The next day, Leon and his family set off for the Red Dragon Clan.

On the border of the Red Dragon territory, traces of war lingered.

However, compared to the Silver Dragon Clan several months ago, conditions here were far better.

Leon could roughly guess why Isa's clan had been targeted for attacks and harassment—

Since the Empire had long been collaborating with some Dragon Clans, they must have obtained considerable intelligence on the Silver Dragon Clan as well.

Naturally, this included the blood relationship between Roswitha and Isa.

Thus, while the Empire and the Dragon Clans sought to completely eliminate the Silver Dragon Clan, they also had to guard against Isa's efforts to provide aid.

But Isa wasn’t their primary target. Fully taking over the Red Dragon territory would require a significant amount of manpower and resources.

So the Empire and Dragon Clans' approach to Isa was only moderate—enough to keep her preoccupied and unable to assist the Silver Dragon Clan.

And as it turned out, this tactic worked well, perfectly aligning with Leon’s impression of the Empire.

But even the best plans can’t account for unexpected variables.

Who could’ve foreseen that General Leon—missing for six months—would suddenly reappear, turning the tide of the war?

Since this epic and protracted war between humans and dragons was a grand chess game orchestrated by the Empire, Leon, considered as an "outlier piece," naturally intended to make some unexpected moves of his own.

Otherwise, wouldn’t he be unworthy of that title?

Crossing the border of the Red Dragon territory, in no time, the family of five arrived at Isa's sanctuary.

The giant silver dragon descended slowly into the courtyard.

Since Roswitha had sent a message via a messenger dragon the day before to announce their visit, Isa and a group of maids were already waiting.

Upon landing, Roswitha reverted to her human form.

Isa, lifting the hem of her dress, quickly ran down the steps to greet them.

After months apart, the two sisters ran toward each other and embraced tightly.

Leon stood quietly a short distance behind, watching the heartwarming reunion between the two sisters with his daughters.

He recalled that the Empire’s dragonologists described the Dragon Clan as fairly indifferent toward familial bonds.

After all, in centuries or even millennia-long lifespans, any kind of affection and ties might wither like flowers over time.

But ever since his "marriage" to Roswitha, the mother dragon of the Melkevi family had been continuously reshaping Leon’s preconceptions about Dragon Clans.

He didn’t know whether the Melkevi family’s emphasis on familial relationships was an exception among dragons or not.

However, he didn’t see any harm in it—

At least, when all the chaos finally settled, he and Roswitha could still have the chance to go through the traditional process of meeting their parents.

After some small talks, Isa’s gaze moved past Roswitha’s shoulders to land on Leon and the three little ones.

"My darlings! Aunty missed you so much! Come give me a hug~"

Isa exclaimed as she strode forward enthusiastically, systematically hugging them one by one from oldest to youngest.

First was Noa.

"Hmm~ Little Noa, you’ve grown so much taller! Aunty can barely hold you anymore. Now let me give you a kiss—muuuua~"

The enthusiastic aunty didn’t leave Noa any chance to reply, delivering a kiss right to her cheek after the courtesies.

This made Noa suspect that her aunty simply enjoyed kissing her face.

After leaving a distinct lipstick mark on Noa’s cheek, it was Muen’s turn.

"Ah~ My little moon, come let aunty give you a hug! And another kiss, muuuua~"

These two kisses didn’t feel like an affectionate marking by an aunt, but more like a claiming ritual.

By the time it was Aurora’s turn—whose face bore a passing resemblance to Isa’s—the aunty couldn’t suppress her affection any longer.

With the first two nieces, she had at least exchanged a few words before kissing, but the moment it was Aurora’s turn, Isa went straight for it with no preamble.

However, after kissing Aurora, Isa noticed that the lipstick mark wasn’t as defined, probably worn out from her enthusiastic kisses with Muen and Noa earlier.

"Let aunty reapply some lipstick and give you another kiss."

With that, Isa waved her hand, and a nearby maid immediately stepped forward, presenting a lipstick with both hands.

Isa applied a fresh coat, then pressed another kiss onto Aurora’s face.

Satisfied with the crimson mark left behind, Isa rubbed Aurora’s chubby cheeks.

"Did you miss aunty, Aurora?"

"I did~"

Although nearly overwhelmed by her fiery-haired aunt’s affection, Aurora persisted in responding earnestly.

Watching Isa’s masterful display of affection, Leon couldn’t help but internally remark:

She even prepared lipstick beforehand—sure enough, all she really wanted was to kiss her three nieces!

After finishing kissing Aurora, Isa held Aurora in her arms and finally turned her gaze toward Leon.

"Hope that you are well, little brother-in-law."

"You too, elder sister."

"You’re looking a bit under the weather—been overworking lately?"

"Uh... not really, probably just from staying up late."

Leon internally muttered: Sis, you’ve got two Dragon Marks carved into you and probably look worse than me.

Isa nodded knowingly, then added with some hidden meaning, "Take care of yourself, brother-in-law."

"...Sure, I will. Thanks, sis."

Isa smirked. "Alright, let’s head inside."

The group entered the Red Dragon sanctuary.

In the reception hall, maids had already prepared tea and desserts.

"Dinner’s still a while away. Let’s sit and chat for now," Isa said, indicating for her sister and brother-in-law to take a seat.

