"What is this? A love letter?"

Leon flipped the envelope back and forth, only to find that its contents consisted of obscure and incomprehensible poetry and pretentious rhetoric, without offering any particularly noteworthy information.

"We also thought at first that it was a love letter written by the Queen to this ‘Lord Shadow.’ Turns out, Kant unknowingly had the Queen cheating on him."

Nacho added, "But here's the strange part: we searched every inch of the Empire, interrogated every corrupt official, even used memory-diving magic on them, and still came up empty. There's no record or intel on this ‘Shadow.’ This guy seems to have appeared out of thin air."

Leon pocketed the mysterious letter. "But the Queen would never write something like this to someone who appeared out of nowhere."

"Exactly. That’s why I think Queen Elizabeth’s disappearance must be connected to this guy called ‘Shadow.’ Our next investigations will focus on him."

"Alright, good work. I’ll gather some information about ‘Shadow’ from the Dragon Clan side too."

This was the first time Leon had heard the name ‘Shadow.’

No, not a name. Who would refer to someone with just a word ‘Shadow’?

Leon guessed it must be some sort of codename.

And since this individual had intricate ties to Queen Elizabeth, it was highly likely that he was involved in the dealings between the Empire and the Dragon Clan as well.

It was just as Leon had anticipated—uncovering Kant's schemes and exposing the Empire’s conspiracy didn’t mean the crisis had truly ended.

To carve out a place in the torrent of chaos gripping this age, one could never let down their guard.

Leon discussed some more information about ‘Shadow’ with Nacho.

However, the lack of solid leads made the conversation unproductive, and the topic soon returned to the current absurd negotiations.

Nacho checked the time. "Another two minutes or so, and you’ll be able to leave."

Leon chuckled softly and nodded. "Alright."

Seeing that her captain had finished discussing business, Rebecca sidled up to him again. "By the way, Captain, how are Old Man and Aunt Charlotte doing?"

"Oh, Master and Madam are fine. They’re recovering well."

A few days ago, after attending the secret Dragon King summit in Sky City, Leon had taken a detour with Claudia to visit his master and madam at the Sea Dragon Clan.

Both seemed to be in great spirits.

Especially his master, who, after the transplant of his wife's Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale, now reported that his lower back no longer ached, his shoulders no longer hurt, and his leg cramps were gone.

However, much like Leon had once been, his master was now unable to use magic because the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale required a continuous supply of magic to repair his body.

Leon hadn’t expected his master and madam to emulate him and Roswitha by inscribing Dragon Marks on their bodies to store magic.

Putting aside his madam's inherently conservative nature, his master’s frail body most likely couldn’t take the strain.

Creating Dragon Marks would have to wait until both recovered a bit more.

Still, even without the ability to use magic, this was a blessing for his master. Finally, after a lifetime of exertion, the old man could enjoy a well-deserved retirement.

"Oh, that’s good to hear. So, did the Old Man say when he’ll come visit us?"

Rebecca’s tone suddenly dropped a notch as she hesitated. "Or... does it mean he’s never coming back..."

For Rebecca, who had lost her parents at an early age, old man Tiger was like her second father.

At a critical age when she most needed guidance, it was Tiger who had set her on the path of the Dragon Slayer, paving the way for her legendary life as a genius gunslinger.

Without him, Rebecca might still have been staking out turf against petty thugs in some dark, dingy alleyways.

Having been apart from the old man for so long, Rebecca deeply missed her surrogate father.

"Of course not. Master will definitely return."

Rebecca’s eyes lit up with joy, her wide gaze brimming with excitement. "Really?"

"Really. Once Master and Madam recover a bit more, they’ll come back to visit everyone."

Leon wasn’t making this up.

During his recent visit, the spirited old man had indeed expressed a strong desire to return to the Empire.

But because of his health conditions, he needed more time to recuperate and had to remain with the Sea Dragon Clan for now.

After all, even someone as strong as General Leon had been bedridden for two years after being saved by his wife’s Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale—

Although part of that was due to his own recklessness in using the Curse of Blood.

