Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Elvia's words fell like a stone thrown into the water.

The laughter, mockery, and whispers gradually subsided.

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word carried a sense of certainty and unquestionable authority.

That certainty wasn't feigned.

It's the kind of charisma that only people who have truly sat in high positions and truly wielded power possess.

Elroy's pupils contracted slightly.

He had seen too many people who were all bluster and bravado; those people either trembled in front of him or shouted in a show of bravado but were actually cowardly.

But no one could speak in such a tone before a legend, surrounded by hundreds of people, like this woman before me.

That feeling was like that of a true aristocrat, an aristocrat who held real power.

Elvia's aura intimidated many people.

But soon, laughter erupted from the crowd.

"Ha ha ha ha--"

"The blazing sun?"

"She said she was Lieyang?"

"Is there something wrong with my ears?"

A young nobleman in a brocade robe laughed so hard he bent over.

He nearly spilled the wine glass he was holding, and the people next to him quickly helped him up.

"If she is the blazing sun, then I am the Lord of Dawn City."

Another middle-aged businessman in a dark suit shook his head.

A knowing, condescending smile played on his lips.

"Little girl, you should at least think before you brag."

"If you said you were Morning Star, we might think twice."

"If we say you're Haoyue, we'll just laugh it off."

"But you insist on calling it the blazing sun?"

He took a step forward, raising his voice as if he wanted everyone around him to hear.

Do you know what scorching sun is?

"The true blazing sun, there are only three branches in the entire Transport Guild."

"Any one of the members of those three teams could make the city lord bow down and curry favor."

"The name of every member of those three teams is written in the alliance's archives and in the minds of every nobleman and merchant."

Do you think there's anyone who wouldn't recognize them?

His gaze swept across Elvia's face with a scrutinizing and critical look.

"And you, a low-ranking knight, are not even qualified to be a guard for my caravan, let alone a transport team."

The laughter around them grew even louder.

Several elegantly dressed ladies covered their mouths with handkerchiefs and talked in hushed tones.

Their gazes fell on Elvia, as if watching a poorly executed performance.

Their envy of each other's appearance makes them very happy to see each other's ugly side.

The camera shutters of the newspaper staff slowed down, and then they all burst into laughter.

Among the crowd, those who had participated in the selection process were the first to realize what was happening.

An adventurer in leather armor frowned and whispered to the person next to him.

"Lieyang? That woman... she's from that Seven Coins Post Office transport team."

"Their strength seems to match; it's that Elvia Roland."

The person next to him was stunned for a moment.

"That would be even more outrageous."

"The selection process has only been going on for a day. No matter how strong that team is, they've only just started. Whether they can come back alive is a question."

"She actually came here and said she was from Lieyang?"

Another adventurer who had participated in the selection shook his head.

"She has no idea about the rules of the transport team."

"If the selection process isn't complete and the certification hasn't been issued, then she's not yet a member of the transport team."

"Even if her team does become the blazing sun, that will be a month from now."

"You dare to impersonate Lieyang now? You're asking for trouble."

The laughter grew louder and more frequent.

Those gazes were like needles piercing Elvia, as if she were being looked at by a madwoman.

But Elvia's smile remained unchanged.

She was still standing on Harold's back, the tip of her rapier still pressed against the back of his neck.

Golden eyes swept calmly over the mocking faces, as if looking at a group of pigs wallowing in the mud.

Elroy did not laugh.

He glanced back at Harold's cronies, his eyes filled with confirmation.

The group of people quickly crowded forward and started talking all at once.

"Sir! We've already investigated!"

"Her entire story about the transport team is made up!"

"The whole 'wandering mage delivering messages for his sister' thing, the whole 'forming a transport team' thing—it's all fucking fake!"

"We had someone check with the Transport Guild, and there's no corresponding mage there!"

"And a legendary mid-level mage who rose from humble beginnings? Even a three-year-old wouldn't believe that!"

"She's a fraud! She swindles money from those lowly people in the slums!"

Elroy's gaze swept across their faces before settling back on Elvia.

Harold's friends' words put his last reservations at ease.

His eyes changed.

The cold, restrained gaze vanished, replaced by a suppressed, burning anger.

Elroy's affection for Harold was no secret in Bronze Gate.

That was the only child left by his sister, who grew up in his arms and was closer to him than his own son.

Every time Harold committed murder in the refugee district, he was the one who cleaned up the mess.

He personally crushed the bones of every person who dared to resist.

As he watched Harold being trampled underfoot by Elvia, trembling and weeping, a surge of anger rose from his chest to the top of his head.

But he didn't act impulsively.

Harold was only of a high rank and could not withstand the extraordinary knight's fatal sword strike.

What's more, that slender sword is now pressed against the back of his nephew's neck.

