At the boundary between the territories of humans and dragons, a mountain stream, a hidden cave nestled within the cliffs.

Leon stood at the edge of the cliff, his gaze fixed on the concealed entrance behind the waterfall, his expression grave.

That was the agreed meeting place between him and his master.

Earlier, Roswitha had asked him if he was nervous, wondering what he would do if his master failed to show.

Leon’s confidence in his master’s abilities left little room for doubt--there was no way his master could be easily captured by the Empire.

After all, when his master had pressured the Empire by eliminating the casino owner and "Metalwork" priest, even the Empire had been unable to capture him for an entire year.

Still, belief was one thing--Leon couldn't entirely dismiss the worry and tension Roswitha mentioned.

The roaring water of the waterfall echoed in his ears, and a refreshing chill seemed to rise from the depths below the gorge.

Leon closed his eyes, took a deep breath to compose himself, then turned to Roswitha by his side. “Let’s head down.”

The queen nodded, unfurling her dragon wings and slowly carrying Leon into the gorge.

Reaching the waterfall, Roswitha flapped her wings, parting the cascading water, and she and Leon entered the cave hidden behind it.

Inside the cave, everything remained just as they had seen it before: simple furnishings of a table and chairs, without any unnecessary decor.

Leon glanced back toward the entrance briefly, then directed his attention deeper into the cave.

The inner recesses were dimly lit, shrouded in shadows, making it difficult to see clearly.

Tentatively, Leon called out, “Master, are you in there?”

His voice echoed through the cave, but there was no other response.

Leon’s heart tightened at this.

Could something truly have happened to them?

He unconsciously clenched his fists, his heartbeat picking up an uncontrollable pace.

Images of the worst-case scenarios flashed through his mind.

If something had indeed happened to his master, how would he ever face his master’s wife in the future...?

And Rebecca--this crazy girl who had gone out of her way to help him, diving willingly into this swirling conspiracy involving humans and dragons--if she hadn’t escaped unscathed, Leon knew he'd carry guilt for the rest of his life.

What’s more, if both his master and Rebecca had failed to evade the Empire’s pursuit, it was likely Martin wouldn’t escape implication either.

Even with a powerful minister as his father, the Empire would stop at nothing to eliminate anyone who might know their dirty secrets.

Leon swallowed hard, his mind racing as he tried to calculate various contingency plans for the situations that might arise.

Yet the growing fear deep within made it impossible for him to think clearly.

What to do? What was he supposed to do?

“You’re breaking into a sweat already, Captain?”

A familiar female voice came from within the shadows.

Leon’s brain momentarily froze before springing back into action--clearing the leftover “memory clutter” from his rapid overthinking earlier, so he could properly handle what came next.

He lifted his head to look deeper into the cave.

From the darkness emerged two figures.

One tall, one short.

The tall one held a katana in hand. Though his face was aged, the aura emanating from him rivaled that of a youth in their prime.

The shorter one--those recognizable twin tails, paired with her toned legs under impossibly short shorts. Two handguns were holstered on either side of her thighs. She had her hands clasped behind her head as if resting them, while lazily chewing what appeared to be bubble gum. Her teal eyes glanced at Leon with a mischievous glint, a satisfied look of triumph sparkling within them.

Seeing the two of them standing there in good health, Leon let out a heavy sigh of relief, though he couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Rebecca.

“Was that fun? Really, was it?”

Rebecca popped her bubble gum, baring her teeth in a cheeky grin. “Haha, totally fun. I’ve never seen you so flustered before, Captain!”

Leon decided it wasn’t worth the effort arguing with this lunatic. Instead, he directed his attention to the elderly man at her side. “Master, seriously? You let her drag you into this nonsense?”

“I thought it was amusing as well,” replied his master, a weathered yet spirited older man who clearly enjoyed joining in on such trivial antics. “To be honest, I’ve never seen you this concerned about anyone before--well, except maybe the family mule.”

“...”

Rebecca seemed eager to continue teasing the Captain, but her attention was quickly diverted to the striking woman standing silently behind Leon.

The woman radiated a mesmerizing presence, her silver hair flowing like the endless constellations in the night sky. Her refined features seemed carved by the hands of a master artisan, combining elegance with a cold, aloof beauty. Her high-bridged nose and pale, petal-thin lips spoke of an innate aristocracy.

