Slacker Second Gen C51

Chapter 51: Dragon Dad 21

“Qian! I really can’t bear to part with you! Once we leave school, it’ll be so hard to see you again—waaah!”

Xia hugged the soft and fragrant little girl tightly, taking a deep breath of the vibrant energy surrounding her.

Xia was a ninth-year graduate of the Central Magic Academy this year.

This graduating class had witnessed Qian grow from a tiny dragon no bigger than a bracelet, unable to change her shape, into the majestic azure dragon that could now coil around pillars.

They had fed Qian snacks before, been fed by her in return, transformed into small animals using transfiguration potions to play with her, and even caused trouble together by wrecking statues during inter-school exchange events…

In their unforgettable school years, Qian’s presence was everywhere.

Now that they were about to leave campus, when they thought about it, the one they would miss most was her.

Early on the day of departure, Qian had just crawled out of her glittering gemstone nest. The moment she appeared in the square, the graduating magicians swiftly surrounded her.

The girl hugging her was so emotional that Qian’s face was pressed into her soft embrace. She had to use quite a bit of effort to pull her face out.

But as soon as she escaped one hug, another followed.

All the girls gathered around her. At first, they hugged her one by one, but as emotions ran high, they lost all restraint and crowded in together.

Among them were many adventurous girls who trained their bodies regularly. The force of their collective embrace was so overwhelming that even the little azure dragon had to struggle desperately to avoid being smothered.

Meanwhile, a group of boys of various heights and builds squatted nearby like wooden stakes, watching this heartwarming scene with envy and jealousy.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to hug Qian like the girls did—mainly, it was because, for some unknown reason, Teacher Lacia had recently been giving unpleasant looks to any males who got too close to the young dragon.

If they dared to cuddle Qian like the girls did, their lives might as well be over.

“Waaah, can’t we at least get a little hug? I’ll really miss her! I’m about to be stationed at a rift for defense, and who knows if I’ll even come back alive!”

A curly-haired boy looked as if he was about to cry.

“Teacher Lacia isn’t here, so maybe we can sneak in a quick—”

His tall companion clamped an iron grip on his shoulder, stopping him from courting death.

“Don’t. Even if Teacher Lacia is sleeping in the high tower right now, the moment you touch Qian, he will descend from the sky and punish you.”

A short boy with a cold expression suggested, “Why not turn into an animal and let Qian hug you instead?”

The tall boy pressed down on his shoulder with his other hand.

“That idea’s been tried before. Teacher Lacia might not get mad at Qian, but he has no mercy for cunning students. He could freeze you into an ice block and swat you straight into the rift with a flick of his tail.”

“Nothing works!” one of the boys grumbled while squatting.

“Qian is still just a young dragon. She doesn’t even understand anything yet. What is Teacher Lacia so worried about? Guarding against men at this stage is way too early!”

Ever since Qian had casually blurted out “dating” last time, her proud dragon father—who had been admired and secretly adored by countless people throughout his long life but had never cared for romance—hadn’t been able to sleep properly for days.

He had nightmares of his daughter being tricked away by a cunning human before she even reached adulthood. Not only that, but she might even end up like that Ice Dragon from before, sacrificing her soul to protect and bless some unknown human man.

As a result, the old father had been looking at all the young male students in the school with extreme displeasure.

Finally, after the girls had all said their tearful goodbyes and were preparing to leave, the boys also sighed and stood up to go.

Suddenly, one boy murmured, “Actually… besides wanting to hug Qian, I also kind of want to hug Teacher Lacia.”

Instantly, all eyes turned to him.

They never expected—this guy was the boldest of them all!

In the stunned silence, Qian looked around at everyone’s expressions, then suddenly shouted:

“Daddy!”

Lacia appeared immediately. His long braid was still unfastened, hanging loosely in front of him, and he had only managed to put on one of his purple gemstone earrings.

He materialized beside Qian in an instant, his gaze filled with concern.

“What’s wrong, Qian?”

Qian, her fur bristling slightly, clung to Lacia’s white-robed leg and honestly declared, “Aofusi said he wants to hug Daddy.”

The named student, Aofusi, shrank his head into his shoulders under Teacher Lacia’s gaze, nearly wishing he could disappear entirely.

The surrounding students all cast him sympathetic looks while discreetly stepping back, hoping to avoid getting splattered with blood.

Lacia walked over to the student. He was tall, towering over the young boy before him.

Then, to the absolute shock of everyone, he actually embraced the boy who was on the verge of fainting from fright.

“Blessings upon you. Go forth,” he said.

Once released, Aofusi stood frozen in shock, his mind blank.

Meanwhile, the other students, after a brief moment of realization, suddenly lit up with excitement and cautiously began inching toward Teacher Lacia from all directions.

Lacia: “……”

Another batch of students had left the academy.

Lacia had watched countless students come and go over the years.

Human lives were so short. Many of them would never return here.

Many of their parents and even grandparents had once been his students.

Every one of these young faces carried the shadows of those who came before them.

Holding his child in his arms, Lacia returned to the high tower and placed her in front of him, using a comb to tidy her hair, which had been ruffled from all the hugging.

Qian leaned against him, pressing one hand against his knee while her little legs swung back and forth.

“Daddy, can I visit them in the future?”

“Of course,” Lacia said gently. “As long as you want to.”

“Then where will they be in the future?”

“Most of them will be stationed at the edges of the rifts for a few years. Some will go to slay magical beasts, while others will leave. Some will spend their lives adventuring, while others will quickly settle down and start families, scattering like little balls… In ten years or so, you might see their children here at school.”

