Just like that, the news of Fang Li's engagement to Iris spread throughout the Belzerg Kingdom at an astonishing speed. It even reached other countries, and many people got wind of it.
Naturally, this caused quite a commotion.
After all, from this point on, Fang Li could no longer stay out of the spotlight. He would definitely be investigated thoroughly, and people from all walks of life would begin to dig into his background.
Of course, the matter concerning the Black Knight, aside from those closely connected to Fang Li and Iris, was something no one else seemed to know.
However, Fang Li's other exploits could no longer be hidden.
For instance, he was the only person in history to remain Classless, still unable to undergo a Class Transition.
For instance, he had defeated one of the Demon King's Army's Leaders and had previously operated out of Axel, a mere beginner's town.
Or, for example, he had completed a number of extremely high-difficulty Adventurer Quests, ones that even top-ranked Hero Candidates didn't have the confidence to undertake, alongside his mysterious companions. He even gained the approval of the Royal Family's Holy Sword and defeated Mitsurugi Kyouya, one of the top three-ranked warriors in the Royal Capital, in a single strike.
All of these deeds were now being spread far and wide. So, Fang Li truly had no way not to become famous anymore.
Under such circumstances, even Kazuma, Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness, Fang Li's teammates, got a bit of residual fame and attention.
If it were under normal conditions, these four restless lunatics would have been thrilled.
But this time, none of them were in the mood. The reason, of course, was the ripple effects caused by Fang Li's engagement to Iris. As a result, the four of them began doing increasingly bizarre things.
For example, Kazuma now wandered around the Royal Capital every day, flirting with random girls in hopes of copying Fang Li, thinking maybe he could score a fiancée and escape single life to become a "normie." But every time, he ended up being beaten and fleeing with his head in his hands. This earned him several nicknames like "Brute-zuma," "Rogue-zuma," and "Useless-zuma."
Aqua, meanwhile, went around publicly claiming that the princess's fiancé was a devout supporter of the Axis Cult. She even spread the rumor that if he ever rose to the throne, he might make Axis the state religion, an obvious ploy to recruit new members. As a result, she was chased down daily by Hero Candidates who knew her true identity, crying hysterically every time she came back.
Megumin, ever since the engagement was confirmed, wore a constant look of dissatisfaction. Ignoring everyone's protests, including Fang Li's threats, she ran off to the outskirts of the Royal Capital every day to launch an Explosion, leaving the surrounding lands pitted and cratered.
The noise and damage caused frequent panic, with the Royal Capital repeatedly mistaking it for a Demon King Army assault, leaving the authorities in a constant state of anxiety.
Then there was Darkness, who started secretly meeting with Claire every day. No one knew what they were conspiring about, but the occasional sinister laughter that leaked from their discussions even frightened Rain to the point of insomnia; she hadn't slept well for several days.
And this time, Fang Li simply couldn't be bothered to deal with any of them and let them do as they pleased.
Apart from that, various other matters were also affected.
Fang Li heard about some of them.
He heard that at a fortress stationed on the border, where the frontline troops were fighting against the Demon King's Army, a massive uproar suddenly broke out one day. The ruckus lasted a full day and was so intense that even the Demon King's Army didn't dare to attack, leaving both sides tense and uneasy.
He also heard that at the Adventurer's Guild in Axel, a staff member who apparently had designs on Fang Li got drunk out of her mind and tore up all the commission slips. She nearly trashed the entire Adventurer's Guild in the process.
And it was said that in the neighboring country of Elroad, when the nobles heard about Princess Iris unilaterally breaking off her previous engagement, many high-ranking officials were so furious that they immediately called for a severance of financial aid and the annulment of alliance treaties with Belzerg.
But by the next day, all of them had gotten hooked on a sudden betting pool and completely forgot about the whole affair.
In short, many, many things were happening indeed.
Even if most of these events were beyond absurd and utterly tsukkomi-worthy, they still happened, cementing Fang Li and Iris's engagement beyond any denial. It was now completely official.
A dignified princess of a kingdom… actually engaged to an adventurer who had only just walked out of a novice town like Axel, and who couldn't even undergo a class transition?
Such a thing should have been impossible to finalize and should have been denied for all kinds of political and practical reasons.
Yet…
Fang Li had defeated a Demon King Army leader, had been recognized by the Holy Sword, and coupled with the royal family's long-standing tradition of incorporating strong Hero bloodlines, even the Royal Capital couldn't fully object to the marriage.
Perhaps it was precisely because she understood this… that Iris, at the celebration banquet, after Fang Li effortlessly defeated Mitsurugi Kyouya, had boldly declared their engagement without any hesitation?
"She's always so pure and innocent… so why is it that only in moments like this, she becomes so sharp?"
Fang Li truly couldn't make sense of it.
There was only one thing he could be sure of:
"I'm probably going to get beaten half to death by Sylvie sooner or later…"
In the midst of all this chaos, after the banquet, Fang Li didn't leave the Royal Castle for a while. He stayed inside, doing his best to avoid the spotlight.
If it weren't for the fact that living in the Royal Castle allowed him to eat all kinds of high-class food rich in experience points every day, steadily boosting his Rank, Fang Li might have long since lost his patience.
But on this day, Fang Li finally stepped out of the Royal Castle and headed toward the Adventurer Guild.
The moment he entered, just like the first time he came here, many gazes fell upon him.
Only… this time, those gazes were very different from before.
There was no more doubt or contempt in their eyes. Now, they looked at him only with awe and admiration.
"That's Princess Iris's fiancé, right?"
"The famous classless guy?"
"He's got no class, but still got the Holy Sword's recognition, took down a Demon King leader, and even caught the eye of the princess?"
"Who knows? As long as you're strong enough, anything's possible, I guess."
Such hushed whispers floated into Fang Li's ears.
He was fully prepared mentally for all of this and paid it no attention. He was heading straight toward the bulletin board to pick up a new quest.
But before he could get there, a voice called out to him.
"Didn't expect to run into you here."
With those words, Mitsurugi Kyouya stepped out from the inner part of the Adventurer Guild.
Behind him stood two pretty decent-looking girls, presumably his teammates.
Fang Li looked toward them.
Instantly, the two girls behind Mitsurugi glared at him and whispered between themselves.
"That guy actually beat Kyouya?"
"He must've used some dirty trick…"
Clearly, they had a deep bias against Fang Li.
In contrast, Mitsurugi Kyouya bowed his head slightly toward Fang Li and spoke sincerely:
"About what happened before, I really am sorry."
(End Of This Chapter)
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