The royal freight carriages arranged by Martin were their ticket out. Despite the city-wide lockdown, no one dared to thoroughly inspect the royal transports. The guards would, at most, exchange a few words with the coachmen before waving them through. After all, who would imagine the Empire's most wanted criminal, the man who had just stolen the Heart Scales, was hiding inside?
Inside the cramped cargo hold, Leon and Noah were squeezed into a corner, jostling with the carriage's movement.
Noah curled her long legs, leaning against her father, and muttered, "Sometimes I wish my father was a top-tier mage who could change size at will. Then it wouldn't be so crowded."
"I don't know if a mage like that is top-tier, but they'd certainly lack manners," Leon joked, making a pun.
Noah rolled her eyes playfully. "Little Light said your flirting skills are terrible, but I think you're doing alright now. So, who confessed their feelings first, you or Mom?"
"Of course, it was your mother," Leon replied.
"Hmph… Wasn't it when you first returned to the Empire? Mom hugged you and said a lot of things."
Leon paused. "She told you about that?"
"Yeah."
Noah continued, "Mom isn't good at expressing her feelings. She's not the proactive type in relationships. I don't even know how brave she must have been to say all that to you back then. She probably thought… she would never see you again, so she said it."
Leon pressed his dry lips together and fell silent.
Thinking back on his relationship with Rossweise, the key turning point was indeed that first parting.
Rossweise had taken the initiative to hug him and tell him so much. After they returned from the Empire, she was the one who first brought up the topic of a "confession."
But Leon had never given her a proper response.
Noah's words made him realize something. Rossweise wasn't skilled in love, or at least not in expressing it. Yet, every time, she had been the one to take the first step.
Leon remembered that night when Rossweise wanted him to say "I love you." On the surface, it seemed she wanted him to be more proactive. But thinking about it carefully, wasn't her asking him to say it because she had already fallen for him and wanted a response?
That mother dragon… was so stubborn and proud.
Of course, he was no better.
"Hey." Noah nudged Leon's arm.
"Huh? What?"
"Once we go back, don't leave Mom again, okay?"
"Once we go back…" Leon hesitated for a moment before understanding. Noah didn't mean returning to their secret base. She meant going back to the past.
If fate was giving him a chance to save everything, then "everything" definitely included Rossweise. But to Leon, she was in a category of her own. She wasn't just part of "everything" to be saved; she was his singular, irreplaceable present.
"I know, Noah. Once we go back, I won't leave your mom again."
Noah smiled faintly. "What about us, your daughters? You won't abandon us, right?"
"Of course, I won't leave you guys either."
"That's not certain." Noah lowered her head, fiddling with her nails, pretending to be indifferent. "What if one day, you and your beloved wife get in the mood, leave us at home, and sneak off on a honeymoon?"
"Then you should be happy."
"Why?"
"Because after the honeymoon, you might have a new little sister."
"… So the life goal of the strongest Dragon Slayer and the Silver Dragon Queen is just to keep having babies?"
"To expand the Melkvey family population, it is our unshakable duty!"
.
.
.
At dawn, the two carriages reached the city gate. The guards had doubled, and entry and exit were strictly forbidden. Every merchant convoy underwent rigorous inspection.
"Captain, those look like the royal carriages, don't they?" a rookie guard, new to the job, pointed out.
The captain glanced over and nodded. "Yeah. It's rare to see them, especially during martial law. They still sent them out?"
The rookie hesitated. "I'll go check them."
Just as he stepped forward, the captain grabbed his arm.
"What's wrong, Captain?"
The captain's face was serious. "Kid, don't get confused. It's martial law, but those are the officials' carriages. Don't do what you did last time, checking every single one like your life depended on it."
The rookie, a few days prior, had been overzealous and caused unnecessary trouble. This was a good chance to teach him a lesson.
The captain patted his shoulder. "Go on. You know what to do."
The rookie stood stiffly for a moment, then nodded. He walked towards the two carriages.
"Hey, hurry up and let us pass! If the cargo is delayed, can you take the responsibility?" the coachman barked rudely.
The rookie forced a smile. "It's a special time, sir. I'll just take a quick look; it won't take long. Please cooperate."
"Cooperate, my ass!" the coachman retorted sharply. "There are so many carriages ahead waiting! If we don't get through, the food will spoil!"
"Sir, while you were yelling at me, I've almost finished. See that special passage over there? Once I'm done, you can go through that."
