Once, there was a perfect vacation laid before him, but he didn’t cherish it;

It wasn’t until after claiming the championship that he regretted it unbearably. There’s nothing more painful for a defeated and captured warrior.

If heaven could give him one more chance, he’d definitely choose to become a stay-at-home recluse on holiday.

And if there had to be a limit to this vacation, he’d hope it would be seven days.

—Excerpt from *The Glorious and Abstract Life of the Empire’s Strongest Dragon Slayer, Leon Casmod*

Leon lay inside a top-tier hotel suite in Sky City.

Beneath him was a soft bed, the air was filled with the aroma of luxurious incense, and there was a magical bell on the bedside table. It was said that with a light press, a professional service attendant would knock on your door within two minutes—

The attendant could be a meticulous, refined butler-type Sebas, or a playful, sultry dragon maid in black stockings, all depending on your personal preference.

Of course, regardless of the type of service, it was entirely wholesome.

Leon had spent the entire afternoon in the hotel mourning the seven-day otaku vacation he had lost.

Mourning by himself wasn’t enough, though. Every half hour, he would press the bell and ask Sebas or the dragon maid who came over:

“Do you long for a vacation?”

And as all the service staff had undergone rigorous training, their unified response was:

“What we long for is to make sure you have a wonderful vacation.”

Wonderful.

“Wonderful,” my ass!

Do you see the words "wonderful" written on my mourning face?

Or can you not even read?

Knock knock knock—

The sound of knocking came.

“I didn’t call for the bell service,” Leon replied from the bed.

“It’s me,” came Roswitha’s voice.

Leon rolled his eyes and ignored her.

She had clearly taken an extra key to his room when they checked in that morning, so why pretend to be polite and act like some virtuous dragoness now?

What a wolf in sheep's clothing!

Leon pulled the blanket over himself and burrowed under it.

Knock knock knock—

“Open the door, Leon. It’s urgent,” Roswitha insisted.

What urgent matter could you possibly have?

You're the wife of a champion now—you must be over the moon!

Annoying. Not opening the door.

Leon turned to his side and covered his ears with the blanket.

Click—

The sound of the door unlocking came. Sure enough, Roswitha used her key to enter the room.

The sound of high heels echoed as it approached and finally stopped at the side of his bed.

Fortunately, Leon had just turned over and was now facing away from Roswitha.

“Turn around. I need to talk to you,” Roswitha demanded.

“I’m asleep.”

“You’re answering me in your sleep now?”

Leon closed his eyes and gave no response.

Click-clack-click.

Roswitha, in her high heels, walked around the foot of the bed to the other side so she could face him.

But—

Leon stubbornly turned over again.

Roswitha, hands on her hips, bit her lip and angrily stomped back around to the other side.

Again, Leon turned back.

Thus began the absurd game of her circling and him turning, until he had no escape.

After a few rounds, Roswitha lost her patience. She took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat right on top of—

Leon's waist.

“Rest assured, I’m not going to touch you these seven days,” Roswitha said sincerely.

“You’re saying that while sitting on my waist? How am I supposed to believe you?”

Roswitha shifted slightly, pushing Leon to lie flat on his back. Then—

She sat atop his stomach.

“Better now?” she asked.

Leon sighed heavily, covering his face with both hands.

Roswitha lightly pushed against his chest.

“Yes, yes, I know this vacation is hard-won for you, but the academy has scheduled a seven-day hot springs trip with a fixed time frame. It’s now or never,” Roswitha explained considerately. “But think of your daughters! They’re so happy. And when your daughters are happy, doesn’t that make you happy as a dad?”

“Haha, so happy.”

“And, as I mentioned, I absolutely, truly won’t touch you. I swear.”

She raised three fingers and even added her tail for good measure.

But Leon wasn’t buying it.

She says she won’t touch me? Those hands are hers—what’s stopping her from touching whatever she pleases?

Leon snorted and covered his head with a pillow.

Roswitha pressed the pillow down, “What will make you believe me?”

“Bring me two boxes of Black Dragon Bolus, and I’ll believe you.”

“Don’t push it, Dragon Slayer. By the honor of the Silver Dragon Queen, I vow I will not touch you these seven days, just as we agreed. The hot spring trip won’t change that.”

