Before long, Leon returned to the study with the three bunny girl photos of Rossweise. One was the original he had first shown her—the one she had angrily burned. The other two were the "remaining backups" he had mentioned.
He placed the three photos on the desk and pushed them toward Rossweise. True to her word, she handed over the envelope containing the letter from Leon's master.
Immediately, Rossweise's gaze fell upon the photos. She stacked them together and examined them. Just one glance, and her cheeks flushed involuntarily.
She had to admit, the guy was creative and skilled. Without actual bunny ears, he had styled her own hair into a pair.
In the photos, she lay there quietly, like a life-sized doll, posed in various cute and coquettish positions by Leon.
It was humiliating. A complete and utter humiliation!
What's more, besides the solo shots, there were several pictures of Leon with her.
In every group photo, Leon wore a triumphant smile. But the happier he looked, the harder it was for Rossweise to look at them.
They couldn't be kept.
Absolutely not.
If Isha ever saw them, there would be no peace at the Silver Dragon Temple for the next two hundred years.
Rossweise gathered dragon flame in her palm and quickly incinerated the photos into ashes.
Ah~ A huge weight lifted from Rossweise's heart. Erasing her own dark history felt incredibly satisfying!
However, Rossweise secretly kept one photo of her and Leon together. In this particular picture, they weren't very close.
Later, she could simply crop her own face out, leaving only Leon and an unidentified Bunny Girl Senpai...
Rossweise smirked to herself, feeling a sense of satisfaction at having a piece of leverage tucked away.
With this, if Leon tried any more mischief in the future, Rossweise could retaliate by hinting that he probably wouldn't want his fondness for Black Stocking Bunny Girls to become public knowledge, right?
Meanwhile, Leon had opened the envelope and retrieved the letter inside.
Rossweise sat in her chair, unable to see the contents, but judging by the single sheet, it didn't seem lengthy.
However, considering the mysterious old man's personality, he probably wouldn't write long, emotional speeches. Simply stating Tiger's condition would be enough.
Rossweise didn't rush him; she waited quietly. As she watched Leon's eyes, she noticed his pupils hadn't moved at all, fixed on one spot on the paper.
Frowning slightly, Rossweise wondered if Tiger had written something incomprehensible, or perhaps something else.
After a moment, she asked, "What did your master say? Do you mind if I see it?"
Leon pursed his lips, placed the letter on the table, and slid it toward her. She took the paper and looked down. Then, she froze too.
It was no wonder Leon's eyes had been fixed earlier.
Because on this letter… there was only one sentence. Well, calling it a "sentence" was generous; it was more like… "three words"—
"Kid, donkey's fine, don't worry."
That was it.
Rossweise had just been thinking the mysterious old man wouldn't be sentimental, so the letter wouldn't be long.
But she hadn't expected it to be not only short but extremely concise. And within this brief message, one-third was about his damn donkey.
What was this?
Some kind of secret code between master and disciple?
Rossweise blinked, set down the letter, and looked up at Leon. The couple exchanged a brief glance before she asked, "With such a unique style, I believe you can confirm this letter is genuine."
For now, she didn't delve into the meaning behind Tiger's three words. She needed to first prove to Leon that this transaction wasn't another one of her schemes.
Leon, being reasonable, nodded. "The handwriting is my master's. As for the content…"
He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. Seeing him like this, Rossweise wondered if she should comfort him—maybe say his master was just old and bad at expressing emotions.
But before she could speak, Leon said seriously, "For others, after two years apart from their disciple, they might send a long letter to reassure them. But… if it's my master, then it makes sense."
Rossweise silently covered her face.
Well, it seemed not all families were the same.
No wonder his master said, 'As long as he reads the letter, he'll know I'm safe,' Rossweise thought.
"But…" Leon trailed off, looking at her.
"But?" she prompted.
Leon lowered his gaze to the letter, focusing on the last two words. "I don't quite understand why my master would say 'don't worry.'"
He pulled a chair over and sat down, meeting Rossweise's gaze across the desk.
"Before he retired, he was a farmer, but he was also an Imperial Dragon Slayer. He said he didn't achieve much and retired naturally when he got older."
"But even so, would he really just say 'don't worry' to his disciple, whom he hasn't contacted for two years?"
Leon pondered aloud, almost as if discussing it with Rossweise, "Is he… trying to stop me from returning?"
Rossweise contemplated this. Tiger had indeed insisted that Leon should not return to the Empire within a year.
When she had asked why, he hadn't elaborated. This request wasn't a problem for Rossweise; she hadn't planned to let Leon go back anyway.
But it seemed he had wanted to hint at it subtly in the letter to Leon…
Vaguely, Rossweise guessed the enigmatic former Dragon Slayer was planning something big. But she couldn't casually share her speculation with Leon; it was just a guess.
So, regarding the "don't worry," Rossweise offered another explanation. "Your master might… think you're inadequate."
Leon was taken aback, frowning. "Inadequate? How am I inadequate?"
He straightened up, slapping the table, and meticulously listed his past glories to Rossweise.
"Before I came to you, I consistently held the top spot on the Imperial Dragon Slayer leaderboard, far ahead of second place. Even if I let him catch up for two years, he still couldn't surpass me."
"And I hold all the physical test records at the Dragon Slayer Academy."
"Whether during reserve duty or active service, I've been the champion in every test the Empire organized. I have so many medals and awards I've lost count, you know?"
Rossweise clasped her hands, chin resting on the back of them, patiently listening to Leon's classic champion bragging. Then, she leisurely replied,
"And then what? Which champion gets captured by the enemy for over two years and can't go back?"
"…"
"You're the champion of being captured and submitting assignments on time."
Now that the balance of power had shifted back, Rossweise switched to her biting mode. "Don't even mention your master. I think you're incompetent."
Leon flushed. "W-Why am I incompetent? Is it because I haven't taught you enough these past two weeks?"
Rossweise shrugged nonchalantly. "And what does that prove? Don't forget, in our last sparring match, you lost to me."
Smack!
Leon slammed the table. "Put your clothes on. We're going outside for a rematch. Right now."
Oh, someone's getting worked up.
Rossweise looked at Leon's expression with satisfaction, then leaned back comfortably in her chair, crossing her arms in a composed posture.
"I don't want to. Anyway, from where I'm sitting, my win rate against you is one hundred percent. You've never beaten me. That's enough for me."
"Rossweise!"
"Calm down, Dragon Slayer. It's your master who thinks you're inadequate."
Rossweise paused for a moment, then added, "But I will absolutely not let you go back. You are my captive."