Chapter 190

Martin scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "It's not really a matter of privacy. My relationship with my stepmother... isn't very good."

"Has she ever given you any gifts?"

"Give me a gift? Don't be ridiculous, Captain. I'd be grateful she didn't even see me off at the door."

Wow, it seems their relationship isn't very good.

Leon's mind raced slightly. "Have you ever given her any gifts? Like... clothes, bags... or jewelry, or something?"

"No," Martin answered decisively and without hesitation.

Leon pondered for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, then... I have no further questions. There's just one more thing I need your cooperation on."

"Captain, please speak."

"Rebecca will be with you at the banquet tonight. It shouldn't be a problem for former teammates to hang out at the banquet, right?"

"Does the captain want Rebecca to spy on me...?" Martin was also quite shrewd.

"No, no, no, Martin." Rebecca nudged Martin's lower back with the muzzle of her gun. "This is much more exciting than surveillance."

Martin looked slightly nervous, nodded slightly, and sweat kept beading on his forehead and nose.

But Leon expressed his understanding.

This has nothing to do with whether Martin was a mole or not. After all, anyone would be sweating profusely if a crazy girl pointed a gun at their back.

So, everything is arranged, and if nothing unexpected happens, tonight... everything will be over.

That evening, Leon, disguised, entered the banquet hotel with Victor.

As before, the master kept watch outside, and if there was any movement, he would immediately send out a signal flare, and then the old, weak, sick and disabled would all be given a lightning-fast boost.

Leon's insurance measures for the two "candidates" for the mole were very straightforward: the classic "man-to-man" tactic.

He stared at Victor, Rebecca stared at Martin.

In this way, no matter who the mole is or what kind of conspiracy they are plotting, Leon and the others will be able to find out immediately.

Martin used to be a support mage in the team, with relatively weak melee abilities, so Rebecca could easily keep an eye on him. (8)

As for Victor, being a perennial runner-up constantly watched by the perennial champion, he can't really cause any trouble.

"Huh? Where did Rebecca go?" the neighbor asked.

Victor the girl wasn't with Leon and asked her why. Nine

Leon, hands in his suit pockets—the suit itself was bought with Rebecca's salary, a fact she mentally added to her list, her mentor's pension was already in debt—replied casually, "O."

"She said she had a way to get close to Martin, but I couldn't be included because it would attract attention."

Victor frowned slightly. "Since she has a way to find Martin, let her come here herself. Is it really necessary for the two of us to risk being discovered?"

Leon's tone remained calm in response to Victor's doubts.

"Victor, I won't let any of you out of my sight."

"... Okay, I guess I oversimplified things." (Mai)

Leon didn't pursue the topic further, and stood with Victor in a corner of the hall, silently observing the increasingly lively banquet.

"Haven't seen Martin in three years. I wonder how much that kid has changed," Leon said wistfully.

As soon as he finished speaking, he glanced at Victor discreetly.

The weathered bar singer subtly shifted his eyes, a detail Leon keenly noticed.

"The last time I saw him was a long time ago," Victor said.

"It seems you two haven't been in contact at all."

Victor shook his head with a wry smile. "Without you, this team fell apart. Everyone went their separate ways and we're no longer on the same path."

Leon did not comment much on Victor's views on the players.

The banquet began at 8 p. m.

Today's main character, the birthday girl, slowly walked down from the second floor.

Martin's stepmother was his Dad after his first wife passed away. She was in her thirties and still had a charming appearance; she was quite a beautiful young woman.

She wore a black dress and had her hair up in a bun, attracting the attention of her friends and family as soon as she appeared.

This formal attire is classic; the long skirt and updo represent a woman's respect for the occasion.

But in Leon's opinion, it's not as good as... a certain silver dragon.

If Losweiser is the flower, then this beautiful woman doesn't even deserve to be a supporting character; she's far inferior in both presence and demeanor.

It's a pity I can't bring out my Dragon Queen to broaden your horizons and let you know what a real beauty is.

Next time for sure, next time for sure.

"All luxury goods, the Martin family is really rich," Victor remarked with a touch of admiration.

"Yeah..."

"Yes, the dress was custom-made by a shop that is very famous throughout the empire; the necklace and ring, needless to say, are very valuable just by looking at their size."

Victor spoke eloquently.

He's always been quite knowledgeable about these delicate little things, like his guitar pick, Leon thought.

"Especially... that hairpin," Victor said.

"Hairpin?"

"Um."

Leon shrugged. "How expensive can a hairpin be?"

Victor shook his head. "That's not a hairpin made of ordinary materials. It's made of ivory from S-class dangerous species, the Polar Mammoth."

