182 Dad Has a Plan
The master and apprentice were back-to-back. Taige brandished his sword in front of him. “I thought our three-year reunion would be touching and heartwarming, yet here we are with this many spectators.”
“Master, let’s skip the banter with the enemies closing in,” Leon replied with a serious tone.
Hearing this, Taige was taken aback. “What’s this, kid? You haven’t slacked off on your training in these three years, have you? These dangerous species may be tough for me to handle, but for you, they should be as easy as sipping water, right?”
Leon swallowed hard, opened his palm, and the remnants of electric sparks flickered for a moment before fizzling out.
Awkward.
He had come back too hastily and hadn’t gathered much magical power.
That little wave of attacking earlier had drained Leon’s power.
“A lot has happened in the past three years, and it’s complicated. I’ll fill you in once we survive this, Master.”
“It’s just the matter of having two daughters. How complicated can it be?” Taige said nonchalantly.
Leon: ?
“M-Master… how do you know this?!”
“Your wife told me.”
After a pause, Taige asked, “So, the silver dragon is indeed your wife, right? Or is this a case of you two having a premature baby?”
“Theoretically speaking… she is my wife, and we didn’t just have two daughters…”
Taige: ?
“Ah, I see! Now I understand why you’re so scared. Turns out you’ve accomplished nothing in three years and have only been busy expanding the silver dragon’s family, huh?”
“I already said we’ll talk about this after we fight our way out, Master!”
“Hmph, come on then, don’t lag behind this old man.”
Leon nodded.
The duo spread out, and chaos ensued.
Although Leon had run out of magical power, he relied on pure physical skills and strength to force the three dangerous species back repeatedly.
Taige also realized that this kid’s strength had increased significantly compared to three years ago.
It seemed he hadn’t been focused solely on his wife and kids while at the silver dragon’s territory; he remembered to keep up with his training as well.
The master and apprentice worked in concert, maneuvering as they retreated to the side of the street.
But as the saying goes, two fists can’t fight four hands, and their opponents were numerous, constantly releasing various ferocious A-class dangerous species.
“Do these guys even think about the consequences? If these dangerous species suddenly lose control in the streets of the Empire, countless innocent citizens could get hurt,” Leon remarked.
“The Empire is not the same as it used to be, kid.”
With that, Taige raised his sword high, and blue light suddenly gathered on the blade.
Swish—
Taige slashed down with his sword, a crescent-shaped bolt of lightning shot out, clearing a path through the streets and creating an opening.
“Let’s go!”
The master and apprentice dashed towards the gap in the encirclement.
Behind them, hundreds of security officers and a dozen dangerous species were hot on their tails.
“Don’t tell me you came charging in here without any preparation to help me,” Taige remarked as they ran.
“Of course I prepared.”
“What kind of preparation?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, they heard the rapid pounding of hooves ahead.
The duo looked up and saw a horse-drawn carriage racing toward them.
On the carriage was a petite girl with dual pistols, her face terrified as she clutched the reins, yelling, “This horse won’t listen to me at all!!!”
Just ten meters away from the master and apprentice, Rebecca tilted back, using all her strength to pull on the reins.
With a sharp neigh, the tall horse raised its front legs and halted abruptly.
Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief, “Driving this carriage is way harder than shooting.”
Leon and Taige exchanged glances and simultaneously jumped onto the carriage.
Leon took the reins from Rebecca, “I’ll drive. You go in the back and help the Master deal with the dangerous species that are coming up behind us.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Rebecca beamed, finally getting to the part she excelled at!
She hopped to the back of the carriage and saw Taige. “Long time no see, old man Taige.”
“We can catch up later. For now, hold them off and buy me some time. I’ve got a big surprise for them.”
“Okay!”
Rebecca drew her dual pistols, flipped off the safety, and stepped onto the edge of the carriage’s rear, her azure eyes sparkling with excitement. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to hunt you monsters. Don’t let me down now!”
