Seeing the beautiful, blue-haired woman appear silently before them, Rebecca immediately tensed, her guard up. She noted the woman's long, swaying tail, a deep ocean blue compared to Rossweise's silver one. So, this was the Claudia the Captain had been shouting for over the waves.
Leon didn't waste a second. "Claudia, please," he implored, his voice raw with urgency. "Save my master."
The beautiful woman raised a delicate eyebrow, her gaze shifting to Tiger's unconscious form on the ground. Her expression shifted, a complicated mix of emotions flashing in her eyes. There was a flicker of initial displeasure at the word "master," quickly followed by a jolt of shock and recognition upon seeing Tiger himself.
Leon didn't miss these subtle changes. It confirmed his suspicion—his master indeed had a mysterious history with the Sea Dragon Clan.
"What makes you think I would save a human?" Claudia asked, her tone neither accepting nor refusing, but challenging the very premise of the request.
"My… my master kept saying he needed to come to the Sea Dragon Clan," Leon explained, trying to reason with her. "I believe there must be something, or someone, here that can save him."
"That is not the answer I am looking for, Leon," Claudia replied, her calm voice cutting to the heart of the matter. "Or perhaps I should phrase it differently: you and the girl beside you—you are both human, are you not?"
Leon pressed his lips together, his voice lowering as he glanced at his dying master. There was no more room for secrets. "Yes. We are both human."
"So, the hero who saved the dragons by stopping the spatial rifts, the esteemed prince of the Silver Dragon Clan, Leon Cosmodeous, is actually human," Claudia stated, her gaze sharp and unyielding.
Leon's eyes flickered, but he met her cool stare directly. "You are right about everything, Claudia. I will explain it all in time, but please, save my master first. He doesn't have much time left."
Claudia let out a soft sigh, a faint, knowing smirk curling her lips. "Fine, kid. At least you are honest."
With that, she gracefully leaped down from the rock and walked toward them.
Rebecca, still wary, leaned close to Leon's ear and whispered, "Is she the Claudia you were yelling for?"
"Yes," he whispered back.
"Wow, she heard us all the way out here?" Rebecca asked, astonished.
"Don't be naive, little human," Claudia interrupted, having easily overheard them. She moved to stand beside Rossweise. "It was Rossweise who released a magic signal only a Dragon King could feel. Otherwise, I would not have heard a single thing, no matter how loud you yelled."
"Dragon King… but isn't the Sea Dragon King supposed to be you, Miss Poseidon?" Rebecca asked, trying to be more polite.
"Of course," Claudia replied, rolling her eyes slightly. "But with my father away on business, if not for that signal, you would have been greeted by the royal guards, not me."
Rebecca gulped, whispering again to Leon, "She seems to have a bit of a temper."
Leon whispered back through gritted teeth, "Then for the last time, stop calling her 'auntie.'"
"Oh, right! Got it!" she whispered back.
In contrast to the two humans, Rossweise remained perfectly calm. She understood the situation clearly. Once Claudia had sensed her magical signal, she knew exactly who was calling. If Claudia had not intended to help, she could have simply ignored them, leaving Leon and Rebecca to shout until they were hoarse. The fact that Claudia had appeared was, in itself, a sign of hope for Tiger.
Claudia knelt beside Tiger, her hands glowing with a soft, aqueous light as she assessed his condition. Her expression turned grim.
"Severe damage to the heart, internal injuries to multiple organs… who did this to him?"
"A newly-formed special team of the Empire, the Blade Trio. They wield the power of Primordial Energy," Leon explained.
"Ah, yes, I have heard reports of them. They have been quite active on the front lines, causing heavy losses to several clans," Claudia remarked. She glanced at Leon, her diagnosis blunt. "He is not well." She stood up. "I will need to take him to our healing chambers for a more thorough examination to see if anything can be done."
Leon's face lit up, a wave of relief washing over him. "You mean… you'll save him?"
"Do not celebrate just yet, Leon. His injuries are grave. All I can promise is that I will do my best."
Claudia walked to the water's edge. "Now, come with me. I will guide you to the underwater palace of Atlantis."
An immense surge of magical energy pulsed from her. In a brilliant flash of light, she transformed. Her dragon form was magnificent and entirely unique—not like Rossweise's or Isha's powerful, winged builds, but a long, slender, and incredibly agile sea serpent, her scales shimmering with the deep blues of the ocean.
"Whoa… I've never seen a dragon like that before," Rebecca murmured, utterly captivated. "She's so beautiful."
Leon cleared his throat pointedly.
"Oh! Of course, Sis-in-law's dragon form is also incredibly beautiful. Everyone is beautiful!" Rebecca quickly amended, having learned her lesson.
Claudia circled above them once before diving toward the water. As she did, a large, transparent magical bubble enveloped the entire group, lifting them gently off the ground and carrying them down into the ocean depths after her.
As they descended, a vibrant, otherworldly seascape revealed itself through the bubble walls, teeming with colorful coral and strange, glowing sea life.
"Do the Sea Dragons live here all year round?" Rossweise asked, her voice filled with quiet awe.
"Yes," Claudia's voice echoed to them through the magical water. "To adapt to underwater life, our ancestors gradually evolved our dragon forms to better suit the ocean environment."
