Starting with One Piece, a Multiverse Simulation

Those who can have the name of a kingdom appended to their name are generally members of the royal family. To put it simply, the long-haired golden girl in front of him is either a princess or a queen of the Kingdom of Asura.

Wood naturally didn't think that someone who took the initiative to come to his door was simply delivering clothes.

"Wood seems to be somewhat wary and guarded towards me?"

But I'm not your enemy, although I won't deny that I came here this time genuinely to build a good relationship with you.

Before Wood could react to Ariel's words, Alice, who was standing to the side, was clearly already paying attention and looked at him warily.

In terms of looks and figure, Alice believed she was in no way inferior to the blonde girl in front of her, but Alice absolutely lacked the noble and elegant temperament that the lovely Lily possessed.

Wood himself possessed an exceptionally refined demeanor, and his mastery of elaborate aristocratic etiquette was impeccable. He might even be attracted to this type of woman. Therefore, Alice's gaze towards Ariel at this moment suddenly became as if she were looking at a class enemy.

Ariel seemed to have noticed Alice's wariness of her, and couldn't help but laugh, "You two should have already guessed from my name that my true identity is the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura."

"I sought refuge in this magic academy because I lost a political struggle, and I also want to find outstanding talents so I can make a comeback."

Given that Wood possessed such strength at that age, Ariel didn't think he was a fool, so she saw no need to hide anything and directly revealed her purpose.

"So what makes you think we'll definitely help you? Is it because you're the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura, or because you personally came to deliver my school uniform?"

From the Holy Kingdom of Milis to the Kingdom of Dragon King, and now to the Kingdom of Asra, Wood feels as if he's caught up in these political struggles, getting involved wherever he goes.

Chapter 534 Cooperation: The Princess Who Willingly Becomes Bait

"Whether it's Miss Alice's 'Boreas' family or Mr. Wood's father's former 'Notos' family, they are both upper-class nobles in the Kingdom of Asura."

So, strictly speaking, these two are actually from the Kingdom of Asura, right?

"And I also heard from Rudy that your next destination, Wood, is the capital of the Kingdom of Asura, right?"

"In that case, why don't we choose to cooperate? Wood, your target this time is Leta Lia, the strongest swordswoman in the Kingdom of Asura, and she is currently loyal to the royal family. Attacking her would undoubtedly put you at odds with the current Kingdom of Asura."

At first, Wood didn't understand why the other party knew so much, but after Rudy and Hilfi followed Ariel into the room, Wood immediately understood.

Sylphie, using the alias Fitz, became Ariel's bodyguard, and the two were also close friends. Naturally, Sylphie hoped that Ariel, who was both her friend and benefactor, could fulfill her wish.

As her childhood friend and lover, Rudy was naturally willing to help Sylphie. So, after confirming that Ariel's purpose did not conflict with theirs, the current scene unfolded.

"Rudy, you bastard... you'll die on a woman's belly one day!"

Seeing Rudy appear next to Ariel, Wood, being a twin and extremely familiar with Rudy's personality, had already guessed what was going on.

It's a very simple logic. Sylphie and Rudy have been reunited after a long separation, and this time they even recognized each other. Rudy probably couldn't resist Sylphie's charming advances, which is why he told Ariel those things and suggested that she seek out Wood for cooperation.

"Wood, helping me seize power in the Kingdom of Asura is just a small favor for you."

On the other hand, I can also help you. For example, I can help you find the Lydia you are looking for.

Furthermore, once I become the Queen of the Kingdom of Asura, I will make the Boreas and Nottos families the most powerful families in the kingdom.

No, even if you and Rudy wanted to establish your own new aristocratic families, I would give you my full support.

A few minutes later, Ariel left with Sylphie and one of her male guards named Luke. Judging from the smiles on their faces, Ariel was quite satisfied with the outcome of the negotiations.

Wood eventually agreed to cooperate with Princess Ariel, partly out of consideration for Rudy, and partly because he was thinking about what would happen after Rudy died or left this world.

