190 The Elderly, the Weak, and the Cripples’ Den
Finally getting rid of the traitor who framed him three years ago, Leon didn’t feel the joy of vengeance. Nah, his mood was more complex than a five-dimensional chess game.
Did Victor really throw away his own principles over being the “second best forever”? Was there a deeper reason for him to become the Empire’s lapdog?
But Leon would never know now; after all, a corpse doesn’t chat. Just like how the Empire conveniently pinned the blame for their war losses and internal betrayals on the “dead man” Leon.
Of course, Leon didn’t regret offing Victor. Betrayers have no right to live! Letting him go wasn’t just a threat to Leon but also to Master, Rebecca, and Martin.
Leon adjusted himself and handed two handguns back to Rebecca. One was for executing Victor, while the other was the prop g*n they assembled on his first day back at the Empire.
“Ah, that’s where my g*n went! I thought it disappeared into some dark corner,” Rebecca said.
Leon turned away from Victor’s corpse and smiled wearily, “Not worried about losing your g*n?”
“I thought I’d misplaced it again, you know how messy my place is,” Rebecca replied, her voice serious.
Martin, clutching his aching chest, tried to defend himself, “Rebecca, my room is pristine! I’m not a shut-in; I just… prefer not to go out.”
“Not wanting to go out is a textbook definition of a shut-in! What else could it mean?” Rebecca shot back.
Martin had no comeback, shutting his mouth with defeat. He clutched his chest as he made his way to Victor’s lifeless body.
The former vice captain lay in a pool of bl**d, completely lifeless. After a brief pause, Martin sighed, “But why did Victor help the Empire frame the captain…?”
Leon slowly shook his head, “It’s pointless to scratch your head over a pawn’s motives. Let’s simplify it: Why was the Empire so eager to eliminate me?”
Coming from a family of ministers, Martin quickly proposed, “Could it be ‘a threat to their authority’?”
Ever since Leon graduated from the Dragon Slayer Academy, he skyrocketed from a regular soldier to the ‘strongest Dragon Slayer’ in just a few years. His strength and charm made him deserving of the title.
As his reputation soared among the people, he garnered unwavering admiration and support within the Dragon Slayer Army. For the Empire’s power players, someone like Leon was a potential threat.
He had considered this himself—perhaps they viewed him as a thorn in their side, needing to eliminate him to consolidate power. But this still didn’t explain the Empire’s collaboration with the Dragon Race.
Maybe these were two completely unrelated issues…
“I think the kid caught the Empire’s eye for more than just being a ‘threat to their authority’,” Taige’s voice came from behind.
Leon and the others turned to see Taige leaning against the doorway with a big sword in his arms. “In my youth, I experienced some things that opened my eyes to the Empire’s might and darkness. That’s why I often tell Leon to focus on fighting and avoid politics. Back then, Leon’s understanding of power wasn’t enough to warrant the Empire’s fear, so there must be something else at play.”
Pausing for a moment, Taige continued, “It may really have to do with the Dragon Race. This war has lasted for centuries, filled with numerous mysteries and conspiracies we can’t grasp. Killing Victor won’t stop the Empire from hunting Leon. We have a long way to go.”
Taige’s words seriously weighed down the atmosphere in the room.
Killing one traitor didn’t mean much. Victor was merely a puppet, and the real puppet master had yet to show their face. To k*ll Leon, they even sent Constantine, the Dragon King, after him.
What would be their next move? A stronger Dragon King? Something else altogether? Leon had no idea.
This ancient human Empire, standing tall on vast lands for a thousand years, held depths far beyond Leon’s current perception. He needed more time and deeper probing to unravel the layers of mist before him.
But before all that…
Leon looked at Rebecca and Martin. “The Empire will soon discover that we killed Victor. My hunt will shift from ‘traitor backstabbery’ to an outright wanted poster. Martin, you’re relatively safe here. Nobody knows you were with us tonight, and your father can protect you.”
