With the vengeful nature of these two, this will never end.

You screw me, I screw you. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.

At this moment, far away at Saint Hiss Academy, Noa, the unquestionable future heir of Silver Dragon Castle, perhaps sensed something through an inexplicable telepathic bond with her parents, or maybe for some other reason—

In short, she managed to stop the brewing conflict between the humans and dragons in an unexpected way.

Roswitha had only half-removed her clothing when the messenger dragon's call echoed from the balcony.

Frustrated, Roswitha had no choice but to redress and temporarily let Leon off the hook.

She went to the balcony, initially thinking it was a letter from her sister Isa. However, upon opening it, her brows immediately furrowed.

Seeing that Roswitha hadn’t returned for quite a while, Leon got out of bed and headed to the balcony himself.

“What’s wrong?” Leon asked, standing by her side.

Roswitha didn’t say anything, simply handing the letter in her hand to Leon.

Leon took the letter, glanced at its contents, and exclaimed in surprise, “Noa got into a fight with someone?!”

“The Academy sending a messenger dragon so late at night suggests that this incident might be serious.”

Roswitha’s tone brimmed with worry. “Noa… could she be hurt?”

Noa was much younger than the other young dragons by age. A tiny child, studying far from home and all by herself—it was natural for Roswitha to fret upon learning she had been involved in a scuffle.

Leon scanned the notification once more. Its content was brief:

“Mr. Leon, Ms. Roswitha, Noa has recently been involved in a physical altercation with other students at the academy. We request your presence tomorrow morning to discuss this matter.”

Leon wasn’t sure how the news media of the Dragon Clan operated.

But in the Empire, shorter news typically meant bigger trouble.

What’s more, the Academy had sent a messenger dragon overnight, urging them to arrive first thing in the morning.

Maybe Roswitha was right—this really wasn’t a small matter.

Leon pressed his lips into a thin line, his expression turning grim.

He opened his mouth, wanting to voice his concerns.

But when he saw Roswitha’s anxious, uneasy face, he swallowed his words.

Leon naturally worried for Noa, but expressing his fears now would only amplify Roswitha’s anxiety.

He didn’t want to make things worse.

When it came to their daughter, Leon and Roswitha, as if by mutual understanding, set aside their past grudges.

Leon folded the notification again and gently tugged Roswitha’s arm. “Let’s go get some rest.”

Roswitha said nothing, quietly following Leon back into the room.

She sat on the edge of the bed, absently fiddling with her nails, not uttering a word.

Leon wisely refrained from attempting conversation, instead quietly tidying up the chaos they had created earlier.

He placed the chairs back in their proper spots, threw the ropes into storage, neatly folded the black stockings, and returned them to the wardrobe.

Afterward, he poured a cup of warm water and set it on Roswitha's bedside table.

Finally, he stooped down in front of Roswitha, looking up at her.

“Try to get some sleep. We’ll leave for the academy first thing in the morning. I’ll sleep on the couch—if you can’t fall asleep, just come find me.”

His gaze landed momentarily on Roswitha’s hand. Hesitating slightly, he remembered how, during her last interview, she had been nervous, and he had wanted to comfort her by patting her hand.

But in the end, he had only managed to pat her shoulder.

This time...

After a brief pause in thought, Leon reached out, gently placing his hand on Roswitha’s slightly cool hand.

“Alright then.”

With that, Leon stood up and exited the bedroom, retreating to the couch.

Roswitha looked up at his retreating figure, the lingering warmth of his palm still on the back of her hand.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to him.

But the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them instead.

Lowering her gaze, Roswitha’s peripheral vision fell on the family portrait sitting atop the bedside table.

She reached for it, her fingers lightly brushing against Noa’s face in the photo.

“Don’t get hurt, Noa,” she whispered.

Meanwhile, lying on the living room couch, Leon silently stared at the ceiling, contemplating whether he should tear apart anyone who dared bully Noa or simply cut them down with a blade.

...

Early the next morning, the couple stormed into the principal’s office in a rush.

Vice Principal Wilson was seated behind the desk, discussing something with another teacher.

Upon seeing Roswitha and Leon, the principal immediately turned to the other teacher and instructed, “Go fetch Noa and the others.”

“Yes, headmaster.”

The couple hurried to the desk. Roswitha wasted no time, asking, “Principal, what happened with Noa? Why did she get into a fight?”

