Chapter 193: Let's Go Home, Leon

Leon relied solely on his physical skills to slaughter his way through these beasts.

After cutting open a path, he charged toward it.

The demon apes scattered, leaping through the forest, pursuing Leon from all directions.

This was not a simple chase; the demon apes were gradually exhausting Leon's stamina.

"Damn… This is getting troublesome," Leon realized their tactic, but he had no effective countermeasure.

After breaking through three encirclements in succession, he hid beneath a giant tree.

Leaning against the trunk, he slowly sat down, panting heavily.

Leon closed his eyes, quietly recovering his strength.

The heavy rain washed over his face. He was drenched, and part of his body's energy was used to maintain his temperature, making him tire out even faster.

He lifted his ice-cold hand, brushing aside his rain-soaked bangs, and leaned against the tree, gazing at the dark, cloud-filled sky.

At this moment, he still hadn't left the outer borders of the empire, yet his stamina was nearly depleted.

And once again, the howls of the demon apes echoed through the forest.

Closer and closer…

He looked toward the distant imperial walls, "Should I go back…?"

The road to the Dragon Clan was too long and arduous, filled with countless dangers.

But if he turned back now, in less than an hour, he could return to the empire and reunite with his master and Rebecca.

Even if he could only investigate this conspiracy from within the empire, it would just be a little slower.

Going back… would be easy.

But if he did that, he might never see Noah, Luna and his little daughter again.

And never see…

"ROAR!—"

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Several demon apes landed around Leon.

They sized up their nearly exhausted prey, letting out triumphant cries.

Leon clenched his teeth and slowly stood up, supporting himself against the tree.

But the muddy ground made his foot slip, and he fell back down again.

"Hoho! Woo~~~", The demon apes beat their chests, making strange noises, as if mocking him.

The last trace of warmth vanished from the dragon slayer's eyes.

He once again stood up slowly, stepping toward the foolish monkey.

.

.

.

Half an hour later, the corpses of the long-tailed demon apes almost filled the clearing.

Leon, covered in blood, collapsed against the tree, too weak to even breathe properly.

In the distance, the sounds of imperial soldiers gradually approached.

Leon closed his eyes. In his short but glorious twenty-three years of life, he had never backed down after making a decision.

But this time, the long journey ahead and the immediate danger made him hesitate.

The rain continued to pour, as if trying to extinguish the faint ember that had carried him this far.

His head rested against the rough tree trunk, letting the cold rain wash over his face.

Yet in the next moment, the rain suddenly stopped.

But the sound of rain had not ceased.

Leon was startled and slowly opened his eyes.

A silver-haired beauty stood silently before him. Rain soaked her long dress, yet she used her dragon wings to shield him from the storm.

They looked at each other, one standing, one sitting, just like so many times before.

The fire of hope flickered once more in Leon's dull eyes. His dark pupils reflected the brilliant silver light.

"You… didn't you go back?"

"No, I never left."

"Rossweise…"

"Let's go home, Leon."

———

The silver dragon soared through the sky, crossing mountains and rivers, leaving human lands behind and returning to the land of dragons.

Leon lay on Rossweise's back, listening to the wind whistling past his ears, feeling the rhythmic beat of her wings.

He quietly reached out, gently stroking the dragon's back.

Her scales were cold, but they felt comfortable to touch.

Leon slowly closed his eyes. At this moment, he had countless questions he wanted to ask her, but he also knew, now was not the time.

Rossweise remained silent throughout the journey, just flying quietly.

Just like a few days ago, when she sent Leon back, the two remained silent.

But unlike before, when their silence was filled with awkwardness and embarrassment, forced upon them by outside forces, this time was different.

It was as if a question they had always avoided, always denied, had, in a muddled way, received an unexpected yet inevitable answer.

They still weren't willing to face that answer, but before, they didn't face it because they didn't want to.

Now, they didn't face it because they didn't dare to.

The strongest human and the Queen of Silver Dragons, afraid to face something? Saying it out loud would be embarrassing.

About two hours later, Leon felt Rossweise gradually slowing down and descending.

He sat up and looked below.