Leon continued, “But… Rebecca… I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess. After things cool down, Master and I will escort you to a safe place. Master, could you take Rebecca to your wife’s family?”
Taige raised an eyebrow and scratched his head, “I can… but, you know, your wife isn’t exactly close with her family, and I’m not too familiar with them either…”
“Master, you’ve been married for thirty years, and you’re still not familiar with her family?” Leon quipped.
Taige flushed, “What does thirty years mean? Just because it’s been thirty years doesn’t mean we know everything… It’s not like we have family reunions or anything. Kids should stop asking weird questions.”
Now Leon was in a bit of a conundrum. “Is that so… then this might be tricky. How about letting Rebecca stay with Martin for the time being? At least she’ll be safe for a bit. After all, the Empire probably won’t just barged into a minister’s home to search for people, right?”
Taige nodded. “That’s a solid plan. Martin, what do you think?”
“I have no objections! Rebecca can stay at my place as long as she wants! I’ll prove to her I’m not a shut-in!”
“Great, then—”
“I object!”
The twin-tailed loli shot her hand up, “You three are here discussing my whereabouts, and I’m touched, but what about my thoughts?”
The three of them turned to look at Rebecca in unison.
Leon, anticipating her crazy idea, said, “You don’t mean you want to follow me and Master to be fugitives, right…?”
“Of course! Don’t forget, we’re the ‘Elderly, the Weak, and the Cripples’ team! Without me, you’ll just have the old and the sick—how unappealing!”
After a beat, Rebecca added dramatically, “And also, having a pretty girl in the squad is a must!”
Leon raised an eyebrow and skeptically asked, “You… think you’re a pretty girl?”
“Pretty… girl! How could I not be a pretty girl?”
Honestly, Rebecca did meet the public standards of a pretty girl. With her vibrant personality, perfect pair of legs, and signature twin-tails, she could easily knock down some preferences.
Unfortunately, her captain wasn’t into that style.
And she knew that dense guys weren’t interested in her type; they preferred pristine-looking silver-haired beauties.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t a pretty girl!
Preferences are subjective; beauty is objective!
Leon decided not to jump onto Rebecca’s landmine and turned serious, “But it’ll be dangerous following us. Have you really thought this through?”
“I already told you, Captain, fighting the Empire isn’t the most dangerous part; living as a patrolman is!”
Rebecca was determined, “This is settled! You can’t shake me off!”
Leon had suspected she might stay but never thought she’d be so adamant about it.
Well, if the crazy girl had made up her mind, there was little he could do to change it.
“Uh… Captain?” Martin piped up softly.
Leon stuttered, “You stay put at home and don’t get involved!”
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Martin’s abilities; he simply didn’t want to involve another capable rookie in danger.
Plus, Martin was different from Rebecca; she had no family or attachments, while Martin came from a minister’s family—his future looked bright, and he was at least guaranteed a stable life.
Leon couldn’t ruin Martin’s life just because of his own mess.
“No, no, no! I won’t be a burden to you, Captain!”
Martin promptly clarified, “I just meant that if I stay home, I can gather intel about the Empire and keep you updated. Don’t worry; I know how to handle this!”
Leon crossed his arms, deep in thought.
Seeing that Leon wasn’t responding, Martin continued, “Captain, let me help!”
Rebecca jumped in, “Yeah, Captain! Little Martin has been down in the dumps since you got into trouble. Now that you’re back, he finally has something to look forward to! You can’t just drench his motivation with cold water!”
Thinking it over, it seemed like saying yes to Martin was the right choice.
Leon sighed, “Alright, but you can only gather intel if it’s safe, understood?”
Martin’s eyes lit up, “Yes, Captain!”
Clap—
Rebecca clapped her hands, “Great! Now we can change our name to ‘The Elderly, the Weak, and the Cripples’ Den!”
“For the last time, I am not a shut-in!” Martin protested in vain.
Rebecca stuck out her tongue, “Shut-in, shut-in!”
But just then, the previously silent Taige spoke up,
“Leon, you can’t stay in the Empire.”
