I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

Zhou Han's eyes darted around, and she lowered her voice, "Hey, do you know how far things have progressed between Cheng Fei and Lin Xuanqi?"

"What do you mean by 'progress'?" Nagasaki Asuna's innocent and bewildered eyes reflected Zhou Han's gossipy expression.

"It's about that aspect, Asuna. You don't know anything about it, do you?" Zhou Han looked her up and down.

"Huh? In that respect?" the pink-haired girl asked, sounding slightly bewildered.

“Ahem, Miss Nagasaki, she means the progress of things that only lovers do,” Miriam whispered a reminder.

"Eh? Oh... I don't really know about that." Nagasaki Asuna's gaze darted around shyly, her legs pressed tightly together as she looked down at her toes.

"Ruan Jingyi, I feel that Asuna is more innocent than I imagined," Zhou Han whispered to her best friend on tiptoe.

Ruan Jingyi blinked but did not comment.

"Enough. Let's end the topic of that dead man and move on. Now, it's more important for everyone to understand their assigned tasks." Shen Xi slammed the book shut with a cold expression, drawing everyone's attention back to the map.

Zhou Han and Ruan Jingyi exchanged a quick glance and then hurriedly returned to their seats.

……

The next day.

Under the cover of night, Spring Town remained as peaceful and serene as ever. The war sweeping across the skies of Elconis did not seem to have much impact on the surface of this remote border town.

The only brightly lit place was the lord's manor, which was more lively than usual tonight.

After a two-week rest, the Imperial Second Special Operations Fleet will set sail at dawn. Baron Brown Sugar and local gentry will host a farewell banquet.

The Demon Knight, accompanied by his meticulously dressed familiar, attended the banquet, enjoying a final moment of relaxation and pleasure before embarking on his journey.

In the guest rooms, which are further away from the banquet hall, the noise is kept out of the quiet atmosphere.

Fleet Commander Edward sat at his desk, engrossed in writing, while his familiar Jasmine sat beside him in a cushioned chair with her eyes lowered.

A fierce battle had recently broken out in their previous room; the tapestry on one wall was charred black, the desk was split in two, and a large hole was punched in the wall. So, he and Jasmine took the opportunity to move to this quieter place away from the banquet hall.

"Edward, you're leaving tomorrow, why don't you get some rest?" The ethereal voice of the silver-haired half-elf rang out.

“There are many things to take care of once Leia is sent to the capital. I need to hurry, Jasmine,” the blond youth said without looking up.

“You left half the people at the dock, and they don’t seem too happy about it.”

"This is also necessary."

"What are you worried about?" Jasmine asked Edward.

The blond youth frowned and pondered, "I just suspect that our encounter with the Allied scouts wasn't a coincidence. There might be more to the story in escorting Leia."

Jasmine paused for a moment, then asked, "Do you think there's something wrong with our people?"

"The message I received yesterday said that the situation in the capital is a bit delicate recently. In short, we must be careful in everything we do now," Edward said softly.

“I understand.” The silver-haired half-elf nodded slightly.

As the two were talking, a ghostly figure silently descended onto the highest rooftop of the lord's manor and walked along the roof ridge.

"Hold on tight, or you might get stabbed to death when the fight starts," Cheng Fei whispered, turning his head to the side.

"Master, Xiao An doesn't want to die!" The golden-haired half-elf floating behind him quickly hugged the boy's neck.

"Sigh, I feel like I lost money even buying you for seven and a half gold coins. How old are you anyway?" The boy smacked his lips.

"How old?" Shadow's tone was full of confusion.

"It's about how many years you've lived."

"I don't know, nobody told Xiao An."

"I give up, you unlucky kid." The boy sighed. "When you fight, be smarter with your magic and help me block the magic of that familiar, understand?"

"Got it, Little Dark is the best fighter." Shadow nodded.

"Win this fight, and I'll set you free. Understand?"

"really?"

"Really."

"What will happen if I'm free..." The blonde half-elf's blank voice rang out.

"Didn't you kill the buyer back then? What were you planning to do after you killed him?"

"Xiao An doesn't know either."

"Didn't you do anything after you killed him?"

"Xiao An did nothing."

Cheng Fei was silent for a moment, then asked, "So why did you kill him?"

"I didn't want to be a familiar, so... I killed it."

Cheng Fei remained silent for a moment, then said, "I have a question for you. Tell me the truth."

"what?"

Have you ever been to school?

"What does 'reading' mean?"

What is two times two?

"Two times two equals...four."

What about seven times nine?

"Seven times nine..." Shadow put one arm around the boy's neck and held up five fingers with the other hand. "I don't know about seven times nine."

After a long while, a heavy sigh echoed through the night of Yongquan Town, "Oh, you unlucky child."

"Seven times nine..."

"Alright, if you can't figure it out, then don't bother. Just know how to use magic," Cheng Fei said.

"Oh." Shadow withdrew his hand.

"Lightness magic".

"Oh."

Feeling his body become unusually light, Cheng Fei leaped and landed lightly from a height of tens of meters, appearing in front of a window.

"Blast the way open." The boy deftly drew his black longsword.

"Oh!" Shadow's wine-red eyes lit up instantly.

363. Cheng Fei is unworthy of being called a Demon Slayer Knight.

The moment the bright blue rune lit up in the golden-haired half-elf's palm, two things happened.

One thing was that an invisible force caused the air molecules to vibrate, tearing the window in front of Cheng Fei into countless pieces.

