At the entrance, Leon fastened a black pouch to his waist, which was packed full with Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales.

Leon and Noa walked towards the entryway one after another.

The guards upon seeing them, dispelled the barrier, allowing them to exit safely.

“Sir, how did the inspection go? Not a single Dragon Scale went missing, right?” A guard asked with a grin, whose tone brim with a desire for praise.

Not a single one went missing?

It's wrong.

Not one remained.

That's correct.

Although General Leon had never stolen anything in his life, he fully understood the principle that thieves never leave empty-handed.

In response to the guard’s inquiry, Leon nodded slightly, saying with his low voice, “It was fine. Good work. Keep it up, and I’ll say something good for you with the higher-ups.”

“Th-thank you so much, Sir!”

Leon kept a straight face but glanced slyly at Noa, with his eyes saying:

See that? He’s thanking us!

Noa showed the whites of her eyes speechlessly.

“Sir, time isn’t on our side. We should leave now,” Noa said.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Just as Leon was about to step forward, he suddenly stopped, as if thinking about something. Turning, he addressed the guard, “Don’t forget to restore the barrier. Be careful not to let enemies sneak in.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Sir!”

The guard immediately turned to his companions, coordinating to restore the barrier to its original state.

“Farewell, Sir.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The father and daughter exchanged a glance and then prepared to leave.

But just as they took a few steps, a young guard suddenly called out, “Sir, what… what’s in that pouch on your waist?”

Leon froze in his mid-step, with his eyes closing in resignation. He let out a slow sigh.

The other guards also picked up on the subtle clues and became wary.

“Sir, you didn’t have that pouch when you entered earlier, did you? Please let us inspect it.”

“Sir, please cooperate. Slowly step back—ugh!”

Before the sentence could be finished, a black figure darted towards the speaking guard. With a swift, nearly imperceptible punch to the gut, Leon incapacitated the man before he had a chance to react.

The other guards moved quickly.

“Activate the barrier alarm! Intruder! There’s an intruder—ah!”

Noa sprang into action, launching herself off the ground, with her knee colliding directly with another guard’s face. The guard lost consciousness instantly.

Meanwhile, the guard trying to use the barrier to sound the alarm was also easily subdued by Leon.

Only one guard now remained.

Realizing that his three colleagues had been taken down in mere moments, the man dropped to his knees in surrender.

A wise move—it’s easier to escape future trouble if you don’t provoke immediate danger.

Leon snorted coldly, stepped forward, and rendered the man unconscious with a simple hand chop.

“Good thing we made them restore the barrier before taking any action. If we left it open too long, those sorcerers would have noticed it,” Leon said, then turned to his daughter. “Let’s go, Noa.”

Noa threw him a playful, yet slightly exasperated glare. “Drama king,” she muttered under her breath.

The father and daughter, working seamlessly together, made off with the Dragon Scales and swiftly moved onward.

Returning along their path, they approached the secret passage leading out of the Imperial City. It was just ahead.

Once walk through it, they’d make their next move to leave the Empire entirely, using the stolen Dragon Scales to help Aurora execute the reversal spell.

And then… travel back in time—

“Who goes there?!”

“Hold on! Don’t move!”

“An order has come from the royal family: due to the disappearance of a high-ranking official, no one is allowed to roam within the Imperial City freely.”

“State your name and position. Then, step forward slowly.”

Leon’s heart skipped.

But he quickly regained his composure.

“So… things wouldn’t end that smoothly after all,” Leon remarked.

Turning to Noa, Leon said, “Scale the walls and leave immediately. Don’t worry about the sensing barriers any more. Once you’re out, find your sisters, leave the city, and return to your mom to complete the reversal spell.”

With that, Leon handed the pouch with the Dragon Scales to Noa.

The reaction of the Empire was astonishingly fast. It had barely been two hours since Nacho went missing, and they had already issued orders to lock down the entire Imperial City.

Leon had managed to deceive the earlier guards using appropriated codes and trickeries—but that approach wouldn’t work now.

After all, this was the Empire’s domain, and no matter how carefully Leon was, there would inevitably be risks.

Of course, such risks had been anticipated before they came to the Empire.

To steal something as valuable as the Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales, there was definitely no way for the mission to proceed smoothly.

Under the current predicament, the best option for Leon was to stay behind and hold off the Empire’s forces, while Noa, with her flight ability, carried the Dragon Scales to safety along with her two younger sisters.

Noa stared at the pouch in her hands with solemn expression.

“No, that plan won’t work.”

For the first time, Noa had rejected Leon’s proposal.

Leon raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was about to reassure her with some bravadoes like “Don’t worry. Your dad is amazing; I’ll fight my way out and meet you later.”

But before he could speak, Noa blurted out, “I don’t want to separate from you again. Let's leave together.”

