"It seems I will have to clear up some doubts for you all," Claudia said, leaning against the cold stone wall outside the secret chamber. She crossed her arms and began her tale.
"Thirty years ago, the war between the Empire and the dragons was at its peak. Back then, our Sea Dragon Clan had not yet fully withdrawn from the world, so we, too, were dragged into the conflict."
"One day, after a particularly brutal battle fought near our territory, our rescue squad was the first to arrive on the scene. They combed the battlefield for survivors. Charlotte was never one for combat, but she was highly skilled in healing magic. She thought this mission would be straightforward—tending to the wounded—so she volunteered to join the team."
"Our father, the King, approved her request. But reality was far different from what Charlotte expected. The rescue team's orders were twofold: to retrieve our wounded and to eliminate any surviving enemy soldiers."
"Charlotte had never taken a life before; the very idea was unbearable for her. So, she buried herself in her work, healing the injured, hoping to finish her task and return home quickly."
"But, as fate would have it, she eventually encountered a situation she couldn't avoid."
Claudia's gaze grew distant, lost in the memory. "She came across a dying dragon slayer, barely clinging to life amidst a gruesome landscape of corpses and blood. He was severely injured, seemingly while trying to protect his comrades, though they had all perished in the end."
"I imagine you've guessed by now—yes, that gravely injured dragon slayer was your master, Tiger."
"That was their first meeting."
"And the outcome? I suppose you can also guess. My soft-hearted sister spared his life and secretly healed him."
"Their story should have ended there; they were never supposed to cross paths again."
"Until..."
Claudia's tone darkened. "Until the Empire began a covert operation to collect our clan's Heartguard Dragon Scales. Charlotte was one of their targets. Not being a fighter, she was utterly powerless when she was captured. Along with her, many other dragons were taken, all transported to the imperial capital where the Empire intended to harvest their scales."
"Meanwhile, after many battles, Tiger had begun to suspect the Empire's darker motives. He sensed a deeper conspiracy behind the war but couldn't yet piece it all together. His loyalty to the Empire clashed violently with his own sense of justice."
"In the end, he chose to retire from the Dragon Slayer Corps, hoping to live out his days in peace. But due to the war's demands and a shortage of manpower, the Empire forcibly reassigned him to a transport unit. And this decision... led him to encounter Charlotte once more."
"To repay her for saving his life on that battlefield, Tiger secretly freed Charlotte during the transport and hid her in his home, shielding her from the Empire's relentless pursuit."
Claudia sighed, a small, wistful smile touching her lips. "And as in all the most clichéd love stories, they soon fell for each other, deeply and irrevocably."
"But since a union between a dragon and a human was unheard of, they were cautious. They didn't dare have children of their own. Instead, they chose to adopt a child from an orphanage."
She paused, her eyes settling on Leon and Rossweise, her lips curling into a knowing smirk. "Yes, that child was you, Leon."
Her gaze flickered between the couple, and she chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Your master and mistress avoided having children for thirty years out of fear and societal pressure... yet you and your wife have managed to have three in just five. I must say, I'm impressed."
Leon and Rossweise both flushed a deep red under her direct teasing. Rossweise turned her face away, embarrassed, while Leon scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well... it was a... series of beautiful accidents."
"Heh... life certainly is full of them."
"But then," Leon continued, steering the conversation back, "although my master and mistress ended up together, it seems you and your father didn't quite approve of their marriage, did you?"
Claudia nodded soberly. "As I said, a dragon-human pair was unprecedented, especially in a time of war. There was no way our father would formally approve of such a union. But Charlotte—our family's eternal 'good girl'—defied his wishes for the very first time in her life."
"She insisted on being with Tiger, and for thirty years, she never once returned to the Sea Dragon Clan."
"Thankfully, Tiger took excellent care of my foolish sister; otherwise... our father might have sent me to retrieve her by force long ago."
"All in all, though our father never gave his blessing, he eventually chose to turn a blind eye, allowing her to walk the path she had chosen."
A sudden realization dawned on Leon. "Wait... since my mistress is the second princess of the Sea Dragon Clan, those two powerful magic manuals my master gave me—Nine Hells Gates and Soul's Verdict—"
Claudia waved a hand dismissively. "Charlotte took those from my personal library to give to him. She pleaded with me for ages, even promised to make me breakfast for an entire month before I finally relented."
