The Lionheart Association wasn’t just a revolutionary organization resisting the Empire; its members were also elites from various fields.

Thus, when the spiritual leader, Mr. Leon Casmode, married the Silver Dragon Queen Roswitha and fathered three daughters with her, it sparked intense discussion among the members.

The former Empire dragonologist sighed repeatedly:

"I've spent half my life studying dragon reproduction, but I never envisioned that humans and dragons could have offspring. This will be one of the greatest discoveries in the field of cross-species research."

The former royal family’s appointed psychological counselor raised a question:

"What psychological conditions must an exceptional human male meet to unite with an equally exceptional female dragon? This is certainly a topic worth pondering."

Meanwhile, a retired five-star general of the Dragon Slayer Army chimed in:

"Captured or not, he could easily win over the Silver Dragon Queen. Even if the God of Sun stood beside him, the God would merely be outshone. Leon Casmode is destined to be a beacon of brilliance in the history of both human and dragon kind!"

...

Watching everyone delving into debates and speculations about his love story with the dragon queen, Leon simply smiled helplessly without intervening.

As long as they didn’t reject Roswitha, the Silver Dragon Queen, everything was fine.

About the rest—let them chat however they wanted.

After all, Leon was speaking the truth; he wasn’t afraid of rumors.

Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, Roswitha shot a sideways glance at the man beside her, then quietly reached out and pinched his waist viciously.

A sharp, burning pain surged through Leon, but with so many people around, he dared not yelp, only letting his facial expression twitch briefly.

Once Roswitha released her grip, Leon instantly increased the distance between them.

Clutching his aching waist, he asked, "Why’d you pinch me just now?"

The queen, with her cheeks slightly red, avoided meeting Leon's gaze. She stood with arms crossed, looking straight ahead.

"Who told you to bring up our affairs in front of so many people?"

"What, was I not telling the truth?"

"You—!"

"Everyone in your Dragon Clan, from ancient thousand-year-olds to little five-year hatchlings, knows I'm married to you. Don’t you think us humans have the right to know as well?"

Hearing his rational and logical response, Roswitha wanted to retort but couldn’t find a valid angle of attack, eventually gritting out three words through her teeth:

"Resort to sophistry."

"Hey now, how am I resorting to sophistry? Dragoness, let me tell you, I—"

Midway through his sentence, Leon suddenly froze, as if realizing something.

He looked at Roswitha's slightly flushed face and blinked—

Enlightenment dawned.

"Oh~~I see."

Roswitha gave him a sidelong glare. "There you go again."

"You’re actually happy I called you my wife in front of everyone. But since you’re used to being aloof, showing too much joy would compromise the dignified, majestic image of you as the Silver Dragon Queen. So, you pinch me and refuse to admit it, all to mask your inner excitement. Am I right?"

Spot on, Leon’s words shattered the queen’s inner thoughts, leaving her both furious and abashed.

Had it not been for the crowd, she truly might have activated a Dragon Mark to teach him a lesson.

Roswitha glared at him while muttering softly:

"Wait till we’re home; I’ll deal with you then."

"My mentor’s wife used to say the same thing to him."

"So, it seems you’re a chip off the old block."

"No, what I meant was..."

He deliberately dragged out his words, teasing her.

Roswitha tilted her head slightly, listening.

"We’re becoming more and more like a real couple."

"...If you dare keep saying shameless things, I’ll spill all your embarrassing secrets right here in front of the Lionheart Association!"

Leon immediately piped down.

The members resumed their chatting, and the couple refrained from interjecting further.

Leon went to the edge of the platform and lightly hopped down.

The stage was about a meter high from the ground. Roswitha, wearing a long gown and high heels, couldn’t make any large movements, so after Leon jumped down, he turned back, took her hand, and helped her down to prevent any accidents.

With one hand held by Leon and the other lifting her hem, Roswitha gracefully leaped off the stage.

"This world is so bizarre, Captain," a voice piped up behind him—Rebecca’s.

