That evening, Leon, disguised and with Victor in tow, entered the banquet hotel.

Their master, as usual, stayed outside to keep watch. If anything went wrong, he would fire a signal flare, and the entire “old, weak, sick” team would retreat at lightning speed.

Leon’s approach to the two “suspected traitors” was straightforward and clear: the classic “man-to-man” tactic.

He kept an eye on Victor, and Rebecca kept an eye on Martin.

This way, no matter which one of them was the traitor or if they were plotting anything, Leon and his team would notice right away.

In the squad, Martin had always been the support mage, with limited close-combat ability, so Rebecca could easily keep him in check.

As for Victor, the perpetual second-in-command being watched by the perpetual champion, he wasn’t going to stir up any trouble either.

“Hmm? Where did Rebecca go?” Victor asked when he noticed the girl wasn’t with Leon.

Leon, his hands casually in the pockets of his suit—which, by the way, had been purchased with Rebecca’s salary, something she’d mentally noted with frustration—calmly replied, “She said she had a way to get close to Martin but couldn’t bring me along because it would attract attention.”

Victor frowned slightly. “If she can get to Martin on her own, why are we risking being discovered by coming here?”

Leon’s tone remained indifferent. “Victor, I’m not letting either of you out of my sight.”

“...Alright, I guess I was thinking too simply.”

Leon dropped the subject and stood with Victor in a corner of the hall, silently watching the increasingly lively banquet.

“It’s been three years since I last saw Martin. I wonder how much the kid has changed,” Leon mused softly.

After saying that, he subtly glanced at Victor.

The weathered bar singer barely shifted his eyes, but Leon, ever sharp, caught the slight movement.

“The last time I saw him was a long time ago too,” Victor said.

“So, you two haven’t been in touch?”

Victor shook his head with a bitter smile. “After you were gone, the squad fell apart. Everyone went their separate ways. We’re not exactly close anymore.”

Leon didn’t comment on Victor’s thoughts about their former squadmates.

At 8 PM, the banquet officially began.

The guest of honor, Martin’s stepmother, made her slow descent from the second floor.

Martin’s stepmother had married into the family after his father’s first wife passed away. Now in her thirties, she still maintained her allure, a refined beauty.

Tonight, she was dressed in a black evening gown, her hair elegantly styled, immediately drawing the attention of her guests.

The outfit was classic—an evening gown and an updo, a sign that the woman took the occasion seriously.

But to Leon, she didn’t hold a candle to… a certain Silver Dragon.

If Rosvisser was a flower, then this so-called beautiful woman wasn’t even worthy of being a leaf. The difference in aura and class was too great.

It was a shame he couldn’t bring his dragoness out here to show them what a real beauty looked like.

Next time, for sure.

“All designer brands, huh? Martin’s family is really loaded,” Victor commented.

“Is that so…”

“Yeah, the gown was custom-made from a well-known designer, famous throughout the Empire. The necklace and ring speak for themselves—just by looking at the size, you can tell they’re worth a fortune.”

Victor spoke with expertise.

Leon thought to himself that Victor had always had a fascination for fine details, much like the ivory guitar pick he carried.

“Especially… that hairpin,” Victor added.

“A hairpin?”

“Yeah.”

Leon shrugged. “How expensive could a hairpin be?”

Victor shook his head. “That’s no ordinary hairpin. It’s made from the ivory of an S-class dangerous species, the polar mammoth.”

“The polar mammoth… that’s a rare species, isn’t it?” Leon asked.

“Exactly. Long ago, people discovered that the ivory of polar mammoths had excellent malleability, making it perfect for luxury items. Rarity drives up the price,” Victor explained. “But because it’s an S-class dangerous species, killing a mammoth takes significant resources, so ivory-made items sell for much more than regular luxury goods.”

“Oh~ I see,” Leon replied, pretending to show little interest.

Victor glanced at him and continued, “Later, blacksmiths discovered that mammoth ivory wasn’t just malleable; it also had remarkable compatibility with magic. Once enchanted, it could be used as a weapon, offering incredible piercing power and lethality.”

Hearing this, Leon’s expression grew more serious. “Enchanted and used as a weapon…”

“Right. And I heard that hairpin was a gift from Martin to his stepmother.”

Leon slowly turned his head to look at Victor. “But I heard that Martin and his stepmother don’t get along. Why would he give her such an expensive gift?”

Victor paused for a moment, his expression unchanged. “Maybe he was trying to win her favor.”

“Is that so? Alright then.”

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the hotel, Martin and Rebecca stood side by side.

“Victor’s changed a lot,” Martin remarked.