With the Holy Kingdom of Milis, the Kingdom of Dragon King, the Kingdom of Asura, and the Kingdom of Siron, which has a good relationship with Rudy, even if Wood really leaves this world, the Grellat family should still be able to thrive in this world.

With Noren and Aisha's schooling issues resolved, coupled with the good relations between the various kingdoms and the Dragon God as their backer, even if Wood were to accidentally die from a sudden power surge, he wouldn't have much to worry about or regret.

Of course, there was another reason for cooperating with Ariel: the cultist named Lieda, whom they were looking for in the Kingdom of Asura, was not an easy person to find.

Despite being an old human woman, Lieda Lia, the strongest swordswoman in the Kingdom of Asura, possesses the title of "Water Goddess".

The term "Water God" does not refer to the pinnacle of his water magic, but rather to the highest level of his "Water God Style" swordsmanship.

The Water God Style possesses five ultimate techniques. Lieda has mastered three of them, including two of the most difficult ones. Furthermore, Lieda has recombined two of these techniques to create the sixth ultimate technique, "Deprivation of the Sword Realm."

In short, this is a swordsmanship genius in the native world whose swordsmanship talent is absolutely no less than Alice's. If it weren't for various cheat codes, Wood probably wouldn't even be worthy of shining Alice's or Leda Lia's shoes.

As such a powerful swordswoman, Leda Lia does not usually show herself easily. As someone comparable to the Seven Great Powers, if she wanted to hide, even Wood and Alsterd would have a hard time finding her.

It was for this reason that Wood and his group chose to cooperate with Ariel, the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura.

Ariel sought refuge at La Noa Magic University because she lost a power struggle, and if she were to appear in the Kingdom of Asura, it is highly likely that her power rivals would send someone to assassinate her.

Fizz (Silphie) and Luke, Ariel's bodyguards, already possess "Saint-level" strength, which is more than enough to deal with ordinary assassins, but they are clearly somewhat inadequate when it comes to fighting against an army and a large number of powerful individuals.

Therefore, according to Wood and Ariel's plan, Rudy was to temporarily serve as Ariel's bodyguard and escort her back to her country.

With Rudy on their side, Ariel and her companions would be able to handle even an army or multiple powerful individuals, since Rudy, at the very least, is still one of the seven great powers.

If the attempt to kill Ariel fails, the enemy will inevitably send out even stronger assassins, until the appearance of Leda Lia, known as the "Water Goddess".

That would be the time for Wood and Alstead to make their move.

The next morning, the student council president of Lanoa Magic Academy submitted his graduation application to the academy and prepared to return home.

In fact, given Ariel's abilities, she could have graduated long ago. The reason she stayed at the magic university was simply to seek refuge and recruit talent.

Rudyus was one of Ariel's targets, but before she could extend an olive branch, Rudyus suddenly took leave and left.

Fortunately, Ariel was not disappointed. Rudy not only returned to the academy soon, but also brought with him several even more powerful figures.

With a seventeen-year-old female swordswoman, a fifteen-year-old super-powerful mage capable of hand-to-hand combat with a demon king, the second-strongest dragon god, Orsteed, and Rudeus, known as the "swamp," Ariel couldn't imagine how they could possibly lose when they returned to the Kingdom of Asura to vie for power.

"Lady Ariel, why didn't you consult me ​​before devising this plan? Isn't this just using you as bait? It's far too reckless!"

Just as the team was about to set off, a little incident occurred in Ariel's squad.

That is, Luke Notos Grellat, one of Ariel's guards, objected to this operation.

According to Wood and Ariel's plan, Ariel would help Wood and his team lure out Lyda Leah, while Wood and his team would help Ariel win the civil war in the Kingdom of Asura.

But now, Luke sees Ariel's actions as far too dangerous.

As a high-ranking nobleman of the Kingdom of Asura, he had heard of the existence of "Water Goddess" Lieda, whose strength was exceptionally terrifying.

If it really were him who attacked Ariel, Luke had absolutely no confidence that he could protect Ariel from his grasp, even for a very short time.

“Luke, this is something I agreed upon with Mr. Wood and the others beforehand. Besides, what right do we have to cooperate with a team like theirs if we don’t take certain risks?”

