On the outskirts of Morningstar, at Rose Manor, there is a purpose-built field on the vast lawn that serves as a testing ground. It is surrounded by a fence wall, and even in the cold winter, it is covered with pink and white roses.

The floor is paved with a special foundation stone from the famous magic workshop Kane's Horn, which not only combines extreme hardness and toughness, but also absorbs the elements in the air and slowly recovers after being attacked and scratched. The price of this kind of magical stone brick soaked in potion and engraved with magic patterns underneath is really expensive, and a meter square can cost thousands of gold coins, and the proving ground of Rose Manor is about the size of six football fields, which shows the wealth of the Edwards family.

There were two figures galloping on the field.

Sulia was dressed in a white swordsman's suit, and her blonde hair, which was much longer than before, was tied in a ponytail and tied back at the back of her head - it was obvious that someone's bad taste had been recognized, or perhaps the beauty of a woman and her sensitivity had made her notice this - what long hair could cause trouble, it was all fake! It's a big deal!

The girl uncharacteristically held two light swords, whether it was swinging the sword to block or slashing neatly, it could be seen that she was used to such a fight.

And her opponent is none other than the black-clothed sword saint Crito, who claims to have left the morning star a day ago. He also held two swords, one black and one white, casually like walking in his own backyard, swinging one block at a time, relaxed and freehand.

Surya's attack was as fierce as the tide, but Crito remained as stubborn as a reef, motionless, sparks from the collision of his swords like waves crashing against the reef.

After a long attack, Surya was a little impatient, and the light expression on the other party's face did not change, which made her feel a huge sense of frustration.

"Bell"

Two more long-planned attacks were easily blocked, and Surya's body suddenly bloomed with brilliant purple light, and the long sword suddenly accelerated, pulling out a dazzling phantom, and the sword that suddenly stabbed out was like a bird flying by in the brilliant sunset, so fast that people thought it was dazzling.

Crito let out a soft sigh, and the long sword in his right hand suddenly accelerated, and a trace of bright white starlight escaped from the tip of the sword, drawing an arc with a trajectory in the air, and accurately slammed into the long sword stabbed by the opponent three times in a row, swinging three circles of overlapping halos.

Surya suddenly felt that the long sword was unstable, like a live fish that sneaked into the kitchen when he was a child, and even if it was placed on the board, it couldn't stop bouncing, slapping its tail vigorously. With a coquettish thud, she leaped high, her fully stretched body in the air twisted in an incredible arc, and the other sword slashed a curtain of lilac light and stabbed at the other party.

Seeing this, Crito did not dodge, the sword in his left hand slashed diagonally, and the white light that flew away like a meteor was as bright as day, and a sword broke the long sword stabbed by Surya in two.

"Clang", the unsteady courage long sword and another short sword fell to the ground together.

Surya stopped the attack, took a few steps back, and bowed slightly.

Crito pulled a sword flower, and struck the blade of the sword lightly in the chest.

"Taught."

"I should say this to you, Lord Crito. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule. ”

"Entrusted by men." Crito smiled. "Actually, you're already very good, I can't teach you much, and 'Star Slash' is not suitable for ladies, if Asuna is here, you can let her teach you 'Silver Moon Slash' and 'Star Dust'."

Asuna is Crito's half-elven lover and a realm swordsman, especially in the elven Silver Moon Slash and Star Dust, which she had heard her grandfather mention.

The two lived in the Gorard region south of the Morning Star, where there is a beautiful lake and forest, which was permanently assigned to the Black-clad Juggernaut by the then George the Great more than three hundred years ago as a thank you for his protection of the Morning Star for so many years. Since then, Crito has returned to Morningstar every dozen years, and the Duke of Rhine has been mentored by him since he was young.

Of course, compared to these, the love story between him and Miss Asuna is so beautiful that even the bard can't calm down and sing, which is the envy of countless people.