"Polar Mammoth ... seem to be a very rare and dangerous species," Leon said.

"Yes, a long time ago, people discovered that the ivory of Polar Mammoth had excellent plasticity, making it the best raw material for luxury goods. Scarcity makes things valuable."

Victor explained, "But that thing is, after all, S-class dangerous species. Killing a mammoth would require a lot of manpower and resources, so ivory ornaments would sell for a higher price than normal luxury goods."

"Oh, I see." Leon didn't seem very interested in the thing.

Victor glanced at him and continued, "Later, the blacksmiths discovered that mammoth ivory was not only highly malleable, but also had excellent affinity with magic. After being enchanted, it could be used as a weapon with extremely powerful penetrating and lethal force."

As soon as he finished speaking, Victor looked at Leon again.

This time, Leon's expression became more serious. "After enchanting, it can be used as a weapon..."

"Yes."

Victor said, "I heard that the hairpin was actually given to this stepmother by Martin."

Leon slowly turned his head to look at Victor. "But I heard that Martin and his stepmother's relationship is not very good. Why would he give such an expensive gift to his stepmother?"

Victor paused for a moment, his expression remaining calm. "Perhaps it's to please his stepmother."

"Is that so? Okay."

Meanwhile, on the second floor above the hotel lobby, Martin and Rebecca stood side by side.

"Victor a lot," Martin said.

"Not everyone is like you, the young master of a minister, living a carefree life where everything is done for you." Rebecca patted his shoulder.

Martin gave a bitter smile. "If I could, I'd really like to switch places with Rebecca."

"Change? No, no, no, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist shooting your mean stepmother."

Rebecca paused for a moment, then asked, "How come you've gone back to your old self after the captain left?"

Martin shrugged and lowered his head. "People always need a guiding light. Without it, it's like a horse that has lost its way. After the captain's accident, I didn't even know who to look up to anymore."

"Little Martin, you should learn to grow up eventually."

"Why does it sound so strange coming from you Rebecca... You're only a year older than me, aren't you?"

"Being a year older is still being older, so what!"

Martin smiled and didn't argue with her.

The banquet continued.

Around 10 p. m., the birthday girl and her relatives and friends were all a little tipsy.

Martin's father was also frequently seen socializing at drinking parties.

As a member of the royal family, every banquet is an opportunity to expand resources and connections, and even his beloved wife's birthday is no exception.

No one paid any more attention to Martin, who had organized this otherwise normal banquet.

Rebecca looked toward a corner of the lobby on the first floor.

Then Leon straightened his flamboyant silver tie.

This was a signal that "it's time to retreat," Rebecca understood immediately.

What she didn't understand was why the captain would choose such a flashy color as silver.

He liked silver, Rebecca knew that, but she had never paid attention to her appearance or clothing before.

But when Rebecca thought about which Dragon Race's lair the captain had spent three years in, she understood the mystery.

"Ha, a married man with a repressed lust." Rebecca gave the most apt assessment.

"What?"

"It's nothing. Let's set off now, the captain has given the signal."

"OK".

Rebecca and Martin slipped away through the hotel's back door;

Leon and Victor followed closely behind.

Tiger had already prepared a carriage and was waiting in the back alley of the hotel.

The two groups boarded the carriage one after the other. Leon patted the partition of the carriage compartment, Tiger in front immediately understood. With a crack of his whip, the horse galloped into the night.

Inside the swaying carriage, Victor and Martin sat facing each other.

The two felt a little awkward when they met.

After all, Leon brought them together this time in order to find the traitor among the two of them.

They were both fully aware of each other's identities, but given the current situation, "playing the good guy" was the best option.

A true werewolf will not make a move until the very last moment when it is absolutely necessary to kill.

The carriage sped along for about two hours before they arrived at the empire's slums.

Everyone disembarked from the carriage.

Tiger leaned against the car, lighting a cheap cigarette. "Go on, kid. Nobody's going to bother you cleaning house tonight."

"Thank you for your trouble, Master."

Tiger took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled the smoke.

Leon turned around and led Rebecca and the other two into the dilapidated house.

Everyone was a little nervous.

Regardless of who the mole is, judging from Leon's meticulous preparations, he intends to end all of this tonight.

In the middle of the room was an old dining table.

The four people stood around the dining table, each on one side.

Leon faced Rebecca;

Victor then turned to Martin.

Who is the werewolf and who is the good guy? We'll find out soon.

The four looked at each other, exchanging glances, none of them willing to speak first.

Finally, it was Leon who broke the silence.