My front door leads to a comic strip

Just as Gu Yuan was racking his brains, trying to figure out how to deal with Celia—

"Bang!"

A loud bang came from deep within the palace, startling the flock of birds that were roosting outside the hall.

"presumptuous!"

Inside the palace, the emperor slammed his hand on the table, his face flushed crimson. Upon learning of Gu Yuan's attack, he was enraged.

"Where did this savage elf come from, daring to run rampant on my territory!"

It's one thing if the guests you want to invite are attacked, potentially ruining your cooperation and marriage plans.

What he could not tolerate was that he, as the king of a human empire, was so scorned by the elves.

This is humiliating him, especially... in front of his children and ministers.

He stared intently at the guard who came to report. The guard's legs trembled, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and he stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence.

Everyone in the hall lowered their heads and kept their eyes down, remaining silent for fear of being affected by the emperor's wrath.

For a moment, the atmosphere became as heavy as ice.

"tread."

Just then, a man gently stroked his ring, pondered for a moment, and finally stepped forward to help the guard out of the predicament.

—He is the eldest prince.

He coughed lightly and said gently, "Father, please calm down. Elves and humans have always been at odds, as you should know."

"Elves have long lifespans; even a hundred-year-old is like a child in their eyes."

"In my opinion, this behavior of hers is no different from barging into a child's backyard to play."

He first characterized the violent incident as stemming from differences in perspective and lifespan, rather than as a deliberate provocation.

It is unclear what kind of power the elf possesses, nor is it clear whether the human who killed the Seven Sages can defeat her.

But as bystanders, all the royal family can do right now is watch, because the soldiers they sent out have been easily defeated...

"Reinforcements are unavailable in the short term, and anger will not help. We must consider the actions to take regardless of His Excellency Gu Yuan's victory or defeat."

The eldest prince quickly considered the matter in his mind, gently shook his head, and then looked up and continued:

"They have been acting willfully and recklessly for quite some time now. So, Father, please forgive my rudeness."

"The empire has only been established for a hundred years, a short period of time, and it is really difficult to control these immortal beings."

This was the truth, and the emperor's forehead veins bulged when he heard it, but reason prevented him from getting angry.

"Crunch—"

Clenching fists passively.

The arm was contorted in a menacing manner.

a long time.

His voice was low and tired.

"Then tell me, what should we do?"

Now that he is getting old and it is time for him to retire, this is a good opportunity to test his children's abilities.

The eldest prince shook his head:

"There's nothing we can do now. All we can do is pray—pray that His Excellency Gu Yuan will win, pray... that those charlatans will help him achieve victory."

His gaze shifted slightly, a meaningful look in his eyes.

"The battle is taking place outside the Church of the Goddess, right? In that case... those clergy will certainly not stand idly by."

Not only will they not stand idly by, they will definitely take action. After all, this is a blatant disrespect to the goddess.

The church advocates love, compassion, and helping all beings, but Celia's actions are completely contrary to this.

Thinking of this, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief and was about to sit down when he suddenly remembered something and his body stiffened abruptly.

Regardless of victory or defeat, the marriage alliance is likely to fall through.

Having invited him but failing to fulfill his duty of protection, he will undoubtedly leave an extremely bad impression on the other party…

"This won't do." The emperor suddenly sat up straight, thinking to himself, "The empire can do without anyone, but it cannot do without a strongman who can defeat the Seven Sages of the Collapse."

"The northern kingdoms cannot hold out for long. For the sake of the empire, for the sake of the people..."

Perhaps driven by his unwavering commitment to protecting his homeland, or perhaps unwilling to disappoint the founding emperor's expectations, his gaze gradually hardened.

Herbert II suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on a young girl with her head bowed in the corner.

The girl had fiery red hair and sat quietly in a corner; she was his youngest granddaughter.

The emperor stared intently and said in a deep voice, "Aishili, do you remember what I said earlier?"

"The time has come to serve the royal family."

Then he said a lot of things, which can be summarized as follows: if Gu Yuan gets away unscathed, then everything will remain the same.

She might come to dinner, because she needs to save face, but to show sincerity... an equal marriage has to become a marriage of convenience.

But if one loses, and even suffers a great blow to both body and mind, but is not disabled...

"Your Majesty, please forgive my willfulness, the Demon Clan is too powerful..."

Thinking of the potential for successive attacks on the city-states within his territory, the emperor no longer hesitated.

