Meditation world.
After more than half a year, Allen and Kelly returned to the Mulan Barony again.
After the funeral for "Anna" who was unfortunately assassinated, the Baron, dressed as a man, continued to lead the team to welcome the bride.
When he arrived at the Earldom of Lanser, he was unexpectedly treated coldly.
Your Excellency, the Count, is holding a knightly tournament.
Nobles from far and near came to show their support, making the event quite lively.
Count Lancer only found time to meet with his future son-in-law once, never mentioned the engagement, and even made a blatant hint:
Unless Arthur wins the tourney and proves that he is mature and brave enough to be the lord of Mulan, he will have to reconsider his daughter's engagement.
At this point, Alan and Kelly knew it clearly.
Winning the martial arts tournament is just a respectable excuse.
There were many renowned knights-errant who came to participate in the tournament.
The young Baron Mulan is far from capable of competing with the already famous knight.
The Count asked him to win the competition, which was really asking too much!
Perhaps, there was an intention to let him back down.
If Arthur didn't know his place and insisted on fighting, thus embarrassing himself, then it couldn't be his fault.
Alan accompanied his depressed sister back to their residence to discuss countermeasures.
As soon as I sat down in the living room, I heard a knock on the door.
Alan stood up and opened the door.
A thin figure wearing a cloak stood outside the door.
The hood of the cloak was pulled low, casting a shadow over the face.
"Who are you!" Alan asked warily.
The cloaked man said nothing, as if he was also afraid of the burly giant in front of him.
Kelly heard the noise and came over.
The cloaked man took two steps sideways.
His sight passed through the door that was almost blocked by Alan and fell on the baron's handsome face, and his eyes changed from vigilance to joy.
"Arthur, your guards don't seem to recognize me."
The cloaked man's voice is soft and melodious, like a yellow oriole.
He took off his hood, revealing a handsome face.
A thin little girl in a snow-white dress.
Even with high heels on, she was less than 1.5 meters tall.
Her chest is slightly raised, making her look like an elementary school student.
“Lily!”
Kelly recognized her fiancée at a glance through the memories of her ancestors.
Alan rubbed his nose and tactfully moved aside.
Lily excitedly trotted all the way and threw herself into her fiancé's arms.
Lily, the youngest daughter of Count Lancer, is weak but extremely intelligent.
Lily is deeply in love with her fiancé Arthur, and is also best friends with Arthur's twin sister Anna.
Kelly merged with Anna's ancestral spirit, but met Lily as Arthur.
Alan could see that his sister was not yet used to the complex identity she played.
Holding the petite Lily, I didn't know what to say.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward.
Lily noticed that her lover was unusually silent and thought that he was upset with the count and was taking his anger out on her.
He sighed and spoke quietly.
"Arthur, maybe you don't believe it, but I still want to say it..."
"My father and my eldest brother did think about breaking off the engagement."
"But I swear to my ancestors that I have no such intention!"
"Arthur, I know you've been wronged, but please don't blame me, okay?"
"These days, I've been trying every possible way to save the engagement."
"Please believe me, dear. If we work together, we will overcome all obstacles and achieve happiness!"
"If you are going to give up, I...I don't want to live anymore!"
As she spoke, the Countess couldn't help sobbing.
Kelly couldn't bear to see her crying.
He took her hand and said softly, "Lily, don't get excited. Let's sit down and talk slowly."
Then he gave his brother a stern glance.
"Alan, close the door and don't let outsiders in."
"As you command, my lord!"
Alan closed the door, bolted it, put his hands on his hips, and stood guard at the door.
With his ears perked up and a look of alertness on his face, he looked like a gangster thug.
Lily took the handkerchief handed to her by her fiancé and wiped her tears.
He looked up at Alan, fear evident in his eyes.
"Arthur, Alan is your squire? I've never seen him before."
"He is not only my servant, but also my lifelong friend, my half-brother!"
Kelly looked serious.
"My dear, you can talk to me with confidence. Alan has a tight tongue and is absolutely reliable."
"He's so big and strong like a bear. He's scary!"
