### 107 Don’t Want to Lose You
“Roswiser……”
“Hmm?”
“Are you—”
“Oh!! I finally figured it out!!”
Rebecca cut in, interrupting the captain’s spellcasting like someone who just discovered a new continent, all excited and animated.
The few people in the corridor nearly jumped out of their skins at her sudden outburst.
Leon took a moment to calm himself down, swallowing the question that was on the tip of his tongue.
Better to wait until they’re alone to ask her.
Then, he looked at Rebecca and inquired, “What did you figure out?”
Roswiser and Claudia also turned their curious gazes toward her.
“I figured out your relationship!”
Rebecca declared with great seriousness.
“Captain, you just said Claudia Auntie is your daughter’s best friend’s mom, right?”
“…Yes.”
“And Charlotte Auntie is your master’s wife, right?”
“…Yes.”
“And the two Aunties are sisters, right?”
“…Right.”
The genius girl Rebecca put her hands on her hips, beaming with pride as she announced her earth-shattering discovery:
“That means the captain and his daughter are actually the same generation!”
Leon: ?
Roswiser: ?
Claudia: = =
Thud—
Rebecca stood on her tiptoes and patted Leon’s shoulder, adopting the tone of a wise elder, “Captain, don’t feel awkward about it. From now on, Noia-chan can call you ‘brother,’ and you can call her ‘daughter.’ It’s all good—hey!”
This got her a smack on the head from the captain.
Just as he was about to tell Rebecca to stop babbling, he heard Claudia let out a soft sigh beside them.
“Ah… Kids don’t know any better, they’re just joking,” Leon quickly defended Rebecca.
Claudia shrugged, “It’s fine. Mixing up generations is quite common among the Dragon Race. After all, we live for hundreds of years, and the age gap for having kids can be quite large, so it’s easy to see situations like what this little girl just said.”
The two “twenty-something kids” exchanged glances, wide-eyed, and then said in unison,
“So how should we address each other now?”
“It’s all the same as before, no need to fuss over it.”
After a pause, Claudia added, “Otherwise, I might actually end up with another son, right, Leon?”
Great, she still hasn’t shaken off her “evil queen” role from the last campus play.
Once the joking ended, Leon turned to the heavy door of the secret chamber, a serious look on his face.
“Master, how long until my master and his wife come out?”
“Very soon.”
Claudia replied, “Transplanting the Heartguard Dragon Scale isn’t considered surgery or a medical procedure; it’s more like transferring a power into another body. So there’s no need to worry about recovery time.”
She took out a compass from her pocket, which had a special timing device. After glancing at it, Claudia stated,
“There’s probably still an hour left before they finish the transplantation of the Heartguard Dragon Scale.”
Leon nodded.
Although Claudia had already reassured him that using the Heartguard Dragon Scale to mend his master’s damaged heart was completely fine, it was still his adoptive parents who had raised him for twenty years, so saying he wasn’t worried would be a lie.
He rubbed his fingers together, leaning against the wall, his gaze fixated on that door.
After a while, Leon suddenly felt a soft touch in his palm.
Looking down, he saw Roswiser quietly holding his hand.
“It’ll be alright.” She looked into Leon’s eyes, her soft voice easing his mind.
Leon nodded in response, “Yeah.”
Rebecca also quieted down and obediently took a seat in the corridor chair, waiting for the transplantation to finish.
……
An hour later, the door to the secret chamber made a gentle sound.
Leon immediately perked up and quickly walked over.
The stone door slowly opened to reveal Taige and Charlotte leaning on each other, supporting one another as they stood at the entrance.
“Master! Mistress!”
Leon rushed over to support the elderly couple.
His master looked much better but still appeared somewhat weary, while his mistress had a pale complexion, lacking much color in her face.
As Claudia had mentioned earlier, dragons who lost their Heartguard Dragon Scales would experience severe weakness for a long time thereafter.
Moreover, they required an absolutely safe environment to rest and recover.
Leon positioned himself beside his mistress, draping her arm over his shoulder, and then glanced over at Rebecca.
“Rebecca, come help.”
“Coming!”
Rebecca ran over and supported Taige from the other side.
Claudia then stepped forward slowly until she stood in front of Charlotte.
The sisters, one tall and one short, shared a gaze.
