Space magic was understandable, But accidentally traveling to the future… That couldn't be done with just space magic, right?
"Wait, wait, I have a lot of questions."
Rossweise said, "The future Little Light developed reverse magic and sent you back to the present, and everything you just did was the key point to changing the future, right?"
Leon nodded.
"Then after the change, won't the 'reality' where our daughters are in the future no longer exist?"
"No, it still exists."
Leon thought for a moment and explained, "To put it simply, if Little Light wears glasses because of nearsightedness, then starting now, I supervise her study habits and let her grow up healthy without pressure, then future Little Light won't be nearsighted anymore. The reality related to 'future Little Light being nearsighted' will change accordingly."
Rossweise digested Leon's explanation, "Ah… So, whether you disappear into the space-time rift or reverse from the future, it won't create another 'worldline'?"
"Mm, Little Light explains that the worldline, or rather time, flows unidirectionally. Changing any point in the past won't create a branch; the change will affect the future."
Rossweise's eyes moved slightly, and she nodded thoughtfully, "So, the daughters who helped you come back from the future won't disappear, and everything we do now will affect them in the future."
"Exactly."
Leon said, "In other words, as long as we maintain this fake family and make everything just as beautiful as before, then our daughters in the future will also have the same happiness."
Hearing this, the queen froze for a moment, then a trace of displeasure crossed her face as she muttered, "Hmph, fake…"
"What did you say?" Leon didn't hear clearly.
"Nothing."
Rossweise picked up her cup, took a sip, and then said, "I get it now. So, if we live well now, our daughters in the future will also live well, right?"
"Mm, actually, this is a very interesting point."
Leon said, "We in the present don't need to worry too much about the future, because as long as we walk each step well now, the future will await us in the best possible way, won't it?"
Rossweise raised an eyebrow, "Oh, speaking so eloquently, looks like, this month, your dragon-slaying skills weren't the only thing that improved. Your cultural studies have progressed a lot too."
Leon was slightly surprised, "Did you just openly praise me? Looks like your mouth has gotten sweeter too."
The queen snorted, extended her hand to lightly pinch Leon's chin, then leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Well~ my mouth is so sweet, don't you want to… taste it?"
…
"Mother Dragon, are you trying to use beauty tricks on this general again?"
Heh heh…
Such small tricks, I tell you, today I will—
voluntarily fall for it!
Leon grabbed Rossweise's wrist, pulling her into his embrace and letting her sit sideways on his lap.
Oh no, it's not that Leon let her sit over, rather, she took the chance and actively sat herself down.
Rossweise wrapped her arms around Leon's neck, her nose brushing against his lightly, her soft lips occasionally grazing his skin, teasing him with proximity.
This beauty trick, some people are becoming more and more skilled at using it.
"Why haven't you kissed me yet? Hmm? My big hero," Rossweise whispered, her voice full of ambiguity and tenderness.
"It's been too long."
"What… too long?"
"Six months, too long."
Rossweise blinked, "So?"
"So I forgot how to kiss you."
"…"
Can you forget?
This primal impulse carved into your genes, can it be forgotten?
Why don't you just forget your head in the future as well?
You, you, you, you're just making excuses, don't think this queen can't see through you.
Alright, not making the first move?
Then we'll have to review the "tugging technique" as a couple.
"Oh dear, that's such a shame, I forgot how to kiss as well. It's such a difficult situation," Rossweise cooed.
Leon looked at her sitting on his lap, then glanced at how her arms were wrapped around his neck.
And that flirtatious gaze and ambiguous tone—
"Your series of smooth moves, no matter how I look at it, doesn't seem like you've forgotten, does it?"
"Sorry, hubby, this is like when I only win the key rounds," she grinned.
"What do you mean?"
"I only win the key rounds, and I only forget the key things. Ah~ look at me, I'm so silly," Rossweise said with a playful expression.
"…"
Rossweise leaned forward, pushing her chest gently against Leon's.
"What should I do, hubby?~ Hubby, say something~"
Leon's eyelids twitched slightly.
Don't squeeze, mother dragon.
Just ate, about to throw up from the spice!
The couple continued to tug and resist, neither of them wanting to give in to the impulsive urges that had built up during the past six months.
However they could have just gone straight for it, and everyone would have been happy…
But each tug and confrontation impacted their family roles, and they couldn't just make a decision recklessly.
Their black and silver eyes reflected each other's faces as they drew closer, their breaths mingling, and they could even hear their heartbeats accelerating.
Six months apart, the longing in their hearts had surpassed the level of "absence makes the heart grow fonder."
Shh-shh—
Her silver tail brushed against the floor, then slowly coiled around Leon's ankle, climbing higher and lightly wrapping around his calf.
The agile tip of her tail slipped into his pant leg, teasing his knee pit.
It was a delicate ticklish sensation, incredibly sensitive.
Leon inhaled the familiar, pleasant scent of her body, and finally decided to surrender actively.
He gently lifted Rossweise's delicate face, kissing her lips.
Their lips met and parted repeatedly, like savoring each other's taste.