Lily whispered, secretly looking at Alan.
"She's not ugly, but of course, she's nowhere near as good as you."
Kelly smiled understandingly.
"Don't be fooled by his tall and strong figure. He is actually gentle and kind-hearted, and has a chivalrous demeanor."
Lily stole a glance at Alan and was skeptical about her fiancé's assessment.
"Arthur, do you know why my father is so cold to you and even intends to break off the engagement?" The Countess got back to the point.
"I'm afraid it has something to do with my uncle who has a rebellious heart."
Kelly picked up the teacup and answered calmly.
Lily nodded and said softly, "Your uncle, General Gondorff, has long been planning to rebel and usurp the throne."
"I had been forbearing until your father passed away, and then my ambition was revealed."
"A month ago, Gondorf sent a special envoy to meet with my father in secret, presenting him with generous gifts and asking him to remain neutral in the power struggle in Mulan Province. He will also reward him handsomely after the matter is accomplished."
"My father is still hesitant, worried that you are too young and have no foundation, and that you cannot defeat General Gondorff, who is used to seeing bloody battles."
"What's more, most of the troops in Mulan Province are controlled by Gondorff..."
"You know my elder brother Leon. He has no brains and is only good at showing off his strength and competitiveness."
"You refused to participate in the knight competitions hosted by Lyon twice before. Lyon felt that you were deliberately offending him and told everyone that you were a sissy and a coward..."
"So, Leon doesn't think you can hold the position of lord."
"Hmph!" Kelly slammed the table angrily, knocking over the teacup.
Lily quickly hugged her lover's arms, her face full of sorrow.
"Arthur, don't be angry! No matter what others do, I will always stand by you."
Kelly held her hand and naturally got into the role with deep affection in her eyes.
"Lily! Don't worry about your father and brother, just elope with me!"
Lily was shocked by her lover's words.
He stared at Kelly with an extremely complicated expression.
"Arthur, you've changed... you're like a completely different person."
Um?!
Kelly's face froze and she quietly grasped the dagger at her waist.
Be prepared to kill and silence the witness immediately!
Allen saw his sister's motives and was unable to complain...
Just now he was looking so affectionate and wanted to elope with the girl.
When he realized that his identity might be discovered by the girl, he immediately changed his face and did not hesitate to kill people to silence them.
You are really worthy of being me, my sister!
Alan felt that it was fortunate that Kelly was a girl.
If he were born a man, with this ruthless and decisive character, he would definitely be a local tyrant!
The Countess was so caught up in love that she didn't notice the vicious look in her lover's eyes.
Holding Kelly's hand, he said infatuatedly: "In the past, you have always lived under Anna's wings, like a little boy."
"Now you have changed. You have become brave and decisive, like a real man!"
"Arthur, I like your change. My love for you is deeper than before..."
Kelly secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quietly retracted the dagger, and deep affection reappeared in her eyes.
"Lily, my love, I can't live without you."
"Please believe me, no matter what happens, I will not let you get hurt!"
"Arthur..." Lily's eyes were red with emotion.
If there hadn't been a guy in the way, she would have almost been unable to resist kissing her lover.
"Arthur, I want to go with you, too, but what should we do after we elope?"
The Countess was still rational after all.
"It's not difficult for us to elope, but how are you going to face my furious father and brother?"
"The consequence of doing so is that they will be forced to completely side with General Gondorff."
Kelly had to admit that Lily's concerns were realistic.
"Alas! The situation is stronger than people. It seems that I can only accept the conditions set by your father and strive to win the championship in the martial arts competition. By then, your father will have nothing to say!"
Lily nodded and left her lover's arms.
"Arthur, I will help you defeat your opponent in the tournament."
Kelly looked at the thin girl in confusion.
Look at how frail she is, how can she be of help?
Lily smiled slightly, opened the storage bag, and took out a set of breastplate and a long sword.
Weapons and armor are all first-level enchanted equipment.
Kelly drew her sword from its sheath, and it shone with a brilliant silver light, which turned out to be a product made of refined silver!
"Arthur, the armor and sword will be useful to you in the tournament."
