Just as Leon was about to take a step, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to the guard and said,
"Do not forget to restore the barrier. We would not want any enemies sneaking in."
"You are right, my lord!"
The guard immediately turned to his companion, and together they restored the barrier to its operational state.
"Take care, my lord."
"Mm."
The father and daughter exchanged a glance, then began to walk away.
But they had taken only a few steps when a young guard suddenly called out, "My lord, what… what is in the pouch at your waist?"
Leon stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes in resignation, and let out a slow sigh.
The other guards also began to notice something was amiss and grew alert.
"My lord, I do not recall you having that pouch when you entered. We need to inspect it."
"My lord, please cooperate and slowly step back—ugh!"
Before the guard could finish, a shadow flashed before him. A fist, moving too fast for the eye to see, struck him hard in the abdomen, leaving no time to react.
The nearby guards reacted swiftly. "Sound the alarm! There is an intrud—!"
"Ahh!"
Noah, springing from the ground, delivered a flying knee to another guard's face, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Leon swiftly subdued the guard attempting to trigger the alarm.
One guard remained.
Seeing his three colleagues incapacitated in the blink of an eye, the last guard dropped to his knees in surrender. A wise man knows when to retreat—better to live and fight another day.
Leon snorted coldly, walked over, and delivered a precise chop to the guard's neck, rendering him unconscious.
"Good thing we made them restore the barrier before we acted. If it had remained deactivated for too long, the Royal Mages would have noticed," Leon said, looking over at his daughter.
"Let us go, Miss Noah."
Noah shot him a playful glare, muttering under her breath, "Show-off."
Working in seamless tandem, father and daughter had secured the dragon scales and were ready to make their escape.
They retraced their steps, heading for the secret passage out of the Imperial City, located not far ahead.
Once through it, they could devise a plan to exit the Empire and use the stolen Heart Scales to help Aurora complete the reversal spell.
Then… return to the past—
"Who goes there?!"
"Halt where you are!"
"By decree of the royal family: due to the disappearance of a key official, no one is permitted to move freely within the Imperial City!"
"State your name and rank, and step forward slowly!"
Leon's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure.
"As expected… it was never going to be that easy," Leon said, his voice low.
"Noah, take the scales and fly and get out of the wall and get out of here. Ignore the sensory barrier. Once you are outside the Imperial City, find your sisters and find a way out of the Empire. Get back to your mother and complete the reversal spell."
With that, he handed the pouch of dragon scales to Noah.
The Empire's response was swift, far too swift. Nacho had been missing for only two hours, and they had already locked down the entire Imperial City.
Just moments ago, Leon had managed to fool a few guards with a stolen passcode. But now, such tricks were useless. This was the Empire's heartland, and no matter how careful they were, the risks were immense.
They had anticipated this, of course. Stealing something as precious as the Heart Scales was never going to be straightforward.
The best course of action now was for Leon to stay behind, hold off the Imperial forces, and allow Noah and her two sisters—who could fly—to escape with the scales.
Noah stared at the black pouch in her hands, her expression grim.
"No. That plan will not work."
For the first time, Noah outright rejected Leon's proposed course of action.
Leon looked at her in surprise, about to say, Your dad is plenty capable; I will find my way back to you.
But Noah cut him off. "I am not leaving you behind again. We go together."
Her tone was determined, her fierce gaze a perfect mirror of Rossweise's.
After a brief pause, Noah hurriedly added a more practical reason, "Besides, only you can be sent back via the reversal spell. If something happens to you, escaping with the scales is meaningless."
Mmm, the logical argument should have come first, but she led with her emotions—just like Rossweise!
Ah, she is truly my daughter, Leon thought, a surge of paternal pride warming his chest.
But there was no time for sentiment. He nodded. "Alright. Then we go together."
His initial plan—a heroic last stand, a sacrificial play leading to a dramatic, tearful reunion after everyone thought he was lost—had been vetoed by his stubborn eldest daughter.
She insisted they stay together, even though in the three months since their reunion, she still had not called him "Dad."
Yet, her obstinacy did nothing to diminish the strength of her deepest desire: to never be separated from her family again.
Their brief discussion concluded just as a shout came from the group ahead:
"Seize them! That man is Leon Cosmodeous! I would never forget that face!"
So, someone had recognized him after all.
"Really? Is it because I am too handsome?"
"Cut the crap, old man," Noah said, a smirk tugging at her lips.
With that, Noah spread her magnificent dragon wings and, gripping Leon by his arms, effortlessly lifted him over the high outer wall of the Imperial City.
As they soared over, both Leon and Noah felt the familiar resistance of the invisible barrier. Breaching it meant their pursuers would now know their exact trajectory.
Once clear of the wall, Leon instructed, "Using your dragon form here would make you too conspicuous. Save it for the city gates. Using it within the city will only lead the patrols right to us."
Noah nodded, retracting her wings.
The two landed nimbly on the other side, while the guards were forced to scramble for ladders or take long detours, buying Leon and Noah precious moments.
They quickly put distance between themselves and the Imperial City, ducking into a pre-arranged dark alley where Muen and Aurora waited with a carriage.
"No time to retrieve the hostages. We must be out of the Empire before dawn," Leon declared, leaping into the carriage.
"We have the scales. Avoid engagement if possible. There is no need to entangle ourselves with these people."
