After a moment of quiet reflection, Leon returned the family photo to his master. This master, who had once risked his life for the empire, now carried this picture with him always.
There was no doubt the old man had grown very fond of his two granddaughters, even though they had never met.
Unfortunately, Leon hadn't had the chance to take any photos of his newborn daughter before returning to the empire to help his master.
Otherwise, he could have shown the little girl to him too. When people reach a certain age, their concerns aren't just for themselves or the next generation, but for the generations after that as well. It's all about that deep, familial connection.
Tiger carefully put away the photo and returned to the main topic. "You said Constantine invaded the Silver Dragon Clan?"
Leon nodded. "Yes. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but Constantine seems to attack the Silver Dragon Clan when Rossweise is at her weakest. I don't have much information, so I can't speculate further. But Rossweise did remind me of one thing."
"What is it?"
"Constantine seems to have been actively stirring up war and conflict among the dragon clans about a year ago, which is also around the time you returned to the empire, Master."
Leon's expression turned serious. In fact, he had already started thinking along these lines when Rossweise reminded him.
It was just… he was somewhat reluctant to follow this line of reasoning because the final conclusion of the investigation might be something Leon couldn't accept.
Seeing Leon's expression, Tiger vaguely guessed what his disciple was implying. "Are you suggesting… there's a cooperative relationship between the empire and Constantine?"
Rebecca raised her hand. "Wait a minute, wait a minute, you two are jumping from clues to conclusions too quickly. Where's the reasoning process? I don't get it."
"How is Master Tiger returning to the empire a year ago connected to Constantine causing trouble among the dragon clans?"
Leon looked at Rebecca and patiently explained, "Constantine creating wars and conflicts is just a smokescreen. His real goal wasn't to annex other dragon clans; from the very beginning, he was aiming for the Silver Dragon Clan. Even before formally attacking the Silvers, he deployed some troops near their territory."
"While everyone thought Constantine was just a mad dragon causing trouble everywhere, he suddenly assembled the elite forces of the Crimson Flame Dragon Clan and launched a lightning assault on the Silvers, even leading the charge himself, all to completely conquer them."
"When I confronted him, he recognized I was human. But within the entire dragon clan, only Rossweise knew I was human. She wouldn't have told Constantine; it doesn't make sense."
"So, if no one in the dragon clan besides Rossweise knows this secret, then the only ones who could are… the empire."
"During the Silver Dragon War three years ago, I was framed by a mole, severely injured, and left for dead. After the battle, everyone probably thought I wouldn't survive—even you, Master, your wife, and even I thought so."
"But who would have thought not only would I survive, but two years later, I would manage to contact my master?"
"After learning of my whereabouts, my master returned to the empire to clear my name of the false treason charge. However, the empire insisted that 'dead men should just shut up and take the blame,' and even falsely accused my master of murder."
"So, as my master just said, over the past year, he has been constantly pressuring the empire, trying to force them to concede. But the people in the empire aren't fools. An old man who had already seen through the vanity of the world and retired to the mountains wouldn't suddenly become obsessed with clearing his disciple's name."
"So, they might have already guessed that I, who was abandoned in the Silver Dragon Clan three years ago, might not be dead. So they sent Constantine to stir up chaos among the dragon clans, ultimately ambushing the Silvers to completely eliminate me."
"And after I killed Constantine, the empire had to get nervous. They had to quickly eliminate my master as an internal threat, even resorting to unleashing their Dangerous Types. Because they knew that once I returned to the empire and found my master, I might uncover their dirty secrets."
"So, to summarize:"
"First, the empire has a cooperative relationship with the dragon clans, and Constantine is one of them, though it's uncertain if he's the only one."
"Second, the mole who framed me three years ago was most likely acting on orders from the empire. Just using a 'dead man to take the blame' isn't enough to make them go to such lengths to kill me."
Leon neatly summarized the events of the past three years, while Rebecca slowly digested the information.
