The system handed me over to the state.

"Hey! What the heck is a harem man?"

Bronya didn't say anything, glanced at Raphtalia and Filo, and finally gave a knowing smile, leaving Naofumi Iwatani speechless.

Raphtalia looked somewhat bewildered, while Filo glanced at Bronya, then at Naofumi Iwatani, and finally waved to Melty in the distance, saying, "Melty!"

"Lord Shangwen, I've come to persuade you to go back. I hope you can have a good talk with your father, clear up the misunderstanding, and discuss things again!"

"I'm sorry, Princess Melty, I have no intention of going back with you!"

"Lord Shangwen! My father is willing to discuss this with you again! If everyone clearly states their thoughts, we will definitely be able to reconcile!"

Bronya shook her head. "Let's go. There's no point in continuing this entanglement."

"I can tell that the child wants to make up, but if it were that simple, you wouldn't be in this situation now, right?"

Naofumi Iwatani nodded. "Yes, if there really is a chance to reconcile, would I let it go?"

"You're right, Raphtalia, Filo, get in the car, we're leaving!"

“Eh, but Master, Melty…”

“I told you to get in the car, Philo, don’t worry about her.”

"Wait! You all stop right there!"

Melty ran up to Iwatani Naofumi and grabbed his cloak, her eyes brimming with tears and looking aggrieved. "You...you all better listen to me!"

Naofumi Iwatani was in a real bind. Why did this guy just charge at him like that? What was he going to do next? He really didn't want to reason with that idiot emperor. If he could reason with him, he wouldn't have gone along with that bitch princess when she framed him and put himself in that situation.

"Alright, Princess, you should know very well what your father and sister have done. This won't do any good."

"What did I do... Father Mingming, um!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out behind Melty the next second. Naofumi Iwatani suddenly pulled the girl in front of him into his arms, the shield on his arm blocking the attack from behind.

"What?"

Melty was completely unaware of what had happened.

But at that moment, Bronya drew her bow and fired, and within seconds, dozens of arrows struck the thighs of the guards in the distance, rendering them all unable to move.

The soldier who was still locked in a stalemate with Naofumi Iwatani was beheaded by Bronya's dagger.

Bronya then gripped her dagger tightly and said, "If you dare to move, you'll suffer the same consequences as this man!"

Seeing this, the soldiers behind them all stopped moving and sat trembling on the ground. Bronya turned her head and said, "I suddenly regret joining your team."

"Hehe, it's too late now, but you're really quick. You took them all down so fast. If it were the three of us, we might have had to fight for a while longer."

Yes, Raphtalia and Filo didn't even have time to react before Bronya took care of them all by herself. She was incredibly fast.

Bronya waved her hand. "The rest is up to you. I'm going back to sleep. Just let me know the results later."

Ten minutes later, Melty also got into the car, but her expression... was very downcast.

Bronya opened her eyes. "Do you know why your father or your sister would do this?"

Upon hearing this, Naofumi Iwatani thought, "Alright, the lecturing begins."

Yes, when he was getting ready to leave this morning, he reflected on his conversation with Bronya. Rather than being like friends or teammates, it felt more like a counseling session with a caring older sister or a loving lecture from an elder, which was... a little strange.

She's clearly a very young and beautiful girl, so why does she act like an elder?

And now, from the very first words Bronya uttered, he knew it had begun.

"I...I don't know...I have absolutely no idea..."

"This shows that he didn't want you involved in the first place. Your father probably still wanted to protect you and didn't want you to get involved in these troublesome things."

"But unfortunately, your sister doesn't think that way. She wants you dead. If you die, the right to inherit the throne will be in her hands. Then, she can use this opportunity to kill you to shift the blame to the Shield Hero, perfectly shirking responsibility."

"If the Shield Hero were to kill you, they could launch an army to punish them in the name of killing the princess, and then that bitch could smoothly inherit the throne. Wouldn't that be great? Why not do it?"

Melty gripped her skirt tightly, remaining silent. Bronya shook her head. "You should weigh the pros and cons yourself. As the heir to the throne, you should be well aware of the risks. We killed everyone, and we're already guilty. They can use that to put us on the wanted list. Our journey ahead won't be easy."

Bronya's premonition was correct. Before arriving at the next town the next day, Bronya cautiously scouted around. Sure enough, portraits of Naofumi Iwatani and his two companions, along with Melty, had been hung at the town gate and were being strictly checked. Bronya herself, however, managed to enter the town and investigate. Without the crystal ball recording, these guys were using portraits to spread rumors. Ha.

What will you do next? Naofumi Iwatani.

A sense of curiosity arose in Bronya's heart.

Chapter 419: The Abnormal Imperial Soldiers

"They've completely sealed it off, and they're even saying Melty has been killed. Is this how the emperor treats his own daughter?"

Naofumi Iwatani was shocked by the message Bronya sent back. Melty sat on the rock, her eyes closed, silent, but her hands, gripping the hem of her skirt, perfectly conveyed her inner emotions.

"Is there any other intelligence?"

“Only the three of you are wanted. Melty and I are not wanted because Melty has been made to appear as a dead person, so she can enter the town with me by slightly changing her clothes.”

"The three of you won't be able to get in. The guards are checking you very carefully. You won't be able to get past that hurdle. The situation is relatively good for now, but things will get complicated once they send soldiers to hunt us down."

"Moreover, with Princess Melty's death, the Emperor will definitely bring in three heroes to target us."

What are your plans for the future?

