So I Was Knighted Just Like That?

Li Ang instinctively lowered his head, only then seeing the source of the voice—a petite figure that came only up to his waist.

Li Ang's sleep-deprived brain stalled for a moment. He stared at that somewhat familiar face and struggled to remember.

A dwarf... pink hair... terrible temper... Her name? He only remembered that it seemed to be a long string of complicated, incomprehensible syllables. He could not recall it at all. There seemed to be something like "Shandra" in it?

While he was trying to recall her excessively long name, the little pink-haired dwarf had already grown impatient.

As if she were returning to her own home, she naturally slipped through the gap between Li Ang's body, still blocking the doorway, and the doorframe.

After entering, she did not wait for Li Ang to say anything. She casually looked around the room, ultimately choosing Li Ang's chair.

Her little feet, clad in brown leather boots, skillfully stepped onto the crossbar beneath the chair. Then, bracing herself against the seat with her arms, she nimbly sprang onto it.

The entire motion was incomparably smooth. Clearly, this was not her first time doing something like this.

She sat primly in the chair, which was far too large for her frame, her two short legs dangling in the air without even reaching the floor.

Even so, she still tried hard to straighten her back and raise her chin slightly, attempting to create an imposing air of looking down from on high.

Li Ang shut the door and turned around helplessly. Looking at the little thing who had inexplicably barged into his room and then acted like the host, his mind was still somewhat muddled.

He rubbed his brow, trying to dispel his drowsiness and confusion. "You...?"

He had barely uttered one word before the girl interrupted him.

She drew a deep breath and announced in a deliberately raised voice:

"Human, in light of your rude yet fairly clever performance at the library last time, and... well... your face being reasonably pleasing to the eye, I, Shandrameya Maxwell, Princess of Ironforge, have decided to bestow upon you supreme glory!"

She paused, her emerald eyes fixed tightly on Li Ang as though expecting him to reveal a shocked or ecstatic expression.

After waiting a while and seeing no reaction on Li Ang's face, she did not appear disappointed. Instead, she continued:

"From this moment onward, you are my knight. Therefore, immediately kneel on one knee, kiss my ring, and complete this sacred knighting ceremony."

Proudly, she extended a small fair hand before Li Ang. On one slender finger was a finely crafted ring set with an enormous sapphire.

But Li Ang had only one thought in his mind right then. Does this girl have some kind of serious illness?

Ignoring the girl's knighting proclamation, Li Ang yawned and glanced at the clock on the table. What a sin—it was not even six in the morning yet.

"If you like sitting there, then sit there. I can't be bothered to go crazy with you."

Li Ang muttered vaguely, walked straight to the bed, and lay down without even changing clothes.

He had stayed up too late writing yesterday. Even with the [Acceleration Pocket Watch], he was still terribly sleepy.

Shandrameya had clearly not expected such a reaction. The reverence and delight she had imagined never appeared; instead, she was utterly ignored.

She puffed out her cheeks, making her already somewhat round face look even puffier.

Her emerald-green eyes widened round as she stared at the bird's nest-haired man on the bed, who seemed about to fall asleep at any moment. A surge of anger at being slighted rose in her heart.

"Hey, rude commoner! Don't you want to hear of the great deeds of the ten knights under Princess Maxwell?" Though she instinctively raised her voice, she did not sound particularly imposing.

Li Ang turned over, giving her his back.

The girl grew even more anxious. She jumped down from the chair, stomped over to the bedside, and began chattering at Li Ang's back:

"My ten knights are all incomparably valiant, comparable to legends. They will accompany me into battle, beginning with the Frost Dragon that has occupied the northern ice fields for a thousand years..."

Li Ang pulled the blanket higher, covering his head.

"In the end, we will defeat the evil gods, safeguard the peace of the continent together, and then..."

Although Li Ang had covered his head with the blanket, that incessant voice still kept drilling into his ears.

Li Ang finally could not endure it any longer. He suddenly threw off the blanket and sat up, looking helplessly at the little pink-haired dwarf who was still speaking in an endless stream.

"Fine, fine, Your Highness. Your knights are amazing. So where are they now? Ironforge? Or are they waiting for you outside the tower?"

Seeing that Li Ang had finally responded, Shandrameya smugly lifted her chin and sat back down in the chair. "Not yet, but after you join, there will be the first one."

Li Ang was utterly speechless. So after all that, that huge pile of endless adventure stories had all been this little girl's fantasy?

He truly did not know what she was so proud of... Could it be that she had developed delusions at such a young age...?

Seeing the expression on Li Ang's face that plainly said, "Are you okay?", Shandrameya's face darkened as though she had suffered some great humiliation. She gave a cold snort.

Then, as if casually, she took a glittering gold coin from her pocket.

"Here." She held the gold coin out before Li Ang, her face full of smugness. "This is your reward, loyal knight. Serve this princess well from now on, and there will be plenty of benefits for you."

The gold coin reflected an enticing gleam beneath the morning sunlight, and Li Ang's drowsiness instantly vanished.

He blinked and looked at that glittering gold coin.

Then he looked at the little rich woman before him, immersed in her own world, and his attitude immediately changed.

Maybe... she isn't that annoying?

He cleared his throat. A perfectly respectful expression instantly appeared on his face. He extended his hand, but did not directly take the gold coin.

With a solemn expression, Li Ang held up the hand Shandrameya had extended with the coin, lowered his head, and lightly kissed the ring.

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness." Li Ang raised his head, his tone becoming solemn. "It is my greatest honor to serve the noble princess."

Shandrameya was extremely satisfied with Li Ang's performance. A brilliant smile bloomed across her round little face, as though she had truly completed a knighting ceremony.

Li Ang smoothly took the heavy gold coin. Its weight delighted him immensely. One gold coin was equivalent to a hundred silver coins. He had struck it rich this time.

"Very good!" Shandrameya withdrew her hand, puffed out her chest, and issued her first mission. "This princess commands you: in two hours, accompany me out of the tower to the nearby Whispering Forest."

Li Ang tucked the gold coin into his pocket and nodded. "As you wish, Your Highness."

After seeing off that lavishly wealthy dwarf princess, Li Ang returned to his dormitory and began washing up.

"Ironforge... Shandrameya Maxwell..."

He silently repeated the name in his heart while recalling the information about the destination she had mentioned.

Whispering Forest—his instructor had mentioned that place during class.

That forest lay roughly fifty kilometers northwest of the Wizard Tower. Because it was close to the Wizard Tower and was regularly cleared by the tower's enforcement teams, there were no particularly powerful Demonic Beasts within it.