"How does Noah have a fragment of the Black Gold War Chariot Armor?"
Leon was completely baffled.
In the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, Rossweise was the only one who knew his true human identity. The Black Gold War Chariot Armor was one of the key pieces of evidence that proved he was human.
Back in his prime, when General Leon donned the Black Gold War Chariot Armor, no dragon could stand in his path.
During his service in the Dragon Slayer Corps, he was either slaying dragons or on his way to slay them. His most constant companions, aside from comrades like Rebecca, were this powerful enchanted armor.
The dragons who survived encounters with him didn't know his name, but they all referred to him by the same title:
The Man in Black Armor.
While the title was somewhat lengthy, it sent a chill down the spine of any dragon who heard it.
During the peak of Leon's dragon-slaying career, he became the living nightmare of all dragonkind. The Black Gold War Chariot Armor had left a deep and fearful impression on them.
This was precisely why Leon had disguised his armor with paint when he fought Constantine and Star. It wasn't that he feared the enemy recognizing him—they already knew his identity.
Leon couldn't risk being recognized by the Silver Dragons. If they discovered his true identity, he wouldn't be able to stay and gather intelligence. Most importantly, he didn't want his daughters to learn that their father was human.
He had weighed the pros and cons countless times, and concealing his human identity remained the safest option.
But now, how did Noah come to possess a fragment of the Black Gold War Chariot Armor?
"Do you think Noah has already figured out who you are?" Rossweise asked, her voice filled with concern.
Leon had shared his fears with her before, and she fully understood, promising to help him keep the secret. It wasn't just about maintaining his cover as the Silver Dragon Prince to continue gathering intelligence on the Empire's schemes; it was also to protect the family they had worked so hard to build.
Leon stared at the fragment for a long moment before slowly shaking his head.
"I don't think Noah knows I'm human. But..."
"But?" Rossweise prompted.
"But she's definitely sensed that there's something different about her old man."
Leon's expression grew serious as he turned the fragment over in his hands.
"A long time ago, when you first took me to the storage room behind the mountain and showed me the Black Gold War Chariot Armor, I noticed a small crack in the chest plate. If I'm right, it was caused when Victor tried to assassinate me with that enchanted dagger."
The enchanted dagger Victor used was crafted from the tusk of a polar mammoth, known for its incredibly high magic affinity. When properly enchanted, it could pierce the chest plate of the Black Gold War Chariot Armor at close range.
However, polar mammoth tusks were exceedingly rare, and the enchanting process was delicate. Any mistake could ruin the precious material. That's why they were usually used for jewelry or collectibles, not weapons.
But to assassinate the Empire's top dragon slayer? Wasting a few tusks was considered worth it.
Of course, the assassination ultimately failed.
Ironically, years later, Leon would destroy the prized heart scale of a dragon they revered—a thought that still brought a wry smile to his face.
Rossweise thought back and then said, "After that battle years ago, we retrieved your Black Gold War Chariot Armor from the battlefield, and that should have included this fragment. But I didn't personally inspect it; I only... came to check on it once afterward."
The couple glanced at each other, both blushing and turning away slightly. They both knew what she meant by "afterward."
The Blood Temptation—the event that started it all.
Whenever they recalled it, the memories were a strange mix of abstract chaos and a kind of defiant legend.
"Did you notice the fragment when you went to check?" Leon asked.
Rossweise shook her head. "No... I didn't pay attention."
Leon teased, "Wow, such a shiny fragment, and you didn't notice?"
Rossweise shot him a look. "At the time, I was too busy thinking about how I was going to deal with you once you woke up. Preserving your armor for you was already generous enough! Who would care about a tiny fragment..."
She wasn't making excuses. The fragment wasn't that large.
A dagger made for assassination wouldn't leave a large crack. Its purpose was depth, not width. As long as it pierced the heart, it had done its job.
"So did you bring Noah here after that?" Leon asked.
"No, I never brought her here," Rossweise said. "This is key evidence of your human identity—there's no way I'd bring our daughter here."
Leon groaned. "Can you drop the 'lowly human' part?"
Rossweise smirked. "I was just recalling my attitude toward you back then. I hated you so much."
"I'm grateful you didn't smother me with a pillow while I was in a coma for two years. Thank you, Your Majesty," Leon replied with a wry smile.
"You're welcome. It was my pleasure," she quipped.
After their brief banter, they returned to the topic of the Black Gold War Chariot fragment.
"So... somehow, this fragment ended up in Noah's hands, and she's kept it all this time without ever mentioning it."
Leon's thoughts began to stir, and he continued, "In the future, Noah told me that this box contained her most cherished memories, so this fragment must have been one of them. Based on the timeline, she would have gotten it during the two years I was in a coma."
Leon calculated, "Taking into account the ten months of pregnancy and the following three to four months of postnatal development... that means Noah got this fragment about a year before I woke up. Does that sound right?"
Rossweise followed his reasoning and nodded. "Yes, that seems accurate."
This deduction solidified Leon's belief that Noah had suspected something about her father for quite some time.
But for four years, she had kept this knowledge to herself.
Why?
With her sharp mind, there was no way Noah wasn't curious about the fragment.
So either she had gathered enough secrets that she didn't need to dig any deeper into the fragment...
Or...
She was silently protecting the family's secret alongside Rossweise and Leon.
Without ever confronting them, without knowing the full story of their past, Noah had likely realized that uncovering the truth could change her family forever.
It could even affect her future and her sisters' futures.
So she chose to guard the secret in her own way while keeping the truth close to her heart.
Between the two possibilities, Leon leaned toward the latter.
He examined the fragment again, the sunlight catching its metallic gleam.
After a moment, he placed it back in the box and carefully pushed the box back under the bed.
"So... what do you plan to do?" Rossweise asked quietly. "Will you test Noah, see how much she knows, or...?"
"Test her..." Leon shook his head. "There's no need."
"Our eldest daughter is smart, Rossweise. The moment we try to test her, she'll catch on."
"And when that happens, no matter how much she knows, our relationship with her will shift... and I don't want that."
"For now... let's just maintain the status quo."
"Mm... sounds good to me."
Rossweise exhaled with relief, then added, "Noah cares deeply about this family, about us, and about Muen and Aurora. That kind of care can't be faked, so there's no doubt she loves us."
"Maybe we've overthought it. However Noah got that fragment, she didn't choose to confront us about it, Leon. She's a good girl, isn't she?"
Leon nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Such a good girl..."
Rossweise raised an eyebrow, expecting him to say something like, "Good girls like her are hard to find."
But this man never failed to surprise her.
"Such a good girl... just like me."
Rossweise's lips curled up in disbelief.
"Like you? Like you who fought wild dogs at five, broke stones on your chest at seven? Or maybe like you, the clueless fool who fakes innocence?"
"Don't be ridiculous! How could I let my precious daughter break stones on her chest? Only my shameless master would come up with such ideas."
Leon continued with mock seriousness, "But speaking of ridiculous... I noticed something curious in what you just said."
"What did I say?"
"You said Noah's care for us couldn't be faked."
"Uh-huh."
"So... does that mean your care for me can't be faked either?" Leon grinned.
Rossweise snorted and swatted his face with her tail.
"I don't need to fake anything, Leon, because I don't care about you at all! I've never—"
"Ow! Your tail... that really hurt!"
"Oh no! I didn't mean to! Are you okay?"
Leon: ???
Rossweise: ???