"Already has a fiancé?"
Darkness's words left Kazuma, Aqua, and Megumin all stunned. And not just them, even Fang Li was taken aback, turning his gaze toward Iris in disbelief.
Sensing Fang Li's gaze, Iris's eyes instinctively avoided his.
That reaction told everyone present that it was true.
"…Alright, I get it now."
Megumin stood up, as if preparing to go to war with Iris, and raised her staff, pointing it straight at the first princess of the Kingdom.
"So in other words, at such a young age, you're already thinking about monopolizing everything? Even if everyone else could tolerate that, I, the future number one Archwizard in the world, absolutely cannot! Let me teach you a good lesson and show you what true shamelessness is!"
With that said, Megumin actually began chanting her Explosion Magic incantation.
Everyone was shocked.
"Wait, you're serious?!"
"Killing a princess is a major crime, Megumin!"
"Calm down!"
Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness all jumped on her at once, restraining her tightly.
"Let me go!!"
Megumin began struggling, and her strength was so great that she tossed all three of them, Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness, around like garbage. The scene defied all logic.
At that moment, the three seemed to have completely forgotten the fact that Megumin had already used Explosion Magic today, and her magical power hadn't recovered enough for another shot.
Still, Megumin's actions had scared everyone out of their wits.
Especially Iris, who hurried to explain: "N-no! It's not like that! I-I wasn't trying to monopolize anything! I just want to marry Fang Li San, only him!"
However, Iris didn't realize that her explanation only triggered someone else.
"I absolutely won't allow it!" Claire suddenly shouted.
"I don't care who it is! Anyone who tries to steal away my Princess Iris, I'll cut them down! Cut them down!!"
Saying that, Claire actually drew her sword.
"Hey, calm down, Claire! You're not even a match for him, are you?!" This time it was Rain who was shocked, and she too leapt forward to restrain Claire.
"Let me go!!"
As a result, Claire also started thrashing, flinging Rain around like a rag doll.
And so, the entire room devolved into absolute chaos, with everyone except Fang Li and Iris completely losing control, shouting and flailing around.
To make matters worse, Megumin's staff and Claire's sword were swinging around wildly as they struggled.
"Pā!"
A bookshelf in the corner was sliced in half by Claire's sword.
"Bang!" An expensive vase by the window was smashed by Megumin's staff.
"Crash! Rattle!"
Kazuma, Aqua, and Rain were flung into various pieces of furniture like trash, one after another, accompanied by pained screams, only Darkness let out moans of sheer delight.
The entire guest room looked like it had been hit by a typhoon, instantly turned into a complete disaster zone.
"Wah… wā wā wā waaaah…"
Iris was completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears.
"Sigh…"
Fang Li let out another sigh.
These people… they are still as noisy as ever. Seeing Fang Li sigh like that, Iris looked somewhat uneasy and nervously asked him: "Are you… angry? Because I selfishly did something like that?"
As she said this, Iris's face was full of anxiety. Even her big, round puppy-dog eyes began to brim with tears.
This little princess was, as always, a master at tugging at people's heartstrings.
"I'm not angry. After all, I was the one who said you could be selfish today. I can't just take back my words whenever I feel like it, right?" Fang Li gave a wry smile as he spoke. "But… don't you already have a fiancé? Why would you still do something like this?"
"That was an arranged marriage decided by Otou-sama, not something I agreed to myself," Iris said quickly. "The other party is the First Prince of Elroad. I haven't even met him in person yet."
Elroad.
That was the neighboring country of the Belzerg Kingdom, known as a nation of gambling. Its primary industry revolved around casinos. Though it lacked military strength, it was incredibly wealthy.
In contrast, the Belzerg Kingdom was known for being a warrior nation with a strong military, thanks to its Hero's bloodline, powerful knight corps, and elite adventurers, but it had limited financial resources.
The two countries had long maintained a complementary and cooperative relationship.
As the Belzerg Kingdom was in direct conflict with the Demon King's Army, various nations supported it, either by sending knights or adventurers. Only Elroad provided aid in the form of financial support.
So a political marriage between the two countries was hardly surprising.
"Even so… that's still your fiancé, isn't it?" Fang Li replied. "Aren't you worried that ignoring the engagement like this might cause a diplomatic incident?"
"It's fine. I've already made up my mind." Iris lifted her head and looked Fang Li in the eyes.
"Besides, our Belzerg Royal Family has always had a tradition of introducing Hero blood into the line. Fang Li San, you are powerful, and even gained recognition from the Holy Sword. Even if I made this decision myself, Elroad won't make a fuss. At most, Otou-sama will go over, bow his head, say sorry, then hit up the casino for a few games. Once they're all having fun, they'll forgive us."
'…Is that kind of sloppy diplomacy really okay?'
Just then, Claire, still struggling to break free, also chimed in.
"It's true. His Majesty would absolutely love to see Iris Sama's engagement annulled. It was only ever a formality meant to maintain the alliance. His Majesty has more than once said things like, 'When I get around to it, I'll cancel the engagement. I'm absolutely not letting my precious daughter get married off.' But if he hears that Iris Sama has pledged herself to someone of her own will, he'll definitely fly into a rage. He'll say something like, 'It must be because of that son I had! Iris thought I gave him more love than her, so she's trying to get my attention by doing this! If I cut that brat down, Iris will come to her senses!' Then he'll actually go and try to execute the prince and tear down the fortress in a rage!"
'…Is this idiot king really fit to rule?'
Still, it was clear that this matter of the engagement couldn't be ignored. Fang Li was beginning to understand the true meaning behind the ring Iris had given him.
At that moment, Fang Li crouched down and looked straight into Iris's eyes.
"I understand how you feel, Iris. To be honest, I was surprised… but I'm not opposed to it."
Saying that, Fang Li continued.
"But Iris… I have to tell you, I, too, already have a fiancée, someone I am destined to be with for life."
"So… maybe you should reconsider this engagement… just a little?"
(End Of This Chapter)
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