Vol 6. Chapter 135: Nothing Can Stop Tonight

"So, Captain, what do you plan to do next?"

Inside the Lionheart Order headquarters at the Imperial Capital, in a secret chamber, Leon, Rosvisser, Rebecca, and the others stood before a crystal cabinet. Inside the cabinet lay a mature, graceful woman, her long hair a blend of blue and white, her eyes gently closed, her sleeping face calm and beautiful.

"Judging by the timeline, Hera's crystal seal is about to be lifted," Leon said softly as he looked at Hera inside the crystal.

"I want to secretly bring her back to the Silver Dragon Sanctuary first, so that I can establish contact with her as soon as she wakes up."

Rebecca glanced at her captain. It was rare to see such a worried expression on Leon’s face. Usually, only when his wife or the little dragon girls were in danger or trouble would he show such a look. Rebecca didn’t know exactly what relationship Leon had with the woman inside the crystal. But judging by her intuition, Hera... must be very important to the captain too.

Since the captain had never said much about it himself, Rebecca didn’t ask.

"Alright. I’ll arrange for a team to transport the crystal out of the Empire," Rebecca said.

"No need to go to all that trouble, Rebecca. We can use a teleportation crystal to return directly to the Silver Dragon Sanctuary."

"Teleportation crystal?"

Leon nodded.

"Back when we escaped from the Golden Thunder Clan’s altar, we relied on one of the teleportation crystals. We still have two left, more than enough."

Rebecca understood. "So that’s how it is..."

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes to look at Hera inside the crystal again and whispered, "Then may your journey go smoothly."

...

...

A few days after bringing Hera back to the Silver Dragon Sanctuary, Leon confessed the truth about thirty years ago to his father- and mother-in-law. They had been traveling for hundreds of years, searching for ancient relics, using the clues they knew about Spirit Cores.

Rosvisser's reaction was expected. Vida and Cecilia, after hearing about it, went from disbelief to deep emotion.

"To think that besides us, there are still people on Samael who would risk their lives to protect the gods’ legacy," Vida sighed.

Cecilia nodded. "Yes. Knowing that, we’re no longer fighting alone."

Leon didn’t bring up more details about Hera or the Spirit Core. Strictly speaking, he should have held a post-battle debriefing with Rosvisser and the others. But Hera’s situation was simply too special. Just like when he had spoken with Rosvisser in the dilapidated farmhouse days ago, he didn’t want to face it yet— nor did he know how to properly face Hera.

Hera wasn't just some existence to be categorized. Everything would have to wait until after she woke up. If he tried to dig too deeply into it now, Leon would only be burdening himself with psychological pressure he shouldn't have to bear at this stage. Pressure that even Rosvisser couldn’t share with him.

So Leon appropriately shifted the topic.

"Now, the only thing we have left to find is the Five-Spirit Crown."

Leon looked at his father-in-law.

"Before the Grand Tournament, you mentioned that Sea Dragon King Poseidon and his [N O V E L I G H T] team have been searching for the Five-Spirit Crown. How is their progress?"

"There are only three locations left to check. It will probably take another six months to determine the crown’s location," Vida replied.

"We're close to victory, Leon."

Although Vida said so, Leon didn’t look particularly happy.

"Six months..."

According to the Safina and Kaiser descriptions, Atos was growing increasingly unstable. From the way he had massacred the Void Realm’s Homeland Faction, it was clear— he was already eager to tear into humanity and later formally declared war on Samael.

And six months’ time... while it might seem quick in the long lives of dragons, it was not fast enough to quell Atos's greed and desire.

Leon pressed his lips together and shook his head seriously.

"I'm afraid it's still too long."

He looked at Vida again.

"If Rosvisser and I join Poseidon’s team to help, could we speed things up?"

"That should be possible," Vida said. "But I think after the Spirit Core ordeal, you two ought to rest. You've been away for so long already."

"We don’t have that much time left, Senior," Leon said after thinking for a moment. Next, I plan to bring Rosvisser to join Poseidon and speed up the search for the crown."