"Ah, beautiful Lady Asuna? I really want to see her in person. "Sullya has only seen this half-elf lady in the scroll." Speaking of which, shouldn't you leave Morning Star and go back to Gourard today? ”

Crito nodded, "That's right, but she suddenly received a summons from Silvermoon City to go back to the Quiet Forest, just borrowing the teleportation array of the Elemental Tower to go to the Kansa region together." ”

"Elemental Tower? Kansa area? Surya's heart sank.

As someone from the White Rock Mine, she knew exactly who was in the Kansa area.

It was Zayx, the hidden necromancer and traitor to the Elemental Tower, Damian Jones. And now the chief priest of the Elemental Temple in Morningstar City, Chris Coldwind was his teacher back then.

Although Mu Yan never took the initiative to explain what happened back then, and the pair of masters and apprentices always avoided her when they mentioned it, Sulia was not stupid, she understood that there was a story in it. As for now, the Elemental Tower had unknowingly set up a teleportation array between the two places, which couldn't help but make her a little worried.

"That's right, I heard that it was only during this time that they got through, and for this reason, they also used the power of Jialan." Crito explained, "Just in time for you to meet Asuna, she's going to like you." ”

Surya smiled and nodded, putting those concerns aside for the time being.

At this time, there was a sound of horses' hooves outside the trial ground, accompanied by the shouting of children.

"Sister Surya!"

Listening to the voice, she knew that it was Roy, and hurriedly greeted him.

I haven't seen him for four months, and the quirky little boy is now more and more white and cute. He wore a round leather helmet, a spotless white cotton shirt with a thick protective vest, a gentleman's hat logo of the famous old store Blan-Georginny printed on his chest, and a pair of polished snow-sleek riding boots.

The big white under his crotch is also full of energy, his body is more muscular than four months ago, and his hair is very soft.

Ivan, the former owner of the horse farm, led the horse for his son, and his eyes were full of love.

"This horse is good." Crito approving.

"Roy is not bad, he completed the junior course at the Knight Academy in four months, and he has a vacation two months early. It just so happened that Mr. Ivan was in charge of the Rose Manor, so I asked him to come here to train. Surya said: "The tacit understanding between him and Dabai, that is, the horse, is about to catch up with people." ”

While the two were talking, Ivan stopped with Dabai and helped his son turn over and dismount.

After landing on the ground, Roy was about to rush over, but he forcibly stopped his steps, took off his helmet, and saluted the two seriously.

"Good afternoon, sir. Good afternoon, Miss Soulia. ”

"Very well, Roy, I didn't forget to say hello to the guests first."

Surya stepped forward and leaned down to rub the little boy's flaxen hair, wiping away the sweat-soaked hair that had stuck to his forehead.

"Sister Surya, are you going to the competition?" Roy asked her.

These days, the news that Suria will directly participate in the finals as a seeded player has been in an uproar as soon as it was released, doubts and encouragement coexist, and Roy heard many people talking about it when he went to the street, and he almost quarreled with others for this.

"Well, in ten days, little Roy will come and cheer me on."

"Of course!" Roy waved his little fist. "They all said that Jialan's guy named Lina is very powerful, not only beautiful, but also powerful, but she must not be as powerful as the Surya Enchantment! Sister Surya is the best! Surely we can win the championship, right? Let's pull the hook! ”

Surya smiled and stretched out her hand, she remembered the helplessness on Mu Yan and Little York's faces when she was in Night Town.

……

In the Elemental Temple of Morningstar City, Grace paced back and forth aimlessly.

I don't know what kind of agreement Leorik made with the people of the Elemental Temple, but she can walk around here as she pleases.

Grace strolled to the library, and the books in front of her reminded her of Damien—as a mage, he had a study bigger than that.

"Lily, I'll go to bed after reading this!"

“…… The last one, really, you see, is 445 pages left. ”

"I was wrong, dear...... No, how can I be a purple-robed mage, don't twist my ears, hey-"

……

Grace shook her head, banishing the memories away.