With the blade tip pressing against the flesh, a single, gentle cut would cause the blood vessels to burst open like a severed rope.

Elroy took a deep breath, suppressing his surging killing intent.

As a legend, he never imagined he would be so enraged by an extraordinary being.

His gaze was fixed on Elvia's face as he continued to threaten her.

"Release them, and I might even leave your whole family with a proper burial."

Elvia glanced down at him.

Then she laughed, a laugh that carried an absurd sense of "Are you serious?"

Are you stupid?

Her boots pressed down on Harold's back again, and Harold let out a muffled groan.

"Can't you see who's standing on my feet?"

Or perhaps—

She paused for a moment, then pressed the tip of her sword against the back of Harold's neck.

"I need to take apart a few parts for you so you can recognize who I'm standing on."

Elroy's lips twitched.

His fingers gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles turning white, but he still didn't move.

He simply looked at Elvia and gave a cold laugh.

"Even when death is imminent, he's still stubborn."

His sword shifted slightly.

The morning light reflected off the sword, grazing the wall behind Elvia at that angle.

A figure moved in the shadows of the wall.

It was as fast as the wind.

A dagger emerged from the shadows, its tip gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, aimed straight for Elvia's nape.

Elvia did not turn around.

She simply took a step to the side.

The dagger grazed the tip of her hair, severing a few strands of golden hair.

The assassin stumbled forward two steps due to the momentum of his missed attack, a look of surprise still on his face.

His dagger missed its mark.

A lowly knight escaped a full-force assassination attempt by a high-ranking knight.

Elvia turned her head, glanced at him, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.

"I need to practice more."

Before she finished speaking, her left hand had already moved.

A golden sword aura slashed out horizontally from the slender sword in her hand.

The sword energy struck the assassin's chest with a dull thud.

The assassin's body flew backward as if struck by a heavy hammer, tumbling twice in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

And just as Elvia swung her sword—

Elroy moved.

His figure left a trail of afterimages in the air, and he appeared in front of Elvia in the blink of an eye.

He gripped the broadsword, a dark silver color, with both hands, the blade held horizontally, and thrust it forward with an overwhelming force.

This sword strike was faster and more powerful than any of the previous ones.

Elvia didn't even have time to adjust her posture.

The tip of the sword pierced through the spot where she had been standing.

Then--

"boom--!"

A huge, ear-piercing tearing sound exploded in the city gate.

The sword energy shot out from the tip of the sword, piercing through the entire post office building behind Elvia.

The wooden walls were torn like paper, splitting the entire post office in two from the first floor to the second, from front to back.

Splinters of wood flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and a trench half a person deep was left in the ground.

The crowd suddenly erupted in gasps of surprise.

Some people covered their mouths, some instinctively shrank back, and some simply closed their eyes.

"He's dead."

"He's definitely dead."

"That's legendary..."

No one doubted the power of that sword strike.

It was a pure, overwhelming power.

However, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated.

Everyone's eyes widened.

Then—the scene fell silent.

A deathly silence.

Elvia stood still.

The ground beneath her feet was cracked, and rubble was scattering in all directions.

A pale golden shield enveloped her entire body.

The shield's surface was as smooth as a mirror, without even a single crack.

Elroy's sword tip pressed against the shield, the blade gleaming with a dark silver light and trembling slightly.

And Elvia behind the shield—

She tilted her head and looked at Elroy.

Then she raised her right hand and slowly extended her middle finger.

"How is that possible—"

Someone in the crowd gasped softly.

Most eyes were fixed on the shield, filled with incomprehensible, almost absurd horror.

A lowly knight of extraordinary skill faces a full-force attack from a lowly legendary warrior.

And it blocked it.

Elroy's face darkened.

He didn't speak.

He sheathed his sword, took half a step back, and then—

The sword flashed again.

Faster and more powerful than before.

Dark silver light traced arcs in the air, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, as it struck the shield one sword after another.

"Clang—clang—clang—"

The sound of metal clashing exploded in the air, each impact shaking the ground and sending debris flying.

The shield remained completely still.

Elroy did not stop.

His sword became faster and faster, and his energy became more and more intense.

Each sword strike carried legendary power, and the aftershocks shattered the surrounding ground, walls, and wooden stakes.

Several pieces of gravel were blasted away and hit the city defense soldiers who were watching.

Some people clutched their shoulders and gasped, while others were hit on the forehead, blood streaming down their faces.

The onlookers scattered and hid.

Elvia stood behind the shield, a smirk playing on her lips, watching Elroy's increasingly grim face.

"Push harder!"

Her voice was light and airy, carrying a kind of infuriating composure.

"Didn't you eat?"

Elroy's sword stopped in mid-air.

His face gradually turned pale.

