Chapter 408

The couple immediately crouched down, holding their breath, afraid that they might accidentally shake a leaf down and attract the attention of the people below.

"I'm so tired, when will the patrol end?"

"Almost there, just two more kilometers and we can pack up and head back."

"Two more kilometers! It's really not easy working for the Empire. You get paid a penny but do the work of two people."

Listening to the conversation below, Leon and Losweiser exchanged a glance.

"It is indeed a patrol team, be careful."

Losweiser nodded.

"When will these hard times end? Did you do this kind of work when you were in the Dragon Slayer Army, Walker?"

"Ah... I was actually fighting on the front lines at first, but then a royal descendant wanted to get some experience in the army, so they squeezed me out and assigned me to the patrol team."

Walker said this with a mix of helplessness and anger in his voice.

But this feeling is fleeting, and there's no need to keep bringing up those trivial matters.

"They squeezed you out just to get some prestige? Damn, those royals are shameless."

The female team member said, "Don't worry, Walker, once we overthrow that dog emperor, this kind of thing will never happen again."

"Hmm... let's keep going." Walker didn't really want to continue the topic.

"Hmm... but we've really gone a long way. Maybe we should go back and apply to have someone join the patrol team as an inside man."

"We don't have many people in the Lionheart Society, and everyone has their own responsibilities. You, just do your job well, gather as much dirt on the Empire as possible, so it will be easier to overthrow that dog emperor in the future," Walker replied.

"Ha, it's easier said than done. What dirt can the patrol team get? Will I even live to see the day this dog emperor falls from power?"

"Didn't Rebecca -senpai say that day was coming soon? And..."

"That man will be back soon."

However, that man is right above you right now, Brother Walker.

116 Appearing at a crucial moment

The outer city of the empire, a slum.

A ragged, lame beggar, leaning on a cane and holding a broken porcelain bowl in his other hand, begged from everyone he met on the street.

"Hey, no, no, move aside, move aside."

"You filthy beggar, get out of here."

"Child, you must study hard and leave this wretched place when you grow up, otherwise you will end up like that person, begging on the streets, understand?"

"..."

But people living in slums struggle to even feed themselves, let alone have extra money to give to a beggar.

The beggar continued walking down the street until the midnight bells rang.

He trod on his tattered straw sandals, searching for the source of the bell's sound—

That old clock tower.

The beggar stood at the entrance of the clock tower and knocked on the nearly rotten wooden door.

He knocked five times in total.

The first three beats are slightly faster, while the last two beats are slower.

Soon after, footsteps could be heard from inside.

Squeak—

The wooden door opened, and a small head peeked out from behind.

It was a girl with light blue pigtails, her bright eyes warily scanning her surroundings.

"Weren't you being followed?" Rebecca asked.

"No."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

The wooden door was ajar, and Rebecca let the beggar in.

Then she leaned out again to look around, and only after confirming that no one was there did she close the wooden door.

The exterior of the clock tower is dilapidated, indistinguishable from the old buildings in the slums.

But the interior is a completely different world.

Passing through the porch and opening the hidden door in the wall, you'll find yourself in a spacious hall.

The hall is fully equipped with everything you could need, including simple beds, a communal dining table, a kitchen, and an intelligence analysis station.

On the innermost wall of the hall, a circular badge hangs.

The badge features a lifelike lion.

The beggar, whom Rebecca brought in, took off his disguise and washed his face.

Rebecca handed him a towel. "Any news about the captain and the others, Nacho?"

Nacho Salaman took the towel and wiped his face. "No. Didn't you guys say a few days ago that you were going to declare war on the Empire? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

"The captain said he was going to find a helper, but it might not go smoothly."

Rebecca said, "But I think it should be soon. The captain always keeps his word, and it's something so important, he's even less likely to break his promise."

Nacho placed the towel aside, leaned against the simple washbasin, and looked down at the twin-tailed girl who was much shorter than him.

"I also believe in your captain; he never disappoints. Especially for someone like me who used to be on the opposite side of him, I can deeply attest to that."

Whenever Nacho recalls how he was ordered by the Empire to lead a group of dragon kings against Leon, he can't help but feel a pang of emotion:

Are you serious? You want me to fight Leon?

At that time, he was "assigned" at least five Dragon Kings, including Star.

However, within six months, Nacho was reduced to a lone commander by Leon.

Am I supposed to run a market here?!

As time went by, and after several twists and turns, Nacho joined the organization led by Leon, and together they rebelled against the corrupt empire.

A few days ago, I heard from Rebecca that Leon was about to return to the Empire and lead them to formally declare war on the current rulers.