Her firm tone and determined gaze were uncannily reminiscent of Roswitha.

After a brief pause, Noa hurriedly added, “Be-besides, you’re the only one capable of performing the reversal spell to go back in time. If anything happens to you here, even if we successfully escape with the Dragon Scales, it will all go to waste.”

Sure, the objective circumstance should’ve been explained first—but instead, she let her personal feelings dictate her decision. Just like Roswitha!

Blood ties were undeniable. General Leon couldn’t help feeling a surge of pride.

There was no time to dwell on sentimentality, though. Leon nodded. “Alright, we’ll leave together.”

Originally, he’d envisioned a dramatic scene that “the hero stays to delay the time, and everyone tragically assumes the hero perished, only for him to appear at the last moment for a tearful reunion” which was a classic story.

But his eldest daughter had outright rejected his theatrics, insisting on staying by his side—in spite of the fact that she hadn’t even called him “dad” once in three months.

Yet, no amount of stubbornness or pride could suppress Noa’s strongest conviction:

To always stay with family.

Their brief discussion concluded right as a voice amongst the guards arose.

“Attack! Hurry! That’s Leon Casmodé! I’ll never forget that face!”

It seemed someone had recognized Leon.

“Oh really? Because I'm too handsome?”

“Cut it out, old man.”

After saying that, Noa unfurled her dragon wings, taking hold of Leon’s arms and effortlessly flew over the outer wall of the Imperial City with him.

As they crossed the wall, both Leon and Noa felt the invisible presence of the barrier.

But breaching the barrier meant that soon they would face heightened pursuit from the enemy.

Once over, Leon warned, “The shape of dragon is too conspicuous. Save it until we reach the Empire’s gates; otherwise, it’ll only disclose our location.”

Noa nodded, folding her wings.

The father and daughter quickly vaulted the wall, while the guards on the other side needed to scramble to set up ladders or find alternate routes, buying Leon and Noa crucial time to maneuver.

They darted into a secluded alleyway where Muen and Aurora awaited with a horse-drawn carriage.

“We don’t have time to figure out those two hostages. We must leave the Empire before sunrise.” Leon said, climbing into the carriage. “The Dragon Scales are secured, so we should avoid fighting if possible. There’s no need to get bogged down in unnecessary skirmishes.”

Drawing enemies into prolonged battles was the worst-case scenario, especially in hostile territory. Even though Leon’s strength had partially returned, he was unwilling to gamble further by engaging Empire soldiers head-on.

He would never forget the original goal of this operation: The Heart-Guarding Dragon Scales.

Now that they had obtained them, it was time for them to escape.

Aurora cracked the reins, then the carriage jolted forward with a sharp whinny from the horses.

Leon was seated inside the rattling compartment and suddenly relieved a sign. “This… feels familiar somehow.”

Noa glanced up at him. “Oh? Have you stolen things and been caught before?”

Leon didn’t elaborate but teased, “I stole your mother’s heart—and she captured me for three years.”

“Thanks. I think I’m going to throw up.”

What's the reason that when their mother recounted the same love story, it sounded so romantic and impassioned?

While when Leon told it, it came across like a comedy routine?

Leon's cold jest briefly eased the tension.

Leon stood up and stepped onto the outside terrace of the moving carriage to check. Sure enough, a patrol had noticed them and was now in hot pursuit.

Raising his right hand, Leon concentrated magic energy in his palm.

A moment later, an electrified wolf burst forth, sprinting toward the approaching enemies.

A-class Thunder Magic: Thunder Wolf Destroyer

But Leon had been right—playing defense in enemy territory meant facing a constant disadvantage.

More and more patrols began to emerge from alleyways and side streets, converging on their escape route.

But that wasn’t even the worst news.

Noa gazed upward, spotting three figures darting across rooftops, closing in from opposite sides of the street.

“It’s the Thorn Blade trio…” Noa murmured.

Leon followed her line of sight and confirmed it—those three individuals were far more skilled than the average patrol soldiers.

“Hey, hey, hey! The grizzled guy in the carriage, could you stop for a moment? I’d like a lift!” Shouted their leader, Kinni, from above.

Leon paused, then muttered indignantly, “Who are you calling grizzled?”

“Leon Casmodé, I’ve heard of you. You should be in your forties by now, right? If you have past forty, aren’t you basically a ‘grizzled old man’?”

“Boss, while he technically might be in his forties, doesn’t he look like being in his twenties?” one of Kinni’s subordinates, Gitai, commented.

“I’ve got no clue—maybe he has done good skincare? Whatever, I’ll beat him down first, then ask him for the secret of eternal youth!”

Leon narrowed his eyes, with a cold smile forming on his face. “Talk is cheap.”

Such neurotic guys are never easy to deal with.

Leon had no interest in prolonging the confrontation.

After a few verbal exchanges, Leon stopped engaging with those three lunatics.

