Rebecca learned the location of Martin's stepmother's birthday banquet hotel through the Empire's local bounty hunter black market.
It cost her half a month's salary, and she requested to deduct it from Leon's account after the matter was settled.
Leon said no problem—if she could withdraw money from a dead man's account.
Rebecca smirked and said if he had no money, she would just take it from Dad's pension anyway; she never made losing deals!
Tiger touched his wallet, which was cleaner than his face, and wondered if he should sell the donkey to raise money for Rebecca…
.
.
.
Two days later in the afternoon, there were still six hours until the banquet officially began.
Leon and Rebecca mingled with the hotel staff, helping to arrange the venue.
Tiger remained outside Victor's bar, continuing his surveillance.
Inside the hotel lobby, the uniformed staff were busy, not daring to be negligent.
After all, it was the birthday of a royal minister's wife. The slightest mistake could cost them their jobs.
Moreover, they had heard that this minister's wife was quite harsh, which was evident from the troubled expression of the young man in charge of the banquet.
The young man's name was Martin, the minister's youngest son.
Actually, this task didn't need to be his responsibility, but his stepmother always had issues with him and put him in charge just to make things difficult.
And Martin's character was somewhat weak; he didn't dare confront his stepmother, so he could only grit his teeth and do the job well.
Even though he knew that no matter how well he did, his stepmother would still find fault.
But what could he do?
After that incident three years ago, Martin not only left the Dragon Slayer Corps but also became increasingly introverted and timid.
Over the past three years, whenever Martin was marginalized or looked down upon by his stepmother or others, he couldn't help but wonder: if the captain hadn't sacrificed himself three years ago, if their team hadn't disbanded, could he have been braver and resisted the unfair treatment he faced now?
But alas, reality offered no such possibilities.
The Battle of the Silver Dragons had been a disastrous defeat. They said the captain was a traitor, a criminal who caused the deaths of countless comrades.
How could Martin believe that?
He wanted to use his father's influence in the royal court to clear the captain's name but was met with refusal.
He also wanted to vindicate the captain through his own efforts, to prove the captain wasn't that kind of person.
But then Rebecca contacted him and told him to stop thinking about clearing the captain's name.
By then, Rebecca was already wearing the patrol team's uniform.
From that moment on, there was nothing left in the Dragon Slayer Corps worth Martin staying for.
He chose to leave, to return home and be his little young master, occasionally reminiscing about the days spent with the captain and Rebecca, and the version of himself that had gradually grown brave.
Lost in thought, Martin shook his head and continued directing the staff in arranging the banquet hall.
Suddenly, Martin felt something hard and cold pressed against his waist.
He tried to look down, but the girl in the work uniform beside him warned, "Stay natural, little Martin. Don't be nervous. If you're nervous, I'll get nervous too. And if I get nervous, this gun in my hand might just go off~"
Martin immediately recognized the voice. "Re-Rebecca?! What are you doing here…"
"Your stepmother's having a birthday, so we thought we'd join the fun," Rebecca said.
"'We'? Who else came? Victor?" Martin asked.
"No, the big star is really busy right now. When I said 'we'… I meant someone else."
"Someone else… is—"
Before Martin could finish his question, an arm draped over his shoulder, as familiar and friendly as a school buddy.
Martin didn't dare turn to see who it was because Rebecca's gun was still pressed against his waist. He could only steal a glance at the hand on his shoulder.
It was broad and sturdy, covered with scars.
"Long time no see, Martin."
At the sound of the voice, a surge of electricity seemed to run down Martin's spine, spreading throughout his body.
His eyes widened in shock, hardly able to believe that after three years, he could hear this voice again.
Martin would never forget the owner of this voice in his lifetime.
It was the person who had taught Martin to be brave, to discover the true essence of courage, to face his true self.
Without him, Martin would never have found the determination to join the Dragon Slayer Army.
Although his courage had gradually faded after the captain's "death," now, hearing his voice again, Martin not only felt incredibly shocked but also sensed the faint ember of courage in his heart struggling to reignite.
"C-Captain… Cap!"
"Shh~ There's no captain here. Just two hotel staff who happen to get along well with you, here to chat," Leon whispered.
Martin forcefully suppressed his shock and countless questions, taking a good ten seconds to calm down. His hand gripping the railing trembled slightly, and he swallowed a few times.
Seeing Martin gradually quieting down, Leon briefly reiterated his purpose for returning to the Empire.
"I've repeated the same thing three times in the past two days. Feels like I'm reciting a menu."
Finally, Leon couldn't resist adding a bit of humor to ease the tense atmosphere.
Martin struggled to digest what Leon had just said. After a moment, he spoke.
"So, Captain, how should I cooperate with your investigation into the mole? Just tell me what to do."
"Hmm? I thought you'd try to clear your name first thing," Leon remarked, because that's what Victor had done.
Martin managed a somewhat forced smile and sighed, "Captain, you're not the kind of person who'd rather kill the wrong person than let them go. I trust that you'll make the right judgment in the end. So, there's no need for me to defend myself. Just ask whatever you need to know, and I'll answer."
Just like during their battles in the past, Martin had unconditional trust in Leon and obeyed his orders.
This kid had joined the Dragon Slayer Corps because he admired Leon. After graduating from the Dragon Slayer Army with excellent grades, he was directly assigned to Leon's team.
He was a successful fanboy.
Leon patted Martin's shoulder. "Well then, since that's settled, I want to know if today is indeed your stepmother's birthday, right?"
Martin nodded. "Yes."
Oh, so it wasn't a trap or a scheme after all, just a simple coincidence.
But even so, Leon wouldn't let his guard down. He had planned tonight's arrangements carefully to ensure that he, his master, and Rebecca could safely escape even if they couldn't expose the mole.
"Also, how's your relationship with your stepmother?" Leon inquired.
"Uh…" Martin hesitated.
"Oh, if it's too personal, you don't have to answer," Leon reassured him.
Martin scratched the back of his head, looking a bit uncomfortable. "It's not really personal. My relationship with my stepmother… isn't very good."
"Has she ever given you any gifts?" Leon asked.
"Gifts? Come on, Captain, if she doesn't kick me out the door, I'm already grateful," Martin replied.
Well, it seemed their relationship was indeed not great.
Leon's mind wandered slightly. "Have you ever given her any gifts? Like… clothes, bags… or jewelry, perhaps?"
"No."
Martin's answer was firm, without hesitation.
Leon pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I don't have any more questions. Just one more thing I need your cooperation with."
"Captain, go ahead."
"At tonight's banquet, Rebecca will stick with you the whole time. Former teammates strolling around the banquet together shouldn't raise any suspicions, right?"
"Captain, are you asking Rebecca to monitor me…" Martin's mind was sharp.
"No no no, little Martin," Rebecca nudged Martin's lower back with the muzzle of her gun, "this is way more exciting than just monitoring."
Martin seemed a bit nervous, but he nodded slightly, sweat forming on his forehead and nose.
Leon understood.
This had nothing to do with whether Martin was the mole or not. After all, being threatened with a gun by a crazy girl would make anyone break out in a sweat.
So, with everything arranged properly, if all went well, tonight… it would all come to an end.