Her gaze--her eyes--resembled an unfathomable lake, unwaveringly calm but shimmering faintly with a chilling light, evoking an impression both distant and untouchable, as though she existed in a realm beyond the mundane, isolated from earthly impurities.

Her bearing was serene yet exuded unmatched pride. Clad simply but tastefully, the white gown she wore accentuated her statuesque figure and commanding aura. Even in the unembellished setting of the cave, she shone like the brightest star in the night sky, peerless and radiant.

Rebecca offered her own concise and brutally accurate assessment of the woman:

"Totally his type."

Silver-haired, regal, dragon queen--Rebecca now seriously suspected that Leon had somehow mastered forbidden “life-creation” magic and had perfectly fashioned this woman to cater to his deepest preferences.

Wait.

Wife.

Rebecca leaned closer to the older man, speaking in a low whisper. “That’s the Captain’s wife, isn’t it? The Silver Dragon Queen?”

Her companion gave a subtle nod, his expression unreadable.

It was his second time meeting Roswitha, yet her commanding presence remained just as awe-inspiring as it had been years ago.

Roswitha, however, showed no interest in joining their conversation. Instead, she turned and walked over to a wooden chair, gracefully smoothing her gown as she sat.

Her posture was impeccable, exuding poise and discipline. With her hands resting gently on the table’s edge, she closed her eyes.

All leaders seemed to share one peculiar trait: when they fell into moments of silence, it often subdued those around them, sometimes even pausing idle chatter, as if drawing everyone’s attention without effort.

Roswitha was no exception.

The moment she sat silently, unmoving, she effortlessly became the focal point of the entire cave.

“Captain, is your... wife upset?” Rebecca whispered.

Leon glanced at the serene dragon queen, her eyes still peacefully shut, but said nothing.

Turning back to his master and Rebecca, he walked over. “She’s fine. She doesn’t like talking to strangers. We’ll just carry on.”

With the brief banter over, it was time to get to business.

“I’ll start with what I know,” Leon began. “Based on the intel I currently have, Constantine isn’t the only Dragon King working with the Empire. Other Dragon Kings have also secretly aligned themselves with the Empire, collaborating on some greater scheme.”

“One of Constantine’s trusted subordinates likely possesses information about these Dragon Kings’ identities. Once things settle down a bit with the Scarlet Flame Dragon Clan, my next step will be to track down that subordinate and find out more.”

Hearing this, Leon’s master frowned. “So there are even more Dragon Kings involved... The Empire’s ambitions are bigger than I’d thought.”

Leon shrugged. “The number of Dragon Kings doesn’t matter. However many there are, we can just... eliminate them. The real concern is figuring out what exactly the Empire and the Dragon Clans are planning together.”

*“The number of Dragon Kings doesn’t matter--just kill them”?*

Rebecca nearly blacked out at this statement, catching herself just in time by grabbing her father’s arm.

Leon Casmod, her Captain, had to be the only person in existence capable of making absurd statements sound utterly credible and intimidating.

“Master, what about you? Have you and Rebecca discovered anything?” Leon asked.

“Yes, we’ve gathered some new clues and made some analyses of our own.” Leon’s master began explaining slowly.

“After you left, the Empire pursued me and Rebecca relentlessly. But their efforts to hunt us down lasted only about a month.”

“After that month, the Empire redirected much of its manpower and resources into the Dragon Slayer Army, escalating campaigns against the Dragon Clans.”

“Meanwhile, according to Martin’s investigation within the royal palace, the Dragon Slayer Army hasn't launched any further attacks on the Silver Dragon Clan where you're based. This is likely because they’re wary of your strength--after all, assassinating Constantine has made you a nightmare tale in the Emperor’s court.”

“That said, you and the Silver Dragon King shouldn’t let your guard down. Constantine’s invasion of the Silver Dragon Clan shows how determined they are to eliminate you.”

“This could all just be a feint--the Dragon Slayer Army appearing to target other clans while their real objective remains you. Understand?”

Leon nodded firmly. “I understand, Master.”

