He is not a man who likes to bury his head in government affairs, and his interest is not in power. With the status of a noble duke, even if he doesn't do anything, he will have no worries about food and clothing in this life, and all he has to do is his share of responsibility...... This has nothing to do with hobbies, and it has nothing to do with ideals.

Summer in Foxborough is beautiful, especially walking on this stone-paved road that leads to the chapel.

The flowers on the roadside are spewing into the air, the towering trees on both sides are lush, the road is a little misty, and the summer morning sun shines through the dense foliage and casts a little color on the blue stone slabs.

The Duke of Hepburn liked to walk this way, preferring to let those finger-sized spots of light rest on his black gown, preferring the feeling of the cool morning dew wetting the instep of his feet. However, he himself did not feel that his slightly emaciated back was so lonely as he walked among these golden pillars of oblique light......

Standing on the steps at the end of the path, Duke Hepburn could clearly hear his mother's pious prayer.

"The merciful, great Dark Lord, who guides and dominates us. Duke Hepburn walked lightly, walked to his mother's side and knelt down slowly, and joined in the prayer: "Our zeal, our honor, and our faith are all for you only, and this qiē was originally your ......."

"Pray with gratitude. His mother lowered her eyebrows and whispered to him, "Don't bring those worldly distractions into the chapel. ”

"The Dark Lord will forgive me, for I am his most sincere people. Duke Hepburn smiled and helped his mother up: "These worldly distractions are closely related to more people. ”

"I hope so, I thought you were still thinking about what happened in the Great War. The noble prince and lady straightened her skirt, took her son's hand and walked out: "It's about to start traveling." What's on schedule these days?"

"Ah, at least there are a few friends in Foxborough who need to visit. Otherwise, it would be rude. The Duke of Hepburn thought for a moment: "Then go to Sunset Plains to visit the Viscount Gironde." He came with several invitations. ”

"Other mothers must be looking forward to their sons of this age going to visit the ladies of the family, but when can I look forward to it? When will you be able to choose one of these ladies and surpass the relationship of friends?"

"Let it be! In fact, we get along very well. Duke Hepburn blushed slightly: "I prefer to treat them as sisters." ”

"Haven't I been able to convince you? The marriage of the nobility is part of the contribution to the family, and it is up to you to make your own choice. ”

"Mother, I have been traveling for two years, and I think I will have the opportunity to meet more young ladies, and there may be suitable people among them, and I promise I will keep an eye out for them. Duke Hepburn replied very seriously: "But at present, there is no suitable candidate in the family of Foxburgh, and I know these wayward little sisters too well." ”

"Oh, how are they?"

"In a nutshell. They spend more time paying attention to a luxurious dress than their husbands, and spend more time grooming themselves than caring about their families. And at the ladies' parties, the topic that often circulates is how to pretend to have a headache after marriage to refuse the husband's request for pleasure......"

"Oh my God, please give me mercy and forgive these sinful people. The prince and his wife stopped and patted her chest: "What kind of girls are they, do you also participate in this kind of discussion?"

"I don't participate, in fact, I prefer to solve some technical problems for them, such as migraines are not worse than chest tightness, and rolling around with your head is likely to be sent to the demon temple by your husband for healing......"

"I remembered when you said that, at the last court ball. One of your many friends rode naked through the garden...... "The Prince's wife turned to look at her son: "Did you know about this beforehand?"

"I know, it was a bet she made with a sister. The Duke of Hepburn replied honestly: "I fear that she will be stabbed by a filthy eye." So I helped her choose a unique saddle and covered the important parts of her body with her long hanging hair...... I heard that His Majesty the Emperor smiled happily when he found out!"

"Besides laughing, what else can the emperor say? Can you still catch this wild girl and cut off her head?" The prince sighed and finally relented: "Okay! I also think it was right for you not to choose a wife in Foxburg. ”

"I'm glad you understood that, and now I'm much more relaxed. After the goal was achieved, the Duke of Hepburn was in a good mood: "Send you to the carriage? I still have some things to deal with." ”

"Okay. The prince and his wife asked, "But I wonder why you don't try to associate with the nobles?