"Most of the knights participating in the tournament this time are from beast noble families. They are protected by their ancestors' spirits and cannot be harmed by ordinary people."
"Only enchanted silver can penetrate their beastly protection spell."
Lily explained.
What she called "beast nobles" were violent sorcerers who had awakened their beastly bloodlines.
The so-called "Beast Protection Spell" is the supernatural damage-reducing armor obtained by the beast warlock who has reverted to the ancestral transformation at the second level or above.
Beast armor is similar to the secret method of body refining.
Offset a certain amount of physical damage based on one's own physical attributes.
Weapons infused with silver or mithril are unaffected by this ward.
This is the so-called "silver-refined weapon".
Ordinary silver weapons can only penetrate second-level beast armor.
To deal with the third-level beast armor, silver weapons alone are not enough.
On this basis, at least one level of enchantment effect must be added.
The sword that Lily gave to Kelly was a first-level enchanted silver sword.
Allen watched this scene and naturally made a guess:
Could it be that one of the opponents in this martial arts competition is a level three warrior?
Kelly is only in the early stage of the first stage...
What's the point of playing that game? It's almost certain death!
Fortunately, Lily's next words dispelled his concerns.
“My eldest brother Leon will also participate in this year’s tournament.”
“You know Leon’s strength, late stage second stage, lion-man bloodline.”
"Another favorite to win is Lord Robert of the Wilwolf family."
"The Wilwolf family, known as the 'Noble Wolf', inherits the werewolf bloodline."
“Robert is also in the late second stage, and his strength is not inferior to Leon.”
"Leon and Robert are both proficient in the secret art of body refining, and have further strengthened their second-level beast armor. Ordinary silver refining weapons are ineffective against them."
"This enchanted silver sword is a must-have on your road to victory!"
After listening to Lily's story, Kelly and Allen both breathed a sigh of relief.
Even at the late second stage, he was not an opponent that Kelly could currently match.
However, with the sword in hand, there is still a glimmer of hope of victory!
"Arthur, Robert doesn't care, but remember to show mercy when you fight my eldest brother."
Lily warned, somewhat worriedly.
"I don't want this precious sword I gave you to end up being the weapon that takes your brother's life."
Kelly nodded seriously, taking note of her instructions.
Alan was listening nearby and had a bad feeling.
According to the routine of myths and legends, the princess with a crooked elbow gave the prince a sword to deal with her own family...
It's always the case that people lose their heads, so how can there be any mercy? !
I hope my sister will be prudent and not let Lily handle the funeral.
Then, Lily took out a pair of magic rings.
She put one on herself and gave the other to her lover.
This is a pair of "telepathic rings" that allow the wearer to communicate telepathically within a hundred meters.
Lily was under strict supervision by her parents and brother, and she sneaked out today at a great risk.
It will be difficult for her to find opportunities to go out and meet her lover in the future.
With this pair of magic rings, even if they cannot meet, it will not prevent them from communicating with each other.
"Lily, thank you for doing so much for me."
Kelly couldn't help but hug the Countess and kiss her.
Lily responded shyly.
I completely forgot that there was someone watching me.
Kelly had mixed feelings as they kissed passionately.
Although she transformed into a man with the help of magic, she is still a girl at heart.
It feels weird to pretend to be my brother to date my girlfriend...
Just at this moment, hurried footsteps were heard outside the door.
Alan's face changed slightly, and he immediately stood in front of the door.
Bang!
The door was slammed hard!
Alan pressed the bolt and held it in place with force!
BANG BANG BANG!!
The noise of banging on the door became more and more violent.
Outside the door, a man's scolding came:
"You bastard! Open the door now!"
The countess recognized her brother's voice and quickly left her lover's arms, hastily tidying up her hair and clothes.
Kelly turned and looked towards the door, her face grim.
"Alan, open the door! Let them in and talk!"
Alan unbolted the door and stepped aside.
Boom!
The door was kicked open roughly.
Two young men came in.
The blond young man in the lead was Lily's brother Leon.
A black-haired young man followed behind him, looking annoyed.