Naofumi Iwatani scratched his head, unsure of what to do. Although the town was under siege, the wagons had enough supplies; they could easily cross the mountains and leave the country. But Melty…

Naofumi Iwatani turned his gaze to Melty. "Are you coming with us?"

"I...."

"We don't have much time for you to think about it now. If you agree, we'll leave the country now. If you don't agree, we'll leave you in this town and then we'll leave. The choice is yours."

Melty's brows were furrowed, her expression quite troubled. Bronya pondered, still unable to understand why the emperor of this country so despised Naofumi Iwatani, or rather, the profession of the Shield Hero.

She vaguely sensed that this aversion was likely related to a grudge from long ago, and Bronya felt that it might not be a good idea for her to get involved.

And, the true ruler of this country is the Empress. That Empress does indeed have great power, but when Melty's mother returns and learns about Melty's death, then... hmm?

Bronya swiftly drew her bow and arrow from her back and aimed at the top of the forest behind her. "If you don't come out, I won't be polite. I'll give you one chance."

"What's going on? Are there enemies?"

Naofumi Iwatani drew his shield in preparation, and Raphtalia placed her hand on the longsword at her waist. A few seconds later, Bronya lowered her bow and arrow. "They're gone. We can lift the guard now."

"sure?"

"It's confirmed. The other party has no malicious intent; they seem to be just observing us."

Bronya turned her gaze to Melty. "Is she your bodyguard?"

Melty paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know, but Mother did have bodyguards around her. However, when Mother left, she took almost all of them with her. Mother believed that with Father around, I wouldn't be in danger in the Empire."

"But who could have predicted that things would turn out this way?"

Naofumi Iwatani's words carried a hint of sarcasm. Melty wanted to retort, but was powerless to do so. "Why...why did Father do this..."

"Instead of asking us, you should ask your father directly."

Naofumi Iwatani was quite exasperated. Why do girls these days like this? Why can't they just ask directly if they have a question? If they don't get an answer, they can just find the answer themselves, right?

What's the point of constantly asking "why" here? Is it just to make you look pitiful so others can comfort you?

Naofumi Iwatani couldn't help but find it a little ridiculous.

"What are the next steps?"

Bronya asked again, and Naofumi Iwatani answered without much thought, "Leave here. It's too close to the town. Since we killed all the guards, no one went to report it, and they don't know what happened. It's even harder to determine our location now."

"This is an opportunity. If we are fast enough, we can get ahead of their search by crossing the border into Sidwellut."

Naofumi Iwatani already had a plan in mind, but if they were to cross the cliff, they would no longer be able to use the carriage.

The group could only take what they could carry; the rest had to be left in the carriage. However, Bronya had disguised the carriage to some extent before leaving, so that the army searching for them would not be able to determine their location by the carriage.

Melty was in a state of utter confusion. She didn't know what to do and could only silently follow behind the four. She didn't answer when Naofumi Iwatani asked her about her future plans, only revealing two words: confusion or resignation.

However, the group's progress was not particularly smooth. After finally crossing the mountain and preparing to rest, Bronya, who was patrolling the surrounding area, discovered Imperial soldiers who had suddenly appeared all around.

The carriage was well hidden. Even if it had been discovered, it wouldn't have been able to find it so quickly, right?

Bronya was terrified. Who were these Imperial soldiers?! They were so fast, or... did Melty have some kind of tracking magic or magical artifact on her?

Bronya quickly returned to where the four were resting. As soon as she appeared, Naofumi Iwatani asked urgently, "How did it go?"

"They've caught up with us. I don't know how they did it; it was like they appeared out of nowhere. Melty, are you sure you don't have any tracking magic items on you?"

Melty paused for a moment, then immediately denied it: "Impossible! I don't have any magical items on me. I checked my belongings before I left, and there are no tracking items."

"That's strange... They're very fast; it's only a matter of time before they find this place. Let's hurry and get out of here."

So the group of five set off again, but as they quickened their pace, Bronya felt increasingly uneasy. The Imperial soldiers were moving way too fast! Absurdly fast. Their progress had been slightly slowed by Melty, but they were still going strong. The Imperial soldiers' carpet search was even faster than their own progress toward a single objective.

Soon, they were forced to the edge of a cliff. Listening to the shouts of the Imperial soldiers above, Bronya felt helpless. When had she ever been forced to this point?

But right now, without the power to fight against an army of ten thousand, all she felt was frustration and dissatisfaction with this mission that restricted her power.

She felt that this mission was less of a mission and more of a test, a test of what choices the remaining three contractors would make in the face of danger and survival after losing all the power they were so proud of.

It's really frustrating...

Chapter 420: The Royal Guard

"How can these guys move so fast?"

Not only the perceptive Bronya, but even Naofumi Iwatani noticed something was wrong. These soldiers were moving way too fast! Had they been given some kind of speed-up magic? How could they be so fast?

"I don't know, but...could they be elite troops?"

Melty was also stunned. She didn't understand why her country's soldiers were moving so fast. Could it be that... this time they had encountered the Empire's most elite soldiers? And not ordinary soldiers?

"What do you mean?"

Raphtalia paused for a moment, then asked in surprise, "Does the Empire still distinguish between elite soldiers and ordinary soldiers?"

"Hmm! Soldiers in the empire are divided into two types: ordinary soldiers and soldiers. Ordinary soldiers include the guards of each city and the private soldiers of nobles. There are many types, but they all have one thing in common: they are generally not very good at action and discipline and do not have strong combat capabilities."

"There is another type, which is the elite guard. These guards are the most elite troops in the empire that are specially responsible for protecting the royal area. Mother took most of the elite guards with her when she left this time, but some of them are still left here."