Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You

With Rosvisser flying at top speed, they would indeed reach the Sea Dragon Clan before Tiger’s healing spell wore off.
As they flew, Rebecca explained the events leading up to this moment to Leon.

“A couple of weeks ago, Martin’s father took him to a royal banquet. It was a rare chance to gather intel on the corrupt empire leadership, so Martin secretly brought a recording stone and attended.”
“At the banquet, both King Kant and Queen Elizabeth were present, and the main reason for the gathering was to celebrate Scott’s promotion.”
“Because of Konstantin’s rampage, the former commander of the Imperial Dragon-Slaying Corps, Elandi, was dismissed by King Kant, and Scott took his place.”

“Halfway through the banquet, King Kant, Queen Elizabeth, and Scott began talking quietly.”
“Martin seized the chance, slipping the recording stone into Scott’s attendant’s pocket. After they finished their conversation, Martin retrieved the stone without anyone noticing.”
Rebecca handed the recording stone to Leon as she spoke.

Leon activated it, listening intently to the risky conversation Martin had recorded.
“The Blade Project is progressing smoothly. Even without Leon, we can work with a few Dragon Kings and easily control this war as before.”
“The queen is wise.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Scott. I hear you personally formed the Blade Trio. You’ve done the empire a great service.”
“Thank you, my queen. I simply did what was needed.”
“Good. With such dedication, you’re a hundred times better than Cosmod. That fool never knew his place; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up as a wanted man.”

“….”
The conversation matched everything Leon had uncovered from Konstantin. To drain the resources of the people, the empire prolonged the war with the cooperation of some Dragon Kings, causing endless conflict and suffering.
Leon clenched the recording stone tightly.

This was it—the final, critical piece of evidence he needed to bring down that despicable Emperor Kant.
“Thank you, Rebecca. This… this is essential. It’s enough to expose the empire’s ugliness.”
“Thank Martin,” Rebecca replied with a bitter smile. “The poor kid was so shaken he could barely stand afterward. He said he wouldn’t have dared to do something this dangerous if it weren’t for you. Getting caught could’ve cost him his head.”

That boy, Martin… he’d risked everything for Leon.
Leon looked down at the recording stone, committing the loyalty and sacrifice of his comrades to memory.
“Father and I were planning to give you the recording stone at this meeting,” Rebecca continued. “But on the way, we were ambushed by the Blade Trio. Father was gravely wounded, so I hid him in a cave and lured the pursuers away, hoping to hold out until you arrived.”
Not only Martin but Rebecca had also been prepared to make sacrifices.

Why did they follow Leon with such unwavering loyalty?
The reason was simple: during their time in the Imperial Dragon-Slaying Corps, Leon had saved them countless times from the brink of death.
Without Leon, most of them would probably be long dead.

Once, they’d been Leon’s most loyal soldiers. Now, they were willing to walk through fire for him.
Leon looked at his unconscious master, Tiger, with a storm of conflicting emotions.
The old man, usually so full of life, now lay still, his heart wound barely held at bay by healing magic.

Leon struggled to suppress his guilt. Tiger had been injured because of him, and if the worst came to pass, he had no idea how he’d ever face his master’s wife.
Leon had always hated tragic separations, but now, one seemed to be unfolding right in front of him.
He held his master’s wrinkled hand tightly, praying the old man would survive this ordeal.

“Captain, why exactly are we going to the Sea Dragon Clan? Is there someone there who can save him?” Rebecca asked.
Leon hesitated. “I… I don’t know.”
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. “Wait, what? So we’re just going? And what if your identity as a human gets exposed?”

Leon’s gaze was unwavering as he looked at his master. “He said to go, so I’ll go. At this point, my identity is the least of my concerns.”
Rebecca nodded in understanding but then asked, “Do you even know anyone in the Sea Dragon Clan?”
“Actually, yes,” Leon replied with a smirk. “I know my daughter’s friend’s mother.”

“…Isn’t that stretching it? How well do you actually know her? Is she a ‘medium-rare’ or ‘well-done’ acquaintance?” Rebecca sighed, covering her face with her hands.
She cast a somber glance at Tiger, lying helplessly on the dragon’s back. “But seriously… why does he want to go there now?”
When Tiger had first mentioned the Sea Dragon Clan, Leon had felt an odd sense of inevitability rather than surprise.

