Chapter 24: Lost Souls
The next day, Leon’s family of five headed to the Red Dragon Tribe.
At the border of the Red Dragon territory, traces of war still lingered.
However, compared to a few months ago when the Silver Dragon Tribe was in chaos, things here were relatively better.
Leon could probably guess why Isar’s tribe was facing attacks and harassment—
Since the Empire had long been in cahoots with some dragon tribes, they surely collected a lot of intel about the Silver Dragon Tribe, including Roswiser’s family ties to Isar.
Therefore, while the Empire and the dragon tribes intended to completely wipe out the Silver Dragon Tribe, they were also wary of Isar’s support.
But Isar wasn’t their primary target. If they truly wanted to take over the Red Dragon territory, it would require a hefty investment in manpower and resources.
Thus, the Empire and the dragon tribes merely aimed to distract Isar enough that she couldn’t help the Silver Dragons.
The efficacy of this tactic was evident—it fit Leon’s impression of the Empire like a glove.
But of course, plans rarely survive contact with reality. Who could have expected that General Leon, who had vanished for six months, would suddenly drop out of the sky and turn the tide?
Since this epic and protracted war between humans and dragons was a grand chess game orchestrated by the Empire, Leon, being considered a “wild piece” outside their calculations, was bound to pull off something unexpected.
Otherwise, he’d be unworthy of the title.
Crossing the border of the Red Dragon territory, it wasn’t long before the five of them arrived at Isar’s Holy Temple.
A silver giant dragon slowly landed in the courtyard.
Because they had sent a Message Dragon a day earlier announcing their visit, Isar and her maids had been eagerly awaiting their arrival.
After landing, Roswiser transformed into human form.
Isar, lifting her skirt, trotted down the stairs.
After months apart, the sisters ran toward each other and embraced tightly.
Leon stood a short distance away with a few daughters, quietly watching the touching reunion.
He recalled the Empire’s dragon scholars saying that dragons didn’t care much for bl**d relations.
After centuries, any feelings or bonds would gradually wilt like flowers.
However, ever since he “married” Roswiser, the Mother Dragon of the Melkway family, she had been consistently reshaping Leon’s preconceived notions about dragons.
He was unsure whether the Melkway family’s emphasis on familial bonds was a widespread trait among dragons.
But he thought there was nothing wrong with it—
At least once all the chaos subsided, he and Roswiser would still be able to go through the normal process of meeting the parents.
After a few pleasantries, Isar’s gaze drifted past Roswiser’s shoulder to Leon and the three little ones.
“Darlings, Auntie has missed you to pieces~ Come here and let Auntie give you a hug~”
With that, Isar quickly walked over.
She started hugging them from the oldest to the youngest.
First was Noia.
“Hmm~ Little Noia has grown quite a bit! Auntie can hardly lift you anymore! Come here for a kiss—muuuuuua~”
The enthusiastic auntie didn’t even give Noia a chance to respond; after some pleasantries, she planted a big kiss on Noia’s little face.
This made Noia suspect that the auntie just wanted to smother her with kisses.
Leaving behind a distinct lip print, it was now Mun’s turn.
“Yaya~ Little Moon, come over for a hug~ Let’s have a kiss, muuuua~”
This kiss didn’t just resemble a regular auntie kiss; it felt more like “branding” her niece.
When it came to the somewhat resembling Little Light, Isar just couldn’t contain her affection.
She had exchanged pleasantries with the two sisters before kissing the first two, but with Little Light, she went straight for the kiss.
However, after kissing, Isar noticed the lipstick had faded a bit, probably due to the effort she’d put into kissing Mun and Noia.
“Wait, Auntie needs to fix her lipstick, then we can kiss again.”
With that, she waved her hand, and a maid instantly knew what to do, presenting her with a lipstick.
Isar applied some and then laid another kiss on Little Light’s face.
Looking at the bright red lip print, Isar nodded in satisfaction and rubbed Little Light’s chubby little face.
“Have you missed Auntie, Little Light?”
“Yes~”
Though almost dazed from all the red-haired auntie kisses, Little Light still managed to respond.
Leon couldn’t help but grumble as he watched Isar’s smooth operations:
You even prepared lipstick in advance; you must really want to kiss your three nieces!
After finishing the affection fest with Little Light, Isar cradled her in her arms and turned to Leon,
“Hope you’re doing well, brother-in-law.”
“You too, sis.”
“Why do you look a little under the weather? Exhausted lately?”
“Ah… No, not really. Probably just been up too late.”
Inside, Leon thought: Sis, with those two dragon patterns on you, your complexion might be worse than mine.
Isar nodded, her tone suddenly serious, “Take care of yourself, brother-in-law.”
“… I got it, sis.”
Isar smiled, “Alright, let’s head inside.”
The group entered the Red Dragon Holy Temple.
In the reception room, the maids had already prepared hot tea and pastries.
“There’s still some time until dinner, so let’s chat here for a bit.”