Humanity has long lacked heroes; this is a last resort. Once the die is cast, even the most disheartened will find their spirits lifted.

Afterwards, when their offspring are born, they might even inherit some of their father's talents—

Why should an empire not prosper?

Upon hearing this, Ashley gripped her skirt tightly.

She pursed her lips, her gaze shifting from her grandfather's stern face with an unspoken longing, and turned to her parents and uncles beside her with a barely perceptible plea for help.

However, everyone around them had the same expression, their heads hanging even lower, clearly submitting to all arrangements.

The eldest prince gave her a gentle yet undeniable smile.

What the father said was exactly what he wanted to say: in critical moments, someone has to make a sacrifice, and the fourth brother's daughter was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Their gaze shifted to the fourth prince.

But then they saw a richly dressed woman pressing on the fourth prince's shoulder, silently stopping him from making any rash moves.

"Hmm...very good, the Fourth Princess Consort is indeed sensible."

The eldest prince nodded inwardly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, the emperor coughed lightly, his voice carrying an undeniable authority, making the final decision:

"That's it, let's disperse. Do as I just said."

"Aishiri, the future of the empire is entrusted to you."

"Um..." Ashley's fingers tightened around her skirt, her voice trembling slightly, as if she wanted to say that she really couldn't handle it.

Marrying down and having to pay a bride price? Is that what a princess should do?

However, when she looked up, she saw that her grandfather wasn't even looking at her.

He simply raised his scepter, and surrounded by guards, turned and left the palace with steady steps, leaving behind only a resolute figure.

The eldest prince gave her an encouraging look and then quickly left.

He needed to get to the scene immediately to make decisions about what to do next based on firsthand information.

"...Ah, I knew it..."

Ashley let out a heavy sigh with a complex expression, her shoulders relaxing as if resigned to her fate.

In the end, her parents came forward and took her away to learn makeup and conversation skills, which made her realize that royal life was really not easy.

There is no other way now that things have come to this.

What kind of person is a hero?

Hopefully, it won't disappoint...

……

……

While Ashley sat at her dressing table lost in thought, Gu Yuan had already engaged in combat with Celia.

on the street.

clang!

The sound of metal clashing was sharp and piercing. Gu Yuan hastily drew his demon sword to block, and his hand went numb from the impact.

He frowned and looked at Celia, feeling puzzled.

It's just admitting to killing Shichibōken...

Wait, he suddenly remembered Celia's character design, a thousand years ago...

"You dare to be distracted while fighting me? Human, how little do you take me seriously?"

Celia gave a cold laugh, interrupting Gu Yuan's thoughts.

Each of her strikes contained immense magical power, as heavy as a small mountain pressing down on the sword, forcing Gu Yuan to take a step back with every attack.

After only three exchanges, the magic sword was already accumulating enough magical power.

Keep in mind that even if Miliald used all her magic, she could only charge it to half capacity...

This gap is beyond description; it's not even an insurmountable barrier.

"Human, answer me. No, I should address you by your name. Gu Yuan, your strength is indeed extraordinary."

Celia rose to her feet, sweeping out a leg with magic wrapped around it like an extremely compressed storm, tearing through the atmosphere and emitting a terrifying shriek.

The monks who rushed to help from a short distance were merely bystanders when their faces were scratched by the dissipating magic.

"This…"

They wiped the blood from their cheeks, their expressions growing increasingly somber.

Gu Yuan immediately snapped out of his daze and focused his mind on dealing with the situation.

boom!

The demonic sword was kicked again, its blade trembling violently and humming incessantly, its magic power fully charged.

He suddenly exerted force on his wrist and swung the knife out in one smooth motion!

Boom!

The crescent-shaped sword energy shot skyward!

A stone building was split in two, raising a cloud of dust.

"Oh?"

Celia raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the knife in Gu Yuan's hand. "A demonic sword? No wonder it withstood four of my attacks without breaking."

She nodded slightly. The use of such weapons against humans was nothing new.

That's why she prefers close-quarters combat. Only by defeating the opponent in their strongest area can she achieve a complete victory.

"Do you have any other skills?" Celia retreated into the air, returned to her original position, crossed her arms, and stared at him.

"I don't believe that someone capable of slaying the Seven Sages of Collapse would only use the Demon Sword's 'Magic Reflection' technique."

"I've already heard the details from my disciple. The bone magic he possesses is definitely not something that can be broken by simple magic."

