Early the next morning, when the sun rose from the east, driving away the moonlit night and pressing down the darkness, turning the sky into a bright blue day, a carriage bearing the Frenzel family crest rolled its wheels and slowly made its way toward the castle standing tall at the end of the main street.
Inside the carriage, Riezel and Yuri sat facing each other.
Beside Riezel sat Euryale, whose head kept nodding, while Marilyn, dressed in her usual maid outfit, sat next to Yuri as they conversed with each other.
"I've already sent word ahead and informed His Majesty that I'll be entering the palace today with you for an audience."
As Yuri spoke to Riezel, who was seated across from her, her expression was even more solemn than when they had discussed Ice Maiden and her group the day before.
"His Majesty declined at first, saying he was busy dealing with matters related to the ancient texts that had just been deciphered. But under my insistence, and in your name, he eventually agreed to the audience."
Hearing this, Riezel nodded slightly, neither joyful nor displeased, indicating that he understood.
Yet his indifferent attitude did nothing to ease Yuri's concern.
"Honestly, I'd really like to advise you not to pick a fight with the kingdom, but judging from how you look now, that's probably impossible, huh?" Yuri sighed, her face showing a helpless expression.
"It depends on how they act." Riezel replied calmly, without trying to reassure her, as though he already had a plan in mind. "I just find it strange that King Hendrick, who had previously gone out of his way to avoid conflict with me, suddenly decided to confine Lizbeth. If he can give me a reasonable explanation and let her come with me, I naturally won't have any reason to make trouble for the kingdom."
Needless to say, the implication behind his words was clear—if the other side planned to play hardball, he wouldn't hesitate to respond in kind. Had the other side not shown some restraint by merely confining Lizbeth instead of harming her, he would never have agreed to enter the royal palace so obediently.
"I know you're angry right now, and I don't intend to tell you to hold it in." Yuri smiled faintly. "If you were just an ordinary person, I would've told you to endure it, but you're not. Since that's the case, there's no need to endure at all."
Who was Riezel?
A genuine Sword Saint, and one recognized by the world as a Tactical-Class Magician.
Back then, his Sword Saint Medal had even been personally awarded by Hendrick himself—honorably and rightfully earned, without the slightest hint of pretense.
And a Sword Saint who was also a Tactical-Class Magician—such an existence, even without holding a position within the kingdom, was someone of great renown and respect.
Take Nibald, for example.
Even though not a Tactical-Class or Strategic-Class Magician, his strength was said to rival that of a Sword Saint. Because of this, whether it be the royal family or the nobility, all treated him with the utmost respect, always addressing him as 'Grandmaster.'
Riezel was the same.
As a genuine Sword Saint, anyone who saw him would respectfully address him as Sir or Lord.
And now, the attendant serving under a Sword Saint and Tactical-Class Magician had been detained and confined by someone else—how could that possibly be tolerated?
Of course, it couldn't.
Even Yuri thought it shouldn't be tolerated.
Riezel wasn't some nameless nobody, nor was he without backing—to detain one of his people so brazenly wasn't just an insult to him but also an insult to Yuri herself.
It was only natural.
Everyone knew that Riezel was now under her protection.
Consequently, Hendrick's actions already gave Yuri a legitimate reason to enter the palace and denounce him personally.
It should be remembered that back when Riezel had merely been attacked in secret by members of the Shadow, Yuri had entered the royal palace to confront Hendrick personally, denouncing the Mad Dog Prince before his very eyes, which led to the royal family's younger members being scolded and placed under house arrest by a furious Hendrick.
And this time, the situation was no less serious than that.
Hence, when Riezel declared his intention to visit the royal palace, Yuri agreed without hesitation.
However...
"His Majesty's attitude is clearly strange now."
Yuri spoke sternly to Riezel, a frown adorning her face.
"He once admired you, respected you, and treated you warmly, yet now he's willing to offend you just to confine Her Highness—there's obviously something going on behind this."
"If he refuses to compromise for whatever reason, knowing your temperament, you'll most likely clash with him."
