Ever since discovering his magic depletion, Leon had focused all his research on "how to restore magic." In other words, throughout solving this problem, he had always assumed he was "unable to gather magic."
But that wasn't the case.
There were no issues with his physical strength, mental power, or magic circuits, which meant Leon could gather magic normally. And in theory, this magic should have been enough for him to freely use various large-scale lightning spells.
Yet the reality was that every time he gathered magic, he could only perform some seemingly trivial tricks, like child's play. Even creating the lightning birthday message in the night sky required the help of a magic circle.
This phenomenon might not be due to a problem with Leon himself, but rather... something was quietly stealing his magic.
Recalling everything since he became Rossweise's captive, what new "thing" had appeared on his body?
That's right.
The Dragon Mark.
Leon had never considered focusing his thoughts on the dragon mark before. In his understanding, it was just an auxiliary magic used by dragon couples to maintain loyalty and add... interest to their relationship.
After he woke up, Rossweise used the symbolism and function of the dragon mark to bind Leon, making it impossible for him to escape her forever. Only when they were competing for "dominance" would the dragon mark activate.
The rest of the time, it lay quietly hidden on the couple's chests, not affecting their daily lives at all.
But after Leon had tried every possible solution and idea without success, he could only focus his final—and only—research direction on the dragon mark.
Rossweise probably wasn't very familiar with this thing either. A Mother Dragon who hadn't been in a relationship for over two hundred years wouldn't know much about dragon marks, right?
When seeking revenge, dragons aren't very rational. She likely used every method she could think of to torture Leon, without considering whether she understood the dragon mark or was skilled in using it.
Besides, if she knew the dragon mark was stealing Leon's magic, she would have taunted him about it long ago.
Something like, "No wonder you're so weak—turns out you're pouring all your magic into the dragon mark."
Just imagining the Mother Dragon saying such things gave Leon chills.
Shaking his head, he refocused his thoughts.
After choosing a new research direction, Leon quickly formed a completely different hypothesis: his magic wasn't depleted, nor was he unable to gather it; instead, the magic he gathered was silently being absorbed by the dragon mark.
Now, he could start testing this hypothesis.
Leon glanced at Muen.
His precious daughter was still diligently working on her exercises.
Leon withdrew his gaze and walked to the bathroom in the library, locking the door behind him.
He stood in front of the sink mirror, unbuttoning his shirt collar to reveal the dragon mark on his chest.
The dragon mark was usually silver-white in its normal state, turned light purple when "longing" for the other, and deepened to purple when the couple was intimate, symbolizing their connection.
The dragon mark still glowed brightly.
"If the dragon mark is really silently stealing my magic... then—"
Leon attempted to gather magical energy. Blue arcs of lightning flickered and pulsed in his palm. He closed his eyes, quietly sensing the flow of magic through his circuits.
From his palm, to his arm, to his shoulder, and finally... to his chest.
Leon slowly opened his eyes, watching the electric light pulsing at the dragon mark on his chest, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Indeed, part of the magic is flowing into the dragon mark completely beyond my control... but..."
Leon noticed something strange.
It was true that some magic had flowed into the dragon mark. However, based on the total amount of magic he had just gathered, what went into the dragon mark wasn't a significant portion.
If the magic Leon gathered was represented as 10, the amount he could use for spells was 2, and the amount flowing into the dragon mark was also 2.
Then where did the remaining more than half of the magic go?!
Leon ran his fingers through his hair, his mind racing wildly.
This line of thinking was correct. Indeed, his magic was being stolen by some "thing" inside his body.
But this so-called "thing" wasn't just the dragon mark. Or rather, the dragon mark was only one of the insignificant "accomplices."
As for the main culprit stealing his magic, it was something else entirely.
"What could it be..."
Leon pressed his hands against his chest, pacing back and forth in front of the sink. He carefully recalled every detail since waking up.
But aside from the dragon mark, there was nothing new on his body. And the magical energy he had just gathered had indeed flowed uncontrollably into his chest.
What detail had Leon overlooked?
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After a brief moment of agitation, Leon regained his composure. He leaned both hands on the sink, looking at his reflection in the mirror, and began to think calmly again.
"The dragon mark does absorb some magic, but the amount is so small it's negligible."
"And if the dragon mark really had a significant impact on magic, Rossweise would have removed it long ago. It wouldn't still be here."
"So, what can almost certainly be determined now is that my magic isn't depleted; it's being stealthily consumed by some unknown thing inside my body."
"But... since it's inside me and has absorbed so much of my magic, why haven't I experienced any other adverse reactions aside from being unable to use magic?"
