Vol 7. Chapter 41: Mana Refinement

A new week began. Leon was preparing to head to Saint Heath Academy together with his daughters.

Before departure, Rosvisser was carefully straightening the collar of his suit.

“I’ve never liked wearing suits. Too much trouble. Makes me feel all stiff and restricted,” Leon grumbled.

Rosvisser adjusted his collar without looking up and replied calmly:

“Every mature man should have a proper suit of his own. You need it for formal occasions.”

“Cash is a man’s real suit,” muttered the eternally cringy middle-aged uncle.

The queen smiled:

“Great, then go wear your Black Gold Tank to work.”

Then, as the queen stepped aside to let Leon walk forward in his tidy suit, the mental image of “being fired at the speed of light on your first day at work” practically played out in front of him.

After finishing the collar, she adjusted the knot and details of his tie.

“But I don’t usually wear suits. Everyone knows what I’m like, so even if I don’t dress up, it shouldn’t be a big deal, right?” Leon muttered lazily.

Rosvisser reached out and lifted his chin with her index finger.

“Head up.”

Leon obediently complied.

“Knowing your habits is one thing. But wearing formal attire at formal events is a matter of respect—for others, and for the position you hold. It shows you’re taking your job seriously. Got it?”

She explained with patience.

“No one likes feeling restricted. No one likes going against their own habits. But...”

She pressed her palm lightly to his chest, looked up at him with her beautiful eyes, and smiled softly.

“This is the working world you’re stepping into now, my dear.”

“The working world, huh... I still liked my old job better... The Dragon Army. Train, eat, and then...”

Rosvisser’s face changed in an instant.

“And then what?”

“...pee.”

The queen pursed her lips and thumped him lightly on the shoulder.

“Alright, it’s your first day. Try not to embarrass yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Leon snapped off a salute—one that was more comedic than formal.

“Daddy! Leviathan’s here~ We’re leaving now~”

Moon’s voice came from the courtyard.

Leon turned his head and called back, “Coming!”

Then looked again at Rosvisser.

“Alright, I’m off. I’ll be back this weekend.”

“Mm-hmm.”

They ended with a soft, brief goodbye kiss.

Leon turned and jogged toward the courtyard.

The great dragon “school bus” hovered quietly over the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, releasing a column of teleportation light.

One by one, the daughters stepped into the beam.

Just before entering, Leon looked back and waved to Rosvisser.

“Write me a letter, wife!”

“I got it, I got it.”

Rosvisser waved back slowly.

“Don’t get into fights with your coworkers. If you run into trouble, talk to me first. If the food’s not to your liking, tell me—I’ll mail you what you’re used to eating. And don’t forget to pull the blanket over yourself at night, I...”

Her words trailed off.

Not because she forgot. Not because she had nothing more to say.

But because... she knew there were so many things she wanted to say.

So many things she wanted to remind Leon about.

But there simply wasn’t enough time to say them all before the teleportation light activated.

Leon’s figure gradually faded into the beam.

She kept her gaze on the distant Leviathan, following it until the great dragon disappeared into the sky.

...Was this the start of a new kind of life?

Rosvisser didn’t know.

She was used to spending every day with Leon—morning to night. And “breaking a habit,” for anyone, was always hard.

Even for the Queen of the Silver Dragons.

“Your Majesty.”

Anna’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Rosvisser turned around.

Anna approached.

“I’ve prepared all the reports and correspondence you’ll need for the archives and document room. You can begin your work anytime.”

Rosvisser nodded.

“Thank you.”

Anna bowed slightly. “You’ve worked hard, Your Majesty.”

Rosvisser stepped back into the vast sanctuary.

Only the faint clicks of her high heels echoed off the floors.

...

...

Saint Heath Academy.

Out of respect for their new vice principal, the Academy accepted Leon’s request for a “low-key appointment with sincere service”—as per his supposed motto—and held no ceremonies or events to mark his arrival.

“Low-key appointment, sincere service—that’s Vice Principal Casmod’s creed.”

Under the guidance of his assistant, Leon arrived at his office.

