The master wished for his disciple to remain "dead" to the outside world, while the enemy sought childhood secrets of her captive. Since things had reached this point, there was no need to hesitate—a direct exchange would suffice.
Tiger let out a breath he seemed to have been holding, scratching the white hair at his temple. "Alright, wait here."
With that, Tiger turned, walked to the bedside, bent down, and pulled out a large wooden box from beneath the bed. He retrieved several stacks of paper and drawings, placing them all on the table.
Rossweise was slightly taken aback.
Goodness, he had actually kept so much incriminating evidence?
Leon probably never imagined that, in addition to being betrayed by his former comrades on the battlefield, he would also be "sold out" privately by his master.
Tragic.
Poor Cosmodeous was either being betrayed or on the path to betrayal.
"These are all the love letters Leon received from enrollment to graduation. I kept them all for him," Tiger stated solemnly. "Originally, these were meant for his future wife, but since his fate is now in your hands, the decision is yours."
With that, Tiger pushed a stack of love letters toward Rossweise.
Ha, so you've experienced this too?
Rossweise looked at the pile of love letters before her, recalling how Leon must have felt when he saw the stash Isha had saved. It must have brought him immense joy.
As Rossweise flipped through the letters filled with overly sentimental prose, she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.
"And this one is a rather special love letter," Tiger said, holding up a white envelope.
"Oh? How so?" Rossweise looked up.
"With other girls, he'd reject them in a second without even giving a reason. But with the girl who sent this letter, he hesitated for a full five seconds before turning her down."
The master continued, "Do you know how important five seconds is to him? His exact words were, 'Why waste five seconds rejecting someone? I could use that time to memorize another alchemical formula, do a few more push-ups and sit-ups.' So, this girl is very, very special."
"Was she very beautiful?"
"Very beautiful. Silver hair, tall, likes to wear high heels and dresses, gives off an icy impression."
Rossweise narrowed her eyes suspiciously, finding it hard not to suspect Tiger was describing her own appearance.
It wasn't until he pulled out a portrait from a stack of sketches—a rendition so comically inaccurate it could barely be called a likeness, with eyes, nose, ears, and mouth just vaguely discernible—that Rossweise couldn't hold back a laugh.
"This is a portrait Leon drew of his ideal woman when he was six. She shares distinct physical features with the girl he rejected five seconds later, ten years after that."
There was a pause, and then Tiger tilted his head slightly, looking Rossweise up and down as if realizing something for the first time. He seemed reluctant to voice it aloud.
Ah, it's like… it's right in front of me, even though it's far away…
Though he knew his disciple was bold, surely it wouldn't be to the extent he was thinking… right?
Rossweise looked at the abstract portrait, silently committing it to memory. Though inwardly amused, she kept a straight face.
"Just these aren't enough," Rossweise said. "Is there anything else? Like… what foods he hates, where he dislikes being touched, any deep-seated aversions."
Having finally met the captive's relative, it was only natural to gather some leverage. How else could she control him in the future?
Tiger thought for a moment. "He hates carrots and eggplants. He can tolerate carrots, but eggplants make him faint before he even eats them."
"Faint… before eating them? Isn't that a bit exaggerated?"
"It's a slight exaggeration, but ever since Leon enlisted, the Empire's Dragon Slayer Army removed eggplants from their instant meal packs. Do you know why?"
Ha, as expected, behind every bizarre rule lies an even more bizarre reason.
"Alright, I understand," Rossweise said.
Tiger crossed his arms, carefully recalling more dirt on his disciple.
For some reason, even though this was a transaction with a dragon, he found himself enjoying it. After all, as Leon grew older, opportunities to tease him were becoming fewer.
The cave was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere, the earlier tension and oppression unconsciously easing.
"As for places he dislikes being touched… his waist is particularly sensitive," Tiger said. "As for deep-seated aversions… I can't think of any right now, but I can tell you something similar."
"Alright."
"At 2:30 AM, if he's in a light sleep, you can ask him any question. Whatever he says at that moment is definitely what's on his mind."
