“So, since you already knew I was human...”

Leon looked at his younger daughter. “Aurora, then why were you insisting that I turn into a dragon just now? Can I? Is it even possible?”

Aurora chuckled without speaking.

General Lai froze for a moment, then came to a sudden realization.

“You... You’re just doing it for fun…”

When he had first met this future version of Aurora and heard her speak in such a cold, detached tone, Leon had thought that two decades of life had changed her personality from the one he remembered.

After all, she was the same daughter who once stubbornly refused to speak for two months—just so she could silently observe her mom and dad bantering and arguing for her own amusement.

But now he realized —

Leopards don't change their spots!

The mischievous imp remained unchanged at heart.

She had simply grown more beautiful, with a commanding presence, and donning a lab coat.

“Mom always enjoyed nothing more than teasing you when you got frustrated, Dad,” Aurora explained matter-of-factly. “I’m just doing what I inherited, that’s all.”

“So... when do you plan to take me to see your mother and Muen?”

“Right now, if you’d like. But I’d thought you’d have a bunch of questions to ask first—like, what’s going on, why things are the way they are.” Noa said.

Leon shifted his gaze slightly before responding, “I can ask questions along the way. Besides... no matter how urgent or complicated this situation might be, I’ll figure it out. Right now, my priority is seeing your sister and your mother as soon as possible.”

“Ssssshhh—”

Aurora drew in a sharp breath before replying, “If someone else said that, I’d dismiss it as over-the-top bravado. But hearing it from you, Dad... I actually think you’re capable of doing it.”

It had aligned perfectly with her feelings since the moment they had reunited hours ago:

Dad’s back. The strongest man is here again. Any trouble we’re facing will soon be resolved.

Noa also offered a knowing smile. The old bastard truly hadn’t changed much from how she remembered him—still so confident, and a little overly dramatic at times.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

Noa stood up and began walking toward the cave’s exit. “Aurora, you must be tired from flying all the way here, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, pretty worn out,” Aurora replied, massaging her shoulders. “I’ve only recently mastered my dragon form, and flying such a long distance with a 77-kilogram dud riding on me hasn’t exactly been easy.”

“Did you really have to be so specific down to the exact number...”

“That’s called scientific precision, Dad.”

Leon snorted softly.

Talking to his younger daughter often gave him a sense of déjà vu, like arguing with Roswitha back in the old days.

It only made Leon anticipate his upcoming reunion with Roswitha even more—assuming his dragon wife wouldn’t immediately greet him with a hard punch.

A punch from his daughters was something Leon could still endure. But from Roswitha, the Dragon King herself? That kind of punch could shatter General Lai’s twelve intestines in one blow!

As these thoughts wandered through his mind, the trio arrived at the cave’s exit.

Noa spread her wings and shifted into her dragon form. Her dragon form gleamed in a shining silver hue, consistent with her heritage as a silver dragon. However, because she shared half of Leon’s bloodline, some of her scales displayed a gradual transition into black.

It wasn’t the kind of jarring black one might see as a mismatch, but rather a smooth and elegant gradient.

Beyond her physical features, there was only the notable distinction of her being considerably smaller than Roswitha in size—otherwise, the resemblance was unmistakable.

Leon and Aurora climbed onto Noa’s back, and she spread her wings and flew out of the cave.

As they left the mountain valley, Leon turned back for a moment, recalling Aurora's words from hours earlier, when she'd mentioned that Noa had been waiting for him in this area.

“Waiting...”

Leon paused in thought before asking, “Noa, have you been waiting here all along?”

“Yes.”

“Then... Aurora must’ve been waiting for me back at Silver Dragon Castle?”

“Correct, Dad,” Aurora replied from beside him. “Those were the only two places you'd likely visit if you ever returned someday. Since we couldn’t predict which one you’d choose, we divided ourselves to wait for you separately.”

Leon mulled over her words.

She'd only mentioned that she and Noa had been waiting at two separate locations but had conspicuously avoided taking the conversation to its obvious conclusion—“waiting for twenty whole years.”

Aurora might still delight in carefree amusement like she had in the past, but her ability to carefully measure emotional depth hadn’t diminished one bit.

Scratching his temple, Leon asked, “But... what if I’d never come back?”

“Then—”

“Then we would have kept waiting," Noa completed her sister's thought.

His daughters appeared simultaneously matured and youthful.

They had grown in strength, in maturity, in composure, yet they retained a layer of childlike stubbornness deep within.

Waiting for someone who might never return...that was among life's cruelest trials.

Leon buried his face in his hands, letting out a heavy sigh.

Aurora silently watched her father, opting not to say anything further.

As midnight rolled across the sky, the silver dragon soared through the darkness toward a specific area in the Dragon Clan’s territory.

There, hidden deep within the folds of the land, lay all the answers.

——

After a flight lasting nearly eight or nine hours, Noa finally slowed her speed.

Below them was a dense mountain forest. Along the way, they had encountered no signs of any Dragon Clan villages or settlements.

Noa gradually descended, landing in the heart of the forest.

After reverting to her human form, she turned to the other two. “Let’s go.”

Leon nodded and fell into step beside Aurora.

They were now far beyond Silver Dragon territory—and judging by the surroundings, there didn’t seem to be any traces that indicated warfare had occurred here.

Leon wondered whether his daughters had departed Silver Dragon Castle by choice or if external forces had pursued them here.

Regardless, he was moments away from meeting Roswitha and Muen, and moments away from unearthing every truth behind the veil.

Noa led them through the depths of the forest.

Their path twisted over narrow trails, labyrinthine and overlapping—without a guide, one could easily become lost amidst the trees.

After trekking for roughly another twenty minutes, the trio arrived before a massive boulder.

Their path abruptly came to a halt.

Noa extended her hand slowly, pressing it against the stone’s surface.

In the next instant, the boulder began to flicker irregularly, then vanished entirely.

Illusion magic.

And a very advanced type at that. Even Leon hadn’t caught onto it immediately. He’d assumed there would be a concealed mechanism or something hidden in the stone instead.

Behind where the illusory boulder vanished lay an entrance to a tunnel.

Noa and Aurora stepped into it. Leon followed closely behind.

Once all three had entered, the boulder’s image reappeared, sealing the passage.

Their footsteps echoed faintly in the dim tunnel, as Noa bent down to pick up a torch from the corner before igniting it with Dragon Flame.

The flicker of light illuminated their surroundings.

Leon found himself slightly impressed.

Noa’s elemental affinity matched his own—it was lightning.

Though learning a secondary Elemental Magic skill was common upon reaching higher proficiency levels, those skills typically required extensive time to practice before achieving any mastery.

Noa’s precision in wielding fire elements demonstrated a level of expertise that seemed beyond her current age.

Some things never changed with the Involuted King, it seemed.

“Let’s keep going,” Noa said, her voice pulling Leon back to focus.

“Alright.”

The trio moved deeper into the tunnel, which eventually led them to several spiraling stone steps descending underground.

Following the steps downward, they reached a finely crafted chamber carved into the subterranean layers.

Noa placed the torch beside a nearby wooden door, raising her hand to push it open.

The sound of the door creaking immediately drew the attention of someone inside—a lively voice bubbled up, one that matched Noa’s tone perfectly:

“Sis, Aurora, you’re finally back!”

“Did you guys learn anything exciting this time?”

“Mom’s still the same; I’ve been keeping her company and chatting with her a lot.”

“Sis, I wanna have some seared steak; think you could whip—oh my GOD, Dad?!”