Watching her daughter, who had been following William and Melanie around all day and was now nodding off after just a few bites of cake, Emma lovingly cradled her in her arms, gently nuzzling the top of little Elie’s head.
“Elie really loved the fireworks you gave her. This wasn’t just her happiest birthday, but also my happiest day in years. To end it so joyfully, I have no regrets.”
“It’s nothing. Elie is a very sweet child, and I really like her too.”
Facing Emma’s almost farewell-like words, Leon, who had also made up his mind, didn’t try to dissuade her. Instead, he calmly asked in a soft voice, “Senior Emma, are you really prepared? Even if it means being exiled to the Deathscape by the General Bureau, you’re willing to perish together with him?”
“Yes…”
After giving Leon a guilty glance, Emma nodded slightly, her eyes filled with determination. “All my family is in the Deathscape—my father, mother, grandfather… They’re all still in Repentance City. Six years ago, I should have gone with them. Now, I’m just going where I should have gone long ago.”
“I see… Since you’ve made your decision, I won’t stop you.”
Glancing at William, who was still struggling to eat cake but kept poking his fork into his nose, and Melanie, who had already curled up in Anna’s arms, snoring with her little nose wrinkled, Leon switched to his “Performance Master” persona. He sighed deeply, putting on a show of melancholy as he bid farewell, “Senior Emma, then… goodbye.”
Seeing the desolation, loneliness, and an indescribable sense of regret in Leon’s eyes, as if he were parting with something extremely precious, Emma’s heart ached. Words of hesitation nearly escaped her lips.
But the pain and remorse of nearly two thousand days and nights over the past six years, along with the sharpening hatred that had been honed by that torment, successfully held back her emotions. The words she almost spoke turned into a dry, low farewell.
“Goodbye.”
After hearing her reply, the last glimmer of hope in Leon’s eyes faded. He let out a soft hum, smiled bitterly, then stood up from the table and took Melanie from Anna’s arms.
“Anna, let’s go.”
“Alright, I’ll call the carriage.”
After spending the entire day together, although Leon and Emma had been avoiding her during their conversation, the perceptive Anna had already noticed the unusual tension between her brother and Emma. To spare their feelings, she took the initiative to pull William out of the small cabin ahead of time.
After putting her daughter to bed and gently tucking her in, Emma silently escorted Leon out of the cabin. She then wrapped her arms around his waist, giving him a warm, soft hug. Her gentle eyes were filled with apology as she whispered, “I won’t see you off… Leon, I… If only I had met you sooner.”
“…”
It’s not too late, at least not yet! After giving her a deep look, Leon didn’t respond. Instead, he waved his hand, then cradled the still-snoring Melanie and slowly walked down the garden’s gravel path.
“Since you’re awake, get down and walk on your own.”
“…”
“Stop pretending.”
After walking a bit further, Leon couldn’t help but stop and pat Melanie’s tense little bottom, exasperated. “Who sleeps with their legs stiff like that? And your snoring is faster than your breathing! At least try to make it believable!”
“Oh…”
After being exposed by Leon, Melanie, who had been grimacing in discomfort, relaxed her body. She opened her big, darting eyes, cautiously glanced at Leon, then clung to his neck like a spoiled child, whispering slyly, “Big brother, Aunt Emma… I mean… will we… not be able to come play with Elie anymore?”
You’re such a clever little thing! Seeing that his sister had clearly understood something—perhaps even guessed that Emma was bidding him a “final farewell”—Leon couldn’t help but pinch her little nose bridge, exasperated. “Stop guessing! Aunt Emma will be fine. You and William can still come play with Elie when you’re not in school!”
“Oh…”
Responding half-believingly, Melanie blinked her big, watery eyes and asked curiously, “Then… what were you two…”
“Aunt Emma was thanking me for helping Elie celebrate her birthday, so she hugged me out of excitement. Don’t overthink it… Oh, and one more thing!”
At this point, Leon squinted his eyes in a “Bureau Director” manner, then threatened without any big brother dignity, “When we get back, if Anna asks, what you just heard and saw…”
“Heard what?”
