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Belzerg Kingdom – Royal Capital.
Just as it had been that morning when they entered the city, squads of guards still patrolled every street and alley of the Royal Capital. Wanted posters of the Black Knight were plastered everywhere, giving the entire city a heavily guarded, tense atmosphere.
However, the residents continued living their daily lives, completely unfazed by the patrolling soldiers walking right past them, giving off a rather thick-skinned impression.
According to Claire, this state had already lasted for several months.
Given that, it was only natural people had grown accustomed to it by now.
Amid this situation, in the crowded streets full of passersby, two figures blended into the crowd, walking hand in hand.
"U-Um…"
Whether because Fang Li was holding her hand or for some other reason, Iris's voice was full of shyness, tinged with unease and nervousness as she spoke.
"Is it really okay for us to sneak out like this?" At the moment, Iris was still wearing her royal formal dress from the castle, but she had thrown on a mage's robe over it to fully cover herself.
The hood was pulled over her head. Though it couldn't completely hide her noble golden hair or her gem-like sapphire eyes, it at least served to obscure her identity enough that people wouldn't easily recognize her.
Fang Li held Iris's hand as they walked through the street, replying casually.
"Of course, it's not okay. Just think back to the commotion that happened the last time you were kidnapped, then you'll understand."
Back then, the Royal Capital's Knight Order had nearly been routed in battle with the Demon King's Army due to the chaos, and the city almost fell into enemy hands.
It was easy to imagine just how serious Iris's abduction had been.
And now, although Iris hadn't been kidnapped, she had been taken out of the castle without permission by Fang Li.
Even if it wouldn't cause the same scale of panic and danger, the Royal Castle was probably in total chaos by now.
"T-Then… isn't this really bad?" Iris exclaimed, clearly panicked. "Shouldn't we go back?"
"Are you sure about that?" Fang Li didn't look back, still walking forward, and casually said, "If you miss this chance, you might not get another opportunity to come out and have fun like this."
Iris was immediately left speechless. Fang Li glanced at her and gave a small smile.
"You really wanted to come out, didn't you? But you're still saying we should go back… You're always worrying about everything around you," Fang Li said gently. "I get it, you can't move freely because of your status and position. But even so, isn't it okay to act selfishly just once in a while?"
After all, Iris was only twelve years old. Most kids her age would've already been throwing tantrums at their parents.
"Sure, overly spoiled kids can be annoying… but overly obedient ones just feel like they're missing something. This is a rare opportunity, go ahead and be selfish this once."
Fang Li shrugged as he said this.
"No worries. Worst case, just blame everything on me. Those people can't do anything to me anyway. Even if I end up on a wanted poster again, I'll live."
These words were an outright admission of his identity.
But of course, Iris had already figured out who Fang Li was.
In fact, it was precisely because Fang Li never really hid his identity in front of her that she had picked up on all sorts of suspicious clues.
Still, looking at the lonely expression of this princess who hated being alone, none of that really mattered anymore.
So Fang Li stopped holding back and openly admitted everything.
In response, Iris instinctively tightened her grip on Fang Li's hand. The way she looked at his back now carried both admiration and respect.
Only…
"…Only, if possible, I really wish you didn't think of me as just a little kid…"
That soft whisper of regret from Iris, Fang Li didn't hear it. Because he had already arrived at their destination.
What stood before them was a massive, imposing structure, even if it couldn't quite rival the Royal Castle, it still dwarfed the surrounding buildings in both size and presence. It looked like a small fortress.
At the very top of the building, a flag embroidered with a crest fluttered proudly in the wind.
"Where… is this place?" Iris stared up at the structure, speaking with a hint of uncertainty. "Is there really a building this grand in the Royal Capital? Could it be a noble's private estate?"
It seemed the little princess was truly unfamiliar with the outside world, she didn't even recognize a major landmark within her own city.
So, Fang Li answered her question plainly:
"This is the Adventurer Guild."
Yes.
This was the Adventurer Guild, specifically, the Royal Capital's Adventurer Guild.
"Adventurer Guild?" Iris blinked in surprise. Then her eyes lit up like stars as she gazed at the building in front of her, her voice rising with excitement.
"This is the Adventurer Guild? I've never been here before!"
The Adventurers based in the Royal Capital were, almost without exception, the highest-ranked Adventurers.
These Adventurers also served as a powerful supplementary force to the Royal Knights, defending the city from the Demon King's Army.
Among them were even modern-day Heroes, individuals granted powerful weapons and abilities by the gods themselves, who operated out of this very guild.
Iris had met some of those Heroes before.
However, this was truly her first time stepping inside the Adventurer Guild itself.
As Iris stared at the Guild with sparkling eyes, Fang Li smiled and said casually:
"I was already planning to come here today to register and officially start accepting quests from the Royal Capital's Adventurer Guild."
"So today, we're going to have a date… an adventure-themed date."
Fang Li's words made Iris light up with excitement.
"Really?!" Iris leaned forward, full of nervous anticipation and hope as she looked up at Fang Li. "C-Can I go on an adventure too?!"
"Just for today, you'll be a regular party member in my team," Fang Li chuckled. "Let's go."
"Un!" Iris nodded vigorously and happily followed close behind Fang Li as they entered the Adventurer Guild together.
Almost the moment they stepped inside, all eyes in the Guild turned toward them.
Fang Li could see that, just like in Axel's Adventurer Guild, there were plenty of Adventurers here sitting around wooden tables, chatting and socializing like they were at a party.
The difference was that this Guild was far more luxurious, resembling a high-end restaurant with an upscale ambiance.
And the Adventurers here… every single one of them wore extremely high-grade equipment, their bodies radiating a powerful and commanding presence, completely unlike the greenhorns back in Axel.
Fang Li even noticed,
Among them, there were individuals carrying weapons, exuding tremendous pressure.
Those were Artifacts.
These people were time-travelers from the modern world.
(End Of This Chapter)