"Serena! I'm done!"
Ji Xiaofei waved her little notebook triumphantly like she'd just solved cold fusion. Serena leaned over and scanned the page with a slow nod, her voice warm, yet laced with the same teasing edge she used with Yarrow.
"Well done. Ji Xiaofei has mastered addition and subtraction within ten in just one morning. How impressive."
She ruffled Xiaofei's hair gently, before raising her voice just enough to carry.
"If you keep this up, you might even surpass Yarrow."
"Oh! Then I'll work harder!" Xiaofei puffed out her cheeks in pride. "Soon Yarrow won't even be able to compare to me!"
"Wow. Big words for someone learning how to count jellybeans," Yarrow grumbled from across the room, surrounded by equations that looked like they were trying to summon a headache demon. "Preschool level. Congrats, I guess."
Serena chuckled. "Alright, you've earned a break. Go play, Chickadee."
With a cheerful hum, Xiaofei skipped off, leaving Serena to stroll toward Yarrow's table. Her arms crossed beneath her chest, gaze falling on him like a soft pressure he could feel even without looking up.
"Still not done?"
"Calculating. Don't distract me," he snapped, not even trying to hide the irritation in his voice.
She exhaled dramatically and turned to lean against the edge of the table, voice purring just enough to make his pencil falter.
"If you finish all of these by tonight... I might just give you a reward."
Yarrow paused, slowly looking up from his notes, brow arching with suspicion—and something else. "Reward?"
"Mhm."
"What kind of reward?"
Her lips curved into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Focus first. Then I'll show you."
He snorted. "Mystery and motivation—real smooth, Teach."
Moments later, he slapped the papers down in front of her with a satisfied huff. "Done."
Serena picked them up, scanning the work as her finger traced each answer. After a moment, she nodded.
"Accuracy is decent. Good enough for now."
"Then... my reward?" Yarrow leaned forward, arms crossed, lips tilting up into a cocky grin. "I earned it, didn't I?"
Serena hesitated, then reached into her pocket, walking around to stand in front of him.
"Hold out your hand."
He did, clearly expecting something dramatic.
She dropped a single candy into his palm.
Yarrow stared at it. Then at her. Then back at the candy. His eye twitched.
"Are you... treating me like a kid?!"
Serena blinked, startled by the tension in his voice. She took a step back instinctively, raising both hands.
"I-I was just teasing! I didn't think you'd actually get mad—wait, Yarrow?"
But he stood up and closed the distance in one slow, deliberate step, the tension between them suddenly crackling like static. His eyes gleamed, wild and unreadable.
"Yarrow... what do you think you're doing?"
"What do I want to do?" he murmured, voice low, lips curling with amusement. "Oh, I was just wondering... if our next lesson could involve some practical knowledge of human anatomy, maybe a little one-on-one… physiology?"
Her eyes went wide. "You pervert! Don't you dare come closer—!"
Serena's shout echoed—then she took off to prepare dinner.
"Yarrow, dinner's ready! Have you finished your—"
Serena pushed open the study door and paused.
Yarrow was fast asleep at the table, arms cradling his head, notes scattered around him. The frustration in her voice softened into something gentler. It had only been about half an hour.
"Seriously... falling asleep like this?"
She walked over, gently pulling the completed worksheets from beneath his arm. Her fingers brushed his hand, and she caught the faintest mumble from him.
Still dreaming.
Still fighting.
"Still dare... to be arrogant, huh? Now you know who's boss… roar…"
Serena blinked, then sighed—though a small smile played on her lips as she shook her head.
"What am I going to do with you…"
She draped a blanket over his shoulders, tucking it gently around him. Her hand hovered in his hair for a moment longer than necessary before she quietly stepped out, leaving a warm plate of food on the stove in case he woke in the night.
Later, after her own shower, Serena sat at her desk, flipping through her notebook as flames from a nearby candle danced across the pages. She was already drafting tomorrow's lesson—more structure, more challenge.
But her thoughts kept drifting.
Outside, under the setting sun, Yarrow stood in the training yard, breath heavy, arm outstretched.
Flames swirled and condensed in his palm. This time, it wasn't a flicker or spark—it was a full, searing fireball, nearly the size of his head. Controlled. Balanced. Alive.
With a focused breath, he released it. It screamed through the air, hitting a wooden target dead center.
The explosion was brief, but powerful. Charred splinters scattered into the grass.
"Whew... finally," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Better," Serena's voice rang out behind him, cool and precise. "Still loose on the back end of the chant. You're getting the shape, but not the tempo."
She raised a hand and conjured her own fireball—sleek, tight, lethal. It fired from her palm like a bullet, striking the next post and reducing it to instant cinders.
Yarrow whistled. "Damn. That's hot."
"Focus," she said, but her cheeks betrayed the tiniest hint of pink. "Your chanting lacks rhythm. Magic is music. You need to feel it in your breath, not just in your head."
Day seven of studying with Serena. Finally, no more theory. No more equations. Just fire and instinct.
He could live with this kind of magic.
Serena's alchemy set hadn't arrived yet, and she had at least two more weeks before her custom materials would be delivered.
Until then?
He planned to burn things. And maybe melt her icy exterior—one fireball at a time.
Having someone to teach him properly really did make a difference.
