Chapter 176: Recalling Betrayal

Leon: →_→

Rossweise: ←_←

The sudden silence was the scariest thing.

Leon lowered his eyes to look at the jade-like hand still pinching his face, then at his own hand gripping Rossweise's cheek. He snorted and laughed, "I know you too well, mother dragon."

"This time, for real. Three, two, one, let go."

"Okay."

"Three... two... one!"

Only then did the couple release each other.

After rubbing their flushed, burning cheeks, Rossweise took another sip of beer.

She let out a breath and looked at Leon, "But since you just mentioned being betrayed by an insider... I don't think we've ever talked about that? So, do you want to talk about it now?"

Being betrayed and stabbed in the back by an insider was a topic Leon had rarely brought up.

Rossweise could probably guess why he didn't want to talk about it.

First, because after years of war and countless battle achievements, being ultimately harmed by a petty villain was a great humiliation for someone hailed as a hero by the empire and its people.

Second, because the traitor was likely a comrade who had fought alongside him through life and death. If it were an outsider, it wouldn't have hurt Leon so deeply, but the only people who could get close enough to him in battle and strike without warning were his own squadmates.

But it had already been three years. It was time to properly investigate this matter.

As expected, Leon fell silent for a moment when Rossweise asked.

He lowered his head, scratched his forehead, seemingly willing to talk about it, yet not knowing where to start.

Seeing his hesitation, Rossweise took the initiative, "Then let's start with the specific events of that day. Before you were betrayed, what were you and your teammates doing?"

Leon stared at the tip of his shoe, his pupils gradually losing focus as his mind drifted back to that day three years ago, the day they attacked the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.

As he recalled, he slowly began to speak.

"That day, our army had already broken through the outer defenses of the sanctuary. As long as we breached the main gate, we could... uh..."

He pursed his lips, glanced at Rossweise beside him, and continued, "We could see you."

Rossweise rested her cheek on one hand, her beautiful eyes fixed on Leon, listening attentively.

'This damned man is being quite subtle, "see you," huh?'

'And then what? Sit down together for tea and a chat?'

She shook her head, suppressing unnecessary thoughts, and nodded, "Mm, then what?"

"Well... as you know, we humans rely mostly on sheer numbers to defeat dragons. So, after breaking through the outer defenses, I allocated a large portion of our forces to attack your main gate."

"Of course, that was just a feint. The real strategy was to have over a hundred elite dragon-slaying squads attack from the flanks. When the Silver Dragon forces concentrated on defending the main gate, that would be the best time to breach from both sides."

"And everything went as I had planned, the feint worked, the flank assault was successful."

"According to the usual sequence, this was when the strongest dragon, the Dragon King, would make an appearance. I was already prepared to fight you to the death."

Rossweise blinked. She more or less understood. Leon's strategy back then was basically the classic "N-protect-1" formation.

His squad's goal was to deliver him, the ultimate Dragon Slayer, into the sanctuary. Once he was inside, the rest of the army's job was done.

After that, all they had to do was watch General Leon put on his dragon-slaying show.

"But... just as my squad and I were about to step into the sanctuary's courtyard, my vision was suddenly swallowed by darkness."

"Darkness?", Rossweise frowned slightly, "Was it illusion magic?"

"From what I could tell, it was indeed a very powerful illusion spell. And for such a strong illusion spell to take effect, the caster had to be extremely close, and I had to have zero defenses against them. But by then, there were no more Silver Dragons near me."

Rossweise's eyes flickered, she understood what Leon was implying.

The only person who could have trapped someone as strong as him in such an illusion was a trusted teammate.

Leon continued, "I didn't have time to think. I immediately used every method I could to break free from the illusion. But at that moment..."

Leon raised a hand, pressing his palm against his chest. His tone darkened slightly, "The traitor struck. They didn't use a sword or a dagger but something thin, sharp, and enchanted with piercing magic. Otherwise, it couldn't have pierced through the chest plate of my Black Gold Armor."

"My heart was hit. Strangely, I only felt pain in my chest's skin and muscles, my heart itself barely felt anything," At this point, Leon let out a bitter chuckle, "But that was just normal physiology. I knew exactly what had happened. I knew that the moment my heart was pierced, everything was over."

"From the moment I fell into the illusion to the ambush, the entire process took less than two seconds. And at that time, there were no Silver Dragons within a hundred meters of me."

"When I woke up, all our assault teams had been exposed. You immediately adjusted your tactics and picked us off one by one."

"And I was in no condition to continue commanding. According to protocol, my deputy took over and ordered a full retreat."

"My teammates dragged my dying body toward the sanctuary's exit, but we were too slow. Once our positions were exposed, your counterattack was both effective and swift. If they wanted to survive, they had to abandon me."

"My consciousness was already fading. I couldn't make out their words, but I think there was a brief argument. In the end... I became your prisoner."

"That's... about it."

Leon covered his face with both hands and exhaled heavily.

Rossweise didn't speak after listening.

From Leon's description, he had undoubtedly been betrayed by a teammate.

The illusion spell, the enchanted weapon, the exposed locations, and even the supposed "comradeship" at the end, everything pointed to a meticulously planned betrayal.

