The mother dragon elegantly sat on a wooden chair, legs crossed, and calmly replied, "Why not?"
Wow. Leon thought. You two are already best buddies sharing the same pants, huh?
He chuckled and playfully flicked Rebecca's forehead. "You crazy girl, stop calling her that. I'm not that close with your 'sister-in-law.'"
Rebecca:?
Sure, sure. You two just keep pretending you're not close.
"See you next time," Leon waved goodbye to the master-disciple pair before heading to the cave entrance with Rossweise.
The dragons spread her wings and, half-turning her head slyly winked at Rebecca.
Rebecca returned the gesture with an 'OK' sign.
Watching their interaction, Tiger couldn't help but ask, "Are you two sending secret signals?"
Rebecca grinned and whispered mysteriously, "Dad, your disciple's married life… is about to get a lot more colorful."
…
At midnight, in the empire, Nacho Salaman entered a roadside inn covered in dust from his travels.
After exchanging a secret code with the innkeeper, the innkeeper led Nacho to a private room upstairs.
Standing at the door, Nacho knocked softly, cleared his throat, and respectfully said, "Lord El-Lanti, I have returned."
A deep male voice immediately responded from inside the room, "Enter."
"Yes, my lord." Nacho pushed open the door, and the innkeeper, sensing the situation, discreetly closed it behind him before leaving.
Inside the room, the man called El-Lanti sat by the tea table on the balcony, legs crossed, staring into the heavy night.
A teapot rested on the table, steam swirling lazily from its spout.
Nacho remained at the doorway, standing at the entrance. Without El-Lanti's permission, he dared not take another step inside.
After a brief silence, El-Lanti spoke slowly, "Bly, Jags, Hammi, Felix, Walton, Kayla, and including Ravi and Star before them, since I assigned this mission to you, eight Dragon Kings have died in total. I want to know, is it so difficult to kill Leon Cosmodeous, Nacho?"
Nacho at the door stiffened, his whole body tense. He swallowed carefully, not daring to make any unnecessary noise.
Eyes wide, cold sweat trickled down his temple. After a long pause, Nacho replied, "It was an accident, my lord. I watched him vanish into a spatial rift. Who could have expected him to return…"
"I don't believe in accidents, Nacho."
In other words, don't give me that nonsense.
Nacho pressed his dry lips together, bowing as he spoke, "Apologies, my lord, it was my negligence that… led to these losses."
El-Lanti snorted coldly, then changed the topic, "Come and sit. I brewed some tea."
"Yes, my lord."
With El-Lanti's permission, Nacho finally dared to step forward into the room, heading toward the balcony. He sat on the opposite side of the tea table, still visibly nervous.
"You've had a long journey, take a sip of tea to soothe your throat." El-Lanti didn't look directly at Nacho, still gazing out into the night.
"Yes, my lord."
Nacho held the cup with both hands, taking a small sip.
The tea had already begun to cool, and the flavor was less than pleasant.
But Nacho knew, El-Lanti never called him here just for tea.
However, he didn't dare ask outright.
Serving under such a leader, the most important rule was: speak less, do more.
"How is the tea?" El-Lanti asked.
"It's very good, my lord."
"Is that so? This tea is called 'Red Robe' and comes from the eastern continent."
El-Lanti paused, then slowly turned his head to look at Nacho for the first time. "It was also your father's favorite tea."
Hearing the word father from El-Lanti's lips, Nacho froze for a moment.
He instinctively tightened his grip on the teacup, not daring to respond.
Noticing the tension in Nacho's expression, El-Lanti continued, "After Victor was executed by Leon, you took on the task of killing Leon. I trusted you, which is why I let you oversee Ravi and the others. But the results you've delivered have been, to say the least, unsatisfactory, Nacho."
Gulp—
The bitter taste of the tea filled Nacho's mouth. He swallowed with difficulty, his heart pounding in anxiety.
