187 Please Open Voice
Here’s Victor, just sitting there while Leon casually shares his grand mission to return to the Empire.
Now, as for everything that unfolded after Leon got captured back in the day, his connection with the Silver Dragon Queen, and those wild theories about Constantine’s cooperation with the Empire—Leon didn’t mention a single peep.
Because Victor is different from Rebecca.
That crazy girl had been vetted by Master first and then Leon—both agreed she was definitely not a spy before adding her to their senior citizens’ club.
Which means the traitor who stabbed Leon in the back had to be between Victor and Martin.
The more you say, the more mistakes you make. Leon wasn’t so caught up in reuniting with an old friend that he forgot his mission.
In the room, after hearing Leon’s story, Victor looked just as shocked as Rebecca had been.
First surprise, then he recalls being trapped in an illusion himself, only to snap out of it and find Leon already crumpled on the floor, bloodied.
“Oh, looks like it was a group illusion,” Leon said with a sigh.
“Yeah, too bad I couldn’t break free in time, otherwise I might have saved you, Captain,” Victor replied.
Leon’s eyes flickered as he scrutinized Victor.
That statement was quite subtle.
“Maybe I could have saved you, Captain”—doesn’t that imply ‘I’m not the traitor’?
Interesting, Leon thought.
But he didn’t show it, just casually said, “It’s cool, don’t sweat it. I’m good now, right?”
“So, Captain, what’s your next move? Off to find Martin?” Victor inquired.
Leon raised an eyebrow, and instead of rushing to answer Victor, he glanced over at Rebecca.
The twin-tailed loli was sitting at the table, messing around with Victor’s old guitar.
She had zero artistic talent and was just plucking the guitar strings haphazardly with a pearly white pick.
Alright, it seems like in this world, the only one capable of communicating with Leon through eye contact and activating team voice chat is Roswiser.
Leon brought his gaze back to Victor, “No rush. Martin’s family is… unique. We can’t just waltz in and see him.”
Even though Rebecca said Martin was always dealing with trouble from his stepmother at home, he was still the son of a royal minister, and meeting him wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.
Victor mulled it over, then said, “It’s actually not too hard to see him.”
“Hmm? You have a plan?”
Victor nodded, “In two days, it’s Martin’s stepmother’s birthday party—inviting all sorts of friends, politicians, and ministers. We can just disguise ourselves, blend in, and find Martin.”
Leon pondered, “That’s indeed a good opportunity…”
But… isn’t it a bit too coincidental?
Leon just got back to the Empire and thought meeting Martin would be a tall order, and all of a sudden, his stepmother’s birthday shows up—it’s not like she couldn’t have a birthday, but the timing is just too convenient;
Leon didn’t voice this suspicion, instead scanning Victor, his brain working overtime, and finally asked,
“How’s Martin’s relationship with this stepmother? Ah, I just want to make sure—will he definitely attend her birthday party?”
Victor’s eyes shifted, his weathered face expressionless, but he hesitated for a moment before replying, “I remember, they should have a pretty good relationship. He even gifted her a rather pricey piece of jewelry.”
Leon let out a long “oh”, then shot a glance at Rebecca.
The crazy girl had somehow crept up behind Leon, her cute face frozen in a cold expression, matching Leon’s gaze wordlessly.
Leon didn’t say anything, turning back to Victor, “This information is very timely, Victor. Let’s hit that party in two days.”
“Sure thing. Oh, by the way, what’s the plan once we find Martin? How will you identify the traitor who set you up?” Victor asked.
Leon smirked mysteriously, “I’ve got a plan for that.”
Victor blinked, then flashed a nervous smile. “Ah, considering I might be one of the suspected targets, I won’t pry any further.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
After a brief pause, Leon added, “Oh, and since you brought that up, I’ll be straightforward—just to be safe, I’d like you to stay at the bar for the next two days, got my drift?”
Victor wasn’t dumb; a guy who could serve as the deputy commander understood Leon’s intent.
The so-called ‘for safety’s sake’ wasn’t to protect Victor but rather to keep Leon and the others safe.
If Victor truly is a traitor, once he gets a chance to alert the Empire, it could spell disaster for Leon and the gang.
Keeping him at the bar while Leon and the others monitor from outside would effectively sever his connection to the Empire.
As for why Leon wasn’t worried about enemies lurking nearby—well, that’s Master’s job!
If the Empire’s folks were really out here watching, Master would have burst in to warn Leon by now.
Every member of this old, weak, sick, and disabled crew plays a crucial role.
Three rows of operations, the Speedrun Empire’s traitor dungeon.
Once Victor caught on to Leon’s intentions, he nodded, “Alright, got it.”
“Good, then thanks for your cooperation. We’ll be back to find you the night of the party.”
“Okay.”
Leon didn’t linger, standing up and striding toward the door.
Rebecca stepped out ahead of him.
As Leon passed the table with the guitar, he paused and asked, “That guitar looks like it’s been through a few centuries—don’t you ever change it?”
Victor chuckled bitterly behind him, “Life’s tough. If it works, we keep using it.”
Leon merely said “oh” and eyed the guitar pick beside the ear.
The glimmering pearlescent white.
Victor always tended to pursue detail and elegance in these little objects, Leon thought, stepping out of the room.
Shutting the door, the two left the backstage, weaving through the neon-lit dance floor and the smoky corridors until they reached outside the bar.
The cool, fresh air hit them, and Rebecca greedily inhaled and stretched, her flat figure showcased beautifully.
“What do you think? Do you think he’s the one?” Rebecca asked.
Leon frowned in thought, shaking his head, “Hard to say. We can’t jump to conclusions until we’ve seen Martin.”
Rebecca scoffed, tossing her ponytail as she bounced over to Leon’s side. “You’re still as cautious as ever, Captain.”
“A little caution never hurt anyone.”
“Yet you still got stabbed in the back by a traitor.”
“……”
Goodness, this girl might not be able to activate voice chat like Roswiser, but her verbal skills are right up there with Mother Dragon!
She really knows how to dig at Leon’s heart.
“But back to the main topic, Captain—what if this birthday party Victor mentioned is a trap? A ploy to lure you in and then silence you? Should we still go?”
Leon had already considered that scenario long before Rebecca brought it up.
“This is a good chance to connect with Martin. If we let it slip, who knows how long we’d have to wait for another one, so we have to go. It’s just…”
Leon smirked, “We don’t have to arrive on time.”
Rebecca’s little brain barely kept up with Leon’s line of thought, “Don’t have to arrive on time? You mean we should show up a bit late?”
Leon shook his head, “No, quite the opposite. We’re… going early.”
