A few years ago, Leon and Roswitha had visited the territory of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan to investigate which Dragon Kings were collaborating with the Empire.

Hence, he still remembered where the palace of the Crimson Flame Dragons was located.

Passing through a forest, he saw a flicker of firelight in the distance. Leon immediately knew he was about to encounter that death-defying male dragon again.

You could call it a twisted fate—during the illustrious dragon-slaying career of General Leon, Old Constantine was the only Dragon King who had faced him at least three times and was still alive, safe and sound.

It made Leon feel a tad embarrassed to keep sending Old Constantine back into the "revival matches."

He chuckled at his own joke, but Leon dared not let his guard down.

After all, Constantine now had the enhancement of Primordial Power. Even though he hadn’t mastered specific forms of Primordial Magic, his strength must have increased by several orders of magnitude.

To defeat Constantine the way he had in the past now seemed entirely out of the question.

Still, the fact that Leon dared to come alone showed he was confident enough in the gap between his power and Constantine's.

Even if he couldn’t defeat Constantine, leaving unscathed shouldn’t be a problem.

Thinking so, Leon soon arrived at the outskirts of the Crimson Flame Dragon Palace.

What was odd, though, was that not a single dragon came out to stop him.

“Huh… so quiet. This feels a bit off.”

It wasn’t just odd.

It also stirred up an unpleasant memory for Leon.

He remembered waking up from a two-year coma and trying to escape from Roswitha’s Silver Dragon Castle.

During the escape, there were no sentries, no guards—it was so unrestricted he felt like he was strolling through his own backyard.

That was, until he reached the riverbank and was caught by Roswitha. Only then did he realize that everything had been orchestrated by the dragoness’s wicked sense of humor.

Watching her enemy believe they had slipped through the cracks of her grasp, only to gleefully shatter their illusion at the moment of triumph—

Tsk, tsk, tsk. To kill someone and then destroy their spirit—it was very much in line with the devious tendencies of Dragon Clan.

So… could Constantine be attempting the same trick?

Leon steeled himself, becoming hyper-alert to his surroundings.

Meanwhile, within the Crimson Flame Dragon Palace, Constantine lounged on the throne.

A guard approached and bowed, giving his report.

“Your Majesty, several Dragon Clans have stationed themselves around our borders. Additionally, they’ve sent someone inside.”

Constantine, with his eyes closed, waved dismissively. “Just kill him.”

“Uh…”

“What? Can’t kill him?”

“The intruder is… Leon Casmode.”

“...Oh. Well then, it’s not your fault.”

Hearing that the visitor was Leon, Constantine suddenly forgave the unsatisfying competence of his subordinates.

He slowly opened his eyes and asked, “Are you certain he came alone?”

“Positive, Your Majesty.”

Now that was puzzling.

Constantine could more or less guess why the Dragon Clans had sent troops to monitor him—it was definitely because of the Primordial Power.

It was also likely the result of the Twilight Tower’s summit. Over the centuries, that old shrew Arles had used the summit to pursue countless personal gains.

He certainly wouldn’t miss an opportunity to covet this immense Primordial Power.

But even if Leon had attended that summit and was part of the effort to watch Constantine, there was no reason for him to venture into Crimson Flame territory alone.

Could that human brute honestly think he could take on Constantine and his entire Crimson Flame Dragon Clan by himself?

Ha, surely he was delusional—

Hiss…

Well… maybe it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

After pondering for a moment, Constantine decided not to act rashly.

Having only recently obtained Primordial Power, he was still far from mastering its full potential. Facing Leon now would likely not end in his favor.

Better, instead, to find a way to send the unwelcome guest packing.

“Dispatch some men to drive him away. Avoid direct confrontation if possible.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guard withdrew from the throne room.

Ten minutes later.

The palace gates were rammed open, and two Crimson Flame Dragon guards were flung across the room.

“Constantine, I’m here to negotiate.”

The man stood in the center of the grand hall, utterly unfazed, despite being surrounded by dozens of Crimson Flame Dragons.

Constantine, however, remained composed. He stayed seated on his throne, gazing down at Leon.

“I don’t know what kind of madness brought you here to negotiate with me, nor do I care. Guards, remove him.”

The dragons swarmed forward.

Leon considered fighting back but remembered he was indeed here to negotiate. Fighting in someone else’s “office” wouldn’t help streamline discussions.