“Not everyone is as privileged as you, the son of a royal minister, living a life of luxury,” Rebecca teased, patting him on the shoulder.

Martin smiled bitterly. “If I could, I’d trade places with you, Rebecca.”

“Trade? Oh no, I might just shoot your mean stepmother on impulse.”

Rebecca paused, then asked, “So why did you go back to being your old self after the captain left?”

Martin shrugged and lowered his head. “People need a guiding light, Rebecca. Without it, they’re like a horse that’s lost its way. After the captain was gone, I didn’t know who to follow or what to strive for.”

“Little Martin, you’ll have to learn to grow up eventually.”

“Why does that sound strange coming from you, Rebecca? Aren’t you only a year older than me?”

“A year older is still older! What’s your point?”

Martin chuckled and decided not to argue.

The banquet continued.

By 10 PM, the birthday girl and her guests were slightly tipsy.

Martin’s father was busy socializing at the table.

Being a member of the royal court, every banquet was an opportunity to expand his resources and connections, even on his beloved wife’s birthday.

No one paid attention to Martin, who had organized the entire event.

Rebecca glanced down at the hall’s corner.

She saw Leon adjusting the obnoxiously shiny silver tie around his neck.

That was the signal: time to retreat.

Rebecca instantly understood, though she couldn’t quite grasp why the captain had chosen such a flashy color.

She knew he liked silver, but he’d never cared about fashion before.

Then she remembered where Leon had spent the last three years—in a dragon’s lair. Suddenly, it all made sense.

“Pfft, married and secretly flashy,” Rebecca muttered, giving the most fitting assessment.

“What?”

“Nothing. Let’s go. The captain gave the signal.”

“Ok.”

Rebecca led Martin out the back door of the hotel.

Leon and Victor followed closely behind.

In the alley behind the hotel, Tiger was already waiting with a carriage.

The two groups climbed into the carriage one after the other. Leon knocked on the front of the carriage, and Tiger understood immediately. With a flick of the reins, the horses sped off into the night.

Inside the rattling carriage, Victor and Martin sat across from each other.

The air was awkward.

After all, the reason Leon had gathered them was to unmask the traitor among them.

Both of them were fully aware of the suspicion hanging over each other, but in this situation, playing the “good guy” was the best option.

A true traitor wouldn’t make a move until the moment they could strike for the kill.

The carriage sped through the night, and after about two hours, they arrived at the Empire’s slums.

They all dismounted.

Tiger leaned against the carriage, lighting a cheap cigarette. “Go on, kid. No one’s going to interfere with your business tonight.”

“Thank you, master.”

Tiger took a long drag and exhaled slowly.

Leon turned and led Rebecca, Victor, and Martin into a dilapidated building.

Everyone was tense.

No matter who the traitor was, it was clear from Leon’s meticulous preparation that he intended to end it all tonight.

In the center of the room was an old, rickety table.

The four of them stood around it, each taking a side.

Leon faced Rebecca;

Victor faced Martin.

Who was the traitor? Who was innocent? They were about to find out.

They stared at each other, exchanging glances, but no one wanted to be the first to speak.

Finally, Leon broke the silence.

“It seems everyone understands what’s about to happen tonight. Alright, let’s not waste any time.”

Leon pulled out a pistol from behind his waist, unlocked the safety, cocked the hammer, and held it firmly in his hand.

Rebecca glanced at the gun in Leon’s hand, a flicker of surprise crossing her face, but she quickly composed herself, showing no outward reaction.

“Actually, I already know who the traitor that betrayed me is.”

Upon hearing this, the other three simply exhaled heavily, none of them showing signs of panic.

They all knew Leon’s methods well enough—he never fought a battle he wasn’t sure he could win.

If Leon said he knew who the traitor was, then he definitely knew.

(But Rebecca figured that the captain had gone to all this trouble just to

 look cool. In her mind, if he already knew who the traitor was, why not just shoot them on the spot?)

Leon lowered his head, casually fiddling with the gun in his hand as he spoke slowly,

“It’s truly unfortunate that after three years, the squad’s reunion would happen like this.”

“I never thought that the one who betrayed me would be you.”

Leon slowly raised the pistol, aiming the cold barrel at the person beside him.

Martin.

Rebecca’s eyes widened, her blue pupils reflecting the dark gun aimed at Martin. She swallowed hard. “Captain… are you sure it’s Martin?”

Before Leon could answer, Victor spoke up.

“Martin, you’re surprisingly calm. Don’t you have anything to say?”

By now, Martin was drenched in cold sweat. His “calmness” was entirely due to being so shocked that he couldn’t think of anything to say or do.

