24 Ready or Not
My Dear Husband (Second Update)
Roswiser led Leon down a winding path on the back mountains of the Holy Temple, his feet tapping on the smooth stone steps as they ventured deeper.
“Where are we going?” Leon asked, trailing behind.
“You’ll find out when we get there.”
Leon paused mid-step.
This forest, this atmosphere, this lone man with a solitary woman…
It triggered some not-so-great memories.
He froze and gulped, saying, “Listen, Mother Dragon, if you think this is going to turn out like last time—me watching you in your Holy Temple while you do… whatever… it won’t work because I have zero feelings for your territory!”
Roswiser chuckled lightly, not turning back. “Don’t worry, I’m not that unreasonable, barbaric woman. I know when to relax and when to—”
She stopped in her tracks. Right in front of them loomed a towering, intimidating Iron Gate.
“Home.”
Leon noticed the ominous structure in front of them.
No signs, no guards—just a forbidding, cold Iron Gate.
“What is this?” Leon asked.
“Ah, I didn’t name it. You can call it a warehouse, a storage room, or the Queen’s treasure vault—whatever you like.”
As she spoke, Roswiser raised her hand, a shimmer of silver magical energy dancing on her fingertips.
Then she inserted the magic energy into the keyhole, and the Iron Gate slowly creaked open.
Roswiser stepped inside. “Come on in.”
Leon hesitated for a moment but quietly followed.
Crossing through the gate and descending a few steps, rows of neatly arranged shelves suddenly appeared before him.
Leon gasped slightly, mouth agape,
“All this is your collection?”
“Yep, anything that’s meaningful to me is stored here.”
Excited, Leon rushed to a shelf, examining a meticulously crafted bracelet.
As a seasoned Dragon Slayer, he could immediately tell that this bracelet was valuable and rare.
If he tried to sell it in the Empire, it could fetch a hefty sum—at least a few hundred thousand gold coins.
“That was the bracelet my grandmother gave me for my coming-of-age ceremony,” Roswiser explained.
Leon nodded and turned his attention to other treasures.
He was so engrossed in the precious items that he didn’t even notice Roswiser quietly closing the treasure vault’s Iron Gate.
And locking it.
After a while, Leon gathered his excitement and asked,
“So what exactly did you bring me here for—”
“Oh, found it, it’s right here.”
Before Leon could voice his confusion, Roswiser stood on her tiptoes and retrieved a box from the top of a shelf.
Leon stepped up to help.
They placed the box on the ground as Roswiser gently blew off the dust on top.
“What’s inside?”
“I just told you, it’s something to help you forget your troubles for a while.”
With that, Roswiser turned the box toward Leon and opened it.
Curious, he peeked inside.
And when he saw what was in there, he was so stunned he couldn’t speak.
His eyes widened, mouth agape, as his black pupils reflected the long-lost “partner”—
The Black Gold Battle Armor.
Crafted by the finest artisans in the Empire, it had accompanied Leon on countless conquests, shielding him from fatal injuries time and again.
Slowly, he reached out, fingers grazing the armor’s surface.
The familiar feel—no signs of wear—clearly, Roswiser had been meticulously maintaining it these past two years.
“Want to try it on?” Roswiser suggested.
“Uh?”
“Uh what? Try it on!”
“Okay…”
Leon took out all the parts of the Black Gold Battle Armor from the box and expertly donned each piece.
Once fully armored, Roswiser clasped her hands together, squinting and smiling, dreamily saying,
“You look dashing, just as handsome as when you threatened to chop my head off back in the day.”
“…Your race’s grasp of compliments is utterly baffling.”
Leon admired the Black Gold Battle Armor he wore.
His old companion still looked imposing!
But—
Leon suddenly noticed a small dent on the chest plate.
“What happened? The Black Gold Battle Armor is supposed to self-repair—after two years it should be good as new.”
Roswiser shook her head. “No idea, maybe it just got bumped around a bit.”
“Is that so…”
Leon rubbed the dent; it didn’t seem too big and was fairly inconspicuous.
With a silly grin on his face like a kid who just got a new toy, he said, “Thanks, Roswiser. I didn’t expect you to be this thoughtful.”
“Thank?”
“Yeah, thank—”
Leon looked up, but his smile froze on his face.
Because the aura emanating from this Mother Dragon had completely shifted.
Gentle, graceful, dignified—at the moment Leon met her eyes, all those qualities vanished.
Her silver dragon pupils sparkled with pink hearts; beneath her garment, the glow of dragon patterns seemed to flicker.
The Queen grinned, revealing a somewhat sinister smile, inching closer to Leon.
“You can’t just thank me verbally, Dragon Slayer.”
Leon instantly became alert.
He knew this soft-spoken Mother Dragon had a few screws loose.
Finally, her true nature was exposed!
But Leon wasn’t about to be a pushover like before.
“Mother Dragon, before you go crazy, I must remind you, the Black Gold Battle Armor has enchantments that boost the wearer’s attributes, so I might not be afraid of you right now.”
With his newfound confidence, Leon straightened his back!
However, Roswiser just smirked dismissively, continuing her advance.
“After two years of meticulously caring for this armor, do you think I wouldn’t have added a few tricks?”
Leon gasped. “W-What—”
Roswiser raised her hand and gracefully snapped her fingers.
Snap—
The Black Gold Battle Armor on Leon instantly felt as heavy as a mountain, pulling him down to the ground.
At the same time, dragon pattern designs began to gradually appear on the chest plate!
Leon felt a burn in his chest.
The dragon pattern’s reaction was even more intense than usual.
Roswiser slowly crouched down, using her tail tip to gently lift Leon’s chin.
“Two dragon patterns, double the experience. Ah~ my dear Dragon Slayer, can you handle it?”
“Ros—wis—er!”
Crash—
Roswiser flipped the incapacitated Leon over, making him lie flat on the ground. Then she straddled his armor with her long legs.
“You didn’t think I’d forget what happened three days ago, did you? I played the obedient girl all day, and shockingly, you actually fell for it.”
The Queen chuckled. “So, how’s my acting? Not bad, right? Hmm?”
Leon’s pupils trembled. “You mean everything you said to me today was a lie? You, who like me have never seen a parent, you let Moon and Noia call you Mom, and… holding hands…”
Being a “Dragon Rider” wasn’t new to him; he could barely tolerate it;
But he couldn’t stand being deceived like this by Roswiser.
“No, that part is true. But it doesn’t change what I’m planning to do to you now, Leon.”
She pulled open her neckline, releasing the dragon patterns that were already bursting with impatience.
“So how did you say it three days ago?”
“Oh, I said I like to conquer.”
“Hehe—”
“Then I’ll show you what conquering looks like!”
“Are you ready, my dear, husband~?”
