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

As a human, Leon couldn’t roam freely around the Sea Dragon Clan’s palace without Claudia accompanying him. So, after waking up, he and Rosvisser stayed in their room.

Learning last night that Rosvisser’s Heartguard Dragon Scale had been implanted in him left Leon feeling conflicted. He knew well the significance of a dragon’s scale, even as a human. Despite Rosvisser’s reassurance that she had originally done it for revenge, the fact remained that she’d given him something vital to her very life. How could he ever fully accept that?
Sitting at the small table on the balcony, he absentmindedly touched his chest, feeling the steady, strong heartbeat beneath. It was Rosvisser who had given him that heartbeat.
“You’ve been silent all morning. How are you managing it?”

A cool, calm voice spoke from behind him.
Leon turned to see Rosvisser seated across the table. She had crossed one long leg over the other, her skirt sliding along her smooth thigh, hinting at the dark trim beneath. But Leon wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the morning “view” his queen was offering.
“Still brooding over the dragon scale?” Rosvisser asked, letting her leg fall back as she readied herself for a serious conversation.

Leon averted his eyes, muttering a soft “yeah.”
Rosvisser sighed, shaking her head slightly. Leaning her chin on her hand, she gazed lazily out at the undersea world visible beyond the balcony.
“I kept it from you all this time because I worried you’d overthink it.”

“Giving me something as important as your Heartguard Dragon Scale… how could I not overthink it?”
“So what are you feeling right now? Guilt? Gratitude? Or… something else?”
Leon considered this for a moment before he shook his head. “It’s complicated. I can’t really put it into words.”

Rosvisser chuckled, “Then maybe you should have a chat with your master later. Seems like the two of you have plenty in common now.”
“Why do you say that?”
She sat up, counting on her fingers. “Well, both of you are dragon slayers, both of you uncovered the Empire’s schemes, both of you married dragons… and both of you were saved by your wife’s Heartguard Dragon Scale.”

With a playful clap of her hands, she added, “Reminds me of that old song… ‘When I grow up, I’ll be just like you~’”
Leon couldn’t help but laugh at her unexpected humor.
Seeing him smile, Rosvisser dropped her playful act. *Hmph, he’d better appreciate this. Not everyone gets to see the queen acting silly just to cheer them up.*

“You’re smiling now, so no more brooding,” she said, as if worried he’d sink back into his thoughts the next second.
Leon nodded, “Alright.”
It wasn’t often that Rosvisser took on this role, but he was her only husband—if she didn’t cheer him up, who would?
Fortunately, Leon was reasonable enough not to dwell too long on things, and he knew better than to keep wallowing.

“By the way,” Leon said, “my inability to gather magic before… is that connected to the dragon scale?”
Rosvisser nodded. “After the scale was implanted, it needed a huge amount of magical energy to function properly.”
“With your constitution back then, there’s no way you should have been in a coma for two whole years, even with the blood feud’s side effects.”

“But when I implanted the dragon scale, it drained all of your magic, leaving your body in an incredibly weakened state. Combined with the blood feud’s impact, it’s what kept you unconscious for so long.”
Leon nodded thoughtfully. “And now, after all these years, I still can’t store magic on my own?”
“Unfortunately, no. For a dragon to form a Heartguard Dragon Scale takes at least two hundred years, and during that time, we have to nourish it continuously with magic. It’s only been five years for you, so… you’re about a hundred and fifty years short.”

Leon swallowed hard. “A-a hundred and fifty years… by then, I’ll be dust. What’s the point of the dragon scale then…”
“Hmph, if that’s the case, I’ll just take it back from your ashes, clean it up, and return it to myself,” Rosvisser replied with a completely serious expression.
“…You’re not talking about contact lenses here; it doesn’t just pop back in,” Leon scoffed.

“In short, for now, you’ll have to rely on the magic stored in your dragon ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) mark during battles,” Rosvisser added. “And in certain situations, the dragon scale will still perform its original function.”
“Its original… function?”
“Yes, like a safeguard. It’ll prevent any magic you release from backfiring on you.”

“Got it.”
After their brief conversation about the dragon scale, Rosvisser turned to the more pressing matter at hand.
“So, what’s your plan from here?”

Leon knew what she was getting at.
He pulled out the memory stone that Rebecca had given him the day before. It held crucial evidence of the Empire’s secret dealings with the dragons, exposing how they used the war to exploit their own people.
With this evidence, he could expose the Empire’s corruption, save countless citizens from suffering, and clear his own name of treason.

“With this evidence, we finally have what we need to topple the Empire. It’s time we took the offensive.”
He clenched the memory stone, his tone somber and determined. “If we wait any longer, more lives will be lost.”
His master’s near-death experience had reminded him of the harsh reality: “revolution demands sacrifice.” He understood the concept, but facing it personally was something else entirely.

He had to act quickly to stop further bloodshed and put an end to this nightmare.
“A formal declaration of war…” Rosvisser said thoughtfully, helping him analyze the situation. 
“The Empire managed to create Konstantin, that monstrous fusion creature, so they likely have even more extreme methods and powerful assets in reserve.”

“And let’s not forget the elite Three-Man Squad. Even though your master took one of their arms, they’re still a force to be reckoned with.”
“If you’re going to confront the Empire head-on and expose their conspiracy, you’re going to need allies,” Rosvisser advised.
Leon nodded in agreement after a brief pause. “My master has established the Lionheart Society as an internal resistance, but that alone won’t be enough. We’ll need… a show of strength.”

“I’ll go with you,” Rosvisser offered.
“No—”
“No? Do you really think I’d let you go without me?” She gave him a sideways glance, muttering with a hint of shyness, “Besides, I don’t trust anyone else with my Heartguard Dragon Scale.”

Leon blinked, then chuckled warmly. “Alright, then let’s tackle this together as husband and wife—unstoppable together.”
“That’s so cheesy. Try again,” she teased.
“Uh… ‘With a Silver Dragon on the battlefield, not a blade of grass shall grow!’”

“Ugh, too edgy. I don’t like it.”
They paused for a moment after that, sharing a glance before both burst into laughter.
“Alright, but with only me helping, it might still be a stretch. If part of the Dragon Slayer Corps remains loyal to the Empire, we’ll need to account for that,” Rosvisser noted. “So…”

“Let’s see if we can enlist Claudia’s help,” Leon suggested.
“Yes, after all, the Sea Dragon Clan has its own grudge against the Empire.”
Rosvisser added, “Do you think we’ll need another dragon lord as an ally?”

Leon thought for a moment. “If it’s a matter of seeking allies with a vendetta against the Empire…”
“I think I know just the right candidate.”