The first thing she did when she returned to Lokan was to find Damian—Leoric had given her plenty of leniency in this matter, knowing that it was because of her resemblance to her great-great-great-grandmother, Lady Venia—that the legendary Queen Leorik was in love with him was true.

But the result is sad, as the bard tells the story of Damian's heartbroken death and her death, more than twenty years later. The story even reached the ears of the elves, and the long-lived pointed ears were also touched by the love story between the two.

Thinking of this, Grace, who is optimistic by nature, also felt that Leorick was right, the dead should not be remembered, or even returned here, they were destined to be forgotten.

Feeling the bad emotions creeping in, Grace took a deep breath and tried to make herself happy. Even as a deceased, she didn't want to be like Leorik.

Flipping through a book full of Kragon, the girl read it for a while.

"Great-great-great-great-grandmother, why didn't you pass on your language talent to me?" She pouted and muttered, flipped through the book quickly, and found that the signature on the title page was the one she recognized best.

Leslyn Mars, Lord of the Tower of Time.

"Seems to be a mage with a lot of background, Dani mentioned." She closed the book and opened another one.

This one is no exception, and only the title page reads "Glazer Raymond, Lord of the Ember Tower".

Flipping through other books, in addition to these two people, there are also signatures such as "Alpha Mason Young, Lord of the Rainbow Tower", "Mazis, Lord of the Ash", etc.

Given by Damian, she had heard of these names slightly.

“…… The statues of these old things stand in the Square of Truth in Fa Lan City, and one day I will be one of them! Then he pointed to the guys with eyes on the top of their heads, and shouted, 'You lost your eyes!' Let go of a genius'! ”

Damian always mentions these names with the following phrase.

"Jialan and the Elemental Tower? Aren't the two antagonistic to Kane's Horn like the gold-encrusted rose? Forget it, the world of these mages is too complicated. ”

Shaking her head and putting down the book, Grace was just about to leave the study when she heard a sound of footsteps in her ears.

It sounded like there were quite a few people, and the guard's respectful voice.

"Three, the Lord Priest has not returned yet, please take a rest in the study first."

"Thank you."

Grace poked her head out curiously to see a man and two women walking towards her with the guards.

Two women were arm-in-arm, one with long chestnut hair draped straight over her shoulders, her body hidden under a crimson cloak, but a silver rapier dangled from a light brown leather quiver around her waist. The sharp-eyed Grace recognized the leather from the Dreamland Wildebeest of natural age, and as the eldest lady of the Jones Chamber of Commerce, she was all too familiar with this top-notch enchanted material. The other party's sword belt was obviously only simply tanned, and there were no magic patterns or notches on it, so rough use was either a rich turtle in the countryside or a person of noble status, and it was obvious that this woman was the latter.

As for the other person who was holding hands with her......

Grace felt that the other party was a little familiar in a trance, with blonde hair and purple eyes, and a small and straight nose bridge...... Rhine?

She remembered that the funny man who claimed to be the First Swordsman of the Plains of the Horses was a shameless man of the Empire, from the House of Edwards, when the Plains was still ruled by the Morning Star, the ancestors of Onero Jones and Miss Arthur of the House of Edwards were both pioneers of the Empire, and fought together by Lancelot's side and formed a deep friendship.

She and the other party met at the Turing royal dinner, at first the man did not know where he came from, and he came up to talk to him through wine, for which Dani also had a conflict with him - what happens when a purple-robed mage (40+) meets a domain swordsman (70)? So when he mentioned him later, he was indignant, which is really a child's temperament.

Maybe the little girl in front of her has something to do with Rhine?

In deep thought, the black-haired man standing next to the two suddenly looked up, his starry eyes swept over Grace and looked behind her.

Behind?

Grace jerked her head and nearly hit Leorik in the chest.

"When did you come?" The girl exclaimed, but the other party ignored him, and the eyes under the copper mask were fixed on the black-clothed swordsman in front of her.

The atmosphere was a little solemn, and the three women all noticed something unusual.

