The journey to the Far North had come to its end.

Good news: Leon’s guess was correct—Constantine truly had his sights set on the Primordial Power.

Bad news: In the end, the Primordial Power was still stolen by Constantine.

However, judging from their brief skirmish in the Noa ruins, Constantine didn’t seem to have obtained the complete Primordial Power yet.

With Leon’s current strength, he was still capable of going toe-to-toe with Constantine, provided his energy reserves were full.

The only question was: how long would it be before that decisive battle?

And who knew what unexpected things might happen in the meantime.

In any case, before that time came, both Leon and Roswitha, as well as Leon's master, needed to prepare every contingency.

Moreover, this journey to the Far North had helped their eldest daughter grow significantly.

Fearless in battle, calm under pressure, she started to resemble Leon more and more.

General Leon couldn’t have been prouder.

Because her innate talents clearly leaned toward becoming a warrior like Leon himself, entirely unlike her mother, the swift and agile type.

Using this as an opportunity, Leon had been boasting to Roswitha for days.

A week after returning from the Far North, Roswitha was back to her usual routine, handling her work.

With Constantine now in possession of the Primordial Power, he could make a move at any moment, so vigilance was paramount.

The entire clan had been mobilized, with additional forces stationed at the borders.

Sherry’s reconnaissance team had also been deployed in full force to gather intelligence. Their mission was to stay one step ahead and seize the initiative in this game of strategy.

As a result, Roswitha’s workload had increased significantly, and the pressure on her had also grown.

Of course, part of that pressure came from a certain foolish captive, who was freeloading at the Silver Dragon Castle, enjoying free food and lodging, all while occasionally getting under her skin.

“Good morning, my dear Queen,” came a familiar voice from beside the throne.

“Out with it,” Roswitha replied without even lifting her head.

“Summer break at Noa’s academy is coming up, and here’s the training schedule I’ve prepared for her. Please take a look.”

Leon held up a detailed list with a theatrical flourish.

Roswitha gave it a quick glance, intrigued enough to take the paper from him.

Unfolding it, she scanned the contents, her expression quickly darkening.

“8 AM: Wake up. One hour for washing up and breakfast.

9 AM: Warm-up at the training field.

9:30AM: Lightning magic review.

11 AM: Basic combat theory lessons.

11:30 AM: Lunch. One-hour rest.

1 PM: Close-quarters combat training.

3 PM: Learn a new lightning magic spell.

5 PM: Three laps around the training field.”

Roswitha set the paper down and looked up at Leon. “Can you tell me why this plan is filled with nothing but lightning magic and close-quarters combat training? What Noa needs to learn right now are ranged spells. All your lightning magic is just about charging in headfirst!”

“Why bother learning ranged spells?” Leon spread his hands. “They’re useless.”

“And how exactly are they useless?”

As a classic ranged spells type, Roswitha couldn’t let this slide.

“Nowadays, enemies are cunning. By the time you finish chanting your incantation, they’ll be well out of your range,” Leon explained earnestly.

“What about spells with shorter cast times?”

“They’re weaker.”

“Then just increase the frequency of attacks.”

“That wastes mana.”

“Are you deliberately arguing with me now?”

The Queen shot him a glare before promptly adding a new line to the training schedule:

“After dinner: Learn Thunder Wolf Destroyer.”

Leon blinked, genuinely surprised that Roswitha would voluntarily want Noa to learn this particular lightning magic spell.

Thunder Wolf Destroyer was one of the rare ranged techniques in the realm of lightning magic. It was also a classic for long-range attacks, excellent for controlling enemies and clearing out weaker foes.

The truth was, Leon had shown Roswitha this schedule specifically to tease her—to get her riled up and see her puff up like a furious little pufferfish. It was one of the playful dynamics between the couple (and trust him, he’d had plenty of moments where the tables were turned).

But Roswitha actually gave this suggestion...

“Noa’s senior described the scene in detail in her assessment report about the ruins. It’s true, our daughter is highly skilled in close-quarters combat and has the courage for desperate situations. But we also saw that she injured her right hand during the fight and has only recently recovered.”

Roswitha sighed. “Teaching her some ranged lightning spells would ultimately be for her own good.”

Leon folded the schedule and tucked it into his pocket, lips pressed tightly together as a pang of guilt washed over him.

Ah, he hadn’t thought as thoroughly about this as Roswitha had. He’d only been focused on showing off.

Shameful, truly shameful.

