Twenty days later, at the border of the human and dragon territory, inside a mountain cave...
Rebecca and Tiger sat on opposite sides of a rough wooden table, a scattered pile of handgun parts between them. They exchanged a brief, competitive glance before Rebecca softly said, "Begin."
At her signal, both of their heads dropped, hands moving in a blur as they began assembling the components. Barrel, slide, return spring... each intricate part clicked into place with practiced efficiency under Rebecca's fingers. In just ten seconds, she finished, raising the fully assembled handgun and aiming it playfully at Tiger's forehead.
The old man had only managed to assemble about half of his weapon.
"You lost again, old man," Rebecca said, a teasing lilt in her voice.
"One more time!" Tiger insisted, his pride wounded.
Rebecca set her gun down, propping her chin on her hands as she smiled across the table. "Again? This is the thirty-fourth time you've lost to me. The result isn't going to change, no matter how many times we try."
She had a point, Tiger grumbled to himself. With a sigh, he tossed the half-assembled gun onto the table and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and massaging his brow.
As Rebecca picked up his unfinished weapon and began calmly assembling it, she asked, "Why isn't the Silver Dragon Queen here yet? It's past the time we agreed to meet." They had arrived that morning, and now noon was approaching. At the Silver Dragon tribe's speed, she should have been here long ago.
Tiger shook his head slowly. "Not sure. Maybe something held her up."
A thought occurred to Rebecca. "By the way, didn't the Empire try to wipe out the Silver Dragon tribe a while back? But... they failed, right?"
"Yes. I don't know how the Silver Dragon King managed to repel the Empire and the combined forces of the other Dragon tribes."
"Could she have had outside help?"
"The Silver Dragons' only reliable ally is Rossweise's sister, the Red Dragon Queen Isabella, but Isha's been caught up in her own war. She probably didn't have time to help."
Rebecca pouted, resting her hands behind her head. She raised her legs and propped them on the edge of the wooden table, leaning back in her chair so the front legs lifted off the ground, maintaining her balance with effortless ease. "If they wanted to eliminate the Silver Dragons, they wouldn't give up so easily. I still think she must have found some kind of outside help."
"Let's hope so," Tiger said, his expression grim as he stared down at the table. His voice dropped to a low, worried murmur. "If there is outside help, I just wonder if they can be powerful enough to bring Leon back."
Rebecca watched her father quietly. She knew how much the Captain meant to the old man. Though Leon was adopted, Tiger had always treated him as his own flesh and blood. Aunt Charlotte had been even more doting. After Leon disappeared, if she and Martin hadn't stopped him, the old man would have stormed the Royal Guard single-handedly with a blade. Their little group of "The Exiles" had already lost its strongest member. If anything else happened, they might as well disband right there.
As for Leon's disappearance, Rebecca felt a profound dejection. Years ago, during the Silver Dragon War, she had abandoned Leon, fleeing back to the Empire with the Dragon Slayer Army in disgrace. But even then, she had clung to a sliver of hope. She believed the Captain, so resourceful and capable, would not die so easily. And sure enough, three years later, Leon had reappeared, full of life. But this time, he had vanished into a spatial rift. There was no body, no trace of him alive or dead. No matter how optimistic or confident she was in Leon's survival, she could not convince herself that he was still alive. Now, all they could do was seek vengeance, expose the Emperor's conspiracy with the Dragon Tribes, and make it known to the world.
Rebecca let out a long exhale, releasing the heavy thoughts. She glanced at the old man again, his face still dark. Thinking for a moment, she said, "Old man, take out the photos of your granddaughters. Let's have a look."
After Leon disappeared, the pictures of the little dragon girls had become the old man's only comfort. Whenever he was in a bad mood, looking at them always helped.
Sure enough, Tiger nodded, pulling a few photos from his chest pocket. Two were old, one a yellowed family photo and the other a solo picture of a little pink-haired girl. The rest had been brought by Rossweise during their last meeting after Leon's disappearance.
Rebecca stood and walked over to Tiger's side, gazing at the girls in the pictures. Despite the constant warfare facing the Silver Dragon tribe, the girls' clean faces and the tidy rooms in the photos showed that Rossweise had protected them well.
"Wow, these half-human, half-dragon babies grow up so fast! They're so much bigger compared to the family photo," Rebecca exclaimed.
"Mmhmm..." Tiger looked at his granddaughters, and a genuine smile finally broke through the weathered lines of his face.
Seeing his mood lighten, Rebecca added playfully, "If I get the chance, I want to be their godmother."
Tiger blinked and chuckled. "You're in your twenties and already thinking about being a mom?"
"Being a godmother is not the same as wanting to be a mom!" Rebecca retorted, picking up a photo of Muen and Aurora hugging each other's little tails. "I could skip the whole marriage and pregnancy part and just get to have such adorable daughters. What's not to love?"
Tiger laughed. "That depends on whether the Silver Dragon Queen agrees to you being their godmother."
Rebecca opened her mouth to reply, but a familiar voice echoed from the cave entrance, cutting her off.
"No need to ask her. I agree."
Both Tiger and Rebecca froze for a second at the sound. Slowly, they turned towards the cave entrance.
There stood two figures. One, of course, was the Silver Dragon Queen. The other was...
"Captain! Captain!"
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Rebecca's eyes welled up with tears. She cried out his name and ran towards Leon.
Seeing this, Leon's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, the crazy girl's going for a reunion hug. In the future timeline, she had done the same, and he had hugged her back. But that was when his wife wasn't present. Now, Rossweise was standing right beside him! Although his relationship with Rebecca was purely comradeship, hugging another girl in front of Rossweise... God only knew what kind of trouble the jealous Silver Dragon Queen might stir up once they got home.
