Leon worked hard to digest everything his daughters had told him.

Although there were still some parts he didn’t fully understand, one thing was clear: if there was a chance to change everything, Leon would do whatever it took to make it happen.

Twenty years had passed without him being by his daughters’ side, and for someone with a strong sense of responsibility, this was a wound that cut deep. The absence of a father’s presence would undoubtedly change a person’s life—and those changes were often negative.

Especially when Leon was an exceptionally good father, a fact even Noa had to admit, back when their relationship hadn’t yet softened.

And aside from his daughters...

Leon lifted his head, his gaze falling on the crystal.

Inside the crystal, the silver-haired beauty lay peacefully, her brow relaxed, her eyelashes perfectly defined, her delicate features soft and serene. She looked calm and beautiful.

But she shouldn’t be like this.

She was the Queen of the Silver Dragons, the mother of their daughters.

She was also his wife.

This cunning and proud dragon deserved a better future.

Noticing her father’s gaze, Aurora raised an eyebrow.

Ugh. When she was little, hiding between her parents and watching them exchange looks had already been cheesy enough. But now, just watching her dad gaze at her mom like that, with so much emotion, it was almost unbearable.

How much unspoken love for Mom had this stubborn, tight-lipped old fool been holding in all this time?

No, this was too much.

Aurora realized that if they stayed here any longer, she and her sisters would be crushed under the weight of this invisible “dog food” (public displays of affection).

She nudged Noa with her elbow.

Noa glanced at her.

Aurora gave her a look.

Noa was momentarily confused but then glanced at Leon and quickly caught on.

“Uh... time is tight, and I need to keep working on reverse magic. You guys chat, I’ll get back to my research,” Aurora said, making a quick escape.

“I’ll stay and chat with Dad! I have so much I want to tell him!” Moon said excitedly.

After all, as a kid, she had followed Leon around everywhere, calling out “Dad, Dad, Dad” nonstop. After twenty years of holding back, of course she had endless things to say.

But—

Noa grabbed her sister by the back of her collar and dragged her toward the door. “You can talk to him while we cook. Come on.”

“No! I want to stay with Dad! Waaah!” Moon whined.

“He’s only a year older than you now. If you keep calling him ‘Dad’ every other word, someone might die of embarrassment.”

Moon's feet and tail left shallow marks on the floor as Noa mercilessly dragged her out of the dark room, her eyes big and teary.

Once the three sisters had left, Leon shook his head with a chuckle.

It was clear they had finished discussing the important matters and were now leaving him some time alone with Rosvisser.

As for Noa’s comment about him only being a year older than her... well, that did sting a little.

Leon had been 23 years old when he entered the spatial rift, and Noa and Moon had only been 2 at the time. But now, in this timeline, the twins were already 22.

He couldn’t help but marvel at the thought, “Twenty-two is such a beautiful age.”

But then, the realization that he was only a year older than his daughters turned that thought into, “Is this really too beautiful of an age?”

Leon shook his head, pushing away the ridiculous thoughts.

He dragged the chair over to the crystal and stared closely at the beautiful woman inside.

She was still as stunning as ever.

In fact, Leon hadn’t seen Rosvisser’s sleeping face that often. Back when they were living together, they’d always fallen asleep together, and sometimes their nights lasted well into the early hours. By then, they were too exhausted to appreciate each other’s sleeping faces.

Occasionally, when passing through the temple hall after lunch, Leon would catch a glimpse of Rosvisser taking a quick nap, her head resting on her arm like a student dozing off during morning class.

Her cheeks had a bit of softness to them, and when she rested her head on her arm, the flesh would squish a little, which he found adorable.

But these short naps never seemed to fully relax her. Her brow would always be slightly furrowed, as if she were sleeping uneasily.

There were several times when Rosvisser caught him secretly watching her nap.

She called him a creep.

He’d retort that she drooled when she slept.

Of course, Rosvisser would never lose composure like that, so she’d snap back, asking if he wiped the drool away.

Leon would smile and say, “I drank it.”

Rosvisser: “Ew!”

They liked to joke around like that sometimes, with a bit of playful “grossness.”

