“Yeah… Huh?! Yukari, how did you get up here?”

At some point, Yukari, Grandma, and Chiyori had all come up to the attic. But Dad had clearly said that no one was allowed up here. And yet, now they were all here…

“Well, Dad’s probably dead somewhere by now. We haven’t heard a thing from him or Mom all these years. Maybe we’ll find some clues if we take a look!”

“Sigh… But… clues?”

I’d been thinking Yukari was a nuisance, but then I suddenly realized something. The book did mention that the incident in Harilan was connected to Grandfather’s background. Could Dad and the others have chosen to leave only after reading this book?

With a head full of questions, I turned to the next page and continued reading…

Yuanhui was in a terrible mood that night, because Juxi had no idea what had happened in Harilan.

The Tiandao Academy was taking Harilan extremely seriously at the moment. If he went behind the academy’s back and did something like this, the elders of the Tiandao Academy probably wouldn’t let him off. No matter how powerful they were, they couldn’t possibly stand against the entire academy. In fact, even a single branch could beat the two of them senseless. And with Baiyan’s name involved, the entire Tiandao Academy would come after him.

For that reason alone, Harilan absolutely couldn’t let Juxi go!!!

“That’s how things stand, Juxi. We’ve known each other for over ten years. Especially with all the trouble we’ve been dealing with lately, there’s no point in fighting over something this minor. It’s not as if we’re doing this for the chance to marry a princess or get our hands on some gold.”

On the other hand, once people started talking about the marriage bounty and looking at the princess’s portrait sent by the girl, it seemed that the things he’d once thrown into the outhouse as worthless were suddenly worth something after all. Even so, plenty of people were still willing to give it a try.

Every so often, someone would return empty-handed. In the end, they could only send people out again to search for new adventurers.

The reward—thirty thousand gold coins—attracted a few reckless brutes and knights from neighboring countries. Even some bodyguards, and a famous scientific madman from Xiyi, went. May his soul rest in peace.

Those monsters were savage by nature. Even those who went there and managed to escape came back far from unscathed. It was hardly unusual for a few people to die now and then.

Still, there was one benefit to having people challenge them. Once all those monsters were drawn outside the main city, they wouldn’t run off to the royal palace for no reason.

They said Harilan had a beautiful palace, and that the last residents of Harilan lived there.

It was like some things: once you started doing them, there was no turning back.

“Three years…” Juxi said as he sharpened his iron sword. “In three years, no one’s managed to settle this?”

“No.” Yuanhui, who was preparing silver powder nearby, fixed a sharp gaze on Juxi. “Some things can’t be settled. We can only accept that fact! Especially that bunch of bastards from the Tiandao Academy. Our mercy will only make them more brazen. A few days ago, they even put up those notices at the Capital’s gates. But fewer and fewer bodyguards are willing to take the job… Oh, right. One did show up recently, but he demanded payment up front before he’d do anything. Hahaha! I’ve never heard such an impudent request, so they simply stuffed the idiot into a sack and threw him into Central Lake.”

“Yeah. There’ll never be a shortage of scammers. I guess that’s what you call thieves robbing thieves.”

Juxi showed a slight interest in the joke Yuanhui had told. It was just that, in the past two days, this was the first time he and Yuanhui had managed to find a topic they both cared about.

“There won’t.” Yuanhui nodded in agreement, his eyes fixed on the iron sword he had just obtained from the Qing soldiers.

If fists were a man’s romance, then a sword was his lover.

Those hothouse flowers would never understand that the only flowers that could truly bloom were the blood-red blossoms trembling in the storm.

“So, if you’re going to Harilan, I can go with you.”

“No. I’m enough on my own…”

Juxi rejected Yuanhui’s goodwill and resolutely decided to go alone. This was his business, and no one else had any right to interfere. After all, not a single person who had gone to Harilan had ever returned!

“Heh. It’s your business, but remember my advice. As for the second part of the reward—the part people have only recently started talking about—I already told you: marry the princess and make her your wife. I don’t know who came up with that idea, but if the girl really is as beautiful as they say, beautiful enough to rival a goddess, then I’ll truly feel this trip was worth it!”

“Is that so?” Juxi said with a bitter smile. “Then shut your filthy mouth. Whether we’ll even get the gold is still unknown, and you’re already dreaming of marrying into royalty!”

Juxi thought it was a truly dark joke, but there was never any shortage of idiots.

As soon as word got out that Juxi might join their country’s royal family, someone immediately ran to the court to snitch.

I’m talking about two blacksmith’s apprentices. Why are blacksmiths always so stubborn, Juxi?

“I don’t know. What about you, City Lord? Has anyone tried?”