“Good. Now, concerning what Rebecca and I have uncovered over the past three months--it’s unrelated to the Dragon Clans, but involves secrets within the Empire’s royal court.”

His master’s voice took a more pointed tone.

“Do you recall when the previous King died?”

Leon blinked, caught off-guard by the question. He searched his memory carefully. “It must have been over thirty years ago, right? That’s what the history books and biographies say.”

“Exactly, thirty years ago. Rebecca and I recently reviewed newspapers, records, and accounts surrounding the late king’s death. And we discovered something... peculiar.”

Leon’s expression hardened. “What exactly?”

“None of the records regarding the king's death include photographs of his corpse.”

The elder man's tone turned grim, his words quickening slightly.

“When the king passed, the public should have been allowed to pay respects to their fallen ruler. However, the funeral sealed his coffin completely. Not just ordinary citizens--even some of the closest aides were denied the chance to see him one last time.”

"Aside from that, Rebecca and I also gathered newspapers from other years and were surprised to discover that not only the previous king but also many other royal family members and ministers had their lives recorded purely in *text* upon their deaths. No funeral photographs depicted their corpses."

"If this were to protect the privacy of the royal family, not to be disclosed to the public, then how do we explain the fact that for every monarch before then, their corpse photographs could always be found in the news records of their time?"

Tiger exhaled deeply, looking into his disciple's eyes as he voiced his bold hypothesis. "So I suspect... those truly wielding power in the Empire's royal family now are the very ones who should have died decades ago."

Leon was somewhat dumbfounded.

He struggled to digest his mentor's theory, scratching his head as he said,

"Just based on clues like the absence of corpse photographs? Master, I’m afraid that’s not enough to support such an idea."

The old man was a rather eccentric figure, Leon knew that.

But this theory--this was almost too outrageous, definitely not something to assert lightly.

"Of course, it’s not just that," Tiger said. "The reason I even thought to look through those old newspapers and records was because, during my time here in the Empire, I suddenly realized a peculiar thing: The policies with which the current king governs the nation are virtually identical to those of the previous king. There haven’t been any significant reforms."

Leon's thoughts shifted slightly, and he glanced sidelong at Roswitha, who was seated quietly nearby.

He had been studying the intricacies of royal authority under Roswitha for some time now.

Hearing his master's words, Leon quickly understood what Tiger was implying. Adding to the conversation, he said,

"Not altering policies or other governing methods--this is quite unusual for those in power. Every newly ascended ruler typically seeks to erase all traces left by their predecessor in order to consolidate their own position. Because from the moment they ascend the throne, the nation becomes theirs; they wouldn’t allow any interference from a ruler other than themselves."

"In essence, a new ruler lights three fires upon taking office(A newly - appointed official usually tries to show his or her capabilities by making a few striking moves at the beginning of their tenure.).

The first fire burns away any enemies they’ve encountered along the way.

The second fire burns away all the dirt and weaknesses of their past.

And the third fire burns away every trace of their predecessor’s existence."

Leon’s sharp analysis made Tiger’s eyes light up. He opened his mouth slightly, a bit startled.

Well, well, my dear disciple--didn’t I tell you before not to bother with such matters of power struggles?

How is it that now you can explain these things so clearly?

Meanwhile, sitting quietly nearby, Roswitha couldn’t help but smile faintly at Leon’s deductions, the expression fleeting and hard to detect.

Who would’ve thought--this idiot actually learned pretty fast.

"Hmm, your thoughts align with mine," Tiger said. "Since the current king’s coronation, nothing has changed—not the economic system, societal structures, nor cultural policies. Even education and welfare reforms remain untouched. This is undeniably strange. That’s what made me think of the previous king and look into him, which is how I uncovered the matter of the funeral and the corpses."

Leon pondered for a while before murmuring,

"If what you’re saying, Master, is true--if the previous king and other ministers faked their deaths and are still controlling the Empire behind the scenes--then they must be... over a hundred years old by now, right? Ordinary humans rarely live to be over a hundred."

Not to mention whether regular humans could even reach such an age--if by some chance they did, their physical and cognitive abilities would hardly be sufficient to run a nation.

"Immortality, my boy," Tiger said with a heavy sigh.

"Immortality has been the ultimate pursuit of those in power for centuries."