Book 4: Chapter 55 |
When the words “Dragon King” were spoken, Foel clearly froze.
He immediately lowered his head, no longer daring to meet Leon’s gaze.
And it was precisely this guilty reaction that made Leon even more certain of his suspicion.
All magic injected into the body vanished.
The magical circuits were withered and dead.
And that reaction when a Dragon King was mentioned…
The corner of Leon’s mouth lifted slightly as he let out a cold snort.
“I’ve actually been wondering something for a long time,” Leon said.
“Why did the Empire collect heart-guard dragon scales back then? Was it really just to create fusion beasts like Constantine?”
“In the Empire’s long-term plan, fusion beasts were only one step—never the original purpose behind collecting dragon scales.”
“So let’s combine that with one simple fact: you’ve lived for over a hundred years.”
Leon’s voice hardened.
“Then let’s make a bold assumption. You—and the others we haven’t found yet—have lived this long because, many years ago, you transplanted the heart-guard dragon scales of defeated Dragon Kings.”
Leon reached out, grabbed Foel by the collar, and slowly stood up, lifting his entire body into the air.
Foel’s feet left the ground. His legs kicked helplessly as both hands clamped tightly around Leon’s wrist.
The old man’s eyes bulged with rage. His previously lofty demeanor had crumbled, yet his mouth was still stubborn.
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t understand? That’s fine.”
As he spoke, Leon extended his other hand and slowly reached toward Foel’s chest.
“The secret to your longevity should be hidden right here, shouldn’t it? If I take it out…”
“I wonder whether you’d instantly turn into a pile of bones.”
Leon rarely spoke with such naked menace.
Outside the cell, Rebecca and the others heard every word clearly.
“At this point, someone walking in cold might not even be able to tell who the villain really is,” Martin remarked.
“This is how interrogation works,” Rebecca said, arms crossed.
“Back in the Dragon-Slaying Army days, the captain was terrible at interrogations because he couldn’t play the ‘bad guy.’ But after these years… he’s clearly learned a few new tricks.”
“Oh?” Martin said. “Why do you think that?”
The twin-tailed girl scratched her head, thought for a moment, then replied,
“Probably learned it from sister-in-law. I’ve always felt she’s the type of beauty who’s gentle on the outside but ruthless on the inside.”
If Leon heard Rebecca describing his dragon wife that way, he’d absolutely give her a thumbs-up.
You really know dragons.
Inside the cell, Leon’s hand crept closer and closer to Foel’s chest.
His face remained expressionless, as if extracting a dragon scale from a living heart were no harder than pulling a splinter from a finger.
In stark contrast, Foel was drenched in sweat.
A long life hadn’t given him the courage to face death calmly.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his cheek.
Thud—
Leon’s fingertips touched Foel’s clothing.
The contact was light, yet it felt like a heavy blow to his heart.
Foel’s body trembled violently. At last, he completely broke.
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
Thump—
Leon released him. Foel collapsed to his knees in the dry straw.
Leon withdrew his hand, slipped it into his pocket, and looked down at the old man from above.
Foel gasped for breath, secretly rejoicing that this madman hadn’t ripped out his heart.
After he finally calmed down a little, Foel swallowed and said,
“I can tell you the Empire’s full plan regarding the collection of dragon scales—but you must guarantee my life.”
“You’re not in a position to bargain,” Leon replied coldly.
“Don’t talk, you die immediately. Talk, and you might live. The choice is yours.”
“……”
During his years in hiding, Foel had relied on informants to gather intelligence on the Dragon-Slaying Army.
He knew very well who Leon Karsmode was.
Upright. Brave. Kind. Ever-victorious general. An undefeated legend.
And—
The Silver Dragon’s captive.
Yet among all those titles, Foel had never heard that Leon was a ruthless man.
Damn it, the old man thought. I never even crossed him. Why is he this terrifying?
Regaining his composure, Foel sighed in resignation.
“Thirty years ago, the Empire began secretly cooperating with certain Dragon Kings to manipulate the course of the war.”
“That plan faced strong opposition within the royal court.”
