Chapter 715: Let's Get Engaged!

"Master, Master, please, just seal your divine powers already!"

The hero almost knelt before Tang Luo.

"What's wrong? I've been helping you all along." Tang Luo wore an innocent expression.

"I know, but... but..." The hero pondered his words, "Helping like this makes it feel like we're not making any progress."

"No way?" Tang Luo frowned, "When we first met, you could kill a cow with one punch; now you can kill five with one punch—you've improved greatly."

"Not enough." The hero shook his head.

He felt he should by now be able to kill ten cows with one punch.

How can one see a rainbow without weathering storms?

How could a sheltered chick ever grow into a mighty eagle?

Hero Faustken's current strength certainly doesn't qualify as that of a fledgling, but for the great undertaking he must accomplish, it's still far from enough.

No, we can't continue with "when in doubt, let the master decide"!

"Alright, then from now on I won't intervene." Tang Luo nodded, going along with it.

As they were speaking, a commotion came from outside.

Now, the two of them are in a room at a prosperous city inn; everyone has adventured all the way here and decided to rest for a few days.

For now, the Heaven-Sent Soldiers Adventuring Party still has no clear short-term goal.

Daily life consists of taking various quests at the Adventurers' Guild, traveling, completing quests, and increasing strength.

Because the demon race's traces have not yet surfaced, the hero's main quest should actually be considered not fully opened.

"Huh, is that Merlin and them?" The hero heard the voice and looked toward Tang Luo.

Tang Luo gave a slight nod, and the two walked out of the room together.

This inn is fairly luxurious: the second floor has individual rooms, while the first floor is a hall with dining functions.

At this very moment, in the hall, Merlin and Kaelan are facing off against a group of people, the leader being a handsome elf with pale gold hair and azure pupils.

Arthur is not in the inn; he went out to purchase supplies needed for the upcoming journey.

Seeing their companion (from the harem) in danger, or about to be in danger, the hero didn't hesitate, leaping down from the second floor and landing before the two.

The magic sword at his waist was already in hand, pointed at the handsome elf: "What do you want to do to my companion?"

Some murmurs arose.

Obviously, the diners and onlookers in the hall recognized the hero's identity.

Tang Luo stood on the stairs, leisurely watching what was happening in the hall.

Will it be a simple conflict, or another opportunity for the hero? I truly look forward to it.

Facing the hero's blade, the handsome elf's expression turned cold, his brows slightly furrowed, then he directly ignored them, looking at Kaelan: "Come home with me."

"No." Kaelan's tone was firm.

"Huh?" Merlin blinked, and the hero also blinked.

Go home, what does that mean?

"He's my brother." Kaelan's helpless voice came from behind.

The hero's face stiffened slightly, and he sheathed his sword.

I accidentally pointed my sword at my brother-in-law—bad, bad.

But this brother-in-law's face is also stiff; we're even, I suppose.

Licking is out of the question—no one would lick a girl, let alone lick a brother-in-law.

As a hero, only others get to lick him.

So Faustken merely pointed to the nearby table and sat down voluntarily.

Since we're our own people, we can still talk.

Kaelan's brother also sat down.

The hero glanced at Tang Luo and saw this guy just leaning on the stair railing, rubbing his dog there, with no intention of coming down.

But as long as Master Anubis is here, things are stable.

Unbeknownst to him, the hero has already developed some dependence on Tang Luo's presence.

This is also why, after realizing the situation, he hopes Tang Luo will seal his divine powers.

As a hero, how could he possibly depend on others long-term?

He is the one others should depend on and rely on!

Withdrawing his gaze, the few people's talk proceeded quickly and effectively.

As previously said, Kaelan is a noble-born girl who yearns for a free adventurer's life.

That's why she came out to become an adventurer.

But Kaelan didn't clarify that she's actually a runaway noble daughter, secretly fleeing without her parents' consent.

At the same time, Kaelan's background is greater than what she herself claimed.

She's not just some lucky country bumpkin noble who struck it rich.

Her true identity is the daughter of a duke, of the Sullivan family, a genuine aristocratic household.

"Now you know—she's not like you; she doesn't need to become an adventurer to rise above others." Kaelan's brother Austin reached out and tapped the table.

He doesn't really care about the hero's identity either.

If it were long ago, when the demon threat was immense.

As a savior, the hero—whether a duke's son, the duke himself, or even the king—would be received with utmost respect, honored as a guest of honor.

Various daughters would be sent to his door.

But now, speaking frankly, the threat of legitimate demons is not even as great as those occasional monsters that pop up.

The existence of a hero is more like a form of insurance.

As the eldest son of the Duke, Austin is also the sole male heir of the Sullivan family in this generation, and he will inevitably inherit the ducal title.

Even if the hero defeats the Demon King and achieves the pinnacle of his life.

At best, he might be granted an honorary dukedom by some nations, which cannot compare to the Sullivan family's actual ducal authority.

