Vol. 4 Ch. 5

Before their guests from the Sea Dragon Clan—well, *friends* from the Sea Dragon Clan—arrived, Leon needed to recover from his injury.

After all, fulfilling the promise he made to Claudia would require a healthy body.

Speaking of injuries, the recent battle with the Empire made Leon aware of his limits.

If it hadn’t been for the double mana reserve provided by his second dragon mark, or Rosvisser’s protective dragon scale, then *Night’s Armor* would have been Leon’s final dance.

Even the strongest dragon slayer could not withstand the backlash of opening all nine gates.

It was no wonder that the ancient text of *Nine Gates of Hell* repeatedly emphasized, “Few in the world can open all nine gates.”

This was a constant reminder that to achieve power beyond one’s limits, a price must be paid, and sometimes that price was greater than one could imagine.

So, after the Empire’s crisis was resolved, Leon began contemplating how he could surpass his current limits.

Leon knew it was not yet time for him to retire and live a peaceful life.

Not only was Elizabeth, the Empire’s queen, still missing, but there was also the matter of Konstantin. Even though Konstantin had helped take down the Empire, that did not mean he was fully aligned with Leon.

With his vast primordial power and his battle-hungry nature, Konstantin would never let such strength go to waste.

He had even said himself that he would defeat Leon one day.

Add to that the various brewing threats within the dragon clans, and Leon had no reason to settle down just yet.

To protect himself and those he cared about in such chaotic times, he needed to become even stronger.

Stronger than he was now.

Of course, while he couldn’t rest for too long, Leon still allowed himself a brief vacation.

After all, he had just taken care of the Empire’s mess. He wanted to use the time spent healing to properly rest.

Spending his days chatting with his daughters, guiding them in magic, and listening to their sweet calls of “Daddy”—

That was the true life of a stay-at-home dad!

However...

Someone seemed determined not to let Leon enjoy a peaceful vacation.

Rosvisser Melkvey, Queen of the Silver Dragons, a known workaholic and one of only two beings who could keep Leon in check—

The other being Aurora’s uppercut.

Since returning from the Empire, Leon had been avoiding Rosvisser.

On the first day, Rosvisser suggested they bathe together.

Leon declined politely, saying, “Your Majesty, you toured the border today and must be tired. You should rest early.”

On the second day, Rosvisser wanted Leon’s opinion on her new black lace nightgown.

Leon, with a forced smile, said, “Honey, you look great in anything with your model-like figure. I’m sleepy; goodnight!” and dodged the encounter.

On the third day, Rosvisser brought him a small brown candy, claiming it was a harmless concentrated version of Dragon Strength that Aurora had made and that Leon should try it.

Leon refused, saying, “I am the greatest dragon slayer; I only eat the pro max version of Dragon Strength. Concentrates are beneath me,” dodging her advances for the third time.

On the fourth day—

“Tonight, after you bathe, wait for me in bed, prisoner,” Rosvisser commanded, dropping any pretense of subtlety and leaving no room for excuses.

“I-I’m a bit tired. How about tomorrow?” Leon tried to resist.

“Don’t humans have a saying, ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, there are so many tomorrows’? It’s to remind you to cherish the present and get things done today.”

“You misremembered, dear. It’s ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, tomorrow sure is plentiful,’ meaning life is long, and there’s no rush; things can be done even if postponed,” Leon replied, feigning seriousness.

Rosvisser snorted. “A human life is long? Is it longer than mine?”

“Uh...” Leon was at a loss for words.

Well, she *did* have a point.

“Is it really that urgent, dragon queen?”

“I’m not in a hurry.”

Rosvisser’s tone was calm as she added, “I just think you’ve been through a lot lately and must be under a lot of pressure. I just want to help you relax. It’s all for your own good.”

“Wow, your reasoning is flawless!”

Rosvisser tilted her head, crossed her arms, and looked Leon over with her captivating silver eyes.

After a pause, she asked meaningfully,

“Leon.”

“What?”

“You’re not... going through a midlife crisis, are you?”

General Leon blinked. “Mid... midlife crisis?”

“Yes. I’ve heard that human men start to lose their desires at a certain age, becoming indifferent and even physically—tsk, tsk, tsk. So that’s why you’ve been refusing me, huh?”

“Ridiculous! I’m only twenty-five! I’m in perfect shape; there’s no such thing as a midlife crisis!”

Hearing this, Rosvisser’s face lit up with a victorious smile.

For Leon, the age-old strategy of reverse psychology was simple but effective.

“Then go take a bath.”

“...”

Leon realized he had fallen into the dragon queen’s trap again.

In reality, his reluctance wasn’t due to a “midlife crisis” but rather strategic planning.

During the Empire’s battle, Leon had used up an entire dragon mark’s worth of mana to unleash *Dragon’s Annihilation*.

Then, he used all his remaining mana to open the Ninth Gate.

Post-battle, his right leg had been fractured from the backlash and was still in a cast.

In short, Leon was currently out of mana and low on health.

If he were to engage in “activities” with Rosvisser in this condition, she would hold complete control over the situation.

Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine!

That was why Leon had been coming up with excuses for days to avoid Rosvisser.

He was hoping to buy time until he recovered enough to face her on equal footing.

But, then again, a shared bed doesn’t have room for two different intentions.

Since Leon’s reason for avoiding Rosvisser was that his body wasn’t up to par and he risked losing control—

Rosvisser naturally thought the same thing!

Strike when he’s weak, take him down while he’s vulnerable! If she didn’t leave him with an unforgettable “dragon strike,” he’d forget he was ever a prisoner!

Rosvisser had been planning this since the day they returned from the Empire.

Today, she was done holding back and was playing hardball.

If Leon refused her again, she was prepared to use more “persuasive” methods.

They stared at each other.

After a while, Leon gave in, making one last attempt to appeal for sympathy.

“Rosvisser, look, my leg isn’t fully healed yet. It’s hard to move around, and if I strain it too much, it could get worse. You don’t want your husband to end up on crutches forever, do you?”

“It’s fine. You don’t have to move.”

The queen’s voice was as calm as ever, but it was with that calm voice that she dropped the bombshell:

“I can be on top.”

Leon: ?

“W-wild words! Such wild words!”

“What’s with the fuss? We’ve done it that way before.”

“S-still, it’s not...”

“Tsk.”

Rosvisser clicked her tongue impatiently, her brows furrowing slightly.

“If you say no one more time, you’ll really ruin the mood.”

After a pause, Rosvisser, understanding Leon’s current state, added,

“Alright, since you’re not up for that, let’s try something a little safer.”

Leon looked up, feeling a sense of foreboding.

“What... what method?”

Rosvisser stood up from the edge of the bed, her bare, pale feet stepping gracefully toward Leon. She reached up and unfastened her nightgown.

A pair of soft curves bounced free from their confines.

The moonlight from the window streamed in, casting a glow on the tender, flushed skin.

The alluring sight made Leon’s cheeks flush slightly.

“Rosvisser...”

“It’s my first time trying this too, so bear with me if I’m not good at it.”

“Huh?”

Don’t do this, dragon queen. Now I’m even more scared!

---

*New play hint:*

oio