If he didn’t get some activity soon, Leon was afraid he’d forget what fighting a dragon even felt like.

Sure, taking care of the kids was important, but he couldn’t neglect his primary duties.

The next day, after arranging things with Roswitha, they headed to the training grounds of Silver Dragon Castle.

The two little ones even ran over to watch.

“Sis, are you also curious about whether Mom or Dad is stronger?” Muen asked.

“The teacher says watching experts spar helps us improve our combat techniques.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is.”

Muen said, pulling some jerky, chips, and other small snacks out of her bag, piling them up between her and Noa. “Let’s snack while we watch.”

Noa smiled helplessly. “You’re fully prepared, aren’t you?”

“Hehe~”

The little dragon girls set themselves up comfortably to watch.

Meanwhile, the one man and one dragon on the training field were getting ready, preparing for a bit of “friendly sparring” between husband and wife.

Roswitha stretched her wrists, her expression full of amusement. “From what I can tell, your body probably hasn’t recovered enough to fight on par with the Dragon King yet, has it?”

Leon shifted into a lunge and started stretching his legs in preparation for the fight. “So what? Opportunities to spar with the Silver Dragon Queen don’t come around every day, so I’ve got to seize the chance.”

“Oh? No need to push yourself too hard. Should we go grab your Black Gold Chariot from the storage room?”

Leon froze mid-stretch.

She didn’t have to bring that up.

Every time someone mentioned that useless suit of armor, it made his kidneys ache.

He hadn’t succumbed to dragon corruption, yet the armor had!

What a disgrace!

What use are you for?!

You’re already shaped just like Roswitha!

(Black Gold Chariot: I feel wronged!)

“No need. Fighting light’s just fine for me.” Stretching complete, Leon hopped twice on the spot to loosen up.

Roswitha glanced over at their daughters, confirming that they were too far away to hear her conversation with Leon. Then she turned back to him.

“If we’re going to fight like this, I’m afraid you might lack some motivation. How about... we make a bet?”

“What kind of bet?”

“If you win, I won’t touch you for a whole month. How about that?”

Leon’s eyes lit up.

Wait, what?

A whole month?!

Considering how demanding this dragon queen could be when she wanted something, a month of peace probably meant escaping countless “punishments”!

Such an enticing offer!

But Leon quickly calmed down, sensing there must be a catch.

As the saying goes, “The greater the reward, the higher the risk.”

If she was offering this sweet deal of a one-month reprieve, then surely... if he lost...

“And if I lose?”

“Then you’ll obediently fulfill one of my requests. How does that sound?”

“W-what kind of request?”

“Oh my, why are you so eager to hear about the losing conditions? Seems like you’re convinced you can’t win, hmm?” Roswitha teased with a sly smirk.

“Pressure creates motivation.”

“Is that so? Well, then I’m not telling you.”

Roswitha smiled confidently. “So, Dragon Slayer, even without knowing what losing means for you, do you still dare to accept the challenge?”

Leon’s mind churned for a moment before he resolutely nodded. “Alright, I’ll take the bet.”

Roswitha blinked, slightly taken aback by his decisiveness. “You’ve got guts. You must realize how difficult it’ll be to beat me in your current state, right?”

“Losing will just mean I endure whatever torments you have in mind. Close my eyes, grit my teeth; it’ll be over soon enough.”

Leon grinned as he shifted into a fighting stance. “But if I win, I’ll be carefree for an entire month. Back in the Empire, we call that a worthwhile investment.”

Roswitha chuckled. “You’ve got nerve, Leon.”

She couldn’t help but admire his stubborn streak.

He was eternally unyielding, perpetually seeking opportunities, and never allowing his spirit to be extinguished.

Only someone like this could truly match her, the Silver Dragon Queen, as her opponent.

Both of them now ready for combat, Muen jumped off the bench nearby and waved her little flag. “Let the match begin~!”

At her daughter’s signal, Leon pushed off with his right foot, his body launching forward like a bullet.

His speed was so astonishing it left an afterimage in his wake.

