Twenty years had passed, and as a pure-blooded human who hadn’t crossed the space rift, Reba had naturally aged and matured in a world where “Leon Casmod” no longer existed.


    The wild, unpredictable energy she once had was gone, reced by a calm andposed demeanor, evident in her simple greeting, "Long time no see."


    Although she hadn’t grown any taller, her sense of style had improved significantly. She wore slim-fitting pants and a ck trench coat that ttered her figure. Her once-iconic twin ponytails had now be a single ponytail, likely for easier management.


    Leon hadn’t expected to reunite with Reba under such circumstances. He opened his mouth, suppressing his surprise and excitement. "I thought after Master left, you’d be gone from the Empire too."


    Reba holstered her gun and walked over, "Dad’s too old to keep moving around the Empire, but I’m still very much alive and kicking, so no need for me to leave. Besides..."


    Reba slightly tilted her head, looking past Leon at the three girls behind him.


    Following her gaze, Leon realized that Reba had never met his daughters before. She had only seen pictures of Noa and Moon when they were younger.


    So Leon began to introduce them, "Oh, these are my—"


    "Daughters," Reba interrupted coolly, "I know."


    "Wait, you’ve met?"


    Before Reba could answer, Noa stepped forward naturally, standing beside Reba and greeting her with a smile, "Aunt Reba."


    Reba’s teal eyes flickered with slight annoyance and resignation. She sighed, "How many times do I have to tell you? Stop calling me ''aunt.'' It makes me sound old."


    "But you’re the same generation as Dad. We can only call you ''aunt,''" Aurora chimed in from the back, hands in her pockets, exining slowly.


    "Yeah, yeah! Sister and Little Light are right!" Moon echoed.


    Reba crossed her arms, looking up coldly at Noa, who was nearly a head taller than her, and muttered, "It’s been a few years, and you three only seem to be growing taller. What’s going on in your heads?"


    Her ability to roast them had slightly weakened over the years.


    Listening to Reba’s banter with his daughters, Leon suddenly realized something.


    "Noa, was the reliable informant you mentioned… Reba?"


    Noa nodded. "Twenty years ago, after you disappeared into the space rift, the Empire quickly spread the news. Grandpa Tiger and Aunt Reba found out and risked being discovered to contact Mom. That’s when we first met."


    "In the mountain cave, where Dad and I decided to stay in the Empire to search for a way to reopen the space rift. If we couldn’t find one, we were prepared to avenge you in our own way."


    Reba added, "For the past twenty years, Dad and I have been on the Empire’s most-wanted list. Twice we were caught, but thanks to Martin working behind the scenes in the royal family, we escaped and made it look like an ident."


    "Martin… How’s he doing now?" Leon asked.


    In Leon’s memory, during the years when he was captured by the Silver Dragons, Martin had reverted to his old, timid self. Leon had always hoped that Martin would learn to be strong and courageous without him around.


    After all, being born into a noble family, weakness would only make him a target for exploitation.


    "After we dealt with Victor twenty years ago, Martin changed a lot," Reba said. "Maybe it was because he knew his beloved captain was still alive, or maybe for some other reason. But in any case, your little fanboy has done quite well for himself after taking over his father’s position."


    "He… took over his father’s position?"


    "Yep. But don’t worry. Martin hasn’t been corrupted by power. In fact, thanks to his help, I’ve been able to get thetest intelligence from the royal family and ry it to Noa."


    Reba nced at Leon. "So, did you manage to get the Heartscales?"


    Leon gave the ck pouch a shake, revealing it was stuffed full.


    Reba raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "Don’t tell me… you took all the Heartscales?"


    "Thieves don’t leave empty-handed," Leon said with a grin.


    "That’s a serious crime—at least ten executions," Reba noted.


    "Is there really any difference between one execution and ten?" Leon shrugged. "You’re dead after the first one. The rest would just turn you into ground meat."


