Chapter 97: Pat Your…
At the border of the Silver Dragon territory.
Months of war had left this place barren, with scars of magical blasts everywhere.
Restoring it to its former glory would seem to take a while.
The couple strolled through the woods.
Roswiser boldly tried to hold Leon’s hand.
The earlier topic about the Heartguard Dragon Scale seemed to have put him in a bit of a funk.
Having been together for so long, they’d argued and fought, and while they liked to compete subtly, they were mostly honest with each other.
Especially about important matters—Leon and Roswiser never kept secrets.
So, Roswiser hiding the issue of the Heartguard Dragon Scale… was what bothered Leon so much.
Of course, Roswiser knew that Leon’s concern wasn’t just because she hadn’t updated him on this matter in time.
A big part of it was that losing the Heartguard Dragon Scale was extremely dangerous for her.
He didn’t want anything to happen to Roswiser.
Plus, knowing in the future that Roswiser fell into a coma due to the lack of dragon scale protection only left Leon more baffled as to why Roswiser would place such an important dragon scale in a so-called “safe” place.
And why was she being all cryptic with him?
As they walked, Leon was pretty much out of the mood to chat, just staring at the ground.
So Roswiser thought, let’s cheer up my faux husband!
Don’t want the daughters to catch wind of anything when they get home.
She tried to loop her arm through Leon’s.
Seeing he didn’t object, she bravely slowly slipped her slender fingers into his broad palm.
Finally, their fingers intertwined, gently resting on each other’s hands.
They enjoyed kissing each other;
but seldom held hands for a walk.
Not because holding hands lacked the thrill of kissing, but this kind of flirty behavior while utterly sober… was a bit strange for them.
Kissing would trigger the resonance of their Dragon Patterns, making them blissfully lose themselves in each other’s embrace.
Even without the trigger, the hormones and dopamine would put them in a slightly tipsy state.
In short, their heads weren’t very clear—they just wanted to drown in their forbidden passion.
But holding hands didn’t bring quite the same experience.
It kept them completely sober while generating flirty physical contact.
This feeling was… very odd for them.
So the couple rarely held hands.
Even when alone, they merely brushed shoulders.
Initially, Roswiser’s palm was a bit cold, but after a while, their temperatures transferred back and forth, and her little hand quickly warmed up.
Suddenly, Leon remembered something and asked, “Is your cold hands and feet related to losing the dragon scale?”
Roswiser paused slightly, eyes downcast, and nodded softly.
Leon opened his mouth but ended up just holding back his words.
Roswiser thought about lightening the mood with a joke, saying that her cold hands and feet weren’t an issue—there were warmers at home, and if worse comes to worst, she could just conjure up some Dragon Flame!
But just as she was about to speak, she felt the hand holding hers increase its grip.
Like it was trying to lock in more warmth for her palm.
“What are you doing…” she asked quietly.
“Until you get that pesky dragon scale back, I’ll begrudgingly take care of you a bit more.”
Tsk.
That’s really putting you in a bind, Casmod—your face is practically red now.
The Queen chuckled, a rosy hue spreading across her fair face.
“Suit yourself.”
Roswiser lightly swayed the hand they were holding, “So what if my dragon scale never comes back? What will you do then?”
“I’ll just chop off my hand and tie it to your wrist.”
“… I expected something a bit more romantic.”
Well, whatever.
No drinks or enemies around, and it’s already pretty good that Leon Casmod said something like “begrudgingly taking care of you.”
Roswiser knew her faux husband’s personality well, so she was quite satisfied.
The couple continued walking toward the forest entrance.
About half an hour later, they reached the boundary of their territory.
Crossing any further meant leaving the Silver Dragon’s domain.
Leon stood near the boundary, looking around.
“What are you searching for?” Roswiser asked.
“My military honor, of course!”
Roswiser raised an eyebrow, “What military honor?”
“Constantine’s head, obviously!”
Murderers often return to the scene to admire their handiwork; so, naturally, General Leon had the habit of reliving his glory after making a contribution.
“Oh, you mean that?”
Roswiser said, “Months ago, when the Empire and other dragon tribes attacked here, Constantine’s head was taken away.”
Leon was puzzled, “What use is a dead dragon head to them?”