After a brief teasing prelude, they deepened the kiss, engaging in a deeper exchange.
They had both lied.
The six months apart had not made them forget how to kiss each other, quite the opposite.
Because the separation had been too long, the desire for each other had only grown stronger, and during the kiss, they were even more intoxicated, unable to stop.
As the kiss deepened, Leon's hand slowly traveled down from Rossweise's face.
It brushed over her pale swan-like neck, then past her slender collarbones, lingering briefly on her soft body, adding some intensity to their long-awaited reunion.
Next, he reached toward Rossweise's abdomen.
However, as his fingers grazed her ribcage, her body suddenly jolted, and she involuntarily groaned softly.
Leon panicked and immediately stopped, asking, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"
"No…"
Rossweise furrowed her brows slightly, "It's the battle… After fighting for so long, of course, there are some injuries."
She gently touched her lower rib and forced a smile, "I think I got hit by a rock when I transformed into dragon form a few days ago… Ugh… it's still not healed."
Seeing her in pain, it didn't look like an injury that was just recent—this seemed like it had happened only yesterday.
Leon quickly helped Rossweise sit on a nearby chair, letting her catch her breath.
"Was it because the girls were around, so you held it in just now?" Leon asked as he checked her injury.
"Mm…"
He lifted Rossweise's shirt, his fingers unintentionally grazing her warm, delicate skin, smooth and tender.
But there were many injuries.
It seemed that the past six months had been very difficult for her.
Leon furrowed his brows and gently pressed on her ribcage while asking if it hurt.
Rossweise adjusted her shirt and softly said, "It's fine. With the dragon clan's self-healing ability, even without any treatment, this injury will heal in a few days."
"But it will hurt for a while, right?"
Leon finished her sentence, then lowered her shirt, "I'll go get some painkillers from Shirley later."
Rossweise didn't try to tough it out and nodded, "Okay. So… should we go back to our room?"
"Mm."
Rossweise held her ribcage and slowly stood up.
Just as she was about to turn around and walk, she noticed that Leon was still sitting in the chair.
"Didn't you finish eating?" Rossweise asked.
"It's not that…" He touched his thigh, his expression slightly darkened.
Rossweise noticed his small movement and asked with concern, "Is your leg hurt?"
Leon shook his head, "Looks like the battle just now was my limit… I've accumulated a lot of magic power, plus the Nine Hells Gate. After dealing with those Dragon Kings, I can barely even walk now."
If it were the old Leon, facing four Dragon Kings, it would have been a fierce battle;
And though the recent fight seemed to show that he easily wiped out the Dragon Kings, the short-term consumption of magic power and the side effects of the Nine Hells Gate on his body became evident after the battle ended.
The queen paused, then shook her head with a bitter smile. She walked over to Leon and helped him up, "I understand. You didn't want the girls to worry, so you've been holding it in."
Leon smiled helplessly and allowed Rossweise to help him.
The couple leaned against each other, each wrapping an arm around the other's waist, supporting each other as they left the dining room, slowly walking down the hallway.
"But if I had more magic power, I wouldn't have to struggle this much to walk," Leon said, "But those just now… should be the storage limit of the dragon patterns. If I tried to gather more, the dragon patterns wouldn't absorb the magic power anymore and it would all be taken by that unknown 'thing' inside my body."
Rossweise's thoughts stirred slightly, her lips pressed together. "I actually… have a way to help you store more magic power."
Leon turned his head to look at her, "What way?"
The queen gave a mysterious smile, "Do you want to know?"
Seeing that mischievous expression, Leon's heart fluttered with unease.
He swallowed nervously, stuttering, "It's not some weird method, right…?"
"No, no, no, don't worry, it's not~ weird~ at all~," Rossweise said, "Once my injury heals, we'll give it a try."
"Oh… wait?! No, why 'we', instead of 'I'?!"
….
One day later, we still didn't know what Rossweise meant by the method of storing more mana for Leon. She only said that she had injuries and it wasn't the right time for "intense actions."
So, they would wait until both of their wounds had healed before discussing it further.
Leon carefully pondered her words.
"Intense actions… No matter how I think about it, it doesn't sound like a good thing…"
In the front courtyard of the Silver Dragon Temple, Leon sat under a pavilion, gazing at the bright blue sky, not a cloud in sight.
He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, then closed his eyes, trying to empty his mind.
His body was still in a very fatigued and weak state. Even the simplest task of gathering mana caused intense burning in the magical circuits within his body.
And this was just a symptom of excessive mana consumption.
The side effects of the Nine Hells Gate were also tormenting him, with aching bones and muscles.
These side effects couldn't be alleviated by medicine; they could only fade away gradually, bit by bit.
Leon estimated it would take at least ten days to half a month to recover.
In truth, he rarely overexerted himself in battle like he had yesterday.
But it was clear that those Dragon Kings were determined to kill him. Had he held back even a little, he wouldn't be here now, reflecting on life in the mother dragon's courtyard.
He would have already been resurrected in a match with Old Constantine.
However, after this battle, Leon suspected the Empire would not choose to engage in confrontations with him again.