Vol. 4 Ch. 54

More than twenty years ago, Leon was just a boy at the Cosmod Orphanage, playing harmless pranks with his friends. Even back then, his natural strength and height made him stand out among the other children. Ironically, he often played the role of “the dragon’s dad” in their games—who could’ve predicted that he’d grow up to become a dragon slayer and marry a dragon?

Leon had always shown a natural talent for learning. After his games, he’d go straight to the orphanage’s small library to read. The library subscribed to the Empire’s daily newspaper, and although Leon didn’t remember every headline, he clearly remembered the big names—especially when someone important died.

One such name was Fuehr Last, a high-ranking official who had supposedly died over twenty years ago. His death was covered in the newspapers, and the Empire had even held a grand memorial for him. The event had left an impression on young Leon. And yet, here was that very same Fuehr Last, alive and sitting in a cell.

“We tried using memory-probing magic to figure out what’s going on,” Nacho explained. “But every time we did, some kind of strange power would block it. It’s as if there’s an invisible force preventing us from accessing his memories.”

“A mysterious force? Like a psychic barrier?” Leon asked, recalling instances where similar barriers had been used to prevent access to someone’s mind.

Nacho shook his head, looking grim. “No, it’s not a barrier exactly. Our sorcerers said it’s like nothing they’ve seen before. It’s more of a passive effect than an active one, and it doesn’t just block memory probes—it seems to absorb any magic energy that enters his body.”

“That’s… unusual.” Leon frowned. “Magic energy just disappears inside him?”

Nacho nodded. “And what’s more, we discovered that Fuehr’s magical circuits have almost entirely deteriorated. He once practiced magic, but now he barely has any magical energy left.”

In Samael’s magical system, one needed to cultivate magic circuits within their body to practice magic. However, circuits could deteriorate if overused or damaged, and Fuehr had been an administrator with no reason to engage in combat. So why were his circuits destroyed?

Piecing together the details, Leon furrowed his brow, thinking aloud, “A power that blocks probing magic… magic energy disappearing inside him… and his circuits ruined…”

Fuehr Last, a man who should have died twenty years ago, was still alive, somehow holding onto life.

Leon took a deep breath, feeling a thread of an idea but unable to grasp it fully. “Let me speak with him directly. Maybe I’ll uncover something,” he suggested.

Nacho nodded and unlocked the cell. “Go ahead.”

Leon stepped into the cell alone, turning back to say, “Wait here. I’ll handle this.”

As he walked further inside, Leon was unperturbed by the thought of this elderly man suddenly attacking him. If it came to that, he wouldn’t mind adding another offense to his record—assaulting an old man in self-defense.

Hearing footsteps, Fuehr looked up slowly, his swollen eyes narrowing as he studied Leon’s face. After a few moments, a bitter smile crept onto his face.

“Cosmod… so it’s you.”

“You ‘died’ when I was only three or four,” Leon said as he crouched to look Fuehr directly in the eyes, his tone calm yet icy. “Not the sort of thing a kid would remember… unless, of course, you were never actually dead and have been hiding somewhere, watching everything unfold.”

Leon’s gaze was calm but intense, his dark eyes reflecting a barely restrained fury. Though Fuehr had faced countless interrogations, something about this man before him made his heart beat faster.

“So what if I was?” Fuehr replied, trying to keep his composure.

Fuehr scoffed, his pride still intact despite the faint tremor of fear in his voice. “I won’t tell you anything, Cosmod. I was once part of the royal court, far above your rank. Had you lived in my era, you would have been relegated to the stables, grooming horses.”

His tone was laced with forced pride, but Leon could see right through it.

“Being a stable hand doesn’t sound so bad,” Leon said casually, playing along. “Easy work, decent pay… although I’d rather feed mules than birds.”

Fuehr’s sneer turned to anger. “You insolent fool! Go ahead, kill me if you wish, but I’ll tell you nothing!”

Leon let the old man’s frustration simmer, then continued, “It must feel awful, though. All those years of power, only to end up hiding like a rat. What good is a long life when your glory lasted such a short time?”

Fuehr’s pride finally cracked, his face twisting with rage. “Rubbish! I… I have plenty of life left in me! I’ll outlast you if I have to!”

Leon’s eyes narrowed, and a thought crystallized. “Plenty of life left? Like… a Dragon King?”