In the dark, damp dungeon, Leon was bound tight by enchanted chains, unable to move.

His battered armor hung precariously from his body, and the vivid red marks around his wrists showed how fiercely he'd struggled.

But it had all been futile.

Three days ago, he'd led the Empire's Dragon Slayer Army to Silver Dragon Castle, determined to eradicate the evil dragon that had brought ruin to the region.

But Leon had been betrayed by a treacherous villain, who not only stabbed him in the back but also exposed the army's position to the Silver Dragon Clan.

Without Leon to lead them, the Dragon Slayer Army was quickly routed and scattered.

Leon, meanwhile, was captured alive by the Silver Dragon Clan and imprisoned in this dungeon.

For three days, not a drop of water had passed Leon's lips. All he wanted was death.

He'd rather die quickly than be tortured and humiliated by these vile dragons.

Yet bound by enchanted chains, he couldn't even take his own life.

Then again, even if his limbs were freed, he might already be too starved to muster the strength to kill himself.

Through the haze, a distant clamor reached his ears.

It was the Dragon Clan's victory feast.

Leon had heard about it from his jailer.

A weeklong celebration of their victory over Leon Casmode, the Empire's strongest Dragon Slayer.

What an utterly extravagant race, Leon thought.

But right now, he had neither the energy nor the inclination to criticize anyone.

Drip—drip—

Water leaking into the dungeon fell drop by drop onto the chains.

The monotonous, repeating sound seemed to be counting down the final moments of Leon's life.

After an unknown amount of time, the dungeon door opened.

“Leave us. I want to speak alone with our great Dragon Slayer hero.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Creeeak—

The cell door closed.

Then came the gentle click of high heels against stone.

The sound echoed through the vast dungeon, drawing closer and closer to Leon.

Suddenly, the footsteps stopped.

Someone was standing before his cell.

Leon raised his head with difficulty. The first thing he saw was a cascade of brilliant silver hair, dazzling as the Milky Way hanging upside down across the sky.

But the tail beneath the visitor's skirt instantly put Leon on guard.

Silver hair, a dragon tail, “Your Majesty”...

Leon realized who stood before him:

Roswitha, Queen of the Silver Dragons.

Roswitha opened the cell, stepped inside, and slowly came to a stop before Leon.

She smelled faintly of alcohol, and her delicate face was slightly flushed. She'd probably gotten carried away at the victory feast and drunk a little too much.

They were very close.

One was wretched and dressed in rags. Even his once-imposing armor now gave off a dull, defeated gleam;

the other wore sumptuous clothes and an exquisite gown, her silver hair immaculate, her slit pupils filled with contempt and amusement.

Backlight streamed through the dungeon's only window, falling across Leon's back and the queen's face.

The scene looked less like a defeated Dragon Slayer facing a proud dragon queen and more like a fallen believer begging a holy maiden for forgiveness.

Rustle—

The silver dragon tail beneath her skirt slowly stirred, and Roswitha used its tip to gently lift Leon's chin.

“You are a handsome, strong-willed man. That scar is simply the perfect finishing touch for this face.”

The queen rarely praised anyone.

Unless they truly were that good-looking.

Leon merely scoffed and jerked his chin away from Roswitha's tail.

Roswitha frowned. Her tail shot forward at once and coiled tightly around Leon's neck.

“How dare you disrespect me.”

Her voice was cool, yet carried the full authority of a queen.

At the same time, the tail around Leon's neck continued to tighten.

Leon's face flushed crimson. His already weakened body was being starved of oxygen, and death would soon follow.

Yet he kept glaring at Roswitha, refusing to yield in the slightest.

They remained locked in that standoff for a moment. Just as Leon was about to breathe his last, Roswitha withdrew her tail.

“Quite the tough one, aren't you? Not that it matters. You're about to die.”

“Kill me or carve me up, do whatever you want. Just make it quick,” Leon said.

“Hmph. Is that tired old line really the best farewell the so-called strongest Dragon Slayer can manage?”

The Silver Dragon Queen smiled contemptuously. “Tell me, great dragon-slaying hero, do you have a wife? Children? If not, once you die here, won't your family line end with you?”

She used her words to provoke the human hero who had once stood in the world's spotlight.

This was the victor humiliating the defeated. It was only natural.

“The fall of one Dragon Slayer often heralds the rise of a new generation of heroes.”

“But in your case, it seems there's no one to carry on your legacy. Hmm?”

Roswitha reached out, her soft pink fingertip gently tracing the wound on Leon's face as her voice overflowed with false pity.

“What a shame. A human as powerful as you could've achieved so many more miracles and glories if you hadn't been betrayed by some petty villain.”

“Your descendants would've shared in all your wealth and honor, and sooner or later, the humans under your command would've wiped out the Dragon Clan.”

“You would've become a hero revered for all time, praised and beloved by generation after generation.”

“It's just a shame—”

“Heh. You're going to die right here~”

Scratch—

Roswitha suddenly raked her finger across Leon's face, adding another small cut.

A trace of blood stained her fingertip, but instead of wiping it away, she slowly brought it to her lips and gently licked Leon's blood clean.

Leon slowly raised his head, looked at Roswitha's smug smile, then at the trace of blood lingering at the corner of her mouth.

Suddenly, a mad idea sprang into his mind.

Leon remembered a spell he'd learned long ago.

It could only be used once in a lifetime, and given its effects, there would never be a more fitting moment than now.

“Your Majesty...” Leon rasped.

“Oh? Ready to beg for mercy? I'm afraid I won't spare our brave and fearless dragon-slaying hero so easily~”

“Your Majesty, you just said I would've become a hero revered by all, and that it was a shame. Isn't that right?”

