The matter of being framed and betrayed was a topic Leon rarely mentioned. Rossweise could probably guess why he did not want to talk about it.
First, after years of fighting on the battlefield and earning countless honors, to be harmed by a despicable person in the end was a huge disgrace for someone hailed as a hero by the empire and its people.
Second, the person who framed him was likely a comrade-in-arms, someone who had fought alongside him through life and death. If it had been someone else, Leon would not have been so upset. But the fact that a fellow soldier could sneakily harm him during battle meant it had to be someone from his own squad.
Three years had passed since then, and it was time to talk about it properly.
When Rossweise asked, Leon was silent at first. He lowered his head, scratched his temple, seeming willing to discuss it but unsure where to start.
Seeing his hesitation, Rossweise took the lead. "Then let us start with what happened that day. Before you were framed, what were you and your teammates doing?"
Leon stared at the tips of his shoes, his eyes gradually losing focus as his thoughts drifted back to the day three years ago when they attacked the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.
As he remembered, he began to speak softly. "That day, our army had already broken through the outer defenses of the sanctuary. All we needed was to rush through the main gate, and we could… uh…"
He pursed his lips, glanced at Rossweise beside him, and then continued, "We could see you."
Rossweise rested her chin on her hand, her beautiful eyes fixed on Leon, listening carefully.
The dog-man's words were quite tactful: "We could see you."
After seeing me, then what? Would everyone sit down together for tea and chat? She shook her head, not dwelling on wild thoughts, and nodded. "Hmm, and then?"
"Well… as you know, our human strategy to defeat the dragon race mostly relies on numbers. So after breaking through the outer perimeter, I sent a large part of our forces to attack the main gate of your temple."
"Of course, this was just a trick. The real elite Dragon Slayer teams, hundreds of them, attacked from both sides. When your Silver Dragon defenders gathered at the main gate, it was the perfect time to break through on the flanks."
"The battle went exactly as I planned. The trick worked, and the flank attacks went smoothly."
"According to the plan, that should have been the time for a Dragon King-level opponent to appear, and I was ready to fight you to the death."
Next, they only needed to watch General Leon's classic dragon-slaying performance.
"But… just as my squad and I were about to enter the temple courtyard, my vision suddenly went dark."
"Darkness?" Rossweise frowned slightly. "Was it illusion magic?"
"From how it felt then, it did seem like very powerful illusion magic. And such strong illusion magic requires the caster to be very close and for the target to be completely off guard. But at that moment, there was not a single Silver Dragon near me."
Rossweise's eyes flickered, understanding what Leon meant.
The person who could trap someone as strong as him in such a powerful illusion had to be the teammate he trusted the most.
Leon went on, "I did not have time to think. I quickly used every method I could to break free from the illusion. But it was at that moment…"
Leon raised his hand, clutching his chest, his tone growing heavier. "The one who framed me struck. They did not use a sword or a dagger, but something thin and sharp, with a piercing enchantment. Otherwise, it could never have pierced the black gold war chariot's breastplate."
"My heart was pierced. Strangely, only the skin and muscles on my chest hurt; my heart itself did not have a strong feeling."
At this point, Leon shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "But that is just a normal body reaction. I knew what had happened, and I knew that when the heart is pierced, it is all over."
"From being trapped in the illusion to being attacked, the whole thing took less than two seconds. And at that moment, there were no Silver Dragons within a hundred meters of me."
"When I woke up, all the positions of the raiding teams had been exposed, and you immediately adjusted your tactics to take us apart one by one."
"I could not keep commanding then, so according to protocol, my deputy took over and ordered everyone to retreat."
"My teammates dragged me, barely alive, inch by inch toward the temple exit. But we were too slow. After all our positions were exposed, your counterattack was very effective and fast. If they wanted to live, they had to leave me behind."
"At that time, my mind was already very blurry. I could not hear clearly what they were saying. There seemed to be a short argument, but in the end… I still became your prisoner."
"That is probably… how it went."
Leon covered his face with both hands and let out a heavy sigh.
After hearing Leon's story, Rossweise stayed quiet. From his description, it was clear he had been betrayed by his own teammate.
Things like illusion magic, enchanted weapons, exposed positions, and the final show of 'comradeship' all pointed to a carefully planned betrayal. The person who betrayed Leon had prepared well for that moment.
After the successful betrayal, they left no trace. Not only did the human side not find them, but even the Silver Dragons after the battle did not know which top assassin had taken out their strongest general.
But one somewhat funny thing was that since the traitor had aimed straight for Leon's heart, they clearly meant to kill him outright, with no intention of letting him live.
Unfortunately, not only was Leon alive and well now, but he had also become the fake husband of the Silver Dragon Queen. He even had three lovely daughters. If the traitor knew, they would probably be furious.
