26 A Bold Idea
(Combo)
Eternal life… huh?
Leon savored the word.
In his view, eternal life was somewhat ‘contradictory.’
For many people, they might never have discussed or seriously thought about what “eternal life” really is, how to achieve it, or what the cost of such a thing might be;
But when life is about to run out, many start lamenting, wondering why they can’t live a little longer, even if it means giving up money, health, or something else—they just want a few more years.
Eternal life rarely surfaces as a serious issue in most people’s lives, but once everyone wraps up their mundane or glorious lives, they often yearn to seek more longevity from this definition they’ve never truly contemplated.
Take Leon himself; before he formed this fake family with Roswiser, he never once thought about eternal life or his lifespan.
Because Leon had received a solid education about d*ath back in the orphanage.
The nuns and his tough-but-thoughtful master taught him how to face d*ath properly.
As for after this fake family was set up, Leon did ponder the differences in life expectancy between humans and dragons.
After mulling over it, he couldn’t think of any clear reasoning.
Dragons live longer than humans, but in the end, they, too, would be buried in the land.
So Leon believed no one could escape d*ath.
So-called eternal life is merely wanting to leave behind a little trace of oneself in this bizarre world.
Just like the bold speculation his master just made: the previous king might not be dead after all, but instead has retreated into the shadows, becoming the true power behind the throne, secretly controlling the country.
Thus, thirty years later, the empire is still under the previous king’s rule.
Leon snapped back to the present and asked, “If the previous king really faked his d*ath, how did he manage to extend his lifespan?”
His master had his own theories, “Eternal life or longevity has been a topic studied by royal alchemists for centuries, so… perhaps some progress has been made?”
“But if it’s truly the work of the royal alchemists, then the king wouldn’t need to fake his d*ath to cover up such findings, right?” Leon argued. “A longer lifespan means he can accumulate more power, solidifying his reign. It also shows human magical prowess to the outside world, asserting dominance. Faking d*ath just pushes him to the sidelines; while he still holds real power, it complicates many matters, doesn’t it?”
This was something Taige hadn’t considered before.
The old man stroked his chin, frowning in thought, pondering, “Indeed… but what do these suspicions and clues represent…?”
New hypotheses paired with new questions flared in Leon’s mind, and he quickly pointed out one sentence,
“Perhaps the so-called eternal life, the means and costs behind it, can never be made public.”
After a pause, he added, “Of course, breakthrough research like eternal life or longevity might be withheld either for secrecy or to hide power, so it’s understandable if it’s not disclosed. But…”
“I’m more inclined to believe that the cost of eternal life developed by the empire is something they wish to keep in the dark. Furthermore… it might also involve this protracted war between humans and dragons.”
Taige was struggling to keep up with his disciple’s train of thought, “What do you mean by that?”
“Think about it, Master. The war between humans and dragons has lasted for centuries; there are so many implications involved. Every step and decision made by both sides likely influences the other.”
Leon explained, “That’s why I feel the former king’s eternal life or extended lifespan is deeply intertwined with dragons, and ultimately, the entire war.”
Taige fell silent, pondering Leon’s ideas slowly.
At this moment, the usually quiet Rebecca suddenly spoke up, her tone quite serious, “I think the captain makes a valid point.”
The carefree girl had unexpectedly joined such a serious conversation, catching both Taige and Leon’s attention.
“Oh? How so? Share your thoughts.”
Taige thought that being young, Rebecca’s brain might be faster, and without the generational gap, it should be easy for her to understand what Leon was saying.
With a serious expression, Rebecca earnestly declared, “Because the captain talks a lot, so following his thoughts must be right!”
Taige: “……”
Leon: “……”
Roswiser: in internal stitches, must not laugh, must be serious as queen.
Leon gave Rebecca a light smack on the face, shoving her aside, “Go play somewhere else, grown-ups are talking here.”
Rebecca sidestepped a few steps and made a face, sticking out her tongue at Leon, “You’re only a year older than me, stupid man!”
Leon couldn’t be bothered with the kid, turning back to discuss future plans with his master.
Seeing the two men deep in conversation without including her, Rebecca suddenly had the urge to go solo.
This old-and-weak duo isn’t worthy of my honor!
The little girl chewed on her bubblegum, hands tucked in her pockets, her head down as she kicked gravel on the ground, utterly bored.
