On the way back to the Royal Capital, Iris seemed to have completely transformed, as if she had developed a sense of closeness to Fang Li. She shed her previous shyness and timidity, constantly asking all sorts of questions.
The questions weren't about why Fang Li had infiltrated the Royal Castle, who he was, or what his intentions were. Instead, they were about very ordinary things.
For example…
"Have you ever been an Adventurer? Have you gone on adventures?"
"I heard that in the city where beginner Adventurers start out near the border, there's a really big frog, and its meat is delicious. Is that true?"
"Claire said that commoners eat things that don't give experience points, but Rain said those things are still really tasty. Have you tried them?"
"What does alcohol taste like? Have you ever drunk it? Everyone says I'm not allowed to drink…"
"How can you fly? Is that Magic?"
Questions like these, the kind that any child would be curious about, showed Iris's immense curiosity and her age-appropriate behavior.
At first, the young princess was somewhat cautious, not daring to ask too casually. It seemed she was always mindful of the reactions of those around her, acting carefully. However, under Fang Li's indifferent attitude and responses, Iris gradually became more relaxed, no longer hiding her curiosity and continuously asking Fang Li all sorts of questions.
Fang Li found this somewhat amusing.
"So, is this what it's like for a princess of the Royal Family to be so naive?"
After all, she was a noble born into a completely different world from ordinary people, so it wasn't surprising that she would act this way.
Unfortunately, the princess had asked the wrong person.
Fang Li had only recently arrived in this world and, while he knew some things about it, he wasn't deeply familiar with it. Naturally, he couldn't know all the details that only those who lived here would know.
Still, Fang Li satisfied Iris's curiosity.
Even though he hadn't been an Adventurer, Fang Li had experienced his share of adventures.
Even though he hadn't eaten any giant frogs, Fang Li had consumed various Heavenly Treasures prepared by Fan Xinglu for health and body training.
With this in mind, Fang Li didn't directly answer Iris's questions but instead shared his own experiences, greatly satisfying the princess's curiosity.
For example, when he was weak, he had fought against monsters called Kabane.
For example, he had battled creatures called Aragami that devoured everything.
For example, he had worked as a guard and knight, capturing Vampire-like creatures such as werewolves.
And for example, he had participated in competitions where many experts competed, fought against entities that could devour human existence itself, confronted fanatical cults, and even hunted a giant flying white whale.
Fang Li casually mentioned these things, one after another, making Iris's eyes sparkle with excitement.
If it were someone else, seeing the princess react this way to their stories, their vanity would undoubtedly be greatly satisfied.
But Fang Li didn't even know if he had something like vanity, let alone that these stories were just casual mentions to pass the time. Naturally, he remained as indifferent and self-centered as ever.
Treating a princess of a country with such an attitude, according to the noble girl named Claire, was probably truly audacious.
But Iris herself seemed to quite like this, always smiling happily.
Even without knowing Fang Li's true identity, she was so unguarded and even felt a sense of closeness. This showed that the princess likely didn't have any friends she could talk to on equal terms.
Of course, Fang Li definitely wasn't Iris's friend.
This was just Fang Li's personality.
So, this could only be described as a serendipitous connection.
And so, amidst the casual conversation, Fang Li carried Iris on his back and arrived at the mountainside.
By this time, the sky was beginning to lighten.
"Hmm?"
Fang Li suddenly stopped in his tracks, standing on the mountainside, his gaze fixed on the plains ahead, his eyes gradually narrowing.
"What's wrong?"
Iris, who had been listening with great interest to Fang Li's fascinating stories, also raised her head in confusion.
The next second, Iris also saw the situation on the plains ahead.
"That's…!"
A cry of surprise escaped Iris's lips.
At the same time, from the Royal Capital situated on the plains, a loud voice that could even be heard from here turned into a wave of sound, sweeping over them.
"Demon King's Army attack alert! Demon King's Army attack alert! A Demon King's Army unit is advancing toward the Royal Capital! The scale is enormous! The scale is enormous! The Kingdom's Knight Corps, deploy immediately! The Kingdom's Knight Corps, deploy immediately!"
That must have been a broadcast amplified by Magic or a special magical item, right?
Such a broadcast echoed throughout the entire Royal Capital.
"Adventurers in the Royal Capital are responsible for maintaining city security! Be on guard against monster invasions! We hope that high-rank Adventurers can assist!"
As the broadcast swept through, the Royal Capital began to stir.
Fang Li and Iris silently watched the scene unfold.
Standing on the mountainside, they could clearly see what was happening from this direction.
They witnessed the monstrous army attacking the city.
"Rooooooaaaaar!"
"áo áo áoáo áo áoáo áo áoáo áo áo!"
"wū wū wūwū wū wūwū wū wūwū wū wū!"
Amidst the earth-shaking roars, a multitude of dark figures surged like a black tide from one end of the plains, rushing toward the Royal Capital.
This was a legion composed of various monsters.
There were short and scruffy Goblins.
There were ugly and twisted Slimes.
There were disgusting and decaying undead.
There were evil and fierce single-horned demons.
In addition, there were winged wolves, enormous bats, venomous pythons, terrifying scorpions, and other monsters.
These creatures formed an extremely large army, surging toward the Royal Capital like a rolling black tide.
Watching this scene, Fang Li's eyes glimmered slightly.
"Is that the Demon King's Army?"
It seemed like a horde of monsters intent on ravaging and destroying everything in their path.
The beastly horde rushed madly toward the Royal Capital, arriving at its gates.
In such a situation, the gates of the Royal Capital opened without the slightest hesitation.
"OoohOoohOoohOoohOooh!"
The Knight Corps, clad in heavy armor and wielding heavy weapons, surged out from within the Royal Capital, forming another wave of people charging fearlessly toward the monstrous army.
(End Of This Chapter)
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