Seeing Leon’s expression, Roswitha’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

Oh, she knew him inside out.

He was the kind of fool who could never resist kindness.

If she had pushed back against him, he’d probably escalate just to win the argument.

But if she played it gently, he’d instantly transform into her obedient “Queen’s loyal pup.”

Handling this little captive? Too easy, far too easy.

But back to the matter at hand: Noa indeed needed to learn some ranged spells.

Resemble her father? Sure, that was fine.

But she shouldn’t emulate him completely.

Take his reckless abandon in fights—definitely not something to imitate.

“Alright, I’ll update the training schedule later to include other subjects. Noa already has ideas for her vacation plans, so we’ll make sure everything aligns,” Leon said.

“Good.”

After a pause, Roswitha remembered something. “By the way, wasn’t Noa planning to visit Helena’s house for a few days? When’s she leaving?”

Leon shrugged. “The girls changed their plans. She’ll visit Helena during the last few days of summer vacation and then head straight to the academy from the Sea Dragon Clan.”

Roswitha nodded. “That works.”

Leon scratched his head, folded the list, and pocketed it before turning to leave.

“Leaving already?” Roswitha’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

He turned back. “Got something else for me to do?”

The silver-haired beauty set her pen down, leaned back against the throne, and smiled faintly. Her fingers idly traced the armrest as her luminous eyes locked onto Leon.

“Leon, I’ve been under some... pressure lately.”

Hearing this, General Leon instantly felt a chill down his spine. “Pressure? I... I mean, uh... isn’t that something for tonight...?”

“I can’t wait until tonight.”

Roswitha leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on one hand. Her voice was soft and sultry, her gaze teasing. “Think of a way to help me relieve this stress... right now.”

No explanation was needed for the exact method of “relieving stress” between these two—it was simply understood.

The only problem was, Leon couldn’t think of a way to help her relax in the middle of the day, in the bustling Silver Dragon Castle.

He awkwardly scratched his cheek and ventured, “How about... I give you a shoulder rub?”

“Hmm, that’ll do,” Roswitha replied lightly. Sliding to one side, she patted the empty seat next to her. “Come on over.”

Leon obeyed.

And thus, Technician Leon was officially on duty.

Roswitha turned slightly, shutting her eyes as she enjoyed the impromptu massage from the former Empire’s most renowned Dragon Slayer.

Ah, what a marvelous feeling. One could only describe it as sheer bliss!

“A little to the left—use more pressure.”

Leon rolled his eyes in silent exasperation.

Massaging her was one thing, but now she was issuing commands?

Still, desperate to avoid Roswitha escalating their little “stress relief session” into a direct afternoon “homework assignment,” Leon gritted his teeth and complied.

“Fine.”

“More pressure.”

“...Okay.”

“What is this? Didn’t you eat today, hubby?”

“......”

“Come on, put your back into it—I’m a Dragon Queen, not some fragile human—”

CRACK!

“Ah! Ow! Seriously?! Hisssss—”

“Your Majesty,” Leon said with a straight face, “I think something just broke in your Dragon Queen body.”

Roswitha rubbed her shoulders with a scowl, swatting Leon’s hands away.

One moment, she was smug about having the Empire’s strongest Dragon Slayer as her personal massagist; the next, she was cursing his ridiculously excessive strength.

Still, there were... other uses for such strength. The “experience” wasn’t bad at all...

Ahem—

Shoving the mischievous thoughts from her mind, Roswitha straightened her posture and returned her focus to work.

“So... should I go now?” Leon asked hesitantly.

“Do you have anything to do if you leave?”

“Not really.”

“Oh.”

This seemingly simple “Oh” sent alarms blaring in Leon’s mind.

With years of married life under his belt, he instantly recognized the hidden meaning behind that single syllable.

Quickly, his brain went into overdrive:

[Do you have anything to do if you leave?]

[No.]

[Then stay with me.]

Yes. That was exactly what she meant.

“On second thought, there’s no point leaving if I’ll just be bored. I’ll stay here and keep you company,” Leon declared.

Roswitha narrowed her eyes, holding back a smile. But by tradition, her pride demanded she add a touch of haughtiness.

“Just so we’re clear, I didn’t force you to stay. This was your choice.”

“Yes, yes, totally voluntary.”

“Hmph.”

And so, on the grand throne, the husband and wife sat side by side, stealing a moment of warmth and tranquility amidst the chaos of their busy lives.