"Such a familiar voice."

Rebecca could never have mistaken it. During the years she had spent on the battlefield... it had always been this voice that led them out of hopeless situations.

She gazed at the tall figure standing in front of her, her striking green eyes filled with astonishment.

Her gun-holding hand trembled slightly too. Clenching her teeth, Rebecca fought against the confusion and shock in her heart. She thrust her gun firmly against the man's back once more.

"Turn around!"

Her voice trembled with emotion, a sob choking her tone.

Leon raised his hands and slowly turned around.

After three years, the moment Rebecca saw that steadfast and striking face again, she thought she was dreaming.

Warm, unstoppable tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, and her delicate face showed a deeply complex expression.

Surprise and disbelief were only the beginning—there was also confusion, relief, overwhelming sentiment, and a myriad of other emotions layered in her gaze.

After all, the captain, who was supposed to have died at the enemy stronghold three years ago, had miraculously "come back to life" and now stood right in front of her. Who wouldn’t feel as if their mind were spinning?

Seeing Rebecca's reaction and expression, Leon quietly let out a sigh of relief.

It didn't seem like she was faking.

Leon had known Rebecca since she graduated from Dragon Slayer Academy and joined his squad. He was well-acquainted with her.

This wild girl could never hide what was on her mind. Whatever she thought showed plainly on her face.

And right now, written all over that face was, "Holy crap, Captain, you're actually still alive!"—not, "Damn it, why didn't Casmod fail to finish him off back then?!"

Leon lowered his eyes to look at the twin-tailed girl, who was considerably shorter than him. Slowly, he lowered his arms. "How about we put the gun down, sit down, and talk things through?"

Rebecca snapped out of her shock and astonishment.

She shook her head slightly, seemingly coming to accept the fact that Leon was alive.

Yet, she didn’t lower the handgun in her hands.

Standing on her tiptoes and pointing the barrel of the gun directly at Leon's face, Rebecca demanded, "Am I dreaming?” “Dreaming? In broad daylight? What kind of dream would this be?"

"No, Captain. I’m going to shoot you in the leg. If you howl in pain, that'll prove this isn’t a dream. Ready, go."

Leon’s eye twitched slightly, twice.

Fine, fine. the Empire had changed, but his gunner hadn’t. She was still that same crazy girl.

But Leon only shrugged nonchalantly. "I’ve already told you, your gun isn’t loaded."

Rebecca froze for a moment and hastily pulled the gun back to check the magazine.

Indeed, it was empty.

Then, she saw Leon pull a handful of bullets out of his pocket. "Your ‘hidden’ weapons are really easy to find, Rebecca."

Not yet fully convinced that Rebecca was as trustworthy as his master had claimed, Leon had cautiously unloaded her bullets beforehand.

He figured he’d see if she was willing to have a calm conversation when he got home.

And if she wasn’t, Leon thought, there was no need to fear a gunner with no ammunition.

Rebecca stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the man before her.

This was it.

The Captain's unmistakable aura of calm composure, bordering on smugness, was something nobody could ever mimic.

Finally, Rebecca lowered her guard and spread her arms wide, ready to embrace Leon.

However, Leon took an immediate step back in alarm, extending his hand to press against Rebecca's forehead and keep her from hugging him.

Rebecca blinked in surprise. "Captain, I don’t even mind hugging a corpse that’s come back to life, but you’re the one acting unwilling?"

"Things aren’t the same anymore, Rebecca."

Indeed, it was very different from three years ago.

Back then, he was a single man. A hug wouldn’t mean anything.

But now, three years later, he was married, had a wife, and even had three kids.

Even with his wife temporarily absent, Leon still felt compelled to maintain some sense of marital fidelity.

The 'virtue' in Casmod's 'virtue' certainly extended to this kind of moral discipline(a Confucian concept of patriarchal morality). No doubt about it!

Unbeknownst to Rebecca, her captain had long since "settled down into a domestic life became a live-in son-in-law." She interpreted his cryptic words—“The situation is different now”—in an entirely different way.

"Yeah," Rebecca said. "The three years you were missing in action, things inside the Empire have definitely changed from before."

She tossed her handgun onto a nearby sofa and then walked to the door to retrieve the large bag of groceries and snacks she had just bought.

Taking the opportunity, Rebecca peered out the door, checking to make sure there weren’t any suspicious eyes watching from the shadows. Only then did she pull her head back, locking the door securely behind her.

"Pretty cautious, huh?" Leon asked.

"Obviously," Rebecca replied. "If the patrol squads find out I’m hiding an Empire traitor in my house, it's off with my head!"

At those words, Leon froze.

"Trai... traitor? Who? Are you talking about me?"

"Of course. Is there anyone else here, Captain?"

This day just kept getting worse.

Get married while abroad, only to come home and discover you’re considered a traitor?

There wasn’t even time to regret that his master was now labeled a criminal. Instead, Leon had to step into this ridiculous new role as the the Empire’s Most Wanted Traitor: Leon Casmod!

Rebecca placed the shopping bag on the coffee table, then stood once again in front of Leon, arms crossed over her chest, meeting his eyes with a raised chin.

Leon swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm. "How did I end up a traitor?..."

Rebecca didn’t mince words, diving straight into an explanation:

"Three years ago, when we suffered a crushing defeat at Silver Dragon Castle, the casualties were devastating. The king was furious, and public opinion among the citizens of the Empire placed all the blame squarely on the Dragon Slayer Army.

“Our squad, with the three remaining survivors, along with several other main attack groups, were all temporarily suspended and docked three months’ pay."

“A few days later, the royal family issued their official explanation for the disastrous loss. It claimed that during the assault on Silver Dragon Castle, an insider betrayed us, revealing the positions of all the Dragon Slayer teams to the enemy, who then picked them off one by one."