"And after that?"

"Then we'll return to guard the Silver Dragon Sanctuary."

"Xiaoxue will continue to stay with us. She’s one of the divine relics that suppress the Void Gate, and currently, only Rosvisser can fully utilize her power. Keeping her with us is the safest choice."

"As for Noa... that child has been away from home for too long already. Although she’s more mature and sensible than others her age, she’s still just a ten-year-old girl. This time, we don’t plan to bring her along. We want her to stay home, go to school normally, and accompany her little sisters."

Leon’s decision wasn’t about favoritism toward his biological daughter, nor about ignoring Xiaoxue’s feelings.

Just as he said—only Rosvisser could wield the Sacred Spear, and leaving Xiaoxue behind would not only mean exposing her to theft but wasting a top-tier combat asset.

Besides, the Spirit Core journey had already given the girl experiences she could never get in school— experiences that fulfilled the goals she had set when insisting to follow her mother.

Of course, most importantly, her little sisters needed her more than anyone.

She was the most dependable elder sister, the role model for the young dragon girls, and staying away from home too long wasn't good for them.

Vida nodded approvingly at Leon's proposal.

"No problem. When Noa is home, the little ones are always happy. They only truly cheer up when your letters arrive. For children, growing up healthily with constant companionship is the most important thing. Even though Rosvisser and Isha both became excellent Dragon Kings, Cecilia and I still sometimes feel guilty that we didn’t fulfill our duties as parents properly,"

he said. "So... we understand those feelings well."

Cecilia added,

"You can go help, but as Vida said, spending time with the children is very important. So I hope you’ll stay home for a few more days before leaving."

In fact, it wasn’t as if they had to leave immediately. Leon and Rosvisser planned to stay home a little longer anyway.

Although the Spirit Core trip had only lasted about half a year, in truth, every separation from loved ones was heavy with longing, no matter how long or short.

"We understand, Father, Mother. Leon and I will properly spend some time with the girls."

After deciding, the family continued chatting about the Five-Spirit Crown’s details.

That night, Leon and Rosvisser, exhausted, returned to their long-missed bedroom.

"Ah~ it still feels best lying in our own bed," Leon collapsed onto the bed with a thud.

Feeling the familiar softness and the way it cradled his back, he thought he could sleep for seventy-two hours straight.

But—someone wouldn't allow him to sleep that long.

At least not right now.

Rosvisser, having changed into her nightclothes in the closet, walked slowly to the bedside, then extended her nimble tail and began to pull Leon up from the bed little by little.

The gentle tug at his body gave away exactly what was about to happen. He knew it perfectly well. But he still tried to struggle a little.

Leon raised a finger in protest.

"One day. Just let me rest for one day, darling."

"Hubby, for the past few months, Noa and Xiaoxue have been sticking to us constantly. While that did help us search for the core more efficiently, it also meant I couldn't even get close to you properly," Rosvisser said with a mock-coy voice.

Leon was speechless.

"Will you die if you stop using that tone, Rosvisser?"

The queen instantly dropped the act, her tail slapping Leon’s cheek.

"You don’t like it when I act all soft? Fine, then let’s do it the classic way."

"Do we even have a non-classic way?"

"No. Which is why our foreplay is always just a formality," Rosvisser said.

She stepped forward, kicked off her slippers, revealing her delicate bare feet, and slowly climbed onto the bed.

Her rosy knees peeked out from under her nightgown, kneeling right between Leon’s legs.

The silver tail coiled around their hands like a seductive serpent, eager to act.

"These past months, we had to sneak around like we were having an affair just to kiss." Rosvisser said, "So now, tell me, Leon, what could possibly stop us?"

"Uh... middle-aged male insecurity?"

"Shut up! Lie down!"

"Shut up, you wicked dragon!"

The queen: ?

"You dare talk back? Fine. Tonight, I’ll make sure—"

...

"—you won’t even have the strength left to talk back!"