Another thing was that runes lit up in the palms of the silver-haired half-elf in the room, and a semi-transparent blue barrier enveloped Edward, who was facing away from the window, protecting him from the shrapnel that flew into the room.

The well-trained demon knights and familiars immediately entered battle mode. As Edward grabbed the sword from the table and drew it, Jasmine cast various spells on him.

Edward briefly clashed with the black longsword of the boy who had barged into the room before retreating, and the two stood at opposite ends of the not-so-spacious room.

"Cheng Fei?! What do you want to do?" The blond youth who was ambushed had veins bulging on his forehead and golden flames surging around his body.

He was very familiar with the face of the person who came, the only difference being that this time the other party brought along a blonde, red-eyed half-elf.

"Excuse me, I'll be blunt..." The young man remained expressionless, gripping his black longsword tightly. His figure vanished abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Edward felt a strong sense of crisis.

So fast!

The opponent's speed is more than twice as fast as last time!

"Watch out for your left," Jasmine's voice rang in Edward's ears.

Edward instinctively raised his sword to parry, barely managing to block the incoming black longsword. The terrifying force of the blow made his hand ache.

"Hand over Leia's things." As Cheng Fei finished speaking, the blonde half-elf behind him raised her small hand, and blue runes appeared out of thin air.

Jasmine lowered her eyes and raised her hand, runes appearing in her palm.

Two invisible forces collided in mid-air, creating a violent shockwave that scattered everything in the room.

As the familiars clashed, the demon knights' weapons also clashed with unparalleled force, producing deafening sounds.

"So you were only after Rhea from the beginning?" Edward parried with all his might.

"So what if it is?" Cheng Fei suppressed him with lightning-fast attacks.

"Who sent you?" Edward gritted his teeth and retorted.

"No comment."

"Where did your familiar go?" Edward asked, his brow furrowed.

"Isn't it right on my back?" Cheng Fei swung his sword down.

"I'm asking about the two from before!" Edward shouted, catching the sword with his blade.

“Sold out. Those two weren’t good enough. This one is newly bought.” Cheng Fei said casually, launching an attack from various angles.

"Sold it?!" Edward's eyes widened. After blocking another thrust, he unleashed incredible power, switching from defense to offense and swinging his sword at the boy.

"Why are you suddenly so excited?" Cheng Fei easily created distance to avoid the attack.

"What I hate most in my life is a despicable person like you who casually abandons familiars and uses any means necessary. You don't deserve to be called a Demon Slayer!" Golden flames blazed fiercely around Edward, and the blond youth raised his sword with a resolute expression. "Cheng Fei, prepare to die!"

"Why am I being treated like a villain?" the boy asked, puzzled.

"Isn't that it?!" Edward shouted, taking the initiative to launch an attack.

"Actually, I was just making it up!"

"What's the point of hiding things now that things have come to this? We need to settle this matter, both publicly and privately, Cheng Fei!" The blond youth's fighting spirit was palpable.

……

Compared to the brightly lit lord's mansion, the Yongquan Town wharf was shrouded in a desolate night.

As per Commander Edward's orders, only half of the men were allowed to go ashore tonight to participate in the celebration, while the other half remained at the dock to await further orders.

However, this does not mean that the demon knights and sailors who stayed behind could only watch their companions go out to eat, drink, and have fun while they sat idly on the ship.

The lord sent rum and food, and apart from a few unlucky men who were actually kicked to the side of the ship to stand guard, most people enjoyed their last night on deck before setting sail.

The Prosperity Light was no exception. Since the Harvest Goddess crashed in the encounter half a month ago, the supply ship Prosperity Light had become the largest airship in the special operations fleet besides the flagship.

While the sailors of the Prosperity Light were drinking rum and telling dirty jokes on the deck, a pair of demon knights and their familiars came down to the lower deck with dim oil lamps to relieve their companions who were guarding there.

A special prisoner is being held here.

Inside a sturdy cage made of wootz steel, a silver-haired, pointy-eared elf girl, her hands and feet firmly bound by specially made anti-magic shackles, sat on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest.

The new demon knight placed a meal outside the cage, then carefully inspected the cage and the Light Demon Core that served as the foundation of the floating ship, ensuring everything was normal, before sitting down with his familiar in a seat not far away.

After a moment, the elven girl moved weakly, picked up a rye bread and a small dish of stew from outside the cage, and slowly swallowed the meager food...

Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone in the darkness, three uninvited guests wearing night vision goggles were quietly approaching the Prosperity Light.

Fully armed, Miriam led the way, while the blonde girl hunched over, aiming her gun left and right, like a special forces soldier on a mission.

"Um, Miriam, it's probably better to stick to the plan and have Zhou Han keep watch, since we'll be exposed the moment you fire your gun," Nagasaki Asuna's nonchalant voice rang out from behind.

"Don't worry, Miss Nagasaki, I won't do anything reckless. I'm just immersing myself in the game." Miriam made a tactical hand gesture with a serious expression.

"Are we really going to kill someone later? I'm a little nervous," Zhou Han whispered beside her.

"Don't worry, they're just NPCs." Nagasaki Asuna's gaze flickered.

"But the NPCs here are so realistic, I'm afraid it will be really bloody later." Zhou Han's face was full of worry.

Nagasaki Asuna hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's not look at the bodies after we fire the gun."

"Okay, I'll try my best." Zhou Han swallowed.