After a moment of silence, Rossweise asked, "Do you have any ideas about who the traitor might be? Any guesses?"
Leon looked ahead and shook his head. "Logically, everyone involved is a suspect. But emotionally… I do not believe any of them could do such a thing."
Balancing logic and emotion, he did not let his anger over the betrayal cloud his judgment or forget the bonds formed in life-and-death situations. He did not jump to conclusions or accuse anyone.
Leon managed his emotions and logic very well. If it were someone else, they probably could not have handled it as well as he did.
Rossweise thought for a moment, then glanced at him. "You just said, three teammates?"
"Ah."
"Then let us talk about them, just a simple chat."
Leon scratched his head, thinking, Well, since we have already said this much, a little more will not hurt.
"Um… one is the deputy squad leader, one is a support mage, and one is a gunner. Let us start with the deputy squad leader," Leon said. "That guy is always second best."
Rossweise was startled. "Always second best? Is that… an insult?"
Leon shrugged. "I often win championships, so guess who is second?"
"Oh~ I see, go on."
"Like me, he came from a common family before joining the Dragon Slayer Army. No connections, no background. He rose to deputy squad leader entirely on his own skill. Oh, he also took over command as my deputy that time. Quite capable."
After a pause, Leon added, "But not as capable as me."
Rossweise chuckled and nudged Leon's shoulder. "You never miss a chance to praise yourself, do you?"
After a heavy topic, a little joke was needed to lighten the mood.
Leon laughed too and then went on. "The second one is a support mage, and he comes from a famous family. He is the son of a minister in the imperial court. They say he specifically asked to join my squad after graduation. He claimed to admire me a lot and wanted to become a dragon slayer like me in the future."
Rossweise smirked. "So he is just a little fanboy then. And the last one, the gunner?"
"Oh, her, she is a very talkative girl—" The queen became alert. "Wait, a girl?"
Leon hesitated. "Y-yes… what is wrong?"
"Cosmodeous, in your dull life with your donkey, finally, there appears a second girl your age, besides the silver-haired female classmate."
[Awe, queen getting jealous ~]
Leon blinked. At first, it seemed like she was teasing him about being single for twenty years. But the more he thought about it, the more he could smell… jealousy?
"What does this girl look like?" Rossweise asked.
Leon's mind stirred, and some mischievous thoughts popped up. "She is beautiful, very beautiful."
In truth, the girl was average-looking in Leon's eyes, but she had many suitors. Leon's opinion of her was, "You would be better off chasing my donkey; at least it can bray a couple of times."
Hearing Leon's high praise for the female gunner, Rossweise's eyes widened, and she secretly gritted her teeth. But on the surface, she acted like she did not care.
"Really? Well, that is great. Having a pretty girl in the team, fighting while enjoying the view of a beauty, must be delightful, huh?"
Leon did not answer that question but instead asked, "Tsk tsk tsk, Mother Dragon, is this beer expired?"
"Expired? No, it is not."
"Then why does it smell sour?"
Crack—
The beer can in Rossweise's hand was instantly crushed, making a crisp sound.
Leon looked down at the flattened can in her hand. This is getting heated.
No, he could not provoke her anymore. If Mother Dragon got angry and drank, she might come up with a new way to play with dragon marks, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of that.
Right away, Leon said, "Just kidding, just kidding. She looks pretty average, at least I think so."
"Oh, really…?"
"Yeah… anyway, from her hair color to her height and personality, she is just not my type."
"What is your type then?"
"Hey, do you not know all that from my preferences? Why are you still asking as if you do not know?"
Leon thought about how to change the subject, but Rossweise leaned in. She was still a bit drunk, her cheeks flushed.
"Come on, tell me, what type do you like?" she insisted.
"I like… I like silver—"
"Can you not… just… say it… in one go?"
As she spoke, Rossweise suddenly felt the alcohol rush to her head. Everything started spinning, and she lost control of her body, eventually falling sideways into Leon's lap.
Leon blinked, cautiously poking Rossweise's cheek. "Hey, Rossweise, hey?"
"Mmm…"
The response was a muffled murmur.
"You fell asleep fast, Mother Dragon."
Having given birth not long ago and with her strength not fully back, it was no surprise she suddenly fell asleep after drinking so much tonight.
She leaned against him, lying on her side, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
The faint scent of her body mixed with a hint of alcohol drifted over, along with her warm body heat.
Her soft chest pressed lightly against Leon's thigh, making his thoughts wander uncontrollably.
Blushing, Leon quickly took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
After calming down a bit, he lifted the sleeping Rossweise and carried her into the temple, stepping carefully on the stairs.