Although Ariel is the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura, she is quite intelligent and very clear-headed. She is well aware that her status is not special in front of Wood and the Dragon God.

Even if she were to become the queen of the kingdom, she would still be just an ordinary human being in the eyes of the world's top experts, regardless of whether she was a fallen second princess or not.

To gain something, you must give something. Just like now, she is of little use to Wood and the Dragon God except as bait.

Moreover, this was only because of Rudy's relationship with Silphie; otherwise, her status as the second princess would really mean nothing to her.

"But you are the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura. If something were to happen to you, what would be the point of everything we have done?"

Although Luke was Ariel's bodyguard, he also harbored special feelings for her, so he naturally protested in every way possible.

"It's alright. I believe in Rudy's abilities. Besides, what Second Princess? If I do nothing, I'm just a good-for-nothing staying at the magic academy."

Luke wanted to say something more, but Alice, who was standing to the side, was already getting impatient.

Like the Dragon God, the young lady is not a patient person, and besides, Luke's fussy behavior really made her unable to stand it.

"Even a young girl has such awareness, and you, a grown man, are so fussy."

As her bodyguard, shouldn't you respect her decision? And whether she'll be in danger isn't something you should be concerned about, is it?

The question you should be considering is how to protect her when she is in danger. Isn't that the duty of a bodyguard?

The duty of a guard is to protect. If you can always avoid risks, then what is the point of having guards?

Your inability to provide her with sufficient security is a sign of your incompetence as her protector. What you should be doing is becoming stronger, not interfering with her decisions.

After Alice finished speaking, Kyrie Irvine beside her showed a relieved expression. Even Wood and Rudy, who were familiar with Alice, looked at her with surprise.

As the saying goes, "A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation." Clearly, in the past two years, Alice has not only grown in strength and figure, but also in mindset and attitude. She is no longer the spoiled young lady she used to be.

It's clear that Wood's "death" wasn't entirely a bad thing for Alice. At least in the past two years, the once spoiled young lady has shown remarkable growth.

Luke, who was much older than Alice, was also stunned by Alice's scolding. However, Alice was clearly a person of character. Instead of being offended by Alice's insults, he humbly nodded and said that he had learned something from her.

Actually, this guard named Luke is a relative of Wood's family, and he and Alice are probably distant cousins.

The Notos and Boreas families were originally part of the same family system, and Wood and Rudy's father, Paul, was actually named Paul Notos Greirat.

That's right, the man in front of you, Luke Nottos Greirat, is actually Paul's nephew.

To put it simply, Luke is actually Wood and Rudy's cousin, and his father is Wood and Rudy's uncle.

After finalizing their battle plan, the group left the Lanoa Magic Academy and headed to the Kingdom of Asra.

Along the way, Ariel and her companions did not deliberately conceal their whereabouts; in fact, they were quite flamboyant, since their original purpose was to act as bait.

Just as Ariel had predicted, as soon as she entered the territory of the Kingdom of Asura, those in the kingdom who saw her as a thorn in their side began to take action against her.

At first, the attackers sent from the capital were just minor figures. Even if Rudy and Alice in the team didn't take action, Hilfi and Luke could easily handle them.

However, as Ariel and her group got closer to the capital, the attackers became stronger and stronger, and they were attacked more and more frequently.

In a forest within the Kingdom of Asura, Ariel and her companions, having just lit a campfire after a short rest, found that Kyrie Irvine, who had gone out, had already returned with a wild boar. Meanwhile, Alice, formerly a wealthy young lady, had already taken out a knife and begun to expertly dissect it.

As for Rudy, he used magic to first scan the surrounding area for possible dangers, then inscribed a simple protective barrier, and then sat down next to Luke.

"There's no need to keep your nerves on edge like this all the time. Otherwise, you'll be exhausted before the real enemy even arrives, and then you won't be able to muster the real strength to protect her."

I've already set up a protective barrier around the area, and Wood and Alstead have been secretly protecting us, so we can rest assured.

Seeing Rudy's calm demeanor, Luke couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. He was much older than Rudy, but along the way, he had been the one being taken care of.