Leon released Roswitha's hand and turned to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, the mighty Silver Dragon Queen needs someone to help her down from just a one-meter-high stage; and you—an untamed dragon-slaying hero—are here fussing over every little thing for your wife. Tch, tch, tch—so that’s the power of love?"

The couple immediately recognized Rebecca’s playful teasing.

Roswitha chose to let it slide, maintaining the gentle and sisterly persona Rebecca had of her.

But Leon wasn’t nearly as merciful.

Stepping forward, he grabbed the girl by the collar.

"Your sister-in-law flew here overnight. Exhausted as she is, what’s wrong with me helping her down from the stage?"

Dangling mid-air with her feet off the ground, Rebecca sheepishly grinned. "Not wrong, not wrong at all—wishing you two a hundred years of wedded bliss and... have your fourth baby as soon as possible—ah!"

Before the last word had fully left her lips, Leon let go.

Rebecca fell flat on her backside.

Quickly scrambling to her feet, the twin-tailed girl brushed off the dirt.

"Honestly! How come you're sweet only to your wife yet still so rough with others?"

Because when I'm rough with your sister-in-law, you're not around to see it, Leon grumbled internally.

"By the way, where’s Martin?" Leon asked.

"At home," Rebecca replied.

"Due to his family circumstances, Martin rarely comes by Lionheart. However, every time the Empire plans a major move, Martin tips us off in advance. Thanks to him, Lionheart Association has endured to this day."

Leon nodded.

"Captain, now that we’re declaring an open war on the Empire, exposing their schemes while clearing your name—do you have a specific plan?"

"Yes, I do."

On his way here, Leon had already sketched out a general strategy.

"I checked the calendar. Three days from now is the Empire’s annual Lantern Festival. On that day, citizens across the nation will flood the streets to release paper lanterns. We can use this event to fully expose the Empire."

The Lantern Festival was a longstanding tradition within human society, observed once a year.

On that day, people would release paper lanterns into the sky. The folklore said that writing your wishes inside the lantern would prompt the gods to grant them.

Children especially loved this festival—they’d send off their wishes on lanterns and simply wait for the gods to make their dreams come true.

Adults, however, had long abandoned such beliefs, viewing the event as an occasion for joy and good omens.

Regardless, the Lantern Festival was a major annual festivity for the Empire and would see dense crowds thronging the streets.

"But what’s the specific plan?" asked a man standing beside Rebecca.

Leon turned toward the voice, narrowing his eyes slightly.

There was something oddly familiar about the man.

After Leon staring him for a while, the man finally introduced himself.

"Nacho Salaman, former field assistant to Dragon Slayer Army Overseer Erandy."

Nacho...

The memories came rushing back.

Leon recalled that in the timeline of “the twenty years where Leon didn’t exist,” Nacho rose to become Erandy’s successor, leading the Dragon Slayer Army in the distant future.

The elite trio known as the Sharp Blade Squad worked under Nacho at that time.

It was also through Nacho in the future that Leon had managed to extract critical information about the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale.

Seeing Leon remain silent, Rebecca assumed he was suspicious of Nacho. She quickly stepped forward to explain:

"Captain, years ago, Nacho's father was framed by the Empire and tragically died in prison. That’s why he defected to join Lionheart."

Rebecca’s account wasn’t very detailed, so Nacho filled in the gaps.

"My father was forced by officials to falsify the financial books. They threatened our entire family if he didn’t comply. Over time, the falsified accounts snowballed beyond concealment. When the truth finally surfaced, my father was made the scapegoat."

"Erandy once promised me that if I led the Dragon Kings to eliminate you, he'd ensure my father’s safety."

"But after the Rift Battle in Lavi's Space, where I failed my mission, Erandy lost all confidence in me. My assistant, Scott, was promoted to replace me."

"And when I went to the prison to visit my father, I learned he’d been killed by several death rows."

"But who would believe that? My father had knowledge of top officials’ inside dealings. As long as he lived, those bigwigs would never rest easy."

Nacho’s tone remained eerily flat as he recounted this, as though sorrow had eroded him so deeply over the years that he’d grown numb.

After hearing Nacho’s elaboration, Leon began piecing the puzzle together.

