11 Evil Dragon
Daring to plot against her dear husband!
“Please, all players return to your designated rooms. After a thirty-minute rest, our game is about to begin.”
With the staff’s guidance, Leon and the others returned to their respective rooms.
The furnishings in the rooms were simple but sufficient; spending seventy-two hours here was not a problem at all.
Leon walked into the living room and spotted a wooden box on the coffee table in front of the sofa; inside was a Shadow Stone.
He approached, opened the wooden box, and found a card inside.
The card read:
“Welcome, old friend of the King. Tonight, you will face the other seven players alone.”
“The numerical disadvantage will force you to tread carefully with every move.”
“But don’t worry! At the start of the game, you’ve acquired the ancient castle relic: the Black Holy Stone. This is your greatest advantage.”
“Your main task is to survive for seventy-two hours without being discovered by the other seven.”
“If you succeed, you win.”
“In addition, completing side tasks and hidden missions will yield various rewards. Accumulating these rewards will grant you even greater advantages.”
“The Shadow Stone beside the box will provide you with key information at any time, so keep it with you.”
After fully reading the card, Leon discovered the Black Holy Stone in the box.
He held it in his hand and weighed it thoughtfully.
“So, if I make it to the end of the game, this little gem will be mine.”
He recognized this material; it was something called Night Spirit Crystal—rare, pretty, but of little value beyond its looks.
Mostly used for crafting exquisite souvenirs or sculptures.
Staring at the Black Holy Stone, Leon thought,
“If the others assume someone has stolen the Black Holy Stone and hidden it, they can end this game in a flash by searching the rooms.”
“So… I need to stash this somewhere else.”
Hiding things was one of Leon’s specialties, after all.
Back in the day, three out of the five Roswiser Bunny Girl photo albums he shot were used as bribes for his Master, while the other two remain undiscovered by Roswiser to this day.
That shows just how skilled General Leon was at hiding things.
He tucked the Black Holy Stone into his pocket, took the Shadow Stone, and quietly awaited the game’s start.
…
Half an hour later, Leon stepped out of his room.
On the same floor was Isar, whose identity was that of a doctor.
Her room was almost directly across from Leon’s, and they both opened their doors at the same time.
“Oh, brother-in-law, you came out right on time. Looks like you’re eager for this game!”
The red-haired beauty smiled playfully, arms crossed, leaning against the door frame.
“Mainly because of Roswiser,” Leon replied.
Isar raised an eyebrow, “What? Is your mission to team up with Chef Roswiser to take victory and then fly off with the Black Holy Stone?”
“No, sis, this is not just a game; it’s a contest.”
Leon stated seriously, “And I intend to win every duel with Roswiser.”
This was indeed one of Leon’s reasons for participating eagerly in the game.
Aside from fulfilling his promise to Claudia and accompanying his daughters for family bonding, he also aimed to show that silver-haired Mother Dragon just how terrifying Leon Casmod could be without a wheelchair!
“…Is your married life spent in such competition?”
Leon blinked, recalling his tumultuous love life with Roswiser. “Yep.”
Isar snorted, “Alright then, good luck!”
With that, Isar strode out of the room toward one side of the hall.
“Where are you going, sis?”
Isar waved her arm behind her, “Of course, off to find clues to complete my task!”
The card from the box did indeed mention something about ‘tasks.’ Based on what Isar said, it was easy to infer that each player likely had different main tasks.
For example, Leon’s main task was “hide the Black Holy Stone and survive for three days.”
Therefore, the other seven’s main tasks would likely be “find the Black Holy Stone using clues within three days and catch the thief,” or something of that nature.
Leon watched Isar’s retreating figure and muttered,
“Seems like it won’t be as easy as I thought…”
He had experienced the cunning of his older sister before.
When Roswiser was pregnant with Little Light, they attended an event in Sky City where the prize was a fruit for soothing babies. Isar had blended in with the participants and ultimately triumphed over Leon in the “I have what you don’t” game segment.
So this time… with more complex game rules, the Red Dragon King would likely be roped in effortlessly as well.
Shaking his head, Leon gathered his thoughts.
It was time for him to seek out some useful clues.
Wandering aimlessly inside the Gothic castle setup, Leon turned left and right, seeming to have stumbled into a kitchen.
Upon closer inspection, people were already inside.
Leon strolled over, hands shoved in his pockets.
“Roswiser?”
At the sound, the queen slowly turned around. Seeing Leon, she shot him a customary eye-roll before turning back.
“What’s with that face?”
Leon said, stepping closer to stand by Roswiser.
He noticed she was busy making some pastries.
“What face? Just the typical look of disdain towards you.”
