After finally finishing the last autograph and photo, Leon and Rossweise turned around to find a rather amusing scene waiting for them.
Constantine stood with his arms crossed, wearing a stern yet profoundly exasperated expression.
On either side of him stood Hefei and Muse, engaged in a looping verbal duel.
Hefei: "I will defeat you."
Muse: "That won't work."
Hefei: "I will defeat you."
Muse: "That won't work."
Hefei (clenching her small fists, her tail wagging in frustration, shouting with all her might): "I! Will! Defeat! You! Can you not say anything else?!"
Muse (tilting her head, blinking her big red eyes with utter sincerity): "That won't work."
The two little girls repeated their single lines like a broken record next to Constantine, who looked more drained by the minute.
"Leon," Constantine finally said, his voice completely deadpan, "does your youngest daughter only know how to say those three words?"
Leon quickly scooped Muse into his arms and laughed awkwardly. "She just learned this phrase this morning. I think she finds the sound of it amusing, so she has been repeating it non-stop."
Dragon hatchlings developed with incredible speed in their early years. Just that morning, Muse's "Not hing" had been a fuzzy, babbled sound. Now, she could articulate it with perfect, frustrating clarity, enough to fray the nerves of even a Dragon King and his daughter.
As Leon and Rossweise approached, Hefei, who had just been locked in the repetitive argument, quickly ducked behind her father's legs. She peeked out cautiously, her black eyes wide as she observed the famous adults.
Leon glanced at the little red-haired girl. "Has Hefei fully recovered now?"
Constantine gave a slight, proud nod. "Yes."
"Leh!" Hefei let out a small, indignant sound, which earned her a light, corrective tap on the head from her father. He gestured for her to step forward properly.
Hefei obediently moved out from behind him. Though she looked visibly tense, she was clearly making a brave effort to appear calm and polite.
"Hefei," Constantine said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle, "you have this uncle to thank for helping acquire the resources that healed your injuries."
"Thank you, Uncle!" Hefei said, her voice sweet and full of genuine gratitude.
"Oh, it was nothing, really," Leon replied, crouching down to her level. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a brightly wrapped lollipop—a free sample a clerk had given him at the baby store. He offered it to Hefei.
Hefei hesitated, her hand hovering mid-air. She glanced back at her father for permission. Only after receiving a small, approving nod did her face break into a real smile, and she accepted the treat.
"Thank you, Uncle!" she chirped, her tone even sweeter than before.
Leon could not help but smile warmly. "What a polite and well-behaved little girl. So adorable."
Rossweise, standing beside him, also felt a sense of approval for the courteous child.
Leon gave Hefei's hair a gentle ruffle before standing up and turning his attention back to Constantine. "So, what brings you to Sky City?"
Constantine pulled a familiar-looking gold card from his pocket. "An invitation from the Tower Master. I heard you will be fighting Odin here in three days."
Seeing the identical gold card in Constantine's hand—the same "unlimited spending" pass he had just used—Leon could not help but smirk inwardly.
Do these gold cards grow on trees? How many of these is the Tower Master handing out?
"So you came just for the show?" Leon asked.
"Of course," Constantine replied without missing a beat. "Watching you struggle is one of my greatest joys since my resurrection."
Leon huffed and rolled his eyes. "And what makes you so sure I will struggle against Odin?"
"I do not know. I just sincerely hope you do," Constantine said bluntly.
Leon shot him a mock glare, but then his expression turned more serious. "To be honest, I already told the Tower Master that this fight is not about winning or losing for me. It is about understanding the true depth of power here. Frankly, I am not entirely confident I can beat him."
The mere rumors Rossweise had shared about Odin had already made Leon wary. His own subsequent research in the dragon clan's historical archives had only confirmed it: nearly every account spoke of the Thunder Dragon King with the highest respect.
"Odin is undoubtedly one of the strongest pillars of the dragon clans," Constantine stated, his tone steady and factual. "The historical records agree that just the honor of crossing blades with him once is enough to earn lasting respect throughout dragon society."
"I already have plenty of respect in dragon society," Leon quipped lightly.
"Even more respect," Constantine clarified, his voice flat.
"What does 'even more' even mean?"
"Are you an idiot? You cannot understand something so simple?"
"Hey, hold on—"
"Can the two of you not have such a pointless, circular argument in front of the children?" Rossweise finally interjected, unable to listen any longer.
Constantine snorted dismissively, deciding it was beneath him to continue bickering. He circled back to the main topic. "You do not need to pressure yourself too much. Even if you lose, no one will think you are weak," he said, surprisingly calm. "To put it plainly, Odin represents the absolute pinnacle of dragon strength."
Leon raised an eyebrow, studying Constantine with newfound interest. "I did not expect to hear you speak so highly of anyone. I thought the mighty Crimson Flame Dragon King bowed to no one."
He added, "Your praise for Odin is surprisingly... fair. It is a little unexpected."
"Odin is not just 'anyone,' Leon," Constantine replied, his seriousness returning. "If the Dragon Kings were to be divided into tiers, they would be: Newborn Dragon King, Established Dragon King, Supreme Dragon King, and then... Odin."
He let the statement hang in the air for a moment. "Do you understand what I am saying?"
Seeing the complete earnestness on Constantine's face, Leon fully grasped the monumental challenge his upcoming opponent represented.
"I understand," Leon said, his own voice firming with resolve. "I will give it my absolute all when the time comes."
Constantine gave a single, approving nod. He then asked, almost casually, "What have you done to prepare for this fight?"
Leon shrugged nonchalantly. "What do you expect me to do? Sneak attack him when he is not looking?"
Constantine actually let out a light chuckle. "To be honest, I do not have anything that could significantly boost your power in such a short time."
Leon blinked, feigning offense. "What do you mean? Did you not just say you wanted to see me struggle?"
"Oh, I do," Constantine confirmed. "I just mean that even if I gave you a temporary power-up, you would still struggle miserably against Odin."
"Yeah... that is probably about right."
"And there it is."
"The signature, infuriating honesty of the dragon kings," Leon said with a wry smirk, finally dropping the subject.
Just then, a wonderfully familiar voice called out from a short distance away.
"Daddy! Mommy!"
Everyone turned to see a small, energetic figure waving and running toward them through the crowd.
A knowing smirk instantly reappeared on Constantine's face.
"Leon," he said, his voice dripping with dry amusement. "It seems your real power-up buff has just arrived."