"It's already depressing to have official dealings with them, and you think there's not one of them who is not so much wrong? ”

"If you have more contact, you can always find people with merits, right?" In order for her only son to have a normal social circle, the prince and lady are still trying to persuade him: "Everyone is guilty, everyone is making mistakes that are not the same as each other, but the great dark lord will redeem us, and you must also learn to forgive." ”

Of course, I know that people grow in sin, and I know the value of forgiveness. But oil and water don't fuse, even if you just drop oil into the water, they won't fuse. ”

"You stubborn child......"

After finally putting his mother in the carriage, Duke Hepburn let out a long breath. Although his mother's nagging did not make him annoying, it could still add a certain amount of pressure to his heart.

Getting into his carriage, Duke Hepburn looked all the way through his itinerary for the next two years, and the predetermined location was densely written on several pages. He took out his pen and cut down the stops to his liking.

Duke Hepburn's carriage had turned a few corners, and was about to drive out into the street, when it suddenly shook with a loud noise, one wheel fell, and the carriage leaned against the corner of the wall, and there was a strange noise against the wall.

As a major general, Duke Hepburn's first reaction was - this was not an accident, this was an assassin attack!

Sure enough. A rain of crossbow arrows rained down. Some of the arrows actually pierced through the walls of the carriages inlaid with iron plates. The guards outside roared, and the sound of swords clashing sounded.

A hand was banging on the window, and the bloodied guard shouted, "Lord Duke—run away!"

Duke Hepburn shook his head, carefully folded the things in his hand and put them away, and then picked up the matching sword that was set aside.

For Svey Hepburn, who was accustomed to being assassinated, such a situation did not make him confused, and he opened the small door on the roof of the car without hurrying and stood up. In Hepburn's impression. His bodyguards were all experienced samurai, and the average Cheng Dù assassin didn't want to get close at all.

But the situation was not too good, as his guards were struggling to fend off the Assassins near the carriage, and many of them had already fallen, apparently struggling. Duke Hepburn was a little surprised, and quickly looked out, and was relieved to see that his mother's carriage was not nearby.

A vague curtain of light near his head caught his eye, a magical barrier that cut out the transmission of sound, not very advanced magic, but capable of making colors almost transparent. This magician's attainments are unusually high.

Duke Hepburn slammed a crossbow bolt into the air with his scabbard, and the sword he drew sank into the chest of an Assassin.

As far as martial arts are concerned. The Assassins were good, and they were large enough to assassinate a duke, but they miscalculated two points.

First, although Sveys Hepburn is a peerless aristocratic and beautiful man, he is not a soft-footed shrimp, and he is very good at martial arts and magic.

Second, this small chapel was inconspicuous, but it was the place where the Duke's mother would come every morning, and the Duke had secretly placed a large number of guards here - any one of these mistakes would have been fatal if he dared to assassinate the royal family's territory.

Not long after, the guards who arrived to hear the news joined the fight, and all the Assassins fell in a pool of blood, and none of the fifteen escaped. In the end, the Assassin magician was captured alive, and in order to prevent him from committing suicide, the guards first paralyzed him with magic, then knocked out all his teeth, cut off all his fingernails, stripped him naked, and dragged him before the duke.

"Can you tell me who asked you to come?" Sveys Hepburn wiped the blood on his sword with a silk handkerchief, and asked slowly, "Let yourself be an honest man!"

"Huh...... It's so pretty......" The toothless magician laughed, his face covered in blood that disgusted Duke Hepburn.

"In the name of the Dark Lord, I condemn you to guilt. Disillusioned by the Assassin's confession, he motioned to the guards: "Go ahead and carry it out." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency!" the guards dragged the Assassin away.

Looking at the messy scene around him, the Duke couldn't help frowning and fell into deep thought.

After beating his father to protect the emperor, many people in the empire made up their minds about Hepburn's mother and son. Even if you are a royal prince, because of your mother's appearance, the ill-intentioned proposers still broke through the door, and it was useless to even hide in the countryside. Before the age of fourteen, Sveys Hepburn was accustomed to having a dagger hidden in his body, standing behind his mother when she was visiting a guest, and his mother also had a dagger hidden on her body......

Since inheriting the title, he has encountered countless assassinations against him, as if he has become an enemy of some people since the moment he was born...... But, the more afraid of trouble, the more he doesn't want to be the focus, the more the reality is not what he wants, and what is more headache than assassination is that he is a man, and he actually looks more beautiful than all the princesses of the demon country!

