No wonder Leon was the strongest Dragon Slayer; his understanding of dragon habits was simply unparalleled.

When Isa heard the news, she responded succinctly with just four words:

"Always at your service."

It was obvious that the Red Dragon Clan had been too peaceful lately, leaving the elder sister bored out of her mind and in dire need of some family bonding activities to spice things up.

With Isa's participation, the group was now complete.

A few days later, they set off for Sky City.

On the way, the young dragon girls expressed great curiosity about this live-action interaction game.

"I heard that some senior dragons from the Youth Division played it, and the experience was excellent," Helena remarked dreamily. "Apparently, the grand prize for the champion went to one of the senior sisters. She drew the 'Princess Card' in the game—how lucky!"

The three younger ones exchanged glances, trying to make sense of this so-called "Princess Card." They figured it must be something like the role cards they'd used in games like Werewolf.

But why was drawing the Princess Card considered so lucky?

Helena noticed her sisters’ puzzled expressions and elaborated,

"The rules of the game are really simple. Eight people randomly draw identity cards, and once your identity is determined, for the next seventy-two hours, you'll have to behave and act as closely to your role as possible. This helps with the immersion factor."

"This is also one of the selling points of the game."

"In the context of the game's storyline, the princess is the female protagonist. She's a noble-born lady, dazzlingly intelligent, and admired by everyone."

Noa blinked, thought for a moment, and bluntly assessed,

"She's the 'divine role' in the good camp."

Helena froze for a second before exclaiming, "Wow, Noa-chan, you've also played games like Werewolf before?"

"Of course! Our family is big, so we often pass the time using all sorts of games."

If the Princess Card was indeed the "divine role" of this game, then the player who drew it would definitely have a higher chance of winning compared to others.

Of course, this live-action interaction game was probably not the same as the Werewolf games Noa's family had played.

After all, the promotional poster claimed it featured "scenario acting" and "NPC side missions."

So, beyond having a way with words, participants also needed to possess the ability to complete tasks independently.

"This is getting more and more exciting. I really hope I draw the Princess Card," Helena said, sitting atop a dragon's back. She looked up at the sky for a moment, then lowered her gaze toward Noa, cupping her chin with her hands and squinting with a mischievous smile.

"Noa, what card would you like to draw?"

"Me?" Noa thought for a moment. "The Knight Card, I guess."

Helena's eyes lit up with excitement. "Is it because knights get to protect the princess?"

"No, because knights can kill wolves," responded the ever-blunt Involuted Queen, already itching to play and raring to go.

"......"

Helena understood. Her best friend really did have a straightforward nature—what the adults might describe as a "straight arrow."

Absolutely no sense of romance!

But things were hardly as simple as they seemed.

After all, she, the Silver Dragon Princess, was no ordinary individual.

A proficient strategist capable of ambushing various Dragon Kings, she possessed an acute sense of timing and judgment.

Naturally, Helena’s previous remark carried some implications and expectations. Noa understood them perfectly well. But if she'd actually said, "I’ll draw the Knight Card so I can protect you, Helena," then that silly, hair-topped dragon girl might have ended up orchestrating an overdramatic romantic subplot before they even reached Sky City.

Therefore, Noa’s response was designed to preemptively dodge a whirlwind of "drama."

With this in mind, the Involuted Queen silently praised herself for her quick thinking.

She glanced at Muen, whose calm demeanor didn’t waver.

That said, Muen's big blue eyes would occasionally dart toward Helena, as if she might snatch Noa away at any moment.

Noa chuckled helplessly and shook her head.

Ah, a devoted sibling, through and through. Who knows when this little fool will finally grow up?

...

Chatting all the way along, the group soon arrived at Sky City.

Since the Red Dragon Clan resided relatively close to Sky City, Isa was already waiting for them there.

Standing quietly among the crowd, Isa's stunning appearance, coupled with her fiery red hair, made her hard to miss at first glance for Leon and the others.

With her arms crossed and a slight, mischievous smile—her signature expression with a hint of slyness—she teased,

"If you were any slower, I would’ve grown grass on my head."

"Sorry, sis. How long have you been waiting?" Roswitha stepped forward to ask.

"Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes and you're already growing grass? Sis, if you’re that capable, maybe you should help greenify some deserts," Leon joked.

Isa gave her brother-in-law a playful glare, laughing softly.

"Well, well, look at you! It seems your legs have healed, and your mouth has gotten sharper too."

Isa had only learned about Leon being wheelchair-bound a few days ago.

Little Ros claimed it happened because he tripped over a rock while out on a walk.

Ha.

Who would buy that?

Though dubious, Isa didn’t press the matter further.