Suddenly, one stone rolled away uncontrollably.
Rebecca was about to lift her foot to chase it but then realized that stone was heading right for Roswiser.
Thud—
The stone lightly tapped Roswiser’s high-heeled shoe. She slowly opened her silver eyes, looked down, and then raised her gaze to the stone-thrower.
At the moment their eyes met—those reversed dragon pupils—Rebecca couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety.
She wasn’t as bold as the captain, who could face the Dragon King, let alone marry and have kids with her.
She was just a twenty-two-year-old artillery master, a bit crazy, but she also knew full well that what was staring back at her wasn’t just any high-and-mighty beauty but a genuine Dragon King.
In Rebecca’s mind, dragons were still synonymous with brutality.
This Dragon King was the captain’s wife, not her wife, so who knew what she might do to her?
But—
The Dragon King probably wasn’t the petty type, right…? It’s just a tiny stone; she shouldn’t get mad over it, right?
While Rebecca was frantically overthinking, Roswiser remained absolutely calm.
She took her gaze off Rebecca, extended her tail, and nonchalantly swept the little stone back.
Then she closed her eyes again, calming herself.
The stone rolled back to Rebecca’s feet, and she secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Looks like the captain married a pretty gentle Dragon wife.
The little interaction between the mad girl and the queen went unnoticed by the mentor-disciple duo.
After handing over information and finalizing plans, Leon asked about his master’s wife,
“Is my master’s wife still at her family’s place?”
Taige pressed his lips, seeming hesitant, but eventually replied, “Yes, she’s safe there.”
Leon scratched his head and said, “Master, why don’t you tell me where she’s from? I haven’t seen my master’s wife for a while; I’d like to visit?”
It’s been a while since I saw the mule too.
“Uh… her family’s place is quite remote, hard to describe. Once the imperial matters are settled, I’ll take you there.” His master was a bit vague, “It’s best if you wait.”
Why does it feel like the old guy doesn’t want me to see my master’s wife?
Leon was curious but didn’t voice it, just nodded, “Alright, then let’s wait until later.”
“Uh-huh.”
After a pause, Leon seemed to think of something. He patted his jacket pocket, then pulled out a photo and handed it to Taige.
Taige took it, and the picture showed an adorable baby with pink hair and tail, eyes closed, tiny fists clenched.
“This is…?”
“Aurora, our third daughter with Roswiser, who I mentioned during my visit to the empire. Her nickname is Little Light.”
Despite being a Dragon Slayer, Taige seemed not to mind that Leon’s daughter was half-bl**d, considering he kept the family portrait Roswiser gave him so well.
So, before coming here, Leon specifically took a picture of Little Light, thinking to show the old man.
Taige gazed at the photo of his little granddaughter, a tender smile breaking through his rugged face.
Rebecca curiously leaned in closer.
Seeing the cute pink dragon in the picture, the little girl’s eyes sparkled, “So adorable~~!”
Leon waved his hand, self-deprecatingly, “Of course, because look who’s genes she has.”
“Exactly! If it weren’t for the captain’s beautiful wife’s genes, your little girl wouldn’t be so cute!”
“Hey—watch it!”
Rebecca giggled and ducked behind Taige.
After admiring his granddaughter, Taige carefully put the photo away.
“Well, if there’s nothing else, Roswiser and I will head back now, Master.”
“Wait, actually, I have something for you.”
As he spoke, Taige pulled out an old, dusty tome from his pocket. “You mentioned having trouble gathering magical power. This book might be useful for you.”
Leon took the ancient book from his master, titled Nine Gates of Hell.
“Sounds a bit… ominous,” Leon remarked. “Does it contain methods for restoring magical energy?”
Taige shook his head, “It’s unrelated to magic. It details a powerful physical technique. Since you can’t use magic for now, you should need a means of self-defense. Relying on just the Dragon Slayer Army’s training might not be enough, so I took a risk to get this book for you. Go back and practice; you look like you’ve got no energy.”
“……”
Master, not having energy isn’t my fault; I’ve outgrown my innocent days long ago!
“Okay, I’ll practice seriously, thanks, Master.”
Taige nodded, “Good. Head back, and be careful on the road.”
“Yeah, you too, Master.”
Leon tucked the book away, turned around, and called for Roswiser as they left.
