"You two... cough, cough."

Grandmother truly couldn't bear to interrupt the prolonged gaze between her granddaughter and her grandson-in-law.

But seriously, your gazes are getting so intense they might as well start weaving silk threads. Don't you guys notice this at all?

Listen, this old lady is already over 800 years old. I’d like to live a few more centuries, so could you avoid showing me such things, huh?

Upon hearing this, Roswitha quickly withdrew her gaze and instinctively scratched her cheek.

Hmm, still feels a little hot.

Grandmother looked at her granddaughter's somewhat shy expression and sighed inwardly. A married woman indeed changes drastically—it's like a completely different person from fifty years ago.

But she didn’t chide or drop any veiled reminders.

Grandmother, though strict by nature, believed that since the younger Lothar had grown into the present Silver Dragon Queen and built her own family, her future path should entirely be up to her own decisions.

She would not interfere too much in the choices of the younger generation.

"It seems Leon wasn't lying—your relationship does appear to be loving," Grandmother finally spoke.

Roswitha raised an eyebrow. "Leon said... we’re loving?"

Grandmother nodded. "Yes, that’s what he said."

After a brief pause, she added, "And not just once—he mentioned it several times."

The Queen's heartbeat quickened. She couldn't resist sneaking a glance at her "dog" of a husband sitting across from her. Suppressing the rising corners of her lips, she spoke in a deliberately taunting tone, "Oh really? Hubby~?"

Smoothly, Roswitha activated their private couple-only voice chat.

【Oh-ho, is that true?】

【You said it several times?】

【How loving, exactly? Could you share it with me too~?】

【How come you’ve never told me this before? Were you too shy?】

【Speak up! Leon!】

【Unmute yourself! Quickly, Get on mic right now!】

...

【Leon Cosmoth has exited the team voice chat and muted his teammate.】

He bowed his head and quietly covered his face.

The female dragons of the Melkevi clan not only excel at changing expressions but are also remarkably skilled at ensuring their partners socially awkward situation.

"Sigh, Lothar, don’t tease him too much; you’ve made him all embarrassed," Grandmother stepped in to mediate.

Roswitha huffed lightly. "It's fine, Grandma. This is just how we are usually."

Grandmother chuckled softly. "Then that’s rather wonderful."

After a few more casual exchanges, Roswitha shifted the subject. "By the way, Grandma, you didn’t return this time just to check in on my sister and me, did you?"

It’s rare for the old lady to come back even once in decades. Each visit was always for something significant.

Roswitha figured this time wouldn’t be an exception.

As expected, Grandmother nodded, her smile fading, replaced with a slightly graver tone.

"Indeed, I have something I need to discuss with you."

Leon, sensing the change in mood, tentatively asked, "Should I... step outside?"

Grandmother shook her head. "No, there’s no need. Leon, you can stay and listen. It’s fine."

"Alright," he replied.

Roswitha adjusted her posture and sat upright. "Please go ahead, Grandma."

Grandmother, her expression serious, began speaking carefully.

"Actually, I had planned to return three years ago. Back then, I heard that humanity's top-tier Dragon Slayer Army was planning an assault on your territory. The leader of the army was said to be a man clad in black armor, rumored to be the strongest Dragon Slayer among humans. Before this, several Dragon Kings had already fallen at his hands."

Leon: Perhaps I really should excuse myself…

Grandmother, you don’t just casually twist the knife—you aim straight for vital organs when you do.

The husband and wife exchanged glances.

Roswitha gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, signaling, "It’s fine. Keep listening."

"Upon receiving the news, I intended to set off for home immediately. However, at the time, I was with several other Dragon Kings in the far northern reaches of the continent conducting reconnaissance. Even at full speed, it would have taken at least a month to return to the Silver Dragon territory."

"Fortunately, ‘Starroving Dragon King Ravi’ was also there. He suggested using his spatial teleportation magic to transport me part of the way. This could have saved half the travel time."

"But it required a few days to prepare the teleportation array. So I agreed."

"However, by the time Ravi’s teleportation array was ready, word arrived that the Silver Dragon Queen had successfully defeated the human Dragon Slayer Army."

"So I abandoned my plans to return."

Grandmother squinted her eyes slightly, recalling those events in detail. "At that moment, I began to wonder, was that man in black armor really as strong as the rumors claimed? How could someone so powerful be responsible for the deaths of so many Dragon Kings in succession? Could it have been sheer coincidence?"

General Lai: Should I do a live demonstration for you? Somebody, fetch me my Black Gold Chariot!

Sensing a trace of displeasure from her husband, Roswitha hastily intervened to defuse the situation.

"Ah, that guy was indeed very formidable. I only managed to defend my territory by sheer luck."

