51. The Angry Horned Bull – No Fear in the Face of Difficulty
“Moo!!——”
Roswiser heard a weird noise. Following the sound, her Majesty’s face, which had been cold like ice, twisted with a complex expression.
Ten minutes ago, her husband – clever but mostly useless for anything other than hacking dragons – claimed he had a method for her to practice her Soul Judgment.
Ten minutes later, he showed up leading a gigantic bull the size of an elephant.
On anyone else, this would have felt completely off-kilter.
But when it came to Leon, everything suddenly made sense.
Because whenever the “dog man” got creative, it was either refreshingly unexpected or utterly disastrous.
Still, Roswiser couldn’t figure out why he’d fetched this giant bull.
And more importantly, where did the bull come from?!
“Class S Dangerous Species: The Angry Horned Bull, biologically speaking, is a result of the Ironclad Yak’s genetic mutation.”
“Because it’s a genetic mutation, its strength, defense, speed, and other attributes have all undergone a qualitative leap from the original Ironclad Yak.”
“Of course, it’s not just the base attributes but also—”
“Moo!!!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”
Leon (channeling his best Donnie Yen): “Here, see? Its temperament too.”
Roswiser (irritation meter: 20 %): “I don’t need a lesson on Dangerous Species, Leon. I just want to know how you managed to bring this thing into my Holy Temple!”
“Oh, when you were training at the practice ground this morning, Anna was handling some of your work, and I happened to pass by. Apparently, this bull had wandered into your tribal territory. Anna was planning to find someone to deal with it, but I kindly volunteered.”
Roswiser (irritation meter: 40 %): “You, esteemed Prince of the Silver Dragon, don’t need to be this eager to help…”
“Aw, but it’s no big deal, really—no big deal~”
Roswiser (irritation meter: 60 %): “So what exactly are you planning to do with your ‘no big deal’ over here?”
“Well, I figured I’d give it to you as a training target. Didn’t you say Soul Judgment is more effective on emotionally intense foes?”
Leon confidently patted the enormous head of the Angry Horned Bull. “This guy fits the bill perfectly. Just from the name, it’s obvious how mad he gets.”
Roswiser (irritation meter: 80 %): “I didn’t even tell you about the effects of Soul Judgment this morning, so you must’ve had another use for him, right?”
Leon grinned, showing off his teeth. “Ah, you know me so well after spending so much time in the same bed.”
Roswiser (irritation meter: 95 %): “Can you just spit it out already!”
“The girls get the evening off tonight, so I thought I’d surprise them with some hot pot made from this bull’s meat.”
Rosweiser’s eyes widened in shock:
“And how are your daughters going to finish off a bull weighing several tons when the three of them haven’t even turned fifteen yet?”
Leon waved her concerns away. “Calm down, Your Majesty.”
He tied the Angry Horned Bull to a sturdy stone pillar. This pillar was one Noia had used to practice her Thousand Birds technique—it had endured thousands of hits and still stood firm, testament to its unmatched durability. Even the Angry Horned Bull couldn’t break free.
Then, Leon walked over to Roswiser.
When the Mother Dragon had calmed down somewhat from her fiery temper, he reached out, gently trying to take her hand.
She haughtily flicked her wrist at first, clearly not wanting to engage in any such intimate gesture.
But her resistance was only symbolic.
In the end, she let him take her hand.
The couple stood side by side in front of the monstrous bull. Leon looked up at the towering creature and said,
“Even the most powerful of Dangerous Species dare not trespass on Dragon territory. So this bull must’ve gotten so mad it fried its brain. I figured, for practicing magic, you need a good target to gauge your progress. So…”
Leon turned his gaze towards his silver-haired beauty. “Give it a try. It won’t hurt to give it a shot.”
Roswiser rolled her eyes. “You’re driving me crazy. Step aside, will you? Don’t want you to get hurt.”
Leon grinned. “Sure thing!”
With that, Leon stepped back.
Roswiser, in the meantime, began to concentrate on her Primal Power.
“Moo!!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”
The Angry Horned Bull continued to protest its captivity.
Little did it know, if it didn’t behave, it would end up as tonight’s hot pot.
Leon remained vigilant, even though this was just a practice. He needed to ensure Roswiser’s safety. After all, he couldn’t explain if Noia and the others came back to find their mother lying stiff as a board.
Magic ripples brushed against Leon’s face, snapping him out of his musings.
Looking ahead, he saw Roswiser had successfully channeled her Primal Power.
