While speaking, he bit the chili with his upper teeth and chewed it once.
Two seconds later—
"Water water water water water water water!"
He scrambled and crawled to the sink, turned on the faucet, and let the cool water flow into his mouth, but it didn't neutralize the burning sensation caused by the insanely spicy chili.
Leon was so spicy that he covered his mouth, rolling back and forth on the floor.
It felt like a burning hot charcoal had been shoved into his mouth.
After wrestling with his taste buds for a few minutes, Leon finally felt a bit better.
Tears had been forced out by the spiciness, and his lips were numb—he could barely feel the existence of his lips.
"If your dragon clan eats this kind of chili as a daily diet, you'll all end up with hemorrhoids sooner or later."
He grumbled angrily, then got up from the floor and returned to the desk.
After this ordeal, the fatigue from the day had completely disappeared.
Leon wiped his face, perked up, and began preparing for tomorrow's teaching content.
In a trance, he seemed to have returned to his days at Dragon Slaying Academy.
Every day after class, he would bury himself in books like this, either reviewing or preparing. In any case, he would not allow himself to be idle.
No wonder his roommates called him a "study fanatic."
Studying late into the night, when Leon was too sleepy, he would chew a chili pepper that his master had brought him.
The refreshment effect was unparalleled.
Now that he had just recently woken up from a coma, he should have been resting more.
But next month, Noah would be taking the entrance test, and he had to seize the time to prepare lessons while devising a rigorous and efficient study plan.
So, under the condition of his body barely holding up, Leon could only use chili peppers to force himself to stay awake.
And the dragon clan's chili peppers…
Indeed, they met Leon's needs to a far greater extent than he expected.
When studying, Leon was highly focused, so much so that when he realized he should take a break, it was already past 11 p.m.
He rubbed his heavy eyes, fatigue washing over him, then grabbed a chili pepper from beside him and took a bite.
Instantly, the sour spiciness rushed straight to his head, and all drowsiness disappeared.
Leon pinched his thigh tightly, enduring the fiery numbness in his mouth.
After a while, Leon put aside the teaching content and plans he had prepared and took out a few herbal medicine books from the drawer.
Actually, he...
He flipped to the directory and found the categories of "nourishment" and "supplementation."
To be honest, Rossweise's words, "Your body isn't what it used to be," still felt like a dagger stabbed into Leon's pride.
And, coincidentally, all study fanatics shared a common trait—stubbornness and a tendency to overthink.
That morning, he had asked maid Anna for herbal medicine books because he wanted to see if there was anything that could replace his current nutritional supplements.
If he relied solely on supplements, it might take him years to restore his body to normal levels.
Leon couldn't let that dragoness look down on him.
He wanted Rossweise to pay dearly for her remark, "Your body isn't what it used to be."
Thinking of this, Leon's determination ignited. He opened the herbal medicine book, searching for information he might find useful.
"Red pulp dragon fruit... The pulp is delicious, and the seeds can be used as medicine, beneficial for regulating blood and qi... Hmm, not helpful."
"Ghost lotus grass, can be applied externally to relieve certain levels of trauma, or consumed internally to regulate digestion... Damn, your dragon clan's herbs really do double duty."
"Dragon Guard Kidney Treasure, has the effect of—what the heck is this ridiculous name? This name doesn't even sound serious. At first glance, it's..."
As he complained, his eyes squinted slightly, his gaze falling on the subsequent description.
"Hiss... As expected, it matches my stereotypical impression of this name."
But what Leon needed wasn't a medicine as blatantly potent as Dragon Guard Kidney Treasure.
He still aimed for "nourishment and supplementation."
However, after flipping through for quite a while, Leon couldn't find the medicine he wanted in this book.
Just as he was about to check if another book might have it, the door lock suddenly turned.
Leon, hearing the sound, hurriedly hid the herbal medicine book and placed Noah's materials for tomorrow on the desk.
The visitor was none other than Rossweise.
"Oh, still awake?"
She said as she walked further inside.
"Mm." Leon feigned calmness, responding sullenly.
Rossweise walked slowly to the bedside and sat down. She crossed her long legs, one hand propping herself up and the other resting on her knee, exuding a faint sense of laziness mixed with subtle fatigue.
Leon pressed his lips together, feeling the dragon mark on his chest.
Thankfully, there was no reaction.
This dragoness probably wasn't here to torment him tonight.
Even so, Leon didn't initiate a conversation with her but instead continued reviewing the tutoring plan he had prepared earlier, looking for any deficiencies.
