A few days later, at the border between the territories of humans and dragons, in a mountain stream cave, it was once again the day to exchange intelligence.

This time, the master wasted no time and hit Leon with some shocking news right away.

“Constantine has been resurrected?!”

Although last time Constantine's head was snatched away by the Iron Wing Dragon King, Fael, Leon had a premonition that the Empire might strike again.

But he certainly didn't expect their comeback to be this quick.

It hadn't even been half a year.

One had to admit, the Empire’s efficiency in courting disaster was truly remarkable.

“Mm-hmm,” the master confirmed. “However, this time, it seems the resurrected Constantine has shaken off the Empire's control.”

Hearing this, Leon frowned slightly. “Shaken off the Empire’s control? How was he able to do that?”

Leon distinctly remembered Constantine's state last time when he attacked Isa’s Red Dragon Sanctuary. Back then, Constantine was nothing more than a puppet being manipulated, devoid of his own thoughts and will.

At that time, Constantine had completely fallen, reduced to a mere biological weapon of the Empire. For the once-mighty Crimson Flame Dragon King to be controlled like that—it was a pitiful fate, even from the perspective of an opponent like Leon.

Yet now, only a few months later, Constantine, having conquered the resurrection process again, had managed to free himself from the Empire’s hold?

Leon didn’t know whether to commend the Dragon King’s unyielding tenacity or mock the Empire’s sheer stupidity.

“The specifics aren’t entirely clear, but I believe the dragon who rescued him might have lent a helping hand,” the master said.

“From its size and speed, it should be a Dragon King. Its tail was longer than most dragons’, and its wings were metallic green,” the master described.

From this, Leon immediately deduced which Dragon King had helped Constantine.

“The Iron Wing Dragon King, Fael—he was the one who stole Constantine’s head from the Red Dragon Sanctuary the last time. That must’ve been when they struck a deal,” Leon analyzed.

“This Fael—he was previously an ally of the Empire, wasn’t he?”

“Correct. He was likely acting on the Empire’s orders when he stole Constantine’s head back then.”

“But now,” Rebecca asked, “why would he help Constantine break free from the Empire’s control? Wouldn’t that amount to turning against the Empire himself?”

This time, it was Roswitha who answered the question.

“Perhaps, seeing Constantine reduced to a mere puppet made Fael realize that the Empire never truly regarded their Dragon King ‘allies’ as equals. In the eyes of the Empire, Fael, Constantine, and the other Dragon Kings are nothing more than tools in their grand scheme,” Roswitha explained calmly. “So, Fael chose to assist Constantine in breaking free, while also distancing himself from his collaboration with the Empire to avoid becoming yet another mindless pawn.”

The reputation of the Iron Wing Dragon King wasn't unfamiliar to Roswitha.

After all, much like the Silver Dragon Clan, the Iron Wing Dragon Clan specialized in speed. Their natural talents were quite comparable, making them a fascinating subject of study.

By what Roswitha knew, Fael was an intelligent dragon. Despite his limited territorial domain, his knack for adapting to circumstances had allowed him to carve out a place for himself amid the chaos of this era.

This recent move of Fael’s also seemed exceptionally shrewd.

Before unveiling the Empire’s true nature, he had cooperated with them to amass benefits. Once their vile intentions were laid bare, he made a timely exit while also allying himself with Constantine.

He had successfully secured a position on both sides.

Rebecca nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, so that’s how it is. You’re so smart, sister-in-law!”

Her exclamation was loud and proud.

Roswitha inclined her head modestly, turning away as a soft blush crept up her elegant features.

It was hard to tell whether she was flustered from being called smart, or... from being called “sister-in-law.”

Oh dear, no matter how many times Rebecca called her that, why did it only make her feel shyer each time?

“Wait a second, master.”

Leon seemed to suddenly recall something. “Back during Constantine’s attack on the Red Dragon Sanctuary, I’m pretty sure I destroyed the Empire’s Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale. Could they have had spare stock?”

The master shook his head. “The Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales are indeed all gone. But according to information Martin uncovered, the Empire used... Primordial Power to rebuild Constantine’s body this time.”

“Primordial Power? The Empire has access to Primordial Power?”

Leon was genuinely astonished.

