The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL]-Chapter 312: The Fragment That Chose

There were countless references to dragons preying on the hearts of other dragons to greatly heighten their abilities. But most of that lore involved dragons alone. When it came to other beings obtaining dragon hearts, the records were sparse and often muddled.

Fairytales loved to depict human princes slaying dragons. Riley, along with every sensible adult present, knew that was utter nonsense. At best, it was wishful thinking.

And while picture books were allowed, because even puny humans were free to dream, the dragons they actually illustrated looked nothing like the dragons who truly ruled the world. So no one really cared.

But to say that humans actually got a hold of dragon hearts and benefited from them was most definitely something that hadn’t been documented.

After all, what kind of idiot would record such a thing knowing it would invite the wrath of dragons?

Still, it was not as if all hope was lost.

Because Thyrran, an ancient more ancient than the lot of them seemed to know a little bit of something.

"Ideally, it should be simple," the ex-guardian hissed.

"He would likely break through from a drake and into a dragon."

"!!!"

Say what now?

Well.

It seemed it was not simple at all.

__

Riley almost jolted off the floor.

He very nearly sent the slumbering, barrier-protected golden dragonling rolling away with how violently he reacted to the words of his supposedly trustworthy familiar.

"What?!"

This time, save for Kael, several of them asked it in unison.

"Are you saying that beings who get a hold of dragon hearts would become dragons?!" Riley leaned forward sharply, emphasis clear in every word, because what the hell was that supposed to mean.

"No. It is not like that, Young Master."

Riley froze.

"It is only because the child happens to be a drake that such a thing is possible," Thyrran continued calmly. "You may liken it to the effects dragon blood has on you. However, instead of merely absorbing a by-product, what the child took in was a fragment of the actual producing organ."

The room went quiet.

"And to beings that could be considered derivatives of the ancient dragon line, but were first conceived from dragons rather than the primordial dragon himself, beings like drakes and even wyverns tend to be lacking something crucial."

"!"

Thyrran tilted his head slightly.

"As you can likely guess, that missing component is the dragon heart."

Riley stared.

"Long ago, such beings were not granted the same core that all full dragons possess. As a result, they exist in a state that is halfway to becoming a dragon, but never quite complete," Thyrran explained.

"Then over time, as their numbers grew and their descendants began forming lineages of their own, they eventually became recognized as a distinct race."

"Still, that distinction does not particularly sever their ties to the ancient dragons."

"And that is why, unlike other races who would likely not survive exposure to dragon blood, much less a dragon heart, certain beings can receive it."

His gaze shifted toward the bundle resting in Renee Hale’s lap.

"Like that child, Liam."

Riley felt his temples throb.

"It appears the child was receptive enough that the heart fragment, which had already been drawn to him, simply chose to complete the process."

That explained far too much and yet not enough.

Lord Karion thought that maybe it was the reason for why such a protected fragment would stage its own escape when Orien had been within proximity and could have absorbed his own fragment.

But the elder dragon wasn’t the only one racking his mind.

Speculation flooded Riley’s head. Liam’s core encasement. The child who only had a place for a core but hadn’t developed one probably felt like an ideal match.

A vessel so perfectly suited that the fragment found it interesting. Interesting enough to slip free from its protective barrier, the one that had reduced it to the harmless appearance of a bead.

He was absolutely going to have a headache after this.

But Riley couldn’t possibly be the only worried family member.

His mother finally spoke up, voice tight with worry. "Would it be possible to take it out? And return it to Lord Orien?"

Renee and Lawrence couldn’t really help but worry for both children. One would end up with more than he bargained for while another one would lose out on what could have made him even stronger.

More than that, the golden dragonling may actually want to retrieve his connection to his father. Of course that was an abstract concept, as it wasn’t like he inherited his father’s heart, but being a red dragon was also a part of his identity.

Only now, that part had been absorbed by their child, Liam.

And how worried they were for him who rarely spoke about feeling pain or any such things.

What if the child had been enduring since all of this started?

They’ve asked him over and over again but Liam only kept saying he was fine and didn’t particularly feel any different.

The only reason why the couple actually stopped asking was because the golden dragon lord actually said that his mana seemed surprisingly stable.

Renee and Lawrence were visibly relieved by that. Moreover, hearing that Kael has actually been watching over the child’s internal workings made them feel much better. At least well enough to listen to everything without collapsing.

But Thyrran paused at her words and she couldn’t help but feel nervous once again.

Well, the ex-guardian felt he had to consider the question carefully before answering.

"Ideally, yes."

Ideally.

Riley didn’t like that word.

Normally such a word would be followed by unspeakable things. The same way his life for the last who-knows-how-long had been filled with things that started with "ideally."

"In fact, in most circumstances, it should detach on its own," Thyrran continued. "Dragon hearts are unruly and exceedingly selective. If they weren’t, then dragons wouldn’t need to spend so long learning how to calm their own hearts."

"But I believe that even you can sense the answer to that. Because just look at them?"

"Do you actually believe we can take it out?"