Chapter 16 The Dragon Race's Unfortunate Circumstances

"....Who the hell are you callin' a lizard?"

This Mother of mine was talking smack about my waifu, then she calls me a coldblooded reptile?! This was just too much!

Her cheeks puffed up as if offended I could even say such a thing. "Who're YOU callin' a lizard? Dragons aren't lizards! To call transcendant beings like us mere reptiles...that's like comparing a human to an ape! We're closer to Spirits and Gods, understand? We are in no way related to lizards at all! We're peak existences!"She slammed her hand on the wall.

"The only peak existence Irecognize are the Furry-eared Ones!" I shouted back forcefully.

Mother gasped, horrified. She grew red with anger. "You little....take that back! How can you consider mutants on the same level as higher beings like Dragons?! Are you stupid?!"

"...Dragons..." Minnie's eyes were running around in circles at the conversation she was hearing. Couldn't blame her.

"I can't believe you, Mother! I had no idea you were such a racist! Hmph, enough with all this Dragon bullshit! I don't care about you anymore! I'm leaving!"

Making up all these lies, they were naught but a distractions and excuses to hide her prejudices. I shan't have anything to do with it.

But before I could even take a step out the door she grabbed my hand in a vise-like grip.

"Oh no you don't, son! Now that the cat's out of the bag you got a duty to perform and you aren't weaseling your way out of it!"

"You're not part of just any old Dragon clan, Damien. Me, you, Dolly, we're of the noble Okeanos Family! Great Water Dragons! Beings who command that which all life originates from.We're Dragon Royalty!" She revealed.

I made a show of searching my pockets. After a moment I shrugged helplessly. "Sorry. I guess I just don't have any Fucks to give."

She smacked my head. "Don't joke around!"

"Fucking hell...alright, alright. Dragon Royalty, got it." I didn't believe it but let's just go along with her. " So? What's that got to do with me?"

"Everything. You have a duy to perform, Damien, one of grave importance." She calmed herself. "Listen up, son. The Dragon are a powerful race. An ancient race. But with great power comes great consequence."

"Responsibility, you mean."

I was ignored. "In our case that means low birth rate!" Her voice grew impassioned. "It's a very serious issue among the Dragon race. Our numbers were never very large to begin with, but now after many thousands of years our population is the lowest it's ever been! Especially the Okeanos Family! Son, do you not understand? If something isn't done soon we'll possibly even go extinct!"

"Such is life." I nodded.

Again, ignored.

"At first it was just about it being difficult for women to conceive children, so a lot of our males had to make children with other races. That in itself wasn't a great worry since Dragon blood is usually dominant. But now the men...they're... complete sheep!" She sighed regretfully, clutching her heart in mourning. "They're almost completely uninterested in females by now. In spite of having great reproductive capabilities, they were never a very aggressive group on that front to begin with. But now they're entirely beta! Beta as fuck!"

She wiped away an imaginary tear.

"And as if that wasn't bad enough, there also lies another problem: They're nearly all gone! Our males, they're nearly all dried up in this age! There's not even 30 male Dragons in all the world, son!"

"Because of those three factors our numbers have grown so pitifully small in recent eras. Although our overall power has increased dramatically in response, that, too, in turn also negatively effects our situation because now even aphrodisiacs don't work with us being so powerful! It's a truly vicious cycle. Horrifying."

"And?"

I got a glare.

"What do you mean, and? Let me finish. Ahem." She cleared her throat and continued her dramatization. "Indeed, we thought our time was done. We accepted our fates. But then something miraculous happened!" She held her hands together, almost in prayer. "And from me, you were born! You, my son, with your extraordinary... libido!"

I wasn't comfortable with this topic anymore.

"...Um."

"It was from you the fires of hope rekindled themselves within our hearts! Yes. Showing affinity for the debaucherous at such a young age...All those writings of yours which hint at the erotic genius dwelling deep within....the way you punish with one hand and reward with the other, those masterful techniques you've perfected that trap women in an abyss of pain and pleasure. We were watching all along! We knew, then, the solution to our problems. Do you understand, my son?"

Her face was really close for some reason. The way she stared at me was so pressuring!

"..."

"Damien. For the sake of our entire species, you must copulate!" She intoned. "Copulate like crazy! Like a rabbit in heat!"

"...Uh..."

"But not just any woman will do. Like the Minerva girl, she's out of the question. We can't have you creating inferior offspring. Our pride won't allow it, not after the whole wyvern business. No, you have to get it on with only the strongest and pure-blooded of races. The Sea Folk race, the Elven race, the Phoenix tribe, the Celestiels, the Devil race...the powerful Magi of the human race, even...you've a responsibility to seek out exceptional women from all these great races and conquer their bodies mercilessly, impregnating them with all your might! Obviously this includes all the young females from our race as well, but we can't expect much children from them so we can't have you wasting time on those ones until later." She said.

"But yes. Copulation. This is your duty as the current generation's 1st Prince of the Okeanos Family!"

By the end she was breathing hard, having worn herself out.

I couldn't even get a word in edgewise before she was at it again.

"Don't worry, though, son. Your looks are top-tier even among our race. After you mature more all you'd have to do is crook a finger and women shall line up at your bed! I guarantee it as a woman myself. We're simple creatures, after all."

