After Leon expressed his request, Claudia rolled her eyes so hard that they almost reached the heavens.

"You little brat, how can you be so greedy? I've already given you *Nine Hells Gate* and *Soul Judgement* before. Those are enough to last you until retirement. Why are you still asking for more?"

"No, no, senior! This time it's not for Roswitha and me. It's... for Constantine."

Claudia raised her brows. "For him? Why?"

Leon explained the grand promises he had made to Constantine in order to secure the latter’s help.

The elegant woman rewarded him with an even grander roll of her eyes.

"Nope. Not giving. Find your own way."

With that, Claudia crossed her arms over her chest, turned on her heel, and left the room without a backward glance.

"Hey, senior! Senior...!"

As the door shut, Leon's heart sank.

He sighed, momentarily at a loss about what to do.

Standing beside him, his master's wife placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and reassured him, "Don't worry, Leon. My sister is all bark and no bite. She won't really refuse to help."

Scratching his head, Leon replied, "I really don't want to keep troubling Senior Claudia, but this time, she's the only one who can help."

"Alright, I'll talk to her in a bit. It'll be fine."

"Hey—"

Suddenly, the door opened a crack, and the Sea Dragon Princess peeked out. Leaning against the doorway, she smirked. "Leon, little baby, running off to cry to mommy just because things get a little bit tough?"

"Senior…"

Claudia lifted her chin slightly. "Come on then, I'll take you to pick out Primordial Magic manuals."

Hearing this, Leon's madam gave him a knowing smile and subtly nudged his arm, signaling him to follow.

Ah, he got it now.

The Dragon Clan's characteristic stubbornness.

Especially Dragons Kings and Queens.

At home, there was Roswitha. Outside, there was old Constantine. And as it turned out, even his aunt shared this personality.

But Leon couldn't help but wonder:

Was it that possessing a hard exterior and a soft heart made one eligible to become a Dragon King or Queen? Or was it becoming a Dragon King or Queen that taught them to be like this?

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on such trivial questions. Bidding farewell to his master and madam, he followed Claudia out of the room.

"Thank you, senior. I'm really sorry for troubling you so often."

Walking side by side in the hallway, Leon kept pace with Claudia.

Staring straight ahead, Claudia replied evenly, "You're my sister's foster son. In your human terms, that makes you my family as well. So there's no such thing as 'trouble' here."

"...However."

Her steps suddenly halted.

Leon stopped as well.

The blue eyes locked onto him as Claudia slowly added, "But you do owe me a favor for this. And I will remember."

Leon was momentarily stunned, then smiled wryly. "Got it, senior. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know."

Favors don't just disappear—they merely get transferred.

By using Claudia's favor to pay off the debt he owed Constantine, Leon figured he had made a sound move.

After all, the volatile Constantine was a much trickier individual to deal with than his "aunt," who was far more reasonable.

(*Casmode's Friendly Remind*: "Don't rely on loans to pay loans. Stick to your budget and be happy!")

"Oh, right. Why did you say you needed the Primordial Magic manuals for Constantine again?" Claudia asked as they walked.

"It's the reward I promised him for helping me out before. Initially, I pledged to give him an entire room full of Primordial Magic manuals. But after giving it some thought... that seemed a bit unrealistic. So I scaled it back to two books," Leon explained.

The blue-haired beauty's lips curled into a knowing smile. "There's really no need to keep promises so strictly when dealing with temporary allies like him. It's not about integrity; it's just that in chaotic times like these, promises are the least valuable currency."

"But Constantine did help me out a lot during that battle in the Empire. And there's a decent chance we'll team up again in the future, so it's better to stick to my word," Leon replied earnestly.

Claudia nodded, satisfied. "Good. I like that about you. No wonder you’ve managed to win over the Silver Dragon Queen."

Leon smiled wryly. "Senior, there's no need to tease us about that. My relationship with Little Ros was… pure coincidence."

"Your meeting may have been coincidental, but the process of falling in love certainly wasn't."

With the air of someone who's been through it all, Claudia remarked, "There's something about you that drew her to you, just as there’s something about her that captivated you. Otherwise, you two wouldn’t have come this far."

Something that captivated me about the dragoness?

Hmm...

