Vol. 3 Ch. 81

The journey to the Far North had come to an end.

The good news was that Leon's hunch was correct—Konstantin was indeed after the Primordial Power.

The bad news, however, was that in the end, a fragment of the Primordial Power still fell into his hands.

From the brief clash in Noah's ancient tomb, it was clear Konstantin hadn’t absorbed the complete power yet.

With Leon’s current strength, he could still hold his own against Konstantin, provided he was at full capacity.

The only question was when that battle would come—and what unforeseen events might occur in the meantime.

In any case, Leon, Rosvisser, and their master needed to be fully prepared for whatever might lie ahead.

The journey to the Far North had been transformative for their eldest daughter, too. Noa had shown courage and a calm resilience, so much like Leon’s.

General Leon couldn’t have been prouder.

With her talent, it was evident that Noa was destined to follow a path similar to his own as a warrior, starkly different from her mother’s quick, spellcasting approach.

Leon had spent days showing off to Rosvisser about their daughter’s progress.

A week after their return, Rosvisser resumed her usual work routines.

With Konstantin wielding the Primordial Power, he could strike at any moment, keeping the clan on high alert. More patrols were posted at the borders, and the entire clan was mobilized.

The scouting teams, led by Sherry, were dispatched to gather intelligence, determined to gain any edge possible.

Rosvisser’s workload had grown significantly.

And, of course, some of her stress came from a certain foolish captive—freeloading in the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, eating, drinking, and even intentionally irritating her now and then.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Leon greeted her in a familiar tone beside the throne.

“Spit it out,” Rosvisser replied without looking up.

“Summer break is starting soon, and I’ve prepared a training schedule for Noa. Take a look, please,” Leon said, putting on a formal act as he handed her a list.

She glanced at him, somewhat curious, and reached out to take it. The Queen’s face went stiff as she read through it.

"Wake up at eight, with one hour for washing up and breakfast."

"Nine o'clock—warm-up at the training field, followed by revision of thunder magic at nine-thirty."

"Eleven o'clock—basic combat theory.”

"Eleven-thirty, lunch. One-hour rest."

"One o'clock—close-quarters combat training."

"Three o'clock—learn a new thunder magic skill."

"Five o'clock—three laps around the training ground."

Rosvisser put the list down and stared at Leon. "Care to explain why it’s all thunder magic and close-combat training? Noa needs to work on her ranged magic skills, not your reckless thunder spells.”

"Why would she need ranged spells?" Leon shrugged. "They’re useless."

"And why exactly are they useless?" Rosvisser, a classic artillery-style mage, was immediately annoyed.

“Enemies these days are pretty clever. By the time you’re done casting, they’ve moved out of range,” Leon explained earnestly.

“Can’t I just use shorter-casting spells?” Rosvisser countered.

"But then they lose power."

"Or increase the casting frequency?”

"That's just a waste of mana."

“Are you just trying to pick a fight with me?”

Rosvisser gave him a glare and scribbled an addition onto the schedule: **"Evening session: Learn Thunder Wolf Breakthrough."**

Leon blinked, surprised she’d bring up teaching Noa this specific technique. Thunder Wolf Breakthrough was one of the few long-range spells in thunder magic—a classic for crowd control and pinning down enemies.

In truth, Leon had shown her the list just to rile her up a little, loving her little pout when she got annoyed. Playful teasing like this kept the sparks in their relationship—and it was hardly one-sided, as Rosvisser often had him exasperated with her own mischief.

But Rosvisser’s suggestion had him taken aback.

“Noa’s senior wrote a detailed assessment of her trial. Our daughter has impressive close-combat skills and isn’t afraid to take risks. But remember, her right hand was injured and only recently healed. Teaching her some ranged thunder spells would be for her own good.”

Leon put the list away, a twinge of guilt rising. How had he overlooked such an obvious need? He’d been too focused on showing off to Rosvisser to consider it.

As he glanced at Rosvisser, she had a sly, triumphant smile. She knew him too well.

She knew he’d cave if she approached him gently. If she opposed him, he’d only get more stubborn. But when she spoke softly, Leon would transform instantly into her loyal ‘Queen’s Guard.’

Handling her captive was just too easy—like the flick of a wrist.

But truly, Noa did need some ranged magic training. Leon’s reckless combat style was fine for him—but not everything should be the same.

“Alright, I’ll make some adjustments to the training list, so it doesn’t interfere with Noa’s own summer plans,” Leon said.

“Good.”

Rosvisser paused, as if something came to mind. "By the way, didn’t Noa say she was planning to stay over at Helena’s? When does she leave?”

Leon shrugged, “Plans changed. She’ll spend the last few days of summer break at Helena’s and then go straight to the academy from the Sea Dragon Clan.”

Rosvisser nodded, “That’s a good plan.”

Leon scratched his head, folded up the list, and tucked it into his pocket before turning to leave.

“Leaving already?” Rosvisser’s voice stopped him.

He turned, “Is there something else?”

The silver-haired beauty set down her pen and leaned back in her throne. She gave him a warm, mischievous look, her fingers lightly tracing the armrest as her gaze held his.

“Leon, I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

A chill ran down Leon’s spine. "H-having me help you de-stress will have to wait until tonight..."

"I can’t wait until tonight."

Rosvisser leaned forward, resting her cheek on one hand, her voice taking on a playful, sultry lilt. "Think of something. Help me now."

Leon didn’t need her to elaborate. They both knew exactly what she meant.

But he had no clue how he could “de-stress” her right here in the bustling Silver Dragon Sanctuary in broad daylight.

He rubbed his jaw and ventured, “How about a shoulder massage?”

"That sounds perfect."

Scooting over, Rosvisser patted the empty space beside her, “Come on.”

Leon complied.

Thus, “Masseur Leon” was on duty.

Rosvisser angled slightly, closing her eyes to savor the touch of the former empire’s top dragon slayer kneading her shoulders.

The sensation was divine.

"A little more pressure on the left."

Leon rolled his eyes. Massaging was one thing, but now she had requests?

But, determined to avoid her taking things further right now, Leon gritted his teeth and bore it.

"Okay."

"More pressure.”

"...Okay."

"Haven’t you eaten, darling?"

“...”

"Put in some muscle. I’m a Dragon Queen, not a—”

*Crack!*

“Ouch! Ugh…”

"Your Majesty, I think something just cracked in that Dragon Queen body of yours,” Leon deadpanned.

Rosvisser rubbed her shoulder irritably, giving him a sharp look.

Just a moment ago, she’d felt so smug about having the empire’s strongest dragon slayer as her personal masseuse.

Now she regretted every bit of it—his strength was no joke.

But… that strength could come in handy elsewhere. That would definitely be something worth enjoying…

Clearing her mind, Rosvisser dismissed the distracting thoughts, stretched her shoulders, and resumed her work.

“So... I’ll be going now?” Leon asked, turning to leave.

“Do you have something to do?”

Leon shrugged, “Not really.”

“Oh.”

That “oh” sounded casual enough.

But with all his years of marriage experience, Leon knew there was a hidden meaning there.

His brain raced—time to use all his high emotional intelligence as a married man.

【Do you have something to do?】

【No, not really.】

【Then stay and keep me company.】

↑

Yes, that had to be it.

"Eh, if I’m free anyway, I might as well keep you company here,” Leon said.

Rosvisser suppressed a smile, and as usual, she put on a final bit of prideful pretense.

“It’s not like I’m forcing you to stay. This is your own choice.”

“Yep, yep, all me, I’m here willingly.”

"Hmph."

And so, side by side on the throne, the two of them sat, savoring a rare moment of warmth and quiet amidst the busy day.