Chapter 100: Chapter 100: Embarassing Past of Leon
Even, perhaps for a lifetime.
But even so, she would never do a losing deal.
"Not letting Leon return to the Empire within a year, no problem. But I have one condition."
"Name your price."
Tiger wasn't surprised by this.
The Silver Dragon Queen's lips curled into her signature mischievous smile. "Tell me more about Leon, especially about his childhood."
"Leon's childhood…?"
A trace of confusion and astonishment appeared on Tiger's always meticulous face.
He had anticipated that Rossweise might put forward some conditions or requests, but this so-called price... What was it for?
What kind of life was that brat leading over there?
Rossweise said nothing further, patiently awaiting the upcoming feast.
Tiger released the hilt of his sword and said, "Your request is a bit peculiar."
Rossweise smiled. "Is yours not peculiar too?"
Indeed, the things they were trading were already unusual.
The master hoped his disciple would die a bit more out there;
And the enemy wanted to learn about the prisoner's childhood.
But at this point, there was no need to think about why—just a direct exchange of goods and information.
Tiger exhaled, scratching the white strands at his temple. "Fine, wait a moment."
After speaking, Tiger turned around, walked to the bed, bent down, pulled out a large wooden box from under it, and took out some papers and drawings, which he then placed on the table in one go.
Rossweise was slightly surprised.
'Oh wow, he actually kept so much embarrassing material?'
Leon probably would never have imagined that not only was he backstabbed by former comrades on the battlefield, but he could also be "backstabbed" by his master in private.
Pitiful Casmodeous: always being backstabbed or on the way to being backstabbed.
"These are all the love letters Leon received from enrollment to graduation. I've kept them for him."
Tiger said with a straight face, "Originally, they were meant for his future wife to see. But since his life is now in your hands, it's up to you."
With that, Tiger pushed a pile of love letters in front of Rossweise.
'Oh, so he had this ordeal too?'
Looking at the pile of love letters before her, Rossweise thought to herself: 'So this is how Leon felt when he saw Isa take out my stash of embarrassing love letters—it's pure joy.'
Rossweise flipped through the letters, laughing as she read the cringeworthy content.
"And this one is a particularly special love letter," Tiger said, holding a white envelope.
"Oh? How so?" Rossweise raised her head.
"Other girls, he rejected in a second, not even bothering to give a reason. But for the girl who sent this letter, he hesitated for five seconds before refusing."
Tiger explained, "You know how important five seconds are to him? His exact words were, 'Why waste five seconds rejecting someone? I could use those five seconds to memorize an alchemy formula or do more push-ups and pull-ups.' So, this girl is very special."
"Was she particularly beautiful?"
"Very beautiful. Silver hair, tall, fond of high heels and dresses. The impression she gave was cold and icy."
Rossweise squinted suspiciously. It was hard not to think Tiger was describing her appearance.
Until he pulled out a portrait from the pile of drawings—a portrait that was hard not to laugh at. Well, let's call it a portrait, considering one could barely distinguish the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
"This was Leon's dream girl when he was six years old, sharing obvious physical characteristics with the girl he hesitated for five seconds to reject ten years later."
After a pause, Tiger suddenly leaned back slightly, looking Rossweise up and down as if he had realized something.
But he hesitated to say it out loud.
'Ah, this... seems like it's both far away and right in front of us.'
Even knowing how bold his disciple could be, it shouldn't go as far as what he was imagining, right?
Rossweise looked at the abstract portrait and silently committed it to memory.
Though she was laughing inwardly, her face remained composed.
"This alone is not enough," Rossweise said. "Anything else? For example... foods he hates, places he hates being touched, or behaviors he inherently despises?"
It was rare to meet a captive's relative, so of course, she had to gather as much blackmail material as possible.
How else would she keep him in line later?
Tiger thought for a moment and replied, "Hated foods... carrots and eggplants. He can barely eat carrots, but eggplants make him faint before eating them."
"Faint? That's exaggerated."