“Please, calm down, Ms. Roswitha,” the principal replied, adjusting his glasses and speaking in a measured tone. “The cause of the incident isn’t particularly unusual. It stems from the longstanding tensions between live-born and cocoon-born young dragons.”

The principal had tactfully described it as “tensions.” A more accurate term would have been “discrimination.”

Cocoon-born dragons inherit power directly from their “maternal vessels,” whereas live-born dragons require time to mature.

Although there’s no significant difference between the two types once they reach adulthood, during their youthful stages, the disparities in abilities are apparent.

Besides being naturally gifted with superior physical traits and talents, cocoon-born dragons are also born with dragon horns, whereas live-born dragons only develop them upon maturity.

Naturally, such physical traits alone wouldn’t result in discrimination grave enough to spark physical altercations.

However, another symbol of Dragon Clan identity and status—the tail—played a role.

When Leon, Roswitha, and Noa stood as a model family during an assembly, Leon had not displayed his tail.

While most adult dragons wouldn’t think much of this, to children, tails were seen as a badge of pride and dominance.

Hence, Noa’s conflict with others likely stemmed from these factors.

Wilson nodded slightly, continuing, “Yes, those three children are indeed a bit... unruly. They often bully live-born students in their class. Unfortunately, Noa caught their attention.”

Roswitha narrowed her eyes slightly. “Three? Are you saying three dragon children ganged up to bully my daughter?”

Hearing this, Leon’s expression darkened. He stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Principal, this indeed seems rather outrageous. Call the parents of those three dragons—I’d like to have a word with them.”

You see, a Dragon Slayer having a “talk” with dragons is a simple matter.

Wilson sighed in exasperation, realizing the couple had already concluded that Noa had been bullied.

But in reality...

“Principal, Noa and the others are here,” the teacher announced from the doorway.

“Oh good, let them in,” the principal said, visibly relieved.

Leon and Roswitha turned toward the office door.

Led by the teacher, Noa walked in first.

The couple immediately rushed over.

Crouching on either side of her, they began inspecting her for injuries.

Noa was stunned. “Mom, what are you doing?”

“Are you hurt? Does anything feel uncomfortable? Do you need to come home and rest?”

The barrage of questions left the dragon girl momentarily overwhelmed.

Roswitha was meticulous, even checking each of Noa’s fingers one by one.

Meanwhile, Leon, after a quick scan, realized that... Noa seemed completely fine.

Confused, he looked back at the doorway.

And that’s when the other three young dragons entered.

Unlike Noa’s composed demeanor, the three dragonlings all bore injuries—bruises and swollen faces.

The one in the middle even had his arm in a sling.

Once inside, they huddled together, and upon seeing Noa glance back at them, they immediately scurried to the corner in fear.

Observing this, Leon’s mind stirred, and he held Roswitha’s hand to prevent her from causing a scene.

“Huh? What is it?” she asked.

“There seems to have been a misunderstanding from the academy. This doesn’t look like a fight... but rather Noa single-handedly beating them up.”

Roswitha was momentarily dumbfounded. “Be-... Beating them up?”

Following Leon’s gaze, Roswitha looked toward the trio.

Indeed, one appeared more pitiful than the next.

Their short, stubby dragon horns clearly identified them as cocoon-born dragons.

The two on the sides were short and stocky with disproportionately large heads and thick necks. The one in the middle looked more normal, with a faint flame-shaped mark between his brows.

“A Lowland Dragon and a Red Flame Dragon...” Roswitha immediately deduced their species.

Leon raised a brow but didn’t quite understand. “Lowland Dragons? Aren’t those Toad Dragons?”

“Huh?”

“We—”

Leon paused, glanced around, then leaned closer to Roswitha and whispered, “Back when we were fighting in the war, we called these short and ugly dragons ‘Toad Dragons.’”

He wanted to add that these dragons weren’t just stupid but also remarkably cowardly—they were often used as training fodder for freshly graduated Dragon Slayer recruits.

“Well... the nickname does suit their appearance...”

Roswitha scooped Noa into her arms and joined Leon in sitting on the nearby couch.

“Please wait a moment. Lahr and the others’ parents will arrive shortly.”

Lahr was probably the mid-sized Red Flame Dragon. A classic example of a gang leader with two sidekicks.

About fifteen minutes later, the office door was pushed open again.

This time, three adult male dragons entered.

“Lahr, I heard you got into a fight with another kid? And it’s such a big deal that we parents have to be called in? Couldn’t you handle this yourself? Fine, just tell me how badly you injured the other kid, and I’ll pay for whatever damages,” said Lahr’s father.