"Awesome~"

Leon smiled, then glanced back at the Dragon Clan members behind him before returning his gaze forward. "It’s about time now. I need to leave. From this point on, someone more specialized will take over the process. Don’t worry, they’re trustworthy."

"Got it."

"Alright, if anything happens, use the Message Dragon to contact me."

"Understood."

After giving his instructions, Leon nodded and turned to walk toward the Dragon Clan.

Nacho exhaled deeply, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he gazed at Leon’s departing figure. He sighed with a faint trace of admiration:

"Your captain always manages to surprise me."

"Wonder when we’ll meet again," said the girl, her voice tinged with a little sadness.

Nacho, however, seemed preoccupied with a different concern.

"Probably... not too long from now."

Rebecca tilted her pretty face toward Nacho. "What do you mean?"

"I’ve just got a feeling that this guy called ‘Shadow’ is going to cause us as much trouble as Kant—if not more."

…

Under the expectant and admiring eyes of many Dragon Kings, Casmode, hailed as the pride of the Dragon Clan, returned to stand before them.

"The negotiations went smoothly. They agreed to return part of the Dragon Clan’s territory and accepted the resource compensation plan."

"Wow, to settle such significant matters with the human leaders in just a few minutes—Silver Dragon Prince, I must say, you’re not only a formidable warrior but also a consummate diplomat. Truly a man of both valor and wisdom," said Morgan.

You think it’s possible the ‘human leader’ on the other side is actually me? Negotiating with myself doesn’t take long, does it?

"Not at all, Senior Morgan flatters me."

Though Morgan was a shameless flatterer, he was nearly of the same generation as Odin, and his strength was undeniable. Addressing him as a senior was entirely appropriate.

The other Dragon Kings also crowded around to shower Leon with praise.

They weren’t about to let slip such a golden opportunity to butter him up.

Ever since General Leon had taken down old Constantine, obliterated Sta, and heroically contained the spatial rift, his reputation and that of the Silver Dragon Clan had steadily ascended within the Dragon Clan as a whole.

Moreover, Leon had recently been seen getting increasingly close to the old Thunder Dragon King, Odin—making the other Dragon Kings take him even more seriously.

So a little flattery, some effort to strengthen ties with the Silver Dragon Clan, and just maybe they could hitch their wagon to Leon’s rising star.

Why not?

However, Leon was not someone adept at handling compliments.

Take now, for instance.

Though his face still bore a smile, deep down, he was itching to strangle these incessantly bootlicking fools.

In the end, it was Roswitha who saved him from the ordeal.

"Everyone, my husband has gone several sleepless days preparing for today’s negotiations. He’s utterly exhausted. While we deeply appreciate your warmth and kindness, if there’s anything else to discuss, perhaps we can address it by letter another day. For now, please allow my husband to rest a bit."

She spoke while gracefully linking arms with Leon, offering the Dragon Kings a polite yet tactful smile.

The Dragon Kings wisely refrained from pressing further and began to retreat.

Finally, Roswitha turned toward the figure at the forefront: Odin, who had been silently observing Leon’s every move.

"Many thanks to Senior Odin for recommending my husband as the representative for this human-dragon negotiation."

"No need for thanks. Talent deserves recognition," Odin replied, lowering his raised hand. He slowly turned away, but before taking his first step, he partially turned back to look at Leon.

"Don’t forget our agreement, Silver Dragon Prince."

Leon nodded. "I won’t."

"Good. Then, until we meet again."

With that, a fierce wind swept through the area. The Thunder Dragon King spread his enormous, sky-darkening wings as he transformed into a massive dark blue dragon, leading his clan into the sky.

The other clans also didn’t linger. After exchanging brief farewells, they too departed one by one.

"You had an agreement with Odin?" Roswitha asked.

"Yeah, I promised him a sparring match when I’m free."

"And what do you stand to gain from it?"

Leon was momentarily taken aback. He blinked, then glanced down at his right hand.

"Nothing, really. But to borrow the words of the Crimson Flame Dragon King…”

He spread his fingers open, then slowly clenched his hand into a fist.

"‘Fighting is thrilling!’"