Melanie blinked her big eyes.
“I was dreaming just now. I dreamed that big brother bought me a new doll, and when I woke up, I was already in the carriage!”
Wow, she’s even trying to blackmail me!
Amused and exasperated, Leon glared at Melanie, who was taking advantage of the situation, and said, “Fine, I’ll buy it for you! But this is the last time! You’re really…”
“Big brother is the best~”
After giggling and planting a kiss on Leon’s cheek, Melanie, who had been playing all day, couldn’t help but yawn. She then closed her big eyes and curled up in Leon’s arms like a kitten, murmuring sleepily, “Aunt Emma is a good person, and Elie is too, but big brother, you have to take care of yourself, okay? You still have to buy me… yawn… dolls… and you have to keep taking care of me… no backing out…”
“…”
Indeed, the “Performance Master” ability, while powerful, isn’t very effective against those who know you too well. They can easily spot the differences from your usual behavior.
Looking at his sister, who had started snoring again but was still tightly clutching his clothes, Leon couldn’t help but shake his head, then slightly curl his lips.
“Alright, big brother promises.”
…
“Clip-clop, clip-clop…”
“Doot…”
As the rhythmic sound of hooves and the sharp whistle of a steam engine echoed, a carriage with a boiler puffing white steam slowly pulled up to the roadside.
“Number 35, Bridge Street, Happiness Apartment.”
After handing the pre-prepared fare to the coachman, Leon stepped onto the carriage’s footrest and placed the still-sleeping Melanie on the seat. He then lifted William, who had been leaning against his leg, onto the carriage. Turning around, he said with a hint of apology, “Anna, I’ll be going first today…”
“Got it.”
After climbing into the carriage and settling Melanie on her lap, Anna interrupted Leon, biting her lip slightly. “Sister Emma is a good person, but you’re my only brother… I won’t stop you from doing what you want, but please, be careful.”
So you noticed too…
Looking at Anna, whose eyes were half-encouraging and half-worried, and then at Melanie, who was frowning in her sleep, Leon felt a warm glow in his heart. He couldn’t help but sigh.
It seems that even though the “Performance Master” can deceive unfamiliar true gods, for family members who know your temperament and habits intimately, it’s always a clumsy performance that can be easily seen through.
“Huh?”
At that moment, William, who had been leaning against the backrest, struggled to open his sleepy eyes, his little face full of confusion as he asked, “What’s going on? What’s big brother doing?”
“…”
Well… as long as the family isn’t actually too sleepy or lacking in emotional intelligence.
“Nothing.”
After ruffling his little brother’s head, Leon smiled and replied, “Big brother isn’t going home today. I’m going to do something that, if I don’t do it now, I’ll regret it deeply later.”
No mistakes, no regrets, no turning back!
“Then I understand.”
Nodding with a look of understanding, William struggled to keep his eyes open, his little face serious as he cheered Leon on. “Go for it, big brother! I read in ‘The Emperor’s Biography’ that a real man doesn’t fear before acting and doesn’t regret after!”
What kind of nonsense is this…
“Go back to sleep!”
Faced with William’s clearly off-topic motivational speech, Leon couldn’t help but laugh and scold. He then closed the carriage door, sending off his younger siblings.
After glancing at the sky, Leon wiped the smile off his face and walked out of Red Pine Avenue, waving to another carriage waiting by the roadside.
“To the City Administration District, Public Security Bureau!”
“Right away!”
…
This carriage, which had also been waiting at the intersection of Red Pine Avenue, had seen Leon and his family preparing to hail a ride earlier. However, it had been slightly slower, allowing another carriage closer by to take the fare first.
Initially thinking the opportunity was lost, the coachman was pleasantly surprised when the family didn’t all board together, leaving one behind who needed to travel to the distant City Administration District at night—a stroke of luck.
“That’ll be one silver wheel… Please, step inside!”
After accepting the silver wheel Leon had prepaid, the coachman, who had unexpectedly landed a big fare just before the end of his shift, chatted cheerfully, “Sir, are you with the Public Security Bureau?”
