Leon avoided the topic of his wife—or rather, the female boss—and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
"Also, Rebecca, do you know what's going on with this?" He unfolded the paper, revealing a red-level wanted poster.
Rebecca glanced at it, not particularly surprised. "Hmm, yeah, I know. I was just about to tell you. Old man Tiger has been wanted by the Empire for about a year now."
Leon's mind stirred. "A year ago…"
Rebecca nodded. "It caused quite a stir in the newspapers back then. They said Old man Tiger is some kind of mad murderer, a lunatic or something."
"My master… has killed people?"
"Wait here, I'll get the newspapers."
Rebecca got up, rummaged through some boxes, found several newspapers, and sat back down on the sofa.
"Master of the Red Mill, casino owner, and the drugstore proprietor."
Rebecca spread out the newspapers and introduced them one by one.
"The Red Mill, a place for nobles to entertain themselves, full of beautiful women. Different prices for different services, if you know what I mean. But most of the girls there are abducted. The pretty ones serve the nobles; the average-looking ones work a few years before being killed and sold for organs."
"The casino, on the surface, is the largest in the Empire, but behind the scenes, it's involved in money laundering, black markets, loan sharking, you name it. Most of the money they launder is blood money."
"The drugstore sells various herbs, but in reality, it's a massive drug den, destroying countless families."
Leon ran a hand through his hair, aptly summarizing his master's actions. "So… it's all about the vices: exploitation, gambling, and drugs!"
Rebecca: "Yeah, besides, these three people have one thing in common: they're all connected to the Imperial family."
Leon nodded. "People without connections wouldn't dare venture into such gray areas."
Rebecca paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "Oh, right, Old man Tiger also killed two royal guards a year ago and dumped their bodies on the palace walls."
At that, Leon couldn't help but frown. "That doesn't sound like my master's style…"
"Yeah, I thought so too."
Leon pondered carefully.
If his master had been wanted for a year, wouldn't that coincide with his meeting with Rossweise?
So, after agreeing to the one-year pact with Rossweise, his master did return to the Empire.
And his master's purpose in returning must have been to help Leon clear his name and restore his honor.
But the Empire didn't agree in the end?
So, his master resorted to these "vigilante" methods to pressure the Empire over the past year?
This speculation seemed reasonable, but he would need to meet his master to confirm.
So, where should Leon go now to find that old man?
Should he return to the farm and wait?
That seemed like a waste of time and could attract unnecessary trouble.
Lost in thought, Leon had no clear direction.
Seeing the captain's confusion, the cute girl blinked her pretty eyes. "Old man Tiger might have some recent actions."
Leon's eyes lit up. "What do you mean?"
"The casino owner was killed by Old man Tiger two months ago. A week before he died, he publicly taunted Old man Tiger in the newspapers, calling him a crazy and foolish fugitive but suggesting that if he turned himself in now, he might shake off the foolishness. And then… Old man Tiger took him out. At the time, the security forces had set a trap near the casino owner's house, waiting for Old man Tiger, but they underestimated him. Not only did the casino owner not survive, but Old man Tiger slipped away."
Leon grasped Rebecca's implication. "Are you saying someone recently taunted my master again?"
"Yeah, a priest from a church," Rebecca said. "This priest said Old man Tiger is Satan's puppet, an irredeemable demon who, even in death, can't go to hell and will become a wandering soul for life."
Leon wasn't particularly interested in the priest's pre-fight trash talk; he was more concerned with, "What's the priest's involvement with the vices?"
"I… can't say for sure, but I can hint at it, Captain."
"Huh?"
"What's the name of a craft similar to 'metallurgy'?"
Leon paused, thought for a moment, and then understood.
No wonder Rebecca was hesitant to say it; this priest was indeed twisted.
Damn it.
"But this taunting is even more obvious than the casino owner's. It's blatantly a trap, and it's definitely more tightly guarded than last time. It's like they're just waiting for Old man Tiger to walk into it," Rebecca said. "So, I'm not sure if Old man Tiger will actually go."
"He will definitely go," Leon said confidently.
"Why?" Rebecca asked.
"My master told me before that obvious traps aren't traps; they're 'contests.' With his personality, he's capable of anything to pressure the Empire," Leon explained.
In the past, his master had said many absurd things, and Leon had dismissed them as boasting. But now, knowing his master was actually a skilled expert hiding in plain sight, those absurd sayings seemed like life lessons.
Leon stood up. "Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing all this with me and for trusting me. Next, take care of yourself. Once I've sorted things out, I'll come find you to catch up."
Having gathered enough information from Rebecca, Leon was ready to move on. He took his sunglasses from his pocket, thanked her, and headed toward the door.
"Hey, Captain, where are you going?" Rebecca got up and caught up with him.
"I'm going to the church to meet my master."
"This time, the Empire will definitely send a lot of people. It's very dangerous, Captain. Even if you meet Old man Tiger, it'll be hard to break through the encirclement with just the two of you."
