"Don't move! Let me take a look!"

"No, Master, really, please don't! You absolutely can't look there!"

"Rebecca, hold him down. I'm going to rip his shirt open!"

-"Got it, Dad!"

The two of them worked together, pinning the dragon-slaying hero against the corner and ripping his shirt open.

The Dragon Mark on his chest flickered twice before dimming entirely.

Rebecca raised her finely arched brow at the silver markings on the captain's chest and let out a whistle.

"Captain, this formation... It's a bit spicy, huh?"

"Spicy formation, my foot. Kid, what exactly is this thing?"

Leon averted his gaze, stammering, "Uh... it's a tattoo. Just a regular tattoo. Really."

"A tattoo that glows purple? That’s clearly no ordinary ink job," the Master piercingly remarked.

"Whoa! That's where you're wrong, Master! This tattoo may look shamelessly provocative, but it's actually the mark of a Pure Love War God," Leon said earnestly.

"Explain in detail."

"Uh... Well... It can't be detailed."

"And why can't it?" the Master asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Dad? This is clearly a couples' tattoo between the captain and his dragon wife," Rebecca interjected with a knowing expression, clearly hinting at something deeper. "But honestly, the Dragon Clan's magic has lots of tricks. Who knows if this tattoo has other hidden functions?"

Damn, this kid knows too much!

Leon quickly tidied up his clothes, stood up, and changed the subject. "Any extra functions are between me and Roswitha, and none of your concerns. For now, all you need to know is that this tattoo serves as a reservoir for my mana."

Rebecca pursed her lips. "Hmph, if you won't say, fine. I'll go dig up some research of my own someday."

Curiosity kills the loli, dear. You'll regret investigating, mark my words!

The trio returned to the fireside to continue their earlier discussion.

"Since the boy can’t use his magic right now, we need to be even more cautious with every step we take going forward," Tiger said.

"Agreed, though fortunately, Empire only sent some Dangerous Beasts after us. We should still be able to handle them," Leon replied.

Tiger nodded. "You mentioned the first step was identifying the traitor who framed you back then. What's the plan to do that?"

"Let's start with Victor. Rebecca said he became a bar singer after leaving the Dragon Slayer Army. Compared to Martin, who lives in the Minister's estate, Victor should be easier for us to approach," Leon said.

"Got it. We’ll call it here for today and start the operation tomorrow night."

"Understood. Oh, and I’ll take night watch. You and Rebecca should rest."

Tiger shook his head. "You take first watch; I’ll handle the latter half of the night."

Leon understood his Master's stubborn nature and didn’t argue further. "No problem, Master."

"Hold up!" Rebecca suddenly raised her hand.

"What is it?"

Rebecca crossed her arms and pinched her chin, adopting a faux serious demeanor. "I feel like since we three are going to stick together through thick and thin, we should come up with a team name."

Leon and Tiger exchanged glances and shrugged simultaneously.

"What name did you have in mind?"

"The Gruff Geezer, Dimwitted Straight Guy, and Lovely Girl Trio. How’s that?"

Leon twisted his mouth into a grin. "What a simple and crude name. Any longer, you could write a dissertation on it."

"Fine, then let’s call ourselves... the Old, Weak, and Disabled Team!"

"Old, weak, and broken?"

Rebecca nodded, providing a logical explanation. "Dad’s getting old—so, old; I’m a dainty girl who can’t even fight chickens—so, weak; and Captain, you can’t gather mana and haven’t found the reason—so, broken."

Leon couldn’t help but applaud the gunner’s razor-sharp reasoning. "Fair enough. That's pretty convincing. Now hurry up and sleep, fragile young lady."

Rebecca happily curled up by the fireside, while Tiger draped over her the camp’s only blanket.

Given Leon’s unexpected early return, combined with bringing a team member for an impromptu third player scenario, household items like blankets hadn’t been prepared plentifully.

Still, having a safe haven like this while being fugitives was already a blessing. Both Leon and Rebecca admired Tiger for it.

Once his Master lay down, Leon quietly slipped outside.

Seated on the dusty steps, he gazed skyward.

A full moon.

Empire’s many bards often used the phases of the moon’s waxing and waning to symbolize the joys and sorrows of humanity’s partings and reunions.

Yet tonight’s moon was so perfectly round—and Leon wasn’t enjoying it with somebody he’d truly wanted to.

He wondered somberly whether the Silver Dragon Clan far away was gazing at this very same round moon…

Absentmindedly, Leon touched the Mark on his chest.

"The Dragon Mark flickers when one side begins to yearn for the other."

So… does this mean she’s thinking of me too?

Leon lowered his gaze and let out a long sigh.

After adjusting his mood, he resumed his vigilant night watch.

...

The following morning, Leon slowly opened his eyes.

"Captain, you’re awake," a loli face appeared in his line of sight.

"Mm… what’s up…" Leon rubbed at his eyes.

"Nothing much. But don’t you think your throat feels a little dry?"

Leon blinked blankly and sat up. "What kind of question is that? Hmm… well, actually, you’re right—kinda dry."

After a brief pause, his groggy demeanor vanished, and he became alert. "You and my Master didn’t, uh… do anything weird to me last night, did you?"

Rebecca shook her head.

Tiger strolled over at that point, standing next to Leon. "After you fell asleep last night, you kept calling names—over and over again for each one."

Leon froze in shock. "... Whose names?"

Rebecca efficiently reported the stats. "Aurora 104 times; Noa 110 times, and Muen 112 times."

Leon quietly exhaled a breath of relief.

Thank goodness—just his daughters’ names.

A father missing his girls while on the road and murmuring their names in his dreams—what's wrong with that? It’s loving and totally natural!

But the Master immediately followed up with a big hit that left Leon speechless.

"Roswitha—518 times."

Leon: ?

"Captain, truly the the 'Pure Love Deity'. Dad said you mumbled your wife's name so hard last night you practically you kept chanting her name: a solid 518 times. The strength of love!"

"Love, my foot. It was just talking in my sleep—it doesn’t mean anything," Leon argued defensively, his tone clearly guilty.

Rebecca turned to Tiger. "Dad, has your apprentice always had such a stiff mouth?"

"Mm-hm. Once, he got kicked painfully by a donkey and didn't even say ‘ouch.’ Honestly, chip harder than anything his stepmom’s frying-pan pancakes."

"Wow. I just can’t figure out how the female Dragon King lasted three whole years sharing life with you and that stubborn mouth of yours," Rebecca said, unable to resist sighing.

You think it’s possible her mouth was even tougher than mine…?

Leon laughed off the topic to evade any further interrogation.

Since their next stop to find Victor was set for nighttime, the trio had ample time to prepare.

Tiger headed out to gather intelligence about the town.

Rebecca focused on securing enough ammunition.

Leon started fleshing out the detailed plans for the operation; blessed with rare quiet, he was able to draft several ways to unmask the traitor.

Three years. The truth would soon come to light.