"Hahahahaha—!!!"
Hendrick suddenly broke into loud laughter.
"Very well, then I'll speak plainly too."
"Yes, I've confined her."
"But if you want her back, that depends on whether you truly have the right to be as impulsive as you claim."
*BANG!*
Right after Hendrick spoke, his sword—an ornate blade resembling a scepter known as the 'Sword of Authority'—struck the ground, producing a deep, echoing bang like the toll of a bell, and the gem embedded at the top of the hilt gave off a faint light.
"..."
In that instant, the air within the royal palace changed.
It felt as though some mysterious power had begun to flow, causing the barrier that enveloped the ceiling to shimmer faintly.
It was a sign that the Light of Heaven had been activated.
In truth, the Sword of Authority in Hendrick's hand was not some ancient relic, nor was it a powerful magic item—its true nature leaned more toward being a symbol of the king and the royal family.
In short, it was a national treasure representing authority rather than a weapon of power.
However, this same sword served as the core of the Strategic-Class Defensive Magic Barrier, Light of Heaven—its heart, its control device.
Through this sword, Hendrick could freely manipulate the power of the Light of Heaven, deciding who it would or wouldn't suppress—he could make it affect one person alone, or even trigger its other hidden functions.
As long as the Sword of Authority remained intact, the Light of Heaven would never collapse—even if it were damaged, it would swiftly regenerate, never losing its strength.
The one who held this sword was the ruler of the kingdom.
The one who held this sword was the lord of the royal palace.
So long as one stood within the domain of the Light of Heaven, the wielder of the Sword of Authority was the absolute sovereign of that space—perhaps not its god, but undoubtedly its pinnacle.
Now, Hendrick lightly invoked the sword's power, awakening the Light of Heaven and turning the entire throne room into a cage.
*Buzz—*
At this moment, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, even the stone pillars of the throne room began to emit a soft radiance, signaling that the room's nature had changed—it was no longer a simple audience chamber, but an arena, a coliseum, perhaps even a slaughterhouse.
Because of this, Riezel could clearly sense that the space around him felt wrapped in an invisible membrane, preventing his magical energy from leaving his body.
In other words, this place was no different from the 'Garden' Morgan had once created solely for him, making him no longer able to use magic.
Meanwhile, within this cage-like space, the surrounding knights and court magicians moved just as before—pressing down on their weapons as they stepped forward, splitting into two rows.
Some of them guarded the throne, others spread out to encircle Riezel like a tightening net—their expressions were cold and unyielding.
Only Florent Borley, Ferras Lacremis, and a few others remained where they were, watching with calm eyes.
As the knights approached Riezel, Hendrick did not stop them this time.
Riezel was surrounded by the kingdom's most elite knights, locked in place by countless killing intents.
"Your Majesty!"
Yuri could no longer remain silent and called out to Hendrick on the throne, but the next instant, she was stunned to realize her voice could not reach him.
Evidently, her words had been isolated, and there was no need to guess who had done it.
Holding the faintly glowing Sword of Authority, Hendrick shot a brief glance at Yuri, then turned his emotionless gaze toward Riezel, exerting pressure on him.
It should be noted that the Light of Heaven was one of the most powerful defensive barriers known on the continent. Besides repelling invaders, sealing off magical energy, and blocking communication between the inside and outside of the barrier, it possessed numerous other side effects.
Hendrick, with the Sword of Authority in hand, could employ these effects at will—controlling the barrier's powers to perform feats impossible beyond its boundaries.
Now, he borrowed that power to create an invisible pressure, as though trying to crush Riezel under its weight, which caused the air around Riezel to grow heavier, the gravity itself distorting.
If possible, Hendrick truly did not wish to clash with Riezel, which was why he used this method in the hope of forcing Riezel to back down.
'Just an attendant—must it come to this?'
Hendrick couldn't help but wonder why Riezel was so hell-bent on Lizbeth.
If Riezel truly wanted a princess attendant, he would not mind assigning him another princess as his attendant.
If one were not enough, two would do.
Even though in Jinas's history, no one had ever received two princesses as attendants at once, for someone with Riezel's potential and ability, Hendrick would gladly make an exception.
Riezel was, after all, the monstrous prodigy who had become a Sword Saint at seventeen, defeating a veteran Sword Saint that same year, ranking among the top Sword Saints in the entire Jinas.
To achieve such strength at such an age—surpassing even the Old Sword Saint and the Borley family's Sword Saint—was almost a foregone conclusion.
Moreover, Riezel was also a magician—a Tactical-Class Magician compatible with the Imaginary System, capable of wielding miraculous space magic.