Rossweise's gaze slowly shifted from Leon to the chili peppers on his desk.
She frowned and asked, "Why are you eating chili peppers?"
"For staying awake."
"Staying awake?"
"Mm, Noah's entrance test is next month. Normally, preparation should start a year in advance, but we don't have that much time, so I have to work late into the night to catch up," Leon said, adjusting the lesson plan without looking up.
After a pause, Leon added, "Also, I need to thank you."
Rossweise raised her eyebrows. "Thank me?"
"Mm, thank you for giving birth to such a smart daughter. That's why I'm confident I can help her pass the test in a month."
The queen sneered lightly, "Noah takes after me."
Leon froze, finally putting down the plan and turning to look at her with a serious expression.
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
Rossweise blinked, seemingly surprised by Leon's question. "Ah, I—"
"I entered the Empire's Dragon Slaying Academy at ten, graduated at fifteen as top in both written and practical tests. During those five years, I won every highest-level scholarship and was the first minor graduate in nearly a century; upon graduation, the principal personally awarded me a medal. Later, in all competitions within the Dragon Slaying Army, I was always the champion."
Leon looked into Rossweise's eyes and asked, word by word, "So, Your Majesty, what championships have you won?"
"..."
Rossweise was stunned into silence by this guy.
Truth be told, she hadn't expected Leon to be such a top student.
She had always thought he was just a brute who only knew how to fight.
But of course, she would never praise Leon outright. Facing his question, Rossweise replied indifferently,
"So impressive."
"Of course."
"Then why did you become my prisoner?"
Leon: ...
'Damn.'
'She got me.'
The queen smiled meaningfully, her eyes narrowing into two crescent moons.
Leon couldn't tell whether she was mocking him or found their recent conversation amusing enough to laugh.
He silently turned back and continued revising the tutoring plan.
RUSTLE, RUSTLE—
The sound of fabric brushing against the bedsheet was followed by the gradual approach of high-heeled footsteps.r
Moments later, a faint, delicate fragrance wafted from behind Leon.
That was the scent of Rossweise's body—
Leon had smelled it many times.
She reached out, picked up a chili pepper from the table, and held it to her nose to sniff. Immediately, she frowned.
'This scent is indeed pungent', Even Rossweise, a dragon, found the smell overpowering, yet Leon actually treated it as an energy booster.
'Isn't this a bit... over the top?'
Rossweise put down the chili pepper and reached her hand toward Leon's chin.
Before Leon could react, she abruptly pinched his chin, forcing him to turn his head and look at her.
The touch of Rossweise's fingertips conveyed a searing heat. Up close, this guy's cheeks and lips were entirely red, and traces of tears lingered at the corners of his eyes.
She lightly used her thumb to brush over Leon's burning lower lip without applying much pressure.
"If you want to boost your energy, you can ask Anna for some coffee or something. How is this any different from self-harm?"
"I drank coffee for half a year when I was in school. The more I drank, the more tolerant I became. It didn't work anymore. Chili peppers are much more effective," Leon replied.
"But these are dragon peppers. You, a human, probably can't handle—"
"Don't underestimate me."
'Ah.'
Once he got stubborn, it was just like Rossweise herself—completely immovable, even by eight oxen.
Rossweise gave a snorting laugh, withdrew her hand, and let him be.
Leon pressed his numb lips together. Deep down, he actually liked it when Rossweise touched his face.
Not because of any strange fetish, but because Rossweise's fingertips were cool and soothing. When they touched his overheated cheeks, it felt very comfortable.
Not like the sharp chill of ice, but a soft, refreshing coolness.
Unfortunately... he couldn't outright ask Rossweise to touch his face more often.
Just imagining it felt a bit perverted.
"Get some rest earlier. Don't eat too many chili peppers. If your mouth gets ruined by the heat, you'll have to teach Noah using sign language."
With that, the queen clicked her high heels as she leisurely left the bedroom.
The door lock clicked, and light from the hallway spilled through the crack as Rossweise exited the room.
Leon breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though a weight had lifted. After confirming that Rossweise was far away, he took out that medicinal book again and resumed flipping through it.
Finally, in the last book and a specific section, he found a medication that seemed to fit his needs.
However, the name of the medicine was undeniably...
"Dragon... Dragon Power."
Leon took a sharp breath. "How does this sound even more ridiculous than that Dragon Kidney Treasure earlier... Could it also be some kind of aphrodisiac?"
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