By the time that afterimage faded, Leon was already in front of Roswitha, his fist shooting straight toward her chest.

The queen crossed her arms in front of her chest, intercepting Leon’s full-strength punch at the crossing point.

The force of the blow caused a shockwave of dust to spread out on either side of her.

“Impressive speed, Leon.” Roswitha smiled, her tone layered with amusement.

The double entendre didn’t escape Leon.

“Not just fast, but quite firm too.”

Leon braced his legs and unleashed another burst of strength, forcing Roswitha to skid back several meters.

After regaining her footing, she rolled her shoulders.

That punch had stung a bit.

“Alright, my turn now.”

With that, Roswitha spread her hands, palms up. In an instant, two blazing orbs of Dragon Flame ignited in her hands.

She hurled the flames toward Leon.

Leon dodged nimbly, looking for chances to close the distance.

The frequency of the Dragon Flame attacks was high, filling the training field with explosions.

Hazy waves of heat rippled continuously.

Yet, not a single one of Roswitha’s flames landed; every strike was narrowly evaded by Leon.

The last Dragon Flame passed so close to his face that it left a scalding heat as it roared past, igniting in a dazzling explosion behind him.

Using the force of the blast, Leon soared high into the air and closed the distance to Roswitha.

“Racing a Silver Dragon Clan member in speed? Dragon Slayer, that’s quite presumptuous~”

Roswitha smirked, crouching slightly. Her figure disappeared in an instant.

A moment later, she reappeared beside Leon, moving like a ghost, and knocked him flying with a sweeping tail strike.

Leon soared through the air, tracing a perfect parabola, before crashing to the ground.

“Daddy, are you okay?!” Muen cried, crushing a handful of chips in her tense grip.

Leon picked himself up and raised his hand. “I’m fine. Daddy just got careless.”

Muen nibbled on a chip, concern evident in her voice. “Do you think Daddy’s gonna get thrashed by Mommy...?”

“Not likely,” Noa responded calmly, analyzing the situation. “From the start until now, Dad has only been attacking and dodging purely with physical techniques. Meanwhile, after parrying his first punch, Mom immediately started using Dragon Flame to maintain distance, then waited for an opening to counterattack. This suggests that in close combat, Mom isn’t confident she can win.”

Muen blinked her big, pretty eyes, staring blankly at her sister. “I don’t get it, but it sounds impressive.”

Noa remained serious, her gaze fixed on the sparring pair.

“It really is... They’re both incredibly efficient, with no wasted movements or energy.”

Leon slowly straightened up, brushing the dust from his clothes.

“Oh? Still not giving up?” Roswitha called.

“There’s a whole month off at stake; how could I give up so easily?”

“Well then, stubborn mule, show me what else you’ve got.”

With that, Roswitha began gathering magical energy again.

This time, Dragon Flame burned in her left hand while water surged in her right.

She combined the two forces and hurled them onto the field.

A dense mist immediately rose, enveloping Leon and blocking his vision.

Leon tensed, raising his guard and staying hyper-aware of his surroundings.

A flicker of movement behind him triggered his reflexes, and he spun around, ready to defend.

But it was a feint.

Roswitha adjusted her angle and swept her leg low, knocking Leon off balance and sending him tumbling toward the ground.

Before he could hit, her tail wrapped around his ankle and flung him into the air.

While Leon was airborne and unable to evade, Roswitha launched two more Dragon Flames at him.

However, just before they hit, she collided the flames with precision, triggering an early explosion.

Leon was blasted away by the impact but avoided taking direct hits.

After all, it was only sparring—she wouldn’t seriously harm him.

Still, to onlookers, it seemed like Leon had taken a heavy blow.

Noa narrowed her eyes. “Such a brutal combo...”

Muen’s expression fell. “Poor Daddy... Is he gonna lose?”

Leon coughed as he hauled himself upright again.

“Still not giving up?” Roswitha chuckled.

Leaning forward, panting heavily, Leon slowly raised his right hand and growled,

“No one... can take my month-long vacation away from me!”

