Chapter 82: Reputable

Once, a perfect vacation lay before him, but he didn’t cherish it;

It was only after winning the championship that he regretted deeply, for the most painful thing after defeat and capture was this;

If given another chance by the heavens, he would surely choose to be a holiday-loving otaku;

If he had to set a limit for this vacation, he hoped it would be seven days.

– Excerpt from “The Glorious Abstract Life of Leon Casmode, the Empire’s Strongest Dragon Slayer”

Leon lay in the top-tier hotel of Sky City.

Beneath him was a soft, plush bed, and the room was filled with the aroma of high-quality incense. On the bedside table lay a magic bell, said to summon professional service within two minutes with just a light tap—

The service personnel could be meticulous and refined Sebastian, or cheeky and sexy black-stockinged dragon maids, depending on your personal preference.

Of course, regardless of the service, it was all in pure green.

For the entire afternoon, Leon lay in the hotel, mourning his lost seven-day otaku holiday.

Mourning by himself wasn’t enough. Every half hour, he rang the bell and asked the approaching Sebastian or dragon maid:

“Do you yearn for a vacation?”

And the service personnel, after rigorous training, uniformly replied:

“What we yearn for is for you, our esteemed customer, to have a wonderful vacation.”

Wonderful.

Wonderful Minotaurs!

Can you see the word “wonderful” on my grieving face?

Or do you not know how to read at all?

Knock, knock, knock—

The sound of knocking interrupted.

“I didn’t call for room service,” Leon replied from his bed.

“It’s me,” came Rosvitha’s voice.

Leon rolled his eyes and ignored her.

She clearly took an extra key to a Leon room when they checked in this morning. Now she’s knocking pretending to be polite?

The weasel wishes the chicken a happy New Year—not with good intentions.

Leon lifted the covers and burrowed underneath.

Knock, knock, knock—

“Open the door, Leon, it’s urgent.”

What could be so urgent?

She’s the lady of the champion family, she’s like a little cow riding a hot air balloon—a cow flying in the sky!

I’m furious, I don’t want to deal with this!

Leon rolled onto his side, covering his ears with the blanket.

Click—

The lock clicked, and Rosvitha indeed let herself in with the key.

The sound of high heels echoed in the room, finally stopping by Leon’s bed.

Luckily, he had turned away just in time, now facing away from Rosvitha.

“Turn around, I need to talk to you,” Rosvitha said.

“I’m asleep.”

“Then why are you answering me in your sleep?”

Leon closed his eyes, refusing to respond.

Tap, tap, tap—

Rosvitha, in her high heels, circled around the foot of the bed and approached the other side, where she could face Leon directly.

But then—

Leon rolled over to the other side again.

Rosvitha, hands on hips, biting her lip in frustration, marched back around.

And yet, Leon rolled back again.

So, he turned, she circled, he turned again.

After a few rounds of this, Rosvitha lost her patience. She kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and sat on—his waist.

“Don’t worry, I won’t touch you for these seven days,” Rosvitha said sincerely.

“Your saying that while sitting on my waist doesn’t exactly inspire trust, you know?”

Rosvitha lifted her hips slightly, flipping Leon onto his back, and then—

Rosvitha settled herself on his stomach. “Feeling better now?” she asked.

Leon was speechless. He covered his face with his hands and let out a heavy sigh.

Rosvitha gently pushed his chest. “I know this holiday means a lot to you, but the school arranged this seven-day hot spring trip with fixed dates, and they won’t wait for anyone who’s late.”

Understandingly, Rosvitha continued, “But think about our daughters. They’re so happy. When they’re happy, like their dad, won’t you be happy too?”

“Yeah, I’m thrilled,” Leon replied sarcastically.

“And I promised, I really, really won’t touch you,” Rosvitha added, holding up three fingers, plus her tail for emphasis.

But Leon wasn’t buying it. She promised not to touch him? That didn’t mean she wouldn’t touch herself. With hands and a tail attached to her body, she could still touch wherever she pleased.

Leon grunted and buried his head under the pillow.

Rosvitha pressed down the pillow. “What do I need to say for you to believe me?”

“Bring me two boxes of dragon strength and I’ll believe you,” Leon replied.