Just as long as the couple didn’t pull off something outrageous, like "combining lightning and firepower to take down a kingdom," she figured she’d let them be as chaotic as they wanted.

Amid the joking and laughing, Isa noticed the elegant woman with blue hair standing beside the two.

"Claudia-senior. We crossed paths at the Twilight Tower before," Isa initiated politely. As a junior, it was only appropriate to greet her.

Claudia nodded.

"Like Roswitha, you’re also a very young and outstanding Dragon Queen."

"You’re too kind, senior. I still have much to learn from you."

After some pleasant small talk filled with polite flattery, the three little dragon girls rushed up to Isa all at once.

"Auntie!"

"Auntie, pick me up!"

Isa’s face instantly blossomed into a true "auntie smile."

She crouched down, scooping up each of the small dragon girls and planting loving kisses on them.

In the end, she kept Aurora, her fellow warm-color companion, hugged tightly in her arms.

Though Isa loved all three equally, Aurora was undoubtedly the one she got along with best.

After all, both of them were born troublemakers.

The elder delighted in observing adult drama, while the younger thrived on sibling shenanigans.

Together, they made the perfect troublemaking duo—endlessly entertaining!

...

Half an hour later, the group arrived at the live-action interaction game venue.

Due to the seventy-two-hour game duration, reservations were required before starting a session.

Thankfully, Helena had prepared in advance and sorted out the booking.

Once they entered, the staff greeted them warmly.

After verifying their identities, a staff member guided them to a small conference room.

"Welcome, everyone, to our newest live-action interaction game—‘Mysteries of the Castle.’"

"Allow me to briefly explain the background story."

"In a mysterious castle lies a treasure said to grant any wish—the Black Sacred Stone."

"The castle belonged to a king, who, before his death, told his only daughter—the princess—about the stone. His final wish was for her to use it wisely and to ensure it never fell into the wrong hands."

"After the king passed away, many came to his funeral to honor this great ruler."

"That evening, a few people stayed at the castle due to long travel distances, and the princess graciously hosted them."

"After dinner, the princess retired to her room. As part of her nightly routine, she checked a wooden box under her bed. Inside the box was a key that opened the stone’s hidden chamber."

"However, upon opening the box, the princess discovered the key was missing."

"She immediately summoned her loyal guards to the chamber, only to find the door open and the Black Sacred Stone gone."

"The princess ordered the castle to be sealed off at once."

"In total, including the princess, eight people remained in the castle:"

"The princess, two of her friends, a guard, the queen, an old friend of the king, the royal chef, and a doctor."

"Now then—"

As the staff recounted the backstory, eight identity cards were placed face-down on the table.

"Please draw your roles, players."

The little dragon girls eagerly crowded around and each picked up a card.

"Eh~~ Why do I have to be the princess’s friend?" Muen pouted in mild disappointment.

After all, every young girl harbors a dream of being a princess—especially Muen, who, despite being an actual princess at the Silver Dragon Clan, still yearned for the title even in games.

"Aurora, what’s yours?" Muen leaned over to peek.

Aurora, unbothered, revealed her card with a casual flick. "I’m also a friend of the princess. Ha, this princess sure has a wide social circle."

Helena drew the guard card.

She glanced around and finally zeroed in on Noa.

"Noa-chan, what did you get?"

Noa blinked, her expression as calm and composed as ever. With the utmost nonchalance, she flipped her card over:

"Princess."

"Wow~ You drew the Princess Card! And I got the guard card, so that means... I can protect you up close!"

"Up close" and "protect"—

*Warning! Warning!*

You’re triggering the sibling protector!

Aurora could clearly feel the fiery determination suddenly radiating from her "fellow friend" in the game.

Ah, the rules of drama were already shaping up nicely!

"I drew the doctor," Isa announced. "What about you, Little Ros?"

"Oh, mine is the chef. Tch, why a chef, though?"

"Because your cooking skills are quite low-level." Leon seized the opportunity to tease her mercilessly.

Roswitha rolled her eyes in exasperation, refusing to dignify him with a response.

"I got the queen," Claudia said, before grimacing slightly. "Ugh... Why am I always cast in these motherly roles?"

She recalled how, during the previous academy play, she’d been typecast as Leon’s "evil queen mother."

And now, even in a team-bonding game, she was still stuck with this archetype!

That which Leon held in his hand was, of course, the final identity:

The King’s Old Friend.

He pressed on the identity card, lifting it bit by bit.

The topmost line contained the name of the identity card.

However, what caught Leon's attention was the smaller line of text beneath it:

**[Old Friend, Independent Faction]**

**[Mission Objective——]**

**[Eliminate Everyone]**