7. Beg for Mercy, Leon
After exchanging some sharp words, neither of them continued to provoke the other.
Roswiser stepped aside, picked up her long skirt, and leisurely got herself dressed.
Leon straightened out his own clothes too.
Once they were both ready, Roswiser turned back to him, and without any more preamble, she wrapped her tail around his waist and effortlessly hoisted him up.
Before Leon could say a word, Roswiser spread her dragon wings and leaped from the top of the giant tree, gracefully landing on the ground.
Once on the ground, she casually tossed Leon aside and started walking toward the other side of the forest. “Let’s go,” she said.
“Go?”
Leon scrambled to his feet, eyeing the deep, dark woods ahead.
From the outskirts of the Empire to the Silver Dragon Temple, even the speed-demon Silver Dragon Queen needed at least three hours to fly back.
There’s no way she intended to walk back with Leon, right?
After taking a few steps, Roswiser noticed Leon was lagging and stopped, turning back. “Hurry up, our daughter is waiting at home for us.”
She said it so casually, as if the Empire and the Silver Dragon Temple were next door to each other!
If they were really trekking back to the Silver Dragon Temple on foot, by the time they saw that little dragonling, Moon, she’d probably have morphed into a full-grown female dragon!
Leon said nothing, merely dragging his exhausted body behind her.
Since Her Majesty wanted to indulge in some romantic strolling, he would go along with it.
He kept a respectful distance behind Roswiser, but it was clear he was overestimating his current state.
After waking up from a two-year coma and immediately getting wrung dry by this Mother Dragon, he figured it was his “me-time,” the time for a post-game relaxation. Instead, he found himself wandering through this cursed forest.
Less than half an hour in, Leon was drenched in sweat, panting heavily.
He staggered to a tree and leaned against it with one arm, hoping for a moment of rest.
Roswiser stopped and glanced at him. “Can’t walk anymore?”
Leon looked up, shot her a defiant glance, and grumbled, “I can walk.”
Roswiser smiled. “If you can’t, you can just tell me. I’m not a heartless monster.”
Leon paused at her words, momentarily taken aback.
Her tone carried a hint of smug satisfaction, as if she had all the power in this scenario.
Realizing this, Leon suddenly understood why Roswiser wanted to walk back.
So, she was hoping he’d beg her for mercy!
With all the “cards” in Roswiser’s hands, they were far from the temple, and there was no way to walk back.
But Roswiser could easily shift into her dragon form and fly back, while Leon, with the Empire right behind him, wouldn’t escape her eyes. Before he could run a few meters, she’d swoop down and snag him back.
So after humiliating Leon’s dignity, Roswiser planned to torture his body slowly.
Clenching the rough tree trunk, Leon gritted his teeth. “I said I’m not tired; I can keep going.”
“Hmph, tough talk from a body that’s all talk!”
Leon brushed past her, looking ahead and saying coolly, “Her Majesty, my bones are tough too! You think I’d beg you for mercy? Not happening!”
He took another step forward.
Roswiser snorted and followed him.
After all, a high-energy Dragon Queen racing against a thoroughly weakened human—there was no contest here.
She was curious to see just how stubborn this great dragon slayer could be.
About ten minutes later, they heard a commotion not far off.
Following the noise, they spotted flickering lights—someone was camping!
Those flames were certainly from the campfire they lit to ward off forest beasties.
In Leon’s dark eyes, that fire reflected a glimmer of hope.
He opened his mouth, ready to call for help, since this might be his only chance to communicate his predicament.
But as the words hung on his lips, he swallowed them back.
He looked at Roswiser beside him.
If he shouted for help, she’d have no qualms about roasting them, resulting in their doom.
That would be on Leon’s conscience.
Regretting it terribly, he turned and left.
However, just a few steps away, an enthusiastic voice called from the campfire.
“Hey! Are you lost?”
As the voice echoed, there was rustling, signaling that the campers were approaching.
Roswiser immediately got alert, gathering magical energy in her hand.
Leon rushed forward and grabbed her wrist.
The scorching magical energy burned his hand, but he didn’t care.