Having just lost her Heartguard Dragon Scale, Charlotte looked exhausted yet mustered a weak smile, “Sorry, sister… I was being stubborn again.”
She had expected Claudia to throw some words of reprimand her way like before, but to her surprise, Claudia only reached out, gently caressing Charlotte’s face and tucking the hair that had fallen out of place behind her ear.
“You’ve worked hard; let me take you to rest.”
“Sister… I——”
“Less talk, you’re weak right now.”
Charlotte’s pupils trembled slightly as she opened her mouth, wanting to say a thousand things to Claudia.
But in the end, she looked down, a faint smile hovering on her lips, replying softly,
“Okay.”
She could clearly sense that Claudia’s attitude toward her and Taige’s marriage was changing.
For thirty years, all Charlotte had hoped for was her family’s acknowledgment and blessing for this relationship.
Though it had been a rocky road, at the very least… everything was moving in a better direction.
Claudia led them to a resting room, arranging both “patients” onto a soft, large bed.
Once settled, Taige slowly turned his head to glance at Charlotte.
Charlotte, coincidentally, was also looking at him.
The old couple gazed at each other, sharing a silent, knowing smile.
“You two just had the Heartguard Dragon Scale transplanted and need some rest before you can move around normally, so catching up can wait until tomorrow.”
Claudia, maintaining her signature “outsider” attitude, delivered her professional analysis with a straight face.
“I’ll send dinner over shortly, so… we won’t disturb you any longer.”
“Master! Mistress, you both take a good rest, I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
“Good… You and your wife have been busy all day too, so be sure to rest early.”
“Yeah.”
After bidding goodbye to the elderly couple, Claudia took the others to have dinner.
After dinner, she arranged their rooms for them.
Claudia felt like a tour guide after a long day—
Seriously, is it really my duty as the Princess of Sea Dragons to serve guests like this?
But it couldn’t be helped; the identities of Leon and the others were sensitive, and it was better if fewer people knew about them.
“Thank you for your trouble, senior. And regarding my master’s situation, I appreciate your help.”
The silver dragon couple sincerely expressed their gratitude.
“There’s no need for thanks; just get to bed early, and I hope you adapt to the underwater environment quickly.”
“Alright, goodnight, senior.”
“Goodnight.”
Claudia closed the door for them and turned to leave.
The couple finally let out a sigh of relief.
As they relaxed, weariness came crashing down on them.
Roswiser rubbed her shoulders; she had been flying at high speed for hours earlier that day to reach the Sea Dragon tribe, a strain even for someone of the Silver Dragon Race.
She looked around, assessing the guest room.
It was quite tidy, fitting her aesthetic.
It even had a small balcony.
Roswiser walked over, thinking the balcony was merely a decorative feature since there was no sun to be seen underwater.
But upon stepping out, she was greeted with a breathtaking view.
A beautiful, vibrant underwater world lay before her.
The entire palace was encased in a transparent protective shield, isolating the interior from the ocean realm outside.
Various rare fish and creatures swam by, and as she raised her arm, her sleeve slid down her delicate, smooth arm and her jade-like fingers lightly touched the inner wall of the shield, causing several pretty, lively little fish to swim towards her fingertips, blowing bubbles.
The queen couldn’t help but smile.
Getting older really makes one enjoy watching little fish and plants (not)!
“Roswiser…”
Leon approached her side.
“Hmm?”
She drew her gaze away and looked at him.
However, Leon seemed hesitant, words caught in his throat.
Roswiser blinked, smiling, “It seemed like you had something to say to me earlier when we were at the door of the secret chamber, right?”
Leon bit his lip and nodded, “Yeah.”
“What is it?” she asked, tilting her head.
Deep down, she had probably already guessed what Leon would ask.
That smart dog man had heard so much about the Heartguard Dragon Scales from Claudia and had just witnessed his master come back to life thanks to the Dragon Scales, which would naturally lead Leon to think about……
What happened back then.
“It’s just……”
After a moment of hesitation, Leon slowly exhaled, as if finally making a decision,
“Your Heartguard Dragon Scale… is actually with me, right?”
He mustered the courage to meet those silver eyes.
Even though he had already guessed a lot, he still wanted to hear Roswiser confirm it with her own words.
The queen’s pupils flickered, but she didn’t seem too surprised.
She smiled lightly and nodded, “Yeah, it’s with you.”
