Vol. 2 Ch. 19

"More than one Dragon King is collaborating with the Empire…"

Leon stroked his chin, frowning in thought.

To be honest, this information should have been explosive.

However, after the incident with Victor, when they rooted out the internal corruption, Leon had already come to terms with the Empire’s darkness and the rot in its power structure.

So, hearing this kind of news about the Empire didn’t really surprise him anymore.

"Are there any specific leads?" Leon asked.

Rosvisser shook her head. "Maureen was just a pawn manipulated by Constantine. She wasn’t even a significant part of the scheme, more of a marginal figure. Constantine only briefly mentioned that there might be other Dragon Kings involved."

"What were his exact words?"

"‘Let those old fools handle these trivial matters; why do I have to deal with it?’ That’s what Maureen overheard when she was delivering intel to Constantine. She caught part of his conversation with another member of the Flame Dragon Clan as she was leaving."

Leon’s eyes lit up. "So, if we can find this Flame Dragon that Constantine was speaking with, we might uncover the identities of the other Dragon Kings collaborating with the Empire?"

"That’s the theory," Rosvisser said. "But Maureen’s memory didn’t contain any clear details about the other person present. Their appearance was blurred, and she didn’t even hear their voice. She was in a rush to get back to the Silver Dragon Sanctuary and didn’t stay long enough to gather more information."

The spark of hope that had briefly ignited was quickly extinguished.

The light of expectation in Leon’s eyes dimmed.

Leaning against the table in the dungeon, he thought for a moment before sighing softly. "Well, at least we know there’s someone who might have more information about this conspiracy. That’s something, not a total loss."

Rosvisser gave a tired smile, the aftereffects of the memory-probing magic still lingering. She half-closed her eyes, her hand discreetly resting on the edge of the table for support as she nodded in agreement. "Yes, that’s true."

"So, if we go to the Flame Dragon Clan’s territory, we might be able to find this person?"

Rosvisser considered it for a moment, then shook her head.

"That’s unlikely in the short term. When a Dragon King falls, their tribe becomes incredibly unstable and unpredictable. Power disperses, leading to utter chaos. And the Flame Dragon Clan is an ancient tribe, nearly ten thousand years old, with a much more complex internal power structure than most dragon clans."

"Add to that the fact that Constantine spent the last year waging wars and making enemies everywhere, and now that you’ve killed him, it’s likely that there are plenty of people lining up to seek revenge on his home turf. If you go there now looking for someone, you might run into some trouble."

A king always thinks like a king.

Rosvisser, from her perspective as a Dragon Queen, was helping Leon analyze the current situation. And she was absolutely right.

Seeing the confused yet clear expression on Leon’s face, Rosvisser could tell he hadn’t considered any of this.

But she didn’t blame him.

What warrior immersed in battle would care about the political games of the powerful?

"You’re right," Leon said.

When it came to serious matters, Leon never argued with Rosvisser.

Though she might be a bit manipulative, her professional abilities were beyond reproach. Being a Dragon Queen was just a job to her, and she happened to be an excellent workaholic.

"But if the Flame Dragon Clan is going to be in turmoil soon, could the person we’re looking for use the chaos to escape… or get killed during the power struggle?" Leon asked.

"Escaping is possible," Rosvisser acknowledged. "But if this individual held a position of such trust with Constantine, fleeing would certainly draw attention. It wouldn’t be hard for us to track them down."

"As for getting killed in the power transfer… that’s also possible. But even if the person who knows the secret dies, the secret itself still exists. It’s just waiting for us to uncover it."

See, now that’s professionalism.

Rosvisser had laid out all the possibilities, delivering a full "service" experience that left her dear husband with a clear understanding of the situation.

Leon slowly mulled over her words, appreciating her sharp reasoning. Her mindset as a Dragon Queen was something he should learn from.

He couldn’t help but wonder—if he had taken Rosvisser with him when they went back to the Empire to root out the traitor, would they have breezed through the entire operation instead of fumbling around for clues?

If that had been the case, he, his master, and Rebecca’s “ragtag crew” would have had to change their name.

To "Old, Weak, Sick, and Pregnant."

But that was just idle fantasy. Leon knew it wasn’t realistic.

If Rosvisser had gone to the Empire, the risk would have been far beyond a simple "concern."

"Alright, we’ll wait a while before trying to dig more information out of this guy," Leon said.

"Mm."

The couple cast a final glance at Maureen.

The memory-probing magic had damaged her brain, leaving her dazed and muddled.

But they had gotten the information they needed. This seemingly harmless, but in reality dark-hearted traitor was of no further use to them.

Neither of them expressed any emotion toward her—not even disdain.

A betrayer who had abandoned her people and her convictions didn’t deserve any reaction. Emotions spent on her would be wasted.

The two left the cell.

But they hadn’t walked far when Rosvisser suddenly felt dizzy. Her legs wobbled, and she started to fall backward.

Fortunately, Leon reacted quickly, gently catching her by the waist.

His large, cool hand supported her, and her first thought was, *Maybe I should fall a little more and see if he can catch me again.*

In the past, the Silver Dragon Queen would have jumped up in a fluster, insisting she was fine.

But now, her thoughts were much more playful and relaxed.

*Uh-oh…*

*Is this what it feels like to be a real couple?*

"Are you alright?" Leon’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She straightened up and shook her head. "I’m fine. Just the side effects of the memory-probing spell. I’ll be better in a little while."

"Alright… thanks for your hard work."

It was the second time in ten minutes that he had thanked her.

Rosvisser smiled knowingly and muttered softly, "At least you have a conscience, you idiot."

The direct hit from that gentle "idiot" made Leon shiver slightly.

He quickly withdrew his hand from her waist and awkwardly looked away. "I’ve always had a conscience."

Rosvisser crossed her arms, watching him with a mischievous glint in her eye.

She glanced around at the dungeon, and her playful mood surged. "But a conscience alone doesn’t help a queen relax, you know. Watching all those memories in a short time was exhausting."@@novelbin@@

Leon spread his hands. "So, what do you want to do?"

Rosvisser smirked. "Follow me. I’ll take you somewhere."

Leon became wary. "Where… exactly?"

"Where the dream begins."