Leon, his thoughts returning to his master, asked the question burning in his mind. "Claudia, you know my master, don't you?"
Given her reaction and the two powerful Sea Dragon manuals Tiger had possessed, the connection was undeniable.
Claudia was silent for a few seconds before replying, "I suppose you could say that."
"Then, what are you two—?"
"Do not ask any more questions," she cut him off firmly. "Soon, someone else will explain everything to you."
Leon blinked in confusion. "Someone else…?"
Was there someone else in the Sea Dragon Clan who knew him or his master?
Puzzled, he could only follow as Claudia led them deeper, until they reached the very bottom of the sea.
"Welcome to Atlantis, the palace of the Sea Dragon Clan."
A hidden paradise revealed itself amid the dark trenches and towering rock formations—a breathtaking, glittering sanctuary hidden under the sea.
Claudia reverted to her human form and, with a wave of her hand, dissolved the magical bubble.
Rebecca instantly clutched her nose and mouth in alarm. "Oh no! Blue-haired miss is trying to drown us!"
"…You have not been crushed by the water pressure, and yet you worry about breathing?" Claudia said, unimpressed.
"Huh?"
Rebecca hesitantly lowered her hands, taking an experimental breath. "Wait… it's… it's breathable?"
"The Sea Dragon Clan cannot actually breathe water. We maintain a powerful barrier around Atlantis that contains breathable air," Claudia explained.
"Oh, I see…" Rebecca nodded, only half-understanding but relieved.
Rossweise, looking up at the shimmering barrier high above that held back the entire ocean, silently admired the engineering. "This is truly a remarkable hidden sanctuary."
"Come, everyone. We have no time to lose if we are to save him."
Leon hoisted his master's unconscious form and followed Claudia without hesitation.
"Cough… kid… have we… arrived?" Tiger asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"Yes, Master. We've made it to the Sea Dragon Clan. You're going to be okay now," Leon reassured him, putting as much confidence as he could into his voice.
"Good… good…" Tiger mumbled, a strange, deep satisfaction in his tone.
Leon found this odd. Tiger didn't seem focused on finding a cure for his mortal wounds; he simply seemed content to have reached the Sea Dragon Clan, whatever the cost.
But there was no time to ponder this. Whatever his master's reasons, Leon's only goal was to save his life.
Claudia led them to a secluded chamber behind the main palace. At its center was a bed carved from a single piece of dark, faintly glowing crystalline ice.
"Place Tiger here," Claudia instructed, pointing to the bed.
Leon carefully laid his master down upon it. "Is this… some kind of magical material?"
"It is Abyssal Ice. It slows all bodily processes, extending the window for life-saving treatment," Claudia explained concisely.
The moment Tiger was settled, he was wracked by another coughing fit, specks of blood staining the pristine ice.
Claudia immediately began a deeper, more focused examination, her hands moving over his chest with intricate magical patterns.
"Leon, and you, girl," she said without looking up, "go to that shelf and bring me the two boxes labeled 'Ghost Lotus Herb' and 'Frost Bone Powder.'"
They scrambled to obey, quickly fetching the ornate containers and handing them to her.
"Ghost Lotus Herb… Frost Bone Powder… and a bed of Abyssal Ice… The Sea Dragon Clan is truly resource-rich. Most dragons would never even hear of such treasures," Rossweise remarked, impressed.
"Living at the bottom of the ocean has its advantages. We have access to relics and ingredients from the most ancient times."
Claudia carefully prepared the herbs, using her magic to infuse the potent medicine directly into Tiger's veins, aiding his failing body in absorbing their power.
Leon and Rebecca could only stand and watch in anxious silence, their hearts pounding. If Tiger didn't pull through, the loss would be unimaginable.
After a painstaking hour of intensive treatment, Claudia finally stepped back from the bed, visibly exhausted, beads of sweat dotting her brow. Yet, Tiger remained pale and unresponsive.
"Claudia… how is he?" Leon asked, his voice thick with anxiety.
Claudia straightened up, pausing for a long moment before she slowly shook her head. "The damage to his heart is too severe. Even the Ghost Lotus, one of the most powerful healing herbs in existence, cannot repair it."
Leon felt his own heart shatter. He stood frozen, his mind going blank with despair. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out, his throat choked with grief.
Rossweise moved to his side, gently taking his trembling hand in hers.
"No… this can't be. My master can't just—"
"Leon," Claudia said firmly, cutting through his spiraling thoughts.
"Tiger knew better than anyone that his injuries were beyond any ordinary repair. He came here not to seek a cure he knew did not exist."
"Then why…" Leon's voice broke. "Why did he insist on coming to the Sea Dragon Clan if there was no way to save him?"
"Because—"
Claudia's explanation was cut off as a commotion erupted from the chamber's entrance.
"Your Highness! You cannot enter! Lady Claudia gave strict orders—"
"Let me in! He came for me, didn't he? I know he's here for me! Let me through!"
"Princess, please, you must wait! Princess Charlotte!"
Her Highness…
The name made Leon's head snap toward the door. His eyes widened in utter shock as he saw a familiar figure struggling against the guards, desperately trying to push her way into the room.
He could only whisper the name in disbelief. "Mistress…"