"Moreover, what is the purpose of this thing absorbing magic? Is it beneficial to me, or... harmful?"
Questions piled up before Leon like a small mountain, leaving him weary from thought.
He sighed tiredly, ran his fingers through his hair, then turned and leaned against the edge of the sink, furrowing his brow in deep thought.
On one hand, he didn't want his master to think he had become useless over the past two years. On the other, his daughter's winter break was approaching, and he had already promised to teach her more magic.
Leon needed to find a solution to the problem as soon as possible.
He closed his eyes, gently pressing his fingers against his brow. After a moment of thought, another idea for overcoming the difficulty emerged.
If he couldn't directly solve the problems he had just listed, then... why not find a way around them?
Leon suddenly looked up, turning to gaze at the dragon mark reflected in the mirror.
"The 'thief' stealing my magic takes away most of the energy flowing through my body's magic circuits, creating the illusion of magic depletion."
After magical enlightenment, any magic user can store the magic they've condensed in their magic circuits through "circulation." When they want to use magic, they don't need to condense it on the spot, making it more efficient.
But in Leon's current situation, any trace of magic in his magic circuits would be stolen by the "thief," then divided between the thief and the dragon mark—
Wait!
That's the key!
"Since I can't find that thief, can't I confront the dragon mark?" Leon poked his chest. "You've been on me for so long. Besides reporting to Rossweise, you should serve some other purpose too."
Dragon Mark: Meow meow meow?
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Leon spent the entire afternoon in the library, repeatedly testing and observing the dragon mark's reaction to magic.
He discovered that although the dragon mark would absorb a portion of his magic, this absorption seemed... passive.
In other words, the dragon mark was like a conduit. When magic flowed through Leon's body, a small amount would inevitably "leak" into the mark.
But this leakage was minimal, almost negligible for a dragon slayer of his level.
The real problem was the other "thief" hiding in the shadows.
However, this discovery gave Leon a new idea.
If the dragon mark could serve as a conduit, perhaps he could use it to his advantage.
He decided to try to consciously control the magic flow, deliberately channeling a larger amount of magic into the dragon mark.
The moment he tried, something surprising happened.
The dragon mark on his chest suddenly glowed with a strange purple light, different from any color he had seen before. It was neither the light purple of longing nor the deep purple of intimacy, but a vibrant, almost electric violet.
At the same time, Leon felt the magic in his body surge, as if something had been unlocked.
He could clearly sense that the rate at which the "thief" was stealing his magic had significantly decreased!
It seemed that when the dragon mark was actively supplied with ample magic, it could to some extent suppress the other magic thief.
This discovery excited Leon.
He continued experimenting, carefully controlling the flow of magic, trying to find the optimal balance.
After several attempts, Leon found that when he channeled about thirty percent of his magic into the dragon mark, the theft rate of the other "thief" would drop to about twenty percent.
This meant he could finally use nearly half of his gathered magic!
Although it was still far from his peak, it was already a huge improvement compared to before.
Most importantly, this meant his research direction was correct. The dragon mark was indeed the key to solving the problem.
Just as Leon was immersed in his experiments, a knock came at the bathroom door.
"Daddy, are you okay?" Muen's worried voice came from outside. "You've been in there a long time."
Leon quickly adjusted his clothes, making sure the dragon mark was covered, then opened the door.
"I'm fine, just... thinking about some questions." Leon rubbed his daughter's head. "Have you finished your exercises?"
"Mm-hmm!" Muen nodded, then looked at her father curiously. "Daddy, you look... different."
"Oh? How so?"
"Your eyes are brighter," Muen said seriously. "Like when you used to tell me stories about fighting dragons."
Leon smiled. Indeed, regaining even a portion of his power lifted his spirits.
This was just the beginning. He believed that as he continued his research, he would eventually find a way to completely resolve the magic depletion issue.
"Let's go, it's about time for dinner." Leon took his daughter's hand. "We can continue studying tomorrow."
"Okay!" Muen happily held her father's hand.
"Daddy, will you teach me lightning magic someday? Like the kind you used for Mommy's birthday?"
Leon's steps paused slightly, then he showed a confident smile.
"Soon, my dear. Very soon."
The father and daughter walked out of the library, the setting sun casting their long shadows on the floor.
Leon knew the road ahead was still long, but at least now he saw a glimmer of hope.
And this hope came from the very mark Rossweise had used to bind him—the dragon mark.
The irony of fate always came unexpectedly.
But for now, Leon decided to keep this discovery to himself. Before fully understanding the truth, he didn't want to raise Rossweise's alert.
After all, who knows how the Mother Dragon would react upon learning her dragon mark was helping him regain his power?
This secret, he would guard a little longer.