And that would not be a small matter.
"You may be a Sword Saint, but the royal family also has Sword Saints of its own."
"The Shadow Sword Saint needs no introduction—personally trained by the royal family, utterly loyal. As soon as you offend His Majesty, he'll jump out from your own shadow and stab you in the back without hesitation."
"Besides him, there's also an unfathomable Old Sword Saint stationed in the palace, and even the Borley family's Sword Saint could be present as well."
Yuri's words reminded Riezel of those two figures she mentioned afterward.
The Old Sword Saint was the oldest living Sword Saint and widely recognized as the strongest one—a living legend within Jinas.
He had served the third-generation king and was considered a man of Hendrick's grandfather's era. Even Hendrick treated him with great respect, never showing the slightest hint of royal arrogance before him.
Riezel recalled the fleeting glimpse of an overwhelming aura he once sensed near the royal treasury, emanating from within a small wooden hut.
Back then, he had already understood that the one residing there was the kingdom's mightiest Sword Saint—someone whose strength far surpassed even Shadow Sword Saint Rohm, perhaps even reaching Level 8.
As for the Borley family's Sword Saint, that man was the current head of the legendary Borley family—a family of Sword Saints spanning seven generations.
Having inherited both the title and the swordsmanship passed down through his family, he possessed insight and mastery over swords that no ordinary person could ever hope to match.
Because of this, he was regarded as Jinas's second greatest Sword Saint, right after the Old Sword Saint—his power was said to far exceed that of common Sword Saints, leaving even veteran ones far behind.
He currently served as the captain of every knight division of Jinas, commanding all knights directly under Jinas's crown.
Even Guardian Sword Saint Raven Mavros, stationed at the border, ranked below him in status, so on the battlefield, Raven would have to obey his command as a subordinate.
He was recognized as the kingdom's strongest knight, honored with titles such as the Perfect Knight, the Sword Saint Knight, and the Supreme Knight.'
Many knights, enchanted by his charisma, revered him as their spiritual pillar, believing that he had already surpassed the mysterious Old Sword Saint who resided within the royal palace and rarely showed himself, declaring him the true strongest in Jinas.
He was also the father and master of Albert Borley, known as the best swordsman just below Sword Saint, raising and training his son personally since childhood, making him both his child and his disciple.
With these two legendary Sword Saints in the royal palace, plus the Shadow Sword Saint, the royal palace was indeed an impregnable fortress.
Not to mention...
"Moreover, the palace is also protected by a Strategic-Class Defensive Magic Barrier—Light of Heaven."
Yuri's expression grew ever more solemn as she spoke.
"It can withstand a direct strike from a Strategic-Class Magic, and it also prevents any magic from being used inside the palace. Unless one has special authorization from the royal family, even I would become an ordinary person upon entering."
In other words, once Riezel entered the royal palace, he too would lose his ability to use magic. Worse still, even the special abilities of a swordsman's Special Swordsmanship would be restricted and rendered unusable within the palace.
For example, Lizbeth's War King Sword Style—once inside the royal palace, its spiritual power could not be released, leaving only pure swordsmanship available.
Under such circumstances, even a Sword Saint would find his power greatly diminished by the Light of Heaven.
With so many restrictions in place, who would dare act recklessly inside the royal palace?
"If you weren't so good at creating miracles, I'd be repeatedly urging you not to get into a conflict with His Majesty..." Yuri sighed, glancing sideways at Riezel—only to find him still calm and composed, as if none of this truly concerned him.
"I already know all that." Riezel said calmly, turning to look at her. "Don't worry. If it really comes to that, just stand aside and watch. You don't need to interfere."
Yuri didn't take offense at his words but merely gave a bitter smile and nodded.
Truthfully, there was nothing she could do about it anyway.
Once she entered the royal palace, she would be nothing more than an ordinary person who couldn't even cast magic, so even if she wanted to help Riezel, she would be powerless to do so.
Besides, she couldn't just step in recklessly.
Her family was, after all, part of Jinas's nobility, so if she acted on her own and openly helped Riezel, she might be accused of treason, and her family would definitely get implicated.
