The number of merchant caravans entering and leaving the Empire had significantly increased compared to the past, which greatly reduced the difficulty for Leon and his daughters to infiltrate. 

If there were only a few merchants, the guards would likely search each one thoroughly. But with one carriage after another, inspecting each one would take all day, and they wouldn’t let many caravans through. 

That would seriously slow down the tax revenue collection process for the officials, and that simply wouldn’t do. So, a "turn a blind eye" approach seemed good enough.

However, one new guard, not yet hardened by reality, seemed to think otherwise. 

“Captain, are we really doing our jobs properly? Isn’t this just slacking off?” asked the new recruit of the Imperial patrol team. 

The man referred to as "captain" leaned back in his wooden chair, puffing on his pipe. “Kid, how much do you earn a month?”

“Twenty gold coins,” the newbie replied honestly.

“Exactly. You do the job of someone earning twenty gold coins. If you’re stressing yourself like you’re earning two hundred, that’s called overstepping your rank,” the captain said with the tone of a seasoned veteran.

The newbie still didn’t get it. “But what if something really happens?”

“Something happens? Kid, ever since that guy named Leon Casmod disappeared, the Empire has been peaceful for twenty years. Nobody dares to stir up trouble here.”

“Leon... Casmod?”

“Never heard of him? Well, that’s not surprising, it's old news. I’ll tell you the story during the next shift change.”

“Oh...”

The captain continued to puff his pipe leisurely.

Twenty gold coins wasn’t a small salary, but not enough to warrant checking every carriage under the sun.

"I swear, back when I was the head of the Dragon Slayer Corps, I only made a hundred gold coins a month, and these security guys now get twenty without risking their lives! Had I known, I would’ve become a guard. It would’ve saved me twenty years of headaches," Leon muttered.

“But Dad, if you had become a guard, you wouldn’t have met Mom, right?”

“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart. I never said I had to be a guard in the Empire. I could’ve been a guard at the Silver Dragon Sanctuary and still met your mom.”

“Hmm... A Silver Dragon Queen marrying a guard sounds pretty far-fetched.”

“And a Silver Dragon Queen marrying a human doesn’t?”

“Shh~”

Noah interrupted their banter, “We’re about to pass through the gate, keep quiet.”

The group immediately held their breath and pressed close under the carriage.

The merchant caravan stopped in front of the Imperial gates for the standard inspection. The inspection, as expected, was just a quick glance over. As long as there were no suspicious or dangerous items, everyone was allowed through.

Such a lax approach wasn’t just due to the guards' laziness but also their confidence in the strength of the Empire. 

As the captain had said earlier, apart from Leon, no one would dare to cause trouble in the Empire. 

As the strongest human kingdom, simply having the opportunity to trade with them was a privilege. Who would dare plan mischief?

The inspection ended, and Leon and his daughters successfully slipped into the Empire alongside the merchant caravan.

After walking a few streets and confirming there were no patrols nearby, the group took their chance, sliding out from under the carriage and ducking into a side alley.

Leon stood at the mouth of the alley, pressed against the wall, peeking around to make sure no one had spotted them and no one was paying attention. 

He turned back to his daughters and started discussing their next steps.

“The informant didn’t specify the exact location of the dragon scales, just that they are stored in a hidden fortress somewhere in the royal city,” Noah said. “We’ll need to do a bit more digging to find them.”

Leon nodded.

He hadn’t expected to easily find the Heartguard Dragon Scales. 

The Empire wouldn’t collect such items without reason. 

The Heartguard Dragon Scales were essential for the dragons, acting as a kind of ‘safety mechanism.’ If humans had obtained them, there could be many possible uses.

Given how valuable the scales were, the Empire would have kept them well hidden after acquiring them.

The fact that Noah’s mysterious informant had even discovered that the Empire was collecting Heartguard Dragon Scales was impressive enough. If they also knew the exact storage location, the Empire’s security would be embarrassingly poor.

The real challenge had just begun. Getting past the guards was the easy part.

“I have two strategies in mind,” Leon said.

“First, we split into two teams and search the areas around and inside the royal city until we find where the scales are stored.”

“Second, we capture someone important enough to interrogate and extract the information we need.”

“The first option is safer but will take more time. The second is faster, but riskier.”

“My suggestion is to start by searching in teams, and if we don’t find anything within a short time, we move to the more dangerous option. What do you think?”

The three sisters exchanged glances before nodding in agreement with their father’s plan.

“Great. Now let’s decide on the teams.”

Leon continued, “Noah and Aurora will be one team, and Moon and I will be the other. Is that okay?”

Moon’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I get to do a secret mission with Dad?”

“Yes, are you happy?” Leon chuckled.

“Super happy! So excited!” Moon’s tail would’ve wagged if she hadn’t hidden it for this mission.

Noah gently poked her little sister’s cheek. “Alright, little shadow, behave yourself once we split up. Don’t run off and don’t slow us down.”

“Tsk, you still treat me like a child,” Moon pouted.

Noah fondly ruffled her hair. “You always act like a kid around him.”

“Hmph~”

After finalizing their initial plans, Leon gave one last instruction, “If something urgent happens, avoid combat as much as possible. Try not to use magic. Remember, our main goal is the Heartguard Dragon Scales.”

Aurora suddenly added, “Oh right, Moon. If you have to use magic, stick to just one element. Don’t use both at once. Dual awakening is extremely rare, especially lightning and fire. If anyone in the royal city is familiar with Mom and Dad’s history, they might easily figure out who we are.”

Moon nodded. “Got it, understood.”

“Alright, let’s begin. Whether we find the dragon scales or not, we meet back here in three days,” Leon instructed.

“Got it.”

Noah and Aurora left first.

Leon led Moon through the narrow alleyways.

No one in the Empire had ever seen Noah or Aurora, and for the past twenty years, the three sisters had been careful to avoid any contact with the Imperial Dragon Slayer forces.

So, inside the Empire, they wouldn’t be recognized, and there was no need for them to disguise themselves while walking the streets.

But Leon, on the other hand, had been one of the Empire’s top criminals twenty years ago, transforming from a Dragon Slayer hero into a human traitor. His notoriety and the drama surrounding his story could easily land him in the textbooks. 

Even though two decades had passed, there was still a risk of being recognized, so it was safer for him to stick to the shadows.

“Dad, are we heading to the royal city now?” Moon asked as she followed Leon.

“We’ll wait until nightfall. Unlike Noah’s team, we can’t just walk around the streets. Nighttime will be our best cover.”

“Oh, okay!”

One benefit of splitting into teams was that not all the daughters had to stick with Leon. 

Noah and Aurora, who hadn’t been seen in the Empire, had more freedom to move around.

If all three of them were together, it would be more noticeable, so Leon had decided to split them into pairs to ensure mutual backup if anything went wrong.

Leon and Moon took a detour through the alleyways, eventually reaching the rooftop of an abandoned bell tower. From there, they could see the distant royal city.

“Now we wait for nightfall,” Leon said as he gazed at the grand and shining structures in the distance. Who knew what kind of monsters lurked beneath the glamorous exterior?