemed to have been problematic from the very beginning. But to run into even more trouble when they hadn’t even been awake for that long?

That was just ridiculous.

Originally, they had something completely different planned.

A Harvest Festival competition.

Orien, the great dragonling that he was, had finally managed to grow golden crops.

Actual golden crops.

And while the little sprite still had a sizeable lead when it came to maintaining the farm and keeping the little people happy, Orien was confident. As someone who was quite literally a golden dragon, he had to have some sort of edge when it came to growing golden crops, right?

Right. Because that just made perfect sense.

Of course, the innocent developers of the game would’ve never thought of something like that. They probably wouldn’t even imagine a dragon coming up with such logic in the first place.

But that didn’t matter.

Because as long as Orien believed it, then it had to be true.

So with that firm conviction, he entered into a rather hair-raising bet.

One that involved his dignity.

The loser of the Harvest Festival, or more specifically the one with the smaller crop valuation, would have to willingly submit to scale polishing.

"..."

"..."

"Hmph!"

The adults all had the same strange reactions when they heard the terms, and Orien could only roll his eyes at them.

Didn’t they understand how serious this was?

To allow someone else to groom his still soft scales without protesting and pretending to complain was a very important matter.

A matter that absolutely needed to be taken seriously.

So see?

They had a perfectly good plan.

One that definitely didn’t involve polymorphing into a bigger version of himself, throwing on a cloak, and hoping for the best.

Yep.

Absolutely none of that.

__

And yet, when it became painfully clear that the people gathered outside wouldn’t be able to escape because of dragon fear, the mighty youngling, prompted by the little sprite’s alarmed scream, realized he didn’t have a choice.

He had to do something.

It wasn’t like he had ever dreamed of being hailed as some kind of savior.

If anything, all he’d ever wanted was to be as strong as the rest of his family, or maybe even stronger, just so he could feel like he truly belonged.

But in that brief moment, when his senses sharpened and he caught sight of the little sprite’s terrified face at the red dragon gathering a fire breath at the entrance of the MBE building, Orien could only click his tongue.

This was bad.

Because what he was about to do was something that, unfortunately, only he could do right now.

He was going to have to hold off that dragon.

The air grew unbearably heavy, pressing down on everyone, locking everyone else in place as if they’d been turned to stone. Renee Hale shouted, her voice cracking with terror as she reached out toward the child who had flinched earlier.

That same child, who must’ve also been scared, realized right away that others just couldn’t move under the immense pressure of dragon fear that was released without hesitation.

"Lord Orien!"

Of course, the dragonling hesitated, because who in their right mind wouldn’t?

But he sure didn’t waste any moment dwelling on it. By the time she called his name, the youngling was already reaching for the same cloak they’d been using to hide.

"Please call my uncle! I-I’m strong, but not strong enough for that!"

His voice rang out particularly toLawrence, who had been around full dragons long enough to withstand at least a fraction of the pressure. While the man’s body hadn’t been in the best condition, with the help of the Hales ’Bloodbound Accord of Eternal Service, Liam’s dad sure could function better than most people.

Moreover, the children didn’t really know how to work those magical orbs in the dragon lord’s office.

Lawrence Hale didn’t bother answering, he simply forced himself upright, crawling toward the orbs if he had to.

At the same time, Orien’s form shifted. His body stretched, growing into a taller, broader version of himself as he polymorphed, the cloak falling over him just in time as he teleported straight to the lobby and rushed toward the exit.

He made a point not to look back earlier.

Definitely not at the little sprite whose expression he didn’t want to see right before doing something reckless.

But just as his feet landed on the floor of the lobby, he felt a sharp tug.

"—!"

He turned slightly, startled, only to find Liam clinging tightly to the edge of his cloak.

The boy was trembling.

Shaking.

And yet somehow, he could move.

For a brief second, they just stared at each other, Orien glancing down from beneath his hood while Liam looked up at him, wide-eyed and pale.

But there was no time.

The gathering attack was about to be released.

Without hesitation, Orien lifted a hand and severed the part of the cloak Liam was holding, making sure his charge wouldn’t get dragged outside with him.

They were partners-in-crime. But Orien had long since claimed he would take good care of the stumpy little one. Maybe, with this, he could repay all his debts.

So he moved.

Zipping forward, he stepped out to meet the incoming flames head-on, gathering everything he had to counter the attack.

It was ridiculous.

Honestly, completely ridiculous.

And in that moment, the golden dragonling couldn’t help but internally screech at the heavens for help.

Because really, just how long was a mere dragonling supposed to hold back a raging dragon?

Hopefully long enough for his relatives to get there.

But also short enough that whoever was chasing that rampaging dragon wouldn’t end up with a very pleasant surprise waiting for them.