Chapter 271

"Rebecca ..."

Twenty years have passed. As a pure-blooded human who has never crossed the spatial rift, Rebecca naturally grew and aged in this world where 'Leon Casmod does not exist'.

She no longer possesses the erratic, neurotic quality she once had; a simple "long time no see" reveals her composure and restraint.

Although she hasn't grown taller, her fashion sense has improved dramatically. She wears slim-fit trousers with a black trench coat, which really shows off her figure.

The iconic twin ponytails of yesteryear have now been replaced by a single ponytail, presumably for easier maintenance.

Leon never expected to reunite with Rebecca under these circumstances.

He opened his mouth, suppressing his surprise and excitement, "I thought you weren't in the Empire anymore after Master left."

Rebecca holstered her gun and walked over. "Dad's too old to continue operating in the Empire, but I'm still alive and kicking, so there's no need for me to leave. Besides..."

Rebecca tilted her head slightly, her gaze bypassing Leon and looking at the three girls behind him.

Leon followed her gaze and remembered that Rebecca seemed to have never actually met her daughters, only seeing Noa and Mu En in photos when they were young.

So Leon introduced them, "Oh, they're mine—"

"Daughter," Rebecca said calmly, "I know."

"Huh? You guys... have met before?"

Before Rebecca could answer, Noa walked over, stood naturally next to Rebecca, and greeted her with a smile, "Aunt Rebecca."

A hint of displeasure and helplessness flashed across Rebecca's blue eyes. She sighed, "How many times have I told you not to call me 'Auntie'? It makes me sound so old."

"But you and Dad are of the same generation, so we can only call you Auntie," Aurorla explained slowly from behind, her hands in her pockets.

"Yes, yes, what my sister and Xiao Guang said is right!" Mu En agreed.

Rebecca crossed her arms, looked up at Noa was 1.7 meters tall despite being less than 1.6 meters tall, and coldly remarked.

"It's been years since I last saw you three. Have you only been growing taller? What kind of nonsense is going on in your heads?"

His ability to make sarcastic remarks has declined.

However, as Leon listened to his former teammates and daughters talking, he seemed to realize something.

"Noa, that very reliable informant you mentioned... is it Rebecca?"

Noa nodded. "Twenty years ago, you disappeared into a spatial rift, and the news spread quickly throughout the Empire. When Grandpa Tiger and Aunt Rebecca found out, they risked being discovered to contact Mom, and that's when we met again."

"Still in that mountain cave, Father and I have decided to stay in the Empire and see if we can find a way to reopen the spatial rift. If we can't, then we'll have to avenge you in our own way."

Rebecca said, "For twenty years, my father and I have been on the wanted list without interruption. Twice we were caught, but thanks to Martin's connections in the royal family, we were able to escape and fake it as an accident."

"Martin... how is he now?" Leon asked.

In Leon's memory, during the years he was captured by the silver dragon, Martin reverted to the cowardly boy he was at the beginning.

He actually hoped that Martin could learn to be strong and brave without him.

After all, being born into Royal Minister's household, being weak would only embolden the enemy to bully him even more.

"Martin has changed a lot since he dealt with Victor's matter twenty years ago."

Rebecca said, "Perhaps it's because he knows his favorite captain is still alive, or perhaps it's for some other reason, but in any case, your little fanboy is doing very well after taking over his dad's position."

"He... took over his father's position?"

"Yes. But don't worry, Martin hasn't been blinded by power. And thanks to his help, I was able to get the latest information about the royal family as soon as possible and then pass it on to Noa."

Rebecca said, "So, did you successfully obtain the Heart-protecting Dragon Scale?"

Leon shook the black bag that was full in his hand.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow, slightly startled. "You didn't actually take out all the dragon scales, did you?"

"A thief never leaves empty-handed."

"This is a serious crime, punishable by at least ten hangings," Rebecca said.

"What's the difference between ten hangings and one hanging?" Leon shrugged. "Anyway, the first one will be a death sentence, and the next nine will just result in being ground into mincemeat."

"I hate meat sauce," Rebecca said.

After exchanging a few jokes, the two former teammates looked at each other.

A moment later, they opened their arms and embraced each other.

Rebecca nestled in the captain's strong and warm embrace. Fighting back her aching tears, she muttered, "Twenty years ago, when I tried to hug you, you took a half-step back."

"Things are different now," Leon said.

Mu En blinked, regaining her composure, "How come the situation is different now?"

Leon:...

Do you really want to know, baby?

Because at that time, your Mom and I were still deeply in love. If I went out and hugged another pretty girl, would I still have any sense of male virtue?

But now your Mom and I are an old married couple, and we both know how much the other loves us, so she won't mind if you hug your old partner.

"Second sister, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Men are all like that after being married for a long time." Aurorla suppressed a laugh.

Rebecca pushed Leon away, looked at the person having fun, and asked calmly, "Little Pink Hair, what's your thought about having me as your godmother?"

"You just said we weren't allowed to call you 'Auntie'! Why are you bringing up 'Godmother' again now!"

"An aunt is an aunt, and a godmother is a godmother. So, would you like to call her godmother?"

