One could say Leon's arrival was perfectly timed.
Just before the members of the Gunnhild family were devoured, the sudden appearance of the prince was like the embodiment of hope in everyone's eyes.
Something akin to a messenger of justice.
Or even… a savior.
Excitement and hope sparkled in the eyes of the people.
They remembered Leon's great accomplishments…
He was a true dragon slayer!
"Die, evil dragon."
(I sound like one of those dumb anime protagonists…)
"HAHAHAHAHA! How can a mere human possibly kill me!"
While Leon and Dvalin were having their "intense battle," Jean led her knights, who had long been on standby, to begin securing the civilians—
Or rather, to occupy Mondstadt.
The members of the Lawrence family, who had just begun to feel safe, turned pale the moment they saw Jean.
Not long after—
"How can you be this powerful?!" Dvalin shouted as he plummeted from the sky.
"Hmph! This is the bare minimum that an absolute king should possess."
As the people of Mondstadt celebrated with joy and tears streaming down their faces, the evil dragon that had terrorized them for three days crashed into the pile of gold below.
Leon looked down with his arms crossed, full of pride.
But no one noticed the eye contact he shared with the dragon.
Dvalin: (Are we done yet? I just wanna go home and sleep.)
Leon: (Okay, just give them one big dramatic move at the end, then you can leave.)
Dvalin: (Later, I want the best fish you've got.)
Leon: (Fine, fine. I'll have someone deliver a few hundred of Mondstadt's finest later.)
Dvalin gulped and silently gave Leon a thumbs-up.
Ever since he began following Leon, the biggest improvement in his life had been food.
He no longer had to eat raw things straight from the earth—instead, he was now served properly prepared meals. Dvalin had developed an actual interest in eating… and even gained some weight.
As Leon once said,
"Eating raw meat is far too barbaric for one of my followers. From today on, I'll have some of my girls prepare a proper diet for you."
Having received this promise…
Dvalin immediately rose in "fury" to unleash his ultimate move.
"LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN WITHSTAND THIS, HUMAN!!!"
A massive amount of magical energy gathered in the dragon's mouth.
Lumine, who had previously fought Dvalin, was horrified. If he had used that move before, not even their bones would have remained.
But what shocked her even more—
Leon wasn't dodging.
Instead, he intended to face the attack head-on.
"You can't block that kind of power! Dodge!!" Lumine screamed in panic.
"Dodge? And where should I dodge to?" Leon replied calmly.
"All of you behind me are my people. If I don't block this move, what will happen to you?"
Upon hearing the prince's inspiring words, everyone present was overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears.
Such majesty. Such compassion.
To protect civilians like them, he would use his own body as a shield, putting their lives above his own.
And the thought that this man would one day rule their kingdom…
Everyone trembled with reverence and awe, silently vowing in their hearts:
Today, he was willing to die for us.
So in the future, we'll be willing to die for him.
Dvalin: (Leon, that deserves full marks.)
Exactly one second after Leon finished speaking, Dvalin unleashed a wild blue tornado from his mouth—an extremely powerful attack.
But Leon did not flinch.
(It's been a while since I used you…)
He extended his right hand forward as a small spatial vortex began to spin in the air.
From the vortex emerged a strange object—something that could not be classified as any kind of weapon.
It was EA—something that had come into being before the concept of a "sword" ever existed, and thus could not truly be called one.
Though it had a grip, a guard, and the length of a longsword, the "blade" did not follow the form of any known weapon.
Its twisted, spiral shape was opaque, like a massive drill made of three rotating cylindrical segments, each inscribed with crimson letters. The middle rotated clockwise, while the top and bottom spun counterclockwise, like windmills.
Normally, he wouldn't use EA, but being flashy was necessary here.
"Feel honored, dragon. You'll be the first in a long time to witness EA's power…" Leon spoke as he raised the weapon to the sky.
"Let me tell you how it began.
Heaven and Earth divided...
Nothingness praised creation.
My Sword of Rupture split the world."
As Leon chanted, reality itself bent under EA's power, forming a formless crimson sphere above its tip.
"Mortar of stars... the celestial hell is the eve of the celebration of creation.
Now die and fall into eternal silence…"
"ENUMA—" Leon roared, pointing EA at Dvalin, while sending him a magical message:
"—ELISH!"
A crimson beam blasted forth from EA's tip, hurtling toward the dragon.
"ROARRRRRRRR——!" Dvalin bellowed as he fired his own attack.
Both of them knew what to do—especially Dvalin.
Leon hadn't aimed directly at him. This way, the dragon could use the blast as cover to escape.
The spectators below stood frozen, unable to believe what they were seeing.
They never imagined Leon had such a devastating technique.
As the two attacks collided, Leon's Enuma Elish obliterated Dvalin's magic and rushed toward him almost instantly.
Just as expected, it didn't directly strike the dragon. Leon had aimed in a way that would make it look like a direct hit.
The dragon let out a roar of "pain," then quickly beat his dark wings and fled as fast as possible, vanishing amidst thunderous applause and collective ecstasy.
"Victory! Prince Leon has won!!"
"Long live Prince Leon!!!"
"He's truly incredible. With him around, no kingdom will dare to attack Palettia!"
"That's right! I hope the king abdicates soon so Prince Leon can lead us into a golden age!"
Thus, the dragon's attack on Mondstadt came to an end.
Meanwhile, a certain silver-haired elf hiding in the shadows was squealing with joy.
Beta lay on the ground without a care for her appearance, frantically scribbling down Leon's heroic form with her left hand, and recording it in words with her right.
Beta:
"What a blessed moment—woo woo—you're so wonderful, Master~, such a perfect figure!!"
Still dissatisfied with her hand speed, she wondered how a simple sketch could ever do justice.
Beta decided she would ask Eta to customize a magic device that could instantly capture Leon's every move.
---
Leon slowly descended from the sky, sealing EA back into its vortex.
He landed atop the dragon's mountain of wealth, stepping upon gold and gemstones.
Step by step, he approached the two girls.
"Are you alright, ladies? You're safe now."
"Your Highness~!" ×2
Looking at that perfect smile—
Barbara and Lumine felt their hearts skip a beat.
It was as if an angel had loosed his bow and struck both of them at once.
They realized they were living the very scene that every girl around the world had once dreamed of.
The beautiful prince defeats the terrifying dragon and rescues the imprisoned princess… it was just like a fairy tale. Except this one was real.
The prince was right in front of them.
So… didn't that make them the princesses?
Thinking that, Barbara and Lumine blushed deeply, their hearts racing as they shyly reached out and took Leon's hand.
---
(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."