All she could do now was adapt to the situation as it unfolded, hoping she could somehow steer things toward a better outcome.
Thankfully, she was one of the kingdom's only two Strategic-Class Magicians, while Riezel was both a Sword Saint and a Tactical-Class Magician. If the two of them stood together, even Hendrick himself would have to think twice before driving away two prodigies whose power could influence the entire country's combat strength.
If Hendrick lost Yuri and made Riezel his enemy, both of these prodigies—each with boundless potential—would become the kingdom's foes.
In that case, Hendrick would have completely ruined his own hand.
In fact, that was precisely why he hesitated—his decision to confine Lizbeth rather than harm her already revealed his concerns.
Yuri's train of thought was that she could perhaps use that hesitation to safely bring Lizbeth away.
Her only unease lay in the fact that Hendrick's abnormal behavior didn't make sense.
'Did the Cordelion family react to this as well, and decide to move in response?'
Yuri couldn't help but think about the Cordelion family.
She could tell that Sergius and Serena must have told Riezel about Lizbeth's situation precisely to prompt him to confront the royal family—to see how they would respond.
Hendrick's sudden actions baffled even the Cordelion Family, but they had no choice but to stay alert.
Moreover, if Hendrick truly offended Riezel, that would actually be to their advantage.
At that point, they might even have the chance to pull Riezel to their side and gain powerful support for themselves.
'Well, they're born into royal blood... not a single one of them can be underestimated...' Yuri thought silently, her gaze shifting toward Euryale, who was dozing off.
At this moment, Euryale looked entirely different from when Yuri had seen her the day before.
Euryale's graceful figure and those ruby-like red eyes hadn't changed, but her face had—now, it was an unfamiliar one Yuri had never seen before. Her face was still beautiful, so beautiful, in fact, that it wasn't inferior to her original looks—she still appeared to be an extraordinary beauty.
An angel's face and a devil's body—this perfectly described the current Euryale.
"Why don't you make this queen—Ahem, I mean, this lady's face a little more ordinary?" Yuri remarked.
Of course, her remark wasn't out of jealousy.
Granted, she did envy the figures of both Euryale and Lizbeth, but in terms of facial beauty, she was confident that even if she couldn't win, she would never lose.
Her words came only from a practical standpoint—since Riezel could alter appearances, why not make Euryale less attention-grabbing?
Sure, Euryale was stunning right now, but beauty was often a curse, the root of countless troubles. If she walked down the street like this, she would probably cause a commotion nine times out of ten, bringing nothing but unnecessary problems.
"I'd love to..." Riezel said with a helpless smile.
Last night, he had summoned the Faceless Shadow in his room, just as planned, and made it Euryale's familiar to disguise her real appearance.
However, only then did he discover something unexpected—the Faceless Shadow possessed a mimicry trait, which meant that no matter how beautiful the original person was, the mimic form would be of the same level of beauty, and the same went for ugliness.
In other words, it couldn't make someone uglier or prettier—it could only alter their appearance to another face of equivalent allure.
As a result, Euryale now looked the way she did, just as beautiful as before.
If the mimicry hadn't been so flawless—so much so that even Riezel, with the Transparent World activated, couldn't see through it—he might have used a different method to change Euryale's face.
Moreover, the Faceless Shadow was an incorporeal, liquid-like creature, like a formless black fluid that couldn't be touched. When it attached itself to Euryale's face, even she couldn't feel it at all, so she accepted it unknowingly, without discomfort.
If he had used any other method, Euryale probably would've resisted.
Considering these two points, he could only let things be.
"As long as her true face isn't exposed, being a little conspicuous isn't a big deal." Riezel continued helplessly.
"Fine..." Yuri replied, accepting the explanation.
As for Marilyn, she had remained silent the entire time, like an outsider.
Even though Riezel and Yuri were about to enter the royal palace to confront her own father, Marilyn showed no reaction whatsoever.
And so, the carriage rolled into the royal palace, bringing with it an invisible stir of unrest.
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