Martin had arranged two royal cargo wagons for them. Despite the city being under lockdown, no one dared to question a royal wagon. At most, the guards would exchange a few words with the driver and then let them pass. After all, no one could imagine that the Empire's most wanted criminal from twenty years ago would sneak into a royal cargo wagon just after stealing the Heartscales.
Inside the cargo hold, Leon and Noa sat side by side, cramped into a corner, swaying lightly with the wagon's rapid movement.
Noa curled up her long legs, leaning against Leon as she grumbled, "Sometimes I wish my father were a top-level sorcerer who could shrink down at will. Then, at least, we wouldn't be so cramped."
"Whether a top sorcerer can shrink at will, I don’t know. But if he can, he’s probably quite rude," Leon played along with her wordplay.
Noa smirked, giving him a playful side-eye. "Aurora says your flirting skills are terrible, but I think you're pretty smooth. So, who opened up first between you and Mom?"
"Your mother, of course. Do you think it was me?"
"Hmm... It must have been when you first returned to the Empire, right? Mom hugged you and said a whole lot."
Leon froze, surprised. "She told you about that?"
"Yeah."
Noa continued, "Mom's not the best at expressing her emotions, and she’s definitely not the proactive type in relationships. I can't even imagine how much courage it must have taken for her to say all that to you. She probably thought she would never see you again, so she said it."
Leon pressed his dry lips together, falling into silence.
As he thought back to how his relationship with Rosvisser developed, it did seem like the turning point was that first parting. Rosvisser had embraced him and said so many things that day. And after returning from the Empire, it was the first time she’d mentioned the idea of confessing her feelings.
But Leon had never responded directly.
Noa’s words made Leon realize something: Rosvisser wasn’t great with emotions, or with expressing love, but every time, she had been the one to take the initiative. Leon still remembered the night Rosvisser had wanted him to say, "I like you." On the surface, it seemed like she was trying to get him to take the lead. But in reality, her desire to hear those words came from her own feelings—because she was already in love, and she wanted him to respond.
That dragoness... she was so stubborn and proud.
And, of course, so was he.
"Hey," Noa nudged Leon's arm.
"Ah... yeah?"
"When we get back, promise me you won’t leave Mom again. Okay?"
"When we get back..." Leon paused, then quickly understood what Noa meant by "back."
It wasn’t about returning to their hidden underground space—it was about going back in time.
If fate had generously given Leon a chance to save everything after his near-death experience, then "everything" would never include Rosvisser.
For Leon, she was one of a kind, someone who didn’t belong in any category of "everything else."
In his heart, there was a world that belonged solely to Rosvisser, a world she filled entirely.
Leon didn’t want to lump her in with whatever grand “save the future” mission he was on—she was his present, the one and only present.
As for the future, it belonged to neither of them individually—it belonged to both of them together.
"I get it, Noa. When we get back, I won’t leave Mom again."
Noa smiled lightly. "And what about us sisters? Are you just going to ditch us?"
"Of course not."
"Don’t be so sure."
Noa lowered her gaze, fiddling with her nails as if she didn’t care. "What if one day you and your lovely wife decide to sneak off for a honeymoon and leave your still-young daughters at home?"
"Then you should be happy."
"Why?"
"Because when we return from the honeymoon, you might have a new little sister."
"... Is your and the Silver Dragon Queen's ultimate life goal just to keep having kids?"
"Expanding the Melkwe family line is a noble duty, after all!"
...
As dawn approached, the two royal wagons arrived at the city gates.
The number of guards had doubled, and all civilian traffic was halted. Every caravan was subject to inspections.
"Captain, those seem to be royal wagons, right?" a newly recruited guard quickly spotted the slowly approaching wagons.
The security captain glanced over and nodded. "Yeah, you don’t see those too often, especially during a lockdown. It's odd that the royals would send out wagons now..."
The rookie hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll go check it out."
Just as he was about to move, the captain grabbed his arm.
"What is it, Captain?"
The captain's face was stern. "Kid, don’t be a fool. Sure, we’re in lockdown, but those are official royal wagons. Don’t go snooping around like you did last time, inspecting every wagon you come across."
The captain recalled how, just a few days ago, this rookie had been far too eager, examining every wagon meticulously as if he were getting paid for two hundred gold coins instead of twenty.
With the city in lockdown and this special case presenting itself, it was a perfect opportunity to teach the rookie a lesson.
After his stern words, the captain let go of the rookie’s shoulder. "Now go. You know what to do."
The rookie hesitated for a couple of seconds before stiffly nodding.
He turned and approached the wagons.
"Hey! Get a move on, or do you want to be responsible for delaying the royal cargo?" the driver snapped impatiently.
Forcing a smile, the rookie responded, "It's just that these are unusual times, old man. I’ll just take a quick look. It won’t take long. Please, cooperate with us."
"Cooperate, my foot!" the driver barked. "There’s a whole line of wagons waiting to be checked. By the time you finish, everything will be delayed."
"Old man, with all the time you’ve spent yelling at me, I could’ve finished the inspection already. See that special lane over there? Once I’m done, you can go through."
This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Grumbling, the driver finally relented. "Fine, fine, just get it over with."
The rookie approached the cargo hold and opened the doors to take a look inside.
It was filled with bottles, jars, and several large crates. From the doorway, everything looked normal.
The rookie hesitated for a moment, then bent down to step inside.
He tapped the crates with the hilt of his sword, producing a dull thud.
Meanwhile, at the very back of the cargo hold, Leon and Noa were crouched in preparation for an attack.
If the guard found them, they would have no choice but to fight their way through the gates.
The footsteps grew closer. Noa watched the floor intently, raising her right hand, sparks of electricity dancing between her fingers.
But Leon gently pushed her arm down.
Noa looked up at him.
"Shh."
With a finger to his lips, Leon signaled her to stay calm.
She could see that Leon, too, was sweating nervously.
Fighting their way out would mean facing countless enemies and an unknown number of obstacles.
Noa knew her father wasn’t afraid of powerful foes. But this wasn’t a battlefield for direct combat—it was one fraught with unseen dangers lurking in every corner.
The creaking of boots on the wooden floor grew louder.
Father and daughter held their breath, shrinking into the corner.
Noa was just about to strike.
If the guard took even one more step forward, she wouldn’t hesitate to attack—Leon’s silent release of her wrist was all the permission she needed.
But then—
The guard suddenly stopped.
"The captain... was right. Why should I work like a dog for just twenty gold coins?" he muttered under his breath, chuckled, and turned back.
With a thud, the door to the cargo hold closed, and the rookie's voice called out, "All clear, old man. Off you go. Don’t forget to mention us gatekeepers to the higher-ups!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just open the gate already," the driver snapped.
The wagon began to move, gradually picking up speed.
Inside, Leon and Noa finally exhaled in relief.
"Do you remember that guy?" Leon asked.
"Yeah... a few days ago, he was the one insisting on thoroughly searching every caravan. He seemed like a pretty serious newbie," Noa replied.
"But in just a few days, he’s already learned how to survive in the Empire."
Noa shrugged. "That was fast."
The speed at which one could fall into the mire was always faster than expected.
The two royal wagons, carrying the Empire's most wanted criminal and his three daughters, sped away from the city.