91 Now I Get It
“Leon’s childhood…?”
Taige’s once-serious face now showed a hint of confusion and surprise.
He had expected Roswiser might have some conditions or requests, but what was this so-called cost all about?
What kind of life was that little brat living over there?
Roswiser didn’t say more, patiently waiting for the soon-to-come feast.
Taige let go of the hilt of his sword. “Your request is a bit special.”
Roswiser chuckled, “Isn’t yours special as well?”
Indeed, what they were exchanging was far from normal.
The master wanted his disciple to d*e a little more outside; while the enemy wanted to know about the childhood of a captive.
But since it had come to this, no need to overthink it—let’s just exchange goods for cash and call it a day.
Taige sighed, scratching his white hair at the temples. “Alright, wait a moment.”
With that, he turned and walked over to the bedside, bent down, and pulled out a large wooden box from under the bed. He dug out some papers and sketches and dumped them all on the table.
Roswiser was slightly taken aback.
Goodness, he actually kept this much embarrassing history?
Leon probably never dreamed that the time he was backstabbed by his former companions on the battlefield was just the beginning; privately, he got backstabbed by his master too.
Sad.
Poor Casmod was either being backstabbed or on his way to get backstabbed.
“These are all the love letters Leon received from his enrollment until graduation; I’ve saved them for him.”
Taige said earnestly, “Originally meant for his future wife, but seeing as his little life is now in your hands, it’s your call.”
Saying that, he pushed a stack of love letters in front of Roswiser.
Nice, so you’ve got this embarrassing ordeal too?
As Roswiser looked at the pile of love letters, she thought back to how happy Leon seemed when Isa brought out her collection of her own black history back then.
She flipped through the letters, the content was ridiculously mushy, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“And this one, is a rather special love letter.”
Taige held up a white envelope.
“Oh? What’s so special about it?” Roswiser looked up.
“With other girls, he rejected them in a second and didn’t even bother to give a reason; but when it came to the girl who gave this letter, he hesitated for a full five seconds before turning her down.”
Taige said, “Do you know how important five seconds is to him? His original words were, ‘Why waste five seconds rejecting someone? I could use that time to memorize another alchemical formula or do a few more push-ups and chin-ups.’ So this girl is very, very, special.”
“Was she very pretty then?”
“Very pretty—silver hair, tall, likes to wear high heels and skirts, and gives off that cold vibe.”
Roswiser squinted skeptically; it was hard not to doubt that Taige was describing her.
Until he pulled out a hilariously abstract portrait from a pile of sketches—let’s just call it a portrait since you could barely make out the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
“This is the dream girl Leon drew when he was six, and she shares some clear physical traits with the girl he hesitated five seconds to reject ten years later.”
After a brief pause, Taige suddenly leaned back a bit, looking Roswiser up and down as if he had a realization.
But it seemed a bit embarrassing to say it out loud.
Oh, this… seems… both far away and right in front of me…
Though he knew his disciple was bold, it shouldn’t be to that extent… right?
Roswiser observed the abstract portrait, silently committing it to memory.
While her heart was bursting with laughter, her face remained stoic.
“Just these? Not enough.”
Roswiser stated, “Anything else? For example… what food does he hate, what places does he hate being touched, or any deeply ingrained behaviors he might dislike?”
It was a golden opportunity to gather some dirt on the captive’s past, and not taking full advantage of it would be a major miss!
Taige thought for a moment and replied, “Disliked foods… probably carrots and eggplants. Carrots he can force down, but eggplants? He’d pass out before even tasting one.”
“Pass out? That’s quite an exaggeration, isn’t it?”
“Maybe a little exaggerated, but ever since Leon started serving, the Empire’s Dragon Slayer Army removed eggplants from their instant meals. You think that’s a coincidence?”
Ha, indeed, every weird rule has a weirder reason behind it.
“Got it,” Roswiser acknowledged.
Taige clasped his hands over his chest, recalling his disciple’s dirt.
For some reason, even though this was a transaction involving the Dragon Race, he found himself quite enjoying it.
After all, as Leon grew older, his chances of pranking him would only dwindle!
The cave suddenly filled with a joyful atmosphere, the previously tense air lightening without anyone realizing.
“As for places he hates to be touched… his waist is pretty sensitive.”
Taige said, “As for ingrained behavior… I can’t think of anything at the moment, but I can tell you something similar.”
