Chapter 43: – I’m Not Good at Fighting

Leon’s plan was simple – to sneak in while the Flame Dragon clan’s internal turmoil was settling but external pressure was at its peak, and find Constantine’s confidant.
At that time, the struggling confidant would never expect that after four months, the one who killed his boss would still be haunting him.
The key was to catch him completely off guard.
Rosvitha had no objections to Leon’s proposed timing.
But the method of entry… needed some more consideration.
“Just have Shelly drop me off near the Flame Dragon clan’s territory, and I’ll go in by myself,” was Leon’s idea.
Rosvitha pondered for a moment and shook her head. “That won’t work.”
“Why not?”
“First, you’re going to the Flame Dragon clan to find that confidant to figure out which other dragon kings were cooperating with the human empire. But from Shelly’s or my other clan members’ perspective, you, as the Silver Dragon Prince, sneaking alone into a defeated dragon clan’s territory would seem strange and out of place.”
Rosvitha slowly analyzed it for Leon,
“Furthermore, Shelly would absolutely not allow the Silver Dragon Prince to enter enemy territory alone. Even if you tell her to wait outside, she would follow you, and any of my other subordinates would likely do the same.”
“And since the confidant you’re looking for knows about Constantine’s collusion with the empire, he very likely knows your human identity too. When you interrogate him, regardless of the method, he might reveal your identity. If Shelly is by your side, wouldn’t the secret we’ve been keeping all this time be exposed?”
Rosvitha made sense.
If Constantine had complained about cooperating with the empire in front of that confidant, then this confidant might very possibly—
No, not just possibly.
He definitely already knows Leon’s identity.
So if Leon had Shelly or other clan members take him to the Flame Dragon clan, the probability of exposing his identity would greatly increase.
Leon needed his “Silver Dragon Prince” identity as cover, allowing him to continue investigating within the dragon clans, working in tandem with his master to expose the empire’s conspiracy.
On the other hand, the ‘false’ family he and Rosvitha had built together was becoming more and more complete.
Noia, Muen, and Little Light all took pride in Leon. In their eyes, Leon was the best father in the world.
But if they suddenly learned that their pride-worthy father was actually an outsider – a human…
The consequences would be unpredictable.
Perhaps someone as clever as Noia wouldn’t mind – as long as Dad still loved her and she still loved Dad, that would be enough. Muen and Little Light would likely feel the same.
But—
If things developed in a bad direction, how would Leon face it?
This was a gamble Leon dared not take.
All he could do was continue concealing this secret together with Rosvitha.
Seeing Leon deep in thought, Rosvitha knew he had understood her meaning and was considering all possibilities.
“Then how should I get to the Flame Dragon clan?”
The territories between different dragon clans were far apart. No matter how exceptional General Leon was, he was still a land-bound creature walking on two legs.
Without wings or transportation, going from the Silver Dragon Temple to the Flame Dragon clan would take several months on foot.
By then, forget about Constantine’s confidant – the entire Flame Dragon clan might have been annihilated in the flames of revenge from the various tribes.
Moreover, reaching the Flame Dragon clan was just the first step. Most importantly, they couldn’t let anyone traveling with Leon grow suspicious.
For this, Rosvitha had a good solution.
“I’ll go with you.”
Leon was stunned.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected Rosvitha to say this.
“The Silver Dragon Queen and her husband sneaking together into a defeated dragon clan’s territory…”
Leon stroked his chin and drew in a sharp breath, “That sounds even more suspicious than me going alone.”
Rosvitha shrugged, “We’ll just say we’re inspecting the borders. That excuse always works well.”
The Queen spoke truly.
Although sister Isabella teased that border inspection was “a good excuse for work dates,” it could indeed provide cover for some more ‘private’ matters.
Like dates.
And like… infiltrating enemy territory.
“If Shelly and the others take you, your identity could be exposed. So in this situation, me going with you is the most secure option.”
“You’re right. But… I don’t quite understand.”
Rosvitha tilted her head, “Don’t understand what?”
Leon looked up at her, meeting her silver eyes. He pursed his lips and said,
“This is undoubtedly dangerous, and stepping back a thousand steps, it’s a matter between me, my master, and the empire. The conflict between the Flame Dragon clan and your Silver Dragon clan is over – you don’t need to take this risk with me…”
Oh~
The Queen understood.
This dog of a man still had some conscience, knowing to consider her safety.
Rosvitha felt a little smug inside but didn’t show it.
