Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Courage Is The Anthem of Humanity
However, good intentions aside, Rossweise still overlooked one thing.
That is... how could Leon, as a dragon slayer, admit defeat so easily in front of a dragon?
"I'm not trying to harm you, Leon. You can keep this pill, but your human body certainly cannot bear—"
"Rossweise," Leon interrupted.
"...Hmm?"
"You once promised me—you wouldn't let me die, right?"
Rossweise's eyes widened slightly. "Leon..."
"Actually, I was still hesitating whether to take this pill. After hearing your words, I've decided not to hesitate anymore."
BOOM—
Another bolt of thunder rumbled outside.
Leon lowered his head, his black bangs covering his eyes, making it impossible for Rossweise to see his expression.
He stared intently at the pill in his hand and said in a low voice,
"What's so special about a dragon's power? I've already defeated countless dragon kings. How could a mere pill be too much for me to handle? Rossweise... don't underestimate me."
"Courage... is the anthem of humanity."
He really started to care more and more about Rossweise's opinion of him.
"Leon, you—"
CRUNCH—
He placed the pill into his mouth and, without hesitation, bit and swallowed it.
The pill slid down his esophagus and into his stomach.
Two seconds of silence, and then Leon immediately felt a burning sensation in his stomach.
THUD—
He clutched his stomach and knelt on one knee. The burning sensation instantly spread throughout his body.
A surge of immense power rampaged inside him, as if it was trying to shatter all his blood vessels and bones.
He gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and didn't make a sound.
Rossweise hurriedly ran to his side, crouched down, and placed her hand on his shoulder. Immediately, a gentle magical energy flowed from her palm into Leon's body, trying to help him neutralize the overwhelming effect of the pill.
It was the first time the Silver Dragon Queen used healing magic, and it was to help her arch-nemesis.
Rossweise furrowed her brows, trying to make her voice sound less shaky.
"Leon? Leon?"
She gently shook Leon's shoulder, but the man closed his eyes, his expression extremely pained.
Ever since Leon woke up, he had shown a tendency toward self-destruction. If not for his daughters accompanying him, he might have already found ways to end his life.
Seeing that her healing magic wasn't working, Rossweise hurriedly stood up, planning to find a dragon physician to treat Leon.
She grumbled inwardly that Leon was crazy, but unlike him, she didn't have the courage to gamble her life like this.
However, before she could leave Leon's side, he grabbed her wrist.
Rossweise turned around. Leon was still kneeling there, one hand clutching her wrist, the other holding his stomach.
"Watch closely, Silver Dragon Queen. This is human courage... and determination."
CRACK—
The hand clutching his stomach suddenly emitted a faint blue electric glow, and Leon's body began to tremble slightly.
Rossweise's pupils contracted. "You're using lightning magic on yourself? You really are a madman, Leon."
Though she said so, Rossweise crouched back down beside him, supported his shoulder, and tried to provide a stable support while infusing her magic to help neutralize the rampaging power within him.
Unknowingly, she hugged Leon, sharing in his pain and tremors.
Moments later, Leon stopped trembling, and the electric glow from his lightning magic faded.
He took a brief rest and then tried clenching his fist.
'It is a familiar... strength.'
Seeing this, Rossweise let out a sigh of relief.
But she didn't congratulate Leon or celebrate for him.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she suddenly realized their current posture was overly intimate. Flustered, she quickly got up and stepped back a few paces.
Seeing Leon was fine, Rossweise was about to turn and leave.
But just as she turned, she immediately felt her tail being grabbed.
She turned back with a darkened face, gritting her teeth, and said, "Let go, you jerk."
Leon, however, had a dazed smile on his face, his gaze unfocused, his cheeks slightly flushed, as if drunk.
Or perhaps... trapped in some sort of illusion magic.
In Leon's eyes at that moment, Rossweise was no longer the proud and aloof Silver Dragon Queen.
She was sitting beside him with a sweet and adorable smile, speaking in a gentle and tender tone, looking just like the wife he had lived with for years.
And what he said next was even more explosive:
"Where are you going? Wifey?"
Rossweise: (・_・;)
Rossweise's mouth twitched slightly.
"W-who's your wife? Let go of me now."
As she spoke, Rossweise tried to pull her tail out of Leon's grasp.
But Leon hugged her tail entirely in his arms.
Rossweise's waist softened, but she reached out, grabbed the root of her tail, and tried to yank it back.
Yet Leon, in his bizarre frenzy, not only held her tail but also started rubbing his face against it.
"That's enough, you jerk. Give me back my tail."
Accustomed to Leon's usual stubborn and confrontational attitude, Rossweise found this behavior...
Strange.
'What is this supposed to be called?'
'Drunken antics?'
'Whining?'
'Ah, whatever!'
'Just give me back my tail already!'
Rossweise tugged at her tail while planting her foot on Leon's chest for leverage, engaging in a tug-of-war match.
"Wife!"
This word "wife" was enunciated with perfect clarity, as if he were a soldier reporting for duty.
A faint blush spread across Rossweise's face, but she still refused to acknowledge Leon, continuing to pull her tail.
"Wife! Why are you ignoring me?"
"...I'll acknowledge you, acknowledge you my foot."
With the dragon-power pill taking effect, Leon's physical recovery was swift.
Rossweise couldn't retrieve her tail through strength alone.
"Wife~ You've been at your mother's for two years. I've missed you so much~"
Exhausted from pulling, Rossweise stood by the bed with her hands on her hips. "Trust me, dragon slayer, if your future wife ever stays at her mother's for two years, it'll only be because you're her ex-husband."
"Wife, please don't be mad at me anymore~ I promise I won't dirty your dress again."
Rossweise scratched her nose.
She realized that although Leon was acting absurd, his speaking style seemed oddly familiar...
After pondering for a moment, Rossweise suddenly understood.
"Luna."
When serious, he resembled Noah;
When acting up, he was like Luna.
'Truly daughter's father' —Rossweise couldn't help but sigh at this in her heart.
'But what is causing his erratic behavior?'
Rossweise touched her chin, frowning in thought.
The dragon-power pill should only have the effect of enhancing physical fitness. Consuming it shouldn't lead to such... delirium or hallucinations.
Leon sat on the bed, hugging Rossweise's tail like a treasure, rocking it back and forth.
Rossweise looked at him, placed her hand on her chest, and tried sensing her dragon mark.
No response.
"Looks like he's just purely acting up."
Such symptoms were unprecedented for Rossweise, and she didn't know how long they would last.
But since the dragon mark didn't respond, and her daughters were likely asleep, she wasn't in a hurry to leave.
Rossweise exhaled softly and sat down beside Leon.
She let him hold her tail for now, deciding not to snatch it back temporarily.
But Leon was still restless.
"Wife~"
"..." Rossweise ignored him.
"Wife, wife~"
"Go away."
"Wife, wife, wife, wife, wife—"
"Alright, alright, I'm here. What is it? Speak."
Rossweise couldn't resist the antics of this delirious idiot.
Yet, despite her complaints, the blush on Rossweise's face deepened.
She herself didn't realize that being addressed as "wife" by Leon gave her a tiny bit of... joy?
"I want a third child, wife." Leon's expression turned serious.
"...You haven't even taken care of the two from the first birth properly, and you want a third one? Dream on."
"I want a third child! I want a third child! Let's have one tomorrow!"
Rossweise facepalmed.
'No way.'
'This "delirious adult male Luna version" is too much to handle.'
'Could it be that deep inside this great dragon slayer, such an abstract side truly exist?'
"Say something, wife. Let's have a third child, alright?"
"Fine, fine. Let's have a third child, a fourth, and even a fifth."
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