The journey to the Far North was finally over.
The good news was that Leon's instinct had been right. Constantine's goal was indeed the ancient Primordial Power hidden there.
The bad news, however, was that despite their efforts, a significant portion of that power had still ended up in the Crimson Flame Dragon King's clutches.
From their brief but intense fight in the tomb of the ancient Dragon King Noah, it was clear Constantine hadn't fully absorbed and mastered the power yet. At his current strength, Leon could still defeat him in a straight fight, so long as he was prepared.
The real question was when that final battle would happen—and what unexpected twists might occur before then.
No matter what, Leon, Rossweise, and their master knew they had to be ready for anything.
The trip had been a formative experience for their eldest daughter as well. Noah had shown incredible bravery and a cool-headed resilience that was a mirror image of Leon's. General Leon couldn't have been more proud.
With her natural talent, it was obvious Noah was destined to walk the path of a warrior, just like her father. Her style would be fundamentally different from her mother's, who relied on swift, powerful spellcasting from a distance.
For days after their return, Leon couldn't stop boasting to Rossweise about their daughter's progress.
A week later, life settled back into a routine. Rossweise returned to her usual heavy workload as Queen.
With Constantine now wielding the Primordial Power, an attack could come at any moment. The entire Silver Dragon Clan was on high alert. Border patrols were doubled, and every dragon was mobilized for defense.
The scouting teams, led by the energetic maid Shirley, were constantly dispatched to gather any intelligence that could give them an edge.
All of this significantly increased Rossweise's responsibilities.
And, of course, a portion of her daily stress came from a certain foolish captive—a man who lived in the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, enjoyed its food and drink, and seemed to take particular pleasure in irritating her now and then.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," Leon greeted in his familiar, casual tone from beside her throne.
"Spit it out," Rossweise replied, not even looking up from her documents.
"Summer break is starting soon for the girls," Leon said, putting on a show of formality. "I've prepared a training schedule for Noah. Would you please take a look?" He handed her a neatly written list.
She glanced at him, curious despite herself, and reached out to take it. As her eyes scanned the page, the Queen's face slowly stiffened.
Wake up at 8:00 AM - One hour for washing up and breakfast.
9:00 AM - Warm-up at the training field.
9:30 AM - Revision of thunder magic.
11:00 AM - Basic combat theory.
11:30 AM - Lunch, followed by a one-hour rest.
1:00 PM - Close-quarters combat training.
3:00 PM - Learn a new thunder magic skill.
5:00 PM - Three laps around the training ground.
Rossweise set the list down and fixed Leon with a steady stare. "Care to explain why it's all thunder magic and close-combat training? Noah needs to develop her ranged magic skills, not just your reckless, up-close thunder spells."
"Why would she need ranged spells?" Leon shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They're useless."
"And why, exactly, are they useless?" Rossweise, a classic artillery-style mage who specialized in devastating long-range magic, was immediately annoyed.
"Enemies these days are clever," Leon explained with feigned earnestness. "By the time you finish casting a big spell, they've already moved out of the blast zone."
"Then I can use spells with shorter casting times," Rossweise countered.
"But then they lose power and become ineffective."
"Or I can increase my casting frequency to keep up the pressure."
"That's just a waste of mana. It's inefficient."
"Are you just trying to pick a fight with me?" Rossweise gave him a sharp glare. With a swift motion, she picked up her pen and scribbled a new line onto his schedule: "Evening session: Learn Thunder Wolf Breakthrough."
Leon blinked, surprised. Thunder Wolf Breakthrough was one of the few long-range crowd-control spells in the thunder magic arsenal, designed to pin down enemies from a distance. He hadn't expected her to suggest teaching Noah something so specific.
In truth, Leon had shown her the list mostly to tease her a little. He loved the subtle pout she got when she was annoyed. This playful bickering kept the sparks alive in their relationship—and it was hardly one-sided, as Rossweise often knew just how to get under his skin, too.
But her thoughtful suggestion caught him off guard and made him feel a pang of guilt.
"Noah's squadron leader wrote a detailed assessment of her field test," Rossweise explained, her voice softening. "Our daughter has impressive close-combat instincts and isn't afraid to take risks. But you remember her right hand was injured and only recently healed. Teaching her some powerful ranged thunder spells would be for her own protection. A balanced skillset is better than recklessly charging in."