Roswiser continued her pastry-making without missing a beat. “You love it when I show you this face, don’t you?”
“Sounds like I have some weird kink or something.”
Leon kept his eyes on the pastries she was crafting.
Roswiser’s cooking skills were top-notch; making these little treats was a breeze.
Suddenly, while kneading the dough, a few strands of hair fell into her face.
Leon, acting as usual, stood behind her to tie her hair up.
“An old friend of the King helping the castle chef with her hair? What, you want to eat something extra?” Roswiser teased with a grin.
“The one wanting extra help is definitely you, looking hungry right after the game begins.”
Leon retorted, “But why do we have to make dinner when there’s no ready-made meal?”
“There’s stuff in the fridge of your room. Didn’t you see it?”
“Then why are you—”
Leon abruptly stopped, thinking for a second, realizing, “Oh~ making pastries is your game task, right?”
Roswiser didn’t reply, continuing her work.
That reaction was an implicit confirmation.
Excited by this, Leon jumped right in.
“So what clues have you found? Share a bit with me.”
“No way in hell I’m telling you.”
“Why not? I’m the king’s old friend, a model citizen!”
“What wolf admits to being a wolf?”
Having played a few rounds of family version Werewolf with Leon and the daughters, Roswiser understood the basic rules.
At the beginning of the game, you can’t trust anyone—
Not even if they’re her husband.
As the pastries took shape, Roswiser popped them into the oven and turned back to face Leon.
“Aren’t you going to look for your task? Why are you bothering me?”
Their current positions were rather intimate.
Leon had been standing behind Roswiser to help her tie her hair, but now that she had turned, they faced each other closely.
With Leon’s hands resting on the counter, he effectively “trapped” Roswiser between him and the counter.
Their eyes locked, filled with some flirtation and… the kind of understanding only lovers share.
Leon didn’t answer Roswiser’s question; instead, he leaned in, lightly brushing his lips against hers.
Of course, Roswiser didn’t refuse.
Their kiss was short and sweet, tasting each other’s lips like a delectable dessert.
Oh my, a royal friend’s secret affair with the royal chef! (not really)
Just as they were getting into the kiss, the pastries in the oven finished baking.
Roswiser gently pushed Leon away, retrieving the pastries.
“I’m hungry, Roswiser.”
Leon whispered near her lips.
“Then… come eat me—”
Leon’s heart skipped a beat.
Whoa, whoa, whoa! I just wanted to lighten the tense game mood a bit!
Didn’t expect my wife to…!
Well, I suppose I’d better comply respectfully—
“Come eat the pastries I made.”
“……”
Alright, given that we’re in a game, a little kiss is fine; no need to go too far.
Roswiser pinched off a small piece of cake, holding it between her lips and offering it to Leon.
Leon naturally accepted, and they kissed again.
This time, the kiss came with a hint of pastry sweetness.
However, Leon didn’t forget his task.
While kissing, he discreetly retrieved the Black Holy Stone from his pocket and stealthily tucked it under a water tank in the kitchen.
He had noticed earlier that the area under the water tank was a visual blind spot; normally, no one would see it there.
“Alright, time to play the game, time to play the game.”
Roswiser herself ended the kiss, gracefully hopping off the countertop—yes, amid the kissing, she couldn’t help but sit on it, wrapping her tail and legs around the dogman’s waist.
But luckily, the queen called it off in time and didn’t go further.
Leon didn’t stop her as she left the kitchen.
Once Roswiser’s footsteps faded away, he looked up at the water tank.
The communal kitchen was a good stash spot since, as Roswiser just said, every player had a fridge in their room with plenty of food. So, aside from the ‘chef’ role, others wouldn’t frequently visit the communal kitchen.
But this was only temporary.
As the game progressed, if everyone started a thorough search, this place wouldn’t be safe anymore.
“Well, let’s leave it here for now. I’ll look for a more suitable place later to move it.”
Leon exited the kitchen and continued searching for tasks.
About two hours later, the Shadow Stone in his pocket buzzed with the staff’s voice.
“Please all players move to the first-floor hall. We will begin tonight’s first collective meeting.”
With the news, Leon prepared to head down.
But at that moment, his Shadow Stone buzzed again.
“This is a private message. Old friend of the King, you have food poisoning and are unwell, thus cannot attend this meeting. Please head to the ‘Doctor’s’ room after the meeting ends; there will be an antidote for your food poisoning.”
Leon was taken aback.
“Food poisoning? …Should be part of the game settings. But when did that happen—”
As he pondered, General Leon suddenly realized something.
“That wicked Mother Dragon is plotting to harm her dear husband!!”
x*x*x
Queen: Leon, take your medicine!