Was this a trick of fate? Sveys Hepburn didn't know, he was only in his early twenties, he was already tired of his life, and if it weren't for the instructions of his mother, the emperor, and the marshal of the coalition forces, he would have even wanted to give the assassin a chance just now.

"Your Excellency, Duke. The leader of the guard trotted over and stood five paces away: "We have taken care of it, the carriage will come soon, where are you going to go first?"

"In your opinion, who sent these people?" asked Duke Hepburn with his hands behind his back.

"They don't have anything on them that can provide clues, clothes, weapons, etc., are all made in the country. The thin head of the guard bowed his head slightly and replied, "However, our magician said that the magic used by the other party is strange......"

Sveys Hepburn raised his head slightly: "Weird?"

"Yes, it's not like our magic genera. The leader of the guards nodded: "Everyone used ordinary means to defend at first, but as a result, many people were injured. ”

"How much did you hurt?"

"Nineteen dead, twenty-seven wounded. ”

"Rare casualties. Hepburn sighed: "In your opinion, what level of combat power does the opponent reach?"

"It's probably Cheng Dù of the mid-level poisonous scorpion warrior. Of course. To put it another way. It's a low-level Knight of Light......"

A new carriage leaned against the side of the street, almost identical to the previous one.

"Got it, forget about it!" Svey Hepburn walked down the street: "Comfort the families of the dead and wounded, and don't tell my mother about today." ”

"Yes. ”

High in the air, the white shadow of the original face was a little excited, flying fast and steady. But after all, White Shadow has been with Cohen for so long, and she is somewhat tainted with some bad habits that only humans have, so she doesn't mind having a thrilling fancy show once in a while. Throwing Cohen off his back or something, especially when he's asleep – who else but Cohen can sleep at this height?

But no matter how thrilling the situation was, Cohen looked lazy, and he didn't even scream, because he didn't have the expected violent reaction, so after losing it a few times, the white shadow was annoyed.

Under Cohen's teasing, the White Shadow will stop and debate with him, one person and one dragon flying and stopping, stopping and flying. It took a few days to reach the dividing line between gods and demons.

The final debate ended with the White Shadow's surrender, and the White Shadow was forced to become a bird. Condescendingly, he stopped on Cohen's shoulder.

"Demon Alliance, young master, I'm here—hahaha!" Cohen laughed wildly as he stood on a small hill.

He was dressed in a black robe, holding a rattan magic wand, and carrying a long wooden box containing a black iron mountain sword...... A man who runs the rivers and lakes and steals petty food.

"Can you be a little quieter? White Shadow was very dissatisfied with Cohen's behavior: "We're already dressed strangely. ”

"Is this weird?" Cohen finished his shout and began to walk forward, "I tell you, there are many weirdos in the Demon Alliance, and you will see you in a few days." ”

"I've been to the Demon Alliance, and I know what's going on there. White Shadow was not deceived by Cohen: "Their dress is nothing compared to yours—what are you bringing me out for?"

"Don't gamble and lose! Don't talk nonsense about your mother-in-law. Cohen snorted, "I'm your master." ”

"It is temporary, and I am commanded to protect you, and you must explain to me the purpose of this trip, or I will ask you for wages. ”

"Okay, okay, I'm scared of you. Cohen waved his hand: "I'll pick up a little girl I don't know, and by the way, check the situation here." ”

"Little girl?" Bai Ying took a long time to make sure that he had heard correctly: "For a little girl you don't know, you ran to the Demon Alliance?"

"Do you think it's weird?" Cohen paused, "It's my vow, I have to fulfill it, and if I don't pick her up before the fall, she'll be in trouble." ”

"I'm really convinced. ”

"Actually, it's more than that. Cohen smiled and said, "Recently, the intelligence has shown that there are some strange things on the side of the Demon Alliance. ”

"What's weird?"

"In the aftermath of the Great War, there were frequent assassinations, almost massacres for the nobility. Cohen scratched his head: "There are all countries, and they are done at the same time, and my intelligence officers will not bring false news to me, so it is necessary to figure out that I am in the Demon Alliance, this is the best spy." ”

"If there is such a mess in the Demon Alliance, why do you think that the same thing will not happen in the Demon Alliance? What about your officials? What about their safety?"

