Chapter 81: Hey, You’ve Made Something of Yourself in Twenty Years

The sunset poured like molten gold over the verdant lawns of Hisna Manor. Servants bustled about the courtyard, making final preparations for the upcoming banquet.
Nacho stood in the corridor observing it all, playing with a silver coin in his hand.
The coin bore the Imperial Dragon Slayer Army’s emblem—two crossed swords forming an “X” between a pair of dragon wings.
In the Imperial royal family, coins of different materials represented different status levels and the power one wielded.
From bottom to top, they progressed from copper coins, to silver coins, to gold coins, and finally to the unicorn crystal—which represented authority second only to one person.
It had taken Nacho Salamander nearly twenty years to upgrade from a copper coin to the silver one he now held.
Though it might seem like an awkward middle ground, this was already a height most people could never reach.
Beyond this lay the most chaotic whirlpool in the Empire’s power structure—those who held gold coins were all shrewd political ministers.
Nacho knew he hadn’t reached that level yet. Protecting his own territory and keeping his head attached was his greatest success.
Having come this far, the person Nacho most wanted to thank wasn’t the ‘lord’ who had promoted him along the way.
Rather, it was a ‘ghost’—a ghost who had vanished twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago, Nacho had witnessed firsthand that unprecedented fierce battle, truly experiencing the dragons’ fanatical obsession with revenge.
That man called Leon Casmode was absurdly strong. If he hadn’t perished together with Ravi in the end, the Empire’s current peaceful life would likely have been impossible.
Nacho wouldn’t have received his promotion and title afterward either.
At that time, Leon had been seen as prime meat by the noble officials in the royal family. Any achievement related to Leon meant guaranteed promotion and wealth.
So Nacho was grateful to that guy—without him, he couldn’t have climbed to his current height.
Of course—
Nacho looked at the silver coin in his hand, his lips curling slightly upward.
He could only silently thank that monster who had been too strong to belong in this dimension.
Wanting to thank him in person was now impossible.
At that moment, a burly servant quietly passed through Nacho’s field of vision, carrying a tray with his head unusually low.
Nacho’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the other’s footsteps.
He turned his head to look at the tall servant’s retreating figure, his mind stirring as he muttered, “Strange… I don’t remember seeing this person before.”
“Sir, the room is ready. Let’s go wait for them there,” another man approached Nacho and said respectfully.
“Scott, have you seen that black-haired servant before?” Nacho asked.
Scott was Nacho’s current deputy, helping him handle daily work.
Once Nacho got promoted again, Scott would be able to take his position.
Following Nacho’s gaze, Scott narrowed his eyes slightly as he carefully examined the black-haired servant’s retreating figure, then shook his head, “Never seen him before. Must be newly hired. Hisna Manor has very strict standards for servants and attendants, sir, please don’t worry.”
Nacho nodded, not paying it any more attention.
The two walked through the corridor toward Hisna Manor’s most luxurious dining room.
After being seated, Nacho asked, “How long until Gini and the others arrive?”
“About twenty minutes,” Scott replied.
“Mm, go patrol once more, make sure everyone here is our people.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nacho was cautious. Before every welcoming banquet, he would arrive at the manor early to arrange personnel and set up sentry posts.
He liked the feeling of having everything under his control.
Twenty years ago, Nacho knew nothing of power;
But Casmode’s disappearance had indirectly let him taste the flavor of power.
That feeling was like a bone-deep poison—once touched, it became impossible to resist.
Nacho sat upright at the dining table, eyes slightly closed, quietly waiting for the Dagger Special Operations team to arrive.
Creeak—
The door opened.
Then came slow, heavy footsteps.
“Weren’t they supposed to arrive in half an hour?”
Nacho didn’t open his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of displeasure.
He disliked Scott getting the time wrong, and he disliked having his carefully arranged schedule disrupted by those three idiots arriving early.
It gave him an unsettling feeling of losing control over his power.
However, facing Nacho’s questioning, the other party didn’t respond.
They just quietly closed the door.
