Speed Run the Empire Progress: 3/3

When Roswitha saw Leon walking out of the woods with a smile on his face, she instantly knew that he had successfully persuaded Constantine.

And the means he used to persuade him were undoubtedly not something a normal person could imagine.

The queen crossed her arms over her chest, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth as her eyes followed Leon. She waited until he stood in front of her before finally asking,

"Did he agree?"

Leon nodded. "Of course."

"How did you convince him? The same way as last time?"

"Well... no. Moral blackmail doesn't work on Constantine anymore, so I tried a different tactic."

Roswitha raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued.

After all, the infamous Crimson Flame Dragon King was notorious for his indifference to coercion and his absolute individualism.

Moreover, Leon and Constantine were hardly casual acquaintances; it was impressive enough that the two didn't start a fight the moment they saw each other.

And yet, despite all that, Leon had managed to convince Constantine to help him—without resorting to moral blackmail.

Now Roswitha was genuinely curious to know how this devious man had managed it.

"I told him that once we deal with the Empire's troubles, I'd give him an entire library of Primordial Magic manuals."

Roswitha blinked. "But we only have one book, *Soul Judgement.* Where are you going to get all those other manuals?"

Leon spread his hands. "You have to show him the dream first. We’ll deal with the details afterward."

Roswitha shook her head helplessly, though she chuckled. "You've certainly picked up quite a few skills beyond fighting during your time at the Silver Dragon Castle."

Low emotional intelligence: Selling a pipe dream.

High emotional intelligence: Crafting a grand vision to achieve collaboration.

General Leon had finally come to realize that in the Empire's world of power plays and networking, all you needed to succeed was the audacity to bluff convincingly.

No wonder, back when their Dragon Slayer cohort graduated from the Dragon Slayer Academy, so many people bent over backward to land civil service jobs in the capital. Safe, lucrative, and far less deadly than the battlefield work of Dragon Slayers like Leon.

However, Leon didn't regret his choices much.

Over his years of battle and travel, he had seen a world far broader than what any office window could offer.

And most importantly, offices didn’t come with dragon wives who had given birth to his children.

Speaking of children, Leon said,

"Let's head home first. Before we leave for the Empire, I want to check on our daughters."

After all, this trip would carry some danger. Otherwise, Leon wouldn't have taken the risk of seeking Constantine's help.

A "farewell before battle" felt necessary—not to set a fatalistic "flag" of doom, but to bring some peace of mind to their hearts.

Their daughters were their dearest treasures. No matter the time or place, the thought of their little ones waiting at home for their parents gave Leon and Roswitha the strength to face any crisis.

Roswitha nodded. She then transformed into her dragon form and, with Leon on her back, leapt into the night sky, speeding toward their home.

...

"So, after you ended the Dragon Clan's civil war, the dragon clan enjoyed a century of peace?"

In the dusky golden waterways, Noa's impromptu history class was now in session.

The white dragon lazily sprawled before the girl and said unhurriedly,

"Indeed. It was the most unified and flourishing era for the Dragon Clan. No internal strife, no external threats, a wealth of resources, and combat prowess at a level far surpassing the current Dragon Clan."

Noa spread her hands. "But now, the Dragon Clan is not only fragmented internally but also embroiled in various external wars. The battlefield against the human Empire is particularly brutal."

"It seems that much has changed in the Dragon Clan—and even in the entire Samael Continent—during my ten-thousand-year slumber."

The ancient ancestor mused with a faint sense of nostalgia.

Back in her day, the Dragon Clan had been a vast and mighty force. How had it come to this?

Like the river, the tides of time flowed ever forward, but each successive wave seemed weaker than the last.

"Your awakening was meant to stop the ultimate catastrophe, 'Ultimate Fear.' Though I don't know what it is, and you won't explain it to me in detail, I must remind you: before 'Ultimate Fear' descends,"—

Noa’s tone was calm and measured. Confident yet respectful, she was undoubtedly her mother's daughter—strong-willed and poised.

"There will be more troubles brewing on this continent."

The Saint Hiss Academy’s hatchling-level history courses were rudimentary, and Noa had supplemented her knowledge with extracurricular reading.

On one hand, the Little Bookworm Queen simply loved to learn.

On the other, she wanted to know things the textbooks didn’t cover, so she could share them with Aurora back home.

That way, her excitable little sister wouldn’t fixate on those nonsense stories about second personalities and imaginary friends.

Back to the topic at hand.

The ancient ancestor wasn't that surprised by Noa’s warning.

"This era’s crises should be resolved by the people of this era. My only concern is the 'Ultimate Fear.'"

Her viewpoint wasn’t wrong. Similar to Grandmother Veronica, she believed the younger generation should lead this new world.

But her words sounded just a little... callous.

At her age, Noa could understand the surface meaning but failed to grasp the deeper implication.

"You managed to quell the Dragon Clan’s internal conflicts back then. Why are you focused solely on 'Ultimate Fear' now? Shadows lurking across the continent could also harm the Dragon Clan."

Noa wasn’t condemning her ancestor from some self-righteous moral pedestal; she was simply puzzled.

How had the Primordial Dragon Queen, once hailed as the hero of the Dragon Clan's golden age, become so seemingly... obstinate after her long sleep?

