"Moo!!——"

Roswitha heard a strange sound.

Turning toward the source of the noise, the queen showed a hint of complexity on her frosty face.

Ten minutes ago, her clever but generally unreliable husband—aside from slaying dragons—had declared he had a way to help her practice Soul Judgement.

Ten minutes later, he appeared before her, leading a massive bull that rivaled the size of an elephant.

This sight might have been completely absurd in the presence of anyone else. But if it was Leon, it suddenly seemed… somewhat logical.

With this man, the result of his ideas was either astonishingly ingenious or disastrously absurd.

But Roswitha still couldn’t quite figure it out—why did he bring a bull here?

And more importantly, where on earth did he even *get* this bull?!

“S-Class Dangerous Beasts: Wrathful Horned Bull. Biologically speaking, it’s a mutation derived from the genes of the Armored Yak.”

“Due to this genetic mutation, its attributes like strength, defense, and speed have undergone substantial enhancements compared to that of the Armored Yak.”

“Of course, it’s not just the basic attributes that have improved. There’s also its—”

“Moo!!!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”

Leon (cue Donnie Yen's finger-pointing gesture): “See? Its temperament.”

Roswitha (frustration level at 20%): “I don’t need you giving me a biology lecture about Dangerous Beasts; I just want to know how you managed to bring this thing into my sanctum!”

“Oh, when you were at the training grounds this morning and Anna was handling some affairs for you, I happened to pass by and heard that this bull had invaded your clan’s territory. Anna was planning to call someone in to deal with it, so I enthusiastically volunteered!”

Roswitha (frustration level at 40%): “You, the dignified Silver Dragon Prince, felt the need to be *this* helpful…?”

“It was just a small effort, really. No big deal~”

Roswitha (frustration level at 60%): “So why have you gone out of your way to bring this ‘small effort’ here?”

“To give you a sparring target,” Leon answered matter-of-factly. “Didn’t you say Soul Judgement is more effective against enemies with extreme emotions?”

Leon patted the massive bull’s head confidently. “This guy totally fits the bill. Just from its name, you can tell it’s super wrathful.”

Roswitha (frustration level at 80%): “But I didn’t even explain Soul Judgement’s effects to you this morning, so you must’ve had other reasons for catching this thing. Right?”

Leon flashed a knowing grin. “As expected, after sleeping in the same bed for so long, you’re really starting to understand me better.”

Roswitha (frustration level at 95%): “Can you, just for once, spit it out in one go?!”

“Well… the girls are coming home tonight for their day off, and I thought we could have beef hotpot for dinner.”

Roswitha (⚠️⚠️):

“But Noa and the other two together aren’t even fifteen years old yet! How are they supposed to eat an entire multi-ton bull?!”

Leon waved her off, signaling for her not to worry.

He tied the Wrathful Horned Bull to a sturdy stone pillar.

This particular pillar, which Noa had previously used to practice Chidori, had been blasted thousands of times yet still stood firmly, attesting to its resilience. The bull stood no chance of breaking free.

After securing the bull tightly, Leon approached Roswitha.

When the queen’s simmering anger finally started to cool, Leon reached out, attempting to take her wrist.

Roswitha stubbornly flicked her wrist, clearly trying to ward off any unnecessary intimacy with Leon.

But she only resisted in symbolic protest.

In the end, she let him hold her wrist.

The two stood side by side as they faced the massive beast. Leon raised his head to survey the enormous creature and said,

“No matter how powerful a Dangerous Beast might be, none would dare intrude upon Dragon Clan territory, unless… well, unless its anger clouded its sense of reason. I figured if you’re training your magic, you’ll need the right opponent to monitor your progress. So…”

Leon turned his gaze toward the silver-haired beauty standing beside him. “Why not give it a try? What’s the harm in trying?”

Roswitha playfully shot him an exasperated look. “You really irritate me sometimes. Fine, fine—get out of the way so you don’t get hit by accident.”

Leon grinned broadly. “Got it!”

With that, Leon stepped back to a safe distance. Roswitha slowly began gathering Primordial Power.

“Moo!! ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”

The wrathful bull continued expressing its discontent at being tied up. Little did it know, if it didn’t put on a proper showing here, it might just end up as beef hotpot tonight.

Leon stood watchful nearby. While it was just a practice session, he intended to ensure Roswitha’s safety. No way could he allow any mishaps to befall her.

What’s that?

Is this General Leon concerned about her?

Ehhh... Well, maybe just a little. But really, it’s more about not wanting to explain himself to his daughters when they come home and see their mother died on the floor.

Yes. That’s it. Definitely.

The gusts stirred up by the magic lightly brushed against Leon’s face, snapping him out of his random thoughts.

Looking ahead, he saw Roswitha had successfully gathered Primordial Power.

“Her progress is way faster than when Constantine attacked the Red Dragon Sanctum...,” Leon remarked with a smirk. “Mother dragon’s improving at an impressive rate.”

As the Primordial Power began to coalesce, Roswitha initiated her casting of Soul Judgement.

The wind stirred her long hair, her flowing gown, her sleeves, and the pendant necklace around her neck.

