**Chapter 1: The Old Man and His Bad Boy Apprentice (Two-in-One)**
Twenty days later, at the border of the dragon-human territories, inside a mountain cave.
Rebecca and Taige sat on opposite sides of a wooden table.
In front of them lay a pile of g*n parts.
The old man and the young girl exchanged glances, and then Rebecca softly said, “Start.”
As soon as she finished speaking, they both looked down and began assembling the parts.
Barrel, sleeve, recoil mechanism… various fancy bits flipped through Rebecca’s hands, and in a mere ten seconds, she had finished assembling her handgun.
She lifted it up, aiming the barrel straight at Taige’s forehead.
Taige, on the other hand, was still struggling; he hadn’t even completed half of his g*n.
“You lost again, old man.”
“Let’s do it again, let’s do it again.”
Rebecca put the g*n down, elbows on the table, grinning at the stubborn old guy across from her. “Really? Old man, this is the thirty-fourth time you’ve lost to me. No matter how many times we go at it, it’s always the same result.”
The crazy girl had a point.
Taige sighed, tossing the unfinished g*n onto the table. He leaned back slightly in his chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed the acupuncture point on his temples.
Rebecca picked up the old man’s half-finished g*n, leisurely assembling it while saying, “Where’s the Silver Dragon King? We’re already past the agreed meeting time.”
They had arrived this morning, and now it was nearing noon.
Given the Silver Dragon tribe’s usual speed, they should have been here by now.
Taige shook his head. “Not sure. Maybe something delayed them.”
Rebecca’s mind raced, and she suddenly recalled, “Oh right! Recently the Empire tried to wipe out the Silver Dragons for good, but it seems like… they failed?”
“Yeah, I don’t know what the Silver Dragon King did to fend off the Empire and the other dragon tribes.”
“Could it be that they had outside help?”
“The only reliable outside help for the Silver Dragons is Roswiser’s sister, the Red Dragon Queen Isar. But Isar has been swamped with battles lately; she probably can’t spare any attention for anyone else.”
Rebecca pouted, resting her hands behind her head, lifting her legs onto the edge of the table, tilting back in her chair so that the front legs hung off the ground, yet she maintained perfect balance with ease.
“If they really wanted to eliminate the threat, they wouldn’t just give up like that, right? I still think the Silver Dragon King got some help.” Rebecca stated.
“Let’s hope so.”
Taige’s expression turned serious, staring at the table, his voice low. “If there is outside help, who knows if they can actually fetch Leon back.”
Rebecca cast a sidelong glance at the old man. She knew how crucial the captain was to him.
Though adopted, Taige had treated the captain as his own son all these years.
Aunt Charlotte was especially fond of the captain too.
After the captain disappeared, if it weren’t for her and Martin holding him back, Taige would have charged into the Royal Guard solo, sword drawn.
Their old ragtag team had already lost one powerful member. If anything else went wrong, they might as well disband on the spot.
As for Leon’s departure, Rebecca was feeling utterly downcast.
A few years ago during the Silver Dragon War, she had abandoned Leon, fleeing back to the Empire with the Dragon Slayer Army in tatters.
But back then, she had held onto a glimmer of hope, believing that such a mighty captain wouldn’t just kick the bucket easily.
Three years later, Leon had indeed reappeared, alive and kicking.
But this time, he had vanished into a spatial rift.
No body, no soul; no matter how optimistic Rebecca was or how much she believed in Leon, she couldn’t convince herself that the captain was still alive.
Right now, all they could do was avenge him, fully crush that dog emperor and the dragon tribes’ schemes, and then make it public.
Snapping back to reality, Rebecca sighed.
Looking back at the old man, he was still sporting a long face.
After pondering, Rebecca said, “Old man, take out a picture of your granddaughter; let’s have a look.”
Since the captain’s departure, the little dragon girls’ photos had become the old man’s only source of spiritual comfort.
Whenever he was feeling down, taking a peek at those photos worked wonders.
Sure enough, Taige nodded and pulled out a few photos from his pocket.
Among them, one was an already yellowed family portrait, and another was a solo shot of the little pink-haired girl.
The rest were pictures from the last time Leon disappeared, when Roswiser had brought them.
Rebecca stood up and walked over to Taige, peering at the girls in the photos.
Despite the continuous wars plaguing the Silver Dragon tribe, the clean faces and tidy room shown in the pictures indicated that Roswiser was protecting them quite well.
“Wow, the half-dragon babies are growing so fast! Looking at the recent photos compared to the family portrait, they’ve grown a ton!” said Rebecca.
“Uh-huh…”
Taige gazed at his granddaughters in the photos, a smile finally breaking through his weathered face.
Seeing the old man’s mood lighten a bit, Rebecca couldn’t help but continue teasing, “If I get the chance, I want to be their godmother.”
Taige raised an eyebrow, chuckling, “You’re just in your twenties, and already eager to be a mom?”
“Being a godmother doesn’t equal wanting to be a mom!”
Rebecca picked up a picture of Moon and Aurora cuddling each other’s little tails, “I mean, just skip the whole getting married and having kids business, and you can have such adorable daughters. What’s not to love?”
Taige chuckled, “Well, that depends on whether the Silver Dragon King agrees to you being their godmother.”
Rebecca opened her mouth, just about to respond.
But then, a familiar voice echoed from the cave entrance, “No worries, don’t ask her; I consented.”
At the sound, Taige and Rebecca both froze for a moment.
As they gradually regained their senses, they turned slowly toward the sound, only to find two figures standing at the entrance.
One was, of course, the Silver Dragon King.
And the other…
“Captain!!”