The last thing one wanted in enemy territory was a protracted battle. Though Leon's strength had recovered considerably, he saw no reason to take further risks by engaging the Empire's forces.
He never forgot the true purpose of this perilous return—the Heart Scales. Now that they had them, a swift retreat was the priority.
Aurora snapped the reins, and with a sharp whinny, the carriage lurched forward and sped down the cobblestone street.
Sitting inside the violently shaking carriage, Leon felt a wave of nostalgia. "This scene… feels familiar."
Noah glanced up at him. "What? Have you been caught stealing before?"
Leon did not elaborate, instead quipping, "I stole your mother's heart and got captured by her for three years."
"Ugh, thanks for that. I think I am going to be sick."
Why is it that when Mom tells that story, it is so romantic and moving, but when this guy tells it, it feels like a cheap comedy?
Leon's corny joke momentarily eased the tension.
He stood and stepped to the back of the carriage to check their pursuers. Patrol squads were already in hot pursuit.
Leon raised his right hand, gathering crackling magical energy in his palm.
In the next moment, a ferocious wolf composed entirely of lightning leaped from his hand, charging directly into the ranks of the pursuing soldiers.
"A-rank Lightning Magic: Thunder Wolf"
But as Leon had anticipated, fighting on enemy ground was all disadvantage.
More and more patrol squads poured into the streets, joining the chase.
Yet that was not the worst of it.
Noah looked up to see three figures leaping effortlessly across the rooftops, closing in on the carriage from both sides.
"It is the Blade Unit…" Noah muttered darkly.
Leon followed her gaze. Sure enough, those three moved with an agility far surpassing the common patrols.
"Hey, hey, hey! Uncle down there, driving the carriage! Mind giving us a lift?" Blade Three shouted down, his voice dripping with mockery.
Leon was taken aback for a moment before retorting, "Who are you calling Uncle?!"
"Leon Cosmodeous, I know you. You must be in your forties by now, right? A man in his forties is an old man," taunted the leader of the trio, Blade One.
"Captain, even though according to the timeline he is in his forties, why does he look like he is only in his twenties?" Blade Two inquired.
"I do not know, perhaps… he uses a very good skincare routine? It does not matter. Once I knock him down, I will ask him for his secret to eternal youth!" Blade One replied.
Leon narrowed his eyes slightly. "What grandiose words."
Someone with such a flippant, neurotic personality was never an easy opponent.
Leon was not in the mood for a fight.
After a few more verbal exchanges, he stopped responding to the trio's provocations.
But the appearance of the "Blade Unit" meant this would not be resolved easily.
"Hey! Cosmodeous! Where have you hidden Nacho? He still owes us a meal!" Blade One continued his taunts.
Leon ignored him, raising his hand again to cast another lightning spell, thinning the ranks of their pursuers.
"Hmph, daring to ignore me. You should have stayed buried, old man… Take this!" Blade One shouted, launching his attack.
As he spoke, Blade One gathered magical energy between his hands, forming a pulsating white energy sphere that he hurled directly at the speeding carriage.
The orb struck the ground beside the carriage with a deafening explosion, the shockwave rattling the vehicle.
But that was merely the opening salvo.
In the next second, a barrage of similar energy orbs rained down from the rooftops on both sides of the street.
Aurora, gripping the reins tightly, skillfully swerved the carriage at high speed, narrowly avoiding the blasts.
"Dad, do you want to fight back? I almost got hit just now!" Aurora shouted from the driver's seat.
"You just focus on driving. Leave the strategy to your father," Leon replied calmly.
His mind raced, quickly sifting through his arsenal of skills.
Soon, he formulated a countermeasure.
He jumped onto the roof of the carriage, crouching low to maintain his balance against the violent swaying.
"Hey, old man, finally ready to get serious with us?" Blade One taunted from the rooftops.
Leon did not respond.
He raised his right hand high, lightning energy crackling and coalescing in his palm.
Blade One raised an eyebrow. "What move is that, old man? 'Heavenly Thunder?' 'Thunder Wolf Breaker?' Or your signature 'Chidori'? Let me tell you, those old tricks will not work on us!"
As Blade One finished speaking, the other two members of the trio braced for their next assault.
But just as they were about to strike, the lightning in Leon's palm erupted with an impossibly brilliant, blinding light.
The radiance illuminated the entire night, turning the darkness into stark, faux daylight.
The Blade Unit's vision was completely overwhelmed, rendering them momentarily sightless.
B-rank Lightning Magic: Polar Daylight.
A supremely useful support spell.
After a few seconds, the light dissipated, and Blade One's vision returned.
He looked down the street, only to see the carriage had sped far into the distance. He had been completely outmaneuvered.
Blade One gritted his teeth in fury. "After them! Get that guy! I want to see if the former 'Greatest Dragon Slayer' is only good at cheap tricks like this!"
The trio quickened their pace, giving chase.
But they failed to notice that in the brief moment of their blindness, Leon and his daughters had already abandoned the carriage, slipping away to hide in a nearby alleyway.
It was all a stalling tactic.
Though Blade One was neurotic, he was not stupid. He would soon realize the carriage was empty.
"Quickly, let us go before the other patrols spot us," Leon urged, his voice tense.
"Yes, Dad," Aurora replied, and the four of them melted deeper into the labyrinthine alleys, their stolen prize clutched tight, the hope of reversing time now burning brighter than ever.