Actually, Leon had always been quite interested in this Crimson Flame Dragon King, Constantine.
He remembered reading about Constantine in the Enlightening Tales of Young Dragons he had shared with Muen shortly after waking from his coma. In the book, Constantine was portrayed as a hero of the dragon race, a great contributor to their territorial expansion.
Then, when Isha had visited the Silver Dragon Temple, she had mentioned Constantine as well, noting that his recent activity was a sure sign of trouble brewing.
In the following days, Leon had also encountered members of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan, including Lal's father, who had been overpowered by Noah. During his vacation at Flowing Cloud Valley, chatting with the newlywed couple, the topic of Constantine had come up again. They said he had shifted from being merely "active" to actively inciting conflict within the dragon clans.
Within the dragon community, Constantine seemed to be a prominent figure with high visibility.
Yet, during the five years from Leon's graduation from the Dragon Slayer Academy at fifteen to his betrayal during the assault on the Silver Dragon Temple at twenty, he had never once heard Constantine's name mentioned.
This led Leon to conclude that Constantine must be a Dragon King of significant accomplishment who had not been active in dragon or human conflicts for a very long time. Otherwise, he, a top Dragon Slayer, would not have been oblivious to his existence.
So why, in the last few months, had he become so aggressively expansionist, as if he had taken some kind of powerful stimulant?
As a former top Dragon Slayer, Leon harbored a deep-seated curiosity and a professional impulse when it came to powerful Dragon Kings. A part of him yearned to confront different Dragon Kings in battle, to seek victory in life-and-death struggles. Countless Dragon Kings had fallen by his hand in the past.
Unfortunately, the hero of yesteryear was now a devoted father, living a life centered on raising his children. He could only learn about Constantine through the words of Dragon Queens like Rossweise and Isha.
"What exactly is going on with Constantine?" Rossweise asked, pulling Leon from his thoughts.
"He has been aggressively expanding his territory recently. So far, it seems he has absorbed at least four small dragon tribes," Isha reported.
"Just a few days ago, the leader of the Wind Dragon tribe wrote to me. She believes Constantine's next target might be her territory."
Rossweise frowned slightly. "The Wind Dragon tribe… that's a fairly powerful tribe, not comparable to those smaller ones. Doesn't Constantine's appetite seem a bit too large if he thinks he can take them down?"
Isha shrugged, took a sip of her coffee, and said, "Constantine seems very confident in his own strength. He has been causing provocations on the borders of the Wind Dragon territory repeatedly, as if testing their resolve."
"The Wind Dragon King doesn't dare to act rashly. Her territory happens to have a mutual defense understanding with my Red Dragon Temple, so she invited me to Sky City to discuss how to deal with Constantine."
Rossweise's mind worked, contemplating for a moment before replying, "If Constantine truly starts a war with the Wind Dragon tribe, it will be on a much larger scale and far bloodier than the previous four tribes. If you get involved, sister, it might be hard to extricate yourself."
Isha finished her coffee, sighed softly, and looked at the empty cup with its few remaining drops of light brown liquid. "There's no choice. Help must be given. If the Wind Dragon tribe falls, the next target might very well be my Red Dragon tribe."
"Sister, should I send some Silver Dragon soldiers to reinforce you?" Rossweise offered.
Isha smiled and shook her head. "Not for now. It might startle the snake. Don't worry too much, Little Rose."
"Constantine has experienced failures in conquest before. He may not dare to attack the Wind Dragon tribe outright with the support of my Red Dragon tribe."
To Leon, wars within the dragon tribes were nothing unusual. Even for a race as naturally predisposed to conflict as the dragons, internal strife was inevitable—just as it was among humans, intelligent monsters, and even slimes.
In this world, every resource was finite, yet the desires of intelligent life were infinite. It was this imbalance between boundless desire and limited resources that created a fragile string of peace. When the tension became too great, the string snapped, and war began.
When Leon was young, he seldom pondered the meaning of war. His master had once said, "This world is like a vast and intricate machine, and we are merely screws within it—oh, lad, perhaps you're equivalent to two screws, given your prowess as a Dragon Slayer. But even so, all you need to do is what a screw ought to do."
How the machine operated, how the power was supplied, how the gears meshed—these were not his concerns. And even if he pondered them, could he change anything? He could not. So, he was to be a good screw, slay his dragons, and that was what was best for him.