After a brief mental blackout, Rebecca’s eyes teared up as she shouted and dashed towards Leon.
Seeing this scene, Leon’s heart sank.
Look at that crazy girl’s momentum; it looked like she was going in for a long-overdue hug!
In the future, she would be all about that, and Leon would easily reciprocate his old comrade’s hug.
But that was when his wife wasn’t by his side!
Roswiser was right there next to him!
Although he shared a pure camaraderie with Rebecca, hugging another girl in front of Roswiser…
Who knows what the Silver Dragon Queen would do to him when they got home?
Roswiser stole a glance at the flustered dog man and, suppressing a smile, whispered, “Go ahead and hug her.”
“Really?”
“Out here, I’ll give my man enough face.”
Leon’s eyes lit up, “You never called me your man at home.”
Roswiser shot him a sidelong glance, “Hug or not? If not, I’ll hug you myself.”
Leon promptly stepped forward, lightly hugging Rebecca.
Of course, it was a quick embrace—Rebecca took the opportunity to wipe her tears on her captain’s shirt.
“Captain, I thought you really bit the dust this time! Our old ragtag team can’t go on without you, Captain!”
“…Why are you so fixated on that B-team of yours?”
Rebecca chuckled, wiping away her remaining tears, “Good thing you’ve got a conscience; you know to come back. With such a beautiful wife at home, you can’t just be wandering around, can you?”
Leon grinned limply, poking Rebecca’s forehead, “You really know how to keep the conversation going, don’t you, Rebecca?”
Familiar sharp tongue and banter—regardless of time, Rebecca hadn’t changed.
Leon felt quite grateful for that.
Next, Leon’s gaze skimmed over Rebecca’s head to the elder behind her.
“Master…”
“Kid.”
Taige stood there, clutching the first family portrait Leon had given him, tears shimmering in his murky eyes. “You finally came back.”
“Yeah, sorry, Master. Didn’t mean to worry you and Missus.”
Taige stepped forward, patting Leon on the arm, “It’s just good to be back, good to be back.”
The master-apprentice duo exchanged pleasantries.
Rebecca’s sharp eyes caught the silver patterns visible beneath Leon’s short sleeves.
She squinted slightly, then pointed at his arm, “Old man, your apprentice is up to no good again—got a tattoo all over his arm! Hey, Captain, you’re married with three kids, and yet you’re still learning bad boy tricks, huh? You’re setting a bad example for the kids—ugh!”
Leon swiftly smothered Rebecca’s small face with his hand, shoving her to the side.
“Adults are talking; kids don’t interrupt. We’ll chat later about your bad boy antics.”
“Hey! We’ve barely seen each other for six months! Do you not even miss me?!”
Rebecca complained, only to feel a tap on her shoulder.
When she turned, she found the silver-haired beauty standing behind her.
Roswiser elegantly raised her right hand, placing a finger to her lips to hush Rebecca, then smiled gently, “Shh, let them discuss the serious stuff. I’ll keep you company to pass the time.”
Rebecca’s eyes widened slightly.
Wow, the Silver Dragon Queen actually offered to chat with her—what an honor!
Previously, whenever she met Roswiser, the vibe was all about high and mighty.
But that could also be due to Leon’s disappearance.
Now that Leon was back, Roswiser was in a good mood and willing to chat with Rebecca—totally understandable.
“Okay, let’s go over there and chat,” Rebecca stammered.
“Sure.”
Roswiser and Rebecca moved aside, not wanting to interfere with the serious talks between the master and apprentice.
Once seated, the two suddenly fell into silence.
Rebecca had never been this close to a dragon king before.
Saying there wasn’t pressure would be a lie.
She could only sneak glances at the beauty next to her before quickly turning away.
To be honest, Leon’s choice in a wife couldn’t be disputed; Roswiser’s beauty was flawless from any angle.
So stunning that even Rebecca, as a fellow girl, had to admit she was a top-tier beauty.
And being around such a beauty was nerve-wracking.
Rebecca bit her lip, rubbed her hands together, and looked around.
“How old are you this year?” Roswiser asked softly.
“Uh… I’m twenty-two.”
Out of politeness, Rebecca returned the question, “And you?”
“Over two hundred.”
“……Okay, that’s pretty good.”
Captain, I didn’t expect you to be in a May-December romance!
Seeing Rebecca’s surprised expression, Roswiser covered her mouth, chuckling.
She actually had a pretty good impression of this human girl.
Leon’s loyal comrade, a reliable partner, an excellent artillery master—though a young girl, her inner resolve surpassed most self-proclaimed just folks.
Especially in the future, with Leon missing, Taige retired, and Roswiser having her hands tied, Rebecca still risked it all to gather intel for Noia.
By virtue of that will and courage alone, Rebecca had earned Roswiser’s respect.
Rebecca heard the queen’s laughter and, feeling a bit anxious, asked, “What’s so funny…?”
“Nothing, just think you’re… interesting.” The queen rested her chin on her hand, smiling warmly at Rebecca.
Rebecca’s eyes flickered.
She remembered Roswiser telling her the first time they met, “Interesting human girl,” just before leaving.
And every time Roswiser looked into Rebecca’s eyes, it felt like… a glance at a child.
What’s this, Your Majesty? Are you aiming to adopt me as your goddaughter or something?
That would mean I’d be a generation below Captain Leon!
Now that’s absolutely not happening!
“Have you ever flown?”
Roswiser’s voice cut through Rebecca’s wandering thoughts.
Rebecca shook her head. “Fly? Nope, I’m an artillery master. I’ve never learned flying magic.”
Roswiser gently responded, “Oh, I see… Well then… how ’bout I take you out for a little breezy flight?”
