"Constantine had experienced the overwhelming strength of Primordial Power. Judging by his style, he would definitely gather more Primordial Power before initiating his revenge."
Roswitha said, “Now that Fael is guiding him, it will be easy for him to find the power left behind by Noa in the Far North.”
As a fellow member of the Dragon Clan, Roswitha understood just how desperately Constantine thirsted for power.
What’s more, she had spent a long time practicing Primordial Magic, making her the most aware of how alluring that power could be.
Roswitha was convinced that Constantine, fueled by years of resentment, would stop at nothing to seek out the ancient magic buried beneath the Far North to fulfill his revenge.
Listening to Roswitha’s analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.
“But there’s still one problem,” Tiger pointed out. “The Far North is desolate and uninhabited. Only those seeking to temper themselves into stronger warriors go there to train. Plus, the ice there is said to be extremely thick. How does Constantine plan to find Primordial Power in such a place?”
Tiger’s observation was spot-on.
The Far North was one of the most barren and inhospitable regions in the entire Samael Continent. No race dared to settle there.
Most problematic of all was the legendary layer of ice, said to be so impenetrably thick that it could repel all attacks.
If the Primordial Power was indeed buried beneath that ice, retrieving it would be an almost impossible feat.
“Regarding that question...” Roswitha began in a leisurely tone.
“There’s an old saying among our Dragon Clan: even the Crimson Flame Dragon King, who represents the essence of fire, could not melt the ice of the Far North.”
“This legend has been around for many years. Even Constantine himself didn’t bother verifying it, probably unwilling to waste energy on something that might just become idle chatter over dinner.”
“But the circumstances are different now.”
“Now that he knows a mighty and ancient power lies hidden beneath the ice of the Far North, he’ll undoubtedly go there.”
“He’ll use the most blazing flames this world has to scorch through the ice and claim what he wants.”
Roswitha, in fact, had never believed in such legends—she thought they were nothing more than unfounded rumors.
However, Grandmother Veronica and Principal Olette’s exploration of the Far North had proven that the desolate ice wasn’t truly indestructible.
Back then, they relied on the spatial magic of the Star Voyager Dragon King, Lavie; and now, the searing flames reignited by Constantine might not be incapable of piercing that icy barrier.
Leon guessed Roswitha’s train of thought and nodded in agreement.
“I think there’s a good chance Constantine will head to the Far North to seek the power of Primordial Magic. Even if the odds are slim, we still need to verify it ourselves.”
Tiger also nodded. “Yeah, if we let that fiery lunatic obtain even more Primordial Power… the consequences would be unthinkable.”
Constantine was already one of the most formidable Dragon Kings—
Though he had been swiftly defeated by General Leon once, that hardly diminished the fact that he was a top-notch fighter in his own right—
And now, with the buffs from his second revival and his thirst for revenge, his strength had far surpassed his past limits.
If he truly managed to acquire more Primordial Power, not even Leon would be confident of defeating him.
After all, during the first attack after Constantine’s resurrection on the Red Dragon Sanctuary, even Leon and the twin queens together struggled against him. It wasn’t until Roswitha’s true-damage-dealing Primordial Magic and Leon’s unexpected tactics that they managed to resolve the crisis.
“Hmm... looks like we’ll need to take a trip to the Far North soon,” Leon said with a sigh. After a brief pause, he ruffled his hair and admitted, “But I’ve never been somewhere as far off as that before. I don’t even know how to get there.”
The queen beside him stirred thoughtfully, blinking as she said, “I have a way to get to the Far North.”
“What way?”
Roswitha smiled cryptically. “I won’t tell you just yet. I’ll share the details when we’re home.”
“Ehh~~ What’s with all the secrets? Why do you and the captain insist on sharing private conversations back at home?” Rebecca teased mischievously from the side.
Roswitha glanced down at her, then pinched her cheek. “Your captain and I have endless things to whisper about in private.”
What a peculiar sister-in-law. Each time Rebecca saw her, she seemed softer and more affectionate than before.
“Well, since you have a plan to reach the Far North, then it’s settled. Be sure to stay vigilant.” Tiger reminded them with a note of caution.
“Yes, Master,” Roswitha replied respectfully.
With their discussion about Constantine concluded, Rebecca suddenly raised her hand enthusiastically.
“Me, me, it’s my turn! Captain, I have some good news to share with you!”
Leon raised an eyebrow, smiling curiously. “What good news?”
“Master and I have been active within the Empire recently, and not only have we kept the royals utterly swamped, but we've also gained the support of many likeminded allies.”
Rebecca said with excitement, “They’ve reached out to us and are offering us their assistance. Little by little, more people are joining in the movement to resist the Empire’s corruption. The Empire is in much more turmoil than before!”
This was truly good news.
Leon had always assumed the Empire’s corruption was so deep-seated that few would dare to stand up against it. Even if there were brave rebels, they would likely shrink away at the seemingly unshakable grip of the royal family’s rule.
