Vol. 3 Ch. 113

*Progress on Empire Raid Team Assembly: 2/3*

Only one key figure remained: the legendary and notoriously obstinate Constantine. Leon planned to rally him as soon as possible.

But before that, he needed to make sure his mentors, Tiger and Charlotte, were well enough.

After bidding farewell to A-Donkey, Leon and his companions headed to Tiger and Charlotte’s resting quarters. Though still looking a bit weak, the elderly couple’s health had visibly improved from the previous day, putting Leon’s mind at ease.

He proceeded to share his plan to officially declare war on the Empire with Tiger.

Tiger, as it happened, had been thinking along similar lines.

“I’d planned to bring you back to the Empire with me after this intelligence handoff, topple that dog emperor, and clear your name once and for all, but—cough, cough—”

Tiger coughed, clutching his chest.

Even with the Heartguard Dragon Scale transplanted, he still needed time to fully recover.

Charlotte, seated beside him, gently rubbed his back. Tiger turned his head and patted her hand, indicating he was alright.

He then continued to speak to Leon.

“Who would’ve thought we’d be tracked by that elite strike force? I was careless, didn’t prepare adequate countermeasures against surveillance.”

For years, Tiger had been meeting Leon in the mountain cave to exchange intelligence without detection, relying on his formidable anti-tracking skills. As a former member of the Imperial Dragon Slayer Corps, Tiger was a respected dragon slayer in his time, skilled in scouting, tracking, and counter-tracking tactics.

But age had taken its toll, and the vigilance he once had was waning. Rebecca, young and inexperienced, couldn’t pick up the slack, which led to this recent crisis.

Leon patted his mentor’s shoulder in reassurance. “This wasn’t your fault, Master. From now on, just focus on recovering. Leave the rest to us.”

Tiger would undoubtedly want to fight in the final battle against the Empire, but he knew his current condition would only burden Leon. After some reflection, he resigned himself to the reality and nodded.

“Alright. Once you’re in the Empire, Rebecca will take you to the Lionheart Society. They’re all staunch supporters of yours, and many have suffered under the Empire’s corrupt rule. With their help, your work in the Empire will be smoother.”

“Yes, I understand, Master.”

“Then your mistress and I will be waiting here for the good news.”

Leon nodded resolutely. Charlotte approached, taking Leon’s hand in hers.

“It’s been so long since I last saw you, and now, after just two days, we’re parting again…”

Leon clasped her hand, the cool, reassuring warmth grounding him. “It’s alright, Mistress. Once I take care of things with the Empire, we’ll have plenty of time, like the old days.”

“Be careful.”

“I will, Mistress.”

Charlotte looked over to Rebecca behind him and made sure to remind the young woman, “If you get into any trouble you can’t handle, don’t try to tough it out alone. Go to Leon immediately, understand?”

The normally wild twin-tailed girl nodded seriously. “I understand, Aunt Charlotte.”

Charlotte lowered her gaze, brushing her fingers gently over the scars on Leon’s hands. “All of you… come back safely. You must.”

It was as though time had rewound to years ago, back when Leon had just graduated from the Dragon Slayer Academy and was about to step onto the bloody battlefields for the first time. Each time he left, Charlotte would hold his hand like this, always repeating those words: “Come back safely.”

Leon had never found it annoying because he understood that, in those war-torn years, every goodbye before a battle could be a final farewell—a harsh truth of war, unavoidable.

But Leon’s mission this time could very well change the entire dynamic between humans and dragons, exposing the truth and liberating the people from suffering under such cruel rule.

At last, Charlotte reluctantly released Leon’s hand, wiping away a tear before giving him a smile. “Go on, child. Do what you must.”

“Yes, Mistress.”

With everything settled, Claudia led the group out of the underwater palace. The four split into two teams.

Rebecca and Claudia headed to the Empire first, where they would infiltrate with the Lionheart Society’s help. Meanwhile, Leon and Rosvisser set off to recruit the final ally—and take the chance to visit their daughters.