Roswiser slowly got up and followed Leon to the cave exit.
As they were leaving, she half-turned, glancing at Rebecca.
Rebecca felt nervous again.
Those calm silver eyes appraised her, and finally, those elegant lips of the beauty parted,
“Human girl, quite cute.”
With that, she shifted her gaze away, spread her dragon wings, parted the waterfall with a flap, and left with Leon.
After the couple departed, Taige walked over to the still-dazed Rebecca and patted her on the head,
“Everyone’s gone; what are you still staring at?”
Rebecca snapped back to reality, shaking her head and muttering, “Old man, you brought up so many bold speculations, and suddenly I have a bolder one too.”
Taige raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”
The little girl looked up, serious, “I think the captain and his wife might have even more kids.”
“…… Your intentions are good, but hold that thought for now.”
The disciple was out gathering intelligence, not adding to the dragon population.
Otherwise, they might end up with a whole football team without even gathering intel.
“What’s wrong with that! With three little girls that cute, what’s wrong with having a few more! The Dragon King can live over a thousand years. Even if it’s one every ten years, they could have a hundred!”
“Have you considered your captain might be gone in a few decades? How would they have more kids then, reincarnation?”
“Oh, speaking of that, wouldn’t that leave the captain’s wife in widowhood? Wuu, just thinking about that beautiful beauty being widowed makes my heart ache. Leon Casmod has no heart!—Hey, old man, what are you doing!”
Taige bent down, throwing Rebecca over his shoulder, grabbing his sword and sheathing it at his waist.
“This isn’t something we should be considering. They’ll handle their matters. Let’s head back to the empire and have a few words with that dog emperor.”
—
27 🤣👉🤡🤡
Leon sat comfortably on the broad back of a dragon, browsing through the Nine Gates of Hell that his master had just given him.
Though the name sounds a bit intimidating, the content is pure gold.
As his master said, this book is all about physical training.
From the table of contents, most of the earlier chapters teach the reader how to train their body more effectively to reach beyond human limits.
The latter chapters, however, are the real meat of Nine Gates of Hell.
Leon skimmed through it quickly, planning to read it thoroughly once he got back.
Coincidentally, Roswiser asked, “So what’s your plan next?”
“Hmm… my master and I plan to connect the dots between the former king faking his d*ath, the human-dragon war, and the empire hunting me down to investigate.”
“Oh, sounds like the task has just gotten heavier.”
Leon chuckled, “Not really.”
“How so?”
“When I was in school, what I dreaded most wasn’t the long math problems but the short ones. Because with too little information given, it’s really hard to find the correct answer.”
Leon continued, “On the other hand, the longer the problem, the more information you have, which helps lead to a solution. So by combining more clues, we might find the answers we’re looking for quicker.”
The queen didn’t reply immediately, falling silent for a moment before offering a chuckle, clearly failing to hold back her praise for Leon, “You’re getting smarter by the day, Leon.”
“People grow, after all.”
“No, I think it has nothing to do with growth.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, “Then what does it relate to?”
“Birds of a feather flock together. Since you’ve been living with me for so long, it’s only natural you’d become smarter.”
Leon smirked, rolling his eyes; when it came to self-praise, neither of them backed down.
“By the way, are you planning to practice that physical technique book?” Roswiser asked.
“Of course, I will.”
“Oh…” The queen hesitated, seeming to ponder something.
Leon sensed that this Mother Dragon was brewing some scheme.
Though he didn’t know what she was thinking, she wouldn’t randomly bring up Nine Gates of Hell without a reason.
After a moment, Leon stuffed the book deeper into his pocket.
The couple exchanged light banter on their way; hours later, they returned to the Silver Dragon Temple.
Left in the morning, home by night— you can always trust the speed of the Silver Dragon Race!
Upon entering the temple’s courtyard, maid Milan approached, bowed, and quietly said, “Your Majesty, Princess Isar has arrived.”
Roswiser paused, “My sister? When did she get here?”
“Just not long ago; she’s with Princess Moon in the back yard playing.”
“Got it, prepare dinner and guest rooms.”
Milan nodded, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
After giving her instructions, Milan headed off to prepare.
Roswiser pursed her lips, puzzled, “My sister appears unexpectedly at times.”
