"A challenge?"
As the male Adventurer known as Mitsurugi made his declaration, a wave of murmurs began rippling through the hall.
Naturally, the commotion came from the clueless nobles.
In contrast, the Adventurers present didn't seem the least bit surprised. They merely exchanged glances with one another, their eyes carrying a hint of regret.
Clearly, even if Mitsurugi hadn't stepped forward, someone else definitely would have.
Fang Li's group, too, showed no surprise at all.
"...So it's going down this way, huh?" Kazuma let out a sigh, as if watching some painfully clichéd plot unfold before his eyes.
"This time it really has nothing to do with me, right? Don't blame me, okay?" Aqua, for her part, looked a little uneasy.
Megumin and Darkness didn't appear surprised either, but both of their bodies subtly tensed, showing that they were becoming increasingly nervous.
As always, only Fang Li remained calmly observing everything in front of him. Staring at the righteously indignant Hero Candidate, memories of who this person was floated through his mind.
Mitsurugi Kyouya, a renowned Adventurer in the Royal Capital. Among the many cheat-wielding Hero Candidates, he was ranked among the top three, considered one of the Guild's aces, and widely recognized throughout the capital.
Naturally, someone like him was qualified to represent the Adventurers present and step forward at this moment.
So Fang Li simply stared at the Hero Candidate and asked Aqua, without turning his head:
"What kind of cheat did you give that guy?"
Hearing that, Aqua was briefly stunned. Then she quickly understood what he meant.
"You saw the sword hanging at his waist, right?" Aqua lowered her voice and leaned in to whisper to Fang Li, acting suspiciously secretive. "That's the Demon Sword Gram, a famous sword from Norse mythology. It's incredibly powerful, strong enough to let even an ordinary person easily slice through rocks and steel. Just by carrying it, you get an absurd physical strength boost."
Hearing her explanation, Fang Li glanced slightly toward the sword on Mitsurugi Kyouya's waist.
"The Demon Sword Gram, huh?"
It was certainly a famous artifact, well-known enough that even people unfamiliar with mythology might recognize it from games or novels.
According to legend, the Norse Gram was even considered the prototype for the sword in the Celtic myth of King Arthur, the sword he drew from the stone to prove himself king.
It went without saying, this Artifact was monstrously powerful.
As Fang Li was pondering that, Aqua seemed to recall something else. She clapped her hands and added:
"Oh, right! That Demon Sword apparently has usage requirements, too. If you're not suffering from severe Chuunibyou, you can't even use it properly."
That one line made Fang Li fall completely silent.
In other words... this Mitsurugi Kyouya is a full-blown, extreme Chuunibyou patient?
Only such a person could wield a sword like that?
Thinking this far, Fang Li couldn't help but glance at Megumin beside him.
"Hm?" Megumin tilted her head in confusion. "What is it?"
"...Nothing. I was just wondering whether I should take that sword and give it to you as a gift."
"...I mean, I should be touched by that thought, but why do I feel strangely offended? Is that just my imagination?"
"Yes, definitely just your imagination."
As Fang Li and Megumin exchanged banter, Mitsurugi Kyouya finally approached the group.
His eyes were locked firmly on Fang Li.
Before Fang Li could even react, Kazuma leaned toward him and quietly muttered:
"Good."
It seemed that Mitsurugi wasn't targeting Kazuma, which made Kazuma feel immensely relieved.
But Fang Li was completely locked onto by Mitsurugi Kyouya.
Seeing Aqua leaning closely against Fang Li, speaking to him in such an intimate posture, Mitsurugi Kyouya frowned and addressed Fang Li.
"Sorry. There's no personal grudge between us, but I can't tolerate seeing the benefactor who granted me power being made a fool of by people like you."
As he said this, Mitsurugi's expression was one of righteous indignation, like he was confronting some unforgivable evil. Then he declared openly to everyone present:
"Naturally, for those who have made such a great contribution by defeating a leader of the Demon King's army, they deserve our deepest respect and blessings. But unfortunately, those blessings should only go to the true heroes!"
Mitsurugi pointed at Fang Li and Kazuma as he continued:
"Prior to this, we Adventurers from the Royal Capital conducted an investigation. These two men, one is a Classless individual, the other belongs to the weakest Class. There's no way they had the strength to defeat a leader of the Demon King's army!"
"That's why we firmly believe the real credit should go to those three beautiful and capable women. These two men just claimed part of the glory, they don't have what it takes to stand alongside those three in battle!"
Mitsurugi's speech caused the surrounding nobles to exchange confused glances.
"That guy…"
Kazuma's mouth twitched, clearly beginning to hold a grudge against Mitsurugi Kyouya.
Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness immediately jumped in to refute his claims.
"Hey, you, whoever you are, while I am indeed beautiful and exceptional, the way you said that really ticks me off, y'know?"
"Yeah! Who gave you the right to insult our companion like that?"
"Honestly, if we're being fair, we're the ones who didn't even join in the real fight. The one who truly defeated the headless knight was Fang Li. We just shared in the rewards."
Their statements only made Mitsurugi grit his teeth, shooting an angry glare at Fang Li.
"Seriously? Your companions are even willing to lie for your sake. Don't you feel any guilt at all?"
Clearly, this Chuunibyou patient had no intention of believing Aqua and the others, and instead convinced himself that they were just covering up for Fang Li.
The other Adventurers around them seemed to be thinking the same thing. Their eyes were now filled with contempt as they stared at Fang Li.
In that moment, Fang Li became the target of everyone's scorn.
Nobles and Adventurers alike began whispering and pointing fingers at him.
Witnessing how the situation had suddenly escalated, Princess Iris looked visibly flustered, while even Claire and Rain were momentarily too stunned to respond.
Until,
Fang Li finally spoke.
"Hey." Fang Li abruptly called out to Mitsurugi Kyouya. "You said you investigated me. You even know I'm Classless. So did your investigation also tell you that I went to the Adventurer Guild today?"
"Eh?" Mitsurugi was clearly taken aback.
"So that's how it is." Fang Li seemed to have gotten his answer. He nodded to himself and muttered: "You call that an investigation? What a joke, it's not even funny."
Wasn't it?
If Mitsurugi had known that Fang Li went to the Adventurer Guild earlier that day and completed several extremely high-difficulty quests together with Iris, he wouldn't have made such a ridiculous claim.
Then again, Mitsurugi would probably still assume all the credit belonged to Iris, not to a so-called "Classless" nobody like Fang Li.
"Whatever."
Suddenly, Fang Li smiled.
"Didn't you say you wanted to challenge me? Fine. I accept."
(End Of This Chapter)
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