Vol. 1 Ch. 59

Let’s rewind to this morning.

Leon found Anna.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Leon said, holding two drinks. He handed one to Anna. “Good morning, Anna.”

Anna took the drink but didn’t seem inclined to drink it. Instead, she smiled and replied, “Thank you, Your Highness. Is there something you need from me?”

“Oh, it’s nothing important. I just wanted to ask if there are any interesting places around the temple. Or perhaps places that Rosvitha likes to visit. I want to take a walk and clear my mind.”

Anna nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. I can have someone show you around.”

“No need for that. Just give me a list and maybe a map. I’ll find my own way.”

“Sure thing.”

A moment later, Anna marked some locations on the map. “These are places that Her Majesty the Queen likes to visit.”

“Great, thank you, Anna.”

“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

With the map in hand, Leon went to the back mountain of the temple. He had only just woken up over a month ago, and he had been confined to the nursery room by Rosvitha, so he hadn’t had a chance to explore. His activities were limited to the nursery room, the backyard, and the training ground.

This time, he finally got an opportunity when Rosvitha passed out. Leon had to seize this chance to carefully plan his revenge. He wanted Rosvitha to know that in this world, there’s more than just the dragon race with a strong sense of vengeance.

As the saying goes, even rabbits bite when they’re desperate. Moreover, Leon is a cunning rabbit who knows how to be patient and set traps.

According to the markings on the map, Leon first arrived at a cherry blossom forest. The terrain here was quite high, with cherry blossom trees growing in a scattered manner. These were old trees, thick and lush.

Leon walked around, surveying the area, until he stood under a cherry blossom tree, then turned to look down at the Silver Dragon Temple below.

From this vantage point, Leon could see the entire Silver Dragon Temple. The ancient and majestic castle, the spacious front and back courtyards, and various defensive measures around the temple were all within his sight. He could even see the route he took two years ago when he led the attack on the Silver Dragon Temple.

Now, the checkpoints along that route were reinforced compared to other areas. It seemed that the mother dragon had learned from her mistakes.

Back then, Leon had studied for a long time to find the weakest point in the defense of the Silver Dragon Temple. If there hadn’t been a sneak attack from behind, Leon might have actually captured the mother dragon.

“Well, heroes don’t dwell on past glories.”

Failure is failure, and there’s no point dwelling on it. But it could be said that fortune favors the brave. Leon is now contributing to the dragon-slaying cause in his own way. In short, he’s taking a roundabout approach.

Seriously, to be able to restrain the Silver Dragon Queen without spending a single soldier, there’s no precedent in the history of both humans and dragons.

Rosvitha’s recent assessment of Leon was indeed accurate:

Now you’re a godlike figure who has earned two secondary achievements alongside the primary one.

Leon shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He walked to the base of a tree, lifted his arms, leaned slightly forward, and rested his hands on the sturdy trunk. Then he turned his head slightly, and from this angle, he could see the entire Silver Dragon Temple perfectly. “This angle and posture are just right.”

Satisfied, Leon eagerly moved on to the next location. After winding through several twists and turns, he arrived at a cave. There were no signs of wildlife in the cave, making it suitable for two people to focus on what they love to do. However…

Leon crouched down and pinched the soil here. “It’s a bit hard, might hurt her knees. Also—”

“Hey!”

“Hey~ hey~~~”

The cave immediately echoed with crisp responses. “The echo is too loud, ruining the atmosphere. This won’t do.” With that, Leon marked an “X” on the map at the cave’s location.

The next stop was a small stream in the mountains, flowing straight down the slope. Leon lay down by the riverbank. The cool water flowed swiftly beneath his head. With an unobstructed view and no trees or forests around, lying by this riverbank at night would offer a panoramic view of the entire night sky.

“Not bad, this spot will do.” With that, he marked a checkmark on the map at the location of the stream, just like he did with the cherry blossom forest earlier.

Throughout the whole day, Leon surveyed various terrains and landscapes near the Silver Dragon Temple. In a trance, he even found himself reminiscing about the days when he was the captain of the dragon-slaying squad two years ago.

Every infiltration operation required careful analysis of attack and retreat routes, weighing various advantages and disadvantages. It was thanks to the solid foundation laid back then that Leon was able to pinpoint the “right places” today. Mother dragon, this time you’re done for!

By the time he finished his survey, it was already nighttime when he descended the mountain. The Silver Dragon Temple at the foot of the mountain was brightly lit. The temple looked much softer at night than during the day. Leon admired it briefly before quickly making his way to the temple’s backyard.

As he approached the backyard, he noticed it seemed lively. The maids were gathered together, as if… having a bonfire party! Leon walked over eagerly, but upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t quite a party. It seemed more like a memorial for someone. And at the forefront stood his two daughters.

“What abstract game of pretend are they playing…” Leon muttered to himself as he jogged over. When he reached the crowd, he saw the maids crying and laughing at the same time, which only added to his confusion.

Baffled, Leon continued towards the front, where he found his two daughters shouting something like “I made steak for you, come back and see us” or similar sentiments. Then, he quietly approached Nayra and saw her about to throw a wooden box into the bonfire.

To the daughters, one must adhere to the policy of trusting first and then trusting again. If they don’t understand, it’s okay; the first task is to participate.

So—

“Whom are you paying respects to? Let me join in too.”

“When I was young, your grandfather even taught me how to play the suona. Do you know what a suona is? It’s a mysterious instrument from the East, often played during ceremonies for others. Would you like Dad to show you a little?”

“The princesses move heaven with their filial piety, and His Royal Highness is resurrected!”

Leon turned his head, his face full of black lines. “Who’s so rude? I never died in the first place, where’s this talk of resurrection coming from?”

With that said, he looked at Noia and Muen again.

The two little ones looked astonished and stunned, as if…

As if they really saw Leon rise from the dead.

Leon leaned back slightly, feeling uneasy.

He looked sideways at the table behind the bonfire, where a photo was hastily placed.

And the person in the photo… looked quite familiar.

“Excuse me, may I ask what you two are doing…?”

My dear daughters, if you are conducting a ceremony for me, isn’t it a bit too extreme?

“Daddy!”

Muen jumped into Leon’s arms, holding a steak in her hand.

Leon naturally opened his arms and caught his youngest daughter.

“Daddy! Sob~ Muen thought Daddy didn’t want Muen anymore~”@@novelbin@@

“What nonsense are you talking? How could Daddy not want you?”

“But Muen and I looked for you several times and couldn’t find you. I thought you—”

As Leon comforted Muen, he explained, “Ah, I went for a walk in the hills today and accidentally stayed out too long, so I came back late.”

Noia’s eyes slightly welled up at his words, a lump forming in her throat. She subconsciously held the wooden box in her arms tighter, lowered her head, and remained silent. So it was… she had wrongly accused him, hadn’t she?

Seeing Noia’s reaction, Leon glanced at her and then at the maids present. There were too many people around; it wasn’t convenient to have a heart-to-heart talk with his eldest daughter. It might be better to discuss it later. He patted Muen’s head and noticed the steak in her hand.

“Muen, why are you still holding the steak?”

Muen sniffled, her shoulders shaking, tears and snot streaming down her face. “This is, this is an offering for Daddy.”

“…An offering?”

Muen nodded vigorously. “Sister said that after someone leaves, the food they liked is called an offering.”

Leon silently covered his face with his hand. “Alright…”

“So, Daddy.”

“Yes?”

“Now that you’re back, can Muen eat your offering?”