Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I’m Stuck as Their Baby! - Chapter 69

Chapter 69: A Morning of Regrets
The world was warm. Cozy. Peaceful.

Which obviously meant something was about to go horribly wrong.

I buried my face deeper into my pillow, feeling the comfortable weight of my dragon curled up beside me. Its tail flicked lazily against my arm, and its slow, steady breathing filled the silence of the morning.

For one brief, glorious moment, I allowed myself to believe that I could stay like this forever.

[ You do realize what day it is, right? ]

No.

Absolutely not.

I was pretending today did not exist.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

CRASH.

My door slammed open with all the force of a siege weapon.

“WAKE UP, YOUR HIGHNESS!”

I jerked upright with a yelp, my heart nearly exploding out of my chest.

My dragon, startled, launched itself off the bed, smacking its head against the wall with a very undignified squawk.

Mara and Elira stood at the entrance to my room, both beaming like today was the best day of their lives.

I, meanwhile, was one second away from committing murder.

“What,” I croaked, voice hoarse from sleep, “is your problem?”

Mara practically vibrated with excitement. “It’s monster day!”

I stared at her.

Elira, significantly more composed but just as eager, nodded. “You’re facing your first battle today, Your Highness. It’s time to prepare.”

I slowly blinked.

“…No.”

Mara gasped. “Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

I flopped back onto my pillows. “I refuse.”

[ Oh, good. We’re at the denial stage. ]

Unfortunately, my refusal meant absolutely nothing.

Because Mara and Elira marched over, grabbed my blankets, and ripped them away like a pair of merciless demons.

I screamed.

My dragon, still dazed, hissed in betrayal.

Mara clapped her hands. “Alright! Let’s get you dressed!”

I groaned, dragging my hands down my face. “Can’t I just… fight it tomorrow?”

Elira gave me a pointed look. “Your parents and grandparents are expecting you.”

At the mention of my overenthusiastic family, I froze.

…Wait.

My parents were expecting me.

My grandparents were expecting me.

Which meant the door slammed open again.

I turned just in time to see all six members of my insane family march into my room.

Oh.

Oh, no.

“Good morning, dear!” Verania greeted, beaming with far too much energy.

Sylvithra nodded approvingly. “Are you excited?”

I stared at them.

Then at Mara and Elira.

Then back at my entire family, who were all here, together, at the same time.

“…Do none of you have jobs?”

Silence.

A single blink.

Saelira smiled. “Of course not.”

Eryndor chuckled. “What’s more important than our granddaughter’s first battle?”

I gestured vaguely. “Ruling the empire?”

Ilythia tilted her head. “It rules itself.”

Veylen sighed. “We have people for that.”

I slowly inhaled. “So just to be clear you’ve all abandoned your royal duties to watch me fight one monster?”

Sylvithra placed a hand over her heart. “We would abandon entire wars for you.”

“…That’s not as comforting as you think it is.”

Verania clapped her hands. “Enough stalling! Let’s get our little conqueror ready!”

I sighed.

Because, of course, there was no escaping this.

—

I dragged out the preparation process as long as possible.

Getting dressed? Took three times longer than necessary.

Eating breakfast? I chewed slower than a dying snail.

Walking to the training grounds? I stopped to admire every single plant.

None of it worked.

Because my family was unrelenting.

And eventually inevitably I found myself standing before the massive, reinforced arena.

The air was tense.

The ground rumbled.

And as I stepped forward, the gate slowly lifted revealing the creature I would be fighting.

I exhaled slowly.

[ Identifying target… ]

The air was thick with tension as the final echoes of grinding metal faded into silence.

The gate finished rising, dust swirling from the ancient mechanisms.

Behind it a pair of burning amber eyes locked onto mine.

[ Name: Ironclad Basilisk ]

[ Species: Basilisk ]

[ Level: 10 ]

[ Strength: 75 ]

[ Agility: 50 ]

[ Intelligence: 15 ]

[ Resistance: Extreme ]

[ Weakness: Piercing Attacks, Elemental Magic ]

A behemoth of scales and muscle, the basilisk slithered forward, its powerful body coiling with effortless grace. Jagged plates of iron-like armor covered its back, dull silver under the harsh sunlight, each overlapping like the segmented plating of an ancient war machine.

I gripped my sword tighter.

The sheer size of the thing made my stomach drop.

It was easily five times my height, its head crowned with curved, bladed horns, and its massive tail dragged deep grooves into the earth as it moved.

[ Good news: You’re not dead yet. ]

Great. Very reassuring.

The basilisk’s forked tongue flickered, tasting the air tasting me before its lips curled back in a silent snarl, revealing serrated fangs that gleamed like polished obsidian.

[ Bad news: It looks hungry. ]

I inhaled slowly, forcing my pulse to steady.

This wasn’t some mindless beast.

Basilisks were intelligent more than they had any right to be.

And that meant It was watching me. Studying me. Just like I was studying it.

My body tensed as the massive serpent shifted its weight.

The instant I saw the movement I dove aside.

CRASH.

The ground exploded behind me, stone and dirt flying as the basilisk’s head slammed down where I’d just been standing.

Dust clouded the air, but I didn’t stop moving.

I rolled back onto my feet, boots digging into the dirt, and barely had time to breathe before the basilisk’s tail whipped around.

I threw myself backward, narrowly avoiding the blur of silver and green that cut through the space I’d just occupied.

My instincts screamed as the sheer force of the attack sent a shockwave rippling through the arena.

That would have broken bones.

Fast. Strong. Durable.

And now It had seen me dodge.

That meant it would be faster next time.

[ Strategic advice: Hit it before it hits you. ]

Oh, wow. Thanks.

I steadied my breathing, my grip tightening on the hilt of my sword.

Time to see if I could actually hurt this thing.

I launched forward, using the opening between its movements to close the distance.

The basilisk’s eyes flashed. I saw the attack coming just in time.

I ducked low as its head snapped sideways, missing me by inches. The wind of its movement slammed into me like a battering ram, but I gritted my teeth and kept moving.

I slashed metal screamed against metal.

My sword scraped off the basilisk’s plated hide, sparks flying as the impact jolted through my arms. I hissed in frustration. Too thick.

The plating was too damn strong.

I threw myself backward before it could retaliate, my mind racing.

Normal attacks weren’t going to work.

[ Well. That was embarrassing. ]

Shut. Up.

The basilisk’s tongue flickered again, its amber eyes gleaming. It was enjoying this.I exhaled slowly.Fine.

Let’s change the rules, then. My hand flexed.And I reached for my magic.

Power coiled beneath my skin, electric and wild, responding to my call instantly.

I could feel it the shift, the weight of the world bending just slightly beneath my will.

[ Magic Detected: Abyssal Requiem ]

A slow smirk pulled at my lips.

Let’s see how resistant you are to reality itself.

I stepped forward.

The basilisk tensed, its instincts screaming warning.

But it was already too late.

Because I was done playing fair.