By all reasoning, Primordial Power was the ancient energy of the Dragon Clan, originating from the first Dragon King in history, ‘Noa.’

Even the Dragon Clan struggled to acquire it. How on earth could the Empire have it?

At this, the master could only shake his head again. “That, I’m unsure of as well.”

The master and disciple both hit a dead end, left baffled for a while.

Just then, Roswitha quietly stepped closer to Leon and whispered into his ear.

Leon blinked in sudden realization, his eyes widening slightly. “That makes sense! That explains everything.”

The master was taken aback. “What explains everything?”

“Well, here’s the thing. I previously received intelligence within the Dragon Clan indicating that Fael once stole the results of a research project conducted in the far north. At that time, we didn’t know exactly what the project was about, but we could infer that Fael was acting on behalf of the Empire.”

“Now, combining your information that the Empire used Primordial Power to reconstruct Constantine’s body, it’s highly likely that the research results Fael stole in the far north involved Primordial Power.”

A long time ago, Saint Hiss Academy’s Principal Olette had mentioned conducting a research project in the far north with Roswitha’s grandmother.

The project had spanned several years, but part of its results were eventually stolen by Fael.

At the time, Leon and Roswitha had no idea what the stolen results entailed.

Now, piecing together the current intelligence and analyzing the context, it became increasingly clear that the secret northern project had been an exploration of Primordial Power.

After hearing Leon’s explanation, the master nodded thoughtfully.

“That does seem plausible.”

Having deduced the secrets of her grandmother’s years-long project in the far north, Roswitha couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

The potency of Primordial Power was undeniable. Even the basic Primordial Magic had allowed Roswitha to severely injure the first-generation hybrid Constantine, giving Leon a chance to destroy the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale.

This power was intrinsically tied to the most ancient Dragon King, ‘Noa,’ whose legacy still influenced the Dragon Clan to this day.

Yet, why had Grandmother Veronica and Principal Olette chosen to delve into this ancient and enigmatic history?

For now, Roswitha had no answers.

“If the Empire has truly acquired Primordial Power, then besides creating hybrid monstrosities, they might also attempt even more unimaginable things...” Leon expressed his concern.

But the master waved his hand dismissively. “You don’t need to worry about that. According to Martin, the Empire has already used up all the Primordial Power to craft the stronger Constantine.”

“Used it all...?”

“Mm-hmm,” the master confirmed. “They exhausted all their resources in creating this ultimate biological weapon, only for it to escape their control and flee. Their efforts were completely in vain. The minister responsible for the project, Erandi, was also dismissed.”

After a pause, the master added, “Rumor has it he’s now been sent to a farm... to feed pigs.”

“Classic Empire punishment,” Leon commented.

The master chuckled lightly and shrugged. “Well, good thing we retired when we did.”

“No, master. My retirement wasn’t exactly voluntary,” General Leon said solemnly.

“Oh, then it seems this old man of yours still has the edge.”

Hearing this, Rebecca batted her eyes mischievously and chimed in.

“Old dad, the captain retired with a full sweep of every major title. How about you?”

“...Kids shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking!” the master huffed.

After this brief bout of banter, Leon returned to analyzing the situation at hand.

“From the looks of it, with neither dragon scales nor Primordial Power, the Empire may have to lie low for a while, unwilling to stir up major trouble. At the same time, they’ll need to guard against this ‘ultimate weapon’ of theirs coming back for revenge.”

“After all they put Constantine through, I’m convinced that, with the vengeful nature of dragons, he’ll definitely go back to wreak havoc on the Empire.”

“Oh, and of course, I’m probably one of his targets for revenge as well.”

“I just don’t know when he’ll come for us.”

As these words fell, silence enveloped the group.

The transformation of Constantine, armed with a stronger body and Primordial Power, made him undoubtedly their next formidable foe.

Whether Leon and his allies could triumph over him as they had before or not was a question even Leon himself wasn’t confident answering.

“I have a speculation,” Roswitha suddenly said.

The other three turned to look at the Silver Dragon Queen in unison.

"Although I don't know when Constantine will make his move, I think... before he acts, he would prepare thoroughly."

"For example?" Leon asked.

"For example... more of the—Primordial Power."