Rossweise glanced at Leon's awkward, frozen expression, a subtle smile playing on her lips. She whispered, "Go ahead. Hug her."
"Really?" Leon asked, surprised.
"In public, I'll give my man plenty of face," she replied softly.
Leon's eyes lit up. "You never call me your man at home."
Rossweise gave him a sidelong glance. "Are you going to hug her or not? If you don't, I'll do it for you."
Without further hesitation, Leon stepped forward and gently embraced Rebecca. It was a brief hug, though Rebecca did use his shirt to wipe her tears.
"Captain, I thought you were gone for good this time! Our 'The Exiles' gang can't survive without you!"
"...Why are you so hung up on that ridiculous name?" Leon sighed, a fond exasperation in his voice.
Rebecca chuckled, wiping away the last of her tears as she grinned up at him. "Good thing you have a conscience and came back. I guess with such a beautiful wife at home, you didn't feel safe wandering around outside for too long, huh?"
Leon smiled awkwardly and raised a hand to poke her forehead. "You sure know how to make small talk, Rebecca."
The familiar banter, unchanged whether in the present or the future, comforted Leon. He was glad to see Rebecca was still her same self.
Then, his gaze shifted past her, landing on the elderly man behind her.
"Master..."
"Kid."
Tiger stood there, the family photo Leon had given him years ago clutched in his hand. Tears welled in the old man's clouded eyes, his voice thick with emotion. "You're finally back."
"Yes. I'm sorry, Master. I made you and the Mistress worry."
Tiger stepped forward and grasped Leon's arm firmly, his grip strong and reassuring. A wave of relief so profound it made his knees feel weak washed over him. His boy, his son, was really here. He wasn't a ghost, wasn't a memory. He was back from the void, whole and alive. "It's good you're back," Tiger managed, his voice rough with feeling. "That's all that matters. That's all that matters."
As master and apprentice shared their quiet, heartfelt moment, Rebecca, with her sharp eyes, noticed the silver patterns peeking out from under Leon's short sleeves.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and pointed at his arm. "Old man, your apprentice is misbehaving again! He's got tattoos on his arm! Hey, Captain, you're a married man with three kids, yet you're still acting like a rebellious teenager with full-sleeve tattoos? You should be setting an example for your children—mmph mmph mmph!"
Leon spread his hand over Rebecca's face and gently pushed her aside. "Adults are talking. Kids shouldn't interrupt. We'll discuss the 'rebellious teenager' thing later."
"Hey! We haven't seen each other in six months! Aren't you the least bit happy to see me?" Rebecca complained, her voice muffled.
Then she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to find the silver-haired beauty had, at some point, moved to stand behind her.
Rossweise elegantly raised her right hand, placing a slender index finger to her lips in a gesture of silence. Then she smiled, a gentle, knowing curve of her lips. "Shh, let them talk about business. I'll keep you company in the meantime."
Rebecca's eyes widened slightly. Wow, the Silver Dragon Queen herself is offering to keep me company? I'm flattered.
In her past encounters with Rossweise, Rebecca had always found her to be two words: reserved and aloof. But that was probably due to Leon's disappearance. Now that he was back, his wife seemed to be in a better mood, so it made sense she'd be willing to chat.
"Okay, sure. Let's talk over there," Rebecca agreed.
Rossweise nodded, and the two moved a short distance away, giving the master and apprentice their space.
Once seated, an unexpected silence fell between the human and the dragon. Rebecca had never sat so close to the Dragon Queen before. Claiming she felt no pressure would be a lie. She could only occasionally steal glances at the breathtaking woman beside her, quickly turning her head away each time.
To be honest, the Captain sure knew how to pick a wife. From any angle, Rossweise's features were flawless. She was so stunning that even as a woman, Rebecca had to acknowledge she was a top-tier beauty. Being near such perfection was inherently intimidating.
Rebecca licked her lips nervously, rubbing her palms together. "How... how old are you this year?" Rossweise asked softly, breaking the silence.
"Ah... I'm twenty-two," Rebecca answered. Out of courtesy, she asked in return, "What about you?"
"Over two hundred."
"...Hmm. That's nice." So the Captain's in a little sister-brother relationship, Rebecca thought with internal surprise.
Seeing her expression, Rossweise covered her mouth and let out a light, melodious chuckle. She had quite a favorable impression of this human girl. Leon's loyal comrade, a reliable partner, and an excellent gunsmith. Rebecca might be young, but her sense of duty far surpassed that of many who claimed to be righteous. Especially in the future timeline, when Leon was missing, Tiger had retired, and she herself was incapacitated, Rebecca had still risked her life to gather intelligence for Noah. For her courage and determination alone, Rossweise held her in high esteem.
Hearing the Queen's laughter, Rebecca grew flustered. "What are you laughing at...?"
"Nothing," Rossweise said, her silver eyes twinkling. "I just find you... quite cute." She propped her chin on one hand, her lips curved into a soft smile as she gazed at Rebecca.
Rebecca's pupils contracted slightly. She remembered that when they first met, Rossweise had said the same thing before leaving: 'A cute human girl.' Every time the Queen looked at her, Rebecca felt she was being regarded like a child. What's going on, Your Majesty? Are you planning to adopt me as your goddaughter? Does that mean I'd be a generation younger than the Captain? That absolutely won't do!
"Have you ever flown before?" Rossweise's voice interrupted Rebecca's runaway thoughts.
Rebecca shook her head. "Fly? No, I'm a gunsmith. I never learned any flight-based magic."
Rossweise made a soft, acknowledging sound. Then she asked, her voice light and inviting, "In that case... how about I take you out for a ride?"