Looking at her face now, it was as beautiful and delicate as ever. He couldn’t get enough of it.

How could she be so beautiful? 

In the past, whenever Leon secretly admired how beautiful she was, he would always follow it up with a critique.

“She’s beautiful, but she’s so stubborn and contrary.”

Or, “What good is being beautiful when she’s so merciless with her words?”

But now...

Now, all he wanted to do was quietly admire his wife.

She was so beautiful—beautiful like a masterpiece crafted by an artist over a lifetime.

“Rosvisser, I’m not very good at talking to someone who’s already asleep, but Noa and the others say that even though you’re unconscious, you can still hear what’s going on around you.”

Leon pressed his lips together, his head lowered, nervously rubbing his palms together. “I have so many things I want to say to you... things I should’ve said to you twenty years ago. But back then... there just wasn’t a chance.”

“Now I have the chance to say them, but I can’t hear your response.”

He paused, then chuckled bitterly, shaking his head.

“As for your response... that’s why I didn’t say these things back then. I was afraid your response would be... rejection.”

“I was pretty scared of you rejecting me.”

“When I led my troops into battle, I always told my men, ‘It’s better to make a mistake than to do nothing at all.’”

“But when it came to my feelings for you... I became someone who would rather do nothing than risk making a mistake.”

“Even talking to you like this now... it’s because you’re still unconscious.”

Leon’s bitter smile turned into a self-mocking grin as he rubbed his palms red.

“Honestly, Rosvisser, whenever I’m in front of you, all those words get stuck in my throat.”

“And I think... that’s your fault.”

“You’re too beautiful. And when you smile, you’re even more beautiful.”

“I’ve never dated anyone before, so seeing a woman as gorgeous as you, it’s natural for me to lose my head, right?”

“But logically speaking, you’re a dragon, and I’m a dragon slayer. No matter how beautiful you are, I shouldn’t have had any improper thoughts about you.”

“So maybe it’s because... you’re just too beautiful.”

Every word he spoke was filled with sincere admiration for his wife.

These compliments—if Rosvisser were awake—he’d never be able to say them, no matter what. As Leon had admitted earlier, it was only because she was unconscious and unable to respond that he dared to speak so freely.

After delivering another round of compliments, Leon stood up and patted the crystal.

“I’m going to check on our daughters. I’ll come back to see you later.”

With that, Leon turned and left the dark room.

Once outside, he realized he wasn’t very familiar with the layout of this underground space.

So, he started wandering around aimlessly.

Eventually, he stumbled upon Aurora’s research room.

Despite being called a research room, it was quite basic.

There were bookshelves on both sides, filled with ancient texts and literature on space magic and reverse magic. In the middle was an extra-long stone table cluttered with various materials for magic arrays and Aurora’s handwritten notes.

Hearing movement at the door, Aurora looked up and adjusted her glasses. “Oh, Dad, need something?”

Leon shook his head. “No, just wandering around.”

“Alright, but it’s a bit messy in here, so feel free to look around,” she said, her attention already back on her research.

“Okay.”

Leon scratched the corner of his mouth before asking, “Is there anything I can do to help with this reverse magic?”

“I’ve been working on this for over ten years, so even if you’re smart, Dad, you wouldn’t be able to catch up in a short time.”

“Is that so... well, do Noa and Moon help you with the research?” Leon asked.

Aurora shook her head. “There’s only the three of us here. If Noa and Moon focused all their time on researching reverse magic, they wouldn’t have time to train.”

“In other words, my sisters handle the fighting, while I’m just a scientist. I don’t have their strength, so I take care of the logistics. That’s how we’ve always divided things—everyone has their role.”

“Oh, I see.”

Leon already knew Noa was good at fighting. But could Moon handle combat as well? That little girl had always hated fighting and violence.

“So, Dad, don’t worry about helping me. Just focus on getting your strength back. The Nine Gates of Hell—keep practicing them. They’re really powerful.”

Leon shrugged. “I can open the Fifth Gate right now.”

“I’m at the Eighth Gate.”

General Leon: ?

Aurora smiled. “I’m just a scientist, after all. I don’t have their kind of strength.”