At Roswitha's speed, if she were to fly at full power, they could indeed reach the Sea Dragon Clan before the healing magic on Tiger wore off.

Along the way, Rebecca explained everything in detail to Leon.

"About half a month ago, one day, Martin's father took him to attend a royal banquet. It was an excellent opportunity to gather evidence of the Empire's corruption at the highest levels of power. Martin didn’t want to miss it, so he secretly took a recording stone with him to the banquet."

"At the banquet, both King Kant and Queen Elizabeth were present, and the main purpose of the event was to celebrate Scott’s recent promotion."

"Since Constantine is now out of control, the former head of the Empire Dragon Slayer Army, Erandy, was dismissed by King Kant. Eventually, Scott replaced Erandy in that position."

"Midway through the banquet, King Kant, Queen Elizabeth, and Scott were whispering about something."

"Seeing the opportunity, Martin secretly slipped the recording stone into the pocket of Scott’s personal attendant. After their conversation ended, Martin stealthily retrieved the recording stone without being noticed."

As she spoke, Rebecca handed Martin’s recording stone to Leon.

Leon activated the recording stone and quietly listened to the dangerous dialogue Martin had risked so much to capture.

"The Dagger Plan is progressing very smoothly. Even without Leon, we can, as before, manipulate this war effortlessly with the cooperation of the Dragon Kings."

"Her Majesty is wise."

"This is all thanks to you, Scott. I heard you were the one who formed the Dagger Trio. You’ve done a great service to the Empire."

"Her Majesty flatters me. I was merely doing my duty."

"Good. Having this sense of duty makes you a hundred times stronger than Casmode. That fool never knew his place, or he wouldn’t have ended up being hunted down by the Empire."

"......"

The contents of the recording aligned almost exactly with the hidden truths Leon had uncovered from Constantine.

To exploit the manpower and resources of the people within the Empire, the Empire, together with certain Dragon Kings, had orchestrated this war, causing decades of conflict and devastation between humans and dragons.

Leon gripped the recording stone tightly in his hand.

This was it. The crucial piece of evidence he needed—the final puzzle piece to overthrow that tyrannical Emperor Kant.

"Thank you, Rebecca. This is vital. It’s enough to unveil the Empire’s filthy truths."

"Don’t thank me, thank Martin."

Rebecca shook her head with a wry smile. "That kid’s legs were trembling so badly that he couldn’t even stand after he pulled it off. He told me that if it weren’t for clearing your name, Captain, and turning the tide, he wouldn’t have dared to do something so crazy. If he’d been caught, it would have been his neck."

That kid Martin… He really risked everything for Leon.

Leon lowered his gaze, looking at the recording stone in his hand. This bond of loyalty was deeply etched into his heart.

"Master and I originally planned to pass the recording stone to you during this meeting."

Rebecca continued, "But on the way, we were ambushed by the Dagger Trio. Master was seriously injured, and I had no choice but to hide him in a cave and then lure the pursuers away. I just had to hold them off until you arrived, Captain."

Not only Martin, but Rebecca too had the willingness to make sacrifices.

Why were they so loyal to Leon?

The reason was simple: during their service in the Empire Dragon Slayer Army, Leon, as their captain, had pulled them back from the brink of death countless times.

If it weren’t for Leon, by now, they’d likely all be in the underworld, sitting around a table playing mahjong.

Back then, they had been Leon’s most loyal subordinates.

And now, they were still willing to go through fire and water for him.

The charisma of a leader was immense, capable of seeping into one’s very soul. Such charisma didn’t require motivational speeches or inspiring rhetoric to build a reputation.

All he had to do was what needed to be done—what others hoped he’d do—and countless people would willingly pledge their loyalty.

Leon looked at his unconscious master, his eyes filled with a complex mix of suppressed emotions.

The carefree old man who usually teased and joked now lay there quietly, his heart severely wounded, his life barely sustained by temporary healing magic.

Leon couldn’t forgive himself for not feeling guilty. After all, his master had ended up like this while trying to help him.

He didn’t know how he would face his master's wife if the worst were to happen.

Leon had always hated the overused tragedy of partings brought by life and death. He just never thought such a clichéd fate would one day descend upon him.

He gripped his master’s wrinkled hand tightly, silently hoping the old man could make it through this ordeal.

"By the way, Captain, what exactly are we going to the Sea Dragon Clan for? Is there someone there who can save our mentor?"

"Uh… I don’t know..."

Rebecca: ?

"You don’t know and you just rushed over there? And if we go in so openly, won’t your identity as a human be exposed?"

Leon looked at his master with a solemn expression. "Master said to go, so I go. As for my identity being exposed… that’s not something I can worry about right now."

Rebecca nodded in understanding, then asked again:

"Do you have any acquaintances in the Sea Dragon Clan?"

"Well, funny you should ask. I do, actually."

"Who?"

"My daughter’s best friend's mother."

"...That’s pretty far-fetched. Can we even call that an acquaintance? Is it barely cooked or half-done?"

