With Rossweise flying at her absolute top speed, they calculated they could indeed reach the territory of the Sea Dragon Clan before the healing magic stabilizing Tiger's condition completely faded.
As they soared over the ocean, Rebecca used the time to explain everything that had led to this desperate flight.
"A couple of weeks ago, Martin's father took him to a royal banquet. It was a rare chance to gather intelligence on the corrupt empire leadership, so Martin secretly brought a recording stone with him."
"Both King Kant and Queen Elizabeth were present," she continued. "The main reason for the gathering was to celebrate Scott's promotion. Because of Constantine's rampage, the former commander of the Imperial Dragon-Slaying Corps, El-Lanti, was dismissed by the king, and Scott took his place."
"Halfway through the banquet, King Kant, Queen Elizabeth, and Scott retreated to a quieter area to talk. Martin seized the chance. He slipped the recording stone into the pocket of Scott's attendant. After their private conversation ended, Martin managed to retrieve the stone without anyone noticing."
As she finished explaining, Rebecca handed the small, glowing recording stone to Leon.
He activated it without hesitation, listening intently to the risky and damning conversation Martin had captured.
"The Blade Project is progressing smoothly. Even without Leon, we can work with a few cooperative Dragon Kings and easily control this war as before."
"The queen is wise."
"It is all thanks to you, Scott. I hear you personally formed the Blade Trio. You have done the empire a great service."
"Thank you, my queen. I simply did what was needed."
"Good. With such dedication, you are a hundred times better than Cosmodeous. That fool never knew his place; otherwise, he would not have ended up as a wanted man."
"…."
The conversation was a perfect match for everything Leon had uncovered from Constantine. To drain the resources and wealth of the common people, the empire was deliberately prolonging the war with the cooperation of renegade Dragon Kings, causing endless conflict and suffering for their own profit.
Leon's fist clenched tightly around the recording stone.
This was it—the final, irrefutable piece of evidence he needed to expose and bring down the despicable Emperor Kant.
"Thank you, Rebecca. This… this is essential. It's enough to expose the empire's ugliness to the entire world."
"Thank Martin," Rebecca replied with a weary, bittersweet smile. "The poor kid was so shaken afterward he could barely stand. He said he wouldn't have dared to do something this dangerous if it weren't for you. Getting caught would have cost him his head."
That boy, Martin… he had risked everything, his very life, for Leon's cause.
Leon looked down at the stone in his hand, committing the loyalty and sacrifice of his comrades firmly to memory.
"Father and I were planning to give you the recording stone at this meeting," Rebecca continued, her voice growing somber. "But on the way, we were ambushed by the Blade Trio. Father was gravely wounded protecting our escape. So, I hid him in that cave and led the pursuers away, hoping to hold out long enough for you to arrive."
Not only Martin, but Rebecca too had been prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Why did they follow Leon with such unwavering loyalty? The reason was simple. During their time together in the Imperial Dragon-Slaying Corps, Leon had saved every single one of them from the brink of death countless times. Without Leon, most of them would have been long dead. Once, they had been his most loyal soldiers. Now, they were his most devoted comrades, willing to walk through fire for him.
Leon looked at his unconscious master, a storm of guilt and sorrow raging within him. The old man, usually so vibrant and full of life, now lay still and pale, the terrible wound on his chest barely contained by fading magic. Tiger had been grievously injured because of him. If the worst were to happen, Leon didn't know how he would ever face Tiger's wife, Charlotte. He had always hated tragic, permanent goodbyes, and now one was unfolding right before his eyes.
He held his master's wrinkled, cold hand tightly, silently praying the old man would survive this ordeal.
"Captain," Rebecca's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Why exactly are we going to the Sea Dragon Clan? Is there someone there who can save him?"
Leon hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully. "I… I don't know."
Rebecca's eyes widened. "Wait, what? So we're just going on a guess? And what if your identity as a human gets exposed? This is a dragon clan's core territory!"
Leon's gaze was unwavering as he looked at his master's still form. "He said to go, so I will go. At this point, my identity is the least of my concerns."
Rebecca nodded slowly in understanding but then pressed further. "Do you even know anyone in the Sea Dragon Clan?"
"Actually, yes," Leon replied with a faint, wry smirk. "I know my daughter's friend's mother."
"…Isn't that a bit of a stretch?" Rebecca sighed, covering her face with one hand in exasperation. "How well do you actually know her? Is she a 'medium-rare' or a 'well-done' type of acquaintance?"
She cast a somber glance at Tiger, lying helplessly on the dragon's broad back. "But seriously… why does he want to go there now?"
When Tiger had first gasped out the name of the Sea Dragon Clan, Leon had felt an odd sense of inevitability rather than surprise. Through the ancient manuals Nine Hells Gates and Soul's Verdict, both authored by Claudia Poseidon, Leon and Rossweise had long suspected that his master had deep, hidden connections to the Sea Dragons. Perhaps someone or something there truly could save him. Maybe it was Claudia herself… Leon couldn't be certain. They would only know once they arrived.