This person is the eldest son of the Wolf family, Lord Robert, the first heir to the Wilwolf family.
Long before Lily and Arthur got engaged, Robert was Lily's most ardent suitor.
Unfortunately, compared to the rude and domineering Robert, Lily prefers a gentle and handsome boy like Arthur.
Robert deeply resented Arthur for this.
Several times he tried to eliminate his love rival in the duel arena under the pretext of a martial arts competition.
Arthur saw that he had bad intentions, so he refused to participate in the competition and did not give him the opportunity to kill him.
Because of this, Robert mocked Arthur in public and behind his back for being a coward and saying he was unworthy of the earl's daughter.
"Leon, Robert, what do you want to do by breaking into my room?"
Kelly's face darkened and she acted like a baron.
“How dare you ask me this?” Leon’s eyes were blazing with anger. “What are you and my sister doing hiding in the house alone?!”
"Leon, are you blind?"
Kelly retorted coldly.
"Not to mention that Lily and I are already engaged, it's reasonable for us to date in private."
"Stepping back a step, can't you see that besides Lily and I, there is also my personal guard in the room?!"
Alan took a step forward at the right moment and bowed slightly.
"Meet the two lords!"
Only then did Leon notice that there was another big guy in the room.
Of course he knew that his sister was by no means an immoral woman.
It is absolutely impossible for her to have an affair with Arthur in front of outsiders, which is beyond the rules of etiquette.
In other words, I rushed here in a hurry to catch the adulterer...
Caught a lonely!
Instead, it makes a fool of itself and is embarrassing.
“Robert! What are you doing!” Leon was furious. “You haven’t even investigated the matter clearly yet, and you want me to accompany you to catch him… This is really inexplicable!”
The young master of the Lang family was also embarrassed.
Kelly sneered and took the Countess into her arms in front of him.
Such a blatant provocation made Robert so jealous that he went crazy!
"Little bastard! Let go of your dog paws! I won't allow you to desecrate Lily like this!!"
"Haha! Lily, is that someone you can call by her name?"
Kelly wrapped her right arm around the Countess's slender waist, and regardless of her shyness, she forced her into her arms, showing her dominance!
"I'm making out with my fiancée, what the hell is it to you?!"
"Lily and I are in love with each other. Who the hell do you think you are to give us orders?!"
Kelly smiled, but every word she said hurt Robert's nerves deeply.
"What, are you jealous?"
"What a shame. I was planning on inviting you to my wedding with Lily."
"Since you are so ignorant, forget it."
"On our wedding night, when we are enjoying the pleasure of love, I don't want to hear you crying outside the window and spoil the mood."
"Arthur! You beast! I'm going to kill you!!"
Robert could no longer bear it and drew his sword in anger.
Alan's eyes flashed, and he took a step sideways, blocking his sister and the countess behind him.
Lily's face darkened as well, and she said loudly to her brother:
"Leon! This is the Earl's Palace!"
"Robert committed the crime right in front of you, attempting to murder your own sister, and you, as a brother, just watched?"
"Lily! I'm not! I don't mean to hurt you!" Robert explained quickly, "I want to kill Arthur——"
"Arthur is my fiancé! If he dies, I don't want to live either!" Lily demanded, "How is your attempt to murder Arthur any different from killing me?!"
Robert was struck by lightning and the blood instantly disappeared from his face.
Leon quickly snatched his sword and advised: "Forget it! It's just a misunderstanding, let's go!"
Robert was dragged out of the door by Leon, feeling unwilling.
He turned back suddenly, glared at Kelly, and gritted his teeth.
"Coward! You are only good at talking!"
"You can't escape this martial arts tournament!"
"Wash your neck and wait!"
"I swear in the name of the ancestors of the Wilwulf family—"
"I will definitely kill you with my own sword to avenge today's shame!!"
…
Watching Leon and Robert leave, Lily's eyes showed a little more worry.
"Arthur, I can't stay here for long. Before I leave, I have something important to tell you."
"First, you need to prepare a good mount for tomorrow's competition!"
"I have a horse--" Kelly was interrupted by Lily before she could finish her words.