As far as Leon could recall, it was the first time his master had spoken in such cryptic riddles, leaving him perplexed. And just as he began to contemplate his master's words in earnest, the orders came: "Leon, fetch me that Dragon King"; "Leon, take care of that Dragon King"; and so on.
During those days of subjugating various Dragon Kings, Leon gradually began to grasp the superficial meaning behind his master's words. He was just a brick of the Empire, to be moved wherever he was needed.
"Hiss—"
How had he ended up thinking about this? Leon clicked his tongue lightly. It hadn't bothered him before, but once he started, he couldn't help but feel a wave of frustration.
He had worked diligently for the Empire, killed more dragons than most people had eaten chickens, and yet he had been betrayed by some damn insider?
Could it be that his efficiency as a screw was too high, causing the machine to overload?
Ridiculous.
Leon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm down. Rossweise noticed the slight shift in his mood. It seemed unrelated to the heavy topic they had just discussed.
"What's wrong?" Rossweise asked.
Leon rubbed his nose. "Nothing."
He didn't elaborate, turning his gaze out the window instead. Rossweise didn't press him further.
"Well, originally, I came to Sky City just to discuss strategies with the Wind Dragon King, but unexpectedly, I ran into you two," Isha said, deftly changing the subject, perhaps feeling the previous topic was too heavy. "But if I hadn't run into you, would you really have told me about the second child?" She smiled, looking at the two across from her.
"Oh, come on, sis, didn't Leon just say we would definitely tell you?" Rossweise interjected playfully. "Right, Leon?"
"Huh? Oh… yeah."
"Hmph, following the husband's lead. Your relationship is much better than I thought," Isha remarked.
Indeed, their relationship was 'great.' So great that they had been married for over two years and had only just started living together the day before.
But if even someone as perceptive as Isha believed their marital bond was strong, it meant that Leon and Rossweise were indeed playing their roles well. How did that saying go? 'No feelings, just skills.' Yeah, it was all about skills (he was firmly convinced).
The sisters chatted about various other topics, and in the afternoon, they casually explored Sky City. As an older sister, Isha naturally cared deeply about her sister's well-being, so she bought her some supplements not listed on their original shopping list.
When they passed by a prenatal yoga class, Isha took the opportunity to sign her sister up.
"…Sis, can we skip the yoga?" Rossweise pleaded.
"We can't skip it. I've heard that doing yoga during pregnancy is very beneficial for the baby's health," Isha insisted, handing the registration form to Rossweise.
It stated that classes could begin after three months of pregnancy. She only had one month to go… Rossweise found it hard to hide her reluctance.
Seeing the Mother Dragon's expression, Leon knew she was resistant to the idea. And if she was resistant, Leon saw an opportunity.
Snap—
Leon placed his hand on Rossweise's shoulder. "Honey~, it's all for you and the baby's sake. You should attend the classes when the time comes."
Rossweise gripped the registration form, shooting him a glare. Revenge for my teasing earlier, huh? Hmph, typical man.
Rossweise glanced at the form again and chuckled. "Alright, I'll come. But it says here that pregnant women must be accompanied by their husbands. Honey, you'll definitely come with me, won't you?"
Her "honey" was sickeningly sweet. Could she just call him 'honey' and leave it at that?
Leon clicked his tongue. "Mmm, yes, I'll come with you."
"If you don't want to, it's okay, I can go by myself," Rossweise pretended to sound pitiful.
"…You're pushing it."
"Hone~y~"
"Alright, that's enough from both of you," Isha intervened. If she didn't stop them now, these two would probably end up flirting on the street forever.
Seriously, she had come here to scold them, but how had she ended up getting fed a mouthful of 'dog food'?
However, what Isha perceived as flirting, Leon and Rossweise regarded as merely teasing each other. So, no misunderstandings, please; it was just playful banter.
After chatting a while longer, the sisters said their goodbyes. Rossweise carefully tucked away the yoga class registration form. "Well, let's head back. We can make dinner for our daughters once we're home."
Leon weighed the Jade Dew Dragon Fruit in his hand. It had been quite a fruitful day.
He had acquired loot and endured his sister-in-law's teasing. He felt… fulfilled.
He nodded. "Alright. Let's go home."