This was another purpose of Roswitha's visit:

To understand the man she called her "husband" in another way.

Strangely, Roswitha had never been so sentimental before, nor did she find romantic feelings in things like "seeing the scenery you once saw."

But ever since spending so much time together with Leon, her heart had quietly begun to change.

However, rather than saying that the queen had grown more curious and romantic, it would be more accurate to say she was only curious about Leon, and any romantic notions were reserved solely for Leon.

If it were anyone else, Roswitha would probably just think they were being pretentious.

It was like in the past when her elder sister Isa's house had been filled with unopened love letters—Roswitha never understood what key role a letter could play in a relationship.

That was until a certain short period when she secretly wrote in her diary almost every day, recording all the little details of her day with Leon.

Only then did she realize the importance wasn't in the "letter" as a medium, but in the emotions she felt when penning down those words:

Anticipation, contentment, and happiness.

Just like what she was feeling at this very moment, walking the paths Leon had walked, seeing the sights Leon had seen.

Roswitha didn't want to maintain a facade or act aloof right now; she simply wanted Leon to understand the subtle feelings in her heart.

And Leon's response was—

To step forward, take her slightly cool hand, and entwine their fingers together.

His black eyes and her silver eyes filled with longing, the breeze lightly brushing against the long lashes of the beauty before him.

"Then, let me take you to the next place."

Roswitha smiled faintly and nodded, "Alright."

Because she didn't know when she might visit Leon's homeland again—perhaps this was the first time and also the last. This time, she wanted to express all that was in her heart.

Thankfully, her foolish captive wasn't always opposing her all day long.

When bickering was needed, they bickered. When it was time to soften up, he would certainly soften up.

The couple walked hand in hand through the streets of the lower district.

Leon led the way, holding a shopping bag full of Recording Stones in his arms.

Roswitha followed behind him, one hand holding up the long hem of her gown, the other tightly clasping Leon's hand.

They were like a carefree young couple running towards freedom, weaving through the bustling streets.

...

By the end of the day, Leon had taken Roswitha through every corner of the lower district.

Of course, they only visited the places Rebecca had marked as safe on the map.

As the sun began to set, Leon and Roswitha sat on a bench by the roadside.

The queen held an orange-flavored ice cream cone that Leon had just bought for her, taking small bites.

Leon sat beside her, spreading out the map to give it another glance. There was still one final place he wanted to take Roswitha to.

It was in the middle district, another safe spot marked by Rebecca.

He did a quick time calculation in his head—if they went there now, they could definitely make it back before Nacho's predicted nightfall.

After making up his mind, Leon folded up the map and picked up the bag of Recording Stones.

"Let's go to the last place."

Roswitha glanced down at the ice cream in her hand—it was down to the last bite. She stood up and handed it to Leon.

"Oh, you get the creamy top of the ice cream, and I only get the boring bottom?" Leon teased as he accepted it.

"This isn't just any ordinary ice cream bottom," Roswitha said with mock gravity.

"And what is it?..."

"It's the leftover ice cream bottom of a queen."

"..."

Only she could come up with such a description.

Leon looked at the last pointy bit of the ice cream bottom. It still had a faint mark of Roswitha's lipstick on it.

Since this was a gesture of goodwill from Her Majesty, he supposed he wouldn't refuse.

"Alright, then, let's head off."

"Mm."

The two began their journey again, walking toward the middle city.

On the way, Roswitha asked,

"Where is the last place?"

Leon thought for a moment and replied, "A very important place to me."

He left it as a little mystery.

Roswitha didn't probe further, simply continuing to follow him quietly.

By the time the sun had completely set, they had arrived at the middle district.

It was noticeably more affluent than the lower district they had just been in; even the fruits and snacks here seemed a bit more upscale.

Leon led Roswitha across several blocks until they arrived at the entrance of a church.

At this time of night, the gates to the church's front yard had already closed.

However, a few children were still playing on the lawn inside the courtyard while two nun-like women stood on the side.

"This is?..."

"The Casmode Orphanage."

Leon pointed to an old plaque by the gate, which bore the name of the orphanage he had just mentioned.

"More than twenty years ago, I was found by one of the nuns here, right in front of this orphanage."

As Roswitha looked at the aged church before her, she finally understood why Leon had chosen this as the last stop.

She had said she wanted to stand on Leon's homeland, to understand him from another perspective.

And now Leon had brought her to the place where he had grown up.

Although he had been adopted by his master at the age of five and taken away, Leon frequently returned to the orphanage to visit his teachers.

After growing up, he even volunteered here during holidays.

The children at the orphanage loved Leon, and his incredible talent for looking after kids had already begun to reveal itself back then.

Standing in front of the orphanage gate, Leon and Roswitha tightened their grip on each other's hands.

"It’s been so many years since I’ve been here. The place has changed so much."

Whether it was his first return to the Empire to deal with Victor, or his investigation into the secret of the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale twenty years in the future, Leon had never had the chance to revisit the orphanage.

Counting the years, it had been at least five already...

At that moment, one of the nuns inside seemed to notice them.

The older woman approached and opened the gate, smiling politely.

"Good evening, you two. Is there anything I can help you with?"

However, Leon simply stood still, staring at the elderly nun as if he were lost in thought.

Memories rushed through his mind.

Scenes from his childhood played like a slideshow before Leon's eyes:

He spent his first birthday at the orphanage—the day this very nun had found him.

He got into fights with other kids in his dorm, because the kid claimed that the nun’s cooking was terrible.

As a boy, he fought an aggressive dog barehanded to protect a girl and eventually won. Of course, it was this same nun who took him to the hospital afterward to treat his wounds.

...

Nearly every moment of Leon’s childhood memories included this elderly nun.

If it weren’t for his master and madam, there wouldn’t be today’s Dragon Slayer Leon.

But if it weren’t for this nun, Leon might have frozen to death on some random night twenty-five years ago.

Her name was Caroline, Caroline Casmode, the only daughter of the orphanage’s former director.

Leon remembered her as someone who was already elderly. Yet, in just five years, she seemed to have aged by a whole decade.

Her hair was now completely white, with wrinkles etched below her eyes clearly visible.

"Sir?"

Noticing Leon’s lack of response, the nun called out again.

Leon snapped back to reality. "Ah... we’re travelers from a neighboring country... just strolling around."

"Is that so? Would you like to come inside and take a look?"

Leon shook his head. "No, thank you. Just standing at the gate is fine."

He deliberately lowered his voice, coupled with the meticulous disguise the Lionheart Association had prepared for him. Even Caroline didn’t recognize him.

If she did, it might cause some unnecessary trouble—

Just as he was thinking this, Caroline looked at him with a trace of confusion and asked,

"Sir, have we... met before?"

Leon’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly denied it. "I don’t think so. This is the first time my wife and I have visited the Empire. You must be mistaken."

"Is that so..."

Caroline lowered her gaze, murmuring to herself, "Then I must just be missing that boy too much..."

Leon blinked and asked, "Who are you referring to?... "

"His name was Leon."

At the mention of this name, a warm, contented smile spread across Caroline's face.

"He was the most outstanding child I ever taught."