“Don’t be ridiculous, dragon slayer. I swear on the reputation of the Silver Dragon Queen that I won’t touch you for these seven days, just like we agreed from the beginning. The hot spring trip won’t cancel this promise.”

“The reputation of the Silver Dragon Queen…”

“Yes.”

“Good reputation.”

Leon sat up, causing Rosvitha to lean back slightly due to his movement. With her still sitting on him, their proximity increased.

“Then it’s settled. You’re not allowed to touch even a single hair on me for these seven days,” Leon said, feeling oddly awkward as the words left his mouth.

He couldn’t help but feel a strange sensation, like a delicate young lady marrying into a wealthy family.

On their wedding night, the young lady, feeling aggrieved, says, “You’re not allowed to touch me.”

The young master chuckles and says, “Alright, alright, my little beauty…”

“And then it was a satisfying night.”

But I digress.

Rosvitha nodded earnestly. “Hmm, I promise not to touch you. But…”

Leon glanced at her. “I knew there was a ‘but’.”

“But if you can’t control yourself, don’t blame me.”

With that, Rosvitha leaned in slightly, and the couple gently touched foreheads, their noses brushing against each other lightly.

Her delicate fragrance was much more pleasant than the high-end incense in the room.

Their silver and black eyes locked, seemingly confirming each other’s… trustworthiness.

“Of course, I can control myself. What a joke. I’m a mighty dragon slayer. Why would I touch a mother dragon like you for no reason?”

Rosvitha chuckled, lightly pushing his shoulder, causing him to lay back.

Then she stretched her long legs, rolled off the bed, sat on the edge, and put on her shoes.

“All right then, it’s a deal. If my dragon mark lights up once in these seven days, Leon, you’re done for.”

Leon sat on the bed, carefully pondering over those words.

It seemed… something wasn’t right?

Had he unwittingly fallen into the schemes of this sly mother dragon again?

Though he didn’t exactly know what the scheme was, judging from past experiences and his current feelings, it couldn’t be anything good, right?

Before Leon could fully process it, Rosvitha stood up, tidied her hair, and said, “Get dressed, we’re going out.”

“Why?” Leon asked.

“To soak in the hot springs, of course. We need to buy swimsuits.”

In reality, given their family status, they could have any service tailored to their doorstep. But the children preferred going out with their parents. Naturally, Leon and Rosvitha had no objections.

The two little dragonesses held hands in the swimsuit store, picking out various cute swimsuits for young dragons. Meanwhile, Rosvitha and Leon browsed through the adult dragon swimsuit section.

To be honest, Leon was the least fond of accompanying women shopping. Back when he was still in school at the academy, every holiday, all he wanted was to lie on his master’s farm grass, hang out with the sheep, the cows, and have a chat with the donkey.

But his master’s wife always dragged him out shopping, and a shopping trip would last for ages. It felt just like the current situation, only instead of his master’s wife, it was a mother dragon.

“What do you think of this one?” Rosvitha asked.

“It looks good,” Leon replied.

“You didn’t even look properly!”

Seeing that brushing off wouldn’t cut it, Leon reluctantly turned to Rosvitha. She stood in front of the mirror, trying on a swimsuit, and it seemed to fit her well.

“Hmm, looks good,” Leon said.

“Tch, feels like there’s too much fabric.”

With that, Rosvitha changed into another one.

This time, there was much less fabric.

So scanty that even without wearing this swimsuit, it would still make people blush just by looking at it. Leon seemed to realize something and quickly averted his eyes.

“Hey, how about this one?” Rosvitha asked.

“Well… it’s not really working,” Leon replied.

“You didn’t even look properly again,” Rosvitha stomped her foot.

“I did look, it’s just… average.”

From a purely male perspective, if Rosvitha were to wear this swimsuit to soak in the hot springs, not only would her dragon mark light up, it might even glow all night!

Rosvitha pouted, “Fine. I was just browsing anyway. I already prepared my swimsuit before coming. Let’s go, I’ll help you pick out some swim trunks.”

“I’m fine going bare,” Leon said brazenly.

“Haha, you’re really funny.”

In the end, swimsuits were chosen for both little dragonesses and Leon, and the family of four left the store. Next was the celebration segment, commemorating their first place win at the school sports meet.

The family was harmonious and celebrating this wonderful moment, yet Rosvitha couldn’t shake the feeling that Leon was somewhat lacking in enthusiasm.