So he let himself get “escorted” out.

One minute later.

The palace gates were kicked open again.

This time, four Crimson Flame Dragon guards were hurled inside.

“Constantine, I’m serious about this negotiation.”

Aside from Roswitha, General Leon had never been this sincere toward another Dragon King or Queen.

But Old Con didn’t believe him.

For all he knew, Leon’s intentions were as murky as the contents of a mysterious potion bottle.

“Throw him out.”

More guards shoved Leon back outside.

Another minute later.

The palace gates burst open yet again.

“Constantine, I am *genuinely* here to negotiate—”

“Throw him out.”

Rinse and repeat.

...

“Constantine, I’m—”

“Your Majesty!”

A bruised and battered lieutenant knelt before the throne, both hands clasped together.

“Your Majesty, please just hear him out! We can’t take this anymore!”

Constantine surveyed his hall, now littered with groaning, writhing subordinates. Left with no better option, he sighed inwardly.

If this man was this determined—and still wasn’t showing any intent to brawl—he might as well see what he wanted.

Constantine rose and stepped down from the throne.

He stopped in front of Leon, standing just five meters apart.

With a wave of his clawed hand, Constantine gave the order: “Leave us.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The guards helped each other up and shuffled out of the hall.

Finally. This ridiculous back-and-forth had led to a proper sit-down.

After the others had left, Constantine spoke coldly.

“You’ve got some nerve coming into my domain alone.”

“And you’re no less bold for sitting idle while so many Dragon Kings station troops outside your borders.”

“Hmph, a bunch of pests. If they’re so bold as to spy on me, why don’t they have the guts to step inside?”

“Don’t kid yourself, Crimson Flame Dragon King.”

Leon spread his arms mockingly. “If they all came charging in at once, are you sure your clan could hold them off?”

Leon saw through Constantine’s bluff with a single glance.

Stop blowing smoke, Old man. I know exactly what shape you’re in right now.

The Crimson Flame Dragon Clan had been leaderless for years. Many of its best fighters had died or fled. The clan as a whole was far weaker than it once was.

And Constantine had been back for how long? Nowhere near enough time to rebuild its strength.

Seeing his bluff called out, a faint trace of embarrassment crossed Constantine’s face. Still, he forced himself to maintain confidence.

“Whether we could hold them off has nothing to do with you.”

“And why not?”

“What does it have to do with you?”

“Do you know Arles?”

Constantine gave a nod.

“Well, during the Dragon King summit, he proposed directly assaulting your territory to seize the Primordial Power you worked so hard to acquire.”

Leon continued, “And can you guess who refuted his plan and got it changed to simple surveillance instead of outright war?”

Constantine’s eyes narrowed slightly. Seeing Leon’s smug grin, he could already guess the answer.

But he refused to say it aloud.

“Who? Odin? Morgan? Or one of those other fossils?”

Since the meeting was concerned him, Constantine had a pretty good idea of which Dragon Kings were present at the summit.

Old man Odin and Morgan’s descendants had both been at the ruins, so naturally, they’d participate.

Leon rolled his eyes.

“It was me! I kept your Crimson Flame Clan from being dragged into a full-on disaster, you know that?”

“Casmode, I’ve kept my claws off you thus far only because I’m surprised you had the nerve to show up here alone. Don’t think for a second this gives you the right to address me that way.”

“No, no, no. The only reason you haven’t touched me yet,” Leon said confidently, “is because you’re not sure you can win.”

“…”

Brother, are you really only in your twenties?

Why do I get the feeling you’re closer to two centuries old with all this cunning?

After a few exchanges, Constantine came to realize the initiative in this situation—at least when it came to the broader context—was firmly in Leon’s hands.

There was no need to keep playing coy. Time to get straight to the point.

“So, what do you want to discuss?”

“Let’s talk about the Empire.”

Leon paused before adding, “More specifically, the relationship between the Empire and you Dragon Kings. Why are you working with them? What’s the goal of this collaboration?”

“Why on earth should I tell you?”

Just because Leon had the upper hand in situational leverage didn’t mean the negotiating power had shifted as well.

Constantine also understood that Leon's visit this time was for "personal matters" and had nothing to do with the secret meeting with the Dragon Kings and Queens.

Seeing Constantine’s unwavering stance, Leon remained calm and composed.

