It's just bullshit to say that you have to defeat him to achieve true freedom. Even if Green may not be a match for Caesar, he is still the emperor of the strongest empire on this continent.

Their strength won't be lacking anyway.

In fact, if it weren't for Green, Caesar would still be one of the top few people on the continent until now.

Facing such a powerful existence, Tia didn't believe for a moment that she had any chance of winning.

Even after accepting Green's guidance, there is still a considerable gap in their strength, not to mention that although Green is a powerful warrior, he is just an ordinary teacher. The most fatal aspect is that their power systems are completely different, and the principles of some techniques are different, so it is naturally more difficult to teach advanced things.

Thoughts like these gradually filled Tia's heart, causing her to become withdrawn.

At the fastest speed, Tia and the group finally returned to the Caesar Empire close to dawn. Although they encountered some dangers, such as monsters, along the way, it wasn't a big problem.

It's not so easy to encounter mutated monsters like before, and normal monsters are quite weak.

After returning to the city, Tia was immediately brought before Caesar.

Facing her father, who she had always feared, Tia felt a sensation she had never experienced before. She felt her heart trembling, as if facing a dangerous beast.

Tia had never felt this way before, but after defying Caesar's will a few times, this feeling appeared in her mind.

"Father, I..."

"No need to say anymore. The defeat of the Sinful Mage has already ended. I received this news long ago. It's so hard for you to play outside for so long, it should be enough, right? Don't forget, you are the princess of this empire."

Caesar flipped through some documents and books, not even lifting his head as he spoke.

This appearance really didn't make people feel relaxed, so Tia remained nervous the whole time, afraid of being reproached by her father for any mistakes.

She had been severely reprimanded when she secretly escaped from the city before, which had already left a shadow on Tia.

"I will arrange for you to meet your prospective fiancés later. They are all elites in society, although they may not match up to the King of Green's kingdom, they are already quite good in the Caesar Empire."

"But...I...I don't want to meet them..."

Caesar put down the book and finally looked at Tia.

"Why?"

"Because...I don't want to get married now..."

"..."

Tia casually came up with a reason without even thinking, but she was also aware that this reason was very weak. The main reason was that she wasn't strong enough, not as powerful as Green who could ignore everything.

Tia truly envied Green's fearlessness and the power to do anything.

In her mind, Green was really powerful.

And Caesar's reaction didn't surprise her.

"According to the laws of our country, eighteen is already the legal age for marriage. As a princess, your conditions naturally cannot be compared to those of ordinary single individuals. Why do you have such thoughts?"

"I just don't want to, there's no reason..."

"Do you think this reason can convince me?"

Caesar stopped what he was doing, stood up, and walked past Tia.

"Come with me."

After hesitating for a moment while looking at Caesar's back, Tia's eyes flickered a few times before she finally followed him at a slow pace.

In just a short period of less than a month, Tia felt that her relationship with her father had undergone a huge change. Her father, who used to be strict but also doting, now only remained strict.

Tia followed Caesar to the soldiers' training ground.

The facilities here may not be as good as those in Farcist, but they still had their own unique training methods. After all, Caesar was once the strongest nation on the continent, although there are faint signs of being replaced by Farcist now.

Compared to other countries, the training facilities in the Caesar Empire are definitely the most abundant.

Whenever there are conflicts between ordinary people, they are often resolved through duels, so there are relatively large arenas built in various sections of the city.And within the palace, the soldiers never lacked duels and sparring sessions.

Caesar had always insisted on one belief, which was that practical combat was the fastest way for people to improve, not only for his soldiers but also for his daughter.

The two of them arrived at an empty arena.

There was no one else here, only Caesar and Tia.

Seeing the arena, Tia had a faint guess at what might happen next, and her guess was not wrong. Caesar indeed did as she had expected.

"Come on, show me how much progress you've made these days. Don't think your old man is a fool. I'm sure you've had plenty of contact with the King of the Green Kingdom while you were in Farcist, right?"

With Caesar's position, it was natural for him to know that Green resided in Farcist.

Furthermore, Tia had spent several days there.

"Same rules as before, attack freely until you run out of energy or... wound me."

"..."

Facing Caesar in his golden armor, Tia no longer had the relaxed attitude she used to have. Instead, she was extremely serious. The pounding in her heart made it impossible for her to calm down.

