Late at night, Leon leaned on the balcony railing, gazing out at the distant mountains and forests.

Clutched in his hand was the list Augus had given him days before.

The list named five Dragon Kings secretly colluding with the human Empire.

Like Constantine before them, Leon had never encountered these figures in his military career—hadn't even heard their names whispered.

Not a single history tome bore their names.

The discovery of their covert alliance with the Empire drew no surprise from Leon—

What nation would chronicle its co-conspirators in official records?

The Empire clearly knew the virtue of silence—the safest way to avoid blunders.

Having allied with these Dragon Kings, the Empire expunged them from all records. No wonder even Leon—a general who swam freely in oceans of knowledge—remained ignorant of them.

A sigh escaped Leon as his fingers tightened around the crumpling parchment.

In reality, he didn’t care much about which Dragon Kings were working with the Empire.

If those individuals were all at the same level as Constantine, they were hardly a threat to him.

What worried him more were Augus’s final words before his suicide:

“They will stop at nothing to kill you, to take away everything by your side.”

“You cannot bear the true counterattack of the Dragon Clan.”

Even at the last moment of his life, Augus, the abandoned pawn, had issued a curse to Leon.

Among all of these “last words,” the phrase “take away everything by your side” was the one Leon could least ignore.

Perhaps the Leon of the past wouldn’t have cared about a threat like this from his enemies. He would have dismissed it as the helpless fury of the dying.

But the Leon of today... was different.

Because the “everything” by his side had become far more plentiful than before.

In the Empire, he had a master who risked his life to prove his innocence; a female gunner who could have retired peacefully in the patrol team but instead chose to stand by him again.

Here, he had three daughters whom he loved deeply.

And the woman known as his nominal wife.

Counting them would only require two hands, yet these few people supported Leon’s entire world.

He had never thought about what would happen to him if he lost them one day.

It wasn’t that he didn’t think about it—it was that he didn’t dare.

But Augus’s dying threat forced Leon to confront this question.

Against the Empire and those shadowy Dragon Kings, could he truly protect everything he cherished in the decades-old intricate conspiracy their actions had brewed?

He had never doubted his own abilities, but now… now he desperately wanted to grow stronger.

“Ever since you returned from the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan, you’ve been standing here alone like this every night.”

A silver-haired beauty walked over to his side, resting her hands on the balcony railing alongside his.

Her steps were light, or perhaps Leon had been so lost in thought that he didn’t notice her approach.

Roswitha was dressed in a loose camisole nightgown and wore familiar dragon-wing slippers on her feet. The soft curve of her chest was faintly visible, and the Dragon Mark on her chest rose and fell quietly with her breaths.

Her hair was loose and slightly damp, carrying a pleasant floral fragrance—she had likely just taken a bath.

“Ah... couldn’t sleep.”

The beauty beside him went unnoticed, but Leon had no intention of appreciating her presence.

Roswitha studied her captive carefully; this idiot had been noticeably preoccupied for days now.

She had hoped he would come to her on his own to share his troubles and his burdens.

But this dog of a man was as reserved as a sealed jar—never willing to share his worries, always bottling them up instead.

In the past, Roswitha wouldn’t have cared about offering him any sort of emotional support. As long as he didn’t take on this weary appearance in front of strangers and played his part as a fake husband properly, managing their façade of a family, it would have been fine by her.

But now... things had changed.

After all, he had once said, “Melkevi, I like you.”

Roswitha still wanted to hear those words again someday, so—

She decided to care for him, just a little—just a tiny bit.

Her gaze landed on the crumpled list in Leon’s hand.

The list was slightly creased from his tight grip, though he himself seemed completely unaware of it.

Clearly, the psychological pressure was weighing on him.

Roswitha’s mind stirred; she did not plan to ask Leon directly about the worries plaguing him. Instead, she thought she’d start the conversation in a roundabout way, gradually leading it toward the heart of the matter.

“I already told you about the three Dragon Kings adept at spatial magic,” said Roswitha.

“Would you like your queen to give you a lesson on the other two names on that list?”

Nowadays, whenever Leon heard her call herself “your queen,” he couldn’t help but chuckle.

It wasn’t laughter of mockery or disdain.

It was simply that... when this dragoness referred to herself in those terms, he found it adorable.

There was a strange sense of incongruous charm to it.

Moreover, it seemed like she only emphasized the phrase “your queen” when she was with him.

She never used that title when speaking with her maids.

Leon couldn’t understand what silly competition she was waging against him by doing this.

He allowed a small smile to tug at the corner of his lips, “Alright, tell me.”

“The Radiant Star Dragon King, Sta—he’s even older than Constantine, as far as I know. In the beginner’s reading materials for Muen and her generation, Constantine is depicted as a hero of the Dragon Clan; but when I was a child, the Dragon Clan hero in our books was Sta. That should give you a sense of how ancient this guy is.”

“But our Dragon Clan is different from most other races, including humans. For other races, individuals often weaken as they grow older. But for dragons? That’s not the case.”

“In fact, dragons as strong as Constantine’s subtype tend to grow more powerful with age.”