With that, she pulled the triggers.
In an instant, gunfire erupted.
Rebecca unleashed a torrent of bullets from her heavy weaponry, the flames at the g*n’s muzzle illuminating her face.
What should have been a “cute” little face was now filled with an exhilarated grin.
She laughed, the sounds of the dangerous species’ wails and screeches ringing in her ears.
Driving the carriage in front, Leon heard the relentless gunfire and realized that his artillery master was better described as a “manic beauty” or, to put it bluntly, a “crazy loli”!
If the carriage wasn’t so cramped, he was certain Rebecca would have dragged her massive fire elemental cannon from her yard.
Bringing his focus back to driving, Leon surged forward.
The chase continued.
Dangerous species kept bursting from the side streets, and Rebecca’s supply of bullets was dwindling.
She yelled over her shoulder, “Taige! How are we doing? I’m running low over here!”
Taige popped his head out of the carriage. “You just keep shooting; let this old man handle the plan.”
With that, he ducked back inside.
“Ah~~!!! Teaming up with an old grump and a clueless brute is so exhausting!!” the manic loli grumbled, ramping up her firepower.
Just as Rebecca exhausted the last of her bullets, Taige finally emerged from the carriage.
In his hand was a mass of black threads.
Rebecca tossed her overheated pistols aside. “Old man, what’s that?”
“Just watch, little girl.”
Saying this, Taige threw the threads.
They unfurled in mid-air, revealing a finely woven giant net.
The net slowly descended to the ground, and those cognitively challenged dangerous species were completely oblivious, all stepping right onto the net.
Taige waited for the perfect moment and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, arcs of electricity and sparks flickered through the net, while the monsters caught on it wailed in agony.
The high-voltage lightning rendered them immobile, trapping them in the streets while the security officers couldn’t pursue any longer.
“Nice work, old man!” Rebecca stared wide-eyed.
“Hmph, girl, you have much more to learn.”
The carriage sped away triumphantly.
…
The trio finally took refuge in a slum.
Leon pushed the carriage into the stinking marsh and found some fodder for the horse. After the horse was fed, he led it away.
Once everything was settled, Leon crawled into a shabby hut.
Rebecca was busy tinkering with her weapon, while Taige had huddled beside a growing campfire to warm up.
Leon settled beside the fire, sitting cross-legged.
Taige pried open a can of beef and handed it to Leon. “I wanted to welcome you back with some barbecued beef, but conditions are limited, so let’s make do with this canned beef.”
Leon chuckled and accepted the can. “Master, I never expected our reunion to be like this.”
“Hey, just being able to see you again is good enough. I thought the silver dragons had gotten rid of you for sure.”
Taige opened another can and passed it to Rebecca before turning back to Leon. “So, you came with Rebecca to look for me, meaning you saw the message I left for you at the farm?”
Leon nodded. “Yeah, I saw it.”
“What message?” Rebecca, having scarfed down half her can in lightning speed, blinked her large, beautiful eyes with curiosity.
“Oh, it was something related to a traitor. Your master said you are trustworthy.”
“Oh~~ I see. Looks like Daddy has a good impression of me!” Rebecca replied with a grin.
“Indeed, a good impression, but this is a serious matter; we can’t judge your trustworthiness based on a good impression.”
Taige continued, “That message was left about a year ago when I figured you’d be back soon. During that year, I’ve been secretly tracking you three.”
Rebecca gasped lightly. “You’ve been following us… and I had no idea.”
As a former elite member of the Empire’s Dragon Slayer Army, Rebecca boasted quite the anti-surveillance skill set (though forgetting to lock the back door didn’t exactly count).
The fact that Taige had managed to stealthily keep tabs on her for a year without her noticing was impressive.
This old man… was really strong!
Taige waved his hand dismissively. “It was just basic tracking, nothing to write home about.”
Rebecca pulled a smile that was more scary than sweet.
