Vol. 4 Ch. 44

If you asked who among humans was best liked by the dragons, it would undoubtedly be General Leon.

With his wife and children in the Silver Dragon Clan, he essentially had a home base there. In the Red Flame Clan, he came and went freely, and even Konstantin couldn’t really stop him. As for the Sea Dragon Clan, Leon had an in with Claudia due to his relationship with his master and mistress. During his last visit, Claudia had even told him he was welcome anytime, without the need for formalities. Of course, this arrangement wasn’t exactly official; if it were public, it would look like an alliance between the Sea Dragon and Silver Dragon clans, with Ambassador Leon Cosmod as the bridge of goodwill uniting humans and dragons.

Reflecting on this as he made his way, Leon finally arrived at the outer limits of the Sea Dragon territory after a few hours of travel.

As he waited on a small island that served as a landing point, a blue dragon broke through the water and greeted him.

“Prince of the Silver Dragons, welcome to Atlantis.”

The Sea Dragon territory, known as Atlantis, was one of the few dragon lands with a specific name.

“Yes, I’d like to see Princess Claudia,” Leon said.

“Very well, Your Highness. Please follow me.”

To reach the underwater sanctuary of Atlantis, one had to descend through the dragon lands. Without the dragons’ protection, any creature attempting the journey would be crushed by the immense pressure of the deep sea within moments.

Turning back to his Silver Dragon guard, Leon instructed, “Wait here for me. I won’t be long.”

The guard nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

With that, Leon followed the Sea Dragon guide down into the depths.

It wasn’t his first journey into the ocean’s depths, so he was relatively accustomed to the initial struggle for air, adjusting quickly to the weight and pressure of the water.

After about thirty minutes, they reached the entrance of the Sea Dragon Clan’s sanctuary.

“I’ve already notified the attendants inside. Someone will meet you shortly,” the Sea Dragon guard said.

“Thank you for the assistance.”

The guard bowed slightly, then departed.

Moments later, the sanctuary doors opened, and a Sea Dragon attendant arrived to escort Leon into the sanctuary.

Upon entering, Leon looked around and noticed Claudia seated at her desk, immersed in a stack of documents. She appeared focused and determined, very much like his wife, Rosvisser, when she worked.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Leon greeted.

Claudia set her work aside, stretched, and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear as she looked up at him.

“Here to see your master and mistress?”

Leon nodded. “Yes, and I also have a favor to ask.”

Claudia raised an eyebrow, chuckling softly. “I knew you wouldn’t visit without a reason.”

Rising from her seat, she smoothed her dress and walked down the steps to stand before him.

“We’ll discuss it later. First, let’s go see them.”

“Of course.”

The two left the sanctuary and made their way to the resting quarters.

Leon pushed open the door to his master’s room, preparing to greet him, but stopped at the sight before him.

There was his master, shirtless, down on the floor, his body still muscular despite his age. Meanwhile, his mistress, Charlotte, was sitting nervously on his back, eyes fixed on the back of his head.

The old man, it seemed, wasn’t as worn out as Leon had thought. Despite having recently returned from the netherworld, here he was doing push-ups with his wife on his back!

And if Leon remembered correctly, a dragon’s bones were significantly denser than a human’s, meaning that his mistress, who appeared petite and light, actually weighed quite a bit more.

Sweat dripped from his master’s chin, hitting the floor with soft splashes.

“Ninety-eight… ninety-nine…”

Just as he was about to reach one hundred push-ups, Leon’s shoes came into view.

Leon squatted down with a smirk. “Keeping in shape, Master?”

Charlotte looked up in concern, frowning at Leon. “Leon, you should stop him! He insisted on doing this as part of his recovery training and made me join him.”

Leon chuckled. “Mistress, you’ve been married to this stubborn old man for how many years now? You know he won’t stop until he hits his target. Master, how many push-ups are you aiming for today?”

“Five… hundred…” his master wheezed.

Leon helped his master up and guided him to the bed, where he sank down, breathing heavily and dripping with sweat.

Charlotte handed him a towel, which he gratefully took, wiping his forehead.

“What brings you here, kid?” his master asked between breaths.

“I figured if I didn’t check in, you’d throw out your back. Dragons might have protective scales for their hearts, but I doubt you have the same for your spine.”

The old man rolled his eyes, muttering, “Always running that mouth of yours. Now, tell me, what do you need?”

As the two chatted, Charlotte brought over two cups of tea before joining Claudia in the corner for some sisterly conversation.

“Well, Master, the recent conflict with the Empire has intensified,” Leon began, “and there’s one Dragon King who’s been in hiding, someone who once colluded with the Empire. I have yet to locate him…”

Leon shared his suspicions regarding Adam and the figure known as “Shadow” with his master, hoping for any insight or advice.

His master listened, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Shadow… So you think he’s the true mastermind behind the Empire?”

Leon scratched his head. “Elizabeth sought refuge with this ‘Shadow’ figure when she had no other options, which suggests a close connection to the Empire. But it’s as if he never existed; there’s no trace of him.”

“Remember, kid, I once told you that under Cantor’s rule, there wasn’t much change from the Empire’s previous king?”

Leon nodded, recalling the detail from an earlier intel exchange.

In most cases, a new ruler would subtly shift the administration to assert their authority and secure their position. Yet, during Cantor’s thirty-year reign, the Empire hadn’t changed significantly.

What’s more, when the previous king and other high-ranking officials died, there had been no public display or even photographs of their bodies, which was highly unusual.

This peculiarity had only come up briefly in their discussions before, but now that Shadow’s influence was emerging, it seemed like a crucial clue.

“Here’s a theory,” his master suggested. “What if the Empire’s continuity in leadership style over the past thirty years indicates that Cantor was merely a puppet and that the previous king had been pulling the strings all along?”

Leon nodded thoughtfully. “It would explain a lot… But here’s the issue: if Shadow is indeed the former king, how has he lived so long?”

The former king had reportedly died in his seventies. If he were still alive, he’d be well over a hundred by now.

“Could a man that old really orchestrate something this complex?”

The old man considered this, then replied, “I suspect he might be using a forbidden magic or some other dark art to extend his life.”

“But such forced life-extension techniques are risky,” he continued. “They can affect one’s soul or even lead to premature exposure.”

“There’s the stasis crystal technique, which suspends the target’s bodily functions, leaving them alive but immobile, able only to hear the world around them. And then there’s life-extension magic, which forcibly prolongs life. But as you said, the risks are high, and exposure is a real possibility.”

“This is definitely a new angle to explore,” his master concluded.

“Understood.”

Leon wasn’t going to let any potential lead slip through his grasp.

After chatting with his master for a while longer, Leon stood up.

Charlotte approached him with a gentle smile. “How have you been, Leon?”

Leon returned her smile. “I’ve been well, Mistress.”

“Good. When you have a chance, bring your wife along sometime. The last few times you visited, things were so rushed that I haven’t had the opportunity to sit down with her properly.”

Ah, it seemed like his mother-in-law wanted some quality time with her daughter-in-law. Perfectly reasonable.

“Of course, Mistress. Once Rosvisser is free, we’ll come to visit.”

“Good.”

“Alright, family time is over,” Claudia said with a smile, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

“Now that you’ve seen them, perhaps you can tell me what favor you’re here to ask?”