“Why—”
“When you became my captive, you were severely injured, your heart was nearly shattered. To save you, I had no choice but to transplant my Dragon Scale to you.”
Roswiser turned and leaned against the balcony railing, gazing into the depths of the ocean.
“Don’t feel burdened by this, Leon; after all… I only saved you back then so I could take my revenge on you someday.”
This was indeed the objective fact.
After all, Roswiser had made a mess with Leon due to the bl**d Curse back then, so it was impossible for her to develop any feelings for him at that time.
Just like she said, she transplanted her Heartguard Dragon Scale to Leon purely out of a desire for revenge.
But—
“You had many chances to take back the Dragon Scale later, yet you didn’t do that, did you?”
“Yeah. Because I didn’t want our daughter to have her father present during her childhood only for him to suddenly disappear one day.”
“And?”
“And?”
Roswiser lowered her gaze.
After a long while, the corners of her mouth curled up into a smile, the dimples on her cheeks adorably cute, her smile warm like spring.
“I just don’t want to lose you.”
“Roswiser……”
“Ah, finally, I’ve heard you admit it in person. Are you satisfied now?”
Roswiser turned around, stretching her body, and then lowered her arms, poking Leon in the chest.
“Now, please make sure you take good care of my heart, okay, silly?”
### 108 Need a Hand
Due to his human identity, Leon found it inconvenient to walk around the Sea Dragon Palace without Claudia’s company.
So after waking up in the morning, he and Roswiser had been staying in their room.
Ever since learning last night that Roswiser’s Heartguard Dragon Scale was actually transplanted into him, Leon’s emotions were quite complicated.
Even a human like him understood the significance of Dragon Scales.
Though Roswiser comforted him by saying she initially gave him the Dragon Scale for revenge, after all, it was something so important that it concerned Roswiser’s life.
How could Leon truly feel at ease accepting that?
He sat by the balcony tea table, raising a hand to feel his chest.
His heartbeat was strong and steady.
And the one who rejuvenated that heartbeat was Roswiser.
“You haven’t spoken to me all morning; how can you stand it?”
A cold, indifferent voice broke the silence behind him.
Leon turned his gaze to see Roswiser sitting across the tea table.
She casually crossed her long legs, her skirt sliding down her smooth thighs, the black trim subtly visible.
But Leon didn’t really feel in the mood to appreciate the morning “benefits” the queen had to offer.
“Still tangled up about the Dragon Scale?”
Seeing that Leon wasn’t interested in flirting, Roswiser decided to set aside her legs and have a serious chat with him instead.
Leon lowered his eyes, mumbling a dull “yeah.”
Roswiser smiled helplessly, shaking her head with a sigh.
She rested a hand on her temple, half-closed her eyes, lazily admiring the underwater world beyond the balcony,
“I didn’t tell you for so long because I was worried you’d overthink.”
“You gave me such an important Heartguard Dragon Scale; how could I not overthink?”
“So how do you feel right now? Guilty? Grateful? Or… something else?”
Leon pondered for a moment and then shook his head,
“It’s complicated; I can’t really put into words how I feel.”
Roswiser chuckled, “Then you can have a good chat with your master later; you two should have a lot in common to talk about now.”
“Why do you say that?”
Roswiser straightened up, counting on her fingers,
“Look, you’re both Dragon Slayers, you’ve both uncovered imperial plots, you both have a dragon wife, and you’ve both been saved by your wives’ Heartguard Dragon Scales.”
Slap—
Suddenly, the queen clapped her hands enthusiastically.
“That reminds me of a song from the group ‘Monthly Fee Group 694931351’—ahem—”
“When I grow up, I’ll become you~”
Leon couldn’t help but laugh at her utterly ridiculous joke.
Seeing Leon smile, Roswiser tucked away her playful demeanor.
Hmph, be grateful, you silly dog; this queen rarely comes down from her pedestal to cheer you up. Most people don’t get this privilege.
“You’re smiling now; once you laugh, you can’t sulk anymore.”
As if afraid Leon would fall back into gloom again, Roswiser hurriedly said.
Leon nodded, “Okay.”
Actually, Roswiser rarely acted this way, but considering she only had this one husband, she had to try.
If she didn’t coax him, who would?
Fortunately, Leon knew to go along with the flow and wouldn’t dwell on his feelings endlessly; if he kept frowning, it’d just look a bit dramatic.