Leon, whose steps were a bit unsteady, nodded as he boarded the carriage. “Yes, I am.”
“Working this late… is it an emergency?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Ah, having cases this late, your work at the Public Security Bureau must be really tough!”
The talkative coachman glanced back at the passenger, whose figure seemed a bit blurred in the night, and turned up the small light inside the carriage. He then continued his chatty “taxi driver” routine, enthusiastically saying, “Speaking of cases, the Sun Newspaper recently added a special feature on unsolved cases. A female reporter named Nicole has been digging up all the unsolved cases in the kingdom, publishing them one by one, causing quite a stir. You’re not going back to work because of her, are you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Haha, she’s really causing you trouble then. I heard from other Public Security Bureau passengers I’ve driven before that…”
“Doot…”
The sharp, drawn-out whistle sounded again, momentarily drowning out the coachman’s chatter. The steam-powered carriage carried Leon away from the roadside, heading toward the City Administration District.
Meanwhile, the other Leon, left behind on the roadside, watched the carriage carrying the “him” who was seriously returning to work, and nodded in satisfaction.
To surpass the Taurus Director, the Third-Generation Bureau Director had truly gone all out when crafting his anomalous item. Coupled with the materials being upgraded from Holy Spirit fragments to a True God’s weapon, the new main combat anomalous item’s effects had been significantly enhanced.
Compared to the “Holy Spirit Pendant,” which truly altered matter with spirit, the “Desire Dream Infiltrator,” which used the power of the Dream Realm to erode reality, required a “dreamer” as a medium to exert its influence. However, its energy consumption was much lower.
Back when it was still the “Holy Spirit Pendant,” merely turning solid bricks into mud for a few seconds had nearly drained Leon’s energy, and the effect would quickly revert.
Now, after just a few words with the coachman and expending about 1.5 Taint Value, Leon had successfully used the coachman’s soul as a medium to pull a “Dream Leon” from the Dream Realm—a figure who would return to the bureau to work overtime.
Although this “Dream Leon” was only visible to the coachman and appeared as a faint shadow to others, it was a real entity. It would indeed get off at the Public Security Bureau and work a full night’s shift, not disappearing until the coachman woke up the next day.
The “Desire Dream Infiltrator,” which had created “Dream Leon” with just a few words, was not only highly covert in its activation, consumed minimal energy, and had a long-lasting effect… Even though its destructive potential was somewhat reduced, its functionality far surpassed the “Holy Spirit Pendant” crafted by the Taurus Director.
Truly worthy of being the second-best anomalous item smith, the Third-Generation Bureau Director really knows his stuff!
After silently praising the square-headed old man in his heart, Leon, whose steps were still a bit unsteady, turned and walked in the opposite direction of the steam carriage, pondering how to proceed.
After all, while anger can drive one to act, one must think through the consequences before acting—otherwise, it’s just foolishness!
For one thing, if that long-overdue Gold Nightingale Marquis were to suddenly die, the General Bureau’s first reaction would be to investigate Senior Emma, and they’d likely focus on me as well.
Given that the “Desire Dream Infiltrator” was modified from a True God’s weapon and had an extremely high rank, the General Bureau’s investigators wouldn’t be able to detect it. If they could handle something like this, they wouldn’t be mere investigators.
At best, the internal investigators might detect slight disturbances in the coachman’s soul, but they wouldn’t find any concrete evidence.
These vague suspicions would give me room to argue with the bureau, and the “me” who had indeed worked overtime at the bureau all night would help pass the simpler lie-detection tests.
Once those hurdles are cleared, all that’s left is to hold firm.
With the trust of the Bureau Director and the Taurus Director, as well as the recent merit of thwarting Aquarius’s plot and protecting the Watchtower Palace, I now have a “halo” of protection. Without concrete evidence, it’s unlikely anyone will push too hard.
And if someone still insists on pursuing this, I’ll find a way to counter-accuse them and drag them into a confrontation with a divine brain-eating demon! As for the reason… isn’t it obvious?
Anyone who suspects me must be a spy working for Aquarius, trying to frame a hero!
Plan complete! (End of chapter)
