General Leon's methods for prenatal education were certainly unique. But when it came to the practical care of his pregnant wife, his dedication was absolute.
A few days after the musical incident, Leon found a recipe in an old medicinal book for "Nourishing Spirit Soup." Seeing that the Silver Dragon Sanctuary was missing a few key ingredients, he decided to go to a nearby town to purchase them himself.
Early the next morning, Leon slung a backpack over his shoulder and headed out. Just outside the sanctuary gates, he met Noah, who was returning from her morning training.
"Good morning, Dad," she said, a white towel around her neck. She blinked at his backpack. "Where are you going with that?"
"Just to buy some herbs," Leon replied. "Your mom is getting some special soup."
"You could have sent the maids for that," Noah pointed out.
Leon scratched his temple and thought for a moment. "Noah, some things are worth doing yourself. If I asked the maids to buy the herbs, I might as well have them make the soup and serve it to your mom, too, right?"
He gripped his backpack strap with one hand and used the other to ruffle her hair.
"I just want to do this for her myself. Sitting around and waiting for others to do everything isn't really my style."
It was true. Leon could easily delegate the task. But anyone could make the soup; no one else could pour his personal care and love into it. These small, thoughtful acts filled their ordinary days with meaning, and Leon never minded the effort.
Feeling the warmth of her father's hand, Noah nodded thoughtfully. After a moment, she said, "Wait for me, Dad. I will be right back!"
She bounded up the stairs and back into the sanctuary. Leon was confused but waited patiently. Soon, Noah returned, having changed out of her training gear into casual clothes. She also carried a small backpack.
"What is all this?" Leon asked.
"I am coming with you to buy the herbs and help make the soup for Mom."
Noah was rarely this excited about anything outside of training and studying, her little tail swishing behind her. Since Helena, Muen, and Aurora were all out for the day, Leon saw no harm in bringing his eldest daughter along.
He smiled and nodded. "Alright. Let's go surprise your mom together."
"Yay!"
The father-daughter pair left the sanctuary and headed toward the tribe's main commerce area. Leon carried a checklist with the soup ingredients and a few other supplements he wanted to stock up on.
Noah peered at the first item on the list: Apples.
"Dad, don't we already have apples at home? Why buy more?"
"Your mom says the ones at home do not taste good."
Noah frowned. For some reason, her dad's answer felt evasive, like he was hiding something.
"But the apples we have are imported from the south. They are delicious!"
Leon hesitated for a second before brushing it off. "Let's not dwell on it. Let's just go."
As they walked, Leon suppressed a shudder, remembering Rossweise's cravings during her pregnancy with Aurora. She had leveraged her condition to boss him around, seamlessly switching between unreasonable demands and pitiful, cute whining.
One night, she had declared she wanted an apple. Leon brought her one.
Then she demanded it be peeled. Leon peeled it.
Then she claimed it did not taste good. Leon got another.
When she opened her mouth to complain again, he gently stuffed the apple into it.
That was far from the end. For days, Rossweise found endless excuses to make him peel apples, always in the middle of the night.
If he refused? "Oh, that is fine. I will just kick you out of bed."
If he argued? "Go ahead. I will unleash the full power of a pregnant woman's tears. Let's see how long you last."
With these traumatic memories fresh in his mind, Leon was determined to buy every variety of apple available, just in case his wife decided to be picky again.
After mentally checking off apples, Noah looked at the next item: Jade Dew Dragonfruit.
"Oh, my teacher said this is a very nourishing fruit, but it is incredibly rare. I do not think our Silver Dragon Valley has ever grown it."
"That was true in the past, but not anymore," Leon replied with confidence.
Noah blinked her big eyes. "What do you mean, Dad?"
"After Aurora was born, I arranged for a secret team to cultivate Jade Dew Dragonfruit. It has been three years now, so they should be ripe."
Noah gave her dad a thumbs-up. "Dad, you are a visionary!"
"Visionary?" Leon laughed wryly. "More like I learned to plan ahead to avoid future disasters."
Years ago, during Rossweise's last pregnancy, Leon had gone to great lengths to acquire a single Jade Dew Dragonfruit. He had even fought through a competition in Sky City, making it to the finals only to be soundly beaten by his hot-tempered sister-in-law, Ishabella. He eventually got the fruit, but the ordeal left him humiliated and bruised.
From that day on, Leon vowed to never rely on others for such things again. He would cultivate the dragonfruit himself, knowing he would need it someday.
Leon led Noah to a secluded farming area on the outskirts of the tribe's territory, where many of the Silver Dragon's crops were grown.
"The dragonfruit orchard is just ahead. Let's go, Noah."
"Okay!" Noah quickened her pace, excitement in her eyes. She had only read about Jade Dew Dragonfruit in books and was eager to see the real thing.
However, as they approached the orchard, the ground began to tremble violently.
Leon immediately steadied Noah, holding her shoulders to keep her from falling. The tremors intensified, shaking the entire area.
"What is happening? Are we under attack?" Leon asked, his voice tense.
Before anyone could answer, a group of Silver Dragon villagers came sprinting toward them from the direction of the orchard.
The leader, upon seeing Leon, rushed forward as if grasping for salvation. "Your Highness! Your Highness! It is a danger beast!"
Leon frowned. He knew the combat prowess of the Silver Dragons; even their farmers could handle an A-Class danger beast with ease. For them to be this panicked, the threat had to be terrifying.
"Calm down and explain. What kind of danger beast?"
"A... a Super S-Class danger beast. A Six-Winged Dragonhawk."
"Super S-Class..." Before Leon could fully process this, a massive shadow emerged from the orchard and soared into the sky.
The creature was enormous, its six wings blotting out the sun. Its piercing screech echoed across the heavens, and the wind from its beat forced Leon to shield Noah in his arms.
When the wind subsided, Leon looked up at the Six-Winged Dragonhawk. Clutched in its powerful beak was an entire Jade Dew Dragonfruit tree, roots and all.