“The Radiant Star Dragon King, Sta, shares this trait. However, I’ve only seen brief mentions of him in the Dragon Clan’s texts, so I can’t say for sure exactly how strong he is now.”

Leon nodded in acknowledgment, “And the Warhammer Dragon King? What’s his story?”

“Oh, he’s quite unique—his entire clan has been wiped out. He’s the only one left.”

Leon froze. “Seriously? A lone commander?”

“Mm-hmm. You could put it that way.”

“Wouldn’t other clans find it easy to take him down, since he’s alone?”

“Not quite.”

Roswitha explained, “Because he’s alone, with no attachments or cares, Adam acts without restraint. Whether he’s being pursued or doing the pursuing, seeking revenge or being avenged, wherever Adam passes, all he leaves behind is land littered with corpses and boundless hatred. For quite a long time, he was a nightmare for the entire Dragon Clan.”

“But eventually, he apparently grew weary of such a lifestyle. Adam began working as a ‘mercenary.’”

Leon frowned slightly. “Mercenary?”

“Yes. Whichever Dragon Clan offered the highest bid, Adam would fight for them. Pillaging, annihilating, even massacring cities and clans—if the reward was sufficient, he would do whatever was asked of him.”

Roswitha continued, “But for the past hundred years or so, Adam’s whereabouts have been unknown. Perhaps he’s abandoned his old ways after partnering with the Empire?”

“Maybe…”

Leon mulled over what Roswitha had just revealed. “Alone… unattached…”

“Exactly. A person with no ties to others can act without hesitation—perhaps that’s the underlying logic.”

After finishing this statement, Roswitha seemed to realize something.

She turned her gaze to Leon.

The idiot who had been listening intently to her explanation moments ago now wore a dazed and distant expression.

Oh~~

Now she understood.

So that was the core of the issue.

When Leon heard Adam described as unattached, acting without reservations, he must have linked those ideas to Augus’s final words.

Perfect. Since she’d pinpointed the root of the problem, now she could tailor her approach to address it directly.

“You’re zoning out again, idiot,” Roswitha said softly.

“Huh? Oh… sorry.”

“I think I know what’s on your mind now,” said the queen as she stared out into the deep night sky, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Even though her words were spoken to Leon, she did not turn to look at him.

Leon gazed at her sculpture-like profile. “What?”

“You’re worried about me.”

“Goodnight.”

“Wait—don’t leave!”

Roswitha swiftly reached out and grabbed him. Leon hadn’t seriously intended to walk away, which was why she’d managed to stop him so easily.

“Can’t you ever talk properly?” Leon asked with mild irritation.

Roswitha snorted lightly. “Alright, let me rephrase. You’re worried about us—is that acceptable?”

Leon scratched the edge of his nose and admitted sullenly, “Yeah.”

Roswitha shifted her position, leaning sideways against the railing, arms crossed in front of her chest. Her gaze met his. “Looks like my sister was right after all.”

“What did your sister say?”

“She said fathers of daughters all become family champions.”

“Huh?”

“It’s just a bit of teasing. But at its core, it means people like you care about family above everything else.”

Leon shrugged, tacitly agreeing with Roswitha’s assessment of him.

Seeing his lackluster response, Roswitha decided to quickly get to the point.

“Leon, have you ever heard the saying, ‘Family is the greatest pillar of strength’?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it.”

“Do you think that saying is true?”

Leon mulled it over briefly before replying, “I’d say so... Family is your support system, your haven. That’s what people always say, right?”

Indeed, he had always viewed his “fake” family from that perspective.

Regardless of whether this haven was real or not, as long as it could harbor him, it was still a good haven.

“And that’s where you made the same mistake ‘people’ tend to make,” Roswitha said.

“Wha—what… mistake?”

“For the average person’s family, it might hold true that family members are a safe island to retreat to when all other roads are blocked. But have you ever considered this: your wife isn’t an average person?”

Roswitha had a faint smile on her lips as she gazed into his slightly moved eyes and continued speaking slowly,

"Come on, dear husband, your wife is the Silver Dragon Queen. If you think I don’t have the ability to keep myself safe in this chaotic world, then how do you think I’ve made it to where I am today?"

"I’m not blaming you, Leon. I’m simply giving you a reminder—don’t think of me as a woman who can only find a sense of security by relying on others."

"You’re always thinking about how to protect us in the midst of this conspiracy, but have you ever considered that I could stand beside you, like I am right now?"

"Why can’t we face those unknown crises together?"

"NoaMuenAurora is your daughter—is she not mine as well?"

"Leon, don’t bear everything on your own shoulders. You have to understand, you’re not alone anymore."

"Indeed, someone who acts recklessly and without attachments can be unstoppable, invincible."

"But—"

The queen stepped forward, raising her hand to gently touch the side of Leon’s face.

Silver and black eyes met, their pupils reflecting each other’s image.

"Where your beloved dwells—that is your true belonging."

She squinted as she smiled, and Leon realized he had never seen her smile so tenderly before.

That tenderness seemed as if it could seep into the marrow of his bones.

"So cease playing the lone hero—must your queen... remind you of her displeasure?"