Lacia’s voice flowed like a gentle stream, washing away the melancholy that had settled over Qian due to the farewells.

She patted her smooth hair, then stood up and grabbed the comb.

“Dad, let me comb your hair too!”

“Alright.” Lacia willingly offered his long hair.

His hair was long and silky, but today, thanks to a bunch of bold students, it had been thoroughly messed up.

He smiled as he watched the child hold his hair and start combing. She was just playing, really. Before long, she would lose interest, and then he would have to fix it himself.

When she was younger, she loved climbing all over his dragon form, burrowing into his thick mane like it was some fun game, which meant he had to spend extra time every day grooming himself.

The graduates left, and new students arrived.

Qian continued to run around from classroom to classroom every day.

Lately, the weather had been unbearably hot, making ice magic incredibly popular. Students skilled in ice magic were constantly surrounded by classmates, practically becoming walking ice makers. Even the teachers couldn’t resist joking before class, saying, “It’s too hot—hey, student, cool me down a bit.”

Qian wasn’t spared either. The moment she appeared, students would tempt her with delicious snacks and treats.

“Senior Qian, I want some iced water. Can you freeze my cup for me?”

Qian sighed in a mature manner, giving them a helpless but indulgent look. She took the cup in her hands and pressed her palms together.

White frost spread over the cup’s rim, and the once-warm water instantly turned into ice.

She walked past another classroom door, carrying a large bag of snacks, when suddenly, a dozen heads popped out from inside.

“Senior Qian, we’re dying from the heat!”

“Senior Qian, save us!”

“Senior Qian, breathe on us and cool us down!”

Qian walked to the doorway, puffed up her cheeks, and blew out a breath of frosty air laced with delicate ice crystals. The nearly heat-exhausted students sighed in bliss, their faces glowing with happiness.

In recent years, temperatures had been steadily rising, especially in summer, possibly due to the increasing number of surface rifts.

These rifts churned with murky, demonic energy beneath the earth like magma, causing unusual weather patterns.

At school, any spell that could lower temperatures had become incredibly popular.

Some teachers, who weren’t adept at ice magic, found alternative solutions—before class, they would summon a wraith from the Land of the Dead and let it hover in a corner, cooling the entire classroom.

After enough exposure, even the most timid students no longer feared the wraiths, finding them oddly cute instead.

Of course, there was a downside—staying near a wraith for too long would cause one to absorb its deathly aura. Those affected would have to visit Professor Fizke for a special potion.

Meanwhile, Lacia found that his classes were suddenly in high demand.

Students eagerly anticipated the moments when he would get angry. On days he remained calm, some even deliberately provoked him just to feel the icy chill of his magic.

In response, Lacia placed his young dragon on the podium. Whenever a student misbehaved, he simply said, “Breathe fire.”

And so, the little blue dragon, capable of summoning wind, rain, frost, and fire, became a temporary teaching assistant. The students quickly learned their lesson and became obedient again.

In the students’ private conversations, Lacia’s reputation as the “Great Demon King” reached new heights.

As for Qian? A cute little dragon like her could never be at fault—it was all the Demon King’s doing!

For children who had not yet grown up, the school was a paradise, and their worries only extended as far as the world within its walls.

But beyond this small world, in the vast lands outside, disaster continued to advance, never pausing for a moment.

Most of the students who graduated from the academy joined the fight against magical beasts. The Mage Association had begun rallying mages from all regions, sending them to the most dangerous places in waves.

The young dragon, still too small to witness the ominous, blackened rifts, the frenzied, bloodthirsty beasts, or the people infected with incurable demonic corruption, simply watched familiar faces come and go within her school.

Climbing the tall stone steps, passing murals and magical plants hanging along the walls, she pushed open a heavy red wooden door and entered Principal Ude’s office.

His office cabinets were always filled with an endless supply of snacks—whenever she took some, they would always be replenished by the next time she visited.

Recently, she hadn’t seen the kind old man with the warm smile. Every time she came by, the office was empty.

But today, as she peeked inside after pushing the door open, she saw the glass magic lamp glowing, illuminating an elderly man in a hat sitting at his desk.

Qian pitter-pattered over and flopped onto Principal Ude’s lap.

The old man, weary from his long journey, saw the little dragon and immediately felt his furrowed brows relax.

He chuckled, “Qian, here to grab some more snacks?”

“Grandpa, where have you been?”

“Ahem!” Principal Ude whispered, “Qian, don’t call me Grandpa in front of the teachers!”

“I’ve been out working. Ah, I’m exhausted.” He put on an exaggeratedly pained expression, groaning as he massaged his back and shoulders.

Of course, not all of it was an act—he truly was exhausted.

The rifts spewing out demonic miasma were multiplying. Some had even appeared near human settlements. To prevent large-scale infections with incurable diseases, magic barriers had to be erected to temporarily contain the miasma while people were evacuated. Such tasks required the expertise of rare, high-level mages like himself.

For days, he had traveled from place to place, pushing his magic reserves to their limits multiple times. At his age, such exertion was taking a toll.

Seeing him like this, Qian climbed onto the sofa’s armrest and raised her little hands to pound on his shoulders.

She was small, but as a young dragon, her strength was no joke. Principal Ude winced as she pummeled his back, nearly knocking his hat askew.

Her tiny fists pounded rhythmically—thump, thump, thump.

“Does it still hurt?” she asked.

Principal Ude: My old bones are about to fall apart.