After the battle, Isa methodically commanded the Red Dragon guards to conduct the cleanup work.

"Take down the mammoth leg hanging on the gate and check its quality. See if it's still good enough to roast."

"Replant all the grass on the lawn. There's hardly a single intact spot left anyway."

"Rebuild the pavilion for me. Apply for the materials and labor costs from my sister. Denied? Dare she deny me! Her husband smashed it, so her family has to pay for it!"

"And that... as for Constantine's head, just bury it somewhere. The sight of it is revolting."

"......"

Inside and outside the Red Dragon Sanctuary, the entire place was in utter disarray. Restoring it to its original state would undoubtedly take some time.

Leon and Roswitha stood not far behind Isa, quietly observing her as she directed the scene.

After a moment, Roswitha whispered under her breath, "My sister really doesn’t seem to suspect you."

"Of course not. Even though my explanation just now may have seemed sloppy, in reality—"

"In reality, it was even sloppier," Roswitha interrupted.

Leon shot her an irritated look and argued back, "In reality, it was flawless! Your sister can't find any holes in the explanation to doubt me."

The man’s words were true.

His excuse earlier, while appearing simple, was precisely what made it so difficult to find flaws in.

If one embellishes or adds too many lies to an unmentionable truth, it will only be easier to arouse suspicion—and harder to cover up later.

The vague expression, “a mysterious organization,” though seemingly a half-hearted answer, left room for plenty of maneuvering later, just in case the topic came up again.

"Daddy! Mommy! Auntie! Are you all alright?"

The voices of their daughters reached them from behind.

The couple and Isa turned to look.

Under the escort of the Red Dragon maids, the little dragon girls had returned safe and sound.

Leon crouched down and scooped Muen into his arms. "Daddy and Mommy are fine. What about you? Were you scared?"

Muen's small face still bore traces of fear, but she shook her head firmly. "Muen wasn't scared. Big Sis was protecting me and Aurora the whole time."

Leon kissed his daughter's cheek gently. He knew his little treasure must have been terrified but was just trying to be brave so he and Roswitha wouldn’t worry.

However, he didn’t press Muen to admit her fear. Sometimes, facing fear is a process that must be resolved internally.

"Muen, you're very brave. Noa, Aurora, you were both amazing too."

Isa had also come over by now and picked up Aurora.

Each of the three adults held one child, and at this moment, with just the grandmother missing, the Melkevi family was almost complete.

Holding Aurora, Isa looked around at the utter devastation of her sanctuary and sighed softly. "There’s so much post-battle work to be done. I’m afraid I won’t be able to join all of you tomorrow for the photo shoot in Sky City."

Aurora blinked her pretty pink eyes, glancing over Isa's shoulders toward her parents.

Roswitha caught the unspoken question in her daughter's eyes and smiled, nodding her permission.

Aurora immediately leaned closer to her aunt's cheek, twirling a strand of Isa’s red hair with her little fingers. In her soft voice, she said, "We’re not in a hurry, Auntie. We can wait until you’ve finished your work before going together~"

Since it was agreed from the start that the trip would be a family outing, there was no reason to change the plan just because of some unfortunate undead resurrection failure.

"Will it... delay the time Muen and you start school?" Isa asked.

"It won’t, Auntie," Muen replied in Leon’s arms. "Enrollment isn’t until a month later anyway. Even if we take the photos in a few days, it’s no problem. And who knows—by then grandma might be back, and we can take one of those super~~~~ big family photos!”

"Yeah, Sis, a few days’ delay doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we’re all together," Roswitha added.

Leon pursed his lips and glanced over at the eldest daughter in Roswitha's arms.

Coincidentally, Noa was glancing back at him.

The father and daughter exchanged a look, and it seemed as though the same thought was echoed in their eyes:

"Now that they’ve said everything, what should daddy/my daughter and I say?"

After a brief exchange of glances, the two wordlessly decided to remain silent.

Isa nodded. "Alright, I’ll have everything fixed within a week. Then we’ll go together."

"Mm."

As they chatted, a Red Dragon guard suddenly came rushing toward them, panic written all over his face.

He stopped in front of Isa, dropped to one knee, and said breathlessly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! This is bad—something happened when we were dealing with Constantine’s head!"

Before Isa could ask questions, Leon jumped in, asking sharply, "What happened? Did someone steal his head?"

Ever since the crisis with the spatial rift had ended, Leon had noticed that Constantine's head—previously hung on the border of Silver Dragon territory—had gone missing.

Given everything that had transpired tonight, Leon had little doubt that the group from the Empire was behind the theft.

Now, with Constantine’s failed reincarnation and Bly's Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale destroyed, the Empire presumably no longer had any reason to reclaim his head.

But... the Empire was never one to act by conventional logic.

If they could create such a horrifying monstrosity in the first place, there was little they wouldn’t dare do.

"Y-yes, Prince Leon," the guard replied. "We were taking Constantine’s head to the border to burn it, but halfway there, a massive dragon moving at incredible speed ambushed us. It injured two of our transport team members and stole the head."

Isa's pupils contracted slightly. "Did you see what the dragon looked like?"

The guard hesitated for a moment before replying, "It was very dark, so I didn’t see it clearly. However, I’m certain that its wings were iron-gray and had a metallic sheen under the moonlight."

"Iron-gray wings... metallic sheen... incredible speed..."

Isa muttered to herself, "Could it be the Iron Wing Dragon King...?"

Hearing Isa's speculation, Leon and Roswitha exchanged a glance.

They, too, suspected that the one who had stolen Constantine’s head was none other than the Iron Wing Dragon King, Fael.

Principal Olette had mentioned before that Fael had interfered with the Dragon Clan’s exploration of the Far North.

Leon had, at the time, speculated based on the available information that Fael, like Constantine, Ravi, and other Dragon Kings, had secretly allied himself with the Empire.

Now it seemed entirely plausible that Fael had stolen the head for the Empire's purposes.

"I’ve already sent people to pursue him, but..." the guard trailed off, biting his lips, as if reluctant to finish.

Given the circumstances, Isa didn’t press him. "It’s fine. The Iron Wing Dragon King’s speed can rival even the Silver Dragon clan’s. It’s natural you couldn’t catch him. Just go back and work."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guard retreated.

Isa withdrew her gaze and muttered, "Why would the Iron Wing Dragon King steal Constantine’s head? Could it be related to that mysterious organization you mentioned, Brother-in-law?"

Leon drew in a sharp breath.

How was his sister-in-law so good at connecting dots?

Not just good—uncannily precise.

No wonder this was the woman who could hold her own against me in card games like ‘Jump-Seven,’ Leon thought to himself admiringly.

"Maybe... or perhaps he has some other purposes for taking Constantine’s head," Leon replied vaguely after mulling it over.

There was no way to give a detailed explanation.

Tonight’s series of chaotic events had unfolded so quickly that even Leon couldn’t concoct a flawless story to explain everything on the spot.

So, he opted to muddle through, feign ignorance, and throw some distractions.

As long as Isa didn’t associate this with the Empire, that was enough.

Isa took a long breath. "Alas... When did the world become so chaotic?"

Leon glanced at his sister-in-law, feeling a bit guilty, and thought to himself:

Since I married your sister.