At this, Rebecca couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Trading two legendary manuals for a month of breakfast... Auntie, you're—"
Claudia cut her off with a sharp glare. "I'm what, exactly? Hmm?"
"Um... a genius businesswoman!" Rebecca quickly corrected herself, offering a weak smile.
"Considering my mistress's cooking skills, I'd say a month of her breakfast was a steep price for those manuals," Leon added, a note of pride in his voice for his Mistress.
"Of course, it was a great deal for you two," Claudia retorted, "but do you have any idea how long it takes to transcribe and compile a single ancient tome? The energy required?!"
"...Thank you for your hard work, ma'am!" they said in unison, properly chastised.
After the moment of light-heartedness passed, Leon's expression grew serious again, returning to the most pressing matter.
"My mistress mentioned using her Heartguard Dragon Scale to save my master. What would happen to her if she actually gave it to him?"
Claudia's smile faded, replaced by a slight frown. "When a dragon willingly gives up their Heartguard Dragon Scale, their lifespan is significantly shortened. Without a perfectly safe and magically rich environment in which to recuperate, the process itself can be life-threatening."
"And for a long time afterward, her body will be left in an extremely frail and vulnerable state."
"Especially someone like Charlotte, who has never been a warrior. Her natural constitution isn't as robust as Rossweise's or mine. She would likely suffer from chronic weakness—cold hands and feet, spells of dizziness and distraction, heightened anxiety... it would be a continuous ordeal for her."
"Ah... even now, she's still so..." Claudia trailed off, searching for the right word. She thought about calling her sister "stubborn" but held her tongue. That didn't feel right.
From a certain perspective, both her sister and Tiger were embodiments of a pure, selfless love—warriors of devotion.
If it meant saving Tiger, Charlotte would try anything without a second thought for herself.
Stubbornness was born from selfishness; what Charlotte possessed was something far purer: unwavering devotion.
Her devotion to her beloved was not something to be criticized.
Claudia simply smiled faintly, saying nothing more.
"So... there is truly a chance my master can be saved?" Leon asked, hope warring with his fear for Charlotte.
"Yes," Claudia confirmed. "The power contained within a Heartguard Dragon Scale is immense. While it cannot truly resurrect the dead, it can indeed mend a shattered heart and restore a fading life."
"...I see."
As he pondered the incredible, decades-spanning love between his master and mistress, Leon replayed Claudia's description of the scale's consequences in his mind:
"Losing the Heartguard Dragon Scale would leave her weakened, with cold hands, spells of distraction, anxiety..."
Suddenly, a torrent of his own memories surged forth, each one flashing before his eyes with crystal clarity—
"Hey, Dad, you know? Mom actually likes you a lot!" Muen's cheerful voice echoed from the past.
"Why do you say that?" his own younger voice replied.
"Because when you were in a coma for those two years, she would always come to see you, sitting by your bed so still, so lost in thought she looked like she was in a trance."
"Don't hold my hand, you fool! Let go!" Rossweise's flustered voice.
"Rossweise, why are your hands always so cold?" he had asked, concerned.
"It's just how they are," she had deflected, her tone flat.
"Well, I'd better warm them up for you, then."
And then, the haunting words from the future timeline, spoken by a grown Noah:
"Mom fell into a coma after that attack."
"What about her Heartguard Dragon Scale? Isn't that supposed to protect her?" his future self had asked, desperate.
"It barely worked at all."
And finally, a recent, intimate moment:
"Where is your Heartguard Dragon Scale?" he had asked Rossweise.
"It's in... a very safe place," she had replied, her voice quiet and evasive.
.
.
.
It was like a fuse had been lit, connecting all these disparate moments, culminating in a single, shattering explosion of understanding.
Finally, every memory, every clue, settled onto one person: her.
In that moment, Leon grasped the devastating truth. He staggered back a step, bracing himself against the cold, unyielding wall for support.
Slowly, trembling, he turned to look at Rossweise, who stood silently beside him.
She met his gaze, saying nothing, her expression as composed and regal as ever. But in his eyes, she had never looked more radiant, or more heartbreakingly selfless, than she did right now.