Roswitha truly appreciated how her grandmother had kept an eye on her and worried about her well-being. However, continuing along this line of discussion might just send someone into a full-blown get flustered.

When Leon usually got flustered or heated, Roswitha wouldn’t miss the chance to tease him even more.

But with Grandmother present, any slip of the tongue brought on by overwhelming emotions could risk exposing something, and that would definitely not be worth the trouble.

So... it wasn’t about defending her husband out of any particular fondness—absolutely not—it was purely about keeping Grandmother in the dark.

"The next piece of news I heard about you was regarding Crimson Flame Dragon King Constantine’s invasion."

At this point, Grandmother raised her head to look at Leon sitting across from her.

"The messenger reported that the Silver Dragon Queen was notably absent from the battlefield, and instead, a person wielding lightning magic fought in her place. Lightning magic isn’t common among the Dragon Clan, is it? Typically, only a few... remnants from the smallest Dragon Clans would use such magic, isn’t that right, Leon?"

The identity of "a remnant from one of the tiniest Dragon Clans" was part of the backstory Roswitha had fabricated for Leon. He had just used this setup to introduce himself to Grandmother moments ago.

But this cover story might have been sufficient to fool outsiders; it clearly didn’t slip past Grandmother's probing scrutiny.

While Grandmother didn’t directly call it out as false, her implicit questioning served to test Leon’s response.

Only now did Roswitha realize that although Grandmother hadn’t detected Leon’s human identity, she was indeed skeptical of the "remnant from a minor clan" narrative.

So... Grandmother’s earlier remark about not minding her grandson-in-law’s origins was just humoring her?

Ah, as expected—old ginger is spicier. Roswitha inwardly sighed.

"You're correct. It was I who defeated Constantine."

To Roswitha's slight surprise, Leon admitted it so directly.

Then again, it was probably for the best. There was really no need to keep this a secret. Being vague or evasive might actually raise Grandmother’s suspicions.

"At the time, Roswitha was about to give birth. Constantine’s spies within the Silver Dragon Clan provided him with this information, so he chose that moment to attack. To protect Roswitha and our soon-to-be-born child, I put everything on the line in that battle and barely defeated Constantine."

Put everything on the line—in this case, risked everything against Constantine.

Barely defeated—in ten minutes, and only just.

If he could stockpile mana, would five minutes have sufficed?

Yes, five minutes would suffice.

Grandmother smiled and replied, "Leon, there’s no need for you to be so nervous. I won’t pry too deeply into your past. Since Lothar chose you, it means she trusts you."

Leon let out a small breath of relief and seized the opportunity to glance at Roswitha.

The beauty smiled back, her expression tinged with a hint of pride.

Silly dragon, what are you looking so proud for? Reel it in.

Grandmother continued speaking.

"In just three years, the Silver Dragon Clan has endured two large-scale attacks. It gives me a nagging sense of unease."

"I’ve been thinking that once the reconnaissance work in the far north was complete, I would return immediately."

"Thankfully, in the days since, I hadn’t received further alarming news from Lothar’s side, so the anxiety in my heart subsided somewhat."

"But... not long after that, Starroving Dragon King Ravi abruptly withdrew from the northern reconnaissance operation, for reasons unknown."

"Without Ravi, whose specialty is spatial magic, our reconnaissance became exceedingly difficult, forcing us to temporarily suspend our progress. During this downtime, I decided to take the opportunity to visit you and Isa."

"On the way here, my spies uncovered several intriguing pieces of information."

"For instance... apart from Ravi, two other Dragon Kings adept at spatial magic, the ‘Black Sun Dragon King Bly’ and the ‘Chaotic Dragon King Jagis,’ have also mysteriously vanished. Yet within their respective clans, everything appears to remain peaceful."

Grandmother glanced up, her gaze moving between the couple seated across from her. Then, she left the thread dangling without elaboration.

Roswitha immediately caught on and picked up where her grandmother left off. "If the Dragon Kings had disappeared but left their clans in a stable state, it means they had prepared everything beforehand before leaving."

Grandmother nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Although I can’t confirm whether Ravi and the two other Dragon Kings’ secretive actions are connected to the frequent attacks your Silver Dragon Clan has faced recently, I felt it necessary for you to know this information."

When several Dragon Kings suddenly gather in secret, it bodes ill for most.

Grandmother’s intelligence was indeed critical. At minimum, it afforded Roswitha some valuable preparation time, sparing her from being caught off guard by looming crises.

Roswitha went on to inquire further about Ravi, and Grandmother answered each question one by one.

Meanwhile, Leon mulled over the names of the Dragon Kings the old lady had mentioned earlier:

Ravi, Bly, and Jagis.

All of whom he had...

Never heard of.

Just like... he had never heard of Constantine before either.

"Hard not to think all these old monsters might be interconnected somehow..." Leon mused silently.