Some time had passed since Leon sent the Lionheart Society’s mages to track down the remaining individuals who had undergone *Heart-Scale transplants*. In the interim, they uncovered a number of former Imperial loyalists—each one granted near-immortality by the transplanted dragon scales.

Leon, having honed his interrogation skills under Rosvisser’s tutelage, had little trouble extracting information from them. Piece by piece, the fragmented clues about the *former king* and the enigmatic *Shadow Lord* began to take shape.

---

### A Shocking Revelation

At a Lionheart Society meeting, Nacho reviewed the intelligence gathered so far. His expression was grave as he examined the conclusion now staring them in the face.

“The former king *is* the Shadow Lord?”

He rubbed his temples, still processing the realization. “I mean, we suspected it, but now that it’s confirmed, it’s still shocking.”