After several more hours of non-stop, grueling flight, a small island finally appeared on the horizon, a solitary speck in the endless blue ocean. Though small, it was just big enough for Rossweise to land.
As they touched down, Rossweise shifted into her human form and pointed a solemn finger toward the open sea that stretched beyond the island.
"Beyond here lies the Atlantis Sea, the sovereign territory of the Sea Dragon Clan. We cannot go any further."
"What? Why not?" Rebecca argued, frustration clear in her voice. "We're already here; we might as well go all the way in!"
Rossweise lowered her hand and looked at Rebecca, her expression patient but firm. "We have flown here without notifying the Sea Dragon King. To proceed further would be seen as a hostile act, an invasion. If we cross that boundary, they will not hesitate to attack us on sight."
To save Tiger, Rossweise had already bent the sacred rules of conduct between Dragon Kings. She had previously explained to Leon that rulers were not free to roam into another's territory without invitation, as it risked grave misunderstandings and war. But time was of the essence, and they couldn't afford diplomacy. Flying this far was the absolute limit of what Rossweise could do without triggering an outright confrontation.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Rebecca began, but she was cut off by a violent, wet fit of coughing from Tiger. Fresh blood seeped through the bandages on his chest.
"Master!"
Leon rushed to his side, dropping to his knees.
"Are… we there yet?" Tiger asked, his voice a thin, papery whisper.
"We're at the edge of the Sea Dragon territory, Master," Leon assured him, leaning close.
"Then… maybe… I'll still get to see her…" Tiger murmured, his mind drifting.
Leon's voice was urgent. "See who, Master? Tell me her name! I'll go find her for you!"
But Tiger's strength was gone. His eyes fluttered shut, and he fell back into unconsciousness, unable to answer.
"Master? Master! Wake up!" Leon called, his voice edged with raw desperation.
Rebecca quickly checked him over, her face pale. "The healing spell is failing. It will only last another hour, maybe less. We need to find someone who can save him, now."
Leon bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, his mind racing. He rose and walked back to Rossweise's side.
"There's truly no way we can go further?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
Rossweise gave a slight, apologetic shake of her head. "I am sorry, Leon."
"Don't be," he said, managing a look of profound gratitude for her. "Thank you, Rossweise, for bringing us this far."
Rossweise glanced out over the vast, impassive ocean. "But what will you do now? Without an invitation or guidance, we will never find the Sea Dragon Sanctuary."
What would he do?
Leon didn't have a clear answer. He had come this far driven solely by Tiger's last, desperate request: "Go to the Sea Dragon Clan." But now that they were here, at the impenetrable gate, what could they possibly do? Was he supposed to just sit on the shore, watching the waves and listening to his master's breathing grow weaker and weaker, waiting for the end?
No.
Absolutely not.
He would not go down without a fight. Leon ran to the water's edge, filled his lungs with the salty air, and shouted with every ounce of strength and hope he had left:
"CLAUDIA! CLAUDIA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? PLEASE, I BEG YOU, SAVE MY MASTER!"
It was an absurdly primitive, almost foolish way to call for help, but Leon could not just stand there and do nothing.
"CLAUDIA!" he yelled again, his voice echoing across the endless, empty sea before being swallowed by the wind.
Rebecca blinked, looking at him with wide, surprised eyes. She didn't know who this 'Claudia' was, but seeing her captain's raw determination, she knew what she had to do.
"CLAUDIA! PLEASE HELP US SAVE HIM!" she shouted, joining her voice to his.
"CLAUDIA!"
"…"
And so, the two of them stood side by side at the water's edge, taking turns shouting the name into the void until their voices grew ragged and hoarse.
Finally, when Rebecca's voice gave out entirely, they fell into a defeated silence. The sea remained calm and utterly undisturbed, not a single ripple answering their pleas.
A crushing wave of despair washed over Leon as he stared out at the unresponsive ocean. He opened his mouth one last time, his voice cracking and broken.
"Claudia… please… I'm begging you…"
With a strangled sound, he sank to his knees on the wet sand, his hands trembling as they pressed into the ground. "Why… why does it have to be like this…"
"Captain…" Rebecca murmured, her own hope extinguished.
Leon had cheated death countless times, but Death only needed to win once.
In that moment of utter hopelessness, a gentle breeze swept over them, carrying with it a voice—a familiar, soothing, and slightly amused one.
"Standing at someone's doorstep and shouting like a pair of stranded sailors… have you no manners at all?"
Startled, they looked up. There, standing atop a nearby rock as if she had always been there, was a graceful figure with her arms crossed. Her long, sea-blue hair swayed gently in the ocean wind.
It was Claudia Poseidon.