180 The Empire’s Rebel
Sounds familiar.
Rebecca was absolutely sure she didn’t mishear it. Throughout her years on the battlefield, it was this voice that guided them through life-and-d*ath moments.
She looked at the tall figure in front of her, puzzled expression etched into her delicate blue eyes.
Her g*n-wielding hand trembled slightly as she gritted her teeth, trying to hold back the confusion and shock bubbling inside her. With a decisive push, she nudged the person’s back.
“Turn around!”
Her excited tone was tinged with a hint of a sob.
Leon raised his hands and slowly turned around.
After three long years, the moment Rebecca saw his ruggedly handsome face again, she could’ve sworn she was dreaming.
Warm tears overflowed from the corners of her eyes, her pretty little face displaying a complex array of emotions.
Besides shock and surprise, there was confusion, emotion, and relief—oh, so rich!
After all, the captain who was supposed to have died at the enemy’s base suddenly “resurrected” and was standing right in front of her! Anyone’s mind would be blown!
Observing Rebecca’s expression and reaction, Leon sighed in relief internally.
This wasn’t fake.
Rebecca had joined his squad right after graduating from the Dragon Slayer Academy, so Leon knew her quite well.
The crazy girl couldn’t hide her feelings—whatever was on her mind would show right on her face.
What was written on her face now was “Holy cr*p, Captain, you’re alive!” rather than “d*mn that Casmod, he actually didn’t k*ll you?!”
Leon looked down at the ponytailed girl who was significantly shorter than him and slowly lowered his arms. “How about we put the guns down and sit down for a nice chat?”
Rebecca snapped back to reality, still in shock.
She shook her head, clearly accepting that Leon was indeed alive.
But she still didn’t lower the g*n.
Rebecca tiptoed, arm raised, the dark barrel of the g*n pointed at Leon’s face. “Am I dreaming?”
“Of course not! What kind of dream do you have in broad daylight?”
“No, Captain, if I sh**t you in the leg and you scream, then that proves this isn’t a dream. Now, let’s get to it.”
Leon’s eye twitched twice.
Alright, alright, the Empire may have changed, but his Artillery Master hadn’t—she was still that neurotic girl.
Nonetheless, Leon calmly shrugged. “I already told you, your g*n’s empty.”
Rebecca froze, quickly lowered her g*n, and checked the magazine.
Sure enough, it was empty.
Then Leon pulled a hefty handful of bullets from his pocket. “It’s easy to find all those hidden guns of yours, Rebecca.”
Unsure yet if Rebecca was as trustworthy as his master claimed, Leon cautiously removed the bullets from her g*n.
When she went home, he’d see if she could chat calmly.
If she couldn’t, Leon wasn’t too worried about an unarmed artillery master.
Rebecca stared blankly at the man in front of her.
Spot on.
The captain’s aura of calm was something no one could replicate.
Finally lowering her defenses, Rebecca opened her arms to hug Leon.
However, this made Leon jump back a step, quickly raising his hand to stop her from getting too close.
Rebecca was taken aback. “Captain, I wouldn’t mind hugging a zombie that’s come back to life, but you’re the one refusing?”
“Things are different now, Rebecca.”
They definitely were different than three years ago.
Three years ago, he was a swinging bachelor; hugging him was no big deal.
But three years later, he was married, had a wife, and three kids!
Even if his wife wasn’t around at the moment, he had to uphold some marital responsibility.
Casmod’s ‘De’ means ‘manly virtue,’ no mistake about it!
However, Rebecca clearly didn’t know that her captain had become a “family man.” She interpreted his “things are different now” in another way.
“Well, during the three years you were presumed dead, the situation in the Empire has indeed changed.”
Rebecca tossed her g*n onto the couch and returned to the door, grabbing the big bag of snacks and fruits she had just bought.
Taking this opportunity, she peeked out the door to confirm that no suspicious characters were watching before retracting her head and shutting the door.
“A tad paranoid, aren’t we?” Leon asked.
“Of course! If the patrol team finds out I’m hiding an Empire traitor in my house, off with my head!”
Leon froze.
“Empire traitor? Who? You mean me?”
“Yep! Who else is here, Captain?”
Uh-oh.
He got married outside and came home to find out he was labeled a traitor?!
There was no more time to feel sorry for his master becoming a wanted criminal; it was time for the Empire’s rebel—Leon Casmod—to make an entrance!
Rebecca placed her shopping bag on the coffee table and stood back in front of Leon, arms crossed, looking up at him.
Leon swallowed hard and forced himself to calm down. “How did I become a traitor?”
Rebecca didn’t beat around the bush; she explained straightforwardly.
“Three years ago, we returned from a disastrous battle at the Silver Dragon Temple. We suffered heavy losses, and the king was furious. The public opinion in the Empire pinned all the blame on the Dragon Slayer Army. The remaining three members of our squad, as well as several main assault teams, were temporarily suspended and had their pay docked for three months.”