“No matter how good the horse is, it’s useless!”
"Do you know what Leon and Robert ride?"
Lily asked and answered her own questions.
"My eldest brother's mount is a ferocious lion!"
"Robert's mount is a winter wolf !"
"You rode into battle on horseback, and you've already lost seven points before you even start fighting!"
Kelly was stunned: "Isn't it against the rules to compete while riding a monster?"
"This is a new rule introduced for this tournament. Participants can choose a mount of their choice, regardless of the horse."
Lily explained with a wry smile.
"As smart as you are, it's not hard for you to see that my father made this new rule. On the one hand, he wanted to help Leon and Robert advance, but on the other hand... he was also trying to make things difficult for you."
Allen's heart moved, and he stepped forward to ask Lily: "If that's the case, Lord Arthur can also choose a magical beast to serve as a mount?"
"Of course."
"Can I ride a griffin?"
"Uh... I'm afraid not."
Lily shook her head quickly.
"Only for land mounts!"
Alan was secretly disappointed.
He planned to help his sister tame a powerful magical beast and use it as a mount to make up for the difference in his own strength.
Unfortunately, the martial arts tournament will begin tomorrow, and it is too late to go hunting in the wild now.
Lily opened her storage bag and took out a scroll.
"Arthur, I have lions and tigers in my zoo."
"Take this 'Beast Becomes a Friend' scroll, enter the Rare Beast Garden in my name, and tame a beast as a mount."
"Although ordinary lions and tigers are not as good as fierce lions and winter wolves, they can still fight."
"Thank you, Lily, for thinking so carefully for me, but..."
Kelly groaned, looking odd.
"I prefer leopards to lions and tigers."
"leopard……?"
Lily was stunned for a moment and shook her head slightly.
"There are leopards in the rare animal park, but they are too thin and not suitable as mounts."
"An ordinary leopard won't do, but I happen to have a particularly strong leopard at home, which is stronger than lions and tigers. It is just right to be my mount!"
Kelly smiled confidently.
Seeing that her lover was so confident, Lily didn't try to persuade him any further, and she took out two bottles of magic potions from her treasure bag.
"If you encounter Robert in the arena, remember to take the potion in advance, and the same goes for your mount!" Lily reminded her lover, "After taking the potion, you can temporarily obtain the 'cold resistance barrier'."
Robert's mount, the winter wolf, has a bite that causes freezing damage and can also spit out extremely cold air!
Lily provided these two bottles of magic potions, obviously to fight against the winter wolves.
The "anti-cold barrier" obtained after taking the medicine can offset some of the cold damage.
Lily told her lover all the information she knew to help him prepare a response plan in advance.
Finally, she pressed a small bottle of perfume into Kelly's hand.
"This is a secret weapon to deal with my eldest brother, keep it!"
Kelly took it and sniffed it curiously.
The bottle has a light spicy scent that smells like wormwood.
Alan has much more knowledge about herbs than his sister.
I took the perfume bottle from her hand, examined it carefully, and understood what she meant.
This herb is not poisonous to humans.
In his previous life, Alan had eaten cold dishes made from this thing.
Even in this life, dads use it to brew beer, giving it a special flavor, the so-called "craft beer."
It's really weird that Leon is afraid of this thing...
Then I thought of Leon's beastly bloodline, which seemed to make sense.
Alan avoided Lily's sight and a bone spur popped out of his left palm.
Draw the liquid from the bottle and deposit it into the venom gland.
This allows the venom glands to synthesize on their own, making it easier to release in combat.
I have said everything that needs to be explained.
Lily hugged and kissed her lover goodbye and left quietly.
Kelly closed the door and turned to look at her brother with a smile.
"Alan! Turn into a blue leopard quickly, I want to ride you to the duel!"
"Sir, please respect yourself!" Alan said seriously.
Kelly was slightly startled, and immediately realized that there might be someone secretly watching her outside the window.
Putting away his smile, he said calmly: "Alan, prepare the horse! Accompany me to the suburbs to relax and do some training!"
Alan was speechless.
It seems that Kelly is determined to ride her brother into battle!