“The honor of the Silver Dragon Queen…”

“That’s right.”

“Very trustworthy.”

Leon sat up, prompting Roswitha to tilt slightly backward from his movement.

Since she was still sitting on him, when he sat up, the two came very close.

“So, it’s settled—these seven days, you can’t touch even a single hair on me.”

The words had no sooner left his mouth than they struck him as odd.

Why does this sound like a delicate bride warning her rich new husband on their wedding night?

The bride pitifully says, “You’re not allowed to touch me.”

And the wealthy young master teasingly replies, “Yes, yes, my sweet little flower~~”

And then touches her thoroughly all night.

Back to the matter at hand.

Roswitha nodded seriously. “Yes, I promise not to touch you. But~”

Leon shot her a sideways look. “I knew there’d be a ‘but.’”

“But, if you can’t control yourself, don’t blame me.”

As she spoke, Roswitha leaned in slightly; their foreheads touched lightly, and the tips of their noses brushed intimately.

Her faintly natural scent was far more intoxicating than the high-end incense in this room.

Silver eyes gazed into black ones, as if testing each other’s... trustworthiness.

“Of course I can control myself! What kind of Dragon Slayer would randomly touch a female dragon for no reason?”

Roswitha chuckled softly, pushed his shoulder lightly, and leaned him back onto the bed.

Then she swung her long legs off the bed, slipped on her shoes,

“Alright, then it’s settled. If my Dragon Mark lights up even once during these seven days, Leon, you're done for.”

Leon sat on the bed, contemplating her words.

Something… seemed off.

Did he just unknowingly fall into another of this sly dragoness’s traps?

He didn’t know what the trap was yet, but given his past experiences and his gut feeling, it certainly wasn’t going to be anything good.

Before Leon could think it through, Roswitha stood up, straightened her hair,

“Get dressed. We’re going out.”

“For what?”

“To the hot springs, of course. But first, we’re buying swimsuits.”

...

Given their family’s status, any service could be customized and brought to them.

But their daughters preferred outings with their parents, so Leon and Roswitha had no objections.

In the swimsuit store, the two small dragon girls held hands as they picked out pretty swimsuits for young dragons.

Meanwhile, Roswitha and Leon perused the adult dragon swimwear section.

Frankly, Leon despised accompanying women on shopping trips.

Back when he was still in school, during every holiday break, all he wanted was to lie on his master’s farm, tending sheep, feeding cows, or chatting with the donkey.

But his master’s wife would always drag him out shopping, sometimes for half the day.

This situation was no different—except now it was a dragon lady instead of his mentor’s wife.

“How about this one?”

“Looks good.”

“You didn’t even look, did you?”

Caught being perfunctory, Leon reluctantly looked at Roswitha.

She stood before the mirror, holding a school-style swimsuit against herself. It seemed to fit well.

“Yes, it looks good,” Leon admitted.

“Tch, too much fabric,” Roswitha complained, swapping for another one.

This time, there was very little fabric.

So little that even unworn on a body, the swimsuit itself was enough to make someone blush.

Sensing the implication, Leon quickly averted his eyes.

“Hey, how about this one?”

“Uh… doesn’t work.”

“You’re not even looking again,” Roswitha stomped her foot.

“I looked. It’s just... average.”

From the male perspective, though, if Roswitha wore that swimsuit to the hot spring, her Dragon Mark wouldn’t just light up—it might stay lit the entire night!

Roswitha pouted, “Fine. I was just browsing. I already brought a swimsuit with me. Let’s pick out some swim trunks for you.”

“I’ll go naked,” Leon said, shameless.

“Haha, you’re hilarious.”

Eventually, swimsuits were chosen for their daughters and for Leon. The family exited the shop, moving on to the celebration dinner.

The feast was a celebration of their victory at the school games and securing first place.

As a family, they shared a joyous moment together.

But Roswitha couldn’t help noticing that Leon seemed only half-invested.

Sure, when his daughters were happy, so was he.

But deep down, Roswitha understood—he occasionally longed to set aside the roles of father and husband and simply be himself for a while.

Roswitha’s eyes glimmered with empathetic understanding. She wanted to say something,

But Noa beat her to it.

The little dragon girl raised her glass of juice, motioning for Leon and Roswitha to join in the toast.