He never expected that so many passionate individuals would join in the uprising.
This felt reassuring. At the very least, Leon and his master would no longer be fighting this battle alone.
“Because there are so many new members, we decided to establish an organization dedicated to resisting the Empire’s corruption. And we named the organization after you, Captain!” Rebecca announced proudly.
Leon’s smile froze instantly as an uneasy premonition gripped him.
The excitable girl had quite the talent for naming things.
Which was terrifying, given that her naming skills were inversely proportional to her marksmanship aptitude.
The memory of the abstractly dubbed “Old, Weak, Sick, and Anti-Social Group” lingered vividly in his mind.
Leon couldn’t begin to fathom what sort of name she might’ve given to a resistance group against the Empire.
“So... what’s the name?” he asked cautiously.
“Lionheart Association!”
Oh~~
Not bad, not bad, Leon thought with relief, letting out a quiet sigh. At least it was better than “Old, Weak, and Sick Group.”
“Lionheart Association... Lionheart Association...” Leon murmured, rolling the name around in his mind. Somehow, it sounded vaguely familiar. “Wait, did you come up with this name on your own?”
Rebecca waved her hand dismissively. “Who cares if it’s original or not? As long as it sounds bold and charismatic, that’s all that matters!”
“...So it wasn’t your own idea, was it?”
“My original idea was: ‘The Beautiful Girl and Her Muscle-Bound Enforcers Co-op to Resist Empire Corruption United Organization Committee,’” Rebecca replied with utter sincerity.
Leon immediately surrendered, “Alright, fine, Lionheart Association it is.”
“In any case, the group is growing by the day, attracting elites from all walks of life. Among them are even some of your die-hard fans, Captain! There’s a beautiful lady who tattooed your name on her arm—”
Roswitha: →_→
“Ahem, th-those are minor details. Anyway, as the Lionheart Association expands, it’s only a matter of time before we coordinate with you from the inside and overthrow that filthy emperor!”
Feeling the fiery passion in the dual-pistol-wielding young girl, Leon couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.
He sighed with emotion. What had started off as a personal quest to root out a traitor who betrayed him and clear his name had unexpectedly morphed into something far grander—and far more dangerous.
In this world, nothing proceeds according to naive assumptions.
Fate, like an unseen force, seemed to push Leon forward with every step.
He already had a wife, and children weren’t far off. Leon could not afford to stop.
He gently ruffled Rebecca’s hair.
“Finding allies is great, but always leave an exit strategy. Don’t trust too easily, understand?”
“Mmhmm, I know. Master carefully vets every single recruit.”
Leon looked up to meet his master’s gaze.
Tiger nodded. “Don’t worry about it. No problems here.”
“Good. Thanks for all your hard work,” Leon said gratefully.
With the two major issues settled, Leon and Tiger discussed some minor details before concluding their meeting.
On the way back, Leon finally got around to asking,
“So, about that plan you mentioned earlier—to get to the Far North. What is it?”
“Remember how Milan said a few days ago that everyone thinks we’ve hit the ‘post-honeymoon dull phase’ of our marriage?”
Leon nodded. “I remember. Why?”
“Well, after saying that, she gave me two outdoor adventure passes. Limited edition. She said she pulled some strings to get them and suggested we use them to rekindle the flame or something.”
Leon blinked, spreading his hands. “I still don’t understand what these adventure passes have to do with the Far North.”
“The location for the outdoor adventure is... the Far North.”
Ah, so that’s where the catch was.
Leon scratched his temple. “Your Dragon Clan’s sense of fun really knows no bounds, huh? Hosting outdoor adventures in desolate wastelands like the Far North.”
“This has nothing to do with ‘fun,’ you idiot. The Dragon Clan is inherently a wild and untamed race. Seeking harsher training grounds is a primal instinct buried within our blood. Even your teacher just said it—only those who want to become stronger warriors would venture to the Far North for training. As for us—”
“Alright, alright, Your Majesty. Every time someone compliments your Dragon Clan, you could practically write an 800-word essay bragging about them.”
Roswitha hummed in satisfaction, but then her tone shifted.
“Still, there’s one thing I can’t quite figure out.”
“What’s that?”
“While it’s true that the Dragon Clan seeks power through challenging trials, we don’t usually venture to the Far North just on a whim.”
"So?"
"But Milan said this ticket is a limited edition. Are there really so many people who want to mess around in the Far North?"
Leon pressed his lips together. "I don't really know either."
"Hmm... no idea."
With that, the two stopped discussing the matter.
A sonic boom echoed in the sky, and a silver dragon disappeared into the horizon.
However, to unravel Roswitha's earlier question, we need to rewind time to a few days ago.
In the Young Dragon Division of Saint Hiss Academy, the little Involuted Queen from the Silver Dragon Clan and her blue-haired best friend were about to embark on a thrilling and dangerous journey.
