You are all my wings!

Judging from this, Langley seems to be interested in him too.

Would she really want to become the stepfather of the main female lead in the third installment?

Although you're not bad looking, isn't this career path a bit too bizarre?

Three seconds later.

Britta suddenly stood up.

"Speaking of which, I've also heard something interesting."

She walked over with an expression that was difficult to decipher.

Chapter 211 Britta: I heard you're getting married?

Lyon glanced at Britta. Here it comes. It seems this is what's been upsetting her.

He said calmly:

"I wonder what the Holy Maiden is referring to."

Iris was also drawn to the conversation, and she vaguely sensed that Britta's recent change was related to what she was about to say.

"Oh, it's nothing, just the voyeurism incident Miss Langley mentioned. Apparently, there's been a follow-up."

Britta:

"They say the person spying on us has been identified and is about to marry the princess."

Big wedding?

Iris's pupils contracted.

Lyon was stunned. A wedding? What kind of ridiculous rumor is this?

Are people in this world really that boring?

How can someone who has just experienced life-and-death separations from some acquaintances and nearly been wiped out in a major battle still spread rumors?

Or is it because the content is too sensational and it's a rumor related to the princess that it's being spread in such a strange way?

"It's strange that I, a former suspect, had never heard of this."

Lyon tilted his head back and chuckled.

Iris was immediately fooled, because Leon had indeed not lied.

She looked thoughtful:

"Wasn't it you, Lyon? Or was someone else spying on us? Who could it be?"

“It’s definitely not me. I already proved my innocence with divination last time, and Her Highness the Princess also acknowledged my innocence.”

Lyon said righteously.

He actually knew where the rumor came from; it was most likely from when the princess came to spy on him and was discovered by Magiro.

Maquill said quite a lot in an attempt to retort to Ophimasso, which was probably overheard by a passing knight and spread around.

Originally, only the few people who had met with her and those in the Saintess's tent knew about Ophimasso's fabrication of being spied on.

But after Maggie explained some of the details, those who didn't know the situation filled in the blanks with their own imaginations, and the content was probably distorted.

As we all know, in any era, rumors tend to become more and more distorted and absurd the more they are spread.

Britta:

"Although you tried your best to clarify, Lyon, all the rumors actually point to you. According to the description, the most suspicious person is a silver-haired man who was called 'master' by a silver-haired little girl. At that time, during the monster tide, many knights saw you carrying Ophimasso back to the camp. The two events combined make it highly likely to be true."

silence.

This feature is indeed too obvious.

First of all, the silver hair trait is unique to Leon and Machiru throughout the entire Legion camp.

Furthermore, if the little girl calls him "master," how could anyone familiar with him not know who he is?

Moreover, since many people witnessed Leon carrying Ophim Marceau back to the camp, it's quite possible that they would suspect a connection between them.

Iris: "Huh, that's strange. We all went to the healing camp together and came back together, so why haven't I heard about this?"

She expressed skepticism about Britta's words.

Because she had observed Leon's performance beforehand and felt it wasn't fabricated, she chose to believe Leon.

Britta: "Because my senses are stronger than yours, and I'm always aware of my surroundings, I heard the rumors outside the tent."

Lyon's expression turned somber: "Someone must be framing me."

"Indeed, this matter is either a rumor or a frame-up."

Britta nodded, her expression grave.

Huh? Lyon was surprised. Could it be that Britta's bad mood wasn't because of the rumor itself, but because she was worried about something else?

Britta continued:

“I’ve already confirmed it beforehand. This rumor is very widespread and has spread throughout the entire legion. I guess only Miss Langley from earlier is unaware of it… Of course, most importantly, when a rumor spreads to everyone, even if it’s not true, it might be forced to become true.”

Lyon was startled, realizing what Britta was worried about.

According to royal tradition, if someone were to spy on a princess's body and break her premarital chastity, there would only be two outcomes unless that person was a relative or someone of very high status and power.

First, he was beheaded.

Second, getting married.

Royal rules are just that bizarre.

Moreover, these rules were not set by ordinary people, but by Horsha I, the demigod ancestor.

So, if one is clearly not qualified in terms of status, position, and strength, there are only two options.

He either marries Ophim Marceau or gets beheaded.

Once this matter leaves the underground city, it will likely soon alarm King Horshah IX, the king of various countries, who will then formally intervene in the matter.

