The villainous prince who bullied Feng Aotian was actually myself.

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Leon laughed.

“As I said, the Empire will keep your identity a secret and provide protection. You can live in the Empire with peace of mind, but I can’t guarantee it forever, at least while Leon is in power.”

"And then what? Will I be trapped in an endless escape again?"

Eric questioned.

"That's probably true, after all, all the races in the world covet the fortune within you."

Leon gave a helpless, bitter smile. "I'm sorry, my abilities are limited, and I don't have much time left. This is all I can do to help you."

“I hate that kind of life on the run. Now I just want to live an ordinary life with people I can trust, without having to live in constant fear.”

Eric suddenly looked at Leon seriously, "The reason I have to keep running away is because of the luck within me. If I release all the luck within me, then I won't have to keep running away anymore."

"You...what do you mean?"

Leon suddenly felt the atmosphere was a little awkward. He and Eric looked into each other's eyes and a hint of ambiguity arose between them.

"Leon, why are you helping me like this? We're not related at all. The longest we've known each other is the time we spent in the book. And to be honest, when we were in the book, I thought that if I couldn't defeat the dragon, I would sell you all and use your deaths to weaken the dragon so that I could escape on my own."

"I asked, her beautiful golden eyes fixed on Leon."

"This..."

Leon smiled helplessly, "Because of the fortune within you, I have no choice but to help you. If it were to fall into the hands of the Dragon Emperor, then other races, especially the people of the Empire, would suffer. So I cannot let anyone else have you."

"If you just don't want others to have it, you can take it yourself. Once you take it, no matter how much others want it, they can't get it. But you make me choose. You could have just taken it by force."

“Sigh, there’s nothing I can do. I’m just such a contradictory person. Eric, I really feel sorry for you. Betrayed by your family since you were young and forced to run away from home. Even though you’re a dragon, you’re still a fragile life. Everyone in this world has the right to pursue happiness.”

Leon sighed deeply.

"That's just how I am. I can't stand seeing others suffer, but I don't want to suffer myself either. So I never want to be a good person, I only want to be a bad person. But being a bad person is too difficult for me. Whenever I really have to hurt the innocent to make myself happy, I just can't bring myself to do it."

Leon shrugged helplessly.

"Really? Have you ever thought that when others try to harm you for their own benefit, they never show any mercy?"

Eric said.

"Of course I would kill such a bad person without hesitation. What I said is that I am only incapable of harming the innocent, not that I would not harm the innocent."

Leon joked, "I'm not some brainless saint; I can be really bad when I want to be."

"So, you're helping me just because you think I'm innocent?"

"Yes, if you're a bad dragon, I won't be lenient with you."

At this point, Leon felt his mind go blank, as if he were about to faint. He took several deep breaths before finally recovering.

At the same time, subtle wrinkles began to appear on Leon's skin, resembling signs of aging.

"I feel like I don't have much time left, we need to get out of here right now."

"Leon said urgently."

"Leon, do you want to die?"

Eric remained seated in the hanging basket, showing no intention of getting up to leave.

"That's meaningless of you to say. Who wants to die? If you can live, you should live well."

Leon gave a wry smile. "Let's go out first."

“Leon, I can heal your trauma.”

Eric said seriously.

"Recover? Are you kidding me?"

Leon felt it was unlikely that his body's decline was affected by the level of divine punishment, unless—this!

"You mean, you can use the powerful force of cause and effect to reverse the decline of my life?"

Leon suddenly realized something and asked in surprise.

"Yes, and I have this powerful force within me right now."

Eric pursed his lips and spoke.

"But that's not fair to you."

Leon was serious. He hadn't expected this before, but now he realized he might not actually have to die, but...

“There’s no such thing as fair or unfair. I don’t want you to die, Leon, and I’ve always wanted to get rid of what’s inside me.”

Eric chuckled softly. "Anyway, aren't you willing to help an innocent person like me? The best way for me to get rid of my fate as a fugitive is to fundamentally solve the reason why I need to keep running away, isn't it?"

"That's true, but I can't force you to do something you can't, and besides, I would feel like I owe you too much."

"Then you'll owe me that. Remember this: from this moment on, your life is a gift from me. From now on, you belong to me, and you'll never escape me in this lifetime!"

Eric looked at Leon and said with utmost seriousness.

Leon naturally wanted to live as well, and since Eric had already put it that way, he felt there was no need to refuse.

Ok……

Helena will forgive herself, won't she?

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Successful Extension of Life

Leon tentatively approached the hanging basket.

Erica lowered her head, her usually aloof and proud face now filled with shyness. This was the first time Leon had ever seen Erica like this, like a little girl.

hiss……

Leon reached out his hands towards Eric, but after a moment's pause, he immediately withdrew them. For some reason, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

Well, when it comes to things like this, he can talk a lot of nonsense with his buddies, but when it comes to actually going to war, Leon actually becomes a coward.