    "I hate ground meat," Reba deadpanned.


    After a few quips, the two old teammates looked at each other.


    Then, as if by mutual understanding, they both extended their arms and embraced.


    Reba pressed against Leon’s chest, feeling his solid warmth, fighting back the tears welling in her eyes. She muttered, "Twenty years ago, when I wanted to hug you, you took half a step back."


    "Things are different now," Leon replied.


    Moon blinked and, true to form, asked, "How are things different?"


    Leon: …


    Do you really want to know, sweetie?


    Back then, I was still in the middle of a passionate rtionship with your mom. If I went around hugging prettydies while I was away, what would that do to my reputation?


    But now, your mom and I are oldpanions, and we both know how much we love each other. A friendly hug with an old teammate isn’t going to bother her at all~


    "Second sister, don’t ask things you shouldn’t. Men get like that when they’ve been married a long time," Aurora snickered.


    Reba pulled away from Leon and nced at Aurora, her voice cool. "So, pink-haired girl, have you thought about calling me ''godmother'' yet?"


    "You just told us not to call you ''aunt''! And now you’re talking about being a godmother?"


    "Aunt and godmother are two different things. So,e on, give me a ''godmother,''" Reba teased.


    Aurora stomped her foot, looking for help from her sister. "Big sis! Look, she’s bullying me again!"


    Noa waved her hand dismissively, indicating that this was something Aurora would have to handle herself.


    Even Noa couldn’t deal with Reba’s relentless teasing.


    Leon blinked. He understood now.


    It was a ssic case of "every bully meets their match."


    When two masters of banter collide, it’s all about whose wit is sharper.


    Clearly, Reba had the upper hand over Aurora!


    "Are you nning to leave the city before sunrise?" Reba asked.


    "Yes, time is tight, and we need to get back and continue working on the reversal magic," Leon exined. "Oh, by the way, the reversal magic is—"


    "I know. Noa briefly exined it when we exchanged information," Reba said. "I don’t quite understand the theory behind it, but in the end, Captain, you’re going to save the world again, aren’t you?"


    "Sigh, I don’t want to, but with great poweres great responsibility," Leon replied with a grin.


    Perfect. The king of banter was back, in all his glory.


    After twenty years of not hearing her captain show off, Reba felt like something had been missing from her life.


    Now, her world feltplete.


    "But before you save the world, we need to get you out of the Empire, right?" Reba said.


    "Yes, but a few hours ago, we kidnapped Nacho to get the location of the Heartscales, and that’s already alerted the Empire. Trying to leave now… will be very risky."


    Leon continued, "I was thinking we’d sneak to the city gates under cover of darkness and have Noa and the others transform into their dragon forms to break out. The Silver Dragons are naturally fast, so it shouldn’t be too hard to lose the pursuers."


    Reba’s mind worked quickly, analyzing the situation.


    "But over the past twenty years, the Empire has been breeding flying-type dangerous creatures. While they may not be as powerful as dragons, some of them are fast enough to keep up with the Silver Dragons. If the Empire sends those creatures after you, escaping won’t be easy."@@novelbin@@


    "I see…" Leon frowned, at a loss for the moment.


    Getting in was easy, but getting out was proving difficult.


    Finding a ce to hide temporarily was an option, but who knew how long “temporarily” wouldst? They didn’t have that kind of time to waste.


    There were less than three months left of the original six-month timeframe Aurora had set.


    Time was running out, and they couldn’t afford to be tangled up with the Empire.


    They had to leave the city as soon as possible.


    "How about this? I’ll have Martin arrange for a royal convoy to smuggle you out of the city," Reba suggested. "Although the city is under lockdown, there’s still a chance. We can take the risk. If we’re discovered, you can break out then."


    Leon thought about Reba’s proposal. At this point, it was their best option.


    "How long will it take for Martin to make the arrangements?" he asked.


    Reba raised an elegant eyebrow. "How about… right now?"