The master's expression was grave as he silently stared into the fire, deep in thought.
Leon let out a slow breath. He had thought speaking it out loud would lighten his burden, but it didn't. These were just conclusions drawn from existing clues, merely the tip of the iceberg. Countless questions remained unanswered.
Why did the empire collaborate with the dragon clans? What were their goals? Why were they so determined to kill Leon? So many questions weighed heavily on his mind.
He adjusted his mindset, glanced at Rebecca, then at his master, and said, "So, my next step is to first uncover the mole who framed me back then and see if I can get some clues about the empire's internal affairs from him."
Tiger naturally had no objections. "Sure, whatever you decide, I'll support you."
"Oh, I thought you were going to say from now on, you're no longer my master and I'm no longer your disciple. If I get into trouble later, I shouldn't use your name—ouch!"
Tiger kicked over the small stool Leon was sitting on, laughing as he scolded, "You think I'm helping you? I'm helping myself. If something happens to you, your mistress will tear me apart. And most importantly—"
Leon sat on the ground, raising an eyebrow. "Most importantly?"
"If you die, who's going to nail horseshoes for the donkey?"
"… Well."
Alright, so Leon's position in the family hierarchy on the human side was something like this:
Master's Wife > Donkey > Master > Leon
At the bottom of the food chain were these two—one henpecked, the other in a long-distance relationship. It was quite abstractly amusing.
After the brief jest, Leon looked at Rebecca.
His master could help him because they were as close as father and son, so it was natural for the master to support him within the empire's dual hierarchy.
But Rebecca was just Leon's former teammate.
Although they had faced life and death together many times and defeated countless monsters and dragon clans, this time they were facing a darker abyss.
Once they fell in, there would be no turning back.
Responding to Leon's gaze, Rebecca guessed what he was about to say. Before he could speak, the twin-tailed girl spoke first.
"Captain, I already told you during the day. Three years ago, I left you, but three years later, I won't abandon you again. So, for this reckless endeavor, don't even think about leaving me behind."
Leon smiled helplessly. "But this is really dangerous, much more dangerous than any battle we've faced before."
He could tell that this crazy girl had been carrying guilt all these years for leaving him at the Silver Dragon Temple.
Even after three years, she still held it in her heart. So now that Leon had returned, she wanted to do everything in her power to make up for her guilt toward him.
No matter what Leon thought, despite Rebecca's usual quirks, once she made a decision, not even eight horses could pull her back.
"No, Captain, I think loafing around in the patrol team every day, waiting to die, is the most dangerous thing."
Rebecca wore a serious expression. "Take me with you. I promise I won't leave you again."
Tiger glanced at the girl, seeing her sincerity, and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Your captain is already married with children. Don't use these cliché lines and dramas."
Rebecca frowned, made a disapproving sound, and promptly elbowed her "dad." "This is the bond between friends!"
Tiger clutched his chest, retreating sheepishly. "Alright, alright, the bond between friends. When the time comes, you can shout about bonds and friendship as you charge up to kill that dog emperor, and I'll cheer you on from below."
"Hmph, childish old man," Rebecca retorted.
After a bit of banter, Leon suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
"I can't use magic anymore."
Tiger and Rebecca were both startled. "What do you mean you can't use magic? Did your magic circuits burn out?"
Leon shook his head, holding his chest. "I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I can't gather magic anymore. I can only refine some magic during normal times and store it in… um, store it in a magic array on my body. But the efficiency is very slow, and I've already used up the magic I saved recently during tonight's breakout with my master."
Rebecca's mind stirred slightly. Among all the things the captain said, she only caught one key phrase. "A magic array on your body… Captain, why do you seem a little shy when you mention this thing?"
"Ah… shy? No, not at all. It's just a magic array, nothing to be shy about."
Rebecca narrowed her eyes slightly, slowly raising her hand and pointing at Leon's chest.
"Then what does it mean that there's a purple light flashing on your chest right now?"
Leon: 😰 What?!