Vol. 4 Ch. 53

With the war over, there was no need to worry about ambushes or take detours. Leon and his team took a direct route across the continent and returned to the Empire in less than ten days.

Arriving late in the evening, Leon declined the welcome banquet his friends had prepared for him, opting instead for a quiet meal at a tavern with Rebecca and a few others. He found it more comfortable to share simple moments with old friends rather than endure the formalities of a banquet.

“As I entered the city, I noticed that nearly all the streets have been restored. Your work here has been pretty efficient,” Leon said, holding a can of beef and nodding approvingly.

“Well, the Upper District was the main economic center,” Nacho replied with a wry smile. “When the Nightmare Demon was kicked out, it nearly brought down the Empire’s entire financial structure. It took some time to rebuild, but we’ve even managed to get our hands on canned beef again—though there were days it was nothing but cold water and noodles.”

Leon chuckled, “Still as sharp-tongued as ever, Nacho.”

Nacho grinned and extended his hand to Leon. “Welcome back. With your help, we’ll finally rid the Empire of the last remnants.”

Leon put down his can, shaking Nacho’s hand firmly. “You’ve had a tough job here. Any progress in interrogating the ministers who colluded with Cantor?”

Nacho considered for a moment. “Progress? Yes… but not the kind we expected.”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What do you mean?”

Rebecca smirked. “You’ll see for yourself tomorrow.”

Leon immediately stood up. “Why wait until tomorrow? Let’s go now.”

“But you and Rebecca have an important mission coming up. You should rest,” Nacho replied.

Rebecca shook her head with a grin. “Let’s not keep him waiting; knowing the captain, he’ll drive himself mad if he catches even a hint of something interesting and doesn’t see it through.”

Nacho raised his eyebrows. “Is that so? I didn’t know the great dragon slayer had such a restless side.”

“Oh, it’s real,” Rebecca said, teasingly lifting Leon’s chin. “And now it’s for my benefit, of course.”

Leon chuckled, nudging her hand away. “You’re incorrigible.”

---

In the early hours, Leon, Nacho, Rebecca, and Martin headed to the Imperial Prison’s special detention area.

“This place was reserved for notable figures during Cantor’s rule,” Nacho explained as they walked through the dimly lit corridors.

“Notable figures? They even had a special area just for that?” Leon asked, puzzled.

Nacho nodded. “Most of them were high-profile scapegoats.”

“Scapegoats?” Rebecca asked, catching on.

“Exactly. When the Empire thought Leon had died in the Silver Dragon conflict, they pinned the defeat on him, making him the perfect scapegoat. It was the only time the Empire ever officially blamed him for anything.”

“Quite the ‘honorable’ scapegoat position…” Leon muttered.

Nacho continued, “Back then, Cantor and his allies conducted a lot of shady dealings. When any of their dirty work risked exposure, they would find some poor fool to take the fall.”

“And if things got out of hand and a regular scapegoat wasn’t enough to calm the public, they’d pick someone with a big name to shift attention,” Nacho added. “Most of the public didn’t care about the truth. They just wanted to see someone important pay.”

“Can’t blame them, really,” Nacho continued, running a hand along the prison wall. “With the Empire controlling information so strictly, people couldn’t think independently.”

He stopped by a seemingly plain wall. “This area was once a ‘luxury suite’ for those high-ranking scapegoats. Outwardly, it looked modest, but it was more comfortable than it appeared.”

Leon nodded thoughtfully. “You’re remarkably well-informed about the inner workings of the Empire. Weren’t you just a logistics staffer for the dragon-slaying troops back then?”

Nacho shrugged, smiling. “My father was once one of those scapegoats.”

Leon looked away, remembering that Nacho had once confided in him about his father’s fate. Framed for leaking military secrets, his father had been promised mercy if he completed a final mission but was ultimately betrayed and murdered in prison. Driven by a desire to uncover the Empire’s darkest secrets, Nacho had chosen to side with Leon.

“After Cantor’s fall, we rounded up his collaborators and threw them in here for questioning,” Rebecca added. “But they don’t get any special treatment now. One cell, a pile of straw—that’s all they get.”

Leon stopped, nodding approvingly. “Seems fitting for a prison.”

“So,” Rebecca smirked, “Captain, how do you know so much about prison life?”

“I’ll leave that question to his ‘dear wife’ to answer,” Nacho joked.

Just then, a voice called out from one of the cells.

“Leon Cosmod! I’m innocent! Get me out of here—I was never in league with that rat Cantor!”

The shout sparked a chorus of pleas from the other cells.

“Cosmod! Tell them I was framed too—I never trafficked anyone!”

“I’m innocent too! Those children… they all came willingly!”

“Wait, wait, I’m innocent too! Those women came on to me!”

Leon scowled, his patience thinning. “Are they all this delusional?”

Nacho nodded. “Interrogation over several weeks does tend to mess with their heads. It’s what we want, though—otherwise, they’d all be impossible to break.”

“No one’s been wrongly accused, I assume?”

“Rest assured, we’re certain they’re all guilty.” Nacho led Leon to a cell at the end of the corridor.

Through a one-way magic barrier, they could clearly see an older man slumped over a pile of straw. Shirtless, the man looked worn and dejected, yet his body radiated a hidden strength beneath his frail exterior.

Leon immediately recognized him.

“Fuehr Last. The commander of the dragon-slaying forces under the previous king.”

Nacho sighed deeply. “Twenty years ago, the newspapers reported his death.”