It's Just a Month-Old Baby!

Hagrid's excessive coddling was wearing on Evan, as his plans to curry favor faced significant setbacks.

Despite his diligent feeding, Norbert had grown to half the size of a table but remained as arrogant and temperamental as at the beginning.

To win the dragon over, Evan had tried everything from bathing Norbert to cleaning up after it and feeding it...

He even went as far as to catch and grill fish himself. After this string of efforts, his favor had barely increased, but his barbecuing skills had improved notably.

A new entry titled "Cooking" appeared as a second-level skill in the system's knowledge theory section. With a bit of a stimulating potion Evan had secretly added to enhance taste, grilled fish had become Norbert's favorite meal.

Most days, aside from its routine destruction, Norbert spent its time leisurely basking by the stove, lazily opening its mouth for Evan to deliver the cooked fish.

After several failed attempts to win it over, Evan, pushed to his limit, decided it was time for a firmer approach. Otherwise, as Norbert continued to grow, he doubted he could keep it under control.

...

"Aqua Eructo!"

One sunny afternoon, as Norbert was gleefully wreaking havoc, Evan unleashed a torrent of water right at it.

The sudden deluge hit Norbert square in the face, dumbfounding the spoiled dragon whose breath of fire was snuffed out before it could even escape its mouth.

"Roar~" Feeling its authority challenged, Norbert, after a brief moment of confusion, let out a juvenile dragon's whine and then, with a flick of its tail, charged at Evan.

Evan deftly waved his wand, warping the floorboards to trap Norbert's limbs, then animated torn bed sheets into hemp ropes to bind its gaping, fire-ready maw. A conjured collar subdued its fated neck...

The once fierce Norbert was now reduced to helplessly flapping its wings, devoid of any threat.

Evan rolled up his sleeves and approached,

"For your reckless fire-breathing! For tearing up the furniture! For being picky! For growing too fast... For putting you to sleep..."

Evan vented all the frustration from the past month and a half, punching Norbert's head repeatedly. Fortunately, due to its recent birth, Norbert was still covered in wrinkled, thick skin which cushioned Evan's punches within a tolerable range.

After letting off steam, Evan, panting, stopped his assault. Norbert flapped its wings pitifully, not understanding why it had suddenly been thrashed.

Calming down, Evan decided to try some techniques from the "Dragon Care Handbook" he had read while Hagrid was away. The first step was establishing authority.

A dragon keeper must not be associated with food in the dragon's eyes but seen as a superior to be obeyed.

Typically, when eye contact is made and the dragon averts its gaze first, authority is considered initially established.

Evan acted immediately, staring down the immobilized Norbert. To appear more menacing, he even bared his teeth and grimaced, but after several minutes of staring, his eyes ached, and Norbert remained unchanged.

Was something wrong?

Evan glanced at a mirror nearby and saw his own reflection, which seemed not at all intimidating and somehow, inexplicably cute.

Evan sighed. Being handsome wasn't his fault...

Resorting to different measures, Evan conjured a meter-long two-handed sword, its sharp edges glinting menacingly as he approached Norbert with an evil smile.

Of course, the sword was just for show, hollow inside; Evan couldn't have lifted it otherwise.

But Norbert was unaware, and as Evan's shadowy figure with the giant sword loomed closer, it struggled desperately, causing the floorboards that bound it to creak ominously.

Evan deliberately slowed his pace, wearing down Norbert's temper. Just as he hesitated whether to strike, Norbert capitulated...

Evan nodded in satisfaction, setting aside the faux sword. Now he could gradually train Norbert to be obedient.

Thinking back on his fruitless efforts over the past days, Evan felt a rush of irritation. Had he known it would be this easy, he wouldn't have spent days as a glorified poop scooper.

"Norbert, lie down..."

Hours later, Evan commanded the young dragon from a safe distance. Reluctantly, Norbert complied, and Evan tossed a grilled fish from the table.

Norbert devoured the delicious fish, munching sullenly. Although the rope around its mouth had been removed, it wisely refrained from trying to incinerate the demon before it.

Past failures had taught Norbert that this demon knew the exact range of its fiery breath, so resistance was futile and only invited various punishments.

As Norbert obediently ate the food Evan provided, a sense of accomplishment filled him. All the afternoon's practice on a single command hadn't been in vain.

Noticing the day was drawing to a close and guessing Hagrid would soon return, Evan waved his wand to release the spells binding Norbert's limbs.

Norbert stayed put, no longer the furious creature that had charged at him earlier, as the meter-long sword still rested within Evan's reach.

Sure enough, just minutes after Evan lifted the enchantment, a familiar voice sounded outside, followed by the creak of the door. Hagrid's face, with its peculiar beard, appeared at the entrance.

"Evan, how's Norbert been today?" Hagrid casually inquired.

Just as Evan was about to respond, Norbert, as if shot with adrenaline, flapped its wings and limbs and rushed towards Hagrid, its large dragon eyes brimming with pitiful tears, like a young creature returning to its mother's embrace after being bullied outside.

"Oh, Norbert, my good child," Hagrid was unaccustomed to such a reception and seemed incredulous. It was only upon seeing the large teardrops falling from Norbert's eyes and the bruises on its face that he realized something was amiss.

"You hit it, my goodness, it's just a month-old baby!" Hagrid reached out to stroke Norbert's toothy head, his voice filled with compassion.

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