Chapter 78: I Am a Security Guard
The number of merchant caravans entering and exiting the Empire has increased significantly, making it much easier for Leon and his companions to sneak in.
If there were only a handful of merchant groups, those security guards might have actually taken the time to search each one thoroughly.
But now the carriages were rolling in one after another. If they had to check them all, they’d barely get any merchants through in a day.
This would really mess with the officials’ precious tax collection speeds—heaven forbid!
It’s practically time to turn a blind eye, people!
However, the newbie guards, who clearly hadn’t yet faced the harsh realities of society, didn’t see it that way.
“Captain, is it really okay for us to not take our jobs seriously? Isn’t this just slacking off?” the freshly minted Imperial patrol rookie asked.
The man known as the Captain lounged back in a wooden chair, a smoking pipe dangling from his fingers as he exhaled clouds of smoke. “Kid, how much do you make in military pay a month?”
“Twenty gold coins,” the newbie answered straight as an arrow.
“Exactly! There’s twenty gold coins’ worth of work to be done. You can’t expect to do the work of someone earning two hundred gold coins while only getting paid twenty. That’s a recipe for disaster!”
The Captain spoke with the tone of a seasoned veteran, taking his sweet time with his words.
Yet the rookie was still confused. “What if something actually goes wrong?”
“Something goes wrong? Listen up, kid, the month is 69936135, and for twenty years, the Empire has enjoyed peace. Ever since that guy Leon Casmod disappeared, no one has dared cause trouble in the Empire.”
“Leon… Casmod?”
“Never heard of him? Well, that’s not surprising. It’s all ancient history now. I’ll tell you more about it when we switch shifts.”
“Oh…”
The Captain continued to puff away on his pipe.
Twenty gold coins a month is not chump change.
But it’s not nearly enough to warrant checking under every single carriage!
“Seriously, back in the day when I was leading the Dragon Slayer Army, I made only one hundred gold coins a month! And these security guards are raking in twenty while not even risking their lives? If I had known, I would have just done this job instead and saved myself twenty years of hassle!”
“But Dad, if you were a security guard, you’d never have met Mom, would you?”
“Ah, my dear child, that’s where you’re wrong! I never said I had to be a security guard in the Empire. I could have worked security at the Silver Dragon Temple and still met your mother!”
“Um… the idea of the Silver Dragon Queen marrying a security guard sounds a little sci-fi.”
“What? But her marrying a human isn’t sci-fi?”
“Shhh~”
Noia interrupted the father-daughter banter. “We’re about to go through the gate, everyone be quiet!”
The group immediately held their breath and huddled tightly under the carriage.
The merchant caravan came to a halt at the Empire’s gates for a routine inspection.
The so-called “inspection” was basically just a quick glance. As long as there weren’t any suspicious or dangerous items, everything passed through smoothly.
This loose approach, besides the security team’s traditional laziness, was also due to their reliance on the powerful Empire.
Just like the Captain said, aside from Leon, nobody dared to stir trouble in the Empire.
As the most powerful nation within human territory, anyone receiving tributes should be grateful, so who would dare scheme against it?
The inspection over, Leon and his daughters successfully blended in with the caravan as they entered the Empire.
They steered clear of a few streets, ensuring there were no patrols nearby, then seized the opportunity to crawl out from under the carriage and duck into a side alley.
Leon stood at the alley entrance, pressed against the wall, peeking out to survey the surroundings. No one seemed to be watching them, and they didn’t attract any attention from passersby.
Turning back, he began discussing strategies with his daughters.
“The informant didn’t provide the exact location of the Dragon Scales; just that they’re hidden in some secret fortress in the Royal City.”
Noia said, “To find the Dragon Scales, we’ll need to think a bit harder.”
Leon nodded.
He had figured from the start that it wouldn’t be easy to find the Heartguard Dragon Scales.
The Empire wouldn’t gather something like that for no good reason.
The Heartguard Dragon Scale is a critical ‘insurance tool’ for the Dragon Race. As for what humans would do with it, the possibilities were endless.
So, such a precious prize would surely be kept a secret once acquired by the Empire.
Noia’s mysterious informant already did a fantastic job uncovering that “the Empire is collecting Heartguard Dragon Scales.” If they could also learn the exact hiding place, the Empire’s secret departments would definitely be in trouble!
The enemy isn’t stupid; getting past the guards is just the beginning of the real action.
“I have two strategies,” Leon said.
“First, we can split into pairs and search the areas around the Royal City until we find out where the scales are stored.”
“Second, let’s capture someone relevant and interrogate them to get the information we need.”
“The first method is relatively safer but takes time.”
“The second method might yield quicker results pinpointing the hiding place but comes with higher risks.”
“My plan is to search in pairs first, and if we don’t make any headway, we’ll go for the riskier option. What do you all think?”
The three sisters exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement with Dad’s plan.
“Great, now let’s finalize the groups.”
Leon declared, “Noia and Little Light together, and I’ll pair up with Moon. Sound good?”
Moon sparkled her big, beautiful eyes and said excitedly, “I get to go on a secret mission with Dad?”
“Yep, are you happy?” Leon asked with a smile.
“Super happy! Like, ridiculously happy!” If it weren’t for their mission, the girls would wag their tails high in the air, but now they just tucked them away.
Noia gently poked her sister’s cheek. “Okay, little shadow, once we split up, remember to behave. Don’t run off and don’t hold us back.”
“Tss, do you still consider me a child, sis?” Moon pouted.
Noia lovingly ruffled her little head. “In front of this guy, you’ll always look like a child.”
“Hmph~”
After laying out the preliminary plan, Leon reminded them, “If you run into an emergency, avoid combat as much as possible. It’s best not to use magic. Remember our goal in sneaking into the Empire is to get the Heartguard Dragon Scales.”
Mentioning magic, Aurora suddenly had an epiphany.
“Oh right, Noia, if we really get to the point where we have to use magic, try to stick to just one element. Don’t use two at the same time. Dual element awakenings are incredibly rare, especially with both lightning and fire—if anyone in the Royal City recognizes Dad and Mom from back in the day, it won’t take them long to figure out what’s going on with us.”
Moon nodded. “Uh-huh, got it!”
“Okay, let’s get moving. No matter if we find the scales or not, we’ll reconvene here in three days,” Leon said.
“Got it!”
Noia and Aurora went on ahead.
Leon, meanwhile, took Moon down a narrow path through the alley.
Since Noia and the others had never shown their faces in the Empire, and over the past twenty years they had deliberately stayed away from encounters with the Dragon Slayer Army, no one inside should recognize them. They could easily stroll through the streets without disguises.
Now Leon, on the other hand, was a top wanted criminal from twenty years ago—once a Dragon Slayer hero, now a human traitor! His notoriety alone is textbook material for a sensational tale!
Even after twenty years, the risk of being recognized lingered, so to be safe, he insisted on sticking to the backroads.
“Dad, are we heading straight to the Royal City now?” Moon asked, trailing behind Leon.
“Let’s wait until nightfall. We can’t wander around the streets like Noia’s group. Nighttime will provide us the best cover.”
“Oh, okay!”
One of the perks of splitting up was that the girls didn’t have to follow Leon around with caution.
Noia and Aurora could move around much more freely since they had never stepped foot in the Empire before.
But with three of them together, they inevitably drew attention, so Leon decided on the buddy system for some support.
The father and daughter meandered down a small road until they reached the top of an abandoned clock tower. From there, they could see the distant Royal City.
“Now, we just wait for it to get dark.”
Leon gazed at the magnificent buildings, wondering what kinds of terrifying beasts might be lurking beneath their shiny exteriors.