The Silver Dragon Sanctuary was visible in the distance, but there was still a long way to go. If she was slowing down here, they wouldn't make it to the sanctuary.

Before Leon could ask what she was doing, Rossweise had already landed.

She lowered her massive dragon body, and Leon lightly leaped off her back.

Then, she transformed into her human form.

She was still wearing the same dress from the day she sent Leon away, only now, the hem was stained with mud.

Her beautiful face showed hints of exhaustion and weariness.

'She said she never left.'

'So that means… she has been waiting in that forest for me all these days?', Leon wondered.

Rossweise said nothing. She simply walked to a bush, sat down, and flicked her fingers.

A tiny dragon flame ignited the dry wood in front of her.

The campfire burned, illuminating her delicate yet weary face.

"You've been soaked for so long. Come dry off by the fire," She said.

"Oh… okay."

Leon walked over and sat on the same bush, keeping a bit of distance from her.

Rossweise showed no expression, merely glancing at Leon, then at the empty space beside her.

No words were needed.

Leon immediately lifted his butt, hunched over, and shuffled closer in small steps.

The two sat side by side, the warmth of the fire driving away the cold, making them feel incredibly cozy.

The firewood crackled, and Rossweise rested her cheek on one hand, silently watching the flames.

The firelight reflected in her silver eyes, making them look like exquisite, precious gems.

Leon pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, "You… waited for me the whole time?"

Rossweise nodded, "At first, I planned to wait for three days. If you didn't return by then, I would leave, no matter what."

Hearing this, Leon did some mental calculations, "But I was in the empire for… four or five days, right?"

"Mm, I waited two extra days."

Leon's pupils trembled, "Then what if I had been delayed for a few more days in the empire, you…"

"Before I left, I told Anna that I might be traveling with His Highness for a while, so she shouldn't worry and should take good care of our daughters."

Leon let out a knowing "Oh."

Rossweise was always meticulous, planning every detail. She wouldn't just "recklessly" leave home for so many days.

But her answer… didn't seem to address the main point.

Leon didn't hear the answer he truly wanted.

Yet he couldn't just chase after her like some love-struck fool and demand an explanation.

That would make him seem childish.

Adults… don't always have to say things so plainly.

Rossweise glanced at him, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

They were "an old married couple" now. Did he really think he could hide his thoughts from her?

"If you were delayed two days, I'd wait two days. If you were delayed ten days, I'd wait ten days. If you were delayed half a year—"

Leon blinked. "You'd wait half a year?"

"You sure think highly of yourself, huh?"

Rossweise reached out and pinched Leon's ear, "Who has that much face to make this queen endure wind and rain waiting for so many days? Waiting this long for you is already generous enough, do you really want me to turn into a waiting-wife stone?"

His ear was being pinched. It hurt a little.

But more than that... he was happy.

Yes, happy. Such a simple and plain adjective.

And now, Leon probably understood how his master felt back then.

At the time, though his master was restricted by his wife's countless house rules, to the point where even smoking required permission, he was still grinning every day, saying that being managed by his wife was another kind of happiness, "You'll understand one day, kid."

Leon didn't know if "now" counted as that "one day" his master talked about, but... he decided to count it as such.

When Leon's ears turned slightly red, Rossweise thought she had pinched him too hard and immediately let go.

But after letting go, the queen noticed, his redness wasn't limited to just his ears.

"Hmph, idiot," Rossweise lightly bumped his shoulder, "Take off your top."

"Uh... huh? W-what for?"

In more open-minded married couples, there would usually be a safe word to stop any uncomfortable experiences at critical moments.

But for this pair of fools, not only did they lack any so-called safe words in their daily lives, they even developed a whole new set of "start words" through their endless cycle of "endless cycles."

Phrases like "take it off," "just this?" or "hmph, you think I wouldn't dare?", whenever these "start words" appeared, it meant another night of passionate assignment-submitting was about to begin.

But things didn't seem to be going the way Leon imagined.

"Take it off and dry it by the fire. Wearing wet clothes is uncomfortable."

"Oh..."

Leon crossed his arms, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and pulled it off.

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