More nervous than them were the waiters, there were distinguished guests on the left and right, the two men didn't know why they suddenly became tense, and there seemed to be an invisible sound of soldiers colliding in the air, and he could hear the sound of "bang" in his ears when he closed his eyes.

"Your Excellency?"

"Leo."

The two of them asked and answered, and spoke almost at the same time.

The waiter felt the pressure drop sharply and hurried to the middle to introduce the two sides.

"Mr. Crito and Miss Asuna?" Grace's eyes lit up, she had heard the story of this couple many times, but she didn't have the opportunity to meet the real person in Turing, and now she was excited.

The two of them had long been accustomed to such surprises, bowed slightly, didn't say much, and then walked into the study with Surya.

As she passed by, Asuna glanced at Grace nonchalantly, and was keenly aware of the latter's heart.

She saw the pointy ears under the other's long maroon hair.

It is said that elves are naturally sensitive to the elements, especially the wood element, which contains life. She began to worry if the other party had discovered her identity.

Sullia's mind was full of question marks, and she always felt that she had seen this Miss Lilith somewhere. (Author's note: A portrait hangs in Zaix's study)

Seeing that the five people were scattered on both sides of the huge study, the waiter did not dare to leave, so he had to stand quietly at the door.

"That man is strong, not under me." Crito touched Asuna's shoulder and said, "You seem to have discovered something?" ”

Asuna frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook her head slightly.

"Not sure, maybe something was wrong."

On the other side, although he couldn't see Leorick's expression, he also had a trace of doubt.

"Is the one named Surya a descendant of Arthur?" He asked.

"Arthur?"

"Arthur Edwards."

"Oooh...... You say that the great-great-great-great-grandmother's brother, His Excellency Yunero, chased the Duke of Rose, who he never caught up with in his life? It should be. After Grace finished speaking, it seemed that something suddenly remembered. Wait, the little girl you're looking for, could it be ......"

Leorik didn't speak, glanced at Surya, and left.

"Hey, you can't do anything to her-"

"The wind is over."

His voice came from behind him, and the invisible chains reappeared, and Grace had to stagger to follow.

A hint of corruption swept away, and Asuna Joan shrugged slightly, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

……

Under the Elemental Temple, the teleportation array leading to the Kansa region was carved on the evenly cut obsidian, and the mysterious words were suspended on the bright white ** lines, emitting bursts of fluctuations, and the air was distorted.

Chris Coldwind stood respectfully by the wall, and a curtain of light opened in front of him, and inside was a majestic elven face, with a crown carved from a blue sapphire diamond on his head, and the top inlaid gem shone brightly.

"What's the matter?"

Chris bowed down and replied, "Your Excellency Asuna did come to the Elemental Temple, but she is still with Crito, has her plan changed?" ”

"Whoever that is, mortal names don't mean anything to me."

"The humans who took Miss Asuna from the Silent Forest four hundred years ago. He seems to have taken half of Asuna's bloodline, and now both of them are half-elves. ”

"That daring brunette man!?" Sengil said angrily, "The sinner that Eliel is shielding?? ”

Through the light curtain, Chris could feel an invisible pressure, and his body lowered a little.

For a long time, the Night Whisper Patriarch seemed to calm down.

"Tell her that she is no longer an elf from now on, and that she is not welcome in Silvermoon City."

"That'...... For what reason? ”

"Mixed bloodlines will defile the sacred elven soil."

"Yes."

It wasn't until the light curtain dissipated that Chris straightened up.

Five minutes later, the elven ambassador stationed at Morningstar went to the study and arrogantly informed the two of them of the news.

1. Eliel first appears in Book II, Chapter 17, when Olaser is introduced. 2. Chris Chillwind appears in Book 1, chapters 27, 35, and 'Ebony Cold' is his weapon. 3. Crito and Asuna are taken from the transliteration of the male and female protagonists Kirito and Asuna in the Japanese light SAO.