Vol 7. Chapter 7: Awakening

After listening to Miss Caroline’s advice, Leon felt much more at ease.

Leaving the Casmod Welfare Home, he quickly found his wife and daughters.

Noa was teaching her sisters and Xiaoxue how to fish, while Rosvisser sat in the pavilion nearby, waiting.

Leon stepped up beside her, hands on his hips, gazing at the girls in the distance as he commented with amusement,

“They’re actually not using Xiaoxue transformed into a spear to jab at fish this time. That’s real progress.”

Rosvisser rested her chin on one hand as she watched the scene too.

At first, she didn’t follow Leon’s joke. Instead, she quietly reflected on his tone and manner, then raised her eyes and said,

“You sound unusually happy all of a sudden, Leon.”

She paused, then casually added,

“What happened, did you run into that old flame of yours—the school senior?”

From past to present, “the senior” had always been one of Rosvisser’s favorite tools to torment General Leon.

Especially after their encounter with Elusia at the Empire—Rosvisser’s misunderstanding, the fallout, and the emotional reconciliation Leon had believed would mark a fresh new start for them as a couple...

But reality proved otherwise—now she only teased him with even less restraint.

Leon immediately pulled out his most guilty expression, trying to get ahead of whatever else she was about to say.

“You caught me. Ahh, I’m so sorry. We just went to a wedding banquet, then did a little shopping, and I bought her a couple outfits, so I came back just a tiny bit later than—ow! My foot!”

Before he could finish his nonsense, Rosvisser’s heel had already ground down on his foot.

“Why can’t you take a joke, you she-dragon?!”

“I’m petty.”

“You bully—!”

He wasn’t afraid of her arguing, wasn’t afraid of her hitting him, not even afraid of her nitpicking—

What he feared most... was when she agreed with him.

Rosvisser cradled her chin in one palm, smiling sweetly at Leon.

“So? Still dare to go on dates with your school senior?”

“...”

Leon dared not mess around anymore. He told her everything—his visit to Miss Caroline in full.

After hearing it, Rosvisser nodded in understanding.

“So that’s what happened... if I’d known, I would’ve dragged Miss Caroline over and had her counsel you on the spot.”

Leon sat beside her, thought for a moment, then shook his head.

“Not necessarily.”

“Oh? Why not?”

The queen raised an eyebrow.

They sat shoulder to shoulder, the sounds of their daughters laughing and playing with Xiaoxue in the background, while the two of them spoke quietly.

“Because the one who gave me the courage to face Hera wasn’t just Miss Caroline.”

Leon smiled, turning to Rosvisser.

Their eyes met, and he continued in a soft voice,

“There’s also my master and mistress... and you.”

“Like Miss Caroline said, not everything happens in an instant. It takes time, and every step in between is essential.”

“Rosvisser—without you, none of it would’ve worked.”

Rosvisser listened to this dog-man’s honeyed words.

Somehow, he had a special talent—able to make even the vaguest sweet talk feel real and grounded.

One of the reasons she had fallen so utterly in love with this man... was precisely that.

He wasn’t a smooth talker by nature. He just always managed to say the most genuine things, in exactly the moments they mattered most.

She lowered her eyes, gazing at Leon’s lips just a breath away. Their noses gently bumped together, their breaths mingling.

“Really? I’m that indispensable, huh... I don’t buy it. How are you gonna prove it?”

“Lean in a little closer, and I’ll show you...”

The couple bickered flirtatiously.

By principle, this should’ve led straight to a kiss within one second.

But naturally, life had other plans.

“Dad! Mom! We caught a really big fish!!”

They instantly sprang apart, awkwardly scratching their heads and fixing their hair—pretending nothing had happened.

More than that, they were perfectly synchronized in silently cursing that damn fish.

Noa and Xiaoxue were holding the fishing rod, while Moon, Aurora, and Muse stood in a line, cradling a massive fish together.

Moon held the head, Aurora supported the belly, and Muse clutched the tail.

Leon was honestly impressed.

“Wow, that is a big one.”

“Tonight we can ask the chef uncle at the lodge to cook it for us!” Moon said excitedly.

Rosvisser smiled and nodded.

“Alright then, fish it is. You girls worked hard.”

After contacting the staff to help clean the catch, Moon and Muse excitedly told their parents all about how they caught it.

Leon and Rosvisser listened attentively.

And just like that, the family spent a relaxed afternoon at the fishpond.

Toward evening, Leon hoisted the big fish over his shoulder and led the family back to the lodge.

Along the way, they debated how to cook it.

Noa wanted it braised. Moon insisted on steaming. Aurora was craving fish soup. Muse and Xiaoxue wanted to try sweet-and-sour.

When Rosvisser asked Leon for his vote—

He paused for a few seconds, then furrowed his brows and answered seriously,

“I want to see it turn into a dragon and eat it raw.”

Rosvisser immediately kicked him into the bushes.

“After all these years of marriage, you’ve completely lost your human dignity.”

“Good thing you’re married, or that kick would’ve been fatal.”

As they joked, Leon’s peripheral vision suddenly caught a figure at the entrance of a nearby alley.

“Nacho...”

That morning, he had already told Rebecca not to assign any Lionheart guards to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) watch over or guide them.

And up until now, he hadn’t seen a single member of the Order.

But now... here was Nacho?

Leon’s thoughts stirred. He handed the fish over to the girls, then looked to Rosvisser.

“I’ve got something to deal with. I'll be back for dinner.”

Rosvisser blinked. “Where are you going?”

Leon didn’t answer directly. He just gave a subtle look toward Nacho by the alley.

Rosvisser caught on immediately and nodded.

“Don’t be too late.”

“I won’t. Got it.”

Leon waved goodbye to his daughters, then turned and headed off.

At the alley’s mouth, Nacho tipped the brim of his hat to cover half his face and slipped into stride beside Leon silently.

Neither spoke.

Before Leon could ask, Nacho whispered urgently,

“Go to the sealed chamber. Hera’s awake. And the scene is... chaotic.”

Leon’s brows creased.

So that’s why Nacho came to find him personally.

He nodded. “Got it. I’m on my way.”

With that, Leon leapt up onto the rooftops and began dashing across the tiled eaves, bounding straight toward the Lionheart Order’s headquarters.

Watching his swift silhouette fade, Nacho exhaled.

“A seasoned fighter, through and through. Never walks the normal path.”

Shaking his head, he took off running.

...

...

Lionheart Order Headquarters — outside the sealed chamber.

When Leon arrived, a faint ripple of magical energy was emanating from within the chamber.

He rushed forward to see.

Inside were over a dozen magic users. Rebecca was among them.

Leon couldn’t yet make out the full situation, but he could hear their voices.

“Calm down! Lady Hera, we’re not your enemies!”

“Wait wait wait—didn’t they say her magic was depleted?! Why did that last lightning spell almost blow a hole through the wall?!”

“Lady Hera, listen to me, I’m one of Leon’s old comrades. We won’t hurt you.”

Amid the chaos, a voice Leon had only ever heard in dreams and visions rang out—

“I don’t know any of you... I don’t know any Leon... stay away! Where’s Dimo? Where is Dimo?! I want to see Dimo! No... no, I can’t... I can’t go to Dimo... Welfare home... yes, the welfare home! Take me to the Casmod Welfare Home!”

Leon followed the voice, quickly weaving through the crowd to the front.

He looked toward the now-shattered crystal coffin.

There—Hera stood pressed against the far wall, disheveled and panicked. Her hair was tousled, her hands crackling with lightning magic. She looked like a frightened kitten cornered against the wall.