Looking at the silent Rebecca, the man sneered and mocked, "You have nothing more to say now, right, Miss Clement? Tiger is gone, your so-called helper doesn't exist either, so… Leon Casmodeous, was also a lie, right?"
"No… no… the Captain, he definitely—"
"Will appear at a key moment."
The voice came from the doorway of the hall.
Everyone turned toward the voice and found, it was Walker.
And behind Walker were a man and a woman.
"Walker? Weren't you out on patrol? And you even brought back two—"
Rebecca's gaze moved past Walker and looked at the people behind him.
Immediately, a flash of hope and surprise crossed her somber teal eyes.
"Captain… Captain!!"
Someone in the crowd also recognized him.
"Leon… Casmodeous…"
"Leon? I-It's Leon! It's him!"
"Leon Casmodeous! The Empire's strongest dragon slayer!"
"..."
The cheers surged like a wave, echoing through the hall of Lionheart.
Leon slowly walked up to Rebecca.
Looking at the wronged expression in the eyes of this crazy girl, Leon reached out and patted her little head.
"Sorry, I came late."
———
If she hadn't seen the Captain's wife behind him, Rebecca would definitely have given Leon a big hug—
Along with two punches.
Of all times, he had to show up when the other side was pressing her like crazy.
If you'd come any later, your welcome feast would've had "Angry Flat-Lo*lita" as the main dish.
After a brief greeting, Walker stepped forward to explain to everyone, "Mel and I ran into Senior Leon while patrolling in the outer city, so we brought them in secretly."
Rebecca blinked her pretty big eyes in confusion.
"That's just… way too coincidental, isn't it?"
Walker chuckled, "Pretty coincidental, yeah. Back then, he jumped straight down from a tree, gave Mel and me quite the scare."
Rebecca looked even more confused. She turned to Leon.
"Why were you up in a tree?"
"Uh… long story."
'Should I tell you it's because your sister-in-law wanted to revisit the 'battlefield' from our passionate days, and that's why we were up in the tree?'
Rebecca waved her hand, "Alright, let's get down to business."
She walked to Leon's side, her gaze swept over the members in the hall, and told Leon what had happened just now and everyone's thoughts.
After hearing everything, Leon nodded, patted Rebecca on the shoulder, "You've worked hard. Leave the rest to me."
Hearing this, Rebecca finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether it was in the days of fighting with the Dragon-Slaying Army or through all the crises they'd faced recently, as long as Leon said "Leave it to me," he always managed to bring peace of mind to those around him.
Leon turned his gaze to the Lionheart hall, slowly scanning each member.
His eyes finally fixed on that troublemaker who had been stirring everyone's emotions just now.
And the man noticed Leon's gaze too.
Just five minutes ago, he was full of arrogance, questioning Rebecca, and doubting everything about Leon, believing it was all a lie.
But now, when the person he had doubted stood vividly before him, he didn't even have the courage to hold eye contact with Leon.
Under everyone's watch, Leon took steps forward and slowly walked toward him.
Trained to slay giant dragons, Leon naturally exuded an aura and killing intent that ordinary people couldn't withstand.
Nacho, seeing this scene from the back, couldn't help but worry, 'Is he planning to make an example out of him? That'll only worsen the situation.'
After working for the royal court for years, Nacho knew how politics and bureaucracy operated.
Even if Leon was the spiritual leader of Lionheart, right now, he had just arrived.
People's understanding of him still stayed in the past, what they'd heard from Tiger and Rebecca's stories.
If Leon now did something completely opposite of their image of him, like using force, it would definitely hurt Lionheart's unity.
The one who answered Nacho's concerns was the silver-haired beauty who had come back with Leon.
'Don't worry. He'll handle it well.'
Nacho looked at her. That sculpted profile was simply perfect.
He frowned slightly, "You're… the Silver Dragon King?"
He'd thought she was just a new member, but looking closely now, Nacho almost blurted out, 'Holy crap.'
Rossweise gave no response. She simply crossed her arms and silently watched Leon in action.
Leon's footsteps stopped as he stood before the troublemaker.
This was the guy who had repeatedly interrogated Rebecca and stirred up everyone's emotions.
Actually, in a large group or organization, there were often people like this.