The coachman grunted, reluctantly agreeing. "Hurry up, then! Don't waste my time."
"Yes, sir." The rookie sighed in relief, feeling this was his first successful interaction with someone from another department.
He arrived at the cargo hold and opened the door. It was filled with bottles, jars, and several large wooden boxes. Nothing seemed unusual from the outside.
Hesitating for a moment, the rookie bent down and entered. He knocked on the large wooden boxes with his scabbard, producing a dull thud.
Meanwhile, hidden at the back of the hold, Leon and Noah were ready to strike. If discovered, they would have to fight their way out.
The footsteps drew closer. Noah kept her eyes on the floor, her right hand slowly rising, sparks of electricity flickering in her palm.
But Leon pressed down on her wrist.
Noah looked up.
"Shh~" Leon brought a finger to his lips, signaling her to wait.
Noah could see her father was sweating heavily too. Breaking through the gate meant facing countless enemies and unpredictable dangers. This wasn't an open battlefield.
Creeeak~ Creeeak~
The sound of boots on the floor grew clearer. Father and daughter pressed themselves into the corner, holding their breath.
Noah was ready. If the rookie took one more step, she would attack. Leon releasing her wrist would be the signal.
However— The rookie suddenly stopped.
"The Captain… is right. I'm just earning twenty gold coins; why should I worry like I'm earning two hundred?" the young rookie muttered to himself. He scoffed and turned to leave the cargo hold.
Bang—
The door closed. "All clear, sir! You can use the special passage now! Oh, and don't forget to put in a good word for us guards with the higher-ups," the rookie called out.
"Alright, alright, just go open the gate," the coachman answered impatiently.
The carriages began to move, slowly at first, then picking up speed.
Inside the hold, the father and daughter finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Do you remember that guy from before?" Leon asked.
"Yeah… A few days ago, he insisted on checking every carriage. He was very responsible," Noah said.
"But in just a few days, he's learned how to survive in the Empire."
Noah shrugged. "That was fast."
The speed at which one sinks into the mire is always quicker than you think.
The two royal carriages, carrying the Empire's most wanted criminal and his three daughters, sped away.
.
.
.
It turned out Leon's strategy of "a thief doesn't leave empty-handed" was absolutely correct.
Back at the secret base, Aurora began testing the Dragon Heart Scales. Several pieces showed no reaction. But after testing over a dozen, she finally found one with magical properties similar to Ravi's scale.
The first test of the Reversal Magic was a success.
With the energy source secured, the next step was to carefully fine-tune and modify the spell. They had to ensure there were no accidents—like her father being torn apart or sent back naked while his clothes stayed behind.
This process required immense effort. Aurora worked day and night, refusing to rest.
With less than three months left, she had to send her father back before the deadline, to stop the battle that would force her mother into a desperate, coma-inducing struggle.
During this time, Leon continued his intense training in the Gates of Nine Hells, taught by his younger daughter. He also practiced concentrating and storing his magical energy.
The battle in the spatial rift had been lost due to a lack of preparation, allowing Ravi and the others to trap him after he defeated Star. But this time, with half a year to prepare and his rapid improvement, even if three Dragon Kings ambushed him, General Leon would just smile and say, "It's time for dinner."
Noah and Muen continued their missions. In these critical final months, there was no room for error.
Thus, the four of them each played their part, all preparing for the day the Reversal Magic would be complete.
Yet… the busy and fulfilling preparations couldn't always hold Leon's focus. His mind often wandered to another matter.
Rossweise.
The night before the final deadline, with less than twenty-four hours left, Leon went alone to the room where Rossweise's crystal was kept. He pulled up a chair and sat beside it.
The beauty within the crystal lay peacefully, her brow relaxed, serene and stunning. Her hands were folded over her abdomen, with a photograph pressed beneath them.
It was a picture of her and Leon, taken when they went for a family portrait. The photographer had secretly snapped a "couple's photo."
In the photo, the couple gazed into each other's eyes, their looks intertwined.
On the back of the photo, Leon would never forget the words written there:
"May the silver light forever shine in the eyes of the ones we love."
Leon knew that before Rossweise lost consciousness, she didn't know if she would ever wake up. Facing this unknown long slumber, she had chosen to keep this photograph as her only companion.
Noah had said her mother wasn't good at expressing emotions.
But she knew what she cared about, and she knew what she couldn't live without.