“A few days later, the Imperial Royal Family released the reason for our failure, stating that during the attack on the Silver Dragon Temple, we were interfered with by an insider, exposing the positions of all Dragon Slayer squads, leading to their downfall one by one.”
“That insider … or traitor, is naturally you.”
“Every failure in war needs someone to take the fall, doesn’t it? And you, Captain, are the perfect scapegoat because … ‘the dead’ don’t speak.”
Rebecca sank onto the couch, her pretty face darkening.
“After this news broke, I tried to find the army officials to explain that you weren’t a traitor. Then—”
The girl smiled self-deprecatingly as she shook her arms. “I got dismissed from the Dragon Slayer Army and was reassigned to the patrol team, where I just wander around the streets completing my tasks. No more encounters with dangerous species or Dragon Kings.”
Leon fell silent after hearing Rebecca’s tale.
The methods for dealing with the aftermath of war failures were indeed dirty, conforming perfectly to his stereotypes of the powerful.
Leon was well aware of the dark side of power struggles, so he never got involved with them and didn’t pry into ‘higher-ups’ affairs.
He protected the Empire not for those fat royal officials and ministers, but for the common people.
After a pause, Leon sighed. “Thank you for believing me, Rebecca.”
Rebecca’s small face became serious. She hesitated for a moment before adding, “Actually … there was indeed an insider among us when we attacked the Silver Dragon Temple, right?”
Leon frowned. “How do you know …?”
“When we had just entered the front courtyard of the temple and were set to continue our attack, I suddenly went blind and couldn’t see anything, my hearing also muffled. Luckily, this lasted only a few seconds. When I could see again, Captain, you had already … been ambushed.”
Rebecca continued, “The army’s positions were all exposed. Without your command, the Silver Dragons retaliated decisively, and the troops couldn’t hold up. Victor ordered a full retreat, but you were already on the brink of d*ath and unable to move. Taking you along could lead to the complete demise of our Dragon Slayer squad.”
“I insisted on rescuing you, but Victor said we had to leave you behind, or else we’d all d*e here.”
Victor was the vice-captain who replaced Leon in command at that time.
Apparently, Leon had been fuzzy and heard the team arguing over whether to take him along…
But the outcome was already evident; a lone artillery master like Rebecca stood no chance against the vice-captain.
That didn’t mean Victor was necessarily the insider who ambushed Leon.
In that scenario, leaving behind an incapacitated Leon truly would be the best choice.
Even if they took Leon, they probably wouldn’t escape the famously swift Silver Dragons anyway.
“Afterwards, I thought about it carefully. That illusion that plunged me into darkness must not have been cast by the Silver Dragons, because at that point, there were no Silver Dragon soldiers around, only … the four of us.”
Rebecca sighed in relief and continued, “But I didn’t share this thought with anyone. Otherwise … I might not even be tolerated in the patrol team and could end up being—”
She tilted her head, rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue, making a face as if she was being caught by sharks.
Leon shook his head with a wry smile.
The crazy girl is still quite sharp; she knows how to survive in this treacherous Empire.
“You’re right, Rebecca. It was indeed someone from the team who ambushed me. They used a very special weapon to pierce the Black Gold Battle Armor and my heart,” Leon said.
Rebecca raised her eyebrow. “Was it Victor or … Martin?”
Martin was the youngest son of a noble family and one of Leon’s fans.
Leon shook his head. “I’m not sure. One of the purposes of coming back to the Empire is to expose the insider who betrayed me back then.”
Rebecca clapped her hands. “A classic choose one situation! My suggestion is to take both of them out. Better to k*ll the wrong one than to let the guilty go! Need a weapon, Captain? I have plenty of guns; take your pick!”
Leon chuckled; he knew Rebecca was just teasing. After all, he didn’t expect a neurotic chatterbox to stay serious for long.
But Leon was willing to play along. “The way you’re talking, it sounds like you’re the insider, eager to take out the good guys, that way you win.”
“Yep, Captain! That’s exactly what I was thinking! You’re so smart—you deserve to be awarded your favorite champion trophy!” Rebecca replied sincerely.
Leon waved his hand, changing the subject. “So you were reassigned to the patrol team. What about Victor and Martin?”
“Little Martin naturally ran back under his noble father’s protection. But it seems he often faces trouble from his stepmother at home. As for Victor, since he was the vice-captain, he bore a lot of blame and was directly ousted from the Dragon Slayer Army. I think he’s now working as a live singer in a bar.”
Rebecca said, “The last time I saw him was a few months ago.”
“Sounds like they’re all having a rough time,” Leon remarked.
“Not as bad as you, Captain. You must have had it tough in the enemy base for these three years!” Rebecca said sympathetically.
Leon rubbed his forehead. “Uh, well, it wasn’t that bad…”
“Hey, let’s not dwell on that, Captain. I get it; it’s stuff you don’t want to look back on. What’s important is you’re back safe.”
Leon pursed his lips, turning his gaze away, grumbling softly, “Yeah…”
“Oh, by the way, Captain, how did you escape from that Silver Dragon lair?”
Leon silently facepalmed. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you—the enemy boss personally sent me back!