Leon and Roswitha sat together on a large sofa.

Seeing this, Isa raised an eyebrow.

She remembered that during their previous visit, the couple was nowhere near this close—sitting as though one belonged indoors and the other felt more at home in the courtyard.

And now, without even asking, they were automatically sharing a seat.

Tsk tsk tsk, truly, things change after a second child—relationship dynamics improve naturally.

Well then… If the Melkevi family was to remain harmonious like this, perhaps her sister and brother-in-law should consider having even more children, Isa thought slyly.

"Aunty, hug me~"

Aurora’s voice interrupted Isa’s musings about her sister and brother-in-law’s baby-making plans.

Looking down, Isa smiled at the small pink-haired child at her feet and bent down to scoop her into her arms.

After poking Aurora’s cheeks affectionately a few times, Isa looked up at Roswitha.

"Have you managed to gather all your clansmen back?"

"Yes, they were all summoned back not too long ago," Roswitha replied. "What surprised me was how no one had given up on the Silver Dragon Clan. No matter how far they had gone, upon hearing the call, everyone returned."

Isa smiled. "That just shows you’re a queen worthy of their loyalty. They’re willing to follow you."

Roswitha nodded slightly. "You flatter me, sister."

Isa wanted to ask more, but her attention was drawn to the pendant necklace Roswitha wore.

"That necklace looks beautiful. Did your husband give it to you?"

"Oh, this? No, it’s something Grandma asked someone to send me recently. She said it was a belated wedding gift, and she insisted I always wear it."

Isa raised an elegant eyebrow. "Why?"

"Apparently, the pendant is made of some unusual magical material that’s effective at preventing skin aging… or something like that."

Isa snorted. "You’re just over 200 years old, my dear sister. Why are you worried about skin issues already?"

Roswitha smiled helplessly, "Well, it’s Grandma’s advice, so I’m just following it."

"Fair enough. It does suit you, though."

Isa shifted topics. "Speaking of Grandma, she sent me a letter recently too. She mentioned she’d visit me sometime soon."

"Oh, really? Principal Olette mentioned that Grandma wouldn’t be back for a while. By the way, Principal Olette was the one who delivered Grandma’s necklace to me."

Having also graduated from Saint Hiss Academy, Isa was also familiar with Principal Olette.

"Grandma knows the principal? How come I’ve never heard of this…" Isa thought for a moment but couldn’t recall any past interaction between the two.

"Apparently, they connected during a research expedition in the far north," Roswitha explained.

"A research project? Researching what?"

Roswitha shook her head. "I’m not sure. It seems like both Grandma and the principal were deliberately keeping it vague, so I didn’t press further."

Isa nodded thoughtfully, then decided to drop the subject.

Her gaze shifted to Leon, who was attempting to tie Muen’s hair into twin pigtails.

"Brother-in-law, I heard about your latest remarkable feat."

Leon let go of his daughter’s hair and looked up at Isa. "What do you mean?"

"You know, the whole ‘divine justice from the heavens, one-move annihilation of six Dragon Kings’ thing. That’s nothing short of legendary in the history of the Dragon Clan," Isa teased with a grin.

"So, was it love and justice that gave you the power this time too?"

Given that the exploits of "General Leon obliterating six dragons in ten seconds" had reached Saint Hiss Academy, it was no surprise that Isa had heard the tale as well.

Leon scratched his temple awkwardly, then straightened up and said seriously,

"Indeed, for the sake of protecting my beloved wife, I would risk everything, even my very life—"

"Alright, enough of that. Save those sweet nothings for your private moments. I’ve been single for centuries and can’t handle this kind of talk."

Isa sighed inwardly—her brother-in-law was truly hard to figure out:

In battle, he was capable of slaying six Dragon Kings in a row, leaving all in awe.

In conversation, he could spout romantic lines without breaking a sweat.

Judging by Roswitha’s expression, she didn’t just tolerate it—she actually loved it.

Alas.

Married women…

As Isa was lost in thought, Roswitha’s voice broke through,

"Sis, you’re at the age where you should start considering settling down too."

"Me? I’m not in any rush."

As she spoke, Isa glanced down affectionately at Aurora and planted another kiss on her cheek.

"Anyhow, I have my adorable nieces. Whether it’s marriage or reproduction, I’m in no hurry. Right, Aurora~?"

Aurora was wrapped in the pleasant scent of her aunt's perfume as she nuzzled her aunt's cheek.

Roswitha blinked, a sudden flash of insight striking her mind, and she abruptly remembered something.

"Oh, right, sis, do you have time tomorrow?"

"Yes, I do. What's up?"

"Muen and Aurora are planning to take the entrance exam for Saint Hiss Academy next month, and the test requires a family photo."

Roswitha added, "So we were thinking, we could take a family photo and also shoot a group family portrait while we're at it. If you're free, come and join us."

"Oh? That's a great idea. Aurora is already over a year old, and we still haven't taken a proper photo together."

Isa said, "Grandma did say in her letter that she'd come back in a while, but she didn't give us a specific date. If Aurora misses the entrance exam deadline, that wouldn't be good."

"Yes, we can take another one later when Grandma's back."

"No problem, then let's go tomorrow."

As night deepened, the Melkevi family chatted about their impending trip to the Sky City.

Little did they know, a departed soul risen from hell was quietly closing in on them.