Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You Vol. 3 Ch. 122

This was another purpose of Rosvisser’s trip: to better understand the man she called "husband" through a different lens.

It was peculiar, though. Rosvisser hadn’t been the sentintal type before, nor did she find much appeal in “seeing the sights you’ve seen” as a romantic notion. But after living side by side with Leon for so long, her heart had started to change.

Yet, rather than saying she had beco more curious or romantic, it was really just Leon who stirred those feelings. If it were anyone else, Rosvisser would probably find it all unbearably sappy.

Just like the unopened pile of love letters hoarded by her eldest sister, Isha—Rosvisser never understood the point of letters in a relationship.

That was until she herself began secretly writing in a journal almost daily, noting down the little monts she shared with Leon each day.

Then she understood. It wasn’t the “letter” that mattered, but the emotions she poured onto the pages: anticipation, contentnt, happiness.

Much like how she felt now, walking the paths Leon had walked, seeing the sights he’d once seen.

Rosvisser had no desire to hide her feelings or pretend otherwise—she wanted Leon to know her unspoken sentints.

And Leon’s response?

He reached over, took her cool hand in his, and intertwined their fingers.

With his dark eyes eting her silver gaze, a gentle breeze rustled her long lashes.

“Alright then, let show you the next place,” he said softly.

Rosvisser smiled, nodding. “Okay.”

Perhaps this would be her only chance to visit Leon’s holand. Maybe it would be the first and the last. So, she wanted to express what was on her mind.

And luckily, her “foolish captive” wasn’t always intent on sparring with her. When it was ti to be playful, they bantered; when it was ti to be tender, he knew just how to respond.

Hand in hand, the two strolled through the streets of the lower district, a picture of two people reveling in a stolen mont of freedom.

...

They spent the whole day together, Leon taking her to all the spots marked safe by Rebecca’s map.

As the sun began to set, Leon and Rosvisser sat side by side on a bench along the street.

Rosvisser held an orange-flavored ice cream Leon had just bought her, taking small, delicate bites.

Leon unfolded the map beside her, scanning it quickly. Only one more place he wanted to show her remained.

It was in the middle district, one of the locations Rebecca had flagged as safe.

Calculating the ti, Leon figured they could make it back before nightfall, just as Nacho had advised.

Having decided, Leon put away the map and hoisted up the bag filled with recording stones.

“Alright, let’s head to the last spot.”

Rosvisser glanced down at the ice cream in her hand, just a single bite left.

She stood up and handed it to him.

“Oh, you get the ice cream, and I’m left with the tail end,” Leon chuckled, taking it from her.

“This isn’t just any tail end of an ice cream,” Rosvisser said, entirely serious.

“Oh? And what’s so special about it?”

“It’s the tail end of an ice cream eaten by the Queen herself.”

“….”

Only she could think of such a description.

Leon looked at the last bite, noticing the faint trace of her lipstick on the cone.

Since it was a gift from Her Majesty, it seed he should honor it.

“Alright then, let’s go.”

“Mm.”

Together, they set off toward the middle district.

As they walked, Rosvisser asked, “Where is this last place?”

Leon hesitated a mont before replying, “It’s a place that holds a lot of aning for .”

He left it at that, leaving her curious, but she chose not to press further, quietly following him.

When the sun had fully set, they arrived at the middle district.

Compared to the lower district, this area was noticeably more lively, with stalls offering fancier fruits and snacks.

Leon led Rosvisser across several blocks, eventually stopping before a church.

By now, the evening had settled in, and the church’s courtyard gates were closed.

Inside, a few children played on the lawn, watched over by two won dressed as nuns.

“This is…?”

“Cosmod Orphanage.”

Leon pointed to an old, weathered sign by the gate, which read the sa na.

“More than twenty years ago, it was here, on these very steps, that a nun found .”

Gazing at the aged church before her, Rosvisser finally understood why Leon had chosen this place as their final stop.

She had told him she wanted to stand on his holand, to learn about him from another perspective.

And so, Leon had brought her to the place where he’d grown up.

Though he’d been adopted at five by his master, he’d often returned to visit the nuns who had cared for him. Even as an adult, he would co back on holidays to volunteer.

The children loved him dearly, his natural affinity for caregiving showing even then.

In front of the orphanage’s gate, Leon and Rosvisser’s hands clasped even more tightly.

“It’s been years since I was last here… So much has changed.”

Whether it was his first return to the Empire to deal with Viktor, or his later investigation into the secrets of the Heartguard Dragon Scale, Leon hadn’t managed a visit to the orphanage in all that ti.

At least five years had passed…

Just then, one of the nuns in the yard seed to notice them. She approached, unlocking the gate with a polite smile.

“Good evening, can I help you two with sothing?”

But Leon simply stared at her, transfixed.

mories swirled in his mind.

Scenes from his childhood flashed before him like a slideshow.

At the orphanage, he’d celebrated his first birthday—the very day this nun had taken him in.

There had been the ti he’d gotten into a fight with another boy in his dorm, complaining that the food the nun made was awful.

Or the ti he’d fought off a rabid dog with his bare hands to protect a young girl. Of course, it was this nun who had then rushed him to the hospital to treat his wounds.

...

Nearly every mont of his childhood had this woman by his side.

If not for his master and mistress, Leon might never have beco the dragon slayer he was today.

And if not for this nun, Leon might have died in the cold twenty-five years ago.

Her na was Carolyn Cosmod, the only daughter of the orphanage’s forr headmistress.

Leon rembered her as older but lively, yet in just these five years, it seed she had aged more than a decade.

Her hair was now white, and deep wrinkles marked her gentle face.

“Sir?”

When he didn’t respond, she repeated herself.

Leon finally snapped back, quickly replying, “Ah… We’re just travelers from a neighboring country, wandering around.”

“Oh, I see. Would you like to co inside?”

Leon shook his head. “No, that’s alright. We’re fine here by the gate.”

He lowered his voice, combining it with his disguise. Even Carolyn hadn’t recognized him.

After all, being recognized might lead to complications—

But just as he thought he’d managed to remain incognito, Carolyn tilted her head and asked with a hint of suspicion,

“Sir, have we…t before?”

Heart pounding, Leon shook his head vehently. “I don’t think so. My wife and I are visiting the Empire for the first ti. You must be mistaken.”

“Is that so…”

Carolyn’s gaze softened as she murmured quietly, “Then perhaps I just miss that child too much…”

Leon blinked, curiosity piqued. “Are you referring to…?”

“His na was Leon.”

At the ntion of his na, a warm smile appeared on Carolyn’s face.

“He was the most exceptional child I ever taught.”