In the evening, Leon placed a few chili peppers and the box of throat lozenges that Noa had given him earlier in the day beside him, then began preparing content and plans for tomorrow’s tutoring session.

Noa’s intellect and talent were truly remarkable. Leon had to push himself rigorously to stay ahead of his eldest daughter, ensuring he wouldn’t delay her growth and learning.

Raising such a brilliant daughter was akin to tending a thriving young sapling.

You needed to water it constantly, care for it attentively, and provide it with an endless stream of nutrients so that it could grow into a towering tree offering shade and shelter.

Luckily, Leon had learned a number of effective study methods back at Dragon-Slaying Academy and was accustomed to pushing his body to its limits by pulling all-night study sessions.

If it weren’t for those habits, he might have already been cast aside by both his daughter and that stubborn Dragon Queen.

At that thought, Leon froze for a moment.

He realized he seemed to care more and more about Roswitha’s opinion of him.

If the family dinner a few days earlier had awakened Leon to the fact that Roswitha didn’t respect him in the slightest—in her eyes, he was no longer the confident, invincible rival she once knew as the Dragon Slayer, which prompted him to a sudden antic after the meal to teach the Queen a lesson—then his covert efforts since then, such as concocting the restorative Black Dragon Bolus and now staying up late to create a thorough academic plan for Noa, were, to some degree, outcomes of how much Leon increasingly cared about Roswitha’s perception of him.

Leon scratched his nose and chuckled dismissively.

“Pfft, it’s all for my daughter—has nothing to do with that Dragon Queen.”

Those words came out for the first time, but why did they sound so familiar?

It seems that on the day of the double Dragon Marks in the warehouse, Roswitha said something similar.

Shaking his head, Leon dismissed the distracting thoughts and refocused on his preparations.

It wasn’t until past eleven o’clock, when fatigue washed over him, that he grabbed a chili pepper and took a bite.

Still as potent as the day before.

Guzzling down a mouthful of cold water, Leon set aside the tutoring plan he’d prepared and took out the medicinal herbs Anna had brought him with dinner.

Dozens of small packets, though only five or six of them were what he needed for the Black Dragon Bolus.

Leon methodically opened the corresponding herb packets. The contents were a mishmash—some were familiar, as he’d seen them before during his time in the Empire, while others were exclusive to the Dragon Clan.

Rubbing his hands together, he opened his alchemy manual and flipped to the page detailing the Black Dragon Bolus.

“Alright, let’s do this!”

Following the book’s instructions, Leon started the alchemical process.

The first step was to mix and crush two specific herbs—a basic foundational step.

Next, he needed to roast another herb until it charred, collect the resulting powder, and store it in a vial for later use.

Leon rummaged around the room but couldn’t find any container suitable for holding the powder.

Finally, he had a flash of inspiration and remembered his nutrient solution—it was stored in a small test tube-like bottle, perfect for the job.

Taking out the bottle of nutrient solution, Leon prepared to pour the liquid out, but after a moment’s thought, he simply uncapped it and downed its contents in one go.

He wiped his mouth afterward. “Can’t let it go to waste.”

After washing the test tube, Leon returned to the alchemy manual, scanning the next step:

“The next step is... mixing these three herbs and adding a top-layer liquid extract made from Tianlan wood, stirring until fully blended, and then...”

Following the instructions step by step, Leon proceeded smoothly.

“The critical step that stumps all Dragon Clan alchemists comes next. It’s precisely because of this step that most attempts at concocting the elixir end in failure.”

Reading this, Leon perked up, his concentration sharpening as he carefully studied the instructions.

“How to extract the active compounds from a mixture of herbal powders... The book lists two methods.”

“One is high-temperature separation, although this method requires extremely precise temperature control—too high or too low, and it won’t work.”

“The second is physical separation, using high-speed rotation to isolate the desired active compounds. But physical separation is notoriously inefficient...”

Leon glanced at his supply of herbs; physical separation wouldn’t suffice given the limited quantity.

As for high-temperature separation, it required specialized tools, like an alcohol lamp inscribed with fire-element runes.

But considering how hard it had been to scrounge up even a test tube in his room, the chances of him finding an alcohol lamp were non-existent.

As he racked his brain, Leon suddenly heard the sound of the door lock turning. Panicking, he hurriedly shoved the herbs and tools haphazardly back into the drawer.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

The sharp sound of high heels announced who it was even before she appeared. Roswitha.

“Hi.” The Queen entered the room and greeted him first.

Surprised, Leon raised his eyebrows. “Well, well, the Queen’s in a good mood tonight to be saying hi to me.”