Only then did Nacho slowly open his eyes, “I’m asking you a question, Scott, you—”
Upon seeing the black-haired man in the room clearly, all of Nacho’s words became stuck in his throat.
The other person wore a servant’s uniform and carried a tray with cutlery.
But Nacho knew that with the other’s ability, anything could become his weapon for killing, let alone knives and forks.
At that moment, Nacho felt like he was dreaming.
Or perhaps, seeing a ghost.
Fear exploded in Nacho’s heart. He wanted to shout, but the pressure released by the man before him actually rendered Nacho temporarily speechless.
Like a stone was stuck in his throat.
His hands began to go numb, the sensation extending all the way to his feet.
Nacho slowly widened his eyes, pupils dilated, the whites of his eyes filled with blood vessels.
Finally, Nacho managed to say the other’s name:
“Leon… Casmode…”
Speaking his name was like finding the key to unlock the invisible shackles on Nacho’s body.
It seemed that just saying it made things a little easier.
Nacho’s heart was racing, but he still maintained a facade of composure.
He secretly lowered one arm, viciously squeezing his fingers with his nails under the table, trying to use pain to keep himself calm.
Seeing that Nacho still recognized him, Leon didn’t appear particularly surprised.
He slowly walked forward, pulled out a chair, sat down, and casually placed the tray with cutlery in front of himself.
Leon leaned against the chair back, lazily looking at Nacho across from him.
He said nothing, just looked at the other person.
Nacho dared not meet Leon’s gaze. He swallowed hard with all his might.
Damn it, where were the sentries? The patrol? The personal attendants?!
How had none of these useless people reported anything?!
Just then, urgent footsteps suddenly sounded outside the dining room.
Scott pushed open the door, panting heavily, and said in panic, “Bad news, sir! All our people have been… taken out…” His voice trailed off as he registered who was present. “L-Leon Casmode?!”
After a brief moment of shock, Scott reacted quickly, immediately turning to go get reinforcements.
However, as soon as he turned around, he ran into two tall girls.
They had their hands in their pockets and slightly bowed their heads, their gazes anything but friendly.
Snap—
Leon snapped his fingers, “Why are you standing outside? Come in and sit down.”
Noia stepped forward from outside the door, faint electrical currents suddenly flickering around her body.
Scott had no choice but to sheepishly retreat back inside, walking into the room to sit with Nacho.
Leon stared expressionlessly at Nacho, letting his unease show through.
After a moment of silence, Leon said in a low voice, “I know you’re probably curious about why I’m still alive, but I don’t have time to explain that to you. Now, I want you to tell me where the heart dragon scales the Empire collected are located.”
Leon’s tone was calm, but it carried an irresistible pressure that made Nacho’s inner fear reach its peak.
He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to try to stall Leon until the Dagger trio arrived.
Whether the current Leon was as formidable as he had been years ago or not, in front of the Dagger trio, he would still be nothing but an insignificant insect.
So—
Nacho froze. He stared at Leon’s face, shocked to discover that this guy’s appearance was exactly the same as twenty years ago, without any signs of aging.
Could it be… he also transplanted—
“Nacho, we’re all old friends here, why waste time?”
Leon stood up and slowly walked behind Nacho and Scott.
Thump—
He brought both hands down simultaneously, slamming them onto Nacho and Scott’s shoulders.
The heavy impact made Deputy Scott’s whole body tremble.
Nacho continued staring straight ahead, not moving a muscle.
“Well, if that’s how it is, I’ll have to use some forceful methods.”
“Leon, you—”
A chop to the neck, and Nacho’s vision went black as he instantly lost consciousness.
“Sir, are you alri—”
“Oh, forgot about you.”
Another chop, and Scott joined his Lord Nacho face-down on the dining table.
Leon hoisted the two of them onto his shoulders, one on each side.
Noia and Muen also entered the room.
“The Dagger trio has arrived, let’s get out of here quickly.”
“OK.”
The father and daughters quickly left the dining room, circling around to Hisna Manor’s back door.
Aurora had already prepared a carriage. Once everyone was aboard, they drove off at full speed.