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Stop Calling Me "Mate"! I Only Defeated You Once, Not Married You! (Web Novel) - Volume 8, Chapter 42: The Reason She Didn't Want to Leave
Volume 8, Chapter 42: The Reason She Didn't Want to Leave
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Leon broke free from the sleep spell, shook his head to clear the haze, and pressed a hand to his temple.When his mind fully cleared, he realized something was off—he hadn’t fallen asleep naturally. It felt more like someone had cast something on him.
Sensing that, Leon immediately rose to his feet. The cloak that had been draped over him slipped from his shoulders and fell beside his hand.
He didn’t think much of where it came from; he just picked it up and jumped down from the wagon. Then he checked the prison locks and the anti-magic chains around Rosvisser’s wrists and ankles. Everything was still secure.
Only then did he sprint toward the nearby camp.
When he approached the tents where several soldiers lay sprawled unconscious, Leon’s brow furrowed.
“Just as I thought... even the sentries on night duty are asleep.”
He hurriedly roused a few of them, then shook Rebecca and Martin awake as well.
“Mm... Captain? What’s going on?”
Rebecca rubbed her eyes, her head still heavy with drowsiness.
“We’ve been hit with a sleep-type spell or something similar. Wake everyone up—check the dragon prisoners immediately.”
At that, Rebecca and Martin sobered instantly, answered crisply, and rushed off with their teams.
Leon returned to the wagon holding Rosvisser. Inside, she knelt quietly. Days of confinement had left her looking a little worn out—like a caged songbird, beautiful but pitiful.
Rosvisser lifted her eyes slowly, meeting his gaze. The two stared at each other without speaking. She could see both anger and doubt in his eyes.
He must have already guessed, she thought, that the sleep magic came from whoever had come to rescue her.
And Leon, for his part, said nothing because he was waiting for Rebecca’s report.
Soon, Rebecca and Martin came running back, breathless and tense.
“Captain! The two Silver Dragons in the other cage—gone. I’ve sent people after them, but I don’t know if we’ll catch up.”
Hearing that Anna and Sherry had escaped, Leon’s face didn’t change. His calm was almost frightening.
The deputy commander beside him turned sharply toward Rosvisser, voice rising with anger.
“Was it you who told them to come? Speak!”
Rosvisser didn’t answer—she simply shook her head.
“Don’t play dumb! You must’ve planned this! Tell us where you were supposed to regroup, or don’t blame us for what happens next!”
As he shouted, a glowing orb of magic gathered in his hand.
The other soldiers closed in, forming a tight circle around the cage, brandishing their weapons and staves.
To the dragon-slayer army, this wasn’t just about losing two dragons.
The Empire’s decrees had long been clear—capturing a dragon over several centuries old brought enormous royal rewards: land, wealth, titles.
Anna and Sherry, the Silver Dragon Queen’s right and left wings, were both millennia old. If they’d been brought back alive, the officers here would have been set for life.
But now they’d fled.
The chance of a lifetime had slipped through their fingers. So their desperation—and their fury—turned on the one prisoner still within reach.
Even if it meant torture, they were determined to force Rosvisser to speak.
But she truly didn’t know. The rescue hadn’t been her plan, and she had no idea where Isha and Veronica had gone. So faced with all their threats, she could only remain silent.
“Fine,” the deputy snarled. “We’ll see whether your tongue or your bones break first. Get the tools.”
The soldiers moved closer, but just before they laid hands on her, Leon—who’d been silent all this time—spoke coldly.
“That won’t be necessary. She doesn’t know where the other two went.”
The deputy blinked.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because the rescue and escape weren’t arranged by her.”
Leon’s tone was steady.
“Dragons may be violent by nature, but they’re absolutely loyal to the ruler they acknowledge. It’s impossible those two would abandon their queen to flee on their own—unless someone else intervened without her knowledge. She didn’t plan it. Even if you torture her, she can’t tell us what she doesn’t know.”
He exhaled, then swept his gaze over the deputy and the rest of the troops.
“I understand losing those two dragons is hard to accept. But if we turn back to chase them now, we’ll lose everything. Worse, we could walk right into an ambush. Still, we have the Dragon Queen. That alone is a first-class merit—maybe even special-class. When we return to the Empire, the rewards will be more than enough for all of you. So the best course now is to give up pursuit and interrogation, and make for the Empire at once. Any objections?”
The soldiers looked at one another in silence. Finally, the deputy sighed.
“...Fine. We move out tonight. The longer we wait, the worse this could get.”
Leon nodded.
After a brief rest, the dragon-slayer army packed up their camp and resumed their march under cover of darkness. Leon, as always, personally escorted Rosvisser’s cage.
The column moved across the barren plains as the night grew colder.
“Achoo—”
A soft sneeze came from inside the cage.
Leon half-turned. The pitiful little “songbird” was curled in a corner, using her tail for warmth. The anti-magic chains prevented her from using any spell to resist the cold—and the cloak she’d once had for warmth...
“Ross!”
He called to her.
Rosvisser looked up, just in time to catch the cloak Leon tossed her. Inside it was bundled a thick blanket.
Her silver eyes trembled faintly as she looked at his back.
“Thank you...”
“No need.”
He cut her off. After a pause, he asked:
“Was it you who covered me with this cloak while I was asleep?”
Rosvisser pressed her lips together, then gave a quiet hum of assent.
For a while, there was no response. Just when she thought the conversation was over, Leon finally murmured,
“...Thanks.”
Rosvisser blinked, then smiled softly. She put on the cloak and wrapped herself in the thick blanket. Warmth seeped through her body.
“But I still don’t understand why you did that,” Leon said suddenly.
“Mm? Ah... I just... just... Just worried you’d catch a cold. Your soldiers would’ve thought I’d cursed you or something, so I figured I’d save myself the trouble and cover you up.”
“You actually think that stupid excuse sounds convincing?”
“Isn’t it?”
“In what way is it convincing?”
Leon’s voice shifted. “That’s not what I meant, Melkvey.”
Rosvisser arched a brow. “Then what did you mean?”
“I meant—those people who came to save you. If they could rescue your two lieutenants, they could’ve easily taken you too. So why are you still here?”
He looked at her, eyes steady. “I’ve thought about it, and there’s only one explanation.”
Rosvisser said nothing.
Leon slowly turned, the darkness in his eyes gleaming faintly in the night. Meeting her evasive gaze, he said, word by word,
“It’s because you didn’t want to leave. Why, Melkvey? You clearly had the chance to escape... but you didn’t take it. Tell me the reason.”