Rebecca covered her face silently and sighed before her gaze shifted to Tiger.

"So why, exactly, did master want to head to the Sea Dragon Clan at a time like this…"

When his master had mentioned going to the Sea Dragon Clan earlier, Leon had to admit, it didn’t leave him feeling particularly puzzled or shocked.

If anything, it felt like confirmation, as though everything had aligned just as expected.

This was because, through the magical tomes *Nine Hells Gate* and *Soul Judgment,* both written by Claudia, Leon and Roswitha had already suspected some hidden connection between his master and the Sea Dragon Clan.

And for his master to request to travel there in a life-threatening situation, perhaps there really was someone—or something—there capable of saving him.

Could it be Claudia…

Leon wasn’t certain.

All would only become clear upon reaching the Sea Dragon Clan.

After several hours of flying at full speed, the group arrived at a lone island within the vast expanse of the sea.

The island wasn’t large, but it was sufficient for them to land.

Roswitha transformed into her human form and pointed toward the area ahead.

"Beyond this point lies the Atlantis Sea Territory. It belongs to the Sea Dragon Clan. We can’t go any further."

"Why not, sis-in-law? We’re already at their doorstep; let’s just go in," Rebecca asked.

Roswitha lowered her hand and turned to the young girl, patiently explaining:

"We’ve flown here without prior communication with the Sea Dragon King. Technically, this is not allowed. It could even be seen as a hostile act. If we continue forward, they won’t hesitate to attack us."

This time, to save Tiger, even Roswitha was bending the rules.

She had told Leon before: Dragons, especially dragon kings and queens, must not cross into one another’s territories casually, lest they trigger unnecessary misunderstandings.

But human lives were at stake now; such etiquette could no longer be her priority.

Bringing them this far was already the best she could do.

Any further, and they’d likely be met with barrages of harpoons before even seeing Claudia.

"So, what now? We—"

“Cough! Cough, cough—”

Tiger suddenly erupted into a fit of violent coughing, blood seeping endlessly from his chest.

"Master!"

Leon ran over, kneeling beside Tiger.

"Are… we there… yet?" Tiger asked weakly.

“We’ve reached the borders of the Sea Dragon Clan, Master.”

"Good… then I should… be in time to see her…"

Upon hearing this, Leon asked urgently, "See her? Who? Master, tell me her name, and I’ll go find her for you!"

Tiger slowly closed his eyes, no longer having the strength to stay awake.

"Master? Master! Master!"

Rebecca hurried over to check his condition. "The healing magic can only hold for about an hour. We have to find someone who can save him within that time."

Leon bit his lips, thinking for a moment before standing and walking to Roswitha.

"We can’t continue flying forward, right?"

"That’s correct. I’m sorry."

"What’s there to apologize for? Thank you, Roswitha, for bringing us this far."

Roswitha gazed across the endless sea. "What do you plan to do? Without guidance from the Sea Dragon Clan, we can’t even find the Sea Dragon Sanctuary."

Plan?

To be honest, Leon didn’t know.

He rarely felt so lost, and he had come this far simply because of his master’s instruction: *Go to the Sea Dragon Clan.*

But now that they were here… what next?

What should we do now?

Just watch the boundless sea, listen to my master's increasingly frail breathing, and quietly wait for the outcome we least want to see?

No.

I can’t let that happen.

Leon jogged to the shore, mustering all his strength as he shouted toward the vast ocean:

"Claudia! Claudia, can you hear me? Please save my master!!"

It was the sort of primitive and foolish attempt that only an idiot could think of.

Leon knew this too, yet how could he possibly resign himself to doing nothing?

"Claudia!"

His voice was swallowed by the endless expanse of sea, dissipating into nothingness with the salty breeze.

Rebecca blinked her large eyes in bewilderment. She didn’t know who this Claudia Leon was desperately calling for, but...

"Claudia! Please save the old man! I’m begging you!"

"Claudia!"

"..."

The two fools stood there at the water’s edge, calling out one after the other.

Even when their voices turned hoarse, not once did they stop.

Finally, after Rebecca could no longer force a sound from her throat, they stopped shouting.

And yet, the sea remained as calm as before, utterly devoid of any ripple or response.

A quiet despair crept into Leon's heart.

He stared at the unmoving waves, a suffocating sense of powerlessness washing over him.

Leon opened his mouth again and, with a voice that was now ragged and coarse, continued to shout:

"Claudia... Claud—cough, cough—"

Thud—

Leon collapsed to his knees at the shoreline, propping himself up with his hands, his anxious heart burning like it was set aflame.

"Why… why is this happening...?"

"Captain..."

He could beat death countless times, but death only needed to defeat him once.

Just as despair engulfed him, a sea breeze swept by, carrying with it a voice he recognized:

"Running to someone else’s doorstep and shouting nonstop—is that truly how one behaves politely?"

He turned toward the sound. There she stood, poised upon a rock, her arms crossed over her chest. A soft breeze played with her long hair, its ocean-blue hue as soothing as it was striking.