Granted, when the daughters were happy, he would be happy too. However, occasionally, he wanted to shed the identities of father and “husband” and just be himself.

Rosvitha’s thoughts stirred slightly as she contemplated speaking up. However, she was preempted by Noia.

Noia held out cups filled with beverages towards Leon and Rosvitha. The couple quickly picked up their own glasses and handed them over.

“We’re really grateful for winning the school sports meet. I… I…” Noia visibly wanted to continue with some words of gratitude. But she was never good at expressing herself, especially at times like this.

Fortunately, Rosvitha understood her daughter well and promptly intervened, “When adults express their gratitude, they often start by drinking their own drinks.”

Noia understood and immediately lifted her little head to drink up the contents of her cup.

Leon and Rosvitha also emptied their glasses of red wine in one gulp.

“Oh, and also…” Noia’s cheeks were rosy, looking incredibly adorable in the candlelight at the dinner table.

“I promised you… that if I won the championship, I would… I would call you…”

Noia looked up at Leon, pursing her soft lips, as if summoning all her courage to meet his gaze. The flickering candlelight shimmered in the trembling eyes of the father and daughter.

Then, the girl whispered softly, “Daddy.”

Before her old father could even display any embarrassment, Noia quickly added, “Actually, even if I didn’t win the championship, I would still… I would still call you… um… thank you so much for supporting me, Daddy.”

Hearing Noia say this, for some reason, Rosvitha felt much more relieved.

Kinship is indeed a mysterious thing. It’s like a flame that never goes out, capable of melting the hardest ice.

Rosvitha glanced at Leon. Clearly, the father of the child was now in a complete state of brain shutdown. Noia’s simple “Daddy” could unleash his potential to seize first place, yet it could also leave him in a state of disarray, wandering in a world of his own.

In the end, it was Rosvitha who gently kicked his leg under the table to bring him back to reality.

“Ah… it’s… it’s okay, it’s okay. Winning the championship, you’ve put in a lot of effort yourself. Your mother and I have only done what we could. Um… where’s the wine? Help me pour a glass, I’ll drink that.”

Rosvitha poured him half a glass of wine.

Leon drank it in one gulp.

It was evident that aside from being happy and excited about Noia calling him “Daddy,” he was also a bit overwhelmed.

Rosvitha smiled with relief.

Despite the overwhelmingly harmonious atmosphere, who would have guessed that this family’s situation was actually quite complex?

“Oh right… there’s one more important thing,” Noia said. “Close your eyes first.”

“Huh? Why?” Muen asked.

Noia covered her sister’s big eyes with her hand. “Be good and listen. No matter what, you can’t open your eyes later.”

“Okay~” Muen agreed.

With a smile on her face, Rosvitha rested her chin on her hand and closed her eyes. Leon naturally followed suit.

Inside the private dining room, Noia jumped down from her chair, making a rustling sound. Deliberately lightening her footsteps, she walked to Muen’s side and gave her sister a hug.

Then she walked over to Rosvitha and gave her mother a big hug. Finally, she walked to Leon’s side, tiptoed, stretched out her arms, and gently embraced him around the neck.

Leon realized it was Noia hugging him and raised his hand to respond.

Noia leaned in close to his ear, lowering her voice, “Thank you, Dad.”

Leon didn’t open his eyes, just nodded in response. But just when he thought a hug was the end of it, he suddenly felt warmth on his cheek.

Was… Noia sneakily kissing him? No wonder she wanted everyone to close their eyes. Such an act… Noia would never do it if anyone were watching.

What Leon didn’t know was that among the family of three, only he received special treatment from Noia: a gentle, fleeting kiss on the cheek from his daughter.

Noia returned to her seat. “Okay.”

Muen couldn’t wait and opened her eyes, pretending to be puzzled. “What happened? What happened?”

“I secretly took your steak,” Noia said.

“Aww, Sister, how could you say that!” Muen pouted.

“Just kidding, here you go.”

“Sis, you’re the best~ Love you~”

The heartwarming scene of the daughters’ playful laughter made Rosvitha retract her gaze and look at Leon.

He seemed even more “brain-dead” than before. But in an instant, his mood visibly improved, and it improved a lot, by a significant margin.