"It is a bit, but ever since Leon joined the military, eggplants have been removed from the Empire's dragon-slaying army's ration packs. Do you think that's a coincidence?"
Ha, every strange rule has an even stranger origin.
"Alright, got it," Rossweise said.
Tiger crossed his arms and thought carefully about his disciple's embarrassing moments.
For some reason, though it was a trade with a dragon, he seemed to be enjoying it.
After all, as Leon grew older, opportunities to tease him were becoming scarce.
The cave was instantly filled with cheerful air, and the oppressive tension unknowingly lightened.
"Places he hates being touched… his waist. He's extremely sensitive there," Tiger added. "As for behaviors inherently despised… I can't think of any right now, but I can tell you something similar."
"Alright."
"At 2:30 in the morning, if he's in light sleep, you can ask him anything, and whatever he says will be the truth," the master said, pausing before adding, "Sometimes he even sleepwalks and follows your orders. But it's not 100% successful—it requires some luck. Anyway, I used this trick to make him do a lot of farm work."
Hiss—
'Afraid of eggplants, ticklish waist, and playing truth or dare in his sleep?'
'No wonder his enemies in the past couldn't beat him.'
"Alright, I've noted all this," Rossweise said.
But she still felt it wasn't enough.
After some thought, she took out a photo from her waist and waved it.
"This is a recent photo of Leon. I'll pay extra for more details."
Tiger's mouth twitched. "You came well-prepared."
"Leaving empty-handed isn't my style."
Tiger glanced at the photo again. "Is that really a recent picture of Leon?"
"You're tempted. Spill the information I want," Rossweise said. "If not, I won't let you see your beloved disciple's photo."
Tiger scratched his head, looking troubled.
Not that he didn't have more dirt on Leon—just that what he thought of was... a bit too explosive.
After some hesitation, Tiger sighed.
'Ah, forget it. For the sake of letting that brat freeload over there for another year, Tiger (on Leon's behalf) would go all out.'
"Wait a moment," he said, then turned and walked deeper into the cave.
Tap-tap—
Soon, strange footsteps echoed.
Rossweise followed the sound.
Black, long ears, four legs, a tail.
Rossweise gasped.
She had been curious earlier when Sherry mentioned that Tiger's family sold everything when they left the Empire, except for their donkey. But even after chatting with Tiger for so long, she hadn't seen the donkey.
Turns out, it was saved for the finale.
So, this is the legendary donkey that had occupied most of Leon's early life.
"The only animal Leon never tamed was my donkey. And—"
"And?"
"If you touch his nose bridge carefully, you'll find a slight dent. That's from when he was kicked while nailing horseshoes onto it as a child."
So the horseshoe story was real.
Rossweise had thought Leon made it up to tease her.
"From then on, he embarked on a journey of taming the donkey but always failing."
Tiger said, "Leon sees this as a stain on his otherwise illustrious life, so he's never mentioned it to anyone. This is the most explosive dirt I can think of."
Rossweise took a deep breath, digesting the drama between Leon and the donkey.
"Alright, I've got it. That's enough. Here's the photo."
She placed the photo on the table but didn't remove her hand immediately. "I also need some token or proof of your life—anything that shows you're alive."
"I've already prepared it."
Tiger opened a drawer, took out a letter, and handed it to her. "Give this to him; he'll understand."
Rossweise accepted the letter. "Alright."
With negotiations and the exchange complete, she turned and walked to the cave's entrance.
Half-turning her head, she said coldly, "This may be our first and last meeting. As for Leon, I want more than just a year."
With that, she spread her dragon wings, broke through the waterfall, and slowly flew away.
Tiger let out a slight breath and then picked up the photo on the table.
His eyes widened.
'Defeated and captured for two years, the brat had twins with the Silver Dragon Queen?'
What kind of POW scenario was this?
Wasn't this too abstract?
"I thought I'd be the most outrageous dragon slayer, but you've surpassed me even in this regard?"
"Is Leon.. Okay?", A woman's voice came from behind Rossweise.
It felt as if she was always there but Rossweise couldn't sense her.
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