The moment Leon had pointed the gun at him, it was as if the part of Martin’s brain responsible for rational thought had been short-circuited.

In that instant, all of his senses failed, leaving him only aware of the frantic beating of his heart.

*Thump thump — thump thump.*

For a long moment, Martin struggled to open his mouth, fighting to form words.

“Captain, I—”

*Bang!*

A gunshot rang out, and the bullet struck Martin squarely in the chest.

The thin young man collapsed to the ground, shock and terror frozen on his face.

“Martin!”

Rebecca cried out, quickly rushing over to kneel beside him, shaking his limp body. “Martin! Martin!!”

*Clack.*

After the shot, Leon immediately dropped the cold weapon onto the table.

He leaned against the table's edge, bent over, and gasped for breath, his chest heaving heavily.

Victor glanced at the gun on the table, then walked over to Leon and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You don’t need to blame yourself, Captain… Honestly, I’m surprised that Martin was the traitor too… But he made the wrong choice in the end. Don’t carry this burden on your mind.”

Leon’s lips were pale as he struggled to keep his legs from buckling. He lifted his head to look at Rebecca.

“Dispose of him. There’s a swamp not far from here—it’ll only take ten minutes round-trip. Dump the body there; no one will ever find him.”

After a brief moment of sorrow, Rebecca accepted the reality and lifted Martin’s body, preparing to leave.

Victor was about to turn his attention elsewhere, but Leon suddenly put an arm around his shoulder.

Victor quickly redirected his gaze and helped steady Leon as he leaned against the table.

The room was deathly quiet, save for Leon’s labored breathing and the sound of Martin’s body being dragged across the floor.

“Feeling better now, Leon?” Victor asked.

Leon didn’t respond, keeping his eyes closed as he pressed a hand to his chest, quietly regulating his breath.

Seeing Leon in this state, Victor let his gaze drift down toward the gun on the table.

This was his last chance.

The former second-in-command of the Dragon-slaying Army slowly reached out, gripping the sleek, compact pistol. And then—

He pressed the barrel against Leon’s temple.

Leon felt the cold, hard gun muzzle and slowly opened his eyes. “So, it was you...”

“It’ll take Rebecca ten minutes to return. More than enough time to kill you and be long gone, Casmod,” Victor said coldly. “By tomorrow, the headline will read: ‘Former Deputy of the Dragon-slaying Army Executes Empire Traitor Leon Casmod, but Unfortunately Fails to Save a Minister’s Son.’ What do you think of that story?”

Leon sneered. “You never had a sense of humor before.”

“People change, Casmod. You should’ve stayed away. Did killing Constantine give you the idea that you could challenge the Empire?”

“So, it’s true... The Empire and the dragons really are working together.”

Victor cocked the hammer and placed his finger on the trigger.

“Leon, for all these years, you’ve always beaten me. But today, in this final battle, you’ve lost completely. You’ve been defeated by the very person who was always second best to you. Doesn’t that make you regret it?”

“Regret?” Leon scoffed. “I swear, Victor, after you pull that trigger, you’ll be the one with regrets.”

“Heh, still acting tough, even on the verge of death. Well then... let’s see how you make me regret this!”

The killing intent in Victor’s eyes could no longer be contained.

He squeezed the trigger hard, eager to hear the satisfying sound of blood splattering.

*Click.*

The sharp sound of the gun’s mechanism echoed in the room.

But there was no flash, no explosion of fire.

Victor’s heart skipped a beat, and in a panic, he pulled the trigger several more times.

Nothing.

Before he could comprehend what had gone wrong, Leon’s iron fist slammed into his face.

In an instant, Victor felt the world spin, and he was thrown onto his back.

Blood flowed from his nose, and Victor lay on the ground, staring up at the cold man standing over him.

“You... how could you…”

“I told you, I’ve known who the traitor was for a long time. You should’ve confessed when I said that earlier. Maybe then I would’ve spared you.”

But that was a lie. Leon had no intention of sparing him.

He only said it to make the traitor feel even more regret before his death.

Leon walked slowly toward Victor and placed his foot on the man’s leg.

The searing pain rendered Victor unable to move. Glaring up at Leon, he demanded, “When did you start suspecting me?!”

“When? If you really want to know, it was probably three years ago.”

Leon spoke casually as he crouched down to meet Victor’s weary face.

“After all, the only people who knew the locations of the strike teams back then were me… and you.”

During the Battle of the Silver Dragon, after Leon had been framed, the locations of all the strike teams were leaked.