She decided to tease him further, to see if she could get even more direct words from this dog of a man.
“What else can we do? Sigh, if your identity gets exposed, won’t our family fall apart too?”
The Queen pretended to be troubled, sighing repeatedly,
“I know it’s dangerous, and I just gave birth four months ago – my strength hasn’t fully recovered. If we encounter conflict with the Flame Dragon clan’s remnants there, I might get hurt, and in worse cases… I might not come back at all, wuwu…”
False – after giving birth, dragon tribes quickly recover their body and strength to normal levels.
After all, they’re a wild race that relies on fighting and force to claim territory, with their fierce nature encoded in their DNA.
She said this just to frighten the dog of a man.
To see if he would reveal more genuine feelings.
“Not… not come back… is it that dramatic?” Leon was indeed somewhat frightened.
“Of course it is! You, Casmode, are a dragon-slaying hero who fears nothing – anyone comes at you and you just hit them with lightning. Unlike me, I’m not good at fighting to begin with, and now I’m weak. If it weren’t for this family, for our daughters, I wouldn’t want to take this risk with you.”
She acted delicate and alluring, as if a breeze could knock over her fragile body.
If she had a handkerchief in hand, she’d truly look like a pitiful, sickly beauty.
Leon didn’t know if she was acting or genuine, but becoming weak after pregnancy and childbirth sounded real enough.
He licked his dry lips, hesitantly stood up, walked to Rosvitha’s side, and awkwardly pushed her shoulder,
“Alright, alright… we can think of another way. You don’t need to go with me.”
“Another way? Is there another way? At this point, only I can take you there.”
Rosvitha held her forehead with one hand, pretending to be at her wit’s end.
But where Leon couldn’t see, the Queen’s lips curved up uncontrollably.
“But… but if you go, what if you get hurt…”
‘Getting hurt’ was a euphemism – conflicts between dragon tribes were far more serious than just ‘getting hurt’.
“Hmph, now you’re showing concern for me. Why don’t I see you caring about me usually?” The Queen’s acting addiction was unstoppable.
“Eh, I…”
“You what?”
“I’m not concerned about you, I just… just worry the daughters would be concerned.”
This trick again?
Heh, Casmode, today you’ll learn that the same move won’t work twice on a Dragon Queen!
“Fine, Leon, so you really don’t care about me at all, stammering and pretending there, and here I was thinking of risking danger to take you to find your enemy, wuwu, I can’t live like this anymore! Can’t live like this! Tomorrow I’m packing up and going to my sister’s—mmph!”
Leon quickly covered her mouth.
If he let her ramble on, she might even start talking about divorce.
He covered Rosvitha’s mouth, and since he was standing while she was sitting, he naturally pressed her face against his abdomen.
Leon looked down at her, and she raised her beautiful eyes to look back at him. After a brief up-and-down gaze, Leon said with a red face, stammering,
“Fine… I, I just worry something might happen to you, okay? Though it’s partly about the daughters… but not entirely. I myself am very worried about you, don’t want to see anything bad happen to you. If something were to happen to you, I would feel… very guilty.”
After some consideration, Leon finally chose the word ‘guilty’.
Of course, emotions like ‘sad’ or ‘sorrowful’ would also fit Leon’s character, but such expressions might be too… intimate for him and Rosvitha right now.
So after thinking it through, ‘guilty’ seemed better.
After all, she could stay safely at home being the Silver Dragon Queen, there was no need to take risks with Leon.
If she got hurt helping him, Leon would truly feel guilty to death.
This had nothing to do with Rosvitha’s identity – it was just that having such a “loyal” companion helping you, how could you not feel guilty about it?
Listening to the dog man’s words and feeling the tone in his voice,
Rosvitha was satisfied.
She pressed down the hand covering her mouth, but kept her face against Leon’s waist and abdomen, even leaning her body slightly toward him.
Not quite nestling against him, just testing an exploratory lean.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself.”
Rosvitha said, “As for why I want to help you, there’s no special reason. Isn’t it natural for a wife to help her husband?”
Leon lowered his head, the hand that had just covered her mouth hadn’t yet withdrawn.
He gathered his courage and gently caressed Rosvitha’s warm, soft cheek with the back of his hand.
Surprisingly, she didn’t resist or stop him, just letting Leon caress her.
Leon lowered his gaze and spoke in a deep voice, “You’re getting too into character, Rosvitha.”
She didn’t answer, only feeling Leon’s thick hand as she slowly closed her eyes.