"Don't worry, I've arranged all the qiē, and they'll be absolutely fine. Cohen patted his chest and said, "The net has been opened, as long as an assassin shows his head, he will definitely not be able to escape." We can also continue to pick people up, anyway, there is plenty of time. ”

"I really can't help you, so how are you going to explain it to everyone after that?"

"I'm the emperor, and I'm going to crown this little girl as a princess!" Cohen snorted coldly: "I don't have to explain to anyone at all." ”

"I mean, isn't there a better way for you to slip away halfway?" White Shadow balanced on Cohen's shoulder, "Those words you said at the memorial ceremony were very casual, and this is not the practice of a good emperor. ”

Cohen chuckled.

"There are a few things I have to tell my father, but it's too late. What's wrong with being casual? I'm talking about what I really feel in my heart, do you think I'm going to go up and talk at length and I'll get some good results? It's useless...... The officials are ready to enjoy a qiē, and I might as well remind them. ”

"It's a nuisance. Bai Ying replied coldly, "They don't know that you are going to be a madman." ”

"Yes, from their point of view, the greatest crisis has passed, and the habits accumulated over the years have led them to think that there will be war in twenty years. Cohen plucked a wild fruit, rubbed it on his clothes, and chewed it in his mouth: "The biggest problem is to get them to correct this no......

"Seriously, I don't have hope for most of the officials under you, because your real opponents are strong, and while you are not afraid, your officials will be afraid. ”

"I'm going to improve this gradually, of course, the quickest and easiest way is to find something to replace ......" Cohen shook his head, "It's a pity that guy isn't with me, otherwise he should have a way." ”

"I kind of don't get it. The white shadow shook its wings and hovered over Cohen's head: "You have a ......strange relationship with Fichette?

"Hey, you!" Cohen had an angry and funny expression: "Don't talk nonsense if you don't understand, okay? Do you really know what love, friendship, and family are?"

"I'm studying, please advise. ”

"I was really defeated by you. Cohen paused: "Where are you studying now?"

"Well, dragons are born to feel affection, and I can understand love. The white shadow flew up to Cohen: "Please explain the friendship for me." ”

"Since you know love, friendship is easy to explain. Cohen nodded: "To put it bluntly, the most primitive starting point of love is desire, it is the instinct of the body, do you agree?"

"Agreed. ”

"Love is exclusive, contentious, and unequal, one party is attracted and needs to rack their brains to defeat other opponents to get the other, this is a competitive process, and it is also a very selfish behavior, accompanied by conspiracy and utilitarianism, the whole process is very tense, right?"

"There are such cases, but not exactly. ”

"There are very few cases of mutual love from the moment we meet, most of them are still what I said, love becomes dull after a long time, and friendship is the opposite. Cohen laughed: "Love makes people nervous, it makes people tired, and their relationships often waver...... Think of my four ladies, how nervous I was when they asked me to be courteous at the same time. ”

"And what about friendship?"

"Friendship, friends, brothers, these words sound relaxing. Cohen clasped his hands and thought, "Let's put it this way! We often hide a lot of things from our lovers, but we don't hide them from our friends." I can share some thoughts with my friends, but I can't tell my lover. We can have many friends at the same time, but we can't have so many lovers – no matter how great and noble love is said, the basic motivation and ultimate goal is still physical contact, but friends can accompany you to heaven and earth, and friends can do anything for you but absolutely refuse physical contact. ”

"If it's as good as you say, why don't women indulge in friendship?"

Both are indispensable things in life, but men are as much about friendship as women are obsessed with love. Cohen glanced at the white shadow, "Or like the dragons' obsession with shiny gems, it's all innate." ”

"Nonsense!" the white shadow flew in the air: "You are not a good teacher, I don't seem to understand it." ”

"What part do you understand? I don't think you understand anything. Cohen smiled, "We're friends as we are, but if -- I mean if, if I touch your bed one day and take possession of you, then there's no friendship between us." ”

"What a metaphor ......" White Shadow noticed something and flew a little higher: "There are humans approaching us. ”

"Humans, of course. Cohen snapped his fingers, "That's the ranger I left here." ”

A group of soldiers with disguised faces poured out of the dense forest and surrounded their commander. (To be continued......)