Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 467 Adopting Frilian for 100 Years

Xia Zuo reminisced about his past life and said with emotion, "Human desires determine that their expansionism is unparalleled."

"The fact that outstanding figures like Flame could emerge from among them proves that humanity has survived its weak early stages and has a complete foundation for civilization."

"In the next thousand years, humanity will form nations and even empires, increasing the population tenfold or a hundredfold and rapidly expanding its sphere of influence."

"Therefore, war between humans and demons is inevitable. Even if magic doesn't spread from elves to humans, it will spread from demons. This is certain."

Seria was silent for a moment before asking, "Shazo, what should we—no, what should we elves do next?"

Xia Zuo said frankly, "Since it is inevitable for humans to master magic, elves should take the initiative to participate, rather than passively refusing to communicate."

"Join humanity, lead human magical research, and transform elves into the most advanced representatives of magical technology."

Celia asked curiously, "What you're saying is so strange. Why is it that when I listen to you, it doesn't seem like I consider myself an elf?"

Xia Zuo smiled and replied, "You guessed right."

"It's not that I didn't see myself as an elf, but that I didn't put myself on the elf's side."

"Why?" Celia asked, puzzled.

Xia Zuo sneered, "Of course it's because you look down on elves."

"Seria, think about this seriously. Do we elves have the ability to unite the civilizations of various villages? Is there a big difference between our elven magical heritage and that of the demon race?"

"Aside from this body, I have received no benefit from the elves. No one has raised me, nor has anyone taught me swordsmanship or magic."

"But I have served the Elven race. I have killed hundreds of powerful demons, and I have fought bravely against the Demon King's army on the battlefield."

"I owe the elves nothing, nor do I have any obligations to them, so of course I won't align myself with the doomed elves."

Xia Zuo paused, then said sarcastically, "Moreover, I've explained these principles to the elders, but they couldn't argue with me. Instead, they stubbornly opposed me, disliked me, and led the various villages to reject me."

"Seria, I—"

Xia Zuo didn't finish his sentence. He spread his hands, made a helpless expression, and then steered the conversation back to the topic.

"What exactly happened to your disciple, Flame?"

Celia: "Huh? Ah—ah! She, Flame, she's so old she's dying."

Xia Zuo tilted his head and said, "Then go and see her."

"Oh, I went to see!" For some reason, Celia seemed flustered. She added, "Then she told me about how she spread magical knowledge among humans."

"besides----"

"Flame entrusted her disciple to me."

Xia Zuo: "Huh?"

Celia: "It's that little fairy you met when you visited me last time."

Xia Zuo had a bad feeling: "I remember that little girl, her name was Frilian, and then what?"

Celia clasped her hands together, raised them high above her head, and pleaded, "Could you take care of Frillie for me for 100 years?"

"Don't even think about it!!"

Xia Zuo jumped up: "You brat, you brought this trouble upon yourself, and now you're trying to dump it on me!"

"I'm a man, don't you even know what it means to be a man? What kind of logic is it to leave a little girl to be raised by a single man?"

Celia chuckled and said, "It's alright. I know you well enough. You have no interest in the little girl and you're strong enough to protect her."

Xia Zuo gritted his teeth: "————, damn Celia, if it weren't for————"

"Hehe." Celia laughed like a female pervert: "I know, I know, if it weren't for the fact that my body doesn't distinguish between front and back, you would have devoured me long ago."

"Xia Zuo, you've been saying that complaint for almost 2000 years!"

Xia Zuo said angrily, "Hmph, I don't even care about the elves, yet you trust me to take care of your grand-disciple?"

Celia said confidently, "What's there to worry about? I've already told you, don't I know you?"

"I believe you are the most diligent and responsible elf among all elves."

Xia Zuo narrowed his eyes: "You know I killed the Demon King?"

Celia sighed helplessly, "Shazo, it's fine to say these kinds of jokes in front of me, but if you tell other people, they'll laugh at you."

Xia Zuo shrugged: "Fine, don't believe me if you don't want to."