Gu Yuan looked up: "Why?"

He immediately shook his head, feeling that the question was meaningless; how could a mage over a thousand years old not know the strength of each spell?

Celia laughed, her voice tinged with disdain:

"Why? It's simple. Demons aren't fools. If they discovered you could absorb magical energy, why would they continue to fight you head-on?"

"That is, me..."

She seemed about to speak again, but then changed her mind, feeling there was no need to reveal so much to a human, so she stopped herself, shook her head, and said...

"Fine, I'll give you one last chance. Use the same methods you use against demons against me."

"Your magic sword is no match for me; the elves beside you should know that."

She turned to look at Miliald, who was standing not far away and had been ignored by everyone.

The elven girl's expression was complex at this moment, but she finally nodded with difficulty.

It's incredibly powerful; its magic is as vast and boundless as an abyss, leaving one breathless in its presence.

Even the magic sword has its limits; its passive defense means it will shatter 100% of the time.

Gu Yuan caught a glimpse of Millie Alde's reaction, sighed softly, and looked on with a sense of helplessness in his eyes.

He just wanted to acquire magic peacefully.

Why do I always have to force myself?

I just changed my equipment a few days ago, and I specifically reinforced it to make sure it wouldn't break. My intention was to deal with monsters...

Dealing with elves…

"Forget it, she brought it on herself. She's just Frillian's grandmaster."

Although she has a sharp tongue but a kind heart, she is actually quite strong-willed in the story.

He hated the weak and those without ambition, so much so that he targeted Frilian for over a thousand years.

My first impression wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.

However, now he's attacking himself...

With mixed feelings, Gu Yuan slowly took out his slingshot.

Celia was taken aback when she saw this.

"?"

What?

Was it something like this toy that killed Chibun-sensei?

He was so angry he laughed, and looked up, about to question her.

Gu Yuan spoke first, his tone unusually calm:

"Let's go somewhere else. I don't want to be watched anymore."

The crowd of onlookers had already scattered in fear; he was referring to the group of monks with conflicted expressions not far away.

The goddess's magic had virtually no effect on Celie.

Healing, barrier? The demonic sword has already been blocked; staying here will only get in the way.

"..." The monks realized that "being watched by others" referred to themselves, and they were a little indignant.

But then I realized Gu Yuan's good intentions.

"Lord Gu Yuan is protecting us!"

Ask yourself, who would turn down support and choose to fight an invincible powerhouse one-on-one?

They touched the still-healing wounds on their faces, and a feeling of admiration welled up within them.

"Your Excellency, you..."

"Enough with the nagging, hurry up and go, Milield, you go with them too."

Gu Yuan said solemnly, his tone resolute and unwavering.

After all, Millie Alde's magic originated from Celie, yet the two were worlds apart in strength.

If we keep it, we might also be affected.

Celia narrowed her eyes, unsure of Gu Yuan's thoughts, and said with a hint of disdain, "Oh? Selfishness, huh?"

She lowered her arms, which were clasped to her chest.

"What a boring show. Fine. Since you've chosen this, if you lose, don't blame me for showing no mercy."

"I can--"

She paused, then slowly uttered three words.

"I'll kidnap you."

"?"

Gu Yuan's previously brewing emotions inexplicably dissipated.

Kidnapping?

What kind of indecent language is this?

What exactly is this guy trying to do?

A sense of bewilderment spread through my mind.

"Hmph, I thought this man would use some clever trick, but he's just like those sentimental humans."

Seria scoffed inwardly, 'Useless and only fit to be bait. I wonder how many Seven Sages she'll attract.'

She had already made a plan before the operation even began.

Cultivate? That would require the other party to possess magical talent.

Gu Yuan didn't even possess any magic power; in her eyes, his value was only...

She composed herself, bringing her thoughts back to the present, and continued, "Tell me, where do you want to fight next? I'll accompany you wherever you want."

Gu Yuan took a deep breath to regain his senses, already having already decided on the location of the battle.

If we're talking about a place nearby where we won't be interfered with and can act freely, there seems to be only one place.

To avoid being kidnapped and forced to do something pointless… he exhaled and said firmly:

"Let's go to the palace. They need my help, and with your power, I'm sure no one will dare to approach us."

You can't bring that into reality.

The eldest prince, who had rushed over, heard this and stopped abruptly, frozen in place.

Immediately, a surge of joy welled up inside me!