Seeing this, Leon and Roswitha quickly picked up their own glasses to clink with hers.

“To winning the school championship—thank you both so much. I… I…”

It was clear to see that Noa wanted to continue saying words of gratitude.

But she had never been very good at expressing herself, even under normal circumstances. Let alone now.

Fortunately, Roswitha understood her daughter well and quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "When adults want to express their thanks, they often start by finishing the drink in their hand, whether it’s wine or tea."

Noa caught on immediately, tilted her little head back, and downed the drink in her cup.

Leon and Roswitha also emptied their glasses of red wine in response.

"Oh, and one more thing..."

Noa's little face was flushed, glowing prettily under the warm candlelight at the table.

"I promised you... If I won the championship, I’d... I’d call you—"

Noa lifted her head to look at Leon, biting her soft lips gently. It seemed like it took every ounce of courage for her to meet his eyes.

The flickering candlelight reflected in their slightly trembling pupils.

In a voice as soft as a whisper, the girl called out,

"Daddy."

Before her father could show any sign of discomfort or embarrassment, Noa quickly added,

"Oh, actually, even if I didn’t win the championship, I... I’d still call you that. Umm... Thank you so much for supporting me, Daddy."

Hearing Noa say this, Roswitha inexplicably felt a sense of relief in her heart as well.

Blood ties truly were a magical thing, like an eternal flame that could melt even the hardest of ice.

Roswitha turned her gaze to Leon.

It was obvious—at this moment, the father of her child was completely in a state of mental shutdown.

A single "Daddy" from Noa could unlock his full potential and drive him to claim first place;

It could also leave him utterly spellbound, lost in thought.

In the end, it was Roswitha who gently nudged him under the table with her leg, snapping him back to reality.

"Ah... Ah, nothing, nothing. Winning the championship—it’s your accomplishment. You put in so much effort yourself. Your mom and I, we just did what little we could. Uh... um... the wine? Can someone pour me another glass? Daddy will drink to that."

Roswitha poured him half a glass, and Leon immediately drained it in one gulp.

It was clear that, beyond being happy and excited, Leon was also a little flustered by Noa calling him Daddy.

Roswitha smiled warmly.

Judging by the harmonious, joyous atmosphere at this table, who would have guessed that this family’s situation was actually quite complicated?

"Oh, right... and there’s one more important thing,"

Noa said, "Close your eyes first."

"Huh? Why?" Muen asked.

Noa reached out to cover her younger sister’s wide eyes. "Just trust me. When I say so, don’t open your eyes, no matter what."

"Okay, fine~"

Roswitha smiled knowingly, resting her chin in her hand as she closed her eyes.

Naturally, Leon followed suit without question.

In the private dining room, Noa hopped off her chair, her movements rustling softly.

Walking carefully and deliberately, she stepped over to Muen’s side and gave her little sister a hug.

Then she moved to Roswitha and wrapped her arms around her mother in a big embrace.

Lastly, she approached Leon, stood on her tiptoes, and stretched her arms to gently circle his neck.

Leon immediately recognized it was Noa who was hugging him and instinctively reached out to return the gesture.

Leaning close to his ear, Noa whispered in a soft and low voice, "Thank you, Daddy."

Leon didn’t open his eyes—he just nodded lightly.

But just as he thought the hug was over, he suddenly felt a warmth on his cheek.

She had kissed him?

No wonder she insisted that everyone close their eyes. Something like this... Noa would absolutely never have done it in front of others.

What Leon didn’t know was that, among the three family members, he was the only one who received such a special gesture from Noa.

A gentle, fleeting, and utterly sincere kiss on the cheek from his daughter.

Noa returned to her seat. "Alright, you can open your eyes now."

Muen immediately opened her eyes in curiosity, feigning ignorance as she asked, "What happened? What happened?"

"I stole a piece of your steak," Noa teased.

"Ah, how could you, sister!" Muen puffed up her cheeks in mock anger.

"Just kidding. Here it is."

"Sis, you’re the best~ Love you~"

The heartwarming scene of the sisters joking and laughing together filled the room with happiness.

Roswitha shifted her gaze to Leon. This guy looked even more "mentally offline" than before.

But in the blink of an eye, his mood visibly improved—and not just a little bit.

It improved by *a lot.*