"Moooo!!—"
A strange, loud bellow echoed through the grand hall, pulling Rossweise from her thoughts.
She turned toward the sound, and a deeply complex expression settled on her usually icy and elegant features.
Ten minutes ago, her clever but often impractical husband—a man whose expertise largely began and ended with slaying dragons—had told her he'd devised a plan to help her practice Soul Judgment.
Now, standing before her in the heart of her sacred hall, he held the reins of a massive, elephant-sized bull.
With anyone else, the scene would have been absurdly out of place. But with Leon, it somehow felt par for the course. His methods were either brilliantly innovative or spectacularly disastrous. There was rarely any middle ground.
Yet, Rossweise was struggling to connect the dots. Why had he brought a bull, of all things, into her royal hall?
More pressingly, where had he even found it?
"This here," Leon announced with an amused grin, "is an S-rank beast—the Furyhorn Bull. Genetically speaking, it's a mutated species of the common armored yak."
"Due to its mutation, it possesses significantly enhanced power, defense, and speed compared to your standard yak."
"Not to mention its heightened—"
"MOOOO!!!"
"—and, of course, a temper to match," he finished, unphased by the interruption.
Rossweise (frustration level at 20%): "I don't need a lecture on dangerous creatures. What I want to know is how you got that thing into my Sanctuary!"
"Oh, you were at the practice grounds earlier, and Anna was handling some of your duties. I happened to pass by and heard this big guy had wandered into the tribe's outer territory. Anna was about to call the guards, but I figured I'd handle it myself."
Rossweise (frustration level at 40%): "As the Silver Dragon Prince, you really don't need to be this enthusiastic about cattle herding…"
"Just lending a helping hand! No big deal!"
Rossweise (frustration level at 60%): "So, what exactly do you plan to do now with this 'helping hand' of yours?"
"I brought him here to be your training partner. You mentioned Soul Judgment would be more effective on a highly emotional target, right?"
Leon confidently patted the Furyhorn Bull's massive, horned head. "And this guy here fits the bill perfectly. Just listen to its name—'Furyhorn.' It's downright furious."
Rossweise (frustration level at 80%): "I only told you about Soul Judgment's specific effects this very morning. So, what's the real reason you brought him here?"
Leon's grin turned sly. "Guess sharing the same bed for so long has taught you a thing or two about how my mind works."
Rossweise (frustration level at 95%): "Could you… just say it all in one breath?"
"The girls are coming home for a break tonight, so I thought we'd make beef hotpot."
Rossweise: ???
"But Noah, Muen, and Aurora together don't eat enough to justify a bull this size!"
Leon waved a hand, signaling for her to calm down.
He deftly tied the furious Furyhorn Bull to a nearby, immensely sturdy stone pillar—the same one Noah often used for her Lightning God training. It had withstood thousands of blasts without so much as a scratch, proving its resilience and leaving the bull no chance of breaking free.
Leon then walked back to Rossweise, who was visibly cooling down from her spike of irritation. He reached for her hand. She initially pulled away, feigning indifference to his attempt at affection, but after a brief, silent standoff, she relented and let him take it.
Together, they approached the towering, snorting bull. Leon gazed up at the creature and said,
"No beast, no matter how fierce, would dare trespass into dragon territory unless it was truly furious, even borderline insane. For practicing magic, you need the right kind of target. Only then can you track your progress in real-time. So…"
He turned to the silver-haired beauty beside him. "Go on, try it. No harm in that, right?"
Rossweise shot him a sidelong glance and sighed in playful annoyance. "Fine, fine. Just step back so you don't end up as collateral damage."
Leon smirked. "You got it!"
He moved to a safe distance, and Rossweise began gathering her Primordial Magic.
"Moooo!! 😤"
The Furyhorn Bull bellowed, still protesting its forced captivity. Little did it know that its performance today would directly determine whether it would be grazing in a field tomorrow or simmering in a pot.
Leon remained vigilant, ready to intervene if the situation escalated. His primary concern was Rossweise's safety—though he'd never admit it was out of pure concern. He'd likely claim it was because he'd have a lot of explaining to do if their daughters came home to find their mother unconscious.
The swirling winds of magic brushed against Leon's face, pulling him from his thoughts. He glanced over and saw Rossweise deftly gathering the potent energy, her movements noticeably more fluid and confident than before.
"Much faster than when Constantine attacked the Red Dragon Sanctuary," he murmured to himself, a smile of genuine admiration touching his lips. "My wife is truly progressing."
As her Primordial Magic coalesced, Rossweise began the casting sequence for Soul Judgment. The magical wind lifted her hair, the hem of her gown, her sleeves, and even the delicate pendant at her neck. This time, she could feel the energy responding, shifting in her grasp in a way it never had during her solitary training sessions.