The traitor had prepared well for this moment.

And after succeeding, they erased all traces.

Not only did the humans fail to uncover the traitor, but even after the battle, the Silver Dragons had no idea which top-tier assassin had eliminated the enemy's strongest player, causing their seemingly unstoppable strategy to collapse completely.

But if there was any silver lining to this bitter tale, it was that the traitor had clearly intended to kill Leon outright.

Too bad, Leon wasn't just alive but also the fake husband of the Silver Dragon Queen.

And he even had three adorable daughters.

If that traitor ever found out, they'd probably be fuming.

After a while, Rossweise asked, "Do you have any suspects? Any guesses about the traitor?"

Leon stared ahead and shook his head, "Logically, everyone is a suspect. But emotionally... I can't believe any of the three would do this."

A balance of reason and emotion, he didn't let anger cloud his judgment, nor did he blindly accuse anyone despite their shared hardships.

He had controlled his emotions and logic well. Most people wouldn't be able to handle it as he did.

Rossweise pondered this and turned to him, "You said three teammates?"

Leon nodded. "Yeah."

"Then tell me about them. Just briefly."

Leon scratched his head. He'd already said so much, might as well say a bit more, "Well... one was my deputy, one was a support mage, and one was a gunner. Let's start with the deputy."

"That guy was a lifelong runner-up."

Rossweise paused, "Runner-up? Is that... an insult?"

Leon shrugged. "I always won first place. Guess who always came second?"

"Oh~ got it. Continue."

"He, like me, was a commoner before joining the Dragon Slaying Army. No connections, no background, just climbed step by step to the vice-captain position through sheer strength. Oh, and he was also my second-in-command when I handed over my command authority back then. A pretty capable guy."

Pausing for a moment, Leon added, "But not as capable as me."

Rossweise chuckled and gave Leon a playful shove on the shoulder, "You sure know how to slip in compliments for yourself."

After a heavy topic, a little joke was always needed to lighten the mood.

Leon smiled too and continued, "The second support mage? Now he comes from quite the background. The youngest son of a minister from the imperial royal court. I heard that after graduation, he specifically named me and insisted on joining my team, saying he idolized me and wanted to become a dragon slayer just like me."

Rossweise snorted, "A little fanboy, huh? What about the last one, the gunner?"

"Oh, her? A total chatterbox—"

The queen was instantly alert, "Wait, a woman?"

Leon froze, "Y-Yeah... What about it?"

"Casmodeous, in your monotonous life of accompanying donkeys, you've finally encountered a second girl of your age besides the silver-haired one."

Leon blinked. At first, it sounded like she was teasing him for being single for twenty years.

But the more he thought about it... the more he smelled a hint of... jealousy?

"What does she look like?", Rossweise asked.

A mischievous thought flickered through Leon's mind. His inner troublemaker stirred, "Pretty. Very pretty."

In truth, Leon found her rather average, though she did have plenty of admirers.

Leon's personal take? They'd be better off chasing his donkey, it could at least bray at them.

Hearing Leon's high praise of the female gunner, Rossweise's beautiful eyes widened slightly, and she gritted her teeth.

But on the surface, she pretended not to care, "Oh really? That's great. A pretty girl in the team, fighting battles while enjoying the view. Must be a dream come true for you, huh?"

Leon didn't answer that. Instead, he clicked his tongue and asked, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Mother Dragon, is your beer expired?"

"Expired? No."

"Then why does it taste so sour?"

Crack—

The can in Rossweise's hand instantly crumpled, making a crisp sound.

Leon glanced down at the now-crushed can in her grip. It was heating up.

Not good. He couldn't provoke her any further. This mother dragon had been drinking, and last night she'd even discovered a new way to use her dragon markings. Who knew what kind of torment she'd unleash in a fit of anger?

Quickly, Leon backpedaled, "Just kidding, just kidding. She's pretty average, at least in my opinion."

"Oh? Is that so..."

"Yeah... Anyway, from hair color to height to personality, none of it is my type."

"And what is your type?"

'Wait, haven't you already figured out all my little preferences?'

'Why are you still asking?'

Leon scrambled for a way to dodge the question, but Rossweise leaned in closer. She was still tipsy, her face flushed red, "Come on, tell me. What's your type?"

"Uh, I like... like silv—"

"So much hesitation... can't you just... just say it all at once...?"

Mid-sentence, the alcohol suddenly hit Rossweise hard. The world around her spun, her body lost balance, and she slumped sideways, landing right on Leon's lap.

Leon blinked, hesitated, then carefully reached out and poked her cheek, "Hey, Rossweise? Hey?"

"Mmm...", The only response was a muffled, indistinct mumble.

"Wow, you knocked out fast, Mother Dragon."

She had only recently given birth, her stamina hadn't fully recovered, and now she'd drunk so much. It wasn't surprising that she suddenly passed out.

Her body leaned against him, resting on his lap, drifting into deep sleep.

A faint, elegant fragrance mixed with the scent of alcohol floated to his nose, accompanied by the warmth radiating from her body.

The softness of her chest lightly pressed against Leon's thigh, sending his thoughts into chaos.

Leon's face flushed. He took a deep breath, 'Inhale, exhale.'

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