After an awkward silence of more than ten seconds, Eric raised his head.

Her eyes flickered as she looked at Leon, and after biting her lower lip, she whispered, "How about we start with a hug?"

"Ah good."

Leon nodded awkwardly, but Eric, though wanting a hug, was shyly curled up in the basket, unsure of how to proceed.

"Excuse me, I'm a little nervous."

Eric seemed to realize she was being too tight on defense, so she moved closer to the basket, trying to give Leon some space. "Why don't you sit down too?"

"okay."

Leon walked toward the hanging basket, but the basket wasn't very spacious to begin with, and there wasn't enough room for him to sit down.

Eric realized the basket was too narrow, gave Leon an awkward smile, and prepared to get up.

But then, Leon bent down and picked Eric up in his arms, then put him in the hanging basket.

And so, Leon sat in the gondola, and Eric sat on Leon's lap, the two embracing each other face to face.

"That way, two people can sit down."

Leon laughed.

"Leon, you're so bold! Who gave you permission to hug me like that!"

Eric stared at Leon with some anger.

"This won't work?"

"This will put me in a very passive position."

Eric said, "I hate being passive, and now I'm going to punish you."

After saying that, Eric pressed Leon's head down and kissed him directly, biting Leon's lips hard.

"You scoundrel, bite me!"

"how?"

"Coincidentally, I also hate being passive."

Leon chuckled and retaliated fiercely.

A gentle breeze stirred, filling the entire rose garden with an alluring fragrance, while hanging baskets among the flowers swayed violently in the waves…

In the underground palace.

Leon waited for a long time, but there was no movement from the sealed artifact.

Why did Leon stay inside for so long?

Could it be that they encountered danger inside?

Given Leon's current physical condition, the probability of him suddenly dying inside is very high.

However, Leon is unable to use these items.

He couldn't go in to see what had happened.

Continuing to wait is not a solution.

Leon planned to go out and find someone to come in first.

As soon as Leon reached the entrance of the underground palace, he saw a tall, muscular man with red hair walking towards him.

He is the leader of the Empire's three heroes, the Empire's number one knight, and the universally acknowledged strongest knight king—Seth.

Seth was clearly seriously injured in the battle with the dragon kings. His silver armor was tattered, and there was a horrifying wound on his chest where the white bone was faintly visible.

"Your Highness Leon, what exactly is going on?"

Seth looked at Leon, his eyes filled with doubt.

The last time the Dragon Clan mobilized so many high-level combatants was ten years ago in the Human-Dragon War.

After that battle, Snow City declared independence and renamed itself Free City, completely breaking free from the rule of the Empire and becoming an autonomous city. There was no king there, only a city lord elected by the citizens to act as the administrator, making it the only country in the world that was not a country.

Nevertheless, the battlefield at that time was only in the Snow City. With the Empire's defensive capabilities, the dragons simply could not penetrate into Guberlan.

The dragons entered so easily this time, with even the Dragon Emperor himself coming. Moreover, the strange phenomena in the sky and the disappearance of the Goddess of Justice's response all pointed to a huge conspiracy, one that only the Emperor of the Empire could orchestrate.

"Caesar is dead."

"Leon said."

"died?"

Saith was incredulous.

"Yes, Seth, what I'm about to tell you is the cause and effect of this accident. It involves the secrets of the royal family and also the interests of the gods. Do you want to hear it?"

"If Your Highness is willing to speak, I am happy to listen."

After a moment of hesitation, Seth chose to continue listening.

Leon briefly described Caesar's ambitions and the background of the matter to Seth, but he concealed the conditions for the resurgence of the Wrath.

"..."

After listening, Sais remained silent for a long time.

“Seth, I know you have always been a loyal supporter of the late king. I’m telling you this only to give you a chance to make your own decision. Now, whether you stay in your post and continue your previous duties, or choose to resign and retire, it’s up to you. Whichever you choose, I will respect you. You will always be a hero of the empire.”

"Leon said seriously."

“No, Your Highness Leon, you have misunderstood. I have never been a supporter of the late king. I am a supporter of the country. I have always been loyal to the country, not to any individual. If the royal family is immoral, I, Seth, will surely rise up and fight against them.”

Seth gave a serious reply.

"Very well, since that's the case, then you will remain the sharpest sword to defend the dignity of the people of the Empire, and the Imperial Royal Knights will still be under your command."

Leon smiled happily.

“Your Highness Leon, a country cannot be without a ruler for a day. After pacifying the people, I will lead the Knights to help you ascend the throne.”

Seth knelt on one knee and bowed to Leon.

"No, I don't want to be the emperor. Some kind-hearted man with a heart for the world left me with a mess. I think it's better for him to handle these things himself."

Leon smiled calmly.