After finally signing the last of the autographs for the eager young dragons, Constantine let out a slow, measured exhale, the tension in his broad shoulders easing slightly.
"Well? Doesn't it feel satisfying?" Leon asked, a sly grin spreading across his face as he approached.
Constantine shot him a withering glare, letting out a dismissive snort. "Pointless frivolity."
"Hey, how can it be pointless?" Leon retorted, his grin unwavering. "You've just gone from being a fearsome legend from the history texts to a living, breathing champion in their eyes. That's an instant image upgrade!"
He continued, his tone dripping with mock professionalism, "By publicly sharing the credit and letting you have a triumphant moment, I've essentially performed high-level reputation management. That's what we call public relations back in the Empire. Ever heard of it?"
Constantine didn't dignify the teasing with a verbal response. He simply shook the dust from his scaled coat and made to leave.
But just as the last of the children scattered, a group of academy examiners approached, their expressions filled with earnest gratitude.
Unlike his surprising patience with the young ones, Constantine was far less accommodating with adults. After listening to a few sentences of their thanks, he cut them off with an icy remark. "Do not waste my time. I have a long-overdue debt to collect back home."
The teachers immediately fell silent and wisely backed away, though one brave soul hesitantly asked, "Would you like us to arrange for a Leviathan transport to escort you home?"
Constantine: "?"
Do I look like I need a ride? I have my own transportation, and it is infinitely superior to your passenger dragons.
Before his departure, Constantine turned back to Leon, his voice low and uncharacteristically sincere. "Thanks."
Leon raised an eyebrow, cupping a hand behind his ear. "What was that? I didn't quite catch it."
Constantine closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath to center himself. He's only in his twenties. I have lived for centuries. There is no need to stoop to his level.
"I said, 'Thank you,'" he repeated, his voice flat, "for providing the intelligence that led me to Adam."
Leon, ever the opportunist, grinned. "Oh, it was nothing. Just lending a hand to a fellow parent. Happy to help."
"Immature," Constantine muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. Then, his tone shifting to one of grave seriousness, he added, "If you ever have need of my strength, come to me. I owe you a debt."
Leon knew Constantine's rigid code of honor well—the Dragon King always repaid his debts, whether in vengeance or in gratitude. If not for Leon's intervention and information, Constantine might still be searching for his chance at justice.
"I'll keep that in mind," Leon replied with a genuine, if small, smile.
Without another word, Constantine turned on his heel and strode away. The group watched as his formidable figure disappeared into the dense foliage of the forest. Moments later, a massive, turquoise-scaled dragon shot into the sky from beyond the trees, swiftly vanishing into the cloud cover.
.
.
.
As the commotion finally settled, one of the head examiners approached Leon.
"Mr. Leon, given such an... unexpected incident, I'm afraid the advancement exam cannot continue as planned. We will arrange for the Leviathan transports to take all the students back to the academy immediately. Would you and your daughter care to accompany us? We can ensure you reach the Silver Dragon Sanctuary."
Leon paused for a moment, then nodded. "That would be helpful. But if you could give me just ten minutes. I need to speak with my team. I'll return shortly."
"Of course, Mr. Leon. Take all the time you need."
Carefully handing the still-sleeping Noah over to the examiner, Leon instructed, "Please, watch over her for me."
"Don't worry, sir. We will guard her with our lives."
With a final, tender glance at his daughter, Leon turned and dashed back into the forest's embrace.
.
.
.
After weaving through a series of thickets and following a pre-arranged path, he arrived at a secluded clearing where Nacho, Rebecca, and Martin were waiting, their expressions a mix of concern and readiness.
"All settled on your end?" Martin asked as Leon arrived.
Leon nodded, his demeanor all business once more. "It's done. Constantine has taken Adam away."
"And your daughter? Is she okay?" Nacho asked, his voice laced with genuine concern.
"She's fine," Leon assured them, the tension in his own shoulders easing slightly as he said it. "Just pushed herself too far, too fast. The medics say she just needs rest."
"Good. That's a relief to hear," Nacho said, his professional composure returning.
He then shifted the conversation back to their primary mission. "So, what is our next move regarding the main investigation?"
Leon understood the subtext of the question perfectly: Did you manage to extract any useful intelligence from Adam before Constantine took him?
Leon took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering.
"Dangerous beasts," he stated simply.
"Dangerous beasts?" Nacho repeated, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"On our way here, we found the corpse of a Rock-Beak Raven. The injuries were a perfect match for Adam's warhammer."
Leon continued, laying out his theory. "And inside the Demonic Moon Forest, we found many more dead creatures with identical wounds. I don't believe Adam was engaging in random slaughter. I think he was fulfilling a specific, directed task."
He outlined his plan. "We should retrieve the bodies of some of the smaller, more easily transported creatures for a thorough examination. Study them meticulously. Their condition might yield clues we're currently missing."
"Moving forward, our investigative focus should shift to tracking large-scale movements of dangerous beasts. If Adam was hunting them as part of a larger scheme for the Shadow, his needs would extend far beyond the population of a single forest."
"So," Leon concluded, "if he, or others like him, continue to hunt these creatures, following that trail could lead us directly to the heart of the Shadow's operations."
Nacho nodded, a look of realization dawning on his face. "Understood. That is a solid line of inquiry."
After a brief moment of silence, Leon's expression grew more solemn. "There's something else... I need to apologize."
The others looked at him, perplexed.
"Apologize for what?" Rebecca asked, tilting her head.
Leon's frown deepened, his tone heavy with responsibility. "Just before he died, Adam tried to bargain for his life. He offered to reveal intelligence about the Shadow in exchange for his freedom."
"I refused."
He looked at each of his comrades in turn. "I'm sorry. My personal decision might have cost us a critical lead and rendered this entire operation a waste of time and resources."
Rebecca immediately stepped forward and nudged him firmly in the shoulder. "What absolute nonsense are you talking about? I saw the whole thing. That bastard was milliseconds away from using Noah as a final bargaining chip. If I were in your position, I wouldn't have taken the deal either. No question."
"Exactly," Martin agreed, his voice steady and supportive. "Even if he had given us information, how could we ever trust it? A snake like Adam would only have fed us just enough truth to save his own skin, and nothing more."
Nacho, the group's strategic mind, also voiced his unwavering support. "Leon, you made the only choice a father could make. Family must always come first. Any one of us would have done the same in your position. Do not burden yourself with guilt over this."
Their immediate and understanding support visibly lifted a weight from Leon's shoulders.
"Thank you, all of you," he said, his voice thick with gratitude. "But... there is one more thing I need to tell you."
He hesitated for a beat, then delivered the news. "I'll need to return home for a while."
"Oh."
"Alright."
"Understood, Captain."
Leon blinked, taken aback by their nonchalant reactions. "What kind of response is that? You're all acting like you already knew. Aren't you the least bit curious why?"
Rebecca reached out and patted his shoulder, her expression shifting to one of playful seriousness.
"Of course we know, you oblivious man. Your wife is pregnant again, isn't she? With the immediate threat here neutralized, you're rushing back to be with her and take care of your family."
Leon's face stiffened slightly, a faint blush creeping up his neck. "There's no need to exaggerate. I just want to be present for the birth, that's all. It's my responsibility as her husband."
"Uh-huh. And that doesn't involve taking care of her?" Rebecca pressed, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"...Well, of course it does," he admitted, flustered.
"Ha! Stubborn married man," Rebecca teased, her grin widening as she finally let him off the hook.