A spark of excitement flashed in her eyes as she maintained her intense focus. The energy in her hands, initially a milky white, began to morph, shimmering and separating into a brilliant, rainbow-hued light glowing with seven distinct colors. It looked like a small, captive rainbow.
Looking down at the multicolored sphere of energy swirling in her palm, Rossweise felt a surge of triumph. According to the ancient text, manifesting this chromatic energy was the crucial first step in mastering Soul Judgment.
And so…
She clenched her fist, crushing the luminous sphere in her palm. A dazzling cascade of rainbow light burst through her fingers, glittering within a halo of pearly energy.
Rossweise lifted her head, her gaze sharp, and aimed directly at the enraged bull.
"Moooo! 😠"
Sensing the building danger, the bull thrashed violently against its restraints.
Seizing the moment, Rossweise unleashed Soul Judgment.
The beam of rainbow light shot forward, striking the bull and enveloping it in a cloud of shimmering, dust-like fragments. The great beast struggled and roared, but its bellows became lower, more strained.
Breathing heavily from the exertion, Rossweise steadied herself. Even this mild, controlled attempt at Soul Judgment had drained a substantial amount of her energy.
"Looks like Primordial Magic really is—"
"MOOOO!" 😗
Before she could finish her thought, the Furyhorn Bull resumed its thrashing, its defiant cry sounding almost… different.
"It didn't work?" Rossweise gritted her teeth, summoning the last dregs of her strength to try again. She might not need to push herself this hard, but if she didn't seize this opportunity, her "training partner" would undoubtedly be stewing in a pot by nightfall.
She activated Soul Judgment a second time.
Yet again…
"Moo? Moooo? 😙"
Rossweise: ?
"You… you dare mock me!"
With that, her patience snapped. She spread her magnificent dragon wings, her form shifting and expanding in a flash of brilliant light. Though the bull was elephant-sized, it suddenly looked like a mere insect next to the colossal Silver Dragon Queen.
"Mooo… Mooooooo! 😰"
The silver dragon loomed over it, her sheer presence immense. Her dragon breath stirred the air, her overwhelming aura making the bull tremble, its protests dying in its throat.
"ROOOOAAAAR!!"
Her deafening roar shook the very foundations of the hall.
Bull: 😵💫
Rossweise opened her mighty jaws, gathering a scorching, concentrated dragon flame in the back of her throat.
"Calm down, Your Majesty!" Leon rushed forward, waving his arms. "One dragon breath, and we'll end up with charred beef—burnt to a crisp! No good for hotpot!"
After a brief, tense hesitation, Rossweise reluctantly swallowed the building inferno, her form shrinking back into her human shape. But as her wings retracted, a wave of dizziness washed over her; her magic and stamina were utterly depleted. The world tilted, and she stumbled, only to be caught firmly in Leon's arms.
"Now how'd you manage to work yourself into such a state while training?" he asked, a fond smile gracing his features as he looked down at her.
Leaning weakly against his chest, Rossweise pouted in defiance. "It laughed at me. So I taught it a lesson."
"Oh, if anyone can hold a grudge against a bull, it'd be the Dragon Queen herself."
With a sigh, Leon steadied her arm and helped her shuffle back toward the main hall. After only a few steps, her legs buckled again.
With a small, soft chuckle, Leon smoothly scooped her up into a princess carry.
Her silver tail gave a slight, reflexive curl, and a soft blush graced her pale cheeks. "I can walk on my own…" she muttered, her protest lacking any real force.
"Sure you can," he said, his voice laced with affectionate skepticism.
"Still… I didn't see much of an effect. I wonder when I'll finally master it," she murmured, her frustration returning as she rested her head against his shoulder.
Leon paused, glancing back at the bull, which now looked thoroughly dazed after Rossweise's terrifying display. He replayed the scene in his mind.
"Actually," he said thoughtfully, "it did have some effect. Didn't you notice?"
"What do you mean?"
"That bull was wild and furious when we started, wasn't it? But after the first Soul Judgment, it calmed down noticeably. And by the second attempt, it had almost completely lost its 'rage'—you could hear the difference in its calls."
Rossweise thought back, her brow furrowing in concentration, then she nodded slowly. "You might be right… Wait a minute, is this something you're making up just to comfort me?"
"Your Majesty, I may have many faults, but lying to you isn't one of them."
"Don't go mixing sweet talk into analytical moments like this, thanks."
They shared a quiet chuckle as he carried her back to their bedroom, where he gently laid her down and pulled a soft blanket over her.
"Rest up for now. The girls will be home tonight."
"Alright… what about you?"
Leon rolled up his sleeves with a wry, determined smile.
"I've got a date with a soon-to-be beef hotpot bull."