Austin has reason to look down on the hero with his nose in the air.

Even if the hero has the skill to slash him with a single sword.

"I hate that place, I'm not going back." Kaelan glared at her brother.

Austin smiled slightly: "You came out to play, I actually knew from the start. You've played long enough, it's about time. Stop being willful, come home with me."

"Don't think I don't know what you want me to do by bringing me home!" Kaelan slammed the table hard.

She nearly cracked the table, startling Merlin beside her.

Seeing Merlin startled, Kaelan forgot about arguing with her brother and hurried to comfort Merlin.

The scene became quite harmonious.

"You heard her, she doesn't want to go back with you." The hero looked at Austin and said.

Austin shook his head: "This matter is not for you to interfere with, just as it is not for her to decide."

"Hmph." The hero smirked, "She is my friend. Moreover, why can't she decide her own affairs?"

Austin maintained his noble bearing: "This is her father's command, the Duke of Sullivan."

"What about her father? Can parents just decide their children's lives and fates?" The hero argued passionately.

"From the perspective of familial affection, parents do have the kindness of raising their children." Austin's expression remained consistently cold, "But using familial affection to pressure someone— I doubt you'd accept that either. So let's be direct: from a standpoint of interest, Kaelan has enjoyed the finest education since childhood, lived in luxury, and basked in the family's glory and everything else."

"Now is the time for her to repay the family."

"Is the way of repayment forcing her to do things she dislikes?" The hero snapped.

"No."

Unexpectedly, Austin's reply was negative: "There are many ways to repay the family, but for Kaelan, there is only one, because she has no other way to repay."

In short, you guys are too weak.

"..."

The hero opened his mouth, but couldn't speak.

Directly hitting the nail on the head, impossible to refute.

"If you have a way to help the Sullivan family, my father wouldn't mind Kaelan continuing to adventure with you." Austin drawled lazily, "Even if you were once the true, savior hero, even if Kaelan remained your lover all along, my father would probably clap and laugh heartily."

These words were spoken with utter bluntness.

Making Kaelan glare fiercely at Austin.

The hero coughed lightly, unsure how to respond.

Is it because this generation of demons is too weak?

"But there are no 'ifs'." Austin stood up, looking down on Fast Ken, "Times have changed, O Great Hero. Well, Kaelan, your pretend-play game is over."

"Come back with me, I don't want to say it again— you understand what I mean."

In the end, his tone grew stern.

The hero also jumped to his feet, knocking over the wooden bench behind him.

"If you want to take Kaelan away, first ask my……"

Before the word 'sword' could be spoken, Kaelan interrupted him.

"Alright, I'll go back with you." Kaelan's voice froze the hero's passionate expression.

"Give me a moment, I'll say goodbye to them." Kaelan continued.

Austin nodded: "As long as you know it in your heart." While giving a warning known only to the two of them.

What followed was much like a Qiong Yao drama.

No matter how the hero and Merlin persuaded, Kaelan just shook her head, insisting she must leave, and even said they must not come looking for her.

As for what exactly she would do upon returning, whether it's what the hero imagines, a sordid noble marriage alliance.

Kaelan kept her mouth shut tight, making the hero frantic.

Just spit it out already! At this point, why are you still staying silent?

Kaelan, who gave the hero no answer, then asked Tang Luo to take good care of Merlin.

On the surface she spoke of Merlin, but everyone knows who she really meant.

Know this: if it weren't for Tang Luo butting in, the hero and Kaelan's relationship would have long surpassed what it is now, becoming the legendary zero-distance relationship.

After farewells, Kaelan didn't even wait for Uncle Arthur, and left with Austin.

The hero watched Kaelan board the luxurious carriage, surrounded by a retinue of guards, as she departed, his face dark and gloomy.

He felt the distance between them.

Such a gap cannot be bridged by the hero's current status.

Merlin stood beside the hero, wanting to comfort him but unable to speak.

After a long while, until the carriage vanished completely from sight, the hero exhaled, turned, and walked back to the inn room, locking himself inside.

Merlin knocked twice on the door, got no reply, and helplessly returned to the hall.

There he saw Tang Luo sitting at a corner table, with tea and biscuits before him, enjoying afternoon tea.

Completely unaffected by Kaelan's departure.

Merlin walked up to Tang Luo and sat down, glaring at him angrily: "Master, why didn't you intervene just now?"

As a master, his combat strength may not be strong, but his overall ability is undoubtedly the greatest in the adventuring party.

If Master Anubis had stepped in earlier, the situation might have been different.

Oh, because you asked me to take back your divine powers so you could face your difficulties yourselves. Tang Luo said with a smile.

The afternoon tea snacks provided by the inn were quite good.

At least better than the demons'.

"Now that Sister Kailan has left, what should we do?" Merlin asked, resting his chin on the table.

He reached out and poked the Celestial Dog as it struggled with a biscuit.

The Celestial Dog twitched its tail in response.