“Faster than when Constantine attacked the Red Dragon Holy Temple…”
A smile played on Leon’s lips. “You’re getting better quickly, mother dragon.”
As the Primal Power gathered, Roswiser began casting her Soul Judgment. Her long hair, her dress, her robes, even the pendant around her neck were caught in the winds.
Even though the process was slow, Roswiser could vividly feel changes in the Primal Power she held.
It was clearer than when she had practiced alone.
Roswiser’s eyes lit up as the light of her Primal Power shifted colors—seven colors, like a rainbow.
But due to the small size of the power orb, the hues weren’t too apparent.
Roswiser inwardly rejoiced. The book had said this was the first step in mastering Soul Judgment.
So what’s next?
Roswiser clenched her fist abruptly, shattering the orb in her palm.
Instantly, seven-colored light spilled from between her fingers, mingling with the crystalline white energy—bright and radiant.
Roswiser raised her head and aimed for the Angry Horned Bull.
“Moo!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”
Sensing the danger, the Angry Horned Bull began to struggle violently.
Roswiser seized the moment and unleashed her Soul Judgment.
Seven colored lights struck the bull, encasing it in a cascade of sparkling dust.
It bucked and bellowed in a deep, guttural roar.
Roswiser panted slightly. Even this slight exercise of the Soul Judgment had drained her both physically and magically.
It seemed Primal Magic truly was—
“Moo!!”
Before Roswiser could finish her thought, the Angry Horned Bull regained its vigor and started causing chaos again.
“It… it didn’t work?”
Roswiser gritted her teeth, regathering her Primal Power.
She had just enough magic left for one last attempt.
She didn’t need to push herself this hard, but if she didn’t use this opportunity, her practice target would soon be dinner.
Roswiser unleashed her Soul Judgment once more.
Unfortunately…
“Moo? Moo moo? ╮（╯▽╰）╭”
The Queen: Huh?
“You dare… mock me?”
As soon as those words left her mouth, Roswiser’s Dragon Wings spread wide. Her human form dissolved into that of a massive dragon.
Even though the Angry Horned Bull was elephant-sized, it was tiny as an ant compared to the Dragon King.
“Moo… moo moo moo moo! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ”
The silver dragon lowered its majestic head, its breath resonating with terrifying power. The oppressive might of a Dragon King froze the bull, preventing it from even daring to breathe.
“Hooooooorrrrrrsssssttttt!!!!”
A mighty dragon roar shook heavens and earth.
The bull: X﹏X
Roswiser slowly opened her mouth, gathering scorching Dragon Flame.
“Please, Your Majesty, calm down! This Dragon Flame is going to turn our hot pot into charcoal instead!”
Hesitating for a brief moment, Roswiser retracted the flames and shifted back to her human form.
However, as she folded her dragon wings, the world around her seemed to spin.
Out of both magic and strength, she was about to fall, but Leon caught her in time.
“How do you end up exhausting yourself like this during practice?”
Roswiser leaned into his embrace, her face cold but her lips pouting. She muttered under her breath, “It laughed at me, so I wanted to show it what happens.”
“You arguing with a bull truly does make you a rightful Dragon King.”
Leon sighed as he helped her up, guiding her toward rest.
But Roswiser stumbled again after taking a few steps.
Reluctantly, Leon picked her up princess-style.
Her tail quickly retracted as a rosy blush spread across her cheeks. Still, she stubbornly protested, “I can walk by myself…”
“You can’t.”
“Che… In the end, it still doesn’t seem to have worked. I don’t know when I’ll be able to master this.”
Leon stopped for a moment and glanced back at the frightened cow, recalling her earlier grand display.
He said thoughtfully,
“It had some effect. Didn’t you notice?”
“What?”
“That bull was really angry and kept mooing uncontrollably before being tied to the pillar, right?”
“Yes.”
“But after your first use of the Soul Judgment, it calmed down significantly, didn’t it? And after the second attempt, its mood was basically neutral. You can determine this from its calls.”
Rosweiser mulled it over, nodding thoughtfully. “Hmm, maybe it really was like that… Hold on, is this just something you made up to console me?”
“Your Majesty, I have many flaws, but lying to you is not one of them.”
“Please don’t give me compliments in situations like this, thank you for your cooperation.”
Laughing and chatting, the couple headed back to their bedroom.
Leon gently placed her on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
“Rest for a bit. The girls will be back tonight.”
“Alright… uh, and what about you?”
Leon smirked, rolling up his sleeves.
“I’m going to turn that insolent bull into a nice hot pot.”
With that, he disappeared.