He understood the meaning behind El-Lanti's words:
You're done with this job.
"Although the Dragon Kings made their own decisions on specific actions, the overall plan involved you, didn't it?" El-Lanti asked leisurely.
"…Yes, my lord."
"Hmm, that's what we originally agreed upon with the dragons when we first started this cooperation."
El-Lanti sighed. "But losing eight Dragon Kings in such a short time, not to mention Constantine from long ago, Leon Cosmodeous has indeed taught both us and the dragons a harsh lesson."
"My lord…"
"The dragons have already recalled Adam to deal with Leon. And as for our empire, we must also make some changes. Don't you agree, Nacho?"
His words were clear.
Nacho wasn't foolish. He immediately stood up, speaking rapidly, "Please give me one more chance, my lord! I can lead the Dragon Kings and kill Leon Cosmodeous!"
"I've already given you many chances, Nacho."
El-Lanti remained unmoved by Nacho's plea. "But the facts show that this task is far beyond your capabilities. Perhaps…"
El-Lanti glanced down at his cup of Red Robe tea, smiling faintly. "You'll have to find another way to get your father out of prison."
"My lord!"
Thud—
This time, Nacho directly knelt in front of El-Lanti, clutching his trousers, pleading in panic, "I beg you, my lord, give me one more chance, one last chance! I will—"
"Enough, Nacho. Taking on an impossible task just to clear your father's name was foolish from the start."
"My lord! I, I—"
"The tea has gone cold, Nacho."
"..."
El-Lanti sneered, shaking off Nacho's grip. He stood up and strode toward the exit of the room.
Without pause, without giving Nacho any further opportunity to pledge loyalty.
Loyalty?
Hah, the empire has no shortage of 'loyalty'.
Countless people were firmly in El-Lanti's grasp. There was no need for a Nacho Salaman.
Click—
The door lock clicked softly as the door opened and closed. The sound of leather shoes tapping against the wooden floor slowly faded away.
Nacho remained kneeling, the cold midnight wind sweeping in from the balcony, creeping into his collar, and instantly enveloping his entire body in a chilling embrace.
He turned his head woodenly, staring at the teacup on the table.
"The tea has gone cold, Nacho."
El-Lanti's final words echoed in Nacho's ears.
Helplessness and frustration overwhelmed him.
At that moment, he seemed to understand that in the face of absolute power, black and white could be reversed, and right and wrong no longer distinct.
Such power had once been within Nacho's grasp, but in the end, it slipped away like sand through his fingers.
He didn't hate that man who was seemingly impossible to kill; he only hated himself for not realizing sooner how absurd this world was.
Nacho extended a trembling hand, picked up the teacup, and drank the cold tea in one gulp.
Then, he stood up, left the inn, and walked alone, dragging his shadow under the moonlight through the midnight empire.
His figure was thin and desolate, like a discarded puppet.
...
After leaving the inn, El-Lanti took a carriage back to the imperial city.
His attendant, Scott, approached to report, "My lord, the heart-protecting dragon scales of Bly and the other Dragon Kings have all been recovered."
"Hmm."
"In addition, my lord, there has been new progress with the 'project' in the Far North. Would you like to take a look?"
Hearing this, El-Lanti raised his eyebrows.
It seemed tonight wasn't all bad news.
"Lead the way," El-Lanti said.
"Please follow me, my lord."
The two of them made their way to an underground chamber within the imperial city.
The chamber was filled with numerous demon-suppressing stones. In the center of these stones hovered a glowing white object. It floated quietly, its light shimmering, milk-white.
El-Lanti's eyes brightened. "Is this the 'Primordial Force' dug out from the Far North?"
"Yes, my lord."
Scott explained, "After Ravi's death, without the assistance of spatial magic, the dragons halted their activities in the Far North. However, we still managed to obtain some results. What you're seeing now is part of that."