Through the books *Nine Hells Gates* and *Soul’s Verdict*, both written by Claudia, Leon and Rosvisser had suspected that his master might have connections to the Sea Dragons.
Perhaps someone or something there truly could save him.
Maybe it was Claudia…

Leon couldn’t be certain. They’d only know once they reached the Sea Dragon Clan.
After several hours of non-stop flight, they finally arrived at a small island surrounded by endless ocean.
Though small, it was just big enough to land.

Rosvisser shifted into her human form and pointed toward the open sea.
“Beyond here lies the Atlantis Sea, the territory of the Sea Dragon Clan. We can’t go any further.”
“What? Why not? We’re already here; we might as well go in,” Rebecca argued.

Rosvisser lowered her hand and looked at Rebecca, explaining patiently.
“We’ve flown here without notifying the Sea Dragon King. This could be seen as a hostile act. If we proceed, they won’t hesitate to attack us.”
To save Tiger, Rosvisser had already bent some rules. She had previously told Leon that Dragon Kings weren’t free to roam into other territories without risking misunderstandings.

But time was of the essence, and they couldn’t afford to hold back now. Flying this far was the best Rosvisser could manage without triggering an outright confrontation.
“Then what do we do?” Rebecca began, but she was cut off by a violent fit of coughing from Tiger, blood seeping from his chest.
“Master!”

Leon rushed to his side, kneeling by him.
“Are… we there yet?” Tiger asked weakly.
“We’re at the edge of the Sea Dragon territory, Master.”

“Then… maybe… I’ll still get to see her…”
Leon leaned closer, urgency in his voice. “See who, Master? Tell me her name. I’ll go find her for you!”
But Tiger’s strength was waning, and he could no longer keep his eyes open.

“Master? Master! Wake up!” Leon called, his voice edged with desperation.
Rebecca quickly checked him over. “The healing spell will only last another hour, maybe less. We need to find someone who can save him now.”
Leon bit his lip, thinking furiously. He rose and walked to Rosvisser’s side.

“There’s no way we can go further, right?” he asked.
Rosvisser gave a slight nod. “I’m sorry, Leon.”
“Don’t be. Thank you, Rosvisser, for bringing us here,” Leon said, managing a grateful look.

Rosvisser glanced out over the vast ocean. “But what will you do? Without guidance, we’ll never find the Sea Dragon Sanctuary.”
What would he do?
Leon didn’t have an answer. He’d come this far, driven only by Tiger’s last request, “Go to the Sea Dragon Clan.”

But now that they were here, what could they do?
Was he supposed to just sit by the shore, watching the waves and listening to his master’s weakening breaths, waiting for the worst to happen?
No.

Absolutely not.
Leon ran to the water’s edge, filling his lungs with air before shouting at the top of his voice:
“CLAUDIA! CLAUDIA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? PLEASE, I BEG YOU, SAVE MY MASTER!”

It was an absurdly primitive way to call for help, but Leon couldn’t just stand there doing nothing.
“CLAUDIA!” he yelled again, his voice echoing across the endless sea and vanishing into the wind.
Rebecca blinked, looking at him with wide eyes. She didn’t know who this Claudia was, but…

“CLAUDIA! PLEASE HELP US SAVE HIM!” she shouted, joining in.
“CLAUDIA!”
“…”

And so, the two stood side by side at the water’s edge, taking turns shouting until their voices grew hoarse.
Finally, when Rebecca’s voice gave out entirely, they fell silent.
The sea remained calm, undisturbed, not even a ripple in sight.

A wave of despair washed over Leon as he stared out into the empty ocean.
He opened his mouth, his voice cracking as he tried one last time.
“Claudia… please… please…”

With a strangled cough, he sank to his knees on the shore, his hands trembling as he held himself up.
“Why… why does it have to be like this…”
“Captain…” Rebecca murmured.

Leon had bested death countless times, but Death needed only one victory.
In that moment of despair, a breeze swept over them, carrying a voice — a familiar, soothing one.
“Standing at someone’s doorstep and shouting like that… have you no manners?”

Startled, they looked up to see a graceful figure standing atop a nearby rock, arms crossed. Her long, sea-blue hair swayed gently in the breeze.
It was Claudia.