“By the way, I was unable to gather magic power for a while. Is that related to your Heartguard Dragon Scale?” Leon asked.
Roswiser nodded,
“Once the Dragon Scale was transplanted into you, it required a significant amount of magic power to function normally.”
“Actually, with your physique back then, you shouldn’t have passed out for two years because of the bl**d Curse’s side effects.”
“It was only because when I transplanted the Dragon Scale into you, all your magic power was absorbed by the scale, leaving your body extremely weak. Adding the influence of the bl**d Curse on your body resulted in your long-term coma.”
After listening to Roswiser’s explanation, Leon nodded thoughtfully,
“So many years have passed, and I still can’t rely on my own magic power?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
Roswiser replied, “It takes at least two hundred years for us dragons to gather a Heartguard Dragon Scale. During those two hundred years, one must continuously nourish the scale with magic power. But you’ve only had it for five years, theoretically… you’re still short by one hundred and fifty years.”
Upon hearing this, Leon gulped, “A-One hundred fifty years… In that time, I might as well turn to dust; what good is a Dragon Scale then…”
“Hmph, then I’ll just take my Dragon Scale back from your ashes, wash it clean, and put it back on myself.” Roswiser said seriously.
“… You think it’s a beauty contact lens or something? It can just be put on and taken off.”
“Anyway, in the current situation, you can only rely on the magic power stored in the Dragon Patterns to fight.”
Roswiser paused for a moment before adding, “Of course, the Dragon Scale will also serve its original purpose when necessary.”
“Original… purpose?”
“Yeah, in your words, it’s a safety mechanism to ensure you won’t be harmed by your own released magic power.”
“Okay, got it.”
After discussing the Dragon Scale briefly, Roswiser shifted the topic to something more pressing.
“So, what’s your plan next?”
Leon understood immediately what Roswiser was referring to.
He took out the Shadow Stone that Rebecca had given him yesterday, which contained key evidence of the empire colluding with dragons, exploiting citizens through war.
As long as they could make this evidence public, not only could they expose the empire’s vile nature and save the people from calamity, but they could also clear Leon’s charge of treason.
“Now, we have enough evidence to overthrow the empire. I think it’s time to take the initiative.”
Leon tightened his grip on the Shadow Stone, his tone grave.
“And if we delay any longer, there will be more casualties.”
His master’s near-d*ath experience made Leon deeply understand the saying that “revolution must come with sacrifices.”
However, while the principle was understood, whether he could accept it when it happened to him was another matter entirely.
Thus, to prevent further unnecessary bloodshed, Leon had to end this farce as soon as possible.
“A formal declaration of war, huh…”
Roswiser carefully considered and helped Leon analyze,
“Since the empire was able to create a fusion monster like Constantine before, they likely have even more extreme methods and powerful trump cards up their sleeves.”
“And let’s not forget the recently infamous Sharp Blade Trio. Even though one of them lost an arm to your master, their strength cannot be underestimated.”
“So if you decide to confront the empire head-on and expose their conspiracy to everyone, you’ll need support.”
Leon pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement,
“Inside the empire, we have the Lionheart Association formed by my master and his allies as our inside help, but relying solely on this soft power might not be enough. We still need some… hard power.”
“I can go with you,” Roswiser said.
“No—”
“What do you mean ‘no’? You think I’ll be at ease?”
The queen shot him an indignant glare, turning her head away and muttering shyly, “You’re just worried about my Heartguard Dragon Scale.”
Leon was momentarily stunned, then he chuckled, “Alright, let’s unite as husband and wife and become a formidable duo.”
“So cheesy, change it to something else.”
“Uh… Silver Dragon on the march, leaving no blade of grass behind!”
“Way too avant-garde, don’t like it.”
After that comment, both spouses paused.
They looked at each other, shared a moment of silence, and then spontaneously burst into laughter.
“Alright, but just having me help may not be enough. We must consider the possibility that after knowing the truth, the Dragon Slayer Army could still have some members siding with the empire. So…”
“Let’s see if we can ask Claudia for assistance.” Leon suggested.
“Yeah, the Sea Dragon tribe has some grievances with the empire as well.”
Roswiser said, “Would that be enough? Do we need to find a Dragon King-level ally?”
Leon thought for a moment, “If we’re talking about grievances with the empire…”
“I happen to have a very suitable candidate.”