Roswitha arched one elegant brow. “What? Do you regret it now?”

“Heh... The one about to regret this is you!”

“W-What do you—”

Before she could finish, Leon abruptly raised his head and met Roswitha's eyes.

In that instant, Roswitha felt her body go weak and her consciousness begin to blur.

Some kind of ripple seemed to spread through the Dragon Slayer's eyes, taking control of her mind and will.

Her body moved toward Leon against her will. Then she raised both arms and wrapped them tightly around him.

But that was only the appetizer.

She cupped Leon's face and kissed him without hesitation.

Leon visibly froze. He remembered the spell only being able to muddle someone's consciousness for a short while. It had never said anything about this!

Through the haze, Leon came back to his senses. He looked at the Silver Dragon Queen before him, her eyes clouded, and recalled the atrocities the Dragon Clan had committed against his fellow humans—

“No matter what it takes, I'll do anything to punish you brutal dragons!”

His resolve hardened, and he returned Roswitha's kiss.

The queen's already tipsy face grew even redder, and her breathing quickened.

...

An hour later, Roswitha slowly opened her eyes.

As her awareness returned, overwhelming exhaustion immediately washed over her entire body.

When she looked down, she found her clothes in disarray, her breasts half exposed, with specks of blood on her smooth, snow-white skin.

“You're awake, Your Majesty,” Leon said with a smile from nearby.

Roswitha followed the voice and saw that the enchanted chains around Leon's wrists and ankles had been removed, yet he hadn't fled.

He probably knew there was no point escaping when his body was already on the verge of death, so he'd simply stayed and waited for Roswitha to wake.

Roswitha bit her lower lip, hurriedly stood, and straightened her clothes. She strode over, seized him by the collar, and demanded furiously, “Y-You did that to me?! You shameless human!”

“Your Majesty, you've made two mistakes since earlier.”

Leon didn't answer Roswitha directly. Instead, he continued at an unhurried pace.

“First, as a dragon, you should never have been alone with the strongest Dragon Slayer, a man who has undergone rigorous training.”

“Second, I don't know what sort of kinks you have, nor do I care to find out. But of all the things you could've done, you absolutely shouldn't have tasted my blood.”

Panic flickered in Roswitha's eyes, and for once, her vertical dragon pupils showed a trace of helpless confusion.

What had that damned human bastard done to her while her consciousness was muddled?!

“Blood's Bewitchment—a spell that can only be used once in a lifetime. I wonder if Your Majesty has heard of it.”

“The principle is simple. Once the target swallows a mouthful of the caster's blood, magical ripples can be used to break down their will. I intended to use the opportunity to see if I could kill you, but the spell's effects seem rather different from what I originally learned...”

“But regardless, I more or less achieved my goal.”

“Even though I failed to kill you, you'll remember forever what I, a human, did to you, won't you, Your Majesty?”

Despite saying that, he wasn't actually very pleased.

He was a Dragon Slayer, yet he'd defiled himself with a female dragon...

To him, that was undoubtedly a disgrace.

But to make Roswitha feel the full weight of this humiliation, Leon forced himself to continue.

“Now, let's return to our original question. Will I become a revered hero? The answer is, I don't care. I merely took humanity's side and exacted revenge on you, an evil dragon!”

Seeing Leon's smug smile after successfully taking his revenge, Roswitha was both furious and flustered.

How could she, the mighty Queen of the Silver Dragons, have been outmaneuvered by a dying man?

For a moment, Roswitha had no idea what to do with him.

Anything she could say or do now seemed feeble and hollow.

Just as she'd mocked Leon from on high moments ago, it was now Leon's turn to drive the knife into her heart.

“Your Majesty, I'm sure you can clearly feel the changes in your body. You must also understand that I've become the only possible mate you'll ever have, because that's how reproduction works among your Dragon Clan. Am I right?”

Leon continued without pause. His Dragon Slayer Army had been utterly routed only days ago, yet at this moment, he sounded like a victor delivering his victory speech.

“If our child is successfully born one day, what do you plan to do with them?”

“Raise them to adulthood? Or something else?”

“But no matter what you choose, Your Majesty, I'll be watching you closely from hell!”

“I may not become a hero, but can you still remain queen? A queen doomed to eternal loneliness!”

Every word Leon spoke struck deep, each sentence like a dagger driven viciously into Roswitha's heart.

But as sharp and merciless as his words were, Leon's body was rapidly failing.

His consciousness began to blur. His eyelids felt impossibly heavy, and he could even sense the warmth slowly draining from his body.

So this was what it meant for his final hour to arrive.

Leon's breathing grew heavier, each exhale now far stronger than the faint breaths he drew in.

“Her Majesty must be dying to kill the bastard who defiled your purity, right? Heh. There’s no need for you to do it yourself... I...”

His lungs began to stop contracting, and after a few violent beats, his heart gradually failed.

“Roswitha, Queen of the Silver Dragons, give birth to our child. Then... I’ll be waiting for you—in hell!”

With those final words, the Dragon Slayer hero breathed his last.

The last shattered piece of armor slipped from his shoulder and struck the floor with a crisp clang.

The sound echoed through the vast dungeon, hammering at Roswitha’s heart again and again.

After a long silence, the Silver Dragon Queen slowly regained her composure.

She raised her eyes. A fire that would burn until one of them was dead seemed to blaze within her vertical dragon pupils.

“You want to die? It won’t be that easy.”

“Lame-on Casmode, I’ll make you understand—being alive will be the true hell for you.”