B-Bunny girl costumes?

The thought made Leon chuckle dumbly to himself.

Claudia glanced at him but said nothing, mumbling instead, "Ah, young people."

After a while, Claudia broke the silence. "I overheard you talking to your master earlier about this 'Lord Shadow' you’ve mentioned before. Are you planning on formally investigating him next?"

"Yes. My master suggested I approach it from the perspective of the former king, and I think that makes a lot of sense," Leon said. "Once I settle the matters at hand, I’d like to return to the Empire and investigate properly."

"Good. The greatest threats often hide in the deepest shadows."

"You’re absolutely right, senior."

"We're here."

The two arrived at the entrance to the library. Pushing open the wooden door, Claudia led Leon inside.

To the left of the library was an exquisitely arranged set of table and chairs. A table was piled with ancient texts and manuscripts, alongside Claudia's personal handwritten notes. It seemed this was where she usually organized and translated ancient texts.

"The Primordial Magic manuals are over here."

As she spoke, Claudia guided Leon to a secluded corner of the library.

Here, a solitary bookshelf stood.

There weren’t many books on the shelves, but each one looked pristine and well-preserved.

"These are the Primordial Magic manuals I’ve compiled over the past few decades," Claudia said. "They’re all handwritten copies; I’ve stored the originals in a more secure location."

She glanced at Leon. "To be honest, knowing they're for Constantine, I’m a little reluctant to part with them."

Then, her gaze softened slightly. "But getting to have Leon Casmode owe me a favor? Not a bad tradeoff."

Leon took the opportunity to reflect for a moment. Just six years ago, he had been the strongest Dragon Slayer on the side of humanity, the kind whose very name struck fear into dragons.

But now? General Leon had become a key figure within the Dragon Clan, one commanding so much respect that even legendary dragons like the Thunder Dragon King deferred to him.

He couldn’t help but wonder where he’d be in another six years.

Would the ancient Dragon Clan hero and legendary savior, Primordial Dragon Queen Noa, end up trying to form family ties with him?

What a thrilling thought!

"If it's for Constantine, someone skilled in fire magic, then…"

Claudia muttered to herself as she scanned the bookshelf, eventually pulling down two Primordial Magic manuals.

"*Flame's Subjugation* and *Inner Fire* it is."

She handed the two manuals to Leon. "The first is a powerful offensive magic with sealing capabilities. The second, though not primarily offensive, suits Constantine's fiery personality well."

Taking the manuals, Leon asked curiously, "Oh? How so?"

"*Inner Fire* focuses more on self-discipline, strengthening one's mental fortitude through meditation. In other words, as long as Constantine has the will to fight, he’ll never fall."

Leon raised his eyebrows, impressed. "Wow, that's… remarkable."

Claudia shrugged. "Primordial Magic is inherently profound and elusive. The 'Soul Judgment' your wife uses is the strongest among the lot. These two… well, they’re still good, but not on that level."

Blinking, Leon glanced at the manuals in his hands. "Makes me a bit tempted to train with them myself…"

But Claudia reached out and poked a finger at Leon's chest.

"You can’t. With the Silver Dragon Queen's Heart-Guarding Dragon Scale transplanted into you, you can’t accumulate normal magical energy. And to master Primordial Magic, you need a substantial reservoir of regular magic power. Relying solely on the reserves from your Dragon Marks wouldn’t be worth it."

"In practical terms, you'd be better off sticking to the moves you're already familiar with. They're time-tested, after all."

Leon nodded and sighed. "I get it, but still… knowing about such immense power and being unable to even try is... disappointing."

Hearing this, Claudia arched one elegant brow.

"If you really want to try something new, I actually have something that might suit you."

Leon lit up instantly. "Oh? What is it?"

"Hmph. You really are insatiable, aren’t you?"

"Senior, come on, giving me two books is giving, so what’s one more?"

"Fine, fine. I’ll give it to you."

"Thanks, senior!"

"Don’t thank me just yet. You've racked up two major favors from me in under ten minutes. Better start thinking about how to handle things when I ask you to pay them back, hmm?"

As Leon gazed at the striking figure in front of him, he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly:

So this was another universal trait of Dragon Kings and Queens—not just their tough exteriors, but their devious streak.