After comforting Muen a bit, the maid led her back.

Leon followed behind them.

When he walked to Noa’s side, Leon paused.

Because Noa was staring at him.

It was obvious she wanted to say something.

The father and daughter, one tall and one short, exchanged glances for a moment before Noa finally spoke.

“Next time you go out on your own, remember to let us know.”

She hesitated for a moment before adding, “Muen worries about you a lot.”

If only you inherited a little less of your mother’s stubbornness, you wouldn’t be so hard-headed.

Leon sighed with a helpless smile and nodded. “Alright, I’m sorry for making you all—ah, for making Muen worry.”

Noa scrunched her nose and exhaled softly. “Also, I… I owe you an apology.”

“Hm? Why?”

“When we couldn’t find you earlier today, I thought you… I thought you had abandoned us.”

Noa looked down. “I’m sorry for not trusting you in that moment.”

A precocious child will always feel the need to shoulder their share of the blame and take responsibility for their mistakes.

Even if she hadn’t spoken up, no one would have known about her fleeting doubt.

Leon smiled warmly, squatting down so his gaze was level with Noa’s.

He understood his eldest daughter’s inner struggles deeply. She craved familial love and affection but was always too afraid to take that crucial first step.

Leon couldn’t rely on simple promises or vows to reassure Noa.

She wouldn’t trust them easily, anyway.

His actions, over time, would have to prove to her that he was a good father.

Reaching out a hand, Leon gently patted Noa’s head and chose not to dwell on the topic any further. Instead, he offered a simple reminder:

“You’ve got to return to the Academy tomorrow morning. Don’t stay up too late tonight.”

After taking care of everything else, Leon returned to Roswitha’s room.

The dragoness still showed no signs of waking.

Leon sat down in the chair beside the bed, crossed his legs, patted away some dust on his pants, and sighed.

“You wouldn’t believe how dutiful our daughter is. I hope you’ll get to experience her devotion someday.”

The only response was Roswitha’s steady breathing.

Her breaths did seem slightly deeper compared to yesterday.

Leon noticed this change and reached out to check her pulse.

Indeed, it was stronger than the day before.

“As expected from the body of the Dragon Queen — such incredible recovery speed.”

Leon marveled for a moment before his gaze at Roswitha sharpened slightly.

It was like how a lion slowly prowls toward its prey—

Well, before the hunt could formally begin, he needed to ensure the prey was clean.

Leon decided to once again attempt the challenge of wiping down Roswitha’s body.

He refused to believe that his determination to slay dragons could turn into mere lust.

After filling a basin with warm water and soaking a towel, Leon stood by the bed and took a few deep breaths.

“Alright, let’s do this. This time, failure is not an option!”

The look of determination on his face was less like someone preparing to wipe down a girl and more like a rookie chef attempting to flip a pan for the first time.

He reached out to lift the lid—

No, that’s not right. He lifted the blanket.

Roswitha’s slender and graceful figure was now exposed before him.

Sure, the dragoness was scheming and cunning, and their relationship was fundamentally oppositional.

But… her body was practically a flawless work of art.

And art, after all, knows no borders.

Leon didn’t linger to appreciate it further—he wasn’t much of an art enthusiast.

More importantly, he didn’t want this “art” to sway his convictions. That would spell disaster.

Blushing furiously, he began sliding Roswitha’s camisole dress off her shoulders.

By the faint moonlight streaming in, Leon started wiping her down from the jawline and neck, slowly working his way downward.

She was someone who loved cleanliness, bathing once every day.

It had been two days since her coma began, and so far, Leon had only managed to wash her face, hands, and feet. Out of consideration for the awkwardness between men and women, he had hesitated to clean her entire body.

Her current exposure was purely out of necessity; this was entirely different from meticulously wiping her down. Surely, you understand?

If it were possible, Leon would have gladly donned his Black Gold Chariot armor to perform this task.

Because it felt more fitting that way.

A Dragon Slayer should be fully geared when facing a female dragon in battle!—

Okay, fine, if he were honest, he just didn’t want his blushing face to be seen.

(Black Gold Chariot: Foolish mortal!)

Wait a second—

A sudden thought struck Leon.

If he didn’t have a helmet, couldn’t he just use something else to cover his eyes?

It was a classic case of self-deception!

Without wasting a moment, Leon grabbed a cloth strip and tied it over his eyes.

After all, back in his academy days, he had practiced blindfolded combat and won first place with his superbly precise and sensitive sense of touch.

So, theoretically, this “blindfolded massage” shouldn’t be much of a challenge.

