Let us go back to this morning.
Leon found Anna.
"Good morning, Anna," Leon said, holding two drinks. He handed one to Anna.
"Good morning, Your Highness."
Anna took the drink but did not seem to want to drink it. Instead, she smiled and replied, "Thank you, Your Highness. Is there something you need from me?"
"Oh, it is nothing important. I just wanted to ask if there are any interesting places around the temple. Or maybe places that Rossweise likes to go. I want to take a walk and clear my head."
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 will find my own way."
"Sure thing."
A little later, Anna marked some places on the map. "These are places that Her Majesty the Queen likes to visit."
"Great, thank you, Anna."
"You are welcome, Your Highness."
With the map in hand, Leon went to the mountain behind the temple. He had only been awake for a little over a month. Before, Rossweise had kept him in the nursery room, so he had no chance to look around. His world was just the nursery, the backyard, and the training ground.
This time, Rossweise had passed out, giving him a chance. Leon had to use this opportunity to carefully plan his revenge. He wanted Rossweise to know that in this world, it is not just dragons who remember things.
As the saying goes, even a rabbit will bite when cornered. And Leon is a clever rabbit who knows how to wait and set a trap.
Following the marks on the map, Leon first came to a cherry blossom forest. The land here was quite high, with cherry blossom trees growing here and there. They were old trees, thick and full.
Leon walked around, looking at the area. He stopped under a cherry blossom tree and turned to look down at the Silver Dragon Temple below.
From here, Leon could see the whole Silver Dragon Temple. The old, grand castle, the big front and back yards, and the different defenses around the temple were all clear to him. He could even see the path he took two years ago when he attacked the Silver Dragon Temple.
Now, the guard posts along that path were stronger than in other places. It seemed the mother dragon had learned her lesson.
Back then, Leon had studied for a long time to find the weakest spot in the Silver Dragon Temple's defenses. If not for the attack from behind, Leon might have actually caught the mother dragon.
"Well, no use dwelling on past victories."
Failure is failure, and there is no point thinking about it too much. But you could say bad luck sometimes turns good. Leon is now helping the dragon slaying cause in his own way. In short, he is taking the long way around.
Seriously, being able to keep the Silver Dragon Queen in check without using a single soldier— that has never happened before in human or dragon history.
What Rossweise said about Leon recently was right:
Now you are a godlike figure who has earned two side achievements along with the main one.
Leon shook his head to clear his thoughts. He walked to the bottom of a tree, lifted his arms, leaned forward a little, and put his hands on the strong tree trunk. Then he turned his head slightly. From this angle, he could see the whole Silver Dragon Temple perfectly. "This angle and pose are just right."
Satisfied, Leon happily went to the next place. After going through many twists and turns, he came to a cave. There were no signs of animals in the cave, making it good for two people to focus on what they love to do. But…
Leon crouched down and pinched the dirt here. "It is a bit hard, might hurt her knees. Also—"
"Hey!"
"Hey~ hey~~~"
The cave immediately echoed with clear sounds. "The echo is too loud, it ruins the mood. This will not do." With that, Leon put an "X" on the map over the cave.
The next stop was a small stream in the mountains, flowing straight down the slope. Leon lay down next to the stream. The cool water ran quickly under his head. With a clear view and no trees around, lying here at night would let you see the whole night sky.
"Not bad, this spot will do." With that, he put a checkmark on the map for the stream, just like he did for the cherry blossom forest.
For the whole day, Leon looked at different kinds of land and scenery near the Silver Dragon Temple. In a daze, he even found himself remembering the days when he was the captain of the dragon slaying squad two years ago.
Every time they sneaked in, they had to carefully plan the way in and the way out, thinking about all the good and bad points. It was because of the strong foundation from back then that Leon could find the "right places" today. Mother dragon, this time you are finished!
By the time he finished looking around, it was already night when he came down the mountain. The Silver Dragon Temple at the bottom of the mountain was full of lights. The temple looked much softer at night than during the day. Leon looked at it for a moment, then quickly walked to the temple's backyard.
As he got closer to the backyard, he saw it looked lively. The maids were all together, as if… they were having a bonfire party! Leon walked over eagerly, but when he looked closer, he saw it was not really a party. It looked more like they were remembering someone who had passed. And at the front were his two daughters.
"What abstract pretend game are they playing…" Leon muttered to himself as he jogged over. When he got to the crowd, he saw the maids were both crying and laughing, which confused him even more.
Puzzled, Leon kept walking to the front. He found his two daughters saying things like, "I made steak for you, come back and see us," or something similar. Then, he quietly went up to Noah and saw she was about to throw a wooden box into the bonfire.
With daughters, you have to trust them first and then trust them again. If they do not understand, it is okay; the first job is to join in.
So—
"Who are you saying goodbye to? Let me join in too."
"When I was little, your grandfather taught me how to play the suona. Do you know what a suona is? It is a mysterious instrument from the East, often played at ceremonies for people. Would you like Dad to play a little for you?"
"The princesses' love has moved the heavens! His Royal Highness is back from the dead!"
Leon turned his head, his face full of black lines. "Who is so rude? I never died, where did this 'back from the dead' come from?"
After saying that, he looked at Noah and Muwen again.
The two little ones looked shocked and stunned, as if…
As if they really saw Leon come back to life.
Leon leaned back a little, feeling uncomfortable.
He looked to the side at the table behind the bonfire. A photo was placed there in a hurry.
And the person in the photo… looked quite handsome.
"Ah it is me! WHAT!!!"
"Excuse me, may I ask what you two are doing…?"
My dear daughters, if you are holding a ceremony for me, is it not a little too much?
"Daddy!"
Muwen jumped into Leon's arms, holding a steak in her hand.
Leon naturally opened his arms and caught his youngest daughter.
"Daddy! Sob~ Muwen thought Daddy did not want Muwen anymore~"
"What nonsense are you talking? How could Daddy not want you?"
"But Muwen and I looked for you many times and could not find you. I thought you—"
As Leon comforted Muwen, he explained, "Ah, I went for a walk in the hills today and lost track of time, so I came back late."
When she heard this, Noah's eyes got a little wet. She felt a lump in her throat. Without thinking, she held the wooden box in her arms tighter, lowered her head, and said nothing. So it was… she had blamed him for nothing, had she not?
Seeing how Noah was, Leon looked at her and then at the maids who were there. There were too many people around; it was not a good time to have a deep talk with his eldest daughter. Maybe it would be better to talk about it later. He patted Muwen's head and noticed the steak in her hand.
"Muwen, why are you still holding the steak?"
Muwen sniffled, her shoulders shaking, tears and snot running down her face. "This is, this is an offering for Daddy."
"…An offering?"
Muwen nodded hard. "Sister said that after someone leaves, the food they liked is called an offering."
Leon silently put his hand over his face. "Alright…"
"So, Daddy."
"Yes?"
"Now that you are back, can Muwen eat your offering?"