Leon looked back on his life as the Empire's strongest dragon slayer. It had been short, filled with both glory and pain. Now, he could even see a strange, funny side to all the hardship.
His path began at just five years old. He fought off a neighbor's vicious dog with his bare hands, saving a young girl from being mauled. This act of bravery caught the attention of a passing master dragon slayer, who immediately took Leon on as his apprentice.
By age six, Leon was found to have special "dragon slayer bones," making him a natural prodigy. His master began training him in a harsh technique known as the "indestructible body," meant to make his body unbreakable. By ten, he was hailed as a genius and entered the Empire's Dragon Slayer Academy.
What happened between seven and nine? Those years were spent in a hospital bed. During a lesson, his over-enthusiastic master had struck Leon's chest with a massive stone, shattering his bones.
Anyone else might have quit, but Leon's master nursed him back to health with painstaking care. When Leon recovered, his body was stronger and tougher than ever. On his tenth birthday, his master sent him to the Dragon Slayer Academy. At the time, Leon was just relieved to escape his master's brutal training, hoping for a safer, more normal education.
He graduated as the youngest in the academy's history, earning the highest honors. At fifteen, he entered the dragon-slaying battlefield. His team won victory after victory, reclaiming lost lands for the Empire with stunning ease.
Leon's name spread across the kingdom. People called him a hero, a once-in-a-century genius, and the Empire's only hope for peace. But Leon was an orphan with no family or political connections. He never should have risen so high.
At the peak of his fame, the royal family sent him to the most brutal front: the war against the Silver Dragon Clan. The fighting dragged on for years, a bloody, endless conflict that cost countless lives.
In his twenties, during the final major assault, Leon nearly broke into the Silver Dragon Temple. But one of his own betrayed him, stabbing him in the back and revealing his position to the enemy. The dragons captured him alive. He never discovered the traitor's identity, and now he never would.
Yet, in his final moments, he had made the Empire's greatest enemy pay a deep, personal price. He had wounded the Silver Dragon Queen in a way she would never forget.
As for that bold, sneaky spell... Leon had found it in an old, tattered book. After reading it, he decided it was evil and lustful magic that had no right to exist. He burned the book immediately, intending to destroy it for good.
He never planned to use it. But Rossweise had given him the perfect opportunity. If any other slayer had been captured, they might have just cursed their fate and died. At least Leon had made the Queen feel the same sickness and shame she had forced upon him. He saw it as a final, bitter victory.
He believed his life was good enough to earn him a place in heaven. Despite all the legendary stories, he mostly just felt an overwhelming tiredness. His life, though short, had worn him out completely.
Leon had always dreamed of a simple life after the war. He wanted to leave the army, move to a quiet, faraway town, and buy a small farm. There, he would marry a kind, ordinary girl—not a great beauty—and they would have a cute daughter. He would spend his days milking cows and growing old peacefully. Milking cows seemed far safer than fighting dragons.
Not getting that peaceful life was one of his biggest regrets. It left a hollow sadness in his heart that all his battles and glory could never fill.
But regrets are a part of every life, from beginning to end. That is what makes it real.
.
.
.
A sudden buzzing sound filled Leon's mind, cutting his thoughts short.
But... in his mind?
Wasn't he just a spirit now, nothing but thoughts? Why did the buzz feel like it was inside his own head?
Before he could question it further, his "vision" returned. Pieces of his life flashed before him like a fast-paced movie.
His birth as an orphan, his early struggles to survive, his time at the Dragon Slayer Academy... It all played out until the very end, trapped in the Silver Dragon Clan's dungeon.
He remembered the sunlight streaming through the small window. He was chained to an iron rack, locking eyes with the Silver Dragon Queen. It was the stare of a loser at his victor, but it also felt like a lost believer pleading with a holy statue for mercy.
Then, the memory shattered. A brilliant, sword-like light cut through the empty space of his mind.
Leon's eyes fluttered open. His senses returned to him one by one. He felt his body's warmth, the rhythm of his breathing, the steady beat of his heart...
"I... I didn't die, did I?" he whispered, utterly shocked.
He tried to move his fingers. They were numb and weak, but they obeyed. Pushing himself up, he found he was in a warm, lavishly decorated room.
The room was mostly pink. The walls were painted with simple drawings of the sun, fluffy clouds, and angels.
The angels were abstract, like stick figures with halos and rough wings, but their identity was clear.
Wait a second.
Angels?
Had his soul actually reached heaven? If so, he could finally rest. There would be no more honor or shame. He could be reunited with his old friends who had fallen in battle.
Leon gathered his strength and stood from the bed. His body felt heavy and weary as he walked to the window.
Outside, the sky was a clear, perfect blue. Birds sang cheerful songs, and the air was sweet with the scent of flowers.
"I must be in heaven!" he said aloud, a wave of joy washing over him. His short life had found a perfect ending.
"Hey, you're awake!" a child's voice called out from behind him.
The voice was soft and cute. Leon turned and saw a little girl who perfectly matched the voice.
She looked about three or four years old. Her face was adorable, with soft, chubby cheeks that hinted at the beauty she would become.
She fit Leon's ideal of a "little angel." But her hair was strange. It was mostly a deep black, with silver streaks running through it like crescent moons against a night sky. The mix of silver and black was striking, but it was an odd style for such a young girl.
Would heaven really use children as attendants? And why give her such wild hair? Leon wondered to himself, a faint complaint forming in his mind.
He walked slowly to the girl, knelt down to her level, and asked gently, "Hello, what's your name?"
"Muen," the girl replied seriously.
"That's a lovely name! It means 'moon.' Who gave you such a pretty name?"
"My mother did," she answered.
Leon paused, surprised. No offense, but do angels have mothers? He thought God created them directly.
"I'm Leon. Leon Cosmodeous," he said politely.
"Yeah, I know. It sounds like 'lion,'" she said.
"Who told you that?"
"My mother said."
A cold chill of dread ran down Leon's spine. He stood up slowly, looking at Muen with growing fear. "Can I ask... who is your mother?"
"It's Rossweise! Rossweise Melkvey," she replied.
Muen came closer, wrapped her small arms around Leon's legs, looked up with a bright, happy face, and said,
"Daddy, you finally woke up!"
Leon froze solid, his mind reeling with shock and confusion. How was this possible? He remembered dying in that dungeon, casting his revenge spell on the Queen. Now, years had apparently passed. He was alive, and this child... was his.
The warm, pink room suddenly felt less like heaven and more like a new, intricate trap. A storm of emotions flooded him: utter surprise, deep regret, simmering anger, and a tiny, unwilling spark of wonder. His life was not over. It was beginning a new, unimaginable chapter.
He hugged Muen back gently, his mind spinning. What had Rossweise done to bring him back? And what would happen now that he was the father of a half-dragon girl? The weight of it all made him feel tired again, but also, undeniably, curious. Life, with all its regrets and surprises, was stubbornly moving forward.