Chapter 53

"… Tell me, Leon," Makoto's expression darkened. "What do you think I should do considering what happened to my son?"

"I think the ones responsible for it must be punished," Leon answered.

"So, you think I should start a war?" Makoto asked.

"Excuse me? I said the ones responsible for it must be punished," Leon frowned. "Only a few handfuls of individuals caused such an incident. The citizens of my… the citizens of the Allied Forces of the North-America can't be punished by the crimes of a few. Does any nation have the manpower and resources to wage war against another nation? I think wage war would be foolish."

Suddenly, Leon felt an impact coming from the right side of the hall, one of the advisors, a juggernaut of a man, got up and punched the floor cracking it. That guy was bald, but he was two meters tall and had one hell of a hammer in his back.

"Careful, boy. You are in the presence of the Emperor." The bald man glared.

"Tell me something that I don't know," Leon said.

"What?!" The bald man equipped his hammer.

"Be quiet, Honzo," Makoto said. "Or you will not leave this place until yourself fix the damage you caused to the palace."

Honzo, the big guy backed down, but Leon still could see the veins in his forehead throbbing. It looked like he was failing in socializing with the people who held power in Japan, but that couldn't be helped. It was the result of not having any proper conversations for years. He became a person who says what he thinks without any hesitation.

"… You say that I should punish the criminals, but that is not nearly enough," Makoto said after a long sigh to calm down his nerves. "Hiro was the future of this country; he was my firstborn. Can you understand my pain? My anger? The people from the Allied Forces of the North-America may have stolen the future of our nation. Do you think the lives of a few criminals will calm my anger?"

"I cannot understand, I'm not a father," Leon closed his eyes. " The lives of a few criminals won't solve anything; in that case, make them taste your pain without causing a war. Demand that the Allied Forces of the North-America deport those criminals, you can keep them as your prisoners to torment them as long as you want."

Ren looked at Leon startled, even though he was proposing something to keep the peace between the two nations, he was saying to the Emperor himself become a torturer. Some advisors looked at each other, confused because they didn't expect that.

"… I don't have such… hobbies." Makoto frowned.

"You don't have to like it, just torment them until you notice that whatever you do, your son won't come back," Leon said.

Leon didn't want to think about it; he wanted to believe that his parents and little sister were alive. However, he considered the possibility on numerous occasions that they may be dead. If it was by the hands of a monster, then there was nothing for him do to, but if it were by the hands of human beings, Leon would chase the responsible to the pits of hell if he had to and kill them as painfully as possible. He didn't want to do any of that, Leon won't find even a bit in relief in that, but he would do it because he missed his family all that much.

"… I think I will do that. I also don't want to cause more deaths," Makoto sighed and closed his eyes. "However, who can guarantee that they won't send random criminals. I cannot trust in their words or actions until they prove that they can be trusted."

"Then, send someone to find and bring them by force," Leon said.

"Someone… are you offering yourself to do that job?" Makoto asked.

"No, I can't do it," Leon answered. "I don't know a safe path to go back home. Thus I cannot do that."

"But if I give you the means to do it, would you?" Makoto asked.

"I would try my best to give a hand to someone who gave me a hand." Leon showed a small smile. "Of course, I would only look for the criminals after confirming the situation of my family, but do you trust me?"

"No. At least not yet, do you want to prove that you can be trusted?" Makoto asked.

"Yes," Leon said.

"Very well," Makoto nodded and got up. "If you manage to clear all the dungeons in Japan, which haven't been cleared yet, you will have my trust, and I will give you the means to go home. Until then, you can use the free guest rooms in the palace at your convenience. The same applies to you, Ren. You will help him."

Leon nodded and hoped to have to give a handshake to the Emperor, but things got so noisy that he understood that wouldn't happen. A few advisors who knew English protested immediately, and soon, the others understood what Makoto had proposed.

Ren was staring at Leon with his eyes and mouth wide open. It looked like he didn't expect that kind of development. It looked like it was a big deal to have the chance to sleep in the imperial palace/fortress since Makoto himself had to authorize that. The advisors protested for a few minutes, but soon they gave up. They weren't fools enough to disobey the Emperor. Before leaving, Makoto looked at Leon.

"Don't disappoint me, Leon."

Although his words seemed harsh, his voice and eyes didn't look so intimidating. Regardless, now that Leon had a clear goal, he just had to work hard. The problem was, he had no idea how many dungeons he would have to clear.