In the alternative timeline where Leon "didn’t exist" for twenty years, Nacho succeeded in pushing Leon into the spatial rift, effectively eliminating him from that world. This secured the completion of his mission under Erandy, propelling Nacho to career success and sparing his father’s life.

But now that Leon had returned to reshape history, reversing that chain of events, everything changed.

His father’s betrayal and demise revealed the Empire’s corruption to Nacho, driving him to join Lionheart Association—whether for revenge or a sense of renewed purpose.

That said, a glaring tension remained.

"You said Erandy’s mission was to have you and the Dragon Kings take me down. And my resistance caused you to fail that mission. So, fundamentally speaking... you and I were once true enemies, Nacho."

Leon’s concise statement clarified their complex entanglements into a simple reality.

He and Nacho weren’t just people with history—they had crossed swords in actual battles.

Leon wasn’t questioning Nacho’s loyalty to the Lionheart Association; he simply wanted to hear what his former enemy thought nowadays.

It was just like Constantine—crazy, yes—but after getting to know him, he was still someone you could work with to fend off threats.

Nacho pondered for a moment before replying slowly,

"I never thought that joining the Lionheart Association would wash away the sins of my past. I just want to ask for a chance—a chance to take revenge on the Empire. As long as I avenge my father, you can throw me in jail afterward."

After a short pause, Nacho added, "I mean… a jail of the new Empire, not this one."

Leon stared at him in silence.

He realized that Nacho and Constantine were fundamentally different.

Constantine could now cooperate with Leon, not because he sought redemption or had a sudden awakening, but because Constantine had always been that kind of dragon.

If the Empire gave him benefits, he cooperated; if the Empire betrayed him, he retaliated. It was simple and logical.

But what about Nacho?

Nacho was fully aware that his defection from the Empire and his joining of the Lionheart Association might seem like a case of "enlightened reform" or "turning to the light" in the eyes of some. But that was never his true intention.

He had no intention of running away from his crimes or his mistakes.

He was prepared to go to prison for them—but not yet.

Because he believed that the one to punish him shouldn’t be a system that was already rotten and corrupt.

It should be a more reasonable system and a more just law.

Roswitha stood quietly to the side, showing no intention of stepping into this matter.

Rebecca, however, tilted her small head, glancing between Nacho and Leon.

The two men locked eyes with each other, neither saying a word.

The feisty young girl was getting anxious.

She thought Nacho was a pretty decent guy. Sure, he’d once been an accomplice to evil, but it wasn’t like he’d had a choice.

Now that he’d opened his eyes to the true face of the Empire, wasn’t it better late than never?

Surely the captain wouldn’t fire him just because they’d fought in the past, would he?

"You’re right; you’d fit perfectly in prison," Leon said suddenly.

Hearing this, Nacho stiffened slightly. Still, it wasn’t exactly an unexpected response.

Rebecca, however, was startled.

Wait, wait, wait—was the captain really going to throw Nacho behind bars?

Don’t do that, Captain!

"So, after we overthrow the current bastard emperor, I’ll talk to the new king about making you the warden of the new prison. How does that sound?" Leon said with a smile.

Rebecca blinked, her mind taking a few moments to process what the captain really meant.

"Ugh~~ Captain, could you speak in one go next time?" the feisty girl complained.

Leon chuckled.

"Because in certain… unusual circumstances, I’ve had interactions with Nacho outside the battlefield."

Leon was referring to the future, twenty years from now.

Nacho looked bewildered. "Why don’t I remember any of this?"

"Well, it’s a long and complicated story, but I know you’re actually a very capable person, especially when it comes to management. The Lionheart Association being what it is today—surely you deserve some of the credit for that, huh?"

Nacho let out a short laugh, a trace of pride flashing across his face.

"That’s mostly old man Tiger’s doing. I just helped out here and there."

"Then… about your father, I’m truly sorry. But as for that revenge on the Empire you just mentioned—"

Leon extended his hand. "I can absolutely help you with that."

Nacho looked at Leon's outstretched hand. Without any hesitation, he reached out and shook it.

"Let’s end this farce together."