“Supporters and opponents were evenly split.”
“Until King Kante said that we could seize Dragon King scales through war—and thereby obtain the power of Dragon Kings.”
Leon frowned, scanning the dejected old man from head to toe.
“But judging by your current state, you don’t look like someone who gained the power of a Dragon King.”
And if that many people had truly obtained Dragon King power through heart-guard scales, Leon’s recent decisive victory against the Empire would have been impossible.
Foel nodded.
“The first person who successfully transplanted a heart-guard dragon scale didn’t gain Dragon King-level strength. But the mages discovered something else.”
“What?”
“His lifespan was greatly extended.”
“And his self-healing ability and physical resistance were also vastly enhanced.”
“But…”
Foel trailed off.
Leon already knew the rest.
“But after transplanting the dragon scale, you could no longer gather magic, right?”
“Yes,” Foel admitted.
“That made many military officials abandon the idea. They still needed to fight on the front lines. Losing magic meant certain death.”
“But another group—civil officials like myself—couldn’t resist the temptation of near-eternal life.”
“So we all transplanted dragon scales.”
Just as Leon suspected.
The Empire’s manipulation of the human-dragon war had never been just about war taxes. Something far more tempting had drawn in those in power.
So heart-guard dragon scales granted Dragon King-level longevity…
“No wonder Claudia said that a Dragon King’s lifespan would be severely shortened after losing their heart-guard scale…”
Leon slowly raised a hand and pressed it against his own chest.
The scale Rosvitha gave him hadn’t only restored a heart that should have stopped beating.
It had also extended his life.
“But transplanting dragon scales caused other problems,” Foel continued.
“At a certain age, we had to stage a funeral for the public, so no one would grow suspicious.”
Alive—but already buried.
Why did something this absurd feel so familiar?
For a split second, Leon almost smelled grilled steak.
He shook his head, clearing the distraction, and continued,
“So the previous king isn’t dead either. He’s hiding somewhere, clinging to life, isn’t he?”
Leon’s master had said the Empire’s governing style hadn’t changed since the former king’s reign.
Which meant Kante was nothing more than a puppet king.
The true ruler was still the previous king—the one who had transplanted a heart-guard dragon scale and gained a century of life.
At this, Foel hesitated.
But given his helpless situation, lying or staying silent would only earn him a fatal outcome.
“The former king… did transplant a heart-guard dragon scale,” Foel said.
“But I don’t know where he is now.”
“After Kante ascended the throne, no one knew where the former king went. He vanished completely—without a trace.”
“But he still ruled the country,” Leon said coldly.
“From the shadows.”
Foel bit his trembling lip and nodded.
“Yes… Kante was merely the puppet on the surface. The one pulling the strings has always been the previous king.”
Leon didn’t ask any further questions.
He had obtained the two most crucial pieces of information:
First, the true reason the royal family collected heart-guard dragon scales was to extend their lifespan.
Second, Kante was indeed a puppet, and the former king was still alive.
That was enough to move on to the next phase of investigation.
As for Foel—since Nacho’s people had caught him, he was clearly already an expendable pawn. He knew no more than this.
Leon decided to spare him for now.
“Someone else will come to interrogate you later,” Leon said.
“Tell them everything you know—every word. Otherwise… you understand.”
Foel clutched his chest and nodded repeatedly.
“Yes. Yes, I understand.”
Leon turned to leave.
But just as he reached the cell door, Foel called out from behind him.
“Wait…”
“Anything else you want to add?”
“No… I just want to ask.”
Foel hesitated.
“Why do you know so much about heart-guard dragon scales?”
Leon paused.
For just a moment, his heartbeat seemed to skip.
He lowered his eyes and replied calmly,
“I don’t understand dragon scales.”
“I understand the one who gave them.”
…
Footnotes:
- xin xu
- To feel guilty or flustered after being exposed.
- qiang ying
- To force composure despite internal collapse.
- chou si
- To die completely; often used figuratively for utter ruin.
- tu xin liang
- Literally “pierce the heart and chill it”; a phrase implying instant, fatal harm.