After a pause, the master added, "He even sleepwalks occasionally, following commands. It's not a hundred percent reliable, though; it takes some luck. Anyway, I used this trick to make him do a lot of farm work in the past."
Wow—afraid of eggplants, sensitive waist, and even playing truth or dare in his sleep? Why did it feel like the mighty dragon slayer, capable of scorching heavens, earth, and everything in between, had all these peculiar weaknesses?
No wonder his past enemies could never defeat him.
"Alright, I've remembered all that," Rossweise said, though she still felt it wasn't quite enough.
After a moment's thought, she took a photo from her waist and waved it.
"This is a recent photo of Leon. I'll add more if you raise the price," Rossweise said.
Tiger grinned. "You came prepared."
"Returning empty-handed isn't my style."
Tiger glanced at the photo again. "Is that really a recent photo of Leon?"
"You're tempted, so give me the information I want," Rossweise countered. "If you don't, you won't see a photo of your beloved disciple."
Tiger scratched his head, looking conflicted. It wasn't that he was having trouble finding dirt on Leon.
But the dirt he had in mind was a bit… too explosive. After much contemplation, Tiger sighed.
Ah, forget it. To let that brat freeload for at least another year, Tiger (on Leon's behalf) is going all out!
"Wait here," Tiger said, turning and heading deeper into the cave.
Clatter clatter—
Moments later, strange footsteps echoed.
Following the sound, Rossweise looked over.
Black, long-eared, four-legged, with a tail.
Rossweise gasped softly.
She had been curious earlier when Shirley mentioned that when Leon's master and his family left the Empire, they sold everything and only took their donkey.
But after chatting with Tiger for so long, she hadn't seen any sign of a donkey. It turned out it was being saved for the climax.
Truly, seeing was believing.
The donkey, which had lived between the lines and occupied much of Leon's early life, was led by Tiger to stand before Rossweise.
"From childhood to adulthood, Leon tamed many poultry and dangerous creatures, but he never managed to tame our donkey. And…"
"And?"
"If you carefully touch his nose, you'll notice slight indentations. That's from the first time he tried to nail the donkey's hooves when he was a child, and the donkey kicked him."
So the hoof-nailing incident was real! Rossweise had thought Leon was just teasing her.
"Since then, he's been on a perpetual path of trying to tame the donkey and failing."
Tiger said, "Leon considers his failure to tame this donkey a stain on his otherwise glorious life, so he's never mentioned it to anyone. That's the most explosive piece of dirt I can think of."
Rossweise took a deep breath, slowly accepting and digesting the enmity between Leon and the donkey.
"Alright, I understand. That's enough. Here's the photo for you."
Rossweise placed the photo on the table but didn't immediately remove her hand. "I still need a memento from you or something else—anything that proves you're still alive."
"I've already prepared it."
Tiger opened a drawer, took out a letter, and handed it to Rossweise. "Give him this letter, and he'll know."
Rossweise took the letter. "Alright."
With the negotiation and transaction complete, Rossweise turned and walked to the cave entrance.
She glanced back, her tone cool. "This may be our first and last meeting. For Leon, I want more than just a year."
With that, she spread her dragon wings, shook off the waterfall, and flew away slowly.
Tiger breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up the photo from the table.
His eyes widened involuntarily.
Defeated in battle and captured for two years, and that rascal actually fathered twins with the Silver Dragon Queen?! What kind of prisoner-of-war story is this?
Isn't this a bit too abstract?!
At his age, he couldn't handle this kind of shock!
"You brat, I thought I was the most outrageous dragon slayer, but are you outdoing me in this too?"
"Is… Leon okay?"
A woman's voice came from behind. She had been there all along, just unseen.
Tiger turned and handed the photo to the woman. "I feel like just saying 'good' wouldn't do his current life justice."
The woman looked at the photo, her pupils trembling slightly. After a brief moment of excitement, she quickly composed herself. "Have you made up your mind, then?"
After a silence, the former dragon slayer replied slowly, "There's no reason to hesitate."
Tiger Lawrence picked up the katana from the table, his gaze firm as he looked into the distance.
"Consider it a reunion gift for our granddaughters."