Neither option seems particularly appealing.

"What does 'forced to become true' mean?"

Iris didn't quite understand the meaning behind this, after all, she was an elf and didn't know the rules of the Kingdom of Horsha.

After a brief explanation from Britta, Iris quickly grasped the seriousness of the matter, her face turning pale.

She grabbed Leon's shoulders:

"Oh no, is Lyon going to be beheaded? Damn it! Lyon has already proven his innocence! No, I have to go and talk to Ophiuchus about this!"

She took a step, about to leave.

As an elven diplomat, her words carried some weight.

Britta stopped her:

"Don't rush. Going to Ophimasso now might not be useful, because she might have been the one who stirred things up, and this is her territory. Going to her might not be the answer."

Iris frowned:

Why would the princess want to fuel this fire?

"Sorry, let me put it another way."

Britta said slowly:

"Perhaps she realized that the rumor was to her advantage, so she let it spread. She may not have acted on her own initiative, but she certainly condoned it directly or indirectly."

Lyon also began to ponder whether it was necessary for Orpheus to do this.

Judging from the level of favorability, it probably hasn't reached that point yet, right?

"In other words, it would be best to find a way to dispel this rumor before leaving the dungeon?"

"Iris asked."

Britta nodded: "It's a strategy, Lyon. What are your thoughts?"

Lyon said, "The best way to dispel rumors is to spread more rumors. We can spread more eye-catching things to distract people."

Britta nodded slightly: "That is indeed a good strategy, but simply attracting attention is not enough; it must also cover up and dispel the issue."

"But what kind of rumor could be more eye-catching and easier to dispel or cover up than the princess's impending marriage to the person who was spying on her?"

Iris frowned and began to think.

Lyon had a vague idea, but after some deduction, he realized it wasn't that simple.

With so many people talking at once, and your own characteristics already being remembered, spreading rumors yourself is likely to backfire.

Of course, if you force it, you might have a chance of success by relying on your self-confidence, but that would be too inefficient.

Or, you could secretly go to Ophimasso and probe her true thoughts before making a decision?

"Let me find an opportunity to probe the situation over there first, and then we'll see how to handle it."

"Are you confident? Will the traces be discovered like last time?"

Britta asked.

"I've already advanced this time, so if I'm just a little more careful, I should be fine."

Lyon looked at Britta:

"Your Holiness, based on what you've heard, who is spreading the most exaggerated rumors?"

"They are all members of the Knights directly under Orpheus."

"Understood, I'll be right back."

Chapter 212 Ophimasso and Timia Taking a Bath

After returning to his tent, Ophimasso did not take off his outer clothes, but simply lay down heavily on his bed.

I'm mentally exhausted, have a headache, and feel physically and mentally drained.

The main issue is that the mental strain from activating a legendary combat skill previously still has a significant impact.

Forcing himself to patrol the camp, and then encountering rumors spreading everywhere, his spirits were indeed not very good.

"Your Highness, Lady Timia has returned and she wishes to see you."

The maid, Bigas, came over.

"Let her in directly. Where is Xuertuo?"

"His Excellency the Assassin King is injured and has gone to the healing camp."

"Injured? How serious?"

"Lady Timia said it was a curse skill that nearly killed someone."

"Curse skill?"

As Ophimasso thought to herself, Timia, dressed in a magic robe, walked in and met her face to face.

It can be seen that Timiya's complexion is not good either. Her beautiful skin is covered with sweat, and there are faint dark marks under her eyes, indicating that she is also under a lot of mental stress.

She saw Ophimasso's face and immediately laughed:

"Ophie, why do you look so tired?"

"Aunt Timiya, how about you? Was your mission dangerous? Did you also encounter a monster horde?"

"Just as Leon predicted, I tried to go as high as possible this time, so although I encountered some dangers, I managed to deal with them safely. If I hadn't done that, I probably wouldn't be back now. This shows that Leon's divination was indeed accurate. Of course, the journey was quite exhausting, and I used up all eight bottles of magic potions I brought with me."

A Tier 5 recovery potion costs 250 gold coins, which is a huge expense for most adventurers.

Given Timia's financial resources and the profits from her territory, this wasn't considered a large expenditure.

What she emphasized was not the money issue, but the mental burden.