Roswitha tapped her forehead, clicked her tongue lightly, and said with some annoyance,

"How could I forget about this guy? Compared to the other Dragon Kings who have their own territories and subjects, Adam, the lone wanderer, is incredibly difficult to punish."

Leon nodded. "The consecutive victories and unexpected turns of events did make us overlook this trickier Dragon King."

The lifestyle—or rather, the societal structure—of the Dragon Clan was rooted in the tribal system of the Dragon Kings.

A Dragon King would rule over a specific tribe. Under normal circumstances, tribes would not encroach upon one another, and occasional diplomatic relations might be established.

To put it simply, they would stay out of each other's way.

However, among all the Dragon Kings, only the Warhammer Dragon King, Adam, was an exception.

He had no territory, no tribe, and no clansmen of his own.

As Roswitha said, he was, in the truest sense, a lone wolf—

One dragon, one tribe.

Thus, Adam could not care less about any punishments the Dragon King meeting might impose on the Dragon Kings who had conspired with the enemy.

What would territorial concessions or reparations even mean to him?

"I've got nothing to lose. My life’s worthless. If you’re tough enough, then come kill me."

It was the perfect example of someone "barefoot, not fearing those with shoes."

"But he’s never appeared from start to finish. After the Empire's fall, he might just return to doing his old mercenary work, right?"

The "mercenary work" Roswitha mentioned referred to Adam’s previous line of work.

Because he was unencumbered, with no attachments, Adam had no fears or concerns. Even with countless enemies, he wasn't afraid of threats.

Because of this, as long as his employers offered enough pay, Adam was willing to do anything for them.

Most were unsavory, shady deeds—murder, arson, espionage, infiltration, and the like.

Leon pondered for a moment and shook his head slightly.

"Do you remember when I came back from negotiating with Nacho and the others? I mentioned someone called ‘Shadow’, didn’t I?"

"Yes."

Roswitha followed Leon’s train of thought closely. "You’re saying that Adam might have some connection with that Shadow?"

"Exactly. To this day, Nacho and the others haven’t found Queen Elizabeth, who fled during the fall of the Empire. I suspect that woman must have sought refuge with this so-called ‘Shadow’."

Leon continued, "For a fallen Empire’s queen to bet everything and seek this person in her moment of despair, it’s fair to assume their power and means far surpass the puppet King Kant."

"So, we have reason to suspect that the real mastermind behind the Empire's secret collaboration with the Dragon Kings—who manipulated the human-dragon war to their advantage—was not Kant, but this Shadow."

"And after the war ended, the Shadow would undoubtedly continue lurking in the dark to achieve his goals. The previously unseen Adam… might just be the Shadow’s ace up his sleeve."

Roswitha had mentioned to Leon before that, as a lone Dragon King, Adam had unfathomable strength.

Furthermore, in a business like mercenary work, without true power, one would have long been hunted down and hacked to death by his or her enemies.

So, if the Shadow truly intended to use the human-dragon war as a front to pursue a deeper objective, then after the Empire’s fall and Kant’s demise, they would inevitably bring out their remaining cards to continue scheming in the shadows.

And this remaining card… would most likely be the Warhammer Dragon King, Adam, who had never shown himself.

Leon folded the slip of paper filled with the names of Dragon Kings and tucked it away.

"I promised Nacho during the negotiation that we’d separately investigate the Shadow among humans and dragons. Now that there’s a lead, we’ll need to act quickly."

"So urgent?"

Leon smiled, pulled Roswitha close, wrapping her in his arms, and inhaled the faint, soothing fragrance of her hair. He said,

"Do you know what kind of enemy is the most terrifying?"

The queen stayed silent, aware that this wasn’t a question Leon expected her to answer. She merely waited quietly for him to continue.

"The most terrifying enemy isn’t the one with clear intentions and objectives. It’s the one whose agenda you can’t quite discern, but you’re absolutely certain their actions will only bring harm."

Leon’s fingertips gently traced Roswitha’s soft, delicate cheek, then ran through her hair as he continued,

"To deal with such an enemy, we cannot afford to remain as passive as before."

Roswitha mulled over Leon’s words.

She understood him well and knew why he was so determined to uncover the truth about the Shadow.

During their past clashes with the Empire, there were many instances where their passive stance had put her and their daughters in peril.

For example, the first attack old Constantine made on Silver Dragon Castle, or the Battle of the Dimensional Rift.

And even in the final moments, Leon’s mentor had been gravely injured. If not for Charlotte, Leon's mentor’s wife, sacrificing her Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale, his mentor might not have survived at all.

Thus, Roswitha understood Leon profoundly.

"The Empire’s previous secret collusion with the Dragon Kings to prolong the war and profit from it does align with the motives of those power-drunk rulers on the surface."

Roswitha said, "But... I’ve always felt uneasy about this, like it’s shrouded in fog. Even after we defeated the Primordial Nightmare, toppled the Empire's rule, and punished the allied Dragon Kings, I still haven’t had that sense of clarity. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand. Of course, I understand."

For Leon felt the same way.

They had indeed won the final victory against the Empire. Leon had lived up to the expectations of his mentor, the Lionheart Association, and the people of the Empire.

But deep down, he still felt as though a dangerous undercurrent had slipped away amidst the tide of triumph.

Looking back now, it was likely the Shadow that had given both of them this impression.

"So, since you’ve decided to do this, then just go all in and do it."

Roswitha gently pulled away from Leon’s embrace. Sitting upright, she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear, her lips curling into a tender smile.

"No matter what you do, I’ll always stand by you."

One of the things Leon found most irresistible about Roswitha was that, before making any major decision, while others might say "I trust you" or "Do as you see fit,"

the Silver Dragon Queen would firmly and resolutely tell him,

"I’ll stand with you."

Just as they had once promised, they would together safeguard this...

family.

So how could she willingly let Leon shield her every time?

She wanted to stand beside him, no matter where or when.

Leon froze for a moment, then smiled warmly, visibly touched.

"I know you’ll always be by my side, Roswitha."

Roswitha shrugged. She wasn’t particularly good at emotional displays—she feared it might give this sly man the impression that she was hopelessly in love with him (though it was true, she didn’t want to make it too obvious).

So after this brief exchange of heartfelt words, she quickly returned to the topic at hand.

"What’s your plan, then?"

Leon thought for a moment and replied,

"The first step is to visit Constantine. After all, that list came from his former second-in-command, so he might have information we’re still unaware of."

"Alright. Then—"

"I’ll go alone."

The queen’s brows furrowed. "Did I just waste my breath?"

"Not at all. This time, I’m only having a chat with old Constantine. It’s not like there’ll be a fight, so there’s no need to trouble the mighty Silver Dragon Queen."

Leon said, "Besides..."

"Besides?"

Leon swallowed, his tone colored with a trace of helplessness and concern.

"Besides, if we both leave for a few days, I worry we’ll return to find that we’ve been offered up as a sacrificial meal."

Roswitha chuckled, gently punching Leon’s shoulder.

"That’s what you’re worried about? Alright, then I’ll stay home. In the meantime~~~"

Leon raised an eyebrow. "In the meantime?"

"I’ll be here, with the girls, preparing your grand funeral!"

"That’s enough out of you, you dragoness!"