Since Celia needed her help, she could only force a smile and say, "I believe you, I believe you, okay?"

"Please, help me take care of the child."

"No way. A childhood friend who doesn't believe me isn't worth my promise." Xia Zuo lay back on his recliner, turned halfway over, and faced away from Celie.

Seeing that Xia Zuo firmly refused, Celia didn't hesitate to resort to her methods, hugging Xia Zuo's neck and pleading loudly, "Oh, please!!"

"Xia Zuo, you're such a clever little guy, you can't just stand by and do nothing about that little girl."

"It's only 100 years, it'll be over in the blink of an eye."

Xia Zuo was extremely annoyed, but Celie was still his childhood sweetheart and only friend, so he couldn't bring himself to hit her.

Besides, although this girl is very young, she doesn't fit his aesthetic standards, so he can't bring himself to kiss her.

But Celia is an elf after all, and her looks are stunning. When she pleads in a soft voice, it's as if she's being pleaded with by a beloved younger sister, and Xia Zuo really can't resist.

In the end, he had no choice but to accept Celie's request and agree to take care of Frilian for 100 years.

Xia Zuo said fiercely, "Only 100 years, not a single year more!"

Celia wasn't afraid of his fierceness at all, and nodded with a grin, saying, "No problem, in 100 years, Frilian will be 250 years old and will be an adult elf who can live independently."

"Perhaps, Frilian has developed to your aesthetic standards in the next 100 years, after all, her teacher Flame was very, very big."

Could Xia Zuo not know about Frilian's future potential?

In terms of magic and strength, Frillian is no less than Celie in front of her, but in terms of development, she can only be barely distinguished as one of them.

That said, it's astonishing that Simmel would like a little girl like Frilian, a perpetual elementary school student. Her taste is truly on par with that lolicon, Misaka Natsumi.

Thinking of this, Xia Zuo flicked Celia on the forehead and asked, "Frilian is supposed to be a mage, while I'm just a swordsman. Aren't you the most suitable person to take care of her?"

Celia put away her smile and answered seriously, "I have decided to travel among humans, take over Flame's business, help humans establish a magic education system, observe human society, understand human society, and gain a certain voice."

"I will definitely encounter danger during this process, whether it's attacks from human nobles and magicians, or attacks from demons."

It's nothing to me, but it's a different story for Frilian.

Xia Zuo's smile faded, and he sighed, "You said I was the most conscientious and responsible elf, but you are the real one."

"Even though your status among the elves isn't much better than mine, you're still willing to risk your life in human society for the future of the elven race—"

"You don't need to worry about Frilian. Although I am a swordsman, I can also teach basic magic knowledge."

"Also—" Xia Zuo stretched out his hand and requested, "Leave me a magic mark. If there are any enemies you can't handle, tell me through the mark."

"I'm coming to save you—"

Celia smiled and carefully left her mark on Xia Zuo's hand. It was the highest level mark that could be activated even from thousands of kilometers away.

Two days later, a white-haired elf appeared in Xia Zuo's house.

Little Frillie was adorable, and she complained angrily, "I can live perfectly well on my own, why does Grandmaster insist that I live with you?"

Xia Zuo raised an eyebrow and said, "Because you can live independently, but you are powerless to protect yourself."

Frilian retorted, "I'm very strong, I just—"

Xia Zuo said calmly, "Just because you hid your magic, you think I'm underestimating you?"

Frillie was taken aback: "How did you know? Did your master tell you?"

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "It's a trivial matter that's obvious at a glance. Celia wouldn't bother to tell me about it. She's not that bored."

Frillie bit her lip and said, "Is my hidden magic that obvious?"

Xia Zuo gestured with his hand: "With you shaking so much, who wouldn't be able to tell that you're trying hard to suppress your magic?"

"Forty years have passed, and you still haven't gotten used to controlling your magic and making it behave stably and normally. Is it because you lack talent, or because you haven't tried hard enough?"

Frillie lowered her head in shame and whispered, "I will try my best."