But the appearance of Dagger Special Forces meant the case wasn't going to end so easily.

"Hey! Casmodé, where did you hide Nacho? He still owes us a meal!" Kinni continued to provoke.

Leon ignored him, raising a hand to cast another lightning spell to wipe out some of the pursuers behind him.

"Hmph, how dare you to ignore me, old man—you should've been six feet under by now... Take this!"

As the words fell, Kinni raised his hands, gathering magical energy.

A white energy orb began forming in his palm, and then he hurled it with great force towards the speeding carriage on the street.

The orb struck the ground on one side, triggering a violent explosion and shockwave.

Of course, it was just a warm-up.

In the next instant, more energy orbs began raining down from the rooftops on both sides of the road.

Aurora maneuvered the carriage at high speed, dodging deftly.

"Dad, are you just going to let them keep doing this? I was almost hit just now!" Aurora shouted from the front.

"Just focus on driving. I'll come up with a solution." Leon replied.

Leon's mind raced as he recalled his skill set.

Soon, he figured out a way to neutralize the enemy.

He flipped onto the roof of the carriage, assuming a low stance to lower his center of gravity and maintain balance.

"Yo, old man, finally start to take us seriously, huh?" Kinni taunted again.

Leon offered no response.

Leon simply raised his right hand high, and lightning energy began to gather in his palm.

Kinni raised an eyebrow. "What move is that, old man? 'Heaven's Wrath of Thunder'? 'Thunder Wolf Destroyer'? Or is it your so-called pride and glory, 'Chidori'? I gotta tell you, none of those will work on us!"

As Kinni finished speaking, his two teammates prepared to launch another wave of attacks.

But just as they were about to strike, the lightning in Leon's hand suddenly erupted into an unbearably blinding light.

The radiance illuminated the entire night sky, turning it into daylight.

The vision of the Dagger Trio was instantly overwhelmed; they couldn't see anything on the street.

Class B Lightning Magic—"Eternal Daylight."

It was a highly practical support spell.

A few seconds later, the light faded, and Kinni's eyesight recovered.

Looking ahead, Kinni saw the carriage speeding off into the distance, realizing he'd been duped by Leon.

Gritting his teeth, Kinni gave the order, "Chase! Catch that guy! I want to see if the so-called strongest Dragon Slayer is capable of nothing but cheap tricks!"

The trio ramped up their speed in pursuit of the carriage.

None of them noticed that, within a side alley, Leon and his three companions were secretly watching their distant backs.

During the few seconds when the trio's vision was obstructed, Leon had jumped off the carriage with the girls, slipping into the alley.

But this was only a temporary reprieve.

Kinni might be a bit neurotic, but he wasn’t stupid; soon he would realize that the carriage was empty.

"Quick, move. Don’t let the other patrol teams find us."

"Okay, Dad."

The father and daughters made their way carefully toward the other end of the alley.

Just as they were about to exit, they heard voices coming from the other side of the alley.

"Have you heard that Lord Nacho went missing?"

"Yeah, apparently he was taken by someone named Leon Casmodé."

"Leon...Casmodé? Wasn't he supposed to be dead for two decades?"

"Who knows? All I know is that guy is insanely strong. We've been sent to catch him; it’s practically a death mission. If we spot him, just fire the signal flare and call for reinforcements."

"Got it!"

That was a patrol team.

The moonlight extended their shadows, and they grew closer to the alley exit.

Leon couldn’t assess their exact number, so there was no way for him to deal with them as efficiently as the previous four guards.

If he failed to deal with them in an instant, they would surely launch a signal flare.

If that happened, the Dagger Trio would immediately return, and a fierce combat would be inevitable.

Leon kept his eyes fixed on the shadows drawing near, silently gathering energy in his hands.

He wasn’t afraid to face off against the Dagger Trio, but he worried about being stalled here, and eventually overwhelmed by the Empire's forces.

At this point, he didn’t have much of a choice... he had to gamble.

The sound of footsteps grew louder, and the three sisters had prepared to pounce.

But in the next second, a series of bloodcurdling screams came from the end of the alley.

"Signal flare! Quickly—launch the sign—"

Bang—

A muffled gunshot echoed, sounding like it’d come from a weapon equipped with a silencer.

Leon's heart skipped a beat. Did someone eliminate the patrol team?

"I think I just heard a familiar name," a mature female voice came from the entrance of the alley.

Low-heeled boots clicked against the cobblestone as she stepped over the bodies, coming into view at the exit.

She was wearing a windbreaker. Though she was not particularly tall, her proportions were impeccable.

Her silenced handgun gleamed coldly under the moonlight, while her teal ponytail swayed gently in the night breeze.

She looked at Leon, with a flicker of emotion passing through her eyes. "Long time no see... Captain."

"Rebecca..."