Aurorla stomped her foot and turned to her best friend for help, "Big sister! Look at her, she's bullying me again!"

Noa waved her hand, indicating that she shouldn't be involved in such matters.

She couldn't do anything about Rebecca's words.

Leon blinked, understanding.

This is what they call "evil people will be punished by other evil people"!

When two sarcastic individuals meet, it's a battle of wits to see who has the smoothest tongue.

Clearly, Rebecca beat Hikaru to a pulp!

"Are you trying to get out of the city before dawn?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes, time is tight and the task is heavy. We need to continue to improve the reversal magic after we get back."

Leon paused, then added, "Oh, reversal magic is—"

"I know, Noa already briefly explained this when she exchanged information with me."

Rebecca said, "Although I didn't quite understand the theory of reversing magic, anyway... Captain, you're going to save the world again, right?"

"Sigh, I don't want to either, but my abilities are what they are, I have no choice but to go."

That's just right.

King B is back, with the same familiar recipe and the same familiar taste.

After twenty years of not seeing the captain act cool, Rebecca always felt that something was missing from her life.

Now my life is complete.

"But before we can save the world, we should leave the Empire first, right?" Rebecca said.

"Yes, but a few hours ago we kidnapped Nacho in order to find out the exact location of the Heart-protecting Dragon Scale, which has already alerted the Empire, so if we want to get out... the risk will be very high."

Leon said, "I plan to sneak to the city gate under cover of darkness, and then have Noa and the others transform into dragons and force their way in. The Silver Dragon Clan have a natural speed advantage, so shaking off the pursuers shouldn't be too difficult."

Rebecca's thoughts stirred slightly as she analyzed,

"However, the Empire has raised quite a few flying-type dangerous species in the past twenty years. Although most of these dangerous species are not as perfect as Dragon Race in terms of overall ability, their speed alone... is probably comparable to that of silver dragons. If the Empire deploys such dangerous species to pursue you, you will still have a hard time escaping."

"Is that so...?"

Leon was at a loss for what to do.

It's easy to get in, but hard to get out.

If he were to find a place in the Empire to temporarily lay low, Leon couldn't be sure exactly how long that "temporary" period would be.

There are now less than three months left until the six months Aurorla initially mentioned.

They were pressed for time and could not afford to waste it on a tug-of-war with the empire.

We must leave the city as soon as possible.

"How about this, I'll have Martin arrange for you to be transported out of the city using the royal cargo wagons."

Rebecca said, "Although the whole city is under martial law now, it's not like there's no hope at all. We can take a gamble. If we're discovered, it's not too late to force our way in."

Leon considered Rebecca's suggestion for a moment, and since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to accept it.

"How long do you expect Martin to get everything arranged?"

Rebecca raised her pretty eyebrows. "How about now?"

Martin arranged for two royal carriages to be used for transporting goods.

Although the city is under martial law, once the royal carriage appears, no one dares to go up and say much. At most, they chat with the coachman for a few words and then are allowed to pass.

After all, no one could have imagined that the empire's most wanted criminal from twenty years ago would be able to sneak into the royal carriage after just stealing the Heart-protecting Dragon Scale.

Inside the warehouse, Leon and Noa huddled side by side in a corner, swaying gently as the carriage sped along.

Noa curled up her long legs, leaning against Leon, and muttered to herself, "Sometimes I really wish my father were a top-tier sorcerer who could change size at will, so it wouldn't be so crowded."

"I don't know if a sorcerer who urinates or defecates anywhere is top-tier, but he's definitely rude." Leon played a pun with his daughter.

Noa chuckled and rolled her eyes at her. "Xiao Guang said your flirting skills are terrible, but I think you're quite good at it. So, who opened up to you first, your Mom or me?"

"Of course it's your Mom, why would it be me?"

"Hmph... was it when you first returned to the Empire? Your Mom held you and told you a whole bunch of things."

Leon was taken aback. "She even told you this?"

"Um."

Noa said, "Mom isn't good at expressing her feelings, nor is she the one who takes the initiative in relationships. I really don't know how much courage it took for her to say those things to you back then. She probably thought... she would never see you again, so that's why she said it."

Leon pursed his dry lips and fell silent.

Looking back on the development of his relationship with Losweiser, it seems that the most crucial turning point was indeed the day they parted for the first time.

Losweiser hugged Leon and said so much to him.

After returning from the Empire, she mentioned the "confession" for the first time.

Leon, however, never responded directly.

Noa's words just now did give Leon a wake-up call.

Losweiser doesn't really understand emotions, or rather, love, and she's not good at expressing herself, yet she's always the one who takes the initiative.

Leon still remembers the night when Losweiser wanted him to say "I love you".

On the surface, it seems she wanted Leon to take the initiative;

But upon closer reflection, isn't the reason why someone would say "I like you" simply because you've already developed feelings for them and therefore hope for a response?

That Dragon Queen... is so awkward and arrogant.

Of course, the same goes for myself.

"Hey." Noa nudged Leon's arm.

"Ah... ah?"

"After you go back, you must never leave your Mom again, okay?"

"After we get back..."

Leon was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood what Noa meant by 'after going back'.