Isar seated herself, signaling for her sister and brother-in-law to join.
Leon and Roswiser sat side by side on a large sofa.
Isar raised an eyebrow at this. She recalled the last time they had come; they were practically sitting a foot apart, with one in the room and the other in the courtyard.
Now, they sat together without a care.
Tsk tsk tsk, it seems that after having their second child, their relationship has indeed improved.
So… to ensure that the Melkway family continues in harmony, Isar thought, she needed to encourage her sister and brother-in-law to have a few more kids.
“Auntie, hug~”
Little Light’s voice interrupted Isar’s plans for her sister and brother-in-law to get busy.
She looked down, seeing the little pink-haired girl at her feet, and bent down to pick her up onto her lap.
Pinching her little niece’s cheeks, Isar showed her some affection and then turned her gaze back to Roswiser,
“Have all your tribe members gathered back?”
“Yeah, everyone returned a while ago.”
Roswiser replied, “What surprised me was that everyone didn’t give up on the Silver Dragon Tribe. No matter how far away, they all rushed back upon hearing the summons.”
Isar smiled, “That means you’re doing well as a queen; everyone is willing to follow you.”
Roswiser nodded slightly, “You flatter me, sis.”
Isar was about to ask something else when her gaze landed on a pendant necklace around Roswiser’s neck.
“That necklace is lovely! Did brother-in-law give it to you?”
“Oh, this? It was sent to me by Grandma a while ago. She said it was my wedding gift and insisted I wear it often.”
Isar raised her beautifully shaped brows, “Why?”
“Apparently, this pendant is made from a special magical material that helps prevent skin aging,” Roswiser explained.
Isar scoffed, “You’re only a couple hundred years old, my dear sister! Why are you worrying about aging?”
Roswiser let out a wry smile, “Can’t help it. Since it’s Grandma’s instruction, I’m just following along.”
“True, it does look good on you, anyway.”
Isar remarked, “Speaking of Grandma, she wrote to me a few days ago, saying she would come visit soon.”
“Oh, really? When we were at the academy, Principal Aulete mentioned Grandma would be back in a while. And the person Grandma entrusted was Principal Aulete.”
Being a fellow Saint His Academy graduate, Isar knew Principal Aulete quite well.
“Grandma knows the principal? Why wasn’t I informed…” Isar thought back but struggled to remember any connection between Grandma and Principal Aulete.
“They apparently got acquainted during a survey project in the Extreme North Land.”
“Survey project? What were they surveying?”
Roswiser shook her head, “Not sure. It seems Grandma and the principal both want to keep that under wraps, so I didn’t pry further.”
Isar nodded thoughtfully, then jumped to a different topic.
She looked over at Leon, who was trying to turn Mun’s hairstyle into pigtails, “Brother-in-law, I heard you made quite a spectacle recently.”
Leon halted what he was doing and looked at Isar, “What?”
“Sky Justice dropped from the heavens to smite six Dragon Kings! That’s quite an explosive feat in dragon history.”
Isar chuckled, “May I ask if this time, love and justice supplied you the strength?”
Since news of “Leon’s Ten Second Six King Smackdown” had reached Saint His Academy, it was no surprise Isar had heard about it.
Leon scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed. Then he composed himself, his expression serious,
“Yes. To protect the woman I love, I would risk everything, even my life—”
“Alright, alright! Keep those lovey-dovey speeches for private moments, will you? I, your single sister, can’t handle it after hundreds of years!”
This brother-in-law was too confusing:
He could take down six dragons in ten seconds with ease and yet sweet-talk like a pro.
But judging by Little Light’s expression, she seemed to enjoy it.
Ugh—
Married women, tsk tsk…
While she was pondering this, Roswiser said, “Sis, you’re getting to that age; you should consider finding someone too.”
“Me? I’m not in any hurry.”
As she spoke, Isar lowered her head and pecked another kiss on Little Light’s cheek, “I still have my adorable nieces. Whether it’s marriage or having kids, I’m not rushing it. Right, Little Light~?”
Wrapped in her aunt’s delightful perfume, Little Light nestled against her cheek.
Roswiser blinked, a light bulb going off in her head, suddenly remembering,
“Oh! By the way, sis, do you have time tomorrow?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Mun and Little Light plan to take the entrance test at Saint His Academy next month, and the test requires a family portrait.”
Roswiser continued, “We thought it’d be nice to take a family portrait and then a whole family portrait as well. You should join us if you’re free!”
“Oh? That’s a good idea. Little Light is already over a year old, and we haven’t taken a family photo yet.”
Isar added, “Although Grandma said in her letter that she’d visit soon, she didn’t specify when, and we can’t afford to delay the entrance test.”
“Hmm. We could take another one after Grandma returns.”
“No problem! We’ll go tomorrow.”
As night fell, the Melkway family chatted about their upcoming trip to Sky City.
Unbeknownst to them, a soul returning from hell was quietly approaching.