The ancestor seemed mildly displeased by this question.

But she didn’t lose her temper or directly answer. Instead, she averted her gaze, focusing on the rippling water’s surface.

"When you grow older, I’ll tell you."

"Don't treat me like a child."

"Hmph, but you *are* a child."

"NO-A!"

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The sound of knocking brought Noa’s consciousness back to the real world.

She slowly opened her eyes, but the words "You *are* a child" still resounded in her ears, like an incessantly buzzing fly.

Feeling a bit irritable, Noa sat up in bed and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Forget it. I won’t lower myself to argue with an ancient dragon from eons past. After all, I’m a modern, well-behaved young dragon!

Once her mood improved, Noa leapt off the bed, landing lightly on her bare feet as she went to open the door.

The moment the door creaked open, a tuft of pink hair filled her vision.

Aurora leaned in, her big eyes mere inches from Noa's nose as she whispered conspiratorially,

"Big sis, you were... talking to that ghost, weren’t you?"

"...What ghost? I don’t understand what you’re saying."

Aurora leaned closer. "Really? But I heard you. Something about... a child..."

Noa leaned back slightly. "That was... me talking in my sleep."

Aurora (leaning closer ×3): “Big sis, are you sure—”

Noa calmly lifted her hand and pressed it against her little sister’s face. With a gentle but firm motion, she pushed Aurora out of the room.

"You were seconds away from kissing me, Aurora. I told you, that was just sleep-talking."

The pink-haired little dragon shook her head, pouting. "Fine, fine. But tell that ghost to watch out. One day, I, Aurora, will drag it out of hiding!"

"..."

Noa had a feeling that this summer was going to be anything but peaceful.

Oh well. Let her sister do as she pleased.

“So, what brings you here, Aurora?”

“Mom and Dad are back! Our second sister’s already with them—let’s go too!”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

The two sisters headed to the dining area, where a sumptuous meal awaited.

After two days, their parents had finally returned home.

“Good evening, Noa, Aurora.”

“Good evening, Dad and Mom!” Aurora chirped cheerfully, climbing into the child-sized chair beside Leon.

“Good evening, Dad and Mom.”

Noa greeted them with poise before sitting down. “Was the border inspection successful?”

Every time Leon and Roswitha made secret trips to exchange intelligence at the mountain cave, they covered for it by claiming it was a routine “border inspection.”

But they had a nagging feeling the excuse didn’t work on Noa.

Their eldest daughter seemed convinced that these so-called inspections were just an excuse for her parents to sneak off for romantic dates.

Oh well, as long as she didn’t suspect anything more serious.

And honestly, being considered “lovebirds who keep sneaking off to be alone” wasn’t such a bad misunderstanding.

“Pretty successful,” Leon replied.

“Good to hear.”

Noa acknowledged the answer, then picked up her knife and fork to start eating.

But her sharp instincts quickly told her something felt... off about tonight’s dinner atmosphere.

Muen and Aurora's seats were much closer to their parents than usual.

The table was laden with Muen’s favorite indulgences—foods normally banned for being too unhealthy, but now suddenly all served at once.

And looking at Leon and Roswitha, despite how attentively they cared for the younger sisters—serving food, asking about their studies—Noa couldn’t shake the feeling that they were hiding something.

She thought for a moment, then said, “Dad, the Thunder Wolf Destroyer technique you taught me is giving me some trouble. Could you help me with it tomorrow?”

"Ah, um... no rush, Noa. The Thunder Wolf Destroyer is inherently a high-difficulty spell. Hitting a bottleneck is perfectly normal."

"Really…?"

"Yeah… and—"

Leon pressed his lips together and glanced at Roswitha, who was sitting beside him.

Roswitha gave him a slight nod.

Leon immediately understood her intent.

"And… Dad is going to head out with Mom again tomorrow. It might take a few days before we're back."

"Aww~ Why, Dad and Mom? You just got home! Muen doesn't want you to leave."

The steak on Little Moon's plate instantly lost its appeal.

Leon quickly reached out to pat his daughter's small head. "Muen, be good. When I get back in a few days, I'll bring you something delicious."

Even though he said this, Muen's mood was still a bit dim. She muttered softly, "But… but Muen already misses you…"

Whenever Leon and Roswitha had to leave home for a few days in the past, Muen would always be reluctant like this.

Leon would then promise to bring her tasty treats, and Muen would obediently accept this.

But as she grew older, this little tactic was gradually losing its effectiveness.

Food… wasn't as important to the current Muen anymore. What she really wanted was for Dad and Mom to spend more time with her during the summer break—and also with her older sister and Aurora.

Leon felt a bit troubled.

Seeing his daughter's pitiful expression, he sighed and continued, "Dad promises you, as soon as we return this time, I'll stay with you the whole time and won't go anywhere. How does that sound?"

The little dragon girl’s eyes lit up. "Really, Dad?"

"Yes, really."

"Yay~ Dad, you're the best~"

"What about Mom?"

"Mom is the best too~"

Noa narrowed her eyes slightly.

For some reason, she couldn't help but feel like her dad had just raised a lot of flags all of a sudden...