Such a person, if willing to lend his strength to the royal family and the kingdom, would be invaluable. Even setting aside his raw combat ability, his mere presence on the battlefield would bring Hendrick endless confidence.
Lately, Hendrick had often imagined that if Riezel were to side with him, why should he fear Reiburg?
Riezel, with his unimaginable space magic, could teleport entire armies straight into Reiburg's heartlands—to their vital territories, even their capital.
If that happened, wouldn't Reiburg become the plaything of Jinas?
And further still, that maritime-fortress-like Volcarion—with its peerless naval might and countless vassal countries, guarded like an iron wall—even that country would not be beyond his reach.
As for the northern Theresis, Hendrick had long dismissed it entirely.
A country soon to perish on its own—what was there to fear?
If Riezel aided the royal family and the kingdom, Jinas's future would be boundless—perhaps even achieving what no one since the fall of the ancient magical civilization had accomplished: the unification of the entire Akasha Continent.
Before this day, Hendrick had entertained countless such fantasies and delusions, so many that his chest burned and his head fevered just thinking about them.
Riezel's impossible space magic, in Hendrick's eyes, possessed terrifying strategic significance.
For that reason, Hendrick genuinely did not wish to make Riezel his enemy—it would be best if Riezel simply withdrew on his own.
Unfortunately…
*Schwing—*
Accompanied by a faint metallic sound, Riezel, who had been surrounded, drew his sword.
No.
He merely pressed lightly against the hilt of the black sword that had somehow appeared at his waist, allowing a short section of its blade to gleam faintly.
Yet that single, subtle movement sent a sudden chill coursing through everyone's hearts.
He regarded the ever-increasing pressure upon him as nothing, just as he ignored the gravity that pressed down on the surrounding space around him.
Calm, indifferent, and detached, he released an aura that surged like a tsunami, shattering the mental defenses of everyone present in an instant.
"Oh?"
Ferras looked at Riezel with a mixture of surprise and admiration.
"..."
Florent, who had remained silent until now, also turned his deep, unreadable gaze toward Riezel.
Hendrick's expression shifted slightly.
Feeling the overwhelming aura emanating from Riezel's body, he realized that even though he had already done his best to overestimate the young man, Riezel's strength still surpassed his expectations.
*Clack!*
Riezel took a heavy step forward, and the knights surrounding him instinctively retreated one step in response.
"Riezel!"
Yuri tried to shout, but found that her voice could not pass through.
In fact, even her movements were restrained—the gravity in the surrounding space bound her in place, preventing her from taking even a single step.
Whether Riezel noticed Yuri's predicament or not, he showed no reaction and simply walked calmly toward the throne, while the knights encircling him couldn't help but move along with him.
Now, the entire formation shifted toward the throne—an unsettling sight that made Hendrick, seated above, feel a growing discomfort.
"Move."
Riezel's voice was utterly calm—it was soft and light, yet carried such weight with his aura that even a Sword Master would be compelled to yield before it.
Fortunately, the knights standing before him were not ordinary Sword Masters.
*Schwing!* *Schwing!* *Schwing!* *Schwing!*
Led by Bartos Regent, Harry Dover, and Arita Louis, the other knight captains and their subordinates drew the weapons at their waists, pointing them toward Riezel as waves of magical energy rippled across their bodies.
"Sir Brynhart! Please reconsider—this won't do you any good!"
Bartos Regent, the Captain of the 2nd Knight Division, spoke on behalf of everyone present.
Indeed, it would not.
Under the effect of the Light of Heaven, Riezel was completely forbidden from using magic. Bartos and the others, however, were exempt by Hendrick's Sword of Authority and thus unaffected.
In this state of absolute suppression, Riezel couldn't use not only magic but even abilities derived from magic, such as the special abilities of Special Swordsmanship.
Needless to say, without access to his Special Swordsmanship's special abilities, Riezel's strength was reduced—even as a Sword Saint, facing so many high-ranking knights at once would surely not end well for him.
For this reason, Bartos tried to dissuade Riezel from resisting.
Riezel, however, merely lifted his gaze slightly before—
*Bzzz—!*
In the next instant, furious lightning flickered across his body.
"Wh-What?!"
Everyone present couldn't help but gasp in shock.
*BOOM!*
Riezel suddenly transformed into a flash of lightning that illuminated the vast throne room, dashing forward with a thunderous roar that echoed through the room.
It was the lightning bolt that tore through space itself.
Everyone only saw a blur surrounded by crackling lightning, and then Riezel's figure had already appeared behind the gathered knights in the next second.
"Thunder Breathing - First Form - Thunderclap and Flash..."
As Riezel's calm voice fell, he stood still, his sword already sheathed.
*Splurt!*
Blood burst forth in an instant.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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