Chapter 79: Bring Your Daughter to Court

As night fell, after figuring out the imperial patrol routes, Leon seized the opportunity to sneak with Muen to the base of a high wall on one side of the imperial city.
This spot was hard to detect, and patrol units only passed by every ten minutes.
The father-daughter pair crouched by the wall, studying how to infiltrate.
Getting into the imperial city at the central district wasn’t as simple as sneaking into the empire during daytime.
This was where the empire’s royal nobles lived. Even the lowest-ranking officials had at least four or five guards following them when they went out.
As for those power holders in higher positions, it went without saying.
Leon raised his hand, gently pressing it against the imperial city’s outer wall.
Cold and rough, with what seemed to be magical energy flowing within.
“As expected, there’s a barrier here too,” Leon said.
The empire’s city walls had detection barriers above them, so the imperial city would certainly be no exception.
And the imperial city’s barrier strength and functionality would far exceed those on the outer city walls.
“If we try to climb over, the barrier will definitely detect us.”
Leon said, “I’ll try to break an opening in this barrier. Muen, keep watch for me, alert me immediately if there’s any movement.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Muen immediately stood up, vigilantly surveying their surroundings.
Leon attempted to break through the barrier.
At the Dragon Slaying Academy, teachers had taught him some basic principles and techniques for breaking barriers, since during military campaigns they might encounter various types of enemy barriers with different functions.
But regardless of their function, barriers were essentially magic arrays.
If you could find their operational patterns, there was a chance to break them.
However, after several attempts, Leon failed.
He dared not forcefully break through the barrier, as that would certainly draw the attention of the ‘Royal Mage Corps’.
The barrier works for the outer walls, imperial city, and various main buildings of the empire were all handled by the Royal Mage Corps.
Besides this, the Royal Mage Corps was also responsible for teaching magic knowledge to royal family members and their offspring.
Leon hadn’t liked that group much even years ago when he led troops into battle.
Every single person in the Mage Corps was a lunatic – and moreover, lunatics without moral or ethical bottom lines.
Before the Silver Dragon War, Leon had heard they were conducting some “dangerous species breeding” magical experiments. Based on the dangerous species he encountered when he returned to the empire last time, these lunatics’ experiments had probably succeeded.
Who knows what more outrageous things they’ve created in the twenty years since then.
“No good, the barrier is too complex, far more complicated than twenty years ago.”
Breaking barriers wasn’t Leon’s specialty anyway.
He could blast a hole through the wall with one Chidori strike, but that would be like announcing their presence.
Their risky infiltration into the empire was for the heart dragon scales, not to pick fights.
Muen also tried her hand at it but failed similarly.
The ahoge on her head drooped as Little Moon became dejected. “How disappointing…”
Leon patted her head to comfort her, “Well, it is the barrier protecting the imperial city, designed by a bunch of professionals. If two amateurs like us could break it so easily, those people might as well start looking for new jobs.”
“Then Dad, what should we do now?”
“Hmm… since sneaking in secretly won’t work, let’s see if we can find cover and slip in like we did this morning.”
“Okay.”
The success rate of this approach wasn’t actually very high.
But it was better than doing nothing – they had to at least try.
Leon led Muen past the patrol, circling to the rooftop of an inn near the imperial city’s main gate.
From here, they could clearly see the situation at the main gate.
There weren’t many carriages coming and going, and judging by their luxurious configurations, every passenger was wealthy.
They might as well have put diamonds on the horse hooves.
“Unlike the city gate, the imperial security will thoroughly search every carriage going in and out. Hiding underneath would definitely get us caught,” Leon said quietly.
“Dad, didn’t you used to come to the imperial city often when you were in the empire?” Muen asked.
Leon thought for a moment, shook his head, “I came frequently at first, but later not so much.”
“Eh? Why?” Muen was curious.
“Front-line soldiers like your dad couldn’t enter the imperial city freely unless it was for receiving honors or commendations.”
Muen blinked, “Then how come you said you could come often at first?”
“Because your dad accomplished a lot.”
Leon recalled, “Back then… probably one Dragon King per month, so I had to come to the imperial city monthly to let that dog emperor give me honors. Normal people only came once a year.”
“After a while, they got tired of giving honors, and I got tired too, so we discussed and agreed to make it once every six months instead.”
Muen’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at her father with admiration,
“Wow~ Dad, you were so amazing.”
Leon coughed lightly, not continuing to show off following his daughter’s praise.
Why was this?
Because back then, her mother had also been a special merit in General Leon’s eyes…
Ah, ancient history, all ancient history.
“Anyway, now that he’s married to someone with special merits, let’s not bring up the past.”
Muen asked, “Did Dad get any rewards for his commendation?”
Leon nodded, “Yes, money, food, clothes, all sorts of things. My squad members said every time I came out of the Imperial City, I looked like I’d been shopping there.”
Muen covered her mouth and laughed softly, “Dad must have been quite a dashing figure in his youth.”
“What do you mean? Am I not young now?”
“You’re already a 23-year-old uncle~”
Leon pinched his daughter’s cheeks, “If I’m an uncle at 23, what does that make you at 22? Hm?”
“The uncle’s daughter.”
While father and daughter were joking around, there was new movement at the Imperial City gate.
They both stopped and looked down.
It was a relatively simple carriage, and after it stopped, three people got off.
Leon scanned their clothing and appearance, observed their posture and gait, and guessed these three were likely service members who had just returned from the war front.
As for whether they belonged to the Dragon Slayer Army, he couldn’t tell.
But Muen recognized these three immediately.
“It’s the ‘Three Ki Special Operations Team,'” Muen said with a serious tone that didn’t quite match the not-so-serious name.
Leon was startled, “Chi- chicken? What chicken? Sweetie, are you hungry and hallucinating?”
“Not chicken, ‘Three Ki.'”
Muen explained seriously, “Five years after you disappeared, Dad, the Empire gradually gained the upper hand in the human-dragon war, thanks to these three people.”
Leon raised an eyebrow, “They’re… strong?”
“Yes, according to survivors from the defeated tribes, these three were absurdly strong. They said it felt like returning to ‘the era ruled by Black Armor.'”
Ah~
Dad also misses the era ruled by Black Armor.
After this quiet reflection, Leon continued asking, “Is there any specific information about these three?”
“Um… I only know their names.”
Muen thought for a moment and said,
“Kini, Kitai, Kime.”
“…Those names sound familiar, reminds me of an old acquaintance.”