“I want time off! Don’t underestimate how badly I want a break, dammit!”

*Crackle—*

Electric sparks danced in his palm, snapping and popping as they charged the air.

Roswitha dropped her playful facade, her face turning serious. “Leon, your body isn’t in shape to use magic right now. You’ll—”

“Watch closely, you overbearing dragon. Magic isn’t just about brute force.”

With those words, Leon clenched his fist.

The lightning elemental energy he’d accumulated surged into his body, coursing through his muscles, bones, and reflexes.

Roswitha’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“This guy... is actually using lightning magic to enhance his body...”

Given his current physical state, Leon couldn’t handle casting high-intensity magic.

But by carefully channeling the lightning element for self-enhancement, he could gain the upper hand in close combat against Roswitha.

"Roswitha, let's see if you can still keep up with my speed now."

Roswitha snapped out of her brief astonishment. "Honestly, I don’t really like fast men. I’d still prefer if you took it slow."

As soon as the words left her mouth, their figures vanished simultaneously. All that could be seen on the field were two shadows—one blue and one silver—interweaving, colliding, chasing.

Lightning-fast movements, exhilarating and intense.

After several rounds of exchanges, Leon finally seized an opportunity. His hands firmly grasped Roswitha’s arms, and with force, he hurled her toward the ground.

But just as the back of Roswitha’s head was about to hit the hard surface, Leon held back his strength in time, leaning forward to cushion her head with his hand.

One stood tall; the other lay low. Their eyes locked.

"Oh, showing pity for me now, are we?" Roswitha teased.

Before she could finish her sentence, Leon pulled his hand away.

Roswitha dropped lightly those few centimeters onto the ground. "Ouch!"

When the dust stirred up by their clash finally settled, the two little ones watching saw a scene where Roswitha lay sprawled on the ground, and Leon stood to the side.

Noa: "What a brutal backthrow…"

Muen: "Poor Mama… Do you think she’s going to lose?"

Roswitha rose from the ground and patted the dust off her dress.

Leon had already distanced himself from her, seemingly preparing for the final blow.

Roswitha could tell that his body was beginning to strain under the sustained reinforcement of his lightning magic. The fight had to end soon.

If she chose to drag things out, she could easily win without having to try;

But… she decided to pay her respects to the tenacity of the Dragon Slayer.

Roswitha bent low into a ready stance, Dragon Flame gathering in her hands.

Leon also assumed a sprinting posture, pushing his lightning magic to the limit of what his body could endure.

In the blink of an eye, the two bolted toward each other like two cannonballs hurtling on a collision course.

Muen immediately covered her eyes.

Noa, though equally nervous, forced herself to keep them open, refusing to look away from the fight.

The blue and silver afterimages drew closer and closer, until—

They did not create any collision or explosion at all.

Leon’s fist stopped less than one centimeter from Roswitha’s nose.

Meanwhile, Roswitha had already landed a palm on his chest.

At the very last moment, Roswitha withdrew her Dragon Flame entirely.

That palm strike contained no harm at all.

Crack, crack—

The final strands of lightning dissipated from Leon’s body.

His strength had reached its limit.

A wave of dizziness surged through him. His vision darkened, and Leon fell forward.

Roswitha caught him with her tail just in time, then gently laid him down on the ground.

Leon closed his eyes reluctantly, his breath heavy and labored.

"You’ve done incredibly well, Leon. Your body isn’t at its peak, you lack enchanted armor, and you don’t have any suitable weapons. Yet, relying solely on your physical skills, you managed to hold your own against me. Before you, no one has ever achieved that."

Roswitha crouched beside Leon, gently wiping the dirt from his face with her hand.

"Whether as your fake wife, sparring partner, or rival, I must admit—you’re indeed strong. A glorious defeat, Dragon Slayer."

"Well, even though I say ‘a glorious defeat’—"

A playful smirk tugged at the corner of Roswitha’s lips.

"Don’t forget about our wager, okay~?"