Leon quietly took the list back, the lesson sinking in. How had he overlooked something so important? He'd been too focused on showing off his own style to Rossweise to consider the full picture.
When he glanced back at her, she wore a sly, triumphant smile. She knew him far too well.
She knew that if she opposed him directly, he would only become more stubborn. But when she approached him with gentle logic and obvious care for their daughter, Leon would instantly transform into her loyal 'Queen's Guard,' willing to listen.
Handling her captive was becoming far too easy—like the flick of a wrist.
But she was right. Noah truly did need ranged magic training. Leon's all-or-nothing combat style worked for him, but he shouldn't force it onto his daughter.
"Alright," Leon conceded, folding the paper and tucking it into his pocket. "I'll adjust the training schedule. I'll make sure it doesn't interfere with Noah's own plans for the summer."
"Good."
Rossweise paused, as if remembering something. "By the way, didn't Noah say she was planning to stay at Helena's for a while? When is she leaving?"
Leon shrugged. "Plans changed. She'll spend the last few days of the break at Helena's place and then go straight to the academy from the Sea Dragon Clan territory."
Rossweise nodded in approval. "That's a sensible plan."
Leon scratched his head and turned to leave.
"Leaving already?" Rossweise's voice stopped him in his tracks.
He turned back. "Is there something else?"
The silver-haired beauty set down her pen and leaned back into her throne. She gave him a warm, mischievous look, her fingers lightly tracing the ornate armrest. Her gaze held his, full of unspoken suggestion.
"Leon," she began, her voice taking on a playful, sultry lilt. "I've been under a lot of stress lately."
A familiar chill ran down Leon's spine. "H-having me... help you de-stress will have to wait until tonight..."
"I can't wait until tonight."
Rossweise leaned forward, resting her cheek on one hand, her eyes sparkling. "Think of something. Help me now."
Leon didn't need it spelled out. They both knew exactly what she meant.
But he had no idea how he was supposed to "de-stress" her right here in the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, in the middle of the day, with people coming and going.
He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, venturing a safe guess. "How about... a shoulder massage?"
"That sounds perfect."
Scooting over on the wide throne, Rossweise patted the empty space beside her. "Come on."
Leon complied without argument. And so, "Masseur Leon" was officially on duty.
Rossweise angled her body slightly toward him and closed her eyes, savoring the sensation of the former Empire's top dragon slayer kneading the tension from her shoulders. It was divine.
"A little more pressure on the left side," she instructed.
Leon rolled his eyes. A massage is one thing, but now she's making specific requests? Still, determined to avoid her escalating this into something more inappropriate for the throne room, he gritted his teeth and bore it.
"Okay," he said.
"More pressure," she murmured.
"...Okay."
"Haven't you eaten today, darling? Put some muscle into it. I'm a Dragon Queen, not a fragile—"
Crack!
"Ouch! Ugh…"
"Your Majesty," Leon deadpanned, not stopping his motions. "I think something just cracked in that legendary Dragon Queen body of yours."
Rossweise jerked away, rubbing her sore shoulder irritably as she shot him a sharp glare. Just a moment ago, she had been feeling so smug about having the Empire's strongest dragon slayer as her personal masseuse. Now she regretted it—his raw strength was no joke.
But… that very same strength could be quite enjoyable in other, more private circumstances. That would definitely be something worth savoring…
Shaking the distracting thought from her head, Rossweise stretched her shoulders, sighed, and picked up her pen to resume her work.
"So... I'll be going now?" Leon asked, turning to leave once more.
"Do you have something else to do?" she asked, not looking up.
Leon shrugged. "Not really."
"Oh."
That single, casual "oh" sounded innocent enough.
But with all his years of marriage experience, Leon knew it was loaded with hidden meaning. His brain raced into high gear, deploying all the high emotional intelligence of a seasoned husband.
[Do you have something to do?]
[No, not really.]
[Then stay and keep me company.]
↑ That had to be it.
"Eh, since I'm free anyway, I might as well keep you company here," Leon said, settling back onto the throne beside her.
Rossweise suppressed a small, victorious smile. As usual, she couldn't resist a final bit of prideful pretense.
"It's not like I'm forcing you to stay. This is your own choice."
"Yep, yep," Leon agreed readily. "All me. I'm here completely willingly."
"Hmph."
And so, side by side on the grand throne, the Dragon Queen and her former captive sat together in comfortable silence, savoring a rare and warm moment of peace in the middle of their busy, dangerous lives.