No, Rossweise thought firmly, there was absolutely no way she was letting her darling Noah inherit her father's penchant for abstract nonsense and linguistic chaos.
The queen shot a sharp, pointed look at Leon, who was still lying pathetically in bed.
Internal dialogue:
Rossweise: You've got ten seconds to fix this mess. Think of something believable—now!
Leon: Don't rush me! I'm thinking, I'm thinking! My brain is still rebooting!
Rossweise: If Noah ends up spiraling down this path of abstraction because of you, Leon, I swear I'll hold you accountable for the next century!
Leon, still mentally reeling from his earlier verbal slip, had been thinking so quickly that "cousin's mother's brother" had literally been the best coherent thing he could come up with on the spot. He hadn't anticipated his frighteningly clever daughter taking his abstract nonsense and logically extending it to coin "grand-uncle."
"Sweetheart, your brilliance is truly wasted on things like this!" he lamented internally.
After a moment of forced calm, Leon quickly cobbled together a solution.
"Noah, actually, this gentleman here isn't your 'grand-uncle.' He's my... teacher."
Noah blinked her bright, inquisitive eyes. "Teacher?"
"That's right," Leon said, seizing the new narrative. "Do you know why your dad is so skilled?"
The little princess shook her head, her silver hair swaying.
"It's all thanks to—"
Leon threw the blanket aside with dramatic flair and forced his still-fatigued, aching body out of bed.
Both Rossweise and Isha watched with palpable concern as he staggered, worried he might collapse face-first onto the floor. Thankfully, Leon managed to steady himself against the bedside table and made his way over to where Tiger and Charlotte stood.
"It's all thanks to the incredibly strong foundation my teacher built for me when I was a child! They weren't just instructors; they were like the parents who raised me."
"That much is true," Rossweise agreed, nodding sagely. She knew the stories. "Even with Leon's natural talent, his early, rigorous training under Tiger was crucial to his success and survival."
Tiger had indeed laid a unshakable foundation for Leon, ensuring that no matter how high the young man built his power, he would remain steady and grounded.
Of course, this generous assessment didn't include the time Tiger had miscalculated his own strength during a demonstration and almost shattered Leon's ribs with a surprise blow from a massive training hammer.
Leon, still smiling through the memory of past pain, gestured grandly toward Charlotte. "And this is my teacher's wonderful wife, my foster mother! She's the one who made sure I grew up big and strong by feeding me endless delicious meals when I was a child! Her cooking is a healing art in itself!"
"Grandma's cooking made Dad survive a hammer blow√" Noah mentally noted, filing away the information.
Although Noah wasn't particularly obsessed with food like her sister Muen, she politely nodded at Charlotte, acknowledging her culinary skills with a touch of genuine respect.
"So, Noah," Leon said, his grin widening as he guided her to the conclusion. "If he's my teacher, and she's his wife, and they're like a father and mother to me, what does that make them to you?"
Noah tilted her head thoughtfully, her eyes darting between the two beaming adults. "They're... a married couple?"
Despite already guessing the answer, she still hesitated slightly due to their surprisingly youthful appearances.
"That's right! They've been happily married for over thirty years!"
"Wow!"
For the young dragon princess, whose sense of time was already stretching toward centuries, thirty years of continuous partnership was still an imaginably long and commendable commitment.
Leon seized the opportunity to correct the earlier debacle. "And Noah, calling him 'grand-uncle' was a... creative but mistaken title. So, you should call him—"
Leon deliberately dragged out the final word, hoping Noah would intuitively finish the thought.
"Grandpa!"
"Exactly!" Leon beamed, his relief evident. He then patted Charlotte gently on the shoulder. "And this is—"
"Grandma!"
"Perfect! That's exactly right." The tension in Leon's shoulders finally eased.
He nudged his Master and Mistress gently forward. The couple, picking up on his cue, played their parts perfectly.
Charlotte knelt down, her face softening, and spread her arms with a warm, genuine smile. "Noah, come give Grandma a hug."
"Okay~"
Noah eagerly ran into Charlotte's embrace. Despite usually being somewhat reserved about physical contact with new acquaintances, Noah could tell from her father's tone and words just how important these two were to him.
She also noticed the subtle nervousness in their auras, as if they were deeply worried about how they'd be received. Wanting to ease their tension and make them feel welcome, Noah made an extra effort to be warm and accepting.
After a warm moment, she turned her small face toward Tiger, her eyes sparkling.
"Grandpa, your turn!"
Tiger's stern face lit up with unbridled joy. "Of course, Grandpa will hug you!"
Although Noah wasn't typically skilled at charming adults, her innate considerate nature often won them over effortlessly. Now, consciously employing a few tricks she'd secretly learned from observing her younger sisters, she completely melted the hearts of her newfound grandparents.
Leon, watching the harmonious and affectionate interaction between his daughter and his teacher, finally breathed a sigh of pure relief.
"Phew. Crisis averted. Noah didn't ask anything suspicious. My flawless social disguise has saved the day once again!" he thought, patting himself on the back mentally.
(Years later, Noah would reflect on this moment with a knowing smirk. "Dad, your 'flawless disguise' was about as sturdy as wet paper. I just didn't want to embarrass you in front of Grandpa and Grandma. The 'no tail' thing was kind of a giveaway.")
