Here at Victor's, Leon only shared his purpose for returning to the Empire.
As for what happened after Leon was captured back then; his relationship with the Silver Dragon Queen; and his speculations about the collaboration between Constantine and the Empire, and so on—Leon didn't reveal a word.
This was because Victor was different from Rebecca.
The mad lass had been added to the 'Old, Weak, Sick, and Disabled' squad only after passing two trials: first by Master, then by Leon himself, ensuring that there was no possibility she was a mole.
This meant that the mole who betrayed Leon back then was either Victor or Martin.
The more you say, the more you risk exposure. Leon hadn't grown so sentimental over reuniting with old friends that he'd forget the purpose of his visit.
Inside the room, after hearing Leon's story, Victor's reaction was similar to Rebecca's at that time.
First, surprise, then he mentioned that he too had been caught in an illusion. By the time he snapped out of it, Leon was already gravely injured and on the ground.
"Oh, so this seems to have been a large-scale group illusion," Leon said pensively.
"Yes, it's just a pity I managed to break free from it too slowly. Otherwise, I might have saved you, Captain," Victor replied.
Leon’s eyes flickered slightly as he discreetly scrutinized Victor.
That was a rather subtle statement.
"SAVE the captain," implying, "I'm NOT the mole," wasn't it?
Interesting, Leon thought.
But he didn't show any reaction, merely nodding along. "It's fine, don't dwell on it. After all, I'm alive and well now, aren’t I?"
"So, Captain, what’s your next move? Are you planning to find Martin?" Victor asked.
Leon raised an eyebrow ever so slightly but didn’t rush to answer. Instead, he turned his gaze to Rebecca.
At this moment, the twin-tailed girl was sitting by the table, toying with Victor’s old acoustic guitar. She wasn’t particularly artistic, merely plucking at the strings randomly with the ivory-white pick in her hand.
Alright, it seemed Roswitha was still the only one in the world with whom Leon could exchange wordless glances and instantly open a "team voice chat."
Leon retracted his gaze and looked back at Victor.
"No rush. Martin’s family background is... unique; we can't just stroll in and see him whenever we please."
Although Rebecca had said that Martin was constantly bullied by his stepmother, he was still the son of a royal court minister; meeting him wasn't something that just happened on a whim.
Hearing this, Victor pondered for a moment before speaking. "It’s not as difficult as you might think to get an audience with him."
"Oh? You have a way?" Leon asked.
Victor nodded. "Two days from now is Martin's stepmother's birthday banquet. She's invited all sorts of friends, as well as quite a few politicians and ministers. We can disguise ourselves and blend in to find Martin there."
Leon mused, "Certainly, that’s a good opportunity..."
But... was it a bit *too* coincidental?
Leon had just returned to the Empire, assuming it'd be quite challenging to meet Martin, and now his stepmother's birthday fell just at this moment. It wasn’t that celebrating a birthday was inconceivable—just that the timing seemed overly perfect.
Leon refrained from voicing his doubts outright. As he scrutinized Victor with quick calculations running through his head, he finally asked:
"What’s the relationship like between Martin and his stepmother? Ah, I’m just asking to make sure—can we be certain Martin will attend her birthday party?"
Victor's eyes shifted slightly, his weathered face remaining mostly expressionless, but he hesitated briefly before replying, "I think... they get along quite well. He even gifted her a rather pricey piece of jewelry."
Leon elongated his "Ohhh," drawing out the sound, then glanced at Rebecca.
The mad lass had unknowingly positioned herself directly behind Leon, her cute little face devoid of any trace of warmth. Without a word, she exchanged a glance with Leon.
Leon didn’t remark further, turning back to Victor. "This information is timely indeed, Victor. Then two days from now, we shall head to the banquet."
"Of course. But after finding Martin, how do you plan to figure out which of us is the mole who betrayed you back then?" Victor asked with an ambiguous tone.
Leon flashed a cryptic smile. "I’ve already got a plan."
Victor paused, then forced a smile of his own. "Ah, since I’m under suspicion myself, I suppose it’s better not to ask too many questions."
"Appreciate your understanding."
After a moment's pause, Leon added, "Oh, and since you brought this up, I’ll be frank: for safety's sake, I’d like you to stay here at the bar for the next two days. You understand what I mean, don’t you?"
Victor wasn’t stupid—anyone capable of becoming the military’s assistant would naturally grasp Leon’s implications.
The so-called "for safety's sake" wasn’t about securing Victor’s safety but rather ensuring the safety of Leon and his group.
If Victor truly were the Empire’s mole, any opportunity to leak information about their movements could lead to disaster. By keeping him confined to the bar and monitoring him from the outside, Leon and his team could cut him off from notifying the Empire.
As for why Leon wasn’t concerned about the possibility of Empire agents already in the vicinity, waiting for the right moment to strike—
That would be thanks to *Master*.
If there were truly any Empire operatives lying in wait nearby, Master would’ve rushed in to warn Leon ages ago.
Every member of the "old, weak, sick, and disabled" squad played a crucial role.
A full three-player team, racing to clear the 'Empire's Mole' dungeon.
Having understood Leon’s reasoning, Victor nodded slightly. "Alright, I understand."
"Good, then apologies for the trouble. We’ll come back for you the evening of the banquet."
"Understood."
Leon didn’t linger. Rising to his feet, he headed toward the door.
Rebecca walked ahead of him, stepping out first.
As Leon passed by the table near the door, his eyes fell on the worn guitar resting atop it.
Pausing, he commented, "You’ve had this guitar for years, haven’t you? Never thought of trading it for a new one?"
From behind him, Victor chuckled bitterly. "Life's been hard—I make do where I can."
Leon emitted a faint "hmm," his gaze briefly falling on the translucent, milky white pick lying next to the guitar.
Victor always did have a penchant for elegance and refinement in small, everyday objects. With that thought, Leon resumed walking, leaving the room.
Once the door had closed behind them, the pair exited the backstage area, passing through the bar's lively dance floor awash in neon lights and its murky, cigarette-smoke-filled corridors, until they finally made their way outside.
Cool, crisp air greeted them, and Rebecca took a deep, greedy inhale, stretching like a lazy cat, her flat figure on full display.
"So, what do you think—could it be him?" Rebecca asked.
Leon frowned in contemplation and shook his head. "Hard to say. Until we meet Martin, I can’t jump to conclusions."
Rebecca smirked, twirling one of her pigtails as she skipped up to his side. "You’re as cautious as ever, Captain."
"A bit more caution never hurt anyone."
"Yet you still got backstabbed by a mole."
"…"
This little devil—while she might not have been able to exchange wordless "team comms" with Leon like Roswitha, her sharp tongue could certainly hold its own against that dragon.
She had quite the talent for poking directly at Leon’s sore spots.
"Back to the main question, though, Captain: what if this birthday banquet Victor mentioned is just a trap? A ploy to lure you out, only to silence you for good? Are we still going?"
Whatever Rebecca was considering, Leon had thought of long before.
"This is our best opportunity to contact Martin. If we miss it, who knows how much longer we’ll have to wait? So yes, we’ll go. However…"
Leon grinned faintly. "We won’t be punctual."
Rebecca's little head worked overtime to keep pace with Leon's logic. "Not punctual? You mean... arriving late?"
Leon shook his head. "No, quite the opposite—we'll... arrive early."