While I did believe women were capable of being just as skeezy and loose as men in some cases, that sentence was really a large generality. Apologize to your gender, dammit.

"Even if you weren't so good-looking you would merely have to show your manhood and they'll be unable to resist."

She went on.

"After all, while I don't know why, females have for many centuries had an abnormal fascination with the size and shape of a male Dragon's member. It really is quite odd now that I think about it..."

The Bad Dragon company would make a killing here.

That aside...

I finally understood it now.

Damien in the game wasn't a playboy at all! He was just being pimped out by his own mother! What the flying fudge!

And now that she mentioned them, weren't a lot of the girls from the Hero's harem high-tier demi-humans too?

My gods...

He didn't cuck you only because you got him mad, he was also being professional about it! Two birds with one stone! And he didn't simply bang 'em, he knocked 'em up!

Probably.

Well.

It doesn't have anything to do with me.

"I believe in monogamous relationships, though?"

Mother's face stiffened up immediately. "What?"

"My libido is only for my future wife, okay?"

Her sails got the wind knocked out of them.

"I...huh? Son, maybe you didn't understand me the first time. Our race is in danger--"

"I'm not a Dragon. I'm an Angel, okay?" Gotta keep up the appearances for Minnie and Evie's sakes.

She waved it off. "Only a bit on your Father's side."

Say what?!

No, ignore her. I'm human, dammit!

" So, sorry. Gonna have to go extinct. But hey ya'll had a good run, eh?"

"Damien, honey, be reasonable!"

"Fuck that, you're planning to use me as a breeding horse! Your own son!"

"Breeding Dragon. And our race is at risk, I've got no choice. Aren't you getting the good end of the deal anyway? Be a good boy and sow your oats for mommy!"

"You've being disgusting, tryna whore out your own son like this. Hmph."

"It's a noble cause!" Came the defense. "And are you really going to leave?!"

"Um, yeah? Obviously.I don't tolerate racists, Mother, and I especially don't tolerate people making fun of Minnie!" Even though I was shorter than her at the moment, I still pulled the girl into a hug as if to protect her from the world. Which I would. By cleansing it with blood and fire.

"How can you call her a mutant? Look at these ears." I pulled down her hood, which surprised the young lady. "Look at them! They're glorious! Happiness in physical form! I can't live with a person who calls the woman I want to marry a mutant! Ahem. Although of course I want to get to know her better, and want for her to know me better, before anything. But after that, THEN marriage."

I patted Minnie's head, which I had to stretch a little to reach. "Don't worry, my sweet. I will shower you both with all my love and affection and make you, especially, a happy woman, okay? Or, I hope. I won't force it if you don't want me. But just so you know, I, as an Angel, understand that ours is a match made in heaven. And really you shouldn't doubt that and should instead focus on deepening our bond. Ahem. Yeah."

Now it may SEEM like I was using her belief in my supposed(?) Angeldom to imply some imaginary fated union....but it was really all on her, alright?

If she didn't like me I wouldn't force the matter. Wasn't it fine? I knew moderation when it came to stuff like this, okay?!

....Plus, fuck you. I'll treat her right and proper! I'll treat her like a goddess! S-So what if my love is a bit heavy-handed or sly? As long as she accepts me I'll be the most devoted, caring, thoughtful lover in the world!

The poor girl was so disoriented.

"...Yes...?" Her brows furrowed. "Was I just proposed to...? " She muttered low. "I don't know what's going on anymore. I'm so confused." She slumped her shoulders. "Am I dreaming? There's no way an Angelic being would be interested in me, of course. I have to be dreaming. Yup. Wait. He's still quite young, yet I'm having such thoughts? Am I a pervert?! I can't believe I'd have such delusions, and about Master no less! I really have no shame at all...!" She despaired.

Maybe it's good she thought this was all a dream?

"You're being too biased!" Mother pouted. "Choosing some animal over your own Mother, who carried you for nine painful months and raised you with all the love in her heart up to now...such an ungrateful son! And I'm not racist! In the first place is that kitten even on the same level as a person, hm? Son, don't be so hung up on a mutant like this, okay? If you really like it will let her stay without complaint. But marriage is impossible. In the first place you can't marry yet anyway. Plant your seed in a few hundred fields first, at least, and then we can discuss you settling down. In fact I have a few candidates in mind who--"

"Can go suck turtle eggs." I finished. "Listen here, mother of mine, I don't REALLY wanna leave but you're forcing my hand here. Now good day."

"But--"

"I said good day!"

And slammed the door in her face.

I didn't need her or father! I could make my own way in this world just fine without them!

Calling me a lizard, making fun of Minnie, wanting to make a breeding horse outta me...as if' I'd stand for that kinda crap.

Until she admitted to the glory of the Furry-eared Ones, our relationship as mother and son is over!

With Evie not around, the Prince and Dolly could safely advance in their relationship while staying together here too. If their relationship was really only ruined because of Evie stepping in then there's nothing to worry about right now.

I feel like this time around Dolly was a bit more weird than she was in the game, but still, I think--

"Master, look." Evie, who'd been silent up to now, alerted me to a newcomer.

I turned to look and saw none other than Charlotte standing just a few feet behind us.

A small sword strapped to her side, bow in hand, eyes blazing brilliantly like an eight-year-old at a candy store...

She smiled.

"I heard everything."