And the only people who had that information were the army’s commander, Leon, and his second-in-command, Victor.

“Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to prove you were the one who betrayed me.”

Leon slowly continued, “So, three years later, I returned to the Empire and started setting my plans in motion.”

“You probably thought I was unfamiliar with everything here, so you assumed I was just another piece on the chessboard.”

“Two days ago, when we first met, you subtly tried to guide me toward thinking and making decisions in line with your plan.”

“You brought up the gift Martin gave his stepmother, and during the banquet, you deliberately steered the conversation toward her hairpin.”

“You said it was made from mammoth ivory, enchanted to become a weapon with strong penetration… Just like the weapon that stabbed me in the back all those years ago, right?”

“If Rebecca hadn’t told me beforehand that Martin and his stepmother had a terrible relationship, I might have gone along with your scheme after leaving your bar. Then your little framing plan would have succeeded.”

“But unfortunately for you, I’m not a piece on the board, Victor. I’m the one holding the pieces.”

Victor’s heartbeat quickened, and his breathing grew ragged. The realization was too much for him to handle, and he started rambling incoherently.

“No… No way… It’s impossible!”

Leon smiled faintly and went on.

“There’s nothing impossible about it. Oh, and by the way, that guitar pick of yours… that was a key clue to your identity as the traitor.”

“You were right, ivory is highly malleable. It can be made into a hairpin, or it can be fashioned into a guitar pick worn around someone’s neck.”

“I’m not sure if you thought I wouldn’t recognize it, but still… A man too poor to replace his old guitar somehow has the money for an ivory pick?”

“One of the best ways to destroy evidence—aside from burning it—is to transform it into something new.”

Leon paused for a moment, then added, “But from what you said earlier about being my ‘defeated subordinate,’ I can only assume you kept the weapon that stabbed me as a personal trophy, a reminder of your so-called victory. Am I right?”

Victor’s pupils dilated, and he screamed, “Leon! Don’t think that beating me means you’ve won against the entire Empire! The Empire will avenge me!!”

Leon shook his head.

“Victor, being ‘second best’ wasn’t your real mistake. Becoming a lapdog for the Empire and standing against me—that’s where you truly went wrong.”

“If you hadn’t been so hasty, maybe I wouldn’t have discovered your identity so soon. But you rushed things, didn’t you? I’m guessing the Empire put pressure on you, didn’t they?”

The Empire had gone as far as sending Constantine to eliminate Leon, a clear sign of their desperation.

But Leon had turned that impatience against them, making Victor believe he was following along with the plan, while in reality, every step Leon took was part of his own strategy to lure out a bigger fish.

Back in the day, General Leon hadn’t bothered with psychological warfare—he’d just charged in, and no dragon could withstand him.

But now, his ability to manipulate others was impeccable.

Thank the Silver Dragon for that—Leon had learned a lot from her over the past two years.

Victor remained silent for a moment before bursting into a manic, nervous laugh. “Yes… yes… you’re right about everything, Leon. But what about Martin? You used him as bait to catch me. When his father finds out his son is dead, and you just happen to be back in the Empire, what do you think he’ll do?”

Leon sneered, “Victor, is that really the best plan you’ve got left to make me fail?”

“What…”

“As someone who fought by my side for so many years, you should know Rebecca has a habit of tinkering with guns.”

Leon picked up the same gun Victor had used earlier and waved it in front of his face.

“She likes to take them apart and put them back together. Over and over. She could sit quietly and do that all night. And for fun, she always loads them with one bullet. And that bullet… is a blank.”

“A blank…”

“Yes. A bullet that doesn’t kill.”

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Rebecca stepped in, supporting a very much alive Martin.

Clutching his chest, Martin’s face was grim. “Captain… it may have been a blank, but it still hurts like hell… I think you might’ve broken at least two of my ribs.”

“Man up, will you? Look at Victor over there. I broke his nose, and he didn’t complain once

,” Leon retorted smugly.

Rebecca helped Martin sit down by the table, then silently handed another gun from her waist to Leon.

Leon cocked the gun and aimed it squarely at Victor’s forehead.

“Now, about the Empire… Is there anything more you’d like to share?”

Death was staring Victor in the face. He could smell the gunpowder as it filled his nostrils, and his last shred of resolve broke.

“Don’t kill me, Leon… don’t kill me! I was wrong, I know I was wrong, I really do! I shouldn’t have worked for the Empire… Please, forgive me! Please, Leon!”

There was no point in asking him for more information now.

“Victor, you don’t regret what you’ve done. You only regret that you’re about to die.”

*Bang!*

The sound of the gunshot echoed, and all fell silent.