Late at night, Leon leaned against the balcony railing, gazing into the distant mountains and forests.

In his hand, he held the list he had obtained from Aogu a few days ago.

On the list were the names of five Dragon Kings who had secretly allied with the human Empire.

Much like Constantine, Leon had never encountered any of these Dragon Kings during his long military career, nor had he ever heard of them, not even in passing.

Not a single mention of them could be found in textbooks.

But now that Leon knew these Dragon Kings had been conspiring with the Empire, he didn’t find it surprising. After all, who would write about their "partners" in national books for all to read?

It seemed the Empire was well aware of the dangers of saying too much. After forming alliances with these Dragon Kings, the Empire had likely scrubbed all mention of them from every document and history book, to the point where even a seasoned scholar like Leon had never heard of them.

Leon sighed and unconsciously tightened his grip on the list.

In truth, he wasn’t overly concerned about which Dragon Kings were collaborating with the Empire. 

If they were all on Constantine's level, they weren't particularly worrisome.

What weighed on him more were Aogu’s final words before he died:

“They will stop at nothing to kill you and take everything from you.”

“You cannot withstand the true counterattack of the dragons.”

In the end, Aogu, a discarded pawn, had cursed Leon with his dying breath.

Of all the warnings in that final curse, the one that stuck with Leon the most was *“take everything from you.”*

Once, Leon would have dismissed such threats from his enemies as nothing more than their dying, impotent rage.

But now… things were different.

Because now, the "everything" around him felt fuller than it ever had before.

In the Empire, he had a master who risked life and limb to clear his name and a female gunner who could have retired peacefully but instead chose to fight by his side again.

And here, he had three daughters whom he loved dearly.

And then there was his *nominal* wife.

A handful of people, but they held up the entirety of Leon's world.

He had never really considered what he would do if he lost them.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it—it was that he didn’t dare to.

But Aogu’s deathbed threat forced Leon to start thinking about it.

Could he truly protect all that he cherished in this elaborate conspiracy, brewing for decades, against the Empire and those hidden Dragon Kings?

Leon had never doubted his own abilities, but now... now he desperately wanted to grow stronger.

“Ever since we got back from the Red Flame Dragon Clan, you’ve been standing out here alone every night for a long time.”

A soft, familiar voice sounded beside him as a silver-haired beauty walked over to join him, resting her hands on the balcony railing next to his.

Her footsteps were so light, or perhaps Leon was simply too absorbed in his thoughts, that he hadn’t even noticed her approach.

Rosvisser wore a loose-fitting, sleeveless nightgown, her delicate chest faintly visible with the dragon pattern on her skin gently rising and falling with each breath. She had on those familiar dragon-wing slippers, and her hair was slightly damp, carrying a faint floral fragrance—she had clearly just bathed.

“Ah... I couldn’t sleep.”

Despite the beauty beside him, Leon found no room for admiration.

Rosvisser observed her so-called "prisoner." This idiot had been brooding for days now.

She had hoped he might come to her and talk about whatever was bothering him.

But this man was the type to bottle things up, never willing to share his worries. He would just keep it all inside.

In the past, Rosvisser would have had no interest in playing therapist for him. As long as he didn’t appear moody in front of others, played his role as her fake husband, and helped maintain their fake family, that was enough.

But now... well, this was the man who had once said, *"Melkwei, I like you."* Rosvisser wanted to hear more of that, so—

Maybe she could care for him just a little. Just a little.

Her eyes fell on the crumpled list in Leon's hand. He was squeezing it so tightly, yet he didn’t even seem to realize.

It seemed the psychological pressure was really weighing on him.

Rosvisser's mind began to work. She didn’t plan to ask Leon directly about what was bothering him. Instead, she wanted to ease into the topic by talking about something else first.

“I already told you about the three Dragon Kings skilled in spatial magic.”

She smiled slightly, "Would you like this Queen to enlighten you about the other two on the list?"

Every time Leon heard her call herself “this Queen,” it made him want to laugh.

Not a mocking laugh.

Just... well, there was something oddly cute about the way this dragoness emphasized those words when she was with him.

It was this strange, charming contrast.

She never called herself “this Queen” when speaking to the maids.

He had no idea why she insisted on acting like this around him.

Leon smirked. “Sure, go ahead.”

“The Shining Star Dragon King, Star. From what I know, he’s even older than Constantine. In the children’s books of Noa’s generation, Constantine is described as a hero of the dragons. But when I was a child, the dragon hero in the books was Star. That should give you an idea of just how old he is.”

“But unlike most races, the dragons don’t weaken with age. In fact, dragons like Constantine, who are of exceptional strength, only grow more powerful.”