Roswiser shrugged, “Dragons aren’t really into collecting heads. I guess the Empire took it back to use as some sort of recruitment prop for the Dragon Slayer Army?”
Leon scoffed lightly, nudging the Mother Dragon’s shoulder, “You really think outside the box! But you’re not wrong; the Empire certainly has many ways to recruit for the Dragon Slayer Army.”
“How did you decide to serve in the Dragon Slayer Army back then?”
The couple settled down by a large rock at the forest’s edge.
“It was my master.”
Leon said, “He’s a retired old Dragon Slayer. After adopting me, he raised me according to Dragon Slayer standards, and when I came of age, he naturally sent me to the Dragon Slayer Academy. I graduated and enlisted right away.”
Roswiser’s eyes sparkled slightly, asking, “So if… your master hadn’t sent you to the Dragon Slayer Army, what would you have done instead?”
Leon sat on the rock, propped up on one hand while holding Roswiser’s hand with the other, gazing up at the sky.
A few birds flapped their wings as a soft breeze rustled the leaves.
“I’d probably save up some money and move to a remote countryside.”
“Start a ranch, raise some cattle or sheep or something.”
“Oh, and I’d need to raise a donkey too.”
“Then I’d marry a woman who’s neither pretty nor ugly.”
“Have a cute daughter.”
“And just wait for time to slowly wither me away. I think, if it were possible, that would be my ideal life.”
When he woke from two years of coma, Leon had imagined such a life.
This thought had been buried deep in his heart, and he had never mentioned it to anyone.
Not that it was a shameful secret; it just sounded… a little too dreamy.
Living in a chaotic time, how could someone like him, with talents, ever lead a peaceful life?
Roswiser rested her chin on one hand, her other index finger slowly circling on the back of Leon’s hand.
After a bit, she said, “When the next Silver Dragon King ascends the throne, let’s live like you said.”
Leon blinked, “What?”
“Move to the countryside, start a ranch, raise cattle, sheep, and a donkey, and live there with our daughter.”
After a pause, Roswiser added, “But ‘marrying a woman who’s neither pretty nor ugly’ might not be possible anymore.”
Leon turned to look at Roswiser’s exquisite profile, smiling as he replied, “Because the woman playing my wife is stunningly beautiful.”
“Chh, you flatterer.”
“You totally guided me to say that; how am I a flatterer?”
“I don’t care—you’re a flatterer. Always buttering me up; who knows what scheme you’re hiding in your mind?” Roswiser teased playfully.
“Hmm, you’re right. I’m just itching to usurp the Silver Dragon throne.”
After a couple of jabs, Leon changed the subject, “Speaking of my master… you’ve probably gone to visit him and Rebecca during this time?”
Roswiser nodded, “Yes. After learning about the spatial rift, they started looking for ways to bring you back.”
Pausing, she continued, “We agreed to meet three months later, so there’s still… twenty-some days left? Perfect timing; we can go together when we see your master and ease his mind.”
“Okay.”
Leon nodded along, but his expression seemed a bit distracted.
Roswiser blinked her lovely eyes and leaned in to ask, “What’s wrong? What are you thinking about?”
“Ah… remember I told you yesterday that our future daughters would learn skills from Claudia Poseidon of the Sea Dragon Race when we’re not around?”
“I remember. However, our Silver Dragon Race has never established ties with the Sea Dragon Race, so Claudia has no reason to take care of our daughters and teach them skills.”
“Yeah. And my master’s book, ‘Nine Gates of Hell’, was also written by Claudia; she even taught that technique to Little Light.”
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly, “Although this might seem like a bit of a leap, do you think… my master has some connection to the Sea Dragon Race?”
Roswiser pondered, “It’s possible, but interactions between two dragon races can’t happen blatantly; that might lead to misunderstandings. So we’ll just have to wait and see what your master says in twenty days.”
Leon nodded, “It’s strange… I only recently found out my master is a great Dragon Slayer, and now he might have a connection to the Sea Dragon Race… How many secrets has that old man kept from me?”
Roswiser smiled gently, leaning her head lightly on Leon’s shoulder,
“Even elders might not be open about their past for various reasons.”
“Are you using my master to justify your own reasons?”
“Got me.”
Leon chuckled, allowing Roswiser to lean against him.
A gentle breeze passed through the woods, and the sunlight bathed his beloved’s shoulders, warm and comforting.