“Go ahead.”
“At two-thirty in the morning, if he’s in a light sleep state, you can ask him any question, and whatever comes out of his mouth will be the truth.”
Pausing, the master added, “He even sleepwalks occasionally, doing tasks according to your commands. Just not 100% guaranteed success, and requires a bit of luck. I used this trick to get plenty of farming done before.”
Hiss—
Afraid of eggplants, sensitive about his waist, and accidentally playing a game of truth or dare while sleeping.
Why does it feel like this top-notch Dragon Slayer has an entire list of bizarre weaknesses?
No wonder his past enemies couldn’t beat him!
“Alright, I’ve noted all of these.”
But still felt it wasn’t enough.
Roswiser thought for a bit, took out a photo from her waist, and waved it around.
“This is a recent photo of Leon. I’ll raise the stakes, give me more!”
Taige grinned, “You really came prepared.”
“Going home empty-handed isn’t my style.”
Taige glanced at the photo again, “Is this really a recent one of Leon?”
“You’re feeling intrigued, now spill the info I want.”
Roswiser said, “If not, then I can’t show you a photo of your precious disciple.”
Taige scratched his head, looking a bit troubled.
He wasn’t struggling with a lack of dirt on Leon.
It was just that the dirt he was thinking of was… a bit too explosive.
After pondering, Taige sighed.
Sigh, fine, for that little brat to continue enjoying free food and lodging for at least another year, Taige (in place of Leon) was willing to dive deep!
“Wait a moment.”
Saying that, Taige turned and walked deeper into the cave.
Tap, tap—
Moments later, a strange sound of footsteps approached.
Roswiser turned to see.
Black, long ears, four legs, a tail.
Roswiser gasped.
Just earlier, she was curious about Sherry’s mention of how when Leon’s master’s family left the Empire, they sold everything and only kept that donkey.
But she hadn’t seen the donkey after chatting with Taige for so long.
Turns out, it was saving the best for last.
Seeing the donkey, a constant presence in Leon’s life, now brought forward by Taige, was quite something.
“Leon had tamed many pets and Dangerous Species since childhood, but he never managed to tame our donkey. And—”
“And?”
“If you carefully touch its nose, you’ll find some slight dents; that’s from when Leon first tried to shoe it and got kicked.”
Wait, shoeing it was real?!
Roswiser thought Leon was just teasing her with that story.
“Since then, he’s been on a lifelong quest of failing to tame this donkey.”
Taige said, “Leon considers not taming it a blot on his otherwise glamorous life, and that’s why he never mentions it. That’s the most explosive piece of black history I can think of.”
Roswiser took a deep breath, slowly digesting the feud between this donkey and Leon.
“Alright, I got it; that’s enough. Here’s the photo.”
Roswiser placed the photo on the table but didn’t hurry to move her hand away. “I also need some tokens or whatever that can prove you’re still alive.”
“Already prepared.”
Taige opened a drawer and pulled out a letter, handing it to Roswiser. “Give him this letter, and he’ll understand.”
Roswiser put away the letter. “Okay.”
After the negotiation was done, Roswiser turned and walked to the cave exit.
She turned her head slightly, coolly saying, “This may be our first and last meeting, and for Leon, I want far more than just a year.”
With that, she spread her dragon wings, shook off the waterfall, and slowly flew away.
Taige let out a slight sigh of relief, then reached for the photo on the table.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Two years defeated and captured, this rascal actually had twins with the Silver Dragon Queen?!
Which family of captives had such a backstory?
Isn’t that a bit too abstract?!
Getting old, can’t handle this kind of stimulus anymore!
“You little brat, I once thought I’d be the most absurd Dragon Slayer, but does even this aspect have to be surpassed by you?”
“Leon… is he alright?”
A woman’s voice came from behind; she had been there all along but hadn’t shown herself.
Taige turned around and handed her the photo. “I feel a single ‘good’ probably doesn’t fully describe his current life.”
The woman glanced at the photo, her pupils trembling slightly.
After getting a bit excited, she quickly calmed down. “Have you made your decision too?”
After a moment of silence, the old Dragon Slayer slowly replied, “There’s no reason to back down.”
Taige Lawrence picked up the katana from the table, his gaze firm as he looked into the distance,
“Just consider it a meeting gift for my granddaughters.”
XX
There’s no time to reminisce about the past Friday; next up is the delightful Saturday!