Roswitha sat on the edge of the bed, crossed her long legs, leaned back slightly, and looked at Leon with a playful gaze.

“Indeed, I am in a good mood.”

“And why’s that?”

“Noa is happy. When my daughter is happy, I’m happy too.”

Leon turned around, draping an arm over the back of his chair, and asked, “What exactly put her in such a good mood?”

Roswitha shrugged delicately. “She’s been learning lots of new knowledge she never encountered before. Even with familiar material, you’ve given her fresh perspectives she finds highly valuable.”

Leon’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

He had assumed Noa was still wearing her perpetually stern little expression, unwilling to warm up to him, her old father.

But was she secretly telling Roswitha how pleased she was?

He quietly rejoiced. His cold, distant daughter still had a warm side after all.

After a brief pause, Roswitha continued, “You’re doing a great job too, Leon.”

Hearing this, Leon grinned, feeling the corners of his mouth twitch upward uncontrollably.

After all, praise from this Dragon Queen was rare indeed.

But Roswitha quickly added, “Of course, most of the credit goes to Noa herself for being so clever.”

Leon rolled his eyes at her, pouting slightly, but couldn’t resist seeking more praise.

“Well, that’s a given—she’s my daughter, after all. Of course, she’s smart.”

“If she didn’t inherit half of your genes, she’d be even smarter,” Roswitha retorted.

“And who’s to say it isn’t your half that’s dragging her down?” Leon shot back without hesitation.

“Because the Dragon Clan are perfect beings. Humans, on the other hand, are riddled with flaws.”

“That’s such a stereotype. Humans have plenty of strengths, and the Dragon Clan isn’t perfect either.”

Roswitha raised an eyebrow, tilting her head with curiosity. “Oh? And what’s not perfect about the Dragon Clan?”

“Well... uh... The Dragon Clan...”

Their immense power passed down through millennia, their survival philosophy of respecting strength, their ability to seamlessly shift between human and dragon forms, their astonishing growth during their juvenile years, and...

their unwavering loyalty to their chosen mate.

Scratching his head, Leon realized that, truthfully, the Dragon Clan didn’t have many obvious flaws.

“Hah, can’t come up with anything, can you?” Roswitha smirked smugly.

But Leon’s eyes narrowed slightly before he suddenly blurted out, “Your kind holds grudges too fiercely...”

He didn’t clarify further, trusting that this Dragon Queen understood perfectly well what he meant.

Roswitha froze momentarily, clearly not expecting that jab from Leon.

After recovering from her brief surprise, she let out a soft laugh but didn’t deny it. Instead, she responded,

“Don’t worry, Dragon Slayer—it’ll only get stronger.”

“...Sometimes I just want to jump off the 18-meter-high Silver Dragon Castle,” Leon muttered gloomily.

Roswitha laughed lightly behind her hand. “Alright, alright. Let’s talk about our daughter, then.”

“Sure, have at it.”

“Over the past two days, aside from teaching Noa, have you done anything else together? Like parent-child games to strengthen your bond?”

Leon shrugged. “Do you think our eldest daughter is the kind of person who plays games?”

“Oh, so you’re starting to get a feel for her personality.”

“Yeah, more or less.”

“Then you must have also realized that Noa is actually a very good girl. That box of throat lozenges—that was her idea. So she’s not as cold and indifferent as she might appear on the surface.”

At this, Roswitha’s expression softened noticeably. The playful arch of her lips eased into a thoughtful stillness as her gaze dropped to her shoes.

She spoke quietly, “She’s just... too mature for her age. A child who should be like Muen, enjoying the unreserved love of her parents, instead bears her own independent thoughts and needs.”

Leon pondered her words seriously. “Her needs... are?”

“That’s for you to figure out gradually. In any case, one thing you said was right, Leon: she’s your daughter. She’s incredibly smart, just like... you.”

Roswitha stood as if signaling the end of their conversation for the evening.

But before leaving, she sniffed the air lightly and frowned.

“Why does it smell like medicine?”

Leon panicked inwardly, leaping to his feet and putting on a nonchalant face.

“Oh, I got a little tired earlier, so I drank a bottle of nutrient solution. That’s probably the smell.”

No way could he let this Dragon Queen find out about his Black Dragon Bolus project.

If she did, she’d definitely use it as leverage to lord over him more.

The sliver of family status Leon had painstakingly earned would be gone in an instant!

Roswitha nodded, not pursuing the matter. “Alright then. I’ll have Anna bring you some more nutrient solutions tomorrow—take care of yourself.”

For some reason, the way she emphasized “take care of yourself” made Leon uneasy...

She was definitely implying something, wasn’t she?