Outside the Imperial Capital City, in a commoner village.
A tall carriage was slowly moving along the village road, surrounded neatly by dozens of well-trained soldiers clad in armor and helmets. Inside the carriage, a man and a woman were looking out the window while talking.
"This village is still so backward, even though the country exists because of its people."
"To work so hard for the people and then return to the place called the nest of vipers, Father, you are truly remarkable."
"Now is not the time to hide just to save your life. I will fight that minister to the end!"
"Mm-hmm, with Spear here, Father will definitely be protected!"
"Hehe, I really raised a good daughter, but she's too brave and might never get married…"
"Hmph! That… that has nothing to do with this matter, right?"
"Hahaha…"
…
The two were obviously father and daughter. The man looked very old, with completely white hair, even his beard and eyebrows had turned gray, but his face was full of kindness. The girl was very young, at most in her early twenties.
Her long golden hair was smooth and straight down to her waist, and her sea-blue eyes were like two beautiful gems of the ocean. When her spirited and pretty face showed a shy expression trying to be strong because of her father's words, she looked extremely adorable!
Bang bang bang…
While the father and daughter were chatting, the carriage suddenly shook and stopped. Both inside were startled.
"Master, Miss, ahead… ahead…"
Outside came the endless panic and fear in the voices of the soldiers guarding the carriage, as if they had seen something terrifying.
"What… what is it? Bandits again? There must be a limit to how bad security can get!"
Thinking it was bandits like before, the old man looked extremely angry.
"Don't worry, Father, as long as Spear is here, no one will harm you!"
"Everyone, be alert! Take them down one by one like before!"
Saying this to the old man, the girl named Spear picked up her weapon and jumped out of the carriage. She no longer looked like the little girl from before but wore a serious and solemn expression.
"Are these… bandits?"
When she saw the two figures standing not far from them clearly, the girl was stunned. Unlike the disgusting bandits who tried to rob them before, these two—a man and a woman—were different. The man was as charming and sinister as the night, and the woman was noble and beautiful like ice.
Moreover, they were just standing there, yet gave off an incredibly powerful oppressive aura!
"Oh, so these are the Empire's rising stars, General Sora and General Esdeath. Are you two here by His Majesty's order to welcome me?"
The old man, Chouri, also got out of the carriage. He obviously recognized Sora and Esdeath. As an elder statesman of the empire, Sora and Esdeath, who had only been in office for a few years, were indeed just some rising stars.
"What? They are the two legendary generals of the Empire!"
Hearing her father's voice, the girl Spear was shocked. The names of these two generals had been very famous in the empire in recent years. The soldiers behind them all looked shocked and stepped back when they heard their names.
Moreover, it was said that these two legendary generals had just quelled a rebellion of 400,000 northern barbarians with fewer than 100 soldiers!
Her eyes shone brightly, and her sea-blue pupils sparkled as she kept examining Sora and Esdeath, wanting to see what was really different about them.
Uh, but before she could look twice, a faint blush appeared on her face. Esdeath's nobility and beauty made her feel ashamed, and General Sora's charm and sinister aura…
Well, let's spare this outwardly strong but inwardly shy girl. Her cute face was already burning badly, sweat…
"Hehe, dear, this old man is so interesting!"
Seeing that old Chouri actually thought she and Sora were here to welcome them, Esdeath laughed, covering her cherry lips with her fair, slender hand.
"Cough cough… Sorry, Lord Chouri, Miss Spear, we are not here by His Majesty's order to welcome you."
Actually, they were here to do something bad and kidnap someone, but they were mistaken for good people coming to welcome them, which made Sora a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat twice and spoke awkwardly.
His eyes kept glancing at the girl nearby, who wore a tight little cotton jacket and a cute red-and-white cotton hat. Sora thought, "Old man, please don't blame me. I don't want to bully an old man like you, but who told you to raise such an outstanding daughter?!"
"Hmm… Since you two are not here to welcome us, then what is the meaning of blocking our way?"
Frowning, old Chouri felt uncomfortable. He thought, "Even if it's not you, can't you just say so? Not even giving an old man some face, truly disrespectful, rotten wood that cannot be carved!"
"Lord Chouri, we were commissioned by the minister to stop you from entering the palace. Although the minister wanted to kill you directly, I have always admired senior officials like you who are dedicated to the empire, so I don't want to use such a cruel method."
"As long as Lord Chouri agrees to leave the capital, Esdeath and I promise not to make things difficult for you. What do you think?"
This man in front of him was his future father-in-law, so Sora tried to be polite. Of course, he also wanted to leave a good impression on the girl…
"What?! Minister, you are actually in cahoots with that traitor!"
Shouting out in shock, when old Chouri heard Sora say they were sent by that treacherous minister to stop him, he immediately got angry!
"Impossible! I must enter the palace to see His Majesty. That treacherous minister controls the court and does evil. The entire empire is in chaos because of him, and the people suffer terribly!"
"No one can stop me from cleansing the empire of evil. You are in cahoots with that traitor and are no good yourselves. Get lost!"
The old man was full of righteous spirit and pride, completely ignoring Sora's advice and threats, shouting at him without any courtesy.
"Hmph, foolish old stubborn man!"
Esdeath snorted disdainfully. If this old man wasn't her future sister's father, Her Majesty would have already shot an ice spear at him!
Sora was no better, twitching at the corner of his mouth. Although he admired the old man's righteousness and pride, as Esdeath said, he was really foolish!
You know the whole court is controlled by that fat minister, so why bother? Do you really think your iron mouth can make that minister cry and repent, or make that naive little emperor wise and diligent for the country?
Damn it, luckily I, Sora, like your daughter and am taking it easy on you. If it were like the original story, you'd be dead already!
Well, although he thought this, Sora's mouth curved into a strange smile, looking happy.
Actually, after saying all this, he was just waiting for this stubborn old man to refuse him!