His smug demeanor suggested he took pride in his son’s supposed actions, as if getting into fights was something to boast about.

However, upon spotting his son covered in bruises and swelling, he froze in shock and rushed over to check him over.

"Son! Son, how did you end up beaten like this?"

The other two dragons also stepped forward, each concerned about their own son.

Roswitha turned slightly to the side and whispered, "That guy is from the Crimson Flame Dragon King Constantine's clan. Every member of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan is arrogant and difficult to deal with."

Leon whispered back, "I’ve killed enough Crimson Flame Dragon Clan members to circle the academy twice."

Noa paused for a moment, then turned her head, looking at Leon with a puzzled expression.

Leon blinked and explained with a grin, "Ahaha, you get it. Back in the day, your old man roamed the battlefields far and wide, contributing quite a bit to our Silver Dragon Clan."

"Was it your child who beat up my son like this? Come on, if you don’t apologize to my son today, don’t think about leaving this room!" Lahr's father pointed at Leon, his tone sharp.

"Silence!" The vice principal tapped the table for attention. "Let me recount the events that led to this incident."

"Last night, Lahr and his companions were eating in the cafeteria when they accidentally knocked over Noa's tray. Whether it was intentional or an accident, both sides have conflicting accounts, so we’ll set that aside for now."

"Later, on the way back to the dormitory, Lahr's group cornered Noa in the dormitory backyard, leading to a violent scuffle."

"Ultimately, it resulted in this situation."

"Does anyone have anything to add?"

Noa raised her hand, "I have something to add."

"Please go ahead, Noa."

"They cornered me in the backyard. The short-legged dragon on the left was the first to charge at me. I kicked him in the stomach, and he couldn’t get back up."

"Then it was the short-legged dragon on the right. As he charged, I grabbed his arm, threw him over my shoulder to the ground, and stomped on his shoulder."

"Lastly, it was the Crimson Flame dragon in the middle. I grabbed his tail, stomped on it, and when he tried to punch me, I accidentally broke his arm."

"Principal, that’s all I wanted to add."

Principal Wilson rubbed his temples in exasperation. "So... Lahr, do you have anything to say about Noa’s claim that she 'accidentally broke your arm'?"

"No! Definitely not! Everything Noa said is true!" Ral quickly replied.

"You little brat, how could you side with her when she’s the one who beat you up?"

Lahr's father was clearly a difficult character to deal with. He turned to Noa and barked, "This is very clear—this little girl beat up my son, and her methods were extremely vicious. She’s in the wrong! I demand that she apologize to my son!"

"No, no, just her apologizing isn’t enough. These two also have to bow and apologize to my son!"

"And not just apologize—they must compensate us for the damages, down to the last cent!"

"Principal, my demands are perfectly reasonable, aren’t they?"

Principal Wilson hurriedly intervened, "Alright, calm down, both of you. Let us—"

Leon suddenly spoke up, "I do think Noa was in the wrong."

Immediately, everyone turned their eyes to this dragon who rarely showed his cards.

"Leon, what nonsense are you talking about—"

Leon gently placed his hand on Noa’s head. Seeing her confused expression, he slowly explained,

"First, after you kicked down the first toad-dragon—uh, short-legged dragon—you should’ve given him another kick to prevent him from sneaking up on you later."

"Second, after the over-the-shoulder throw, you shouldn’t have stomped on his stomach—that’s too cruel. Let me teach you: stomp on the thigh instead. It quickly incapacitates your opponent."

"Lastly, breaking the arm of that Crimson Flame young dragon won’t scare him much. Their species’ greatest weakness is actually in their knees. Since their jumping ability is already subpar, damaging their knees leaves them completely defenseless on the battlefield. Got it?"

Noa blinked her beautiful eyes, looking at this man in surprise.

His analysis was logical and thorough, and his suggestions were practical, not at all like those of a stay-at-home dad taking care of kids.

The innate admiration of strength in the Dragon Clan caused Noa’s impression of Leon to skyrocket.

Noa, who rarely smiled, now broke into a small but genuine smile and nodded seriously. "Got it. I’ll pay attention next time."

No one had expected that in a situation like this, Leon not only fully supported Noa but even gave an impromptu lesson right there.

On the other side, the two short-legged dragons shivered in fear, while Noa couldn’t help feeling eager to try these techniques out in practice.

XX

Leon (leaning back): Now see, that’s what I call professional.