The bullet was chambered.
"I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"
'Seriously, you really can't treat her like a normal girl, damn it!'
'What about our bond?'
'Our friendship?'
'Our deep, heartfelt camaraderie?'
'How can you say something as cold-blooded as 'I've been waiting for this day for a long time'?'
After ranting wildly in his heart a few times, Leon could only shake his head with a helpless smile.
"Alright then, let's go."
The two pulled apart, keeping a distance.
Inside the practice arena, Leon and Rebecca faced each other, the scene looking like a Wild West cowboy duel.
"Ready, Captain? Rubber bullets might not kill, but they still hurt like hell."
"But fire away without worry," General Leon swept his hand with confidence, "I can... react to bullets!"
———
"Name: Leon Casmodeous."
"Age: twenty-six."
"Marital status: married."
"Primary diagnosis: mild concussion."
"Cause: rubber bullet... Rubber bullet?"
Martin stood by the hospital bed, staring in disbelief at the captain's medical record, "How could it be a rubber bullet? Rebecca, did you seriously lose control and go all-out on the captain?"
Rebecca lay sprawled on the bed, leisurely eating an apple from the fruit basket.
"The captain told me to aim at his head, so it's not my fault."
"So... clearly the captain is the one with the mild concussion, but why are you lying on his bed, eating the fruit I brought?"
"Tch, a mild concussion isn't some incurable disease. With the captain's constitution, even a cold is worse! Isn't that right, Captain?"
Rebecca took another bite, turning to look at Leon sitting at the bedside.
At this moment, General Leon's head was wrapped in bandages, golden stars spinning in his vision, ears buzzing faintly.
From the results, his first official "Super Sense" practice had ended in failure.
And the price of failure: dozens of gold coins in medical bills. The hospital insisted on waiving his costs, but upright and incorruptible General Leon would never abuse that privilege.
He paid the full amount on the spot. (Using Rebecca's wallet.)
Which was why the crazy little loli now hogged his bed and ate his fruit.
This was all bought with her money.
"But Captain, why on earth did you tell Rebecca to shoot you with rubber bullets?"
Even though the captain often did abstract things Martin couldn't understand.
Getting a concussion from a rubber bullet, that was beyond abstract.
Leon shook his head and explained his "Super Sense" training.
After listening, Martin was still dumbfounded.
"Even for training, did you really have to start with a headshot? You could've tested on your leg or shoulder first."
"Eh! That's where you're wrong!"
Rebecca pounced off the bed in a tiger leap.
"The captain said, the head is the leader of the five yangs! As long as you can dodge an attack to the head, then you can dodge everything else too."
"The head of the five yangs isn't that almighty, dammit!", Martin grabbed his hair in frustration.
Rebecca shrugged, "Anyway, the doctor said it's just a very mild concussion. Rest a bit and he'll be fine."
This failure had also taught Leon a lesson.
At first, he really had been too impatient, ignoring the importance of gradual progress.
With lightning magic in the past, he had always learned quickly.
But "Super Sense" was a unique type of move he had never practiced before.
If he trained the way he had with lightning magic, taking big leaps forward, he could end up hurting himself.
So... he had to take it slow.
"Leon-bro!", A sweet female voice suddenly came from the door.
The three of them turned toward the sound.
It was little nun Sharon, with Teacher Caroline behind her carrying a fruit basket.
"Sharon... and Teacher Caroline? Why are you here?", Leon asked, dazed.
"We heard you were hospitalized, of course we came to see you."
Sharon asked anxiously, "What happened, Leon-bro? Did you get sick?"
"Ah, no... just a mild concussion. A little rest and I'll be fine."
Leon blinked, "So... who told you I was hospitalized?"
"Uh—"
Before she could finish, a noisy commotion rose outside the ward.
"Mr. Leon, Mr. Leon, how's your recovery?"
"Mr. Leon! Please grant our newspaper the first exclusive interview after you're discharged, thank you!"
"Mr. Leon, our publishing house sends you this banner and fruit basket, wishing you a speedy recovery!"
"..."
Outside the door was a crowd of reporters chasing after Leon.
Before being admitted, Leon had specifically told Nacho not to spread the news, and not to let any officials come visit.
He disliked that kind of atmosphere.
And Leon had trusted Nacho to handle it.
But unfortunately, the general's fame in the Empire was just too great. It couldn't be hidden.
The moment the hero was hospitalized, of course every newspaper and publisher rushed to grab the front page.
"This is a hospital, please keep quiet!"
Finally, the nurse spoke up, "If you want interviews, wait until Mr. Leon recovers and is discharged. If you keep blocking here, I'll call security."
Though young, the nurse carried authority.
With just a few words, the journalists dispersed silently.
The atmosphere inside and outside the ward instantly eased.
Leon breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the nurse, "Thank you."
She smiled slightly, "You're welcome. If you need anything, just let me know."
"Alright."
"By the way, Leon-bro, who was it that injured you?"
Sharon pressed eagerly, "For someone as strong as you to get hurt... the one who could hurt you must be even stronger, right?"
"Emmm..."
"Was it a dangerous beast?"
"No..."
"The Dragon King?"
"No..."
"Imperial remnants?"
"Also no..."
"Then who—"
"That's right! It was me!"
The twin-tailed girl proudly planted her fists on her hips, chin held high.
"It was this gunner who shattered Leon Casmodeous' dragon-slaying dream with one shot!"
Leon silently covered his face, sighing inwardly.
This shameful incident was worse than all the black history from last night.
He could only hope Rebecca never told Rossweise about this.
Caroline and Sharon stayed in the ward with Leon for a while, but since they had to hurry back to cook dinner for the children, they soon left.
Watching Teacher Caroline's retreating figure, Rebecca suddenly asked, "Captain, have you ever thought about finding your biological parents?"
Leon froze, not immediately understanding why she asked.
But then he realized. This girl had also lost her parents when she was young. She too longed for family.
So seeing Caroline, who was like another mother to Leon, must have touched her.
Leon thought for a moment, then replied, "I have thought about it. But in this vast world, where would I even look?"
Rebecca smiled faintly, "Then aren't you curious about your own origins?"
"My origins?"
"Yeah. What if... you're the descendant of some great noble family? Or maybe your biological parents were hidden-away sorcerers. Or, maybe you were born into a poor family but had twelve brothers and sisters, and your parents had no choice but to abandon you at the orphanage door. Or maybe you—"
"Ah, stop stop stop! That's getting ridiculous. What normal family could have twelve kids?"
Rebecca blinked, then gave Leon a scrutinizing look.
Leon leaned back slightly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Normal people really can't have twelve. But I know someone who might be able to pull it off."
"...Who?"
"You!"
Bam!
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