Though the progress was slow, Roswitha could distinctly feel the Primordial Power in her hands transforming bit by bit—far more noticeably than when she had practiced on her own earlier.

Her eyes lit up with newfound determination as she maintained her focus.

With the flow of energy, the originally milky-white Primordial Power in her hands gradually morphed into a seven-colored spectrum.

Seven radiant hues encircled the glowing orb in her hands, resembling a miniature rainbow.

However, because the orb was small, the colors appeared rather faint.

Roswitha stared at the prismatic energy in her hands with delight.

The books said this was the first step in mastering Soul Judgement.

Now, the next step...

With a sudden motion, Roswitha clenched her hand into a fist, shattering the orb.

In an instant, the seven-colored light spilled through her fingers, interwoven with the milky-white brilliance of sparkling energy—a dazzling sight to behold.

Roswitha raised her head, taking aim at the Wrathful Horned Bull before her.

“Moo!ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ”

As if sensing imminent danger, the enraged bull thrashed violently.

Roswitha seized the moment, unleashing Soul Judgement directly at it.

The seven-colored light struck the Wrathful Horned Bull and transformed instantly into countless specks of light, encapsulating the bull in an ethereal brilliance.

It writhed, letting out a muffled bellow.

Roswitha breathed heavily, her body trembling slightly from the immense drain. Even such a minor attempt at Soul Judgement demanded significant energy and mana expenditure.

It seemed Primordial Magic was truly—

“Moo!!”

Before Roswitha could finish her thought, the bull suddenly moved restlessly again, resuming its furious thrashing.

“Did it... not work?”

Teeth clenched, Roswitha began gathering Primordial Power a second time.

She had just enough mana left for one more try…

To be honest, there was no need to push herself so hard. But if she didn’t make full use of what was likely her best training chance, her “practice target” would be a hotpot entree by tonight.

Roswitha launched a second Soul Judgement.

Unfortunately...

“Moo? Moo-moo? ╮（╯▽╰）╭”

The queen: “?”

“Are you... mocking me?!”

As the words left her lips, Roswitha unfurled her dragon wings without hesitation and immediately transformed into her colossal dragon form.

For all the Wrathful Horned Bull’s elephantine size, it was now dwarfed in the presence of the Dragon Queen—no more significant than an ant.

“Moo...moo-moo-moo! Σ(っ°Д°;)っ”

The silver dragon lowered her mighty head just slightly. A low rumbling accompanied the aura emanating from her, the pressure of her Dragon’s Might suffocating the poor creature until it dared not even draw a breath.

“Roar!!——”

A single dragon’s cry shook the heavens and the earth.

The bull: X﹏X

Roswitha slowly opened her jaws, gathering molten Dragon Flame in her mouth.

“Your Majesty, please hold your temper!”

Leon rushed forward frantically. “If you hit it with Dragon Flame, the beef hotpot’s going to end up as charcoal-grilled beef! And the burnt kind, too!”

After a moment of hesitation, Roswitha withdrew the Dragon Flame and reverted to her human form.

However, as her wings folded behind her and her transformation completed, she was suddenly met with a wave of dizziness.

Both her mana and stamina were utterly depleted, and she was on the verge of collapse when Leon quickly stepped forward to catch her.

“How do you go from practicing to nearly collapsing on your feet?”

Roswitha leaned against his chest, her expression icy though her lips subtly pouted in defiance. “It was mocking me, so I had to teach it a lesson.”

“The fact that you can even hold a grudge against a bull just proves how fitting the title Dragon Queen is for you.”

Leon sighed and supported her by the arm, attempting to lead her back to their quarters to rest.

But Roswitha only stumbled after taking a few steps.

Left with no other choice, Leon scooped her up into a princess carry.

The queen’s tail curled up tight as her cheeks flushed faintly. She spoke in a low and stubborn voice, “I can walk on my own...”

“Oh, sure you can.”

“Tch... Still, there’s no progress—no idea when I’ll ever master it.”

Leon paused in his steps and turned back to glance at the furious bull that was now petrified by Roswitha's Dragon Queen form.

Reflecting on the scene for a moment, he said,

"Actually, it kind of worked, don’t you think?"

"What?"

"The bull was indeed very aggressive. Even after being tied to the stone pillar, it was still growling non-stop, right?"

"Yeah."

"But after you used your Soul Judgment on it for the first time, its emotions visibly calmed down. By the second time you used it, it basically no longer felt 'anger.' You could tell just by its change in sound after that."

Roswitha thought back for a moment and then nodded thoughtfully. "It does seem like that… wait, are you just making this up to comfort me?"

"Your Majesty, I have many flaws, but lying to you is not one of them."

"Please don’t use sweet words at a time like this. Thank you for your cooperation."

The couple shared a lighthearted exchange as they returned to their bedroom.

Leon gently placed her onto the bed and tucked her in.

"Get some rest. The girls will be back tonight."

"Alright… Wait, what about you?"

Leon gave a faint smile, rolling up his sleeves.

"I’m going to turn that arrogant furious bull into beef hotpot."