He stepped in front of Roswiser, blocking her tail.
The campers approached, stopping at a safe distance.
“Are you two lost?” a young man asked.
“Uh, nope! We were just… um… wandering.”
“This forest isn’t a great place to wander, sir. Dangerous species and wild beasts are abundant. Why don’t you come to our camp for the night? We can escort you down the mountain tomorrow.”
Pausing for a moment, the young man added, perhaps to ease Leon’s suspicions, “By the way, I’m Walker, captain of the Dragon Slayer Army’s 47th squad.”
With hazy moonlight filtering through the thick trees and their distance, they couldn’t see each other’s faces clearly.
Otherwise, as a member of the Dragon Slayer Army, Walker wouldn’t fail to recognize Leon.
The opportunity was ripe; all Leon had to do was shout “Help me!” and this well-trained squad would realize there was trouble.
But the price would likely be their annihilation by Roswiser.
Even if someone miraculously escaped to the Empire to report, the casualties would be high.
Leon absolutely wouldn’t do that.
He pressed his lips together, then suddenly pulled Roswiser close by the waist.
This startled the Queen, causing her magical energy to dissipate unintentionally.
“Thanks for your kind offer, but my wife and I are trained enough to protect ourselves. We’re just out for a casual stroll and will head down shortly.”
Hearing Leon say this, Walker stopped pressing. “Alright. Oh, here, take this.”
Walker stepped forward, handing Leon a signal flare. “If you encounter danger, fire this into the sky, and we’ll rush to your aid.”
Leon accepted it, nodding with appreciation. “Thanks a lot.”
“Not a problem—huh? Sir, you look kinda familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?”
As Walker got closer, he finally got a clearer look at Leon’s face.
Leon hesitated for a moment, then smiled and denied, “Kid, I just have one of those faces everyone has seen. My wife fell for the same face back when.”
Roswiser: …
Walker chuckled, “Okay, then. I won’t disturb you anymore.”
With that, Walker and his team left.
Once they were out of earshot, Leon sighed heavily in relief.
Roswiser immediately shoved Leon away with her tail and teased, “Didn’t see that you were such a good liar! Me chasing you? Absurd!”
“Do you think I’m not disgusted with myself saying that?”
“Your disgust doesn’t have to drag me into it!”
“Of course, we’re married birds of a feather.”
Roswiser was speechless. “Get your role straight, dragon slayer. We may have a kid, but that doesn’t mean I’m your wife. Got it?”
“I never wanted to be your husband.”
Leon put the signal flare away and looked at his hand, burned by Roswiser’s magic.
It stung a bit, but nothing he couldn’t handle.
Roswiser raised an eyebrow, noticing his hand’s injury, yet decided not to ask about it. Instead, she sat on another matter: “You hugging my waist was really to stop me from killing them, wasn’t it?”
Leon shot her a glare, remaining silent—an acknowledgment.
“You’re smart, Leon. No call for help, no rash actions. Apart from being a tough talker, I’ve yet to find your other flaws.”
“Tough talking isn’t a flaw.”
Leon continued walking, tuning Roswiser out.
She smiled faintly and matched his pace.
As they walked, they didn’t encounter any other dragon-slaying squads.
But eventually, Leon’s body reached its limit.
His vision blurred, and he suddenly collapsed onto the ground.
Roswiser turned around, came to his side, half-crouched, gently lifting his chin to examine his tired, pale face, and grinned as she asked,
“Finally can’t walk, huh, Leon? Beg me, beg me, and I’ll take you back to rest.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“Heh, don’t you want to lie on a soft bed, eating snacks prepared by a maid, and take a nice hot bath before sleeping? You just have to ask me once, and three hours later, we’ll be home.”
Leon slowly closed his eyes, using the last of his strength to say, “Go ahead, toss me here to feed the wolves.”
With that, he completely passed out.
In the next moment, a gust of wind kicked up around Leon, leaves fluttering, the ground shaking.
The Silver Dragon grabbed Leon and threw him onto her back.
Then, with a flap of her wings, she soared into the deep night sky.