She finally understood where Leon got his laid-back, pretentious attitude from.
They both had the same flair for showing off.
After some casual chatting, Leon pushed for serious talk.
First, he asked something that concerned him the most,
“Master, isn’t Mistress with you?”
“Well, things in the Empire turned out to be more complex than I initially thought, so I temporarily moved your Mistress to an absolute safe place where someone is taking care of her.”
Pausing, the master added, “The mule is there too.”
“Oh… as long as Mistress is okay.”
Then, in quick succession, Leon asked, “Master, you mentioned the situation in the Empire is complicated—what exactly do you mean?”
Upon hearing this, Taige sighed heavily and began elaborating,
“Three years ago, after you vanished in the Battle of the Silver Dragons, the Dragon Slayer Army returned in disgrace, and the Empire pinned the defeat on you. Not only that, but they branded you as a ‘traitor.'”
“I didn’t know what happened on the battlefield back then, but I believed that my student would never betray his comrades or the country.”
“Everyone claimed you were dead. I couldn’t stay in this decaying Empire filled with power struggles, so I took your Mistress and left, thinking we could spend the rest of our lives peacefully.”
“Until one day, I found out a silver dragon seemed to be searching for me. Through her, I contacted the Silver Dragon Queen, and she told me you were alive.”
“After getting the gist of the situation, I decided to return to the Empire to investigate and clear your name.”
“I reached out to an old friend in a high position within the Empire, without revealing that you were alive. I just asked him to talk to those responsible for the Battle of the Silver Dragons about clearing your name, but they completely ignored my request and even tried to have me killed.”
“Two imperial guards blocked my way, and I knocked them out with the back of my sword.”
“But the next day, their bodies were hanging on the castle walls, and I was branded a wanted criminal.”
“At that point, I knew the Empire had fully rotted, and you were not simply a scapegoat; someone had deliberately framed you.”
“The only way to negotiate with those sc*m in the Empire is through ‘violence.'”
“Over the past year, I’ve taken down the head of the women’s support agency, killed the casino boss, and even took out a major drug lord. The Empire has finally felt the pressure, even resorting to using dangerous species to stop me.”
“I guess they’ll pull some crazier stunts next time.”
Leon silently absorbed his master’s account, lingering in thought before finally saying, “You’ve worked hard, Master.”
“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s been a year, and I still haven’t been able to clear your name. I still need your help.”
Leon put a hand on Taige’s shoulder. “Don’t say that, Master; you’ve already done so much for me.”
“Sigh.” Taige sighed deeply, adjusting his mindset before asking, “What’s your plan next?”
“Well… let’s first catch the traitor who set me up. He should be deeply connected to the royal family of the Empire.”
Taige narrowed his eyes slightly. “So you were indeed framed.”
The master and apprentice began exchanging the clues and information they had gathered.
Meanwhile, Rebecca sneakily swiped the beef can Leon hadn’t finished.
…
In the palace, on the city wall, two figures stood overlooking the Empire.
“Leon is still alive.”
One man spoke slowly, his voice low and commanding, “You failed. You couldn’t k*ll him back then.”
The other knelt on one knee, trembling. “I’m sorry, my lord… b-but I clearly stabbed his heart. He shouldn’t have survived…”
“Ha… useless.”
The ‘lord’ cast a glance at the kneeling man. “Tonight, he’s teamed up with his past comrade Rebecca and took Taige from the church. He’ll likely be coming for you soon. This was your mistake, so you’ll fix it.”
“Yes… my lord…”
“Also, you know quite a bit about the background, and the only reason you’re still alive is that the higher-ups are being lenient with you. If you fail this time again, you won’t even need Leon to deal with you; your life will be forfeit. Understand?”
“Y-yes, my lord, I will succeed this time!”
With a wave of his sleeve, the ‘lord’ turned away,
“I want to see the corpse of Leon Casmod within five days.”