That wasn't fear, but a kind of belated horror that seeped from the depths of one's bones, a slow, belated realization that one might have stepped into a deep pit.

There is absolutely no way a low-ranking knight could withstand a legendary attack head-on.

No matter how talented she is, how exquisite her swordsmanship is, or how refined her internal energy is, the gap in their ranks is still there.

The gap between the extraordinary and the legendary is like a cliff that cannot be bridged by skill and courage alone.

There is only one thing that can block this sword.

A treasure comparable to a divine artifact.

Elroy's throat bobbed.

His gaze fell on the pale gold shield in front of Elvia.

The shield's surface was as smooth as a mirror, without even a single crack.

He slashed more than a dozen times with his sword, but didn't even leave a scratch.

Even the Star-level armor couldn't withstand the legendary three swords.

The quality of the shield before him was likely far beyond his comprehension.

People who possess such things...

Elroy broke out in a cold sweat.

Elvia looked at him, her golden eyes slightly narrowed, as if she could see through all the thoughts churning in his mind.

She smiled.

The smile wasn't particularly bright; it even carried a hint of a seasoned, peaceful quality.

"Isn't it better to live a good life?"

Her voice softened, and her tone became gentler.

"Your legendary strength is enough to allow you to live a carefree life in this world for the rest of your days."

"Even if you fall from that position, with your strength, you can live the life of a superior person in any city-state."

"Is it worth jeopardizing your future for your beastly nephew?"

Harold trembled with fear at his feet, looking at Elroy with teary eyes.

Her eyes were full of pleading, begging her uncle not to give up on her.

Elvia continued with a smile.

"Apologize to me now, and I can pretend nothing happened."

"My target is the person who attacked that post office back then."

"Your nephew."

"The people he brought with him at the time."

"There were also the vagrant leaders, cronies, and aristocratic sons who instigated him, tipped him off, and knew about the post office's existence."

"I don't want to make a big deal out of this."

Her voice became even softer, carrying a subtle sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion or reflection) that "I was once one of you too."

"After all, I was once a nobleman."

Elvia's tone was very serious.

It's not mockery, it's not provocation.

It's the kind of well-intentioned advice that genuinely tries to persuade the other person to stop, that they really don't want to escalate the situation further.

Elroy's sword still hung in mid-air.

He looked at her, and surprisingly, even this legendary man was somewhat moved.

The higher one's position, the more one understands the cruelty of this world.

For some truly powerful nobles and forces, being a legend is nothing.

He opened his mouth, ready to speak.

Then—

"My son—!!"

A heart-wrenching scream erupted from behind the crowd, like a knife cleaving through the air.

Everyone instinctively turned their heads.

A luxurious carriage was parked on the outskirts of the crowd, its doors roughly pushed open.

A middle-aged woman in a dark purple dress stumbled out.

Her hair was a little disheveled, and her makeup was half-washed off by tears.

Her lips trembled, her eyes fixed on Harold, who was being trampled under Elvia's feet.

She was followed by a dozen fully armed guards, whose badges were exactly the same as those of Harold's knights.

An elderly man dressed as a butler followed closely behind her, his steps hurried.

"Harold! My Harold!!"

The woman pushed aside the people blocking her way and rushed to the front of the crowd.

Seeing her son lying on the ground like a dead pig, trembling all over, his face covered in snot and tears, she let out an even sharper scream.

"What are you all standing there for?!"

She turned around abruptly and roared at the guards and city defenders behind her.

The sound was shrill, like a fingernail scraping against a metal plate.

"Kill her! Kill that woman!"

"Save my son!"

"Whoever killed her! I'll give them ten thousand gold coins!!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her guards drew their swords in unison, and the city defense soldiers were also instinctively raised their weapons after her shout.

Several archers peered out from the edge of the crowd, their bows drawn taut, arrows aimed at Elvia.

"Release the arrows!"

At a command.

A dozen arrows shot through the air, striking Elvia's shield with a series of impacts before breaking off and falling to the ground.

The guards rushed forward, their swords slashing against the shield, sending sparks flying.

The city guards also surrounded them, shield to shield, completely sealing off the small open space where Elvia was.

The sea of ​​people surged up like a tide, engulfing Elvia in the middle.

Amidst the glint of swords and the cries of battle, the sounds of fighting rose and fell.

Elroy opened his mouth, as if to stop him.

But his voice was drowned out by the noise.

Inside the shield, Elvia sighed.

She looked at the guards and city defense troops outside, who were wildly slashing and hacking.

Looking at the noblewoman who was still crying hysterically.

His golden eyes held an expression of utter helplessness.

"Stupid woman."

Just then, a loud and authoritative shout came from the direction of the city gate.

"The city lord has arrived!"