"And, naturally, that insider... that traitor... was you."

"After all, every failure in war needs someone to take the fall, right? And you, Captain, made the perfect scapegoat. Because... well, 'dead men tell no tales.'"

Rebecca sat on the sofa and her expression darkened, her delicate face clouded with gloom.

"After this news was made public, I tried to refute it. I went to the commanding officers and told them you couldn’t possibly be a traitor. Then—"

The girl let out a self-mocking laugh, waving one arm dismissively. "I was dismissed from the Dragon Slayer Army, reassigned to the patrol squads. All I do now is walk a few dull loops around the streets every day. Never again will I cross paths with Dangerous Beasts or the Dragon Kings."

Leon fell silent after hearing Rebecca’s account.

The methods used to handle their defeat were indeed vile, entirely confirming his worst impressions of the upper echelons of power.

Leon had always been wary of the ugliness of political machinations. That was why he had refrained from involving himself in "higher-up" affairs or asking too many questions.

He fought for the Empire, not for its bloated royals or corrupt ministers, but for its ordinary citizens.

After a lengthy pause, Leon sighed heavily and said in a low voice, "Thank you for believing in me, Rebecca."

Rebecca’s face turned serious. She hesitated before adding, "Actually... back when we were attacking Silver Dragon Castle, there really was an insider among us, wasn’t there?"

Leon’s eyebrows furrowed. "How do you know—"

"When we had just entered the outer courtyard of the sanctum and were about to press our attack, everything suddenly went black for me. I couldn’t see anything, and all sound was cut off. Thankfully, it only lasted a few seconds.

"But when I opened my eyes again, you had already... already been ambushed.”

Rebecca visibly tensed. "The location of our forces had been fully exposed. Without your command, the Silver Dragon Clan launched an all-out counterattack. The squad was utterly defenseless. Victor ordered the whole unit to withdraw, but by then, you were already gravely injured, unable to move. Taking you along would’ve only led to total annihilation for the Dragon Slayer squad."

"I insisted that we take you with us, but Victor said we had no choice but to leave you behind. Otherwise, everyone else would’ve been slaughtered."

Victor was the army’s deputy, and Leon’s second in command in the Dragon Slayer squad.

So, back then, when Leon had faintly overheard his team arguing, it was over whether or not to bring him along...

The outcome was already clear. As just a gunner, Rebecca couldn’t have overruled the deputy commander’s decision.

Still, that didn’t automatically implicate Victor as the traitor who had ambushed Leon.

Given the dire situation, abandoning an incapacitated Leon truly was the most strategically sound option.

Even if they’d tried to carry him, they likely wouldn’t have outrun the Silver Dragon Clan’s infamous speed.

"I spent a long time thinking about it afterward. That strange illusion that plunged me into darkness probably wasn’t caused by a member of the Silver Dragon Clan. At the time, we were completely alone—just the four of us."

Rebecca let out a breath, as if relieved to finally voice her thoughts aloud. She continued, "But I didn’t share this with anyone... because if I did, well... even the patrol squads wouldn’t have a place for me. On top of that, by day two, I’d have probably been—"

She tilted her head impishly, rolling her eyes back, and stuck out her tongue in a mock “ghostly death” expression.

Leon sighed and shook his head, a wry smile playing on his lips.

Even in a cesspool of imperial scheming, this eccentric girl’s clever mind had managed to carve out a way to survive.

"You’re right, Rebecca," Leon said. "It was someone from within our team who ambushed me. They used a very peculiar weapon to pierce the chestplate of the Black Gold Chariot and stab straight through my heart."

Rebecca raised a brow. "So was it Victor... or Martin?"

Martin was a brat from some noble minister’s household and a self-proclaimed diehard admirer of Leon.

Leon shook his head. "I’m not sure. One of the reasons I came back to the Empire was to sniff out the person who betrayed me back then."

Rebecca clapped her hands in mock enthusiasm. "Easy: a fifty-fifty choice! My advice? Take them both out. Better to make a mistake than miss the chance! Need weapons, Captain? I might not have much else, but I’ve got plenty of guns. Take your pick!"

Leon snorted. He couldn’t help but laugh. He knew Rebecca was only joking.

After all, he hadn’t expected someone as enthusiastic—and as scatterbrained—as her to stay serious for long.

However, Leon was willing to play along with her. "The way you're talking, it's like you're the mole, eager to take out all the good guys so you win in the end."

"Exactly, Captain. That's precisely what I'm thinking. You're so smart—should I give you a champion trophy, your favorite kind?" Rebecca replied with an utterly serious look.

Leon waved his hand dismissively and changed the subject. "You were assigned to the patrol unit after the war. What about Victor and Martin?"

"Little Martin naturally scurried back under the protection of his minister father. But it seems like he often gets bullied by his stepmother at home. As for Victor, he took a big hit as the deputy commander. He was directly discharged from the Dragon Slayer Army and is now working as a resident singer at a tavern."

Rebecca added, "The last time I saw him was a few months ago."

"They're all having a tough time," Leon commented flatly.

"Not as tough as you, Captain. The past three years in the enemy's stronghold must have been incredibly hard on you, right?" Rebecca said sympathetically.

Leon scratched at his temple, awkwardly replying, "Uh, well... I wouldn’t exactly put it that way..."

"Alright, say no more, Captain—I get it. It's a part of your past you don't want to revisit. The important thing is that you've escaped and made it back."

Leon pressed his lips together, turned his gaze aside, and mumbled in a low voice, "Yeah..."

"Oh, by the way, Captain, how did you manage to escape from the Silver Dragon's lair?"

Leon silently covered his face, thinking, *The enemy leader personally escorted me back. Would you believe that?*