By the time the couple reached the borders of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan’s territory, night had fallen. They found the Silver Dragon Clan's patrol post.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness,” Shirley greeted them with a bow.

“Any recent activity from Constantine?” Rosvisser asked.

“None, Your Majesty. He’s been staying within his territory and hasn’t ventured out.”

So, old Constantine was home.

Exchanging a glance, the couple nodded in silent agreement.

Shirley observed their expressions, sensing that the King and Queen intended more than just surveillance. But being a dutiful attendant, she made no inquiries, simply stepping aside to clear their path.

“I’ll go alone,” Leon said. “Wait here for me.”

“If I insist on going with you, are you going to give me the same excuse as last time?”

Leon chuckled, which was as good as an admission.

Rosvisser had long since learned that once Leon set his mind on something, there was no swaying him. Not even eight donkeys could pull him back.

“Just be careful. If he refuses, we’ll find another way.”

“Got it.”

With that, Leon headed into the woods.

It was his third time visiting Crimson Flame territory, so he knew the route well. Before long, he arrived at the outskirts of the Crimson Flame Dragon’s sanctum.

As before, a few Crimson Flame Dragon guards appeared, blocking his path.

Leon paused, scratching his head. “Oh, good. Saves me the trouble of knocking.”

Half a minute later, the main doors of the Crimson Flame Temple crashed open as two guards flew back inside.

“Constantine—”

“You’re here to negotiate?”

Leon’s face lit up. “Well, look at you, jumping straight to the point.”

Sitting atop his throne, Constantine held his head in one hand, his expression a mixture of exasperation. He could confidently say that the biggest mistake of his life wasn’t working with the Empire—it was accepting the “kill Leon Cosmod” assignment.

“Alright, what do you want to talk about?”

“You. I want you to help me destroy the Empire.”

Constantine raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Five years ago, the Empire wanted you to kill me. Now, five years later, I want you to destroy the Empire.”

“In that case, I have an idea,” Constantine replied dryly. “How about you two go at it directly and take each other out? Wouldn’t that be much simpler?”

Constantine’s subtle suggestion cleverly omitted one embarrassing detail: five years ago, despite the Empire’s orders to kill Leon, Constantine ended up as a tragic fusion of stitched-together monstrosities. And he had no intention of risking another dreadful transformation for Leon’s sake.

“Oh, I wasn’t clear,” Leon replied. “I meant you’d join me, and together we’d take down the Empire.”

This caught Constantine’s attention. “Help you?”

Though he held a deep grudge against the Empire, he wasn’t about to agree to help Leon outright. He waited, interested to see how Leon would try to persuade him.

“Give me a reason to help you,” Constantine demanded.

Leon shrugged. “Isn’t it obvious? You want revenge on the Empire for what they did to you, and I want to bring down their corrupt leaders to clear my name. We have different motivations but the same goal.”

Constantine leaned back lazily on his throne, eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Leon. “Same old rhetoric. Don’t you have anything else?”

Same old rhetoric? Leon narrowed his eyes, recognizing the challenge. If Constantine wanted to be difficult, Leon was ready to twist his arm with a little moral blackmail.

“Don’t forget, you owe me a favor.”

“You mean the secret Dragon King meeting? I already repaid that by giving you the details about the Empire’s dealings with the dragons. You left with that information, completely satisfied.”

Leon paused, considering his words. Constantine… had a point.

Seeing Leon’s silence, Constantine let out a disdainful huff. “If you’ve no compelling reason to offer, then I suggest you leave.”

Leon’s mind raced, watching as Constantine prepared to dismiss him. At that critical moment, an idea struck him, the mental equivalent of a lightbulb turning on.

“If you agree to help, I’ll give you access to the full library on primordial magic.”

“Hmm… I’ll consider it.”

“An entire library full of ancient primordial magic texts.”

“When do we leave?”

Back in the Dragon Slayer Corps, Leon’s mentor had kept him away from politics and leadership roles. But despite that, Leon had mastered one essential skill for the battlefield—and now for recruiting allies:

*Selling the Dream.*