Yet reality proved that being too precise and sensitive wasn’t always a good thing…

The warm towel brushed against Roswitha’s chest, and the contrast in texture between flat plains and gentle peaks was all too vivid.

Leon’s face was as red as a tomato, his hands trembling ever so slightly.

Without his sight, his other senses seemed to grow sharper.

Sharp to the point where he could almost hear hallucinations.

“Master Leon, use more strength—press harder on my waist.”

Not only that, but the blindfold appeared to be somewhat translucent.

Vaguely, Leon saw a faint purple glow flashing intermittently…

It absolutely wasn’t Dragon Mark magic, right?

No, definitely not!

In the end, holding his breath and summoning all his courage, Leon managed to finish wiping Roswitha’s upper body.

By the time he moved on to her abdomen and thighs, things felt much less challenging.

After the entire process, Leon found that working blindfolded was far more exhausting than simply keeping his eyes open.

As a result, he silently crossed off “blindfolded massage” from his post-dragon-slaying bucket list.

Once everything was tidied up, Leon gave Roswitha a quick hand and foot massage to promote better blood circulation.

Here’s an important clarification:

This wasn’t some meticulous act of care for Roswitha.

No, it was to prevent her from waking up with numb limbs and being unable to collaborate properly in their future confrontations.

Of course, all this painstaking effort was just for the sake of fully savoring his revenge!

Having completed everything, Leon exhaled with a deep sense of relief.

On a whim, he went to retrieve a toy bear he had picked up from the Dragonling Park earlier and placed it by Roswitha’s pillow.

Only then did he feel satisfied with the night’s work.

Overcome with fatigue, Leon didn’t climb into bed but instead dragged a chair to the bedside and slumped over the mattress, finally succumbing to sleep.

However, given his strained posture and bone-deep exhaustion, Leon began having some truly bizarre dreams.

In his groggy state, Leon’s arm twitched, and his fingers accidentally brushed against the toy bear.

But the texture felt off—not like the cotton-stuffed interior of a plush toy.

It felt… harder.

Opening his eyes just a sliver, Leon cast a drowsy glance at the toy bear. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Shaking it off, he yawned and let himself drift back into slumber.

The following morning, Noa walked into Roswitha’s room.

She saw that Leon was still slumped over in that awkward position rather than sleeping in the bed.

“Taking care of Mom until he’s this exhausted…”

Noa tiptoed closer. On her way, she grabbed a jacket from the couch and moved to drape it over Leon’s back to keep him warm.

But just as she was about to do so, Leon jolted awake with a start.

“Huh? Noa? Morning, morning.”

Leon rubbed his sleepy eyes, stretched, and yawned. “Heading off to school?”

Noa nodded.

“Let me walk you out.”

“There’s no need, you should get some more rest.”

Leon smiled, standing up and bouncing lightly on his feet. “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Noa didn’t argue further.

The father and daughter duo stepped into the courtyard of the Silver Dragon Castle, waiting for the “school bus driver,” Leviathan.

“How’s Mom doing?” Noa asked.

“She’s recovering quickly. By the time you come home this weekend, she should be awake,” Leon replied honestly.

“Hmm… Thanks for taking care of Mom.”

Leon ruffled her hair with a grin. “We’re family—there’s no such thing as too much effort.”

As they chatted, the massive figure of Leviathan gradually approached from the distance.

“There’ll be more tests at the Academy this week, right?” Leon asked.

“Yeah.”

“Just do your best; I know you’re improving, Noa.”

“Alright, got it.”

Leviathan hovered above the Silver Dragon Castle, her immense wings flapping gently as a glowing transport beam lit up below her.

“I’m off, then.”

“Okay, take care of yourself.”

Noa nodded, jogging toward the transport beam beneath Leviathan.

She hesitated for a moment before turning back, raising her hand to wave at Leon.

Leon waved back with a smile. “Pay attention in class! And steer clear of bad influences. If anyone bullies you, fight back—I’ve got your back!”

“Alright!”

Though Leon wanted to tell her, “If anyone messes with you, your dad will wipe out their entire dragon clan—that’s literally my profession,” he figured such words were a tad too violent for a child.

So he held his tongue.

With powerful strokes of her wings, Leviathan carried herself away from the Silver Dragon Castle, taking Noa to the Academy.

Hands tucked into his pockets, Leon stood silently, watching Leviathan’s figure disappear into the horizon.

Meanwhile, inside the room, the silver-haired beauty lying atop the soft bed slightly moved a finger.