The atmosphere in the cave suddenly became serious and heavy — with even a faint hint of cringe-worthy drama woven in.

Even after living with Leon for so long, Roswitha still didn’t entirely grasp the shifts in human emotions.

Crossing her arms, she tilted slightly and leaned toward Rebecca, whispering in a low voice,

“What are they doing? Why do they all seem like going to die a martyr's death?”

Rebecca chuckled, then patiently explained to her beautiful sister-in-law,

“Sis-in-law, where do you think the Captain’s King-of-the-World vibes and hero complex come from? It all boils down to his mentor’s excellent teaching!”

“You mean a big part of Leon’s personality has been shaped by Tiger?”

“Of course! Like father, like son. Though they’re not blood-related, Tiger has raised Leon since Leon was young. Naturally, some of the mentor’s traits rubbed off on him.”

Roswitha squinted slightly, gazing at her pseudo-husband.

At the same time, Rebecca’s words — “like father, like son” — echoed repeatedly in her mind.

She couldn’t help but wonder, if Noa grows up to embody this same mix of overly dramatic heroism, what on earth would she do?

When Noa was a kid, her cold and aloof demeanor as a “cool little sis” was understandable. But if she grew up into a cringey “ghost-fire girl,” Roswitha might just lose her mind!

But then again...

She shook her head to dismiss her random thoughts. Breathing out softly, she lifted her gaze to Leon’s profile.

Resolute, handsome, and with the scars that only seemed to enhance his rugged charisma.

For just a moment, the corner of the queen’s lips moved upward.

“Overdramatic or not… hero complex or not… it’s all… kind of adorable.”

Rebecca hadn’t caught the first half of what she said, only caught the tail end: the word “adorable.”

She grinned mischievously and looked up at Roswitha. “Sis-in-law, are you talking about me when you say ‘adorable’?”

Roswitha lowered her gaze, reached out to pinch Rebecca’s cheek, and said teasingly,

“In the Dragon Clan, ‘adorable’ is actually an insult~”

“Pssh~”

At the wooden table nearby, the master and apprentice continued their discussion.

The intelligence Tiger brought had, unsurprisingly, aligned with Leon’s predictions — there was a lot of it.

Fortunately, Leon had the foresight to bring along some paper and a pen, allowing him to jot down these critical pieces of information.

Even though most of the news was bad, it was still better than getting caught off guard by an ambush at their own front door.

“That’s pretty much everything, Leon,” Tiger said.

“Hmm… okay.”

Tiger studied his apprentice’s reaction. “You look… troubled.”

Leon gave a wry smile and shook his head. “As long as the Empire exists, I don’t have much to smile about, Master.”

“True,” Tiger sighed. “Our situation grows increasingly precarious. That’s why it’s critical to uncover the truth and expose the Empire and the Dragon Clan’s conspiracy to the entire world.”

Leon’s thoughts stirred. “Hmm… perhaps it’s time for us to take preemptive action.”

“Preemptive action? What are you planning?”

“I haven’t figured it out yet. To be honest, I didn’t expect there’d be so much bad news.”

Leon added, “But after this, I’ll start working on strategies immediately.”

“No problem. Rebecca, Martin, and I will try to gather even more intelligence for you.”

Leon smiled and extended his fist. “Thanks, Master.”

Tiger raised his hand too, bumping fists lightly with Leon. “With an apprentice like you, I’d naturally do everything I can to help.”

“Speaking of help, Master, last time I asked you to look for books related to Primordial Magic... have you made any progress?”

Tiger smirked smugly. “Funny you should mention it. I’ve actually managed to find a book about Primordial Magic.”

With that, Tiger pulled an old, weathered tome from his backpack and handed it over to Leon.

Hearing the duo shift the topic to Primordial Magic, Roswitha curiously directed her attention toward them.

Leon took the ancient book in his hands. The title of the book on the cover was slightly worn, but its faint markings were still distinguishable — written in the common ancient script of the Samael Continent.

On the Samael continent, the multitude of races often had varying relations: some hostile, like humans and Dragon Clan, while others formed mutually beneficial alliances.

However, due to the diverse and incompatible cultures among the races, a universal written language had been developed for cross-communication over time.

Leon had studied some translations of the common ancient script during his time at Dragon Slayer Academy.

The title of this book should be…

“Primordial Magic… Soul… End…? Is that the correct translation, Master?”

“Close enough,” Tiger corrected. “The title is *Primordial Magic: Soul Judgment*. I called in quite a few favors to get my hands on this. You’d better take good care of it and put it to good use.”

“Of course, Master. Thanks a lot!”

Leon carefully put the tome away, then glanced toward Roswitha and stealthily winked at her.

The queen’s face flushed red.

Alright, alright, fine. Got it. I owe you one. Why don’t you just bask in your pride a little more?

“Sis-in-law.”

“What… huh?”

“Why is your face red?”

“...I-It’s just a little warm, that’s all.”

Rebecca glanced at her own thick winter coat in confusion. Warm? In a chilly mountain cave?

Sure enough, the Dragon Clan’s physiology was vastly different from humans’.

The mentor and apprentice continued their research for a while longer. More than half an hour passed before they stood and exchanged farewells.

“Finished already, our mighty saviors?”

Rebecca walked over and teased, “I thought you were plotting world domination or something. Took you this long.”

“When I’ve conquered the world, the first edict I’ll issue is for the silencing of all gunners,” Leon replied.

“Tyrant!”

Leon chuckled, raising a hand to ruffle Rebecca’s head. “Take care of yourself, you little troublemaker.”

“Mm-hmm, I will.”

“Send my regards to Martin.”

“Okay.”

The married couple exchanged a brief look before striding toward the cave’s exit.

“Bye, sis-in-law!”

“Bye-bye, sweetheart,” Roswitha waved with a grin.

“What a revolting nickname.”

“I like it, so what? If you’re so capable, fly back home by yourself.”

“My queen, I was wrong, haha!”

A real man knows when to yield!

Roswitha snorted lightly, rolled her eyes at him, then spread her dragon wings and carried Leon into the sky.

The silver dragon weaved through the clouds, Leon seated on her back as he opened the ancient book his master had just given him.

“*Primordial Magic: Soul Judgment*. Sounds like a very specific magic, doesn’t it?”

Leon mused aloud. “So… this probably isn’t a book ‘about’ Primordial Magic in general, but rather a detailed record of a particular kind of Primordial Magic. Am I right?”

“That seems likely,” Roswitha agreed.

After a brief pause, she added, “The Silver Dragon Clan has existed for over a thousand years, yet we couldn’t unearth a single intact ancient book on Primordial Magic. Yet your master managed to find one within three months…”

“He’s just an ordinary farmer, obviously. Maybe he dug it up by accident while planting crops.”

Roswitha ignored his joke, continuing, “Check who the author of this book is.”

“Alright.”

Leon flipped to the first page of the book. The author’s name, also in ancient script, was written at the top.

As Leon translated the name, his pupils trembled ever so slightly.

When Leon remained silent for a time, Roswitha asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something concerning about the author’s identity?”

“Yes... very concerning.”

Leon swallowed hard and slowly read the name of the author aloud:

“Claudia… Poseidon.”