El-Lanti gazed at the white, glowing energy. Even though he had never practiced magic, he could feel the immense power within it.
It was restless, craving a vessel that could perfectly contain it.
No wonder it required so many demon-suppressing stones to subdue.
"Well done, Scott," El-Lanti praised.
Scott bowed. "Thank you for your praise, my lord."
"Don't get too excited yet. Now that we've found the Primordial Force, have you found its vessel?"
"We have a few candidates. But the ones I favor are these three brothers."
As he spoke, Scott handed over a list.
But El-Lanti only glanced at it briefly, not bothering to read it thoroughly. "This is the task I assigned to you. Just show me the results."
"Yes, my lord."
"With these, the 'Sharp Blade' project can soon be completed," El-Lanti said softly.
Scott's eyes flickered as he echoed, "Indeed, my lord. By then, our cooperation with the dragons will deepen even further."
El-Lanti gave Scott a sidelong glance. "The Sharp Blade project was initially intended to strengthen our collaboration with the dragons, but that fool Nacho still hasn't dealt with Leon Cosmodeous. So, we have no choice but to change the original purpose of the Sharp Blade project."
"My lord, you mean… to use the Sharp Blade project against Leon?"
"Exactly. No matter how powerful Leon Cosmodeous is, he can't possibly withstand
the fusion of Primordial Force and these vessels."
El-Lanti stared at the white energy in front of him, speaking confidently.
"My lord is wise," Scott complimented at the right moment.
"So, does this Primordial Force come from the Dragon God Tiamat?" El-Lanti asked.
"Not quite, my lord. The dragons themselves have yet to find the location where Tiamat fell," Scott explained.
"However, the portion of the Primordial Force that we've acquired comes from the first Dragon King who inherited Tiamat's legacy. In the dragons' myths and legends, this Dragon King is even known as 'the First King.'"
El-Lanti was slightly surprised. "Oh? Quite the lineage, I see."
"Yes, my lord. Although this Primordial Force is only a small part of his power, it is still unimaginably strong."
"In various legends of the dragons, the First King is ever-present. He spans the entire history of the dragon race, making exceptional contributions to its development, and he is hailed as a hero of the dragons. Even today, there are still people singing songs in his name."
Scott also gazed at the restless Primordial Force.
"His name is… Primordial Dragon King Noa."
…
Noah leaned against the temple's door, and a massive silver figure slowly descended into the courtyard.
Noah crossed his arms and turned back, shouting, "They're back!"
In the next second, a small figure dashed out.
"Daddy! Mommy! You're back!"
Muwen ran over eagerly to greet them.
Rossweise was about to crouch down to embrace her precious daughter, but the dog man beside her beat her to it.
The Queen cast a sidelong glance at her husband, silently noting this crouching-first offense.
What's the deal?
I'm not allowed to be jealous, and I can't even hold a grudge?
Honestly.
As Rossweise muttered to herself, a tuft of pink hair came into her view.
"Mommy, hug~"
Oh, it seems someone still misses me. Even if you crouched first and hugged our daughter, so what? My hug is being requested directly!
That's way superior to yours!
General Leon, who was happily sticking close to their child, could never guess that his seemingly cool and aloof wife was running an entire narrative in her head when interacting with him.
The couple, each holding a daughter, ascended the steps.
Noah, seeing her parents coming over, straightened up. "Daddy, Mommy, you're back."
"Mm, did you take good care of your sisters at home?"
Noah smiled and nodded. "I did, Daddy."
Leon, holding Muwen in one arm, patted Noah on the head with his other hand. "Noah is the best."
Noah's face reddened as she turned her gaze away.
Leon knew his eldest daughter well. Rather than asking something like "Did you behave?" or "How's your magic training going?" No much-preferred questions like "Did you do well as a big sister and take care of your little sisters?"
Because that made Noah feel like she was already an adult.
And in some ways, she truly was; she could even surpass adults in certain aspects.