"Because the Empire is now our common enemy; because I came here with not a single soldier, merely to have a good talk with you; because the thousand-strong Dragon Clan outside hasn’t barged in yet, all thanks to me opposing Arles during the secret meeting."

"Of course, the most important reason is that the Empire has tortured you to this state. Are you seriously still trying to protect the Empire in this condition?"

That last point indeed struck a chord.

Constantine’s thoughts wavered slightly. After a pause, he slowly opened his mouth:

"I can only briefly tell you some of the inside information I know. As for things like the Far North Lands, I wasn’t involved at all."

Hearing Constantine agree to talk, Leon secretly let out a sigh of relief.

As he expected, this mad dragon wasn’t truly insane—at least he was reasonable enough to talk.

"Alright, I’m all ears," Leon said.

Constantine turned slowly, pacing leisurely as he began.

"About thirty years ago, at the peak of the war between your kind and ours, the Empire reached a collaboration with a small faction of Dragon Kings."

"The purpose of the collaboration, to put it simply, was to prolong the war."

The revelation startled Leon, who immediately asked in disbelief,

"Prolong the war between humans and dragons?! How is that possible?!"

Years of war had increased taxes on people, not to mention the sharp decline in population. Common people had long been suffering.

While every victorious battle was celebrated across the nation, the price paid—the death toll, the resources consumed—was impossible to ignore.

This kind of war... why would anyone want to prolong it?

"I was just as shocked back then. But upon giving it more thought, Casmode, you’ll realize that the benefits of war far outweigh its drawbacks."

"Stop spouting nonsense, Constantine! War only brings death and suffering—what benefits could there possibly be?!"

"The benefits are, of course, not for the common people, but for the ones in power."

Constantine explained,

"The longer the war drags on, the more manpower, money, and resources the people provide to the state, all of which the Empire’s rulers can reap for themselves."

"This is much safer than abruptly increasing labor or tax rates within the nation."

"And whenever someone questions or resists the war, they just orchestrate a predetermined victory to stabilize public morale."

"For over thirty years now, the Empire has scripted this seamless performance, steadily draining the resources of your people. So—"

Before Constantine could finish, Leon interrupted,

"How can this be... How can this be!"

He rarely got this emotional.

But at this moment, his inner convictions began to crack.

The honor he had once defended with his life, the war he had fought tooth and nail to end—was it all just a charade in the end?

How could he possibly accept this?

"Then what about you Dragon Kings? What benefits do you gain from this?" Leon asked urgently.

"For us, seizing territory becomes effortless."

Constantine replied, "There were quite a few battles where both your Empire’s Dragon Slayer Army and our Dragon Clan suffered heavy losses. Once the Dragon Slayer Army withdrew, it became our perfect opportunity to claim land and resources without expending much effort."

"Of course, a single tribe's resources are sufficient for us to use for a long time. If we employ such tactics too frequently, it’s easy to be discovered."

Leon’s brows furrowed tightly, cold sweat slowly trailing down his temple.

Suddenly, he remembered his mentor once mentioned that he had left the Dragon Slayer Army after discovering some dark truths about the Empire.

Could it be that his mentor had seen just the tip of the iceberg of this war’s nature back then?

Noticing Leon's reaction, Constantine chuckled coldly.

"I suppose you're regretting coming to me for the truth now, aren’t you?"

Leon quickly regained his composure, his voice low and steady.

"Then why does the Empire want me dead?"

"Isn’t that obvious, Casmode? You nearly ruined their plan."

"What... do you mean?"

"What was meant to be a staged performance—you barged onto the stage and became the disruptor."

Constantine continued,

"Your presence made the Dragon Slayer Army invincible on the battlefield. Whether it was pre-planned ‘victories’ or genuine skirmishes, you triumphed in all of them."

"That black armor of yours was legendary back in the day—unstoppable. Even we Dragon Kings who had partnered with the Empire were wary of you to some extent."

"And the Empire realized that if they let you continue unchecked, within a decade you’d probably annihilate the entire Dragon Clan. That couldn’t happen, could it? Without the Dragon Clan, where would the rulers find a pretext to perpetuate this war?"

"So they arranged for a mole to backstab you, and sent me to the Silver Dragon Clan to finish you off."

Constantine stepped forward, locking eyes with Leon as he said, word by word,

"Casmode, you were never meant to be this powerful. You disrupted their scheme, and for that, they’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth."