"Please return to the rooms labeled with your identities. After a 30-minute rest, the game will begin."

Under the staff's guidance, Leon and the others returned to their respective rooms.

The furnishings in the room were simple yet complete; staying here for seventy-two hours wouldn't be an issue.

Leon walked through the entryway into the living room and saw a wooden box and a Recording Stone placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

He approached, opened the wooden box, and found a card inside.

The card read:

[Welcome, Old Friend of the King. Tonight, you will face seven others alone.]

[The numerical disadvantage will force you to tread carefully with every move you make.]

[But don’t worry—at the start of the game, you’ve already been given the castle’s secret artifact, the “Black Sacred Stone.” This is your greatest advantage.]

[Your main objective is to survive the next seventy-two hours without being discovered by the other seven participants.]

[If you can do so, you will emerge victorious.]

[In addition to the main mission, completing side quests and hidden objectives within the game will earn you rewards of various levels. Accumulating these rewards will provide you with greater leverage.]

[The Recording Stone next to the box will provide key information in real-time. Keep it with you at all times.]

After reading the card, Leon indeed found the “Black Sacred Stone” inside the box.

Picking up the Black Sacred Stone, he weighed it in his hand.

"So, if I can last until the game ends, this little gem will be mine?"

Leon recognized the material of the stone—it was made from a rare crystal called Nightshade Crystal. It was beautiful, though largely without value beyond its aesthetic appeal. It was commonly used for crafting exquisite souvenirs or sculptures.

Staring at the Black Sacred Stone, Leon thought for a moment.

"If the others assume the stone has been stolen and hidden by someone, they’ll probably just search rooms directly to solve the game in no time."

"So... I need to hide this thing somewhere else."

Hiding things was one of Leon’s strong suits.

After all, back when the five Roswitha Bunny Girl photo books were released, three were exchanged for his master’s letters, and the remaining two had yet to be discovered by Roswitha herself.

This alone was proof of General Leon's extraordinary skill at hiding items.

He slipped the Black Sacred Stone into his pocket, secured the Recording Stone, then quietly waited for the game to start.

---

Half an hour later, Leon exited his room.

On the same floor as him was Isa, whose designated role was "doctor."

Isa’s room was diagonally across from Leon's, and they stepped out almost simultaneously.

"Oh, brother-in-law, out as soon as the bell rings? Looks like you’re pretty excited about the game," the red-haired beauty teased with a wry smile, leaning casually against the doorframe with arms crossed.

"Mainly because of Roswitha," Leon replied.

Isa raised her eyebrows. "What’s that? Your mission is to team up with Chef Roswitha to win the game and then ride off into the sunset with the Black Sacred Stone?"

"No, sis. This isn’t just a game—it’s a competition."

Leon spoke earnestly, "And in every competition with Roswitha, I will come out on top."

That was indeed another reason why Leon eagerly participated in the game.

Beyond fulfilling his promise to Claudia and engaging with his daughters in a family bonding activity, this was an opportunity for him to utterly defeat that silver-haired dragon in this grand contest.

He wanted her to understand how terrible now Leon Casmode was, who had free from his wheelchair!

"...Your married life is just one endless rivalry, isn’t it?"

Leon blinked, recalling his love-hate dynamic with Roswitha post-marriage, and replied, "Yes."

Isa chuckled sardonically. "Alright then, good luck with that."

With that, she left her room and walked toward the corridor.

"Sis, where are you headed?"

Without turning back, Isa casually waved her hand at Leon. "Off to find clues and complete missions, of course."

The game card in the box did mention the mechanics of "missions," and with what Isa had just said, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that each player likely had a unique main objective.

For instance, Leon’s main mission was, "Hide the Black Sacred Stone and survive for three days."

Conversely, the other seven players' objectives might be something along the lines of "Using all available clues, find the Black Sacred Stone and expose the thief within three days."

Watching Isa's retreating figure, Leon muttered to himself,

"It seems this won’t be as easy as I thought."

He was well aware of Isa's sharp wit.

When Roswitha was pregnant with Aurora, he and Roswitha had attended a Sky City event where the prize was an anxiety-soothing Jade Dew Dragon-fruit. During that event, Isa had blended into the participants and defeated Leon in a game of "Mine but Not Yours."

So this time, with even more complex game rules, the Red Dragon Queen herself would likely have no problem excelling once again.

Shaking off his musings, Leon refocused.

It was time for him to gather some useful clues, too.

---

Wandering aimlessly through the constructed castle setting, Leon turned left, then right, and eventually found himself at what appeared to be a kitchen.

Approaching closer, he saw someone already there.

Hands in his pockets, Leon leisurely walked toward the figure.

"Roswitha?"

Hearing his voice, the queen slowly turned her head. Upon spotting Leon, she instinctively rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to what she was doing.

"Hey, what’s with that expression?"

Leon teased as he moved closer, coming to stand beside Roswitha.

He noticed she was busy making some sort of pastry.

"What expression? Obviously one of disgust."

Roswitha didn’t halt her movements as she replied, "You’re always saying how much you love it when I look at you with disdain."

"You make it sound like I have some kind of strange kink."

Leon simply watched as Roswitha prepared her delicacy.

Her culinary skills were exceptional, and simple pastries like these were no challenge for her.

Suddenly, her hair fell forward slightly due to her vigorous kneading motions.

Leon, as if by habit, stepped behind her and gently swept her hair back.

"An old friend of the king assisting the royal chef sweeping her hair—what, trying to get some special treatment?" Roswitha joked with a smile.

"You’re the one angling for special treatment—hungry already, when the game just started."

Leon quipped, "But seriously, no pre-made dinners? We have to cook for ourselves?"

"There’s food in the fridge in every room; didn’t you notice?"

"Then why are you here—"

Leon abruptly halted mid-sentence as realization struck him. "Oh~ Making pastries is part of your game mission, isn’t it?"

Roswitha remained silent, continuing her task.

Her lack of response was as good as confirmation.

Seeing her reaction, Leon’s curiosity was piqued.

"What clues do you have? Share them with me."

"I’m not telling you."

"Why not? I’m a good citizen, an old friend of the king!"

"What kind of wolf admits to being one?"

Roswitha had played Werewolf party games with Leon and the kids a few times and was familiar with the fundamental rules.

At the start of a game, you don’t trust anyone—not even your spouse.

Once the pastry was shaped, Roswitha placed it into the oven. Finally, she turned to look at Leon.

"Why are you hanging around me instead of completing your mission?"

Their current stance was rather intimate.

Since Leon had been standing behind her to hold up her hair, when she turned, they ended up face to face, standing quite close.

With his hands resting on the counter on either side of her, Leon effectively "trapped" Roswitha between himself and the counter.

Their gazes locked, eyes carrying hints of teasing... and the unspoken undertones shared only between lovers.

Leon didn’t answer her question. Instead, he leaned in to press his lips lightly against hers.

Of course, Roswitha didn’t resist.

Their kiss was gentle and brief, as if savoring each other’s lips.

A scandal! The King’s old friend and the castle chef are having an affair! (Kidding.)

As their kiss lingered, the oven bell chimed, signaling the pastry’s completion.

Roswitha gently nudged Leon back before retrieving the pastry.

"I’m hungry, Roswitha," Leon murmured against her lips in a soft whisper.

"Then... eat m—"

Leon froze momentarily.

Well, well. His intention had been merely to tease and relieve some tension in the game.

But his wife was truly full of surprises...

Fine. How could he refuse such an invitation—

"Eat my pastry."

"..."

Alright, fair enough. After all, they were in the middle of the game. A kiss was one thing; anything further would indeed be excessive.

Breaking off a small piece of the pastry, Roswitha held it between her lips and offered it to Leon.

Leaning forward, Leon accepted her silent invitation, and their lips met again.

This kiss carried a faint sweetness, flavored by the pastry.

Still, Leon didn’t lose track of his objective.

As they kissed, he slyly withdrew the Black Sacred Stone from his pocket and tucked it under the kitchen's water tank.

When he first entered, Leon had noticed the tank’s lower compartment served as a visual dead zone. No one would casually discover it there.

"Alright, time to focus back on the game."

Roswitha broke the kiss herself, lightly hopping off the counter.

Yes, she had unconsciously ended up sitting on the counter with her legs and tail wrapped around her husband.

Luckily, the queen stopped herself before things escalated.

Leon didn’t try to stop her, allowing her to leave the kitchen.

He only looked up at the water tank after Roswitha’s footsteps faded into the distance.

Using the communal kitchen to hide the stone wasn’t a bad idea. As Roswitha had mentioned earlier, each room’s fridge had abundant food reserves. Unless they were "the chef," most players wouldn’t frequent the communal kitchen.

But this was only temporary.

In the later stages of the game, if everyone conducted a thorough search, this place would no longer be safe.

"Alright, let's leave it here for now. If we find a more suitable location later, we'll move it again."

Leon left the kitchen and continued searching for tasks.

About two hours later, a voice from the Recording Stone in his pocket could be heard.

"All players, please proceed to the first-floor lobby. We will begin tonight's first group meeting."

Upon receiving the message, Leon prepared to head to the first floor.

But just then, his Recording Stone sounded again.

"This is a private message. Old friend of the King, you are feeling unwell due to food poisoning and cannot attend this meeting. After the meeting concludes, please head to the 'Doctor's' room, where you'll find the antidote for food poisoning."

Leon froze for a moment.

"F-food poisoning?... It must be part of the game setup. But when did it—"

As he muttered, General Leon suddenly realized something.

"That evil dragoness! Dared to plot against her husband!!!"

XXX

Queen: Darling, time to take your medicine.