"Grandpa, Grandma," Noah suggested cheerfully, "let's take little sister outside to play so Dad can rest properly."
Understanding intuitively that the crowded room might have been adding to their tension, Noah offered to lead them out for a distraction.
Tiger and Charlotte happily agreed. Noah carefully picked up Muse, who was babbling happily, waved goodbye to Leon, and said, "Get some good rest, Dad. Tonight, let's all eat at that rooftop restaurant we went to last time!"
"Sure thing. Have fun, and everyone stay safe."
"Will do~"
The four of them—the two humans, the young princess, and the baby—filed out of the room, leaving Leon and Rossweise alone to finally relax completely.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Leon's bravado vanished. He tried to take a couple of steps toward the door as if to follow, but his legs betrayed him, and he nearly collapsed again.
Rossweise rushed to his side, steadying him with a strong arm. "Are you worried Noah will notice something off while they're spending time together?"
"Yeah... I just wanted to tell Master to be extra careful with his stories."
"Leave it to me."
"Isha's already volunteered to be their chaperone," Rossweise said with a slight grin. "She loves high-stakes social games like this."
Leon sighed, leaning heavily on her. "This isn't a game, Sis. This is my secret identity on the line."
"Don't worry," Isha said, popping her head back in the door with a confident wink. "I'll be their friendly guide and smooth things over if anything gets too specific. You two just stay here and rest. Consider it handled."
With a mischievous glint in her eye, Isha strode out of the room, ready to oversee and subtly manage the unfolding interaction between her niece and her human grandparents.
Claudia, who had been observing the entire scene with quiet amusement, chuckled softly and said, "In that case, I won't stay any longer and intrude. You two should enjoy some quiet, quality time together."
"Wait, Senior," Leon called out, his voice regaining a sliver of its usual strength. "There's something important I want to ask you."
Claudia paused at the doorway, arching one elegant eyebrow. "Let me guess... you want to know more about 'Ultra Sense,' don't you?"
Leon nodded, his expression turning serious. "Yes. You once told me it was just a specialized, high-level body technique, but... what I experienced during the duel... that's not the whole story, is it?"
Claudia smiled, a knowing, almost proud look in her eyes. She gracefully walked back into the room and sat down in a plush chair, crossing her long legs. "It seems you've already begun to figure out the truth for yourself."
Rossweise helped Leon back to the bed, and he sat on the edge, while she settled beside him, both listening intently.
"During my fight with Odin," Leon said, looking down at his own hands as if seeing them for the first time, "when I accidentally activated Ultra Sense, it felt... profoundly strange. It was as though I could perceive the underlying flow and connection of everything in existence. Every movement, every spark of magic, every intention became crystal clear to me, not as separate events, but as parts of a single, flowing tapestry. That depth of perception doesn't feel like something a mere body technique could ever achieve."
"You're absolutely right," Claudia said, her voice dropping into a more lecturing tone. "Ultra Sense isn't just a body technique. It's actually considered the origin, the conceptual source, from which all advanced body techniques are derived."
"The origin?" Leon's eyes widened in realization.
"That's right. But before I explain further, let me ask you both a question: In today's world, with its vast and complex magical systems, what would you say is the foundational, primordial force beneath it all?"
Leon and Rossweise exchanged a knowing glance before answering in unison. "Primordial Energy."
Claudia nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Primordial Energy—ancient, mysterious, and pure—is the root and foundation of all magic. It is the raw substance of creation."
She leaned forward slightly. "And just as Primordial Energy represents the essence and origin of magic, Ultra Sense represents the pinnacle and origin of body techniques. It was a state of being conceptualized and created by the Dragon God Tiamat herself, in the same epoch that she forged the principles of Primordial Energy."
Claudia continued, her gaze distant as she recalled ancient lore, "When you activated Ultra Sense, you glimpsed a fragment of the fundamental truth Tiamat wanted all ultimate practitioners to understand: the intricate, interconnected flow and pattern of all things in the world. It is the perception of the world's underlying 'current.' Only by first comprehending these patterns can one hope to act with perfect, effortless control."
"Of course," she added, holding up a finger, "understanding the theory is one thing. Achieving practical mastery is another monumental challenge."
"For centuries, even though the theoretical path to Ultra Sense has been more accessible and documented than that of Primordial Energy, very, very few have ever managed to grasp even a fragment of its power."
"Most of your generation of Dragon Kings knows little about Ultra Sense, but Odin's generation, the true ancients, pursued it relentlessly. Yet, as far as I know, none of them ever truly succeeded in activating it."
Claudia's gaze softened, her genuine admiration evident. "Who would've ever thought that in this modern era, a human would be the one to not only unlock its secrets but do so in just a few months? It's... unprecedented."
Her praise was a rare commodity, but Leon's knack for defying all expectations and logic made it impossible not to acknowledge his monumental achievement.
Claudia's expression turned warm and profound as she looked at Leon and then at Rossweise. "Now, between the two of you, you have mastered the two ultimate pillars of power. Rossweise wields the pinnacle of magical essence, Primordial Energy. And you, Leon, have touched the pinnacle of physical perception, Ultra Sense. You represent the two greatest legacies of Tiamat. With this, no trial, no enemy, no danger can ever truly tear you apart. You are a complete set."