“Vice Principal Casmod, this will be your workplace from now on.”

His assistant, carrying a folder, spoke politely.

“I’m your assistant, Samantha. Please feel free to ask me for anything you need.”

She was young, wore black-rimmed glasses, her golden hair tied in a neat ponytail, and carried a very professional air.

Like Leon, she wore formal attire—though hers was tailored into a sleek, female-style pantsuit.

Seeing everyone dressed so properly, Leon fell quiet.

“Understood, Miss Samantha. I’ll be in your care.”

Samantha gave a slight nod, then continued:

“If you’re ready, we can begin work at any time.”

“Ah... okay.”

Leon felt a little awkward. A little out of place.

It reminded him of when he first graduated and joined the Dragon Army.

Confused, unsure of himself, knowing no one—and expected to train right away.

It was the same feeling of being pushed into a brand-new environment.

But this time was different. Back then, Leon had been young and needed time to adapt.

Now, he was General Leon, seasoned by countless trials. His mindset was far more grounded.

Once seated, he adjusted his posture.

Samantha promptly handed over a schedule.

“Vice Principal, the instructors of the Dragonrider Division have finished compiling and analyzing last month’s exam results and completed next month’s teaching plans. Your task this morning ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) is to review the compiled grades and curriculum drafts. If you find any issues, let me know and I’ll report them to the faculty.”

It didn’t sound difficult—just reviewing score sheets and teacher summaries.

Everything was already organized for him.

Of course, Leon was new and wouldn’t be thrown into any deep-end work just yet.

“Here are the grade analyses and lesson plans. Please take a look.”

Samantha pushed over a stack of documents.

“Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you to work. I’m just in the private office outside. Call if you need anything.”

“Alright, will do.”

Man... Even back at the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, none of the maids or guards treated him this formally. It was “sir this,” “sir that,” every other word.

Leon already felt his skin peeling off from the polite atmosphere—it really didn’t suit him.

After Samantha left, he immediately got to work.

The results were grouped by class.

The Dragonrider Division had a little over a dozen classes—not many. Reviewing them wouldn’t be hard.

Most of the material for young dragons was still foundational, and nearly all students had learned some of it before entering school. So the scores were generally high.

After reviewing several classes’ data, Leon finally spotted a familiar name at the bottom of one report:

Muse K. Melkvey.

Of course, even a hard-nosed father had a right to peek a few extra times at his daughter’s grades—no harm in that!

“Hmm... Dragon History, 98.”

“Herbal Cultivation Practicum, 95.”

“Special Elective – Percussion Theory, 100!”

“Tsk tsk tsk. Not far off from her big sister’s records back in the day~”

Back then, Noa had nearly perfect scores—aside from physical fitness exams, which were skewed by her early admission and underdeveloped frame.

Good physical development made a huge difference. That much couldn’t be helped.

Otherwise, full marks might’ve just meant “the test’s max score,” not the limit of her potential.

Leon continued reading—nearly all of Muse’s subjects were above 90.

Except for...

“Mana Refinement: 68.”

Father’s brow furrowed.

“...That’s a bit low. What happened here?”

Leon thought perhaps Mana Refinement was a difficult subject.

But all the other students’ scores hovered between 80 and 100. Almost no one scored below 70.

Old Constantine’s precious daughter Hefei even scored a perfect 100.

In the teacher’s notes, the following comments were written:

“Muse struggles noticeably with mana refinement. Extra practice sessions required next month.”

“No magical attribute has emerged as of yet.”

“This phenomenon is unrelated to Muse’s age. The cause may only become clear after the Elemental Awakening Ceremony.”

“Even young magic users typically show early signs of affinity.”

But Muse had never shown even the slightest trace of elemental alignment.

...

Leon’s frown deepened. He never forced his daughters to practice too hard—and didn’t consider grades to be more important than a joyful, healthy childhood.

But this wasn’t about academic performance.

Mana refinement and elemental attributes were tied to innate magical talent and physical condition.

What truly concerned Leon wasn’t the grade itself—

It was whether something might be wrong with Muse’s body.

“...Let’s hope there’s nothing serious...”