Blue-Eyes White Dragon: Adopted by the King of Knights [20]

In town.

It had already been seven days since Kay brought Bluey to this bustling village.

The young knight made no attempt to hide his new companion—on the contrary, he strutted proudly into town with the baby white dragon at his side, going out of his way to show it off.

He enthusiastically retold the tale of how the two of them had teamed up to defeat thirty lake monsters, repeating the story again and again to anyone with even a sliver of curiosity.

“One drink—that’s all it takes for the chance to hand-feed a legendary dragon.”

“Of course, beautiful women feed for free.”

Kay had always been popular in this town.

In fact, for the past seven or eight years, this brash and charming young knight had basically been the main character of every nearby village.

Fifty percent of the young women liked him, while the other fifty percent preferred his younger brother—the quiet, steady type who was nothing like Kay’s cocky, silver-tongued self.

But now, the two brothers were rapidly falling down the “most eligible bachelor” rankings.

“Is that a… a dragon?! A real one?!”

“It’s so beautiful!”

“Can I touch it? Am I really allowed to touch it?!”

The arrival of the baby dragon sent the town’s young women into a frenzy. They fawned over it, pushing and shoving to get closer, each one eager to offer their family’s best food to this mythical creature.

But the real excitement came from the young men, whose blood boiled at the sight of it. One young knight was even willing to pay a hundred gold coins just for the chance to challenge the dragon to a duel.

“Hey, bro, remember me? I’m Evan—your best pal! We snuck my dad’s liquor together, remember?”

“Come on, man—after the beating I took from him that day, you owe me a favor. Lemme fight the dragon. I’ll use a wooden spear, I swear I won’t hurt it!”

The young knight glanced toward the baby dragon, who was currently being smothered with affection by a group of adoring girls. Rubbing his hands together, Evan grinned.

Tonight, he thought, I’ll be the man who defeated a dragon.

“Oh, of course, my brother.”

Kay happily pocketed the gold coins from his friend, then waved Bluey over—and handed the dragon half of the take.

Bluey eyed the shiny coins, gave a satisfied nod… and flapped his wings once toward the charging knight.

Boom—!

The wooden wall behind them exploded in the shape of a human silhouette.

Nobody panicked.

In fact, the tavern erupted in cheers—the crowd whooped and hollered at the sheer overwhelming power the baby dragon had just displayed. Even the tavern owner and the soot-covered knight who’d just been blasted through the wall were shouting in awe.

“That’s it! That’s how a dragon should be!”

“Do it again! I swear I can take it this time!”

…

Far outskirts of Hector’s territory.

Another crisp morning.

As usual, Artoria rose before the sun had fully cleared the horizon. Her first task of the day was tending the horses—feeding them fresh hay and checking their conditions.

Only then did she head to the backyard to begin training.

—or rather, a more accurate term might be refining the Way.

Sir Hector, the stern old knight who trained her, hadn’t made a name for himself in his youth. He’d never sought fame or glory, and as a result, his name wasn’t widely known on the island.

But in Artoria’s heart, this now-retired knight was the ideal knight. Not just because of his astonishing swordsmanship, but because he had lived by the code—unyielding and honorable—for decades without ever once crossing the line.

“The fact that the King personally entrusted him says everything,” Merlin had once said.

Though his martial prowess might be second-tier, when it came to loyalty and character, he was the kind of man you could trust to guard your back with your life.

And true to the former king’s expectations, Sir Hector applied the same harsh standards to Artoria’s training.

“Art, what are you doing?! How can you lose focus during a fight? Do you think your enemy will stop attacking just because you’re distracted?!”

“Sorry, Sir. It won’t happen again.”

The criticism hit hard, as always.

And the girl simply nodded, apologized, and refocused all her energy on the bout before her.

—Or at least, that’s what she tried to do.

But why? Artoria couldn’t stop the question from surfacing in her mind.

She had a bad feeling—an inexplicable unease gnawing at her from the inside. Her instincts screamed that something very bad was happening. The anxiety made it impossible to concentrate, and she kept making mistakes during practice.

Eventually, Sir Hector noticed her distraction and—perhaps mercifully—gave her the day off to settle her turbulent thoughts.

So… was that ominous feeling just my imagination?

No. It wasn’t.

Artoria trusted her instincts—if something terrible was unfolding, something she absolutely did not want to see… she was certain it was already in motion.

But what could it be?

Could something have happened to the baby dragon?

She considered it—then slowly shook her head.

According to Merlin, that white dragon—though still young—was a genuine god. There was nothing on this island powerful enough to threaten him. He couldn’t be in danger.

Then what is it?

Artoria frowned. The little ahoge on her head curled into a perfect question mark.

And right then, a knock came from the door.

—It was Merlin, here to deliver breakfast.

A well-balanced meal, generous in portion, with a careful mix of meat and vegetables. Clearly a royal feast, prepared just for her.

But Artoria’s attention wasn’t on the food.

“What… what is that?”

She was pointing at Merlin’s shirt—a pristine white garment, adorned with a bold design: a fierce, blue, winged baby dragon, claws bared.

“Oh? This?” Merlin looked down. “A girl gave it to me.”

“You know how popular I am in town.”

He said it with smug satisfaction.

In truth, he and Kay were two of a kind—except that Merlin was chased by women, while Kay chased after them. Same flavor, different direction.

But right now, Artoria had zero interest in Merlin’s love life.

“I mean, why are you wearing that? With Bluey on your shirt?!”

Her voice was caught somewhere between disbelief and horror.

And in that moment, she finally understood the ominous feeling that had been haunting her all day.

“Oh? You didn’t know?”

“Your brother brought His Highness to the town. They’re superstars now—beloved by all.”

“All the girls are painting that little dragon’s likeness on shirts and giving them to their crushes.”

Merlin beamed, gesturing proudly to his dragon-shirt like it was a badge of honor.

And Artoria—who knew exactly what kind of person her dear foster brother was—stood frozen in the doorway, wide-eyed, wearing a face that could only be described as pure regret.

“You bastard—!!”

“That’s my baby dragon!!!”

---

T/N: heh.

This is a fan translation of 综漫：青眼幼龙，被骑士王捡到了 by 歌冰丽月. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!