Yarrow felt like he'd learned more in this single week under Serena's guidance than he had in the last two years combined. His understanding of magic had leapt forward, and his power reflected it—he'd already mastered four first-level spells.
Of course, part of that came from the absurdly overpowered magical talent he'd inherited from Zen.
He hadn't shown Serena yet, but in private… he'd already succeeded in casting spells without chanting.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Serena finally said, after watching him blast Fireball after Fireball into the practice targets. "Don't forget your homework. And preview tomorrow's lesson."
His mana was tapped out, body drenched in sweat. Hearing those words felt like the end-of-day school bell ringing in his soul.
He stretched with a groan, rubbing the stiffness from his neck. "I've been studying nonstop for a week. Can I please get a day off?"
"No." Serena crossed her arms, unwavering. "You're still way behind."
Yarrow looked at her like she'd personally murdered his weekend.
"So cruel," he muttered as they walked side by side down the path back home.
"It's only three months," she said with a small smile. "Pass the entrance exam, and you can slack off all you want."
Yarrow sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's starting to feel like I'm back in prep for the college entrance exam."
Serena's expression shifted, her gaze drifting toward the horizon.
"I plan to go home after getting into Horologium Academy."
Her voice was soft. Almost too soft.
Back at the cabin, they pushed open the front door—only to be greeted by a piercing voice:
"Dragon Mom's tits! Is the author's brain made of rotten tofu?!"
Zen stood on the coffee table, waving a paperback like a war banner, stomping her bare feet in fury.
"Hey! I just bought that table!" Yarrow rushed forward in horror, eyeing the poor piece of furniture now dented under divine wrath.
But Zen ignored him. She tossed the book to the ground like it had insulted her bloodline and flopped back on the couch, arms crossed and face thunderous.
"What happened?" Yarrow asked, picking up the battered novel.
Zen bared her teeth. "At the end, the protagonist gives up his dragon bloodline. Chooses to become human. He even said, and I quote, 'I found redemption in humanity.'"
She practically spat the last words.
Yarrow blinked. "Isn't that kind of a standard plot twist?"
"It's garbage is what it is! What self-respecting dragon would voluntarily turn into a human? That's like trading a throne for a pile of wet socks! If it were me, I'd have slaughtered the king and taken his bird-butt throne!"
"Pretty sure this was written from a human perspective…"
Yarrow sighed and gently set the book aside. So much for using literature to civilize her.
Seems like the whole "let her fall in love with novels, lose herself in human sentiment, and slowly be corrupted by domestic bliss" plan wasn't going to work. A dragon's logic was just... built different.
He was halfway up the stairs when Zen called out suddenly.
"This king wants to go to the city. Also… to that library."
Yarrow turned, one eyebrow raised. "The library?"
"What's so strange about that? I finished this dumb book. I want another. One where the dragon doesn't act like a total idiot."
She still looked sulky, pouting just enough to be cute in that ridiculous, regal way of hers.
"Alright, alright," Yarrow said, amused. "We've still got time before dinner. Let's go."
He glanced at the clock—it was just past four. Enough for a quick round trip.
"Serena, I'm heading to the city with Zen. Could you prep dinner?"
"Got it," she called back from the kitchen.
Changing into city clothes, he walked beside Zen through the main street toward the library. He kept sneaking glances at her—this majestic silver-haired dragoness, still barefoot, still grumpy, but strangely captivated by human literature.
Maybe I should introduce her to romance novels, Yarrow mused. Get her hooked on love triangles and emotional drama... then slowly reel her in.
They were passing the Adventurers' Guild when a commotion broke the flow of his thoughts.
A large crowd had gathered. In the center, a guild officer stood atop a stack of crates, shouting into the square like a town crier:
"Emergency request! Bada Village has been attacked by monsters! The village chief's family has been captured! We need adventurers to form a rescue team immediately! Generous rewards for those who participate!"
Ah. A classic emergency bulletin.
Sometimes when time was tight, the guild would skip the formal channels and just rally people directly.
"What kind of monsters?" someone shouted from the crowd.
"Goblins!" the officer replied.
That word sent a few of the onlookers backing away. Goblins weren't just pests—they were vicious, cunning, and organized. And when they captured people, the outcome was rarely merciful.
Yarrow was ready to keep walking. He wasn't interested in getting tangled up in goblin nests.
Until—
"There's more!" the officer added. "According to our scouts, the lair houses a Goblin King! Whoever takes its head will be rewarded with a high-level magic item!"
That got Yarrow's attention.
He turned back, just as the officer raised something above his head.
The item glinted in the sunlight.
It was rectangular. Slim. Familiar.
Yarrow's pupils shrank.
"Wait… is that…?"
It was.
An iPhone.
Not just any iPhone.
An Apple iPhone.
Yarrow stared at the gleaming piece of modern tech like it was a divine artifact fallen from the sky.
"What the hell is that doing in this world?!"
... hello readers, been sick last week, spent a lot of time in the hospital that's why I haven't been dropping chapters , thought I'd give a bonus for today , anyway, go to my patreon Seasay for more advanced chapters at only a subscription of 5 dollars or if you are generous enough you can pledge to your liking.Kindly support me. Thank you and have a lovely week. I'll get to answer any questions and engage readers .