But she gritted her teeth, and her hands waved in the air, quickly forming the necessary magic array.

This move made Caesar experience something new because he noticed that Tia's control over magic had greatly improved compared to before, especially her control over magical power. It was fascinating.

This was all thanks to Green's teaching. Under Green's guidance, Tia's control over magical power far surpassed what it used to be.

Better control over magic meant being able to use stronger magic with less magical power. Even the casting time would be greatly reduced, thus reducing the caster's stamina consumption.

Improving one's control over magical power was beneficial in any kind of battle.

"With the power of endless destruction, thunder, and the power of endless burning, flames, obey my call and burn away all obstacles in front of me!"

After shouting a spell that would make Green find it overly dramatic, the blue and red magic arrays overlapped and surged out a large amount of power from thunder and flames.

Fire and thunder were the most destructive elements among all the elements, making them perfect for attacking.

The two elements intertwined with the elemental molecules of the natural world, forming a rotating beam of blue and red light that charged towards Caesar like a fierce beast in the deep mountains.

This momentum surprised Caesar slightly, and a trace of appreciation flashed in his eyes.

But as Caesar took action, a heavy rock wall suddenly appeared in front of him without any warning. The flames and thunder collided on top and eventually lost all their momentum, turning into dots of light and dissipating.

From Caesar's side, it could be seen that Tia's attack had pierced through this earthen wall but had exhausted all its impact.

"You've improved a lot more than I expected, but... it's still not enough!"

Caesar shouted, and the rocks instantly shattered and reformed into a huge boulder that descended towards Tia.

However, just as the boulder was about to hit Tia, a sharp ice shard suddenly shot out, splitting the boulder in half with its sharp edge and successfully breaking through the frontal attack of the boulder.

The unexpected attack caught Tia off guard, and she was about to say something when Caesar spoke first.

"In the past, you attacked and I defended, but now it's different. That was the requirement I had for you before, but now I not only require you to attack me with all your strength but also be prepared for my counterattacks."

"Why...?"

Tia couldn't understand why her father treated her this way. The pressure she had experienced since childhood was already great enough, and now it was even greater than before.

In the face of the current situation, Tia gave up on attacking because she knew that continuing to attack would be pointless. Breaking through Caesar's defenses alone was already extremely difficult, let alone when he would also counterattack.

Sometimes, Tia wished that Caesar would let go and praise her, or even elevate her to the heavens.

But Caesar rarely spoke words of praise. He could only silently work hard all this time.However, when Tia felt the increasing pressure, she couldn't bear it anymore.

Seeing Tia give up the attack, a hint of helplessness flashed in Caesar's eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by other emotions.

"Nevermind, it seems that I have set my expectations too high for you. This is the highest level you can reach, unable to continue moving forward. It is meaningless to continue pushing you. But, do you know why I have been so demanding of you?"

Caesar walked down the stage slowly, took off his battle armor, and continued speaking:

"It is not only because you are a princess, but more importantly, it is for the future of the Caesar Empire."

"..."

"For the Caesar Empire, maintaining its current position is not enough with just me as the emperor. The next generation must also be outstanding. Otherwise, once I abdicate, the fate waiting for the Caesar Empire will be nothing but decline, ultimately becoming a small country oppressed by other nations."

Tia didn't refute or agree. She didn't know what to say, so she just listened quietly to Caesar's words.

"You don't know much about this aspect, but the strength of the Caesar Empire has only become the strongest nation on the continent in recent times. Becoming the strongest empire naturally came with a certain price, which is the accumulation of grudges with other countries. Once these grudges erupt, if the emperor himself is not strong enough, it is easy to fall into a passive situation."

Caesar took off all his armor, walked slowly in front of Tia, and said with a serious tone:

"I want you to become outstanding because I hope you can find a better partner. Only in this way can I confidently entrust this country to him. But if you are unwilling to marry the elite people within the country no matter what, then go find someone you consider more outstanding and come back. As long as you can do it."

"Are you suggesting...?"

"Yes, since you don't like the people I have chosen for you, then pursue the person you truly like. I guess you have someone you love, right?"

Caesar chuckled twice, and his face instantly seemed much older.

As he was about to leave the arena, Caesar added another sentence.

"But, I will only give you one year, and the person must be outstanding. Let me think... hmm, let's make it until your next birthday. I hope you can find a son-in-law that satisfies me."