Vol. 1 Ch. 2

Reflecting on the life of Leon Casmode, the Empire’s most formidable dragon slayer, it was indeed a brief yet illustrious journey—

Of course, there might be an amusing abstraction within the brilliance.

Leon bare-handedly vanquished a neighbour’s ferocious dog at age five, saving a young girl. This act caught the attention of a passing master dragon slayer, leading Leon to become his apprentice.

By age six, Leon’s remarkable bone structure marked him as a dragon-slaying prodigy. His master, in turn, introduced him to the challenging art of supposedly indestructible body techniques. Leon was recognised as a prodigy at ten and entered the Empire’s premier Dragon Slayer Academy.

What did Leon do between the ages of seven and nine?

He was laid up in the hospital. During the demonstration of the supposedly indestructible body technique, he got a bit carried away and ended up shattering his chest with a large stone.

They would have rerolled a new character two years after recovery if it were anyone else. Post-recovery, with his master’s careful rehabilitation, Leon’s body regained its former robustness. So, on Leon’s tenth birthday, his master sent him off to the Dragon Slayer Academy.

At that moment, Leon thought that leaving his master might not be bad. At least, the academy’s formal curriculum presumably lacked subjects like “Smashing a Stone Against Your Chest,” right?

And thus, Leon graduated from the Dragon Slayer Academy at the youngest age and with the highest praise in history. At fifteen, he took up arms and entered the dragon-slaying battlefield. His team swept through enemies, achieving numerous victories and reclaiming lost territories for the empire.

Leon’s reputation spread throughout the empire. They hailed him as a dragon-slaying hero, a once-in-a-century prodigy, the empire’s only hope to lead them to victory and end the war. However, an orphan without background or support shouldn’t have such a deep public foundation. His status shouldn’t have ascended any further.

At the peak of Leon’s fame, the imperial family exiled him to the harshest dragon-slaying battlefield. And it was here, the battlefield against the Silver Dragon clan. The battle continued for several years, with countless casualties on both sides.

In the final battle, just as Leon was about to breach the Silver Dragon Temple, he was betrayed by someone and captured by Rosvitha. He didn’t know who that person was. And he probably wouldn’t have the chance to find out.

Fortunately, in the last moments before his death, Leon inflicted a quite “painful” cost upon the Empire’s greatest enemy, the Silver Dragon Queen.

As for the audacious and somewhat underhanded enchantment involving pregnancy magic, Leon had come across it in a worn-out ancient tome.

After reading it, he thought, how can such wicked and lustful magic continue to exist in the world? Let me execute justice!

He proceeded to burn the tattered tome.

Leon thought he would never have to use this trick, but unexpectedly, Rosvitha gave him a golden opportunity. If it were any other dragon slayer captured, they probably could only utter a few tough words before meeting their bitter end. At least Leon had the chance to disgust the Silver Dragon Queen. He considered it a victory in a certain sense.

Even though he eventually died, Leon believed that with his experiences, ascending to heaven shouldn’t be a problem. But as cool as it was, Leon still felt that what dominated most of his senses was—Tired.

Too tired.

His life, though short, was too exhausting. Leon also wished for a life of retiring from the military and becoming a farmer if possible. He might leave the empire, go to some remote town, buy a piece of farmland, and then marry a girl who might not be exceptionally beautiful but also not ugly. Finally, he would have a lovely daughter. Then he could spend his days milking cows and waiting for time to wither him away gradually. After all, milking cows was much safer than slaying dragons.

Being unable to live the ideal life was also a regret for Leon.

After all, regrets always run through the beginning and end of life. Therefore, it’s called life.

Buzz——

A buzzing sound resonated in Leon’s mind, directly interrupting his thoughts.

But…

In the mind?

Wasn’t he now left only with thoughts?

Why was there still this feeling of “in the mind”?

Before Leon could react, his “vision” was suddenly restored. Fragments of memories flashed before his eyes like a carousel.

His birth, his growth, his experiences at the Dragon-slaying Academy…

It was as if he was watching a movie until the final scene, frozen within the dungeons of the Silver Dragon clan.

Sunlight streamed in through the only window, casting him bound on an iron rack, locking eyes with the Silver Dragon Queen.

It was a gaze between the defeated and the victor, yet it resembled a fallen believer seeking forgiveness from a holy maiden.

The next moment, the scene shattered, a beam of light piercing through the once-void space like a sword.

Leon slowly opened his eyes, numerous senses and perceptions gradually awakening.@@novelbin@@

Body temperature, breath, heartbeat, pulse…

“I, I didn’t die, did I…”

Leon tried moving his fingers. Although somewhat numb and feeble, he could still move somewhat. He forced himself to sit up and discovered he was in a warm and luxurious room.

The room was predominantly pink, with walls adorned with drawings of the sun, clouds, and a few simplistic sketches of angels—

Though quite abstract, featuring a little figure with a halo above its head, accompanied by extremely rough wings. However, one could still vaguely recognise it as an angel.

Wait a moment.

An angel?

Could it be that his soul had finally arrived?

If true, he could finally lay down the burdens of honour and disgrace and reunite with the brothers who had fallen on the battlefield.

Leon regained some strength and got up from the bed. Dragging his weary and heavy body, he walked to the window and looked outside.

The sky was clear for miles, filled with the pleasant sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

“I’m in heaven for sure!” he exclaimed.

It seemed that his life had finally come to a perfect end.

After all, Leon felt that his brief life was quite astonishing. Never mind, it didn’t matter.

In any case, going to heaven after death was a good thing.

“Hey, you’re awake!” came a childish voice from behind.

A tender and childish voice came from behind. Leon turned around and looked towards the source of the sound. He discovered a cute little girl whose voice matched the adorableness.

The little girl appeared to be only three or four years old, with a delightful appearance. Her cheeks had a hint of baby fat, and the features already hinted at her potential beauty.

In terms of appearance, she fits Leon’s preconceived image of a “little angel.” However, her hair colour was somewhat unusual. Predominantly black, with some silver highlights. The combination of silver and black wasn’t unpleasant, but it seemed a bit awkward on a little girl.

It’s not like you can hire child labour in heaven to be angels, but why go so far as to dress this little girl in a non-mainstream style? He thought.

Leon internally complained as he slowly walked up to the little girl, crouched down, and asked,

“Hello there, what’s your name?”

“Muen,” the little girl answered earnestly.

“What a lovely name! It means ‘moon.’ Who gave you such a beautiful name?”

“My mom did,” she replied.

Leon was momentarily stunned.

No offence intended, but did these angels also have mothers…

He thought God directly moulded her.

“I’m Leon, Leon Casmode,” he introduced himself courteously.

“Yeah, I know your name. It sounds like ‘lion,'” She responded.

“Who told you that?”

“My mom said so,” She replied.

Leon suddenly had a bad feeling. He slowly stood up, looking at Muen with a somewhat terrified expression. “May I ask who your mother is…”

“It’s Rosvitha,” She replied.

Muen approached, hugged Leon’s legs, lifted his head, and excitedly said,

“Dad, you finally woke up!”

Perhaps, his brilliant yet brief life was neither a period nor an exclamation mark. Instead, it was an ellipsis, indicating an unfinished story.