"This isn't up to me, but up to him." Tang Luo pointed to the room, "Either give up, or storm the Sullivan family and abduct the bride."

"Abduct the bride?"

"What can a noble lady do for her family if not marry into an alliance?" Tang Luo said lightly, "Actually, it's not a bad thing—now that he's a duke, it's all about matching status. Even if they marry, they won't pick some brainless, gutless noble wastrel; more likely, another handsome, dashing elf. No need to worry."

"I'm not worried about that!" Merlin said.

At that moment, Arthur returned carrying large and small packages, walked over, and dumped them down: "What's going on?"

"Sister Kailan has left." Merlin pouted.

"Huh?" Arthur looked utterly confused.

Merlin recounted the whole story from beginning to end, then concluded: "If we don't help, Sister Kailan might end up marrying some brainless, gutless noble."

"I think it's a handsome elf." Tang Luo said with a smile, correcting him.

"Hmm?"

Arthur, however, furrowed his brow: "The Sullivan family—I happen to know a bit about them, and they seem to never engage in marriage alliances."

He instinctively looked toward Tang Luo.

Tang Luo shrugged, indicating he didn't know either.

Only then did Arthur recall that the master's erudition did not include knowledge of the various powers across the continent.

In fact, in this regard, he was even less informed than an ordinary adventurer.

"No marriage alliance?" Merlin's eyes lit up, though he didn't know why he was happy.

Wake up, little girl—you're rivals!

"If not for a marriage alliance, what other reason would there be to send a young lady back home?" Arthur fell into deep thought.

The duke's daughter becoming a member of the hero's adventuring party, fighting side by side to defeat the Demon King, her name etched in history.

For the duke's family, this is absolutely not a disgrace.

If there are tangible benefits, such as cooperation with another great family, giving up the current hero for that reason is not hard to understand.

But if there is no marriage alliance, then the aforementioned "name etched in history" would most likely be the duke's daughter's greatest possible contribution to her family.

There's no reason to necessarily take Kailan away.

"Things might not be simple—come, let's go find Ken to discuss." Arthur picked up his bundle.

"I'll wait for your news." Tang Luo said, indicating his afternoon tea time was not yet over.

The two didn't mind.

Master Anubis is a very laid-back master; he rarely participates in team decisions about what to do next.

At most, he offers a bit of constructive advice on concrete matters like exploring ruins or completing quests.

As for the big picture—what we should do next—he never meddles.

One could say he's a perfect team member.

If it weren't for the hero's title still being somewhat renowned and the signboard still usable, many adventuring parties would have already tried to poach him.

"Master, say it out loud and you definitely won't believe me—I'm getting married, hehehe."

Before Arthur and the others could finish discussing and come out, a voice came from between the gray mists: it was Ao Yulie.

"Huh?" Tang Luo said, "Getting married?"

"Should say it's a marriage alliance." Ao Yulie laughed.

"You're the Demon King, yet you're pulling this marriage alliance stunt?" Tang Luo said, "Utterly disgraceful. As a Demon King, you should be abducting princesses from several countries. Can't even abduct a princess—what kind of Demon King are you? Who gave you this stupid idea? I limit you to three days to abduct a princess and bring her back as punishment."

"Aren't princess-abductors usually dragons?" Ao Yulie said.

"Then that's you?"

"I'm an Eastern Divine Dragon; those are Western giant lizards, evil dragons."

"So you're the one who got his wife abducted?"

"Dragon's hardship doesn't split, Master." Ao Yulie quickly changed the subject, "Speaking of marriage alliances, actually, aside from the demons in the demon realm, there's also a demon faction secretly developing outside, fully integrated into human society, now quite powerful."

"Oh?" Tang Luo frowned slightly, then relaxed, this kind of development...

"And that demon faction has a bit of a fence-sitter vibe—maintaining ties with the demon lord's line, occasionally offering support, yet never fully pledging allegiance, humph." Ao Yulie snorted twice.

"Go on." Tang Luo said.

"They occasionally carry out marriage alliance actions—actually, just to bear heirs for the demon lord. If lucky, it's the next demon lord, then they rise again—truly, from the Dragon's Function, the wishful thinking abacus calculated perfectly."

Tang Luo asked: "You said fence-sitter—are you referring to the Sullivan family?"

"Master, you know this too?" Ao Yulie blinked, surprised, "No way, Master—you're out playing in the human world, how did you get such secret information?"

"You should know, even the Four Heavenly Kings don't know this—it's a secret of the Council of Elders."

"If it weren't for this marriage alliance, Ao Yulie, who's pretending to be the Demon King, wouldn't have known either."

"Demon King and hero—truly fated to be entangled?" Tang Luo laughed, "You might not believe it if I said it, but the one you're marrying into is a member of the hero's adventuring (palace) team."

The wheel of fate has turned!

"Really or fake?"

Ao Yulie also blinked in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter.

Tang Luo also laughed, and within the gray mists, the air instantly filled with a villainous aura.