“I see, the Silver Dragons excel in speed, while the Red Dragons excel in ambush.” Leon teased.
Roswiser shot him a look, “When you see my sister, tell her we went to patrol the borders.”
“Sure, saying we’re patrolling the borders is a great excuse to get out of work, Your Majesty.”
The queen playfully punched his chest, “Stop being goofy, you clueless man.”
The couple walked toward the backyard.
Sure enough, Isar was there, sitting on a bench under an old locust tree, holding Moon and doting on her little face.
“Moon, sweetie~ Do you want to play at the Red Dragon Holy Temple with your auntie?”
“Yess~”
“You really want to? Then give your auntie a kiss, and I’ll take you tomorrow.”
“Auntie kiss~”
Little Moon cupped the face of the red-haired beauty, giving her a kiss.
“Hmm… I suddenly changed my mind; one kiss isn’t enough, you need to give two.”
The little dragon girl understood the dynamics and gave her aunt several more kisses.
Auntie’s excitement was over the moon.
Darn it, I need to tell Little Luo and brother-in-law to have a few more kids so I can use the excuse “You have too many kids, give me two, I’ll help take care of them” to snag some cute little dragon girls for my Red Dragon Holy Temple.
“Hey, sis, you’re here.” Isar’s voice snapped her out of thought, as she caught sight of her sister.
Isar looked up, her eyes sparkling, “Oh, where have you two lovebirds been? Not even bringing the kid along!”
Roswiser blushed, “What lovebirds? Leon and I were patrolling the borders.”
“Ha! Patrolling the borders sounds like a great excuse for playing hooky and sneaking around!”
“Pfft—” Leon almost burst into laughter but was shoved back by a sharp elbow from Roswiser.
“Little Luo, don’t turn red when you lie next time.”
Roswiser’s heart raced, a bit worried her sister might catch onto something.
If Isar knew she just went to meet her human husband, the human master, and that human little girl to discuss some human schemes, then things would get very lively at home.
As of now, Roswiser had absolutely no clue how to handle a reveal, so she kept quiet around Isar.
Fortunately, Isar didn’t press further, simply believing her sister was just finding an excuse to sneak off with her husband.
She lowered her head and continued to play with Moon.
Roswiser could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“By the way, Little Luo, in your last letter you said you named your little girl Aurora, right?”
“Yeah, full name Aurora, nickname Little Light.”
Isar nodded, “Great name.”
With that, she held Moon, stood up, and eagerly said, “Take me to see the little darling. It’s been three months since I last saw her; she must be able to call me auntie by now, right?”
Hearing that, the couple exchanged odd glances, their expressions growing peculiar.
Isar was baffled, “What’s with that expression? Is there something wrong with Little Light?”
The couple pursed their lips, not saying anything, guiding Isar to the bedroom.
Upon seeing Little Light, Isar’s maternal instincts kicked in again, snuggling up to the baby dragon with plenty of affection.
Moon: So love fades, right, auntie?
Little Light still had that delightful baby smell, her cheeks chubby and smooth, making her infinitely huggable.
“Isn’t the baby perfect? Why did you two just make that face earlier?”
Isar asked without really paying attention to their replies and continued hugging the baby, “Little Light, come on, say ‘auntie,’ Isar~ auntie~”
Before Little Light could even attempt to speak, Roswiser interjected from the side, “Sister, actually, Little Light… still can’t talk.”
Isar paused, blinking in surprise, “How is that possible? She’s already three months old; how can she not talk yet?”
“It’s true, sister. Lei and I have been teaching her for a month, but Little Light still can’t even say the simplest words like ‘dad’ or ‘mom’…”
Moon jumped, raising her hand, “She can’t say ‘sister’ either!”
“Right, she has never called Moon or Noia ‘sister.’ We think something might be wrong with the baby, and we want to take her to Sky City for a check-up tomorrow.”
“Pfft, what’s wrong? My little niece is perfectly fine!”
Isar cooed at Little Light, “Sweetie, your parents say you can’t talk at three months. Auntie doesn’t believe it; come on, say ‘auntie’ for them to hear.”
Leon sighed, “Sister, just give it up. I’ve worn my mouth raw for a month; Little Light…”
“Isar~ aun~tie~”
Leon: ???
Roswiser: ???
Isar: 🤣👉🤡🤡