That sounded a bit off…
When Leon turned around, Rebecca had already slung two heavy firearms over her back.
Sshh…
Do artillery specialists have a pocket dimension or something?
She just pulls out guns whenever she wants.
"Are you… really going with me?" Despite leaving the Dragon Slayer Army, his former teammate could at least live a peaceful life now. He didn't want Rebecca to follow him into danger.
"Of course," Rebecca said firmly, her cute face displaying a determined smile. "Three years ago, I left you and sneaked back to the Empire on my own, but three years later, I won't leave you behind again, Captain."
.
.
.
Late at night, on the rooftop across from the church, Leon and Rebecca kept watch.
The area around the church was tightly surrounded by law enforcement officers and patrol teams. With such a setup, not even a mosquito could hope to suck a drop of the "metallurgical" priest's blood.
"Damn, they're not even trying to hide, huh?" Rebecca exclaimed in surprise.
"I told you, this isn't a trap; it's a contest. These guys probably think they've got my master's measure, so they dare to do this," Leon said. "But with so few people, they shouldn't be able to hold my master, right?"
"You're so confident in Old man Tiger? Speaking of which, I always thought Old man Tiger was just an ordinary old man, but over the past year, he's really changed my perception of old folks," Rebecca said.
Actually, Leon wasn't very clear about his master's strength either. But his master was able to earn high praise even from the stubborn mother dragon Rossweise, so he couldn't be too weak.
"Let's wait and see," Leon said. "They've been heavily guarding the place for about a week now. I wonder if we'll catch Old man Tiger tonight."
The two continued to wait.
In the midnight hours, Rebecca was already dozing off with her weapon in her arms. But the next moment, a deafening explosion startled her awake.
"Bomb! There's a bomb!" she exclaimed.
Leon quickly pressed her head down. "Shh~ They're here!"
Rebecca crouched down and followed Leon's gaze toward the church.
The huge cross on the church rooftop was instantly destroyed by a flash of lightning, raising thick smoke and dust. Within the smoke, a figure enveloped in arcs of electricity swiftly emerged. In his right hand, he held a long sword, its blade emitting a chilling light with traces of blood.
"Oh no! The priest has been attacked! Get him! Capture him!"
The patrol teams and law enforcement officers immediately sprang into action, surrounding the figure.
"Tiger Lawrence, you damned fugitive, murderer, surrender now!" one of the officers shouted.
Tiger, holding the sword, coldly surveyed the officer. "There are six children locked in the basement of that priest."
"W-what?"
Tiger sneered. "A bunch of idiots."
He said no more, raised his sword horizontally, assessed the situation briefly, and then immediately charged toward one side of the encirclement, intending to break out forcefully.
The law enforcement officers who had witnessed Tiger's skills didn't dare confront him directly. "Quick… release those monsters!"
At the command, several large cages were slowly pushed out from the alley.
Inside were large, dangerous breeds.
But unlike normal dangerous breeds, the monsters in these cages were all wearing specially made collars.
"Domesticated dangerous breeds… these Imperial guys have really managed to tame monsters," Rebecca exclaimed in astonishment. "Old man Tiger is in trouble. Captain, should we go down—Captain? Hey, why did you go down directly!"
Outside the church, four A-grade dangerous breeds surrounded Tiger.
They growled lowly, their crimson pupils filled with wild killing intent.
Tiger gripped the sword with both hands, facing off against the monsters.
The next moment, one of the dangerous breeds lunged forward.
Tiger seized the opportunity, pushing off the ground with his right foot, shooting out like a bullet. In the instant they crossed paths, the blade of his sword tore through the flesh of the dangerous breed, causing the creature to wail in agony.
But before Tiger could finish his move, the other three dangerous breeds pounced simultaneously.
This time, Tiger didn't confront them head-on but chose to evade. Even he couldn't handle the attacks of three dangerous breeds at once.
After creating some distance, Tiger looked back and saw the street filled with a dense crowd of patrol teams and law enforcement officers. They held rifles and were slowly closing in on him.
"Heh, Tiger Lawrence, no matter how skilled you are, you'll meet your end here tonight!"
Roar!!
With monsters ahead and a blockade behind; no way out above, and no escape below.
Tiger tightened his grip on the sword handle. "This is troublesome…"
But just as the situation became dire, a blue light suddenly surged from the other end of the street. Arcs of electricity dispersed the crowd like a raging flood, forcibly clearing a path.
Seeing the dazzling lightning, Tiger was first startled, then he hoisted the sword over his shoulder, revealing a relieved smile, murmuring to himself, "Kid, stay safe out there."
The lightning faded, and Leon stood at the end of the cleared path, his black hair fluttering in the wind, his eyes sharp.
"Master," he said, his voice steady. "I'm back."
Tiger looked at his disciple, a trace of emotion flickering in his eyes. Then he grinned, his familiar, roguish smile returning. "Took you long enough, kid. Let's clean up this mess together."