But as time went by, there was still no sign of Leon.

Nacho had great faith in this guy, after all, he had personally witnessed General Leon's abilities and courage.

But--

He looked up at the other organization members in the hall.

"Our battle has dragged on for quite a while."

Nacho narrowed his eyes slightly. "Those who join the Lionheart Society are certainly ambitious people who want to rebel against the Empire, and there are many die-hard fans who admire your captain. But you should know, Rebecca, some of these people are also eager to take revenge on the Empire."

Rebecca also turned to look at the members of the Lionheart Society, her little face full of solemn expression.

She remained silent, waiting for Nacho to continue.

"Everyone is holding their breath, just waiting for Leon to come back and lead everyone to truly sound the horn of counterattack."

"But several days have passed, and there is still no news from Leon."

"I can wait, you can wait, Martin and Walker can wait, but those impatient people may not have the patience to wait any longer."

Do you know what emotion spreads more easily among people than fear?

Rebecca shook her head.

"Impatient."

Nacho said, "It will spread like a plague between people and eventually affect everyone in the Lionheart Society to some extent."

"In addition, like all negative emotions, impatience can impair a person's judgment."

Rebecca frowned slightly. "Judgment?"

"I've learned this the hard way, so I understand how it feels. When someone's judgment is clouded by impatience, they will first question everything around them."

Rebecca opened her mouth, about to ask something else.

But just then, a member in the hall slammed his hand on the table, drawing the attention of those around him.

"When will we finally be able to overthrow that dog emperor? We keep saying the time isn't right yet, but by the time it really comes, we'll probably all be arrested by the empire."

"Didn't Miss Rebecca say the other day that Mr. Leon would be back soon? I think he should be back soon."

"Leon, Leon, you young people joined the Lionheart Society because of Leon Cosmode, but since you joined, have any of you ever seen him in person?"

"... N-I've never seen it before."

"I'm not questioning the very existence of the Lionheart Society; I'm just unhappy with Tiger's actions. Why gather everyone here using his name when there's no such person as Leon Casmod? Are we supposed to risk our lives for someone who no longer exists?"

"Don't talk nonsense, my friend. I used to work with Captain Leon in the Dragon Slayer Army, and I also met Mr. Tiger a few times. Neither of them are the untrustworthy, swindlers you describe."

"You can make that judgment after only meeting me a few times?"

"..."

The argument escalated.

Rebecca saw this and wanted to step forward to persuade them, but Nacho stopped her.

"If you go up there now, that troublemaker will only shift the focus of the conflict onto you. No matter what you say, he will have a reason to target you and stir up everyone's dissatisfaction with you."

"What should we do now? Just watch them argue?" Rebecca asked anxiously.

"There's not much we can do. We can only wait until everyone calms down a bit before you go and explain the situation to them."

Nacho said, "However..."

"But what?"

"However, I think I may have oversimplified things."

Rebecca was bewildered, and just as she was pondering this, she heard the troublemaker turn his attention directly to her.

"Rebecca, you said we were about to declare war on the Empire, but so many days have passed, where are the Leon? Aren't we still hiding in this slum, waiting meaninglessly day after day?"

"I--"

With Tiger gone, Rebecca alone can't possibly keep these guys in check.

"A few days ago, you and Tiger went to exchange intelligence with Leon, but in the end only you came back. You said that Tiger was seriously injured and was recuperating somewhere, but you brought a helper back with you."

"But now I see neither your so-called helper nor Leon, Tiger is nowhere to be found."

"Little girl, you're not playing us for a fool, are you? Tiger and Leon actually ran away a long time ago, right? Leaving us all here to die! I—"

"Shut up, you idiot!"

That guy was completely controlled by his emotions; the more he talked, the more outrageous he became.

Rebecca finally couldn't hold back and yelled.

The other party was also taken aback.

But after a moment of stunned silence, he continued to express his emotions to Rebecca.

"Don't just tell me to shut up! A whole bunch of people are waiting for your Captain Leon. Why don't you make him come find us?"

It only takes a few words to spread one's personal emotions to the whole group.

Now all the members of the Lionheart Society are watching Rebecca, and all the pressure is on those small shoulders.

Some of them, like this impulsive man, had begun to waver in their faith in the Lionheart Society and were now eager to see the legendary Leon Casmod.

Those who were relatively calm, and those who joined the Lionheart Society because they regarded Leon as their spiritual leader, were also very eager to meet him.

In other words, everyone is waiting for Leon.

Looking at the silent Rebecca, the man sneered and said sarcastically.