"If I can hide my magic, will I be able to leave?"

Xia Zuo sneered, "Little girl, why do you think self-preservation is as simple as just hiding your magic?"

"If you want to leave me early, you have to pass my test and prove that you are truly capable of protecting yourself."

Frillie's eyes lit up: "What kind of test is it?"

Xia Zuo reached out and summoned his newly acquired tree branch sword—the Domenico—which flew out of the storage room and landed lightly in his hand.

"You'll be able to protect yourself when you can block one of my swords with your defensive magic, or when you can use ten attack spells in a row without being defeated by me."

Frillie pouted: "Lord Shazo, do you underestimate me?"

She raised her magic wand: "Please allow me to try it now—"

Before she could finish speaking, Frilian noticed that the scenery before her had changed; she had been moved from Shazo's courtyard to a clearing in the woods.

The little elf mage's mind was buzzing as he desperately tried to recall what had just happened.

It couldn't be [teleportation magic], nor [fixed-point teleportation magic], otherwise I would definitely feel the dizziness caused by spatial teleportation.

Could it be that the [Advanced Human Control Magic] made me lose my sense of time?

No, no, my magic fluctuations did show a clear interruption, and there were obvious signs of time skipping, but there were no crucial magic fluctuations.

Such advanced magic could not possibly be without residual magical energy fluctuations.

Shazo shook Domenico off and explained, "It's not magic, it's a special technique that temporarily deprives you of your senses, so I can control your body better and avoid the acceleration damage from the high speed."

"Alright, get ready quickly and experience the difficulty of your test."

"Yes, Mr. Shazo." Frilian changed her form of address, using "Mr." to show respect instead of "Sir" to indicate her status.

The little girl carefully checked her equipment and observed her surroundings attentively. She soon discovered that the grass on the ground was all newly sprouted tender grass.

But she said nothing, instead quietly gathering her magic power, preparing for her attack, and then she launched a surprise attack.

Indeed, under Flame's tutelage, young Freyland was exceptionally decisive and ruthless, showing no regard for her elders and immediately unleashing her strongest [Lightning Magic].

Snap!

Under the control of magic, the electric arc accurately struck Xia Zuo, who was carrying a tree branch sword, leaving a small, charred mark on his body.

Frillie's eyes widened; this magic shouldn't be this powerful.

Even if it hits the ground, which has the strongest resistance to lightning, the [Lightning Spell] can still tear a crater three or four meters wide and forty or fifty meters long in the ground.

Frillie asked blankly, "Mr. Shazo, why weren't your clothes damaged when the [Lightning Magic] hit you?"

Xia Zuo pointed to the charred marks on his body with annoyance: "Isn't this already damaged?"

"You can't hurt my body because your magic compression is insufficient, and the speed of your lightning bursts is too slow, so I actively absorb it."

"By the way, although my profession is swordsman, as an elf, I also have magic power and can use magic."

"Although I don't really like using it —"

Xia Zuo wiped the scorch marks on his clothes with his hand and activated [Repair Magic] to restore his clothes to their original condition.

Frillie recovered from her shock and asked softly, "Is this the kind of magic Mr. Shazo is good at?"

Xia Zuo nodded: "Yes, although it can't be used for combat, it can bring great convenience in daily life, can't it?"

Frillie nodded silently.

Xia Zuo laughed: "It seems you don't quite agree with what I'm saying. That's okay, you'll see later."

"I must say, Flame has taught you well; you don't have any unnecessary thoughts or actions during combat."

"It's just that you can't realize how big the gap is between your strength and mine, which is why it's all in vain."

"Next, I will launch a careful attack so that you can truly feel the difference."

Frillie grunted in agreement, raised her wand, and cast a defensive spell, creating hexagonal light shields.

But just as Frilian's [Defense Magic] reached its strongest state, the twig suddenly appeared next to her ear.

The defensive light shield in front of her shattered completely, and a terrifying storm erupted behind her, sending chills down one's spine.

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