“Star is the same. But I’ve only read brief mentions of him in dragon records. As for his current power, I couldn’t tell you.”

Leon nodded. “What about the Warhammer Dragon King?”

“Oh, he’s a bit special. He’s the last of his clan.”

Leon blinked. “Really? He’s the only one left?”

“Mm-hmm, you could say that.”

“Then wouldn’t it be easy for other clans to take him down?”

“Not at all.”

Rosvisser explained, “Because Adam is alone, with no ties to anyone, he has no restraints. In pursuit or being pursued, in vengeance or in battle, wherever Adam goes, he leaves nothing but death and hatred in his wake. For a long time, he was a nightmare for the entire dragon race.”

“But later, it seemed he grew tired of that life. Adam became a ‘mercenary.’”

Leon frowned. “A mercenary?”

“Mm. Whichever dragon clan paid him the most, he would help them. Murder, looting, destroying entire clans—he would do anything as long as the reward was enough.”

Rosvisser continued, “But for the past century, there’s been no news of him. Perhaps after collaborating with the Empire, he gave up his old trade?”

“Maybe...”

Leon mulled over Rosvisser's words, “Alone... with no attachments...”

“That’s right. Those without anything to hold them back are unstoppable—invincible, even.”

After she spoke, Rosvisser seemed to realize something.

She turned to look at Leon.

The idiot who had been listening so attentively just moments ago now looked dazed again.

Ah~~ 

She understood now.

The problem was here.

Hearing about how Adam’s lack of attachments made him unrestrained, able to do whatever he wanted, Leon must have remembered Aogu’s final words to him.

Well, now that she knew the root of the problem, it was time to address it.

“You’ve spaced out again, you fool,” Rosvisser murmured.

“Huh? Oh... sorry.”

“I think I know what you’re worrying about,” she said softly, her gaze focused on the night sky, a playful smile on her lips. Although she was speaking to Leon, she wasn’t looking at him.

Leon studied her delicate profile. “What?”

“You’re worried about me.”

“Good night.”

“Hey, wait—”

Rosvisser grabbed him quickly, though Leon had only said it for show and wasn’t actually planning to leave, making it easy for her to stop him.

“Can you talk properly for once?” Leon sighed.

Rosvisser huffed. “Fine, let me rephrase that. You’re worried about *us.* Is that better?”

Leon scratched his nose, answering with a muffled, “Mm.”

Rosvisser turned fully toward him, leaning against the railing, arms crossed over her chest as she gazed into his eyes. “As expected, my sister was right.”

“What did your sister say?”

“That all men who dote on their daughters are ‘family men.’”

“Huh?”

“It’s just a saying, really. It means you care deeply about your family.”

Leon shrugged, accepting her description of him.

Seeing how disinterested he seemed in the topic, Rosvisser decided to cut straight to the point.

“Leon, have you ever heard the saying, ‘Family is your strongest support’?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard it.”

“Do you think that’s true?”

Leon thought for a moment before replying, “I suppose so... Family is support, home is a harbor—everyone says that, right?”

He had always viewed his ‘fake’ family in much the same way.

It didn’t matter whether the harbor was real or fake; as long as it could dock a ship, it was a good harbor.

“So you, my fool of a husband, have fallen into the trap of ‘everyone,’” Rosvisser said.

“What... do you mean?”

“For most people, family is indeed the island

 where they can rest when they have nowhere else to go. But have you ever considered that your wife is not just ‘most people’?”

Rosvisser smiled mischievously as she gazed into his slightly startled eyes. “Come on, my dear husband, your wife is the Silver Dragon Queen. If you think I don’t have the ability to survive in this chaotic world, how do you think I made it to where I am now?”

“I’m not blaming you, Leon. I’m just reminding you that I’m not a woman who needs to depend on others to feel safe.”

“You’re always thinking about how to protect us in this conspiracy. But have you ever thought that I can stand right here beside you, just like this?”

“Why can’t we face these unknown dangers together?”

“Noa, Moon, Aurora—they’re your daughters, but aren’t they my daughters, too?”

“Leon, stop carrying everything on your own shoulders. You have to understand that you’re not alone anymore.”

“Yes, those without anything to hold them back are unstoppable and undefeated.”

“But—”

Rosvisser took a step closer, gently placing her hand on Leon’s cheek.

Silver and black eyes met, their reflections mirroring each other in their pupils.

“The place where those who miss you reside is your true home.”

She smiled, and Leon had never seen her smile so tenderly before.

It was a warmth that seeped into his very bones.

“So stop trying to play the hero all by yourself. Your wife... won’t be pleased if you do.”