If it were in the past, after Rebecca had explained the situation to Leon, Leon would've pinned this guy to the floor to set an example.
In the Dragon-Slaying Army, there wasn't time for convincing people with virtue, only strength mattered.
But Lionheart was an organization built around him. He couldn't let down his master and Rebecca's efforts, nor the trust of all these people.
He locked eyes silently with the man.
Leon was much taller than him, so even a blank stare created tremendous pressure.
No one around dared to speak.
"They're not… gonna fight, right?"
"If they really fight, do you think Rachel, that chubby cook, has even a one percent chance against the former strongest dragon slayer?"
"Well, yeah."
"..."
Everyone whispered among themselves, all thinking that this matter could only be resolved with force.
Even if not, Leon would surely teach Rachel a harsh lesson.
And just when everyone thought so, Leon finally spoke.
"What's your name?"
His voice was calm and steady, no rise or fall in tone, and not a tone of reproach either.
"R-Rachel…"
Upon hearing the name, Leon paused, thoughts drifting. A moment later, he asked again, "You used to supply pre-packed food to the Dragon-Slaying Army, didn't you?"
Rachel was startled, "How do you know?"
'Ha, how wouldn't I know?'
'Your family was the only one in the Empire that served boxed meals without eggplant or carrots.'
'Of course I remember!'
Though remembering Rachel's name wasn't just because of the eggplant and carrots, Leon could recall the names of most people he'd interacted with.
Like Walker, who just helped him sneak in.
Five years ago, after finishing a battle in the Empire's forest with Rossweise, Leon had encountered a dragon-slaying squad, and it was Walker's team.
Leon never thought of his memory as a special skill, but Rossweise had once told him during her "Leadership Experience" training that if a superior can remember a subordinate's name, it makes that subordinate feel appreciated.
Sure enough, once Rachel realized Leon still remembered his name, his expression relaxed.
He lowered his eyes and sighed heavily.
That sigh was full of guilt and remorse.
Once his impatience calmed, Rachel's judgment and sense of reason returned to normal.
"Your family's pre-packed food was really good. I used to enjoy it a lot in the Dragon-Slaying Army," Leon said.
"What good is that, Captain Leon…"
"What do you mean?"
Rachel wiped his face and sighed again, "Three years ago, the Empire wanted to buy out my family's restaurant. I refused, so they kept sending thugs to loiter at our shop entrance. No customers dared to come anymore, and business got worse every day."
"In the end, I had no choice but to sell the restaurant my father left us to the Empire."
"I thought the Empire would at least run it honestly… but no. They wanted our location. They kept the restaurant front but secretly ran shady operations inside."
"The Empire destroyed our family's reputation. My brother went to confront them, saying we'd even work as chefs again if needed, just don't tarnish our family name."
"But my brother got arrested and thrown in jail. To this day, we don't know if he's alive."
"Captain Leon… I just got too worked up earlier. I wouldn't have said such harsh things otherwise. I… truly apologize."
Rachel bowed his head deeply, offering a sincere apology.
Leon gave an almost unnoticeable nod. Indeed, his approach had been correct.
"Lionheart is growing steadily. With more people, there'll be more opinions. With more opinions, arguments are inevitable, that's normal."
Leon placed his hand on Rachel's shoulder and said slowly, "I understand how you feel."
"Don't worry. Now that I'm here, I'll help you get your brother back."
As he spoke, Leon lifted his head, scanning the hall, and raised his voice.
"And I'll help everyone, help you all, return the humiliation and injustice you've suffered back to this corrupt Empire!"
When he finished, there was a brief silence, then thunderous applause erupted.
They chanted Leon's name, expressing their approval of this leader.
Seeing the scene, Nacho was both shocked and delighted.
'Back when he was in the Dragon-Slaying Army, he was technically my colleague, though we didn't meet often. My impression of him then? Just a brute who only knew how to fight. The royal court didn't think highly of him either.'
Looking at Leon now, laughing and bonding with the members of Lionheart, Nacho thought he looked just like a leader doing grassroots inspection.
'In just a few years, he's gotten this sharp. Calling him a qualified leader… is not an exaggeration at all.'
Rebecca proudly puffed up her flat little chest, walked over to Rossweise, and linked arms with her sister-in-law.
"Well of course! I mean, just look at who his wife is!"
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