No one suspected this was Leon's doing.
The disaster with the dragon didn't appear to be connected to him at all—at least on the surface.
That was exactly why Dvalin had been completely repainted: to hide Leon's involvement.
Of course, dragons can't paint. That masterpiece was the work of the Night Raid girls… though they were just messing around.
After all, no one really knew how to paint a dragon, so they simply followed their master's instructions and altered Dvalin until he was completely unrecognizable.
And once that was done, the girls did whatever they wanted with him.
They painted him with chaotic dark-red patterns.
They made him wear a skull mask.
They even put a necklace of bones around his neck.
His fur was dyed black.
When Dvalin looked at his reflection in the lake, he felt something was off about his appearance—but couldn't quite find the words to describe it.
Leon, however, who was watching the entire thing, came up with the perfect description.
Leon: (Ah, this stupid dragon… why the hell does he look like some emo punk…?)
The chaos caused by Dvalin in Mondstadt continued to spiral out of control.
"We can't escape!"
"Quick, think of something—guards are coming!"
"You idiot! That garbage won't stop a dragon's strike! TAKE COVER!! He's going to attack again!"
Boom--!!
Once again, Dvalin unleashed his dragon's breath, a violent gust of magic wind that tore through the noble mansions of Mondstadt.
It's not that no one had tried to escape.
But Dvalin had summoned a barrier around Mondstadt.
Just like the wall of wind that once surrounded the ruins of the Stormterror's Lair, the city was now trapped within a massive tornado, cut off from the rest of the world.
No one could enter. No one inside could leave.
This was the Storm Prison.
The nobles had become lambs awaiting slaughter.
And Dvalin—was the executioner.
"ROAAAAAR!!"
His roar made the entire city tremble.
The members of the Lawrence family collapsed to their knees, shaking. Not because they were surrendering—just because their legs were too weak with fear to stand.
After all, sinners like them weren't even worthy of resisting the power of the mighty Dragon Huanghuang.
"How… how did this happen…?"
"It's over. Everything's over."
"How did the Second Prince even defeat such a monster in the first place?"
Defeat? They couldn't even stand up. The Lawrences were terrified. They were used to luxury and stability. They had never seen a scene like this before.
But the most hopeless, desperate thing of all...
Was realizing that every advantage their family had built over generations meant absolutely nothing against this beast.
Being surrounded by the sea couldn't stop the wings of a dragon.
Even with border connections, they couldn't escape the dragon's wall of wind.
No matter how many soldiers they had, they couldn't resist the dragon.
This was absolute power.
The Lawrence family had always taken pride in their geographic advantage, political influence, and financial power.
Too bad for them… none of that meant a damn thing in front of a dragon.
---
"Well, the damage is about done. Looks like it's time to move on to the next phase."
Leon, watching the whole thing through a telescope, popped a few more pieces of popcorn into his mouth.
Everything was going exactly according to his plan.
Right now, the city of Mondstadt was like a puppet theater in his eyes. And he had already assigned roles to every single person in town.
Even though none of them knew it, they were all acting according to the script he had written.
Ye Lan, who was also watching the show, felt a chill run down her spine.
She'd read the script—that's why it scared her so much.
Everyone here was Leon's puppet. Invisible strings extended from the young man's fingers, controlling every soul in Mondstadt.
Honestly, things had gone a little too smoothly.
So much so that Leon had grown bored.
Was this really it?
Was it really this easy?
Were humans truly so pathetic that their fate could be controlled by someone else so easily?
Leon let out a sigh.
(How boring… It's actually easier to control humans than beasts. At least animals rely on instinct and intuition and might do something unexpected. But human intelligence and courage… can it really not surpass that of wild creatures?)
Leon just felt disappointed… and conflicted.
Even though he was an extremely controlling person—
—when everything was going according to plan, he found himself hoping that someone would break free of his control.
"Forget it..."
He didn't even feel like watching anymore.
He just wanted to finish his popcorn and enjoy the view.
Waiting for his moment to enter the stage.
"Your Highness! Look at that girl!"
Leini suddenly cried out in surprise.
She pointed excitedly toward Mondstadt.
Leon instinctively raised his telescope again, his violet eyes narrowing sharply the next second.
"Huh? Wait… Oh?!"
Someone had appeared—someone not in the script.
A blonde girl stood in defiance before the dragon!
She wore a sleeveless white dress with a scarf and two long tail-like capes. Bracers and gloves that covered only the thumbs adorned her arms, and her legs were clad in white stockings and boots. Her hair was styled in a bob cut with blunt bangs, flanked by twin shoulder-length pigtails, and decorated with white and blue flowers and feathers.
She looked like a teenage girl.
"AHHHHHHHH!!" Her scream pierced the sky like a flaming arrow. There was no fear in it—only determination as she charged forward.
Alone.
Without protection.
Without armor.
Wielding a worn-out sword whose blade had clearly seen better days.
Leon couldn't help but be thrilled by her heroic stance.
When people fall into despair because of evil, those who raise their sword, face their fear, and charge in with a roar—they are called heroes!
"Haha! Fascinating! Absolutely fascinating! I don't know who she is, but I have to applaud her courage!"
Leon clapped loudly and shouted with joy.
Then he glanced at Ye Lan.
She flinched slightly and quickly said:
"As far as I know, she's a traveler who recently arrived in Mondstadt. Her name is Lumine… I didn't think she'd interfere with the plan, so I ignored her."
"It's fine. I don't blame you. Honestly, I wouldn't have imagined she'd have the guts to challenge a dragon either."
"HAHAHAHA! Finally… a real surprise!"
He tossed the popcorn into the air and stood up, his eyes locked on the girl defying his script with every determined step.
"When everyone else is drowning in despair… it's the one who rises with a sword in hand that shines as a hero."
And for once—he meant it.
"Lumine… you have courage.
But do you have strength?"
---
For the first time, Leon was no longer the author of the scene.
He was just a spectator.
"Heroine versus Dragon..." Leon murmured with a smile.
And for the first time in a very long time...
…fate began to rewrite itself.
---
(End of chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."