Leon did not swagger through the city gates.
The situation within the empire was unclear, and someone who should have been eliminated three years ago suddenly returning was bound to cause unnecessary trouble.
Moreover, General Leon had once been hailed as the strongest dragon slayer. He was something of a celebrity—perhaps not a household name, but back in the day, he could eat at any restaurant in the empire for free just by flashing his handsome face.
Occasionally, he would even receive flirtatious glances from the still-charming proprietresses. Ahem, ahem—a man with a wife and children shouldn't dwell on such messy thoughts anymore. At the very least, he had to pay for his meals now!
So, he had to sneak in. Leon hid in the shadows, waiting for the right moment.
At dawn, Leon finally seized his chance. He blended in with a merchant caravan doing business in the empire and slipped in unnoticed.
The empire's gate guards were as lazy as ever, barely inspecting the caravan's wagons. They just gave a casual glance without any thorough search.
Relying on his astonishing core strength, Leon clung to the underside of a wagon. After smoothly passing through the empire's gates and moving a few streets in, he climbed up from under the wagon and slipped into the cargo hold.
The hold was filled with goods the merchants intended to sell in the empire—mostly small trinkets and accessories popular among young people.
The empire was vast and rich in resources, serving as humanity's core kingdom. The surrounding affiliated nations also relied on the empire as their big brother.
Whether it was doing business or being bullied by outsiders, they would come to the big brother for help. Of course, big brother didn't help for free; he occasionally demanded protection fees.
The younger brothers were naturally willing. Offering some gold, treasures, and beautiful women each year ensured smooth sailing for the next twelve months, with no foreign forces daring to invade. That was the confidence the empire inspired!
Leon sat in the wagon's cargo hold, peering outside through the gaps in the wooden boards. The streets were bustling with people, as lively as ever.
Leon sighed inwardly. Three years had passed, yet the empire was still as vibrant as before. After traversing a few more streets, Leon quietly slipped down from the wagon. Before leaving, he grabbed a pair of sunglasses.
Celebrities always had to wear sunglasses when going out, especially a "dead" celebrity like himself.
Leon stood on the street, surveying his surroundings. After confirming no one was watching him secretly, he strode toward a nearby alley. He planned to visit his master's farm first.
Although his master probably wasn't there, Leon wanted to try his luck. Who knew if his master had left behind any useful information or clues?
He entered the alley, hands in his pockets, nodding casually as he walked briskly. However, before he could take more than a few steps, the corner of his eye caught several conspicuous notices on the alley wall.
Leon halted, glancing sideways, and his eyes widened slightly. Those weren't just notices—they were clearly the empire's… wanted posters. The highest level, red-tier wanted posters!
The poster featured none other than his master, Tiger Lawrence.
"How did my master become a wanted criminal?!"
The old man—and the donkey—had never harmed a fly in their lives. He always sought his wife's permission before doing anything, even smoking a cigarette. How could he suddenly become a wanted criminal?
Leon stood there dumbfounded for a moment, trying to process this information. His expression turned grave.
The empire might seem as prosperous as ever, but beneath this facade, dark undercurrents were already flowing.
Leon reached out, tore the wanted poster off the wall, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his pocket. He then immediately left the spot.
An hour later, Leon arrived at his master's farm, his home from years ago.
Naturally, the farm of a wanted criminal had been sealed off. Several large seals were plastered on the gate. Peering into the courtyard, he saw it was already desolate and abandoned.
After confirming the neighbors weren't home, Leon vaulted over the fence, crossed the gravel path, and headed toward the wooden house on the other side of the farm.
The wooden house was dilapidated, with one side of the roof collapsed and the windows shattered, as if someone had thrown stones at them.
Leon circled the house first, finding no traps, then climbed inside through a broken window. As his feet touched the floor, the boards creaked, stirring up dust.
Leon waved a hand in front of his nose to clear the dust and began inspecting the familiar house.
The living room, kitchen, bedroom—all were in disrepair, showing no signs of recent habitation. At the same time, there were no clues or information left by his master.
Leon sighed, muttering to himself, "Could the old guy have forgotten that yesterday marked exactly one year since our agreement?"
The reason Leon believed his master might have left a clue was that since the one-year agreement was set by his master, the time had come, and naturally, his master would find a way to contact Leon or convey some information.
Since his master wasn't in the mountain stream cave where he had initially hidden, the only possibility was that he had left clues at their old home on the farm.
Yet, there was nothing here. Just as Leon was about to leave in disappointment, he suddenly remembered he hadn't checked the hayloft in the backyard. With nothing to lose, Leon headed to the backyard hayloft.
Originally used for storing grain and firewood, the hayloft was also where the donkey had stayed—yes, in Leon's home, the donkey not only had a place to live but resided in the hayloft. It was like letting a 200-pound guy live in an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Leon meticulously searched the hayloft, dust clouding his vision and tickling his nose. But fortunately, this time, he didn't come up empty-handed.
Finally, under the pile of hay where the donkey had once rested, Leon found the clue left by his master.
"Donkey, love you!"
The clue was written on an old piece of cloth, suggesting his master's current situation was indeed dire if he couldn't even find paper.
Leon unfolded the cloth. The writing looked like it had been scratched with red brick—not only was there no paper, but there wasn't even a pen.
Terrible, Master. Just terrible.
The content on the cloth was concise:
"Rebecca is trustworthy."
"Rebecca"
Seeing this name, Leon's memories stirred. Rebecca Clement—she was the female gunner in his squad. A chatterbox, a bit of a neurotic girl.
During the war, he and the other two teammates could completely entrust the flanks to Rebecca. Her fire support was always timely, and her marksmanship ranked among the best in the entire Dragon Slayer Army.
At the same time, she had a bit of "innate strength."
Despite her petite stature, she could skillfully handle various heavy firearms, which baffled Leon. It completely defied biology!
Oh, you say General Leon single-handedly defeating a dragon king also defies biology? Well, never mind. Back to the point.
This messy handwriting was indeed his master's.
High emotional intelligence: Uninhibited, a bit sloppy.
Low emotional intelligence: What the hell is this scribble?
If he hadn't been his disciple since childhood, others might have struggled to decipher it.
"Rebecca is trustworthy… Does this mean Master already knew about me being framed by a mole back then?"
After some thought, Leon wasn't entirely sure about this speculation.
If Rossweise had mentioned the betrayal to his master when they first met, then his master must have known and spent the past year secretly investigating his other teammates.
But if Rossweise hadn't mentioned it, then his master leaving this message might have been solely to give Leon a foothold upon his return to the empire.
No matter what—
Leon looked at the familiar name on the cloth.
He had to go see his gunner and find out what was going on.