Next to the Frenzel mansion, by the courtyard pavilion, Riezel was practicing swordsmanship when he suddenly received a message from a servant.
"Someone wants to see me?" Riezel furrowed his brow but didn't disrupt his rhythm. He maintained a steady breath, simultaneously dancing with his sword.
"Y-Yes." The servant replied nervously, lowering his head.
Watching Riezel continuously spin the air, his wooden sword dancing like a whirring whirlwind, exuding an imposing aura, the servant unconsciously swallowed his saliva hard.
"I'm not available." Riezel continued practicing, his voice unwavering. "Just tell them I'm busy practicing swordsmanship."
With that, he spun the wooden sword in his hand, forcefully slashing.
*Whoosh—!*
A gust of wind erupted along the trajectory of the slash, blowing away all the surrounding dust. Though his swift slash clearly didn't hit anything, inexplicably, it left a deep mark on the ground.
*Gulp!*
===
"Practicing swordsmanship, you say?"
Archie muttered speechlessly while raising both eyebrows.
Outside the gate, the Rhein family's carriage was parked, with several bodyguards standing next to it. Archie and his bodyguards were nervously eyeing the knights neatly arranged all around, awaiting Riezel's appearance. Yet, he was instead informed of such an excuse by the servant.
"Yes." The servant wiped away non-existent sweat and spoke respectfully. "Mr. Riezel is indeed occupied right now. He's at a crucial point in his practice, and we dare not disturb him casually."
Though the servant's words were quite subtle, Archie still understood what they meant.
However, returning home was not an option for him.
"Can I go in to see him? We're good friends." Archie insisted.
He didn't care whether Riezel was at a crucial point in his practice. This time, if he couldn't see Marquis Frenzel, there might be no chance in the future. By then, his family situation would be settled, and his father would undoubtedly appoint his useless elder brother as the heir.
If that happened, it would be too troublesome.
Therefore, he definitely needed to see Riezel, no matter what. If it weren't for the fact that this was the residence of Marquis Frenzel, Archie, as the second son of a count family, wouldn't have hesitated to barge in.
Hearing Archie's adamant request, the servant became anxious.
Since Riezel didn't intend to meet Archie, the servant could simply ignore Archie and ask him to leave. But firstly, Riezel was just a guest and wasn't part of the Frenzel family, so the servant couldn't just turn away all visiting guests because of his instruction. Secondly, Archie was a major noble, making the servant hesitate to offend him.
If it were Yuri's orders, the servant would unquestionably follow them.
With her backing him up, the servant didn't need to worry about any consequences. However, since the instruction came from Riezel, he had to consider whether offending Archie was worth it.
Fortunately, as the servant wrestled with his decision, someone capable stepped forward.
"What's all this commotion about?" Ian walked out of the mansion, observed the situation, and approached while furrowing her brows.
"Miss Ian." The servant hastily greeted, bowing his head.
"Hello, Miss Ian." Archie smiled and greeted warmly. "Do you remember me?"
Unfortunately, his seemingly friendly attitude was purely for show.
"You're the Rhein family's second son; I naturally remember." Ian nodded towards Archie, then said expressionlessly. "Excuse me, do you have any business here?"
Her businesslike demeanor left Archie stunned, freezing him in place.
"I-I'm here to ask Riezel about something..."
He could only smile awkwardly, revealing his purpose.
"Mr. Riezel is likely busy." Ian politely declined, seemingly aware of his true intentions. "Tomorrow, we're heading to the Frenzel territory, and he will accompany us. Since it's already late, he must have many preparations to make. Why not wait until we return, and then Young Master Archie can catch up with Mr. Riezel?"
'Wait until you guys return? What's the point then!' Archie felt an urgency within him, his impatience causing a hint of irritation in his tone. "I have something really important to discuss with him, so let me meet him. He's just a guest, right? There's no need to be so considerate toward him."
Upon hearing that, Ian's frown deepened, and she looked at Archie as if she were dealing with a clown.
Indeed, Riezel Brynhart was just a guest of the Frenzel family, with no deep connections to them. But the point was that he had a good relationship with the head of the family herself!
Did this young master think that her master would just persuade anyone to stay, allowing them to live in her home without paying, and even have access to her master's important hidden library?
Except for Miss Marilyn, she and Ain were her master's most trusted attendants. Yet, her master unhesitatingly commanded the two of them to act as his bodyguards.
Wasn't that enough to indicate his significance to her master?
With such a relationship, even if he was a stranger with no deep ties to them, or even an enemy, as long as it didn't involve a deeply personal conflict, they had to get along and show respect to him.
How could this young master dare to say there was no need to be so considerate toward him?
Did this Rhein family's second son actually appear somewhat clever but turn out to be so dumb and foolish?
Little did Ian know that Archie wasn't dumb or foolish; he simply didn't know and realize the strong bond between Riezel and Yuri.
In Archie's eyes, Riezel was merely taking advantage of the opportunity after being kindly brought back to Yuri's place for treatment due to his severe injuries. He guessed that Riezel used flattery and deception to gain sympathy from her, who then continued to accommodate him.
In other words, Archie thought Riezel was using his injuries as a pretext, considering this as a rare opportunity to stay in Yuri's place and have this big shot as his backing.
However, Archie didn't know that Riezel actually intended to leave, but Yuri's persistent efforts to keep him convinced him to stay temporarily under her asylum.
Riezel was genuinely grateful for Yuri's kindness, even though he never explicitly expressed it. If given the chance in the future, he would surely repay her generously. However, she didn't care and regarded him as her close friend, treating him with unconditional kindness.
The situation was far from Archie's imagination, as their relationship was even better than he could comprehend.
As a result, Ian's tone became more aggressive.
"Sorry, without Mr. Riezel's permission, we can't just let you in. Young Master Archie, please leave."
Without waiting for Archie's response, Ian turned and left.
"You—?!"
Archie was instantly furious, but the stares from the surrounding knights caused much of his anger to dissipate.
"Please leave."
Even the hesitated servant earlier now became fearless and directly chased Archie away.
There was no need to make things difficult.
With even the attendant most trusted by Yuri giving orders, the servant naturally wouldn't hesitate any longer.
"Tch!" Archie, feeling helpless, could only click his tongue, disregarding his usual polite image.
He clenched his fists and, with a stride full of anger, prepared to leave. However, at this moment, an unexpected sound of explosion erupted.
*BOOM!*
At the edge of the Frenzel residence, an explosion occurred, unleashing exploding flames and shockwaves, causing black smoke to billow from that corner.
"What the—?!"
"Explosion?!"
One by one, the Frenzel family's knights were shocked, unable to maintain their composure and solemn posture.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Explosions without any warning appeared all around the walls of the Frenzel residence, causing successive billows of black smoke.
"Quick!" Ian turned back and shouted orders. "Go and see what happened!"
Her orders restored calmness among the knights.
""YES!""
With a simultaneous loud response, the knights dispersed, each investigating on their own.
'Perfect opportunity!'
Archie, observing the weakened defense at the main gate because of the distracted knights, felt a surge of joy. Seizing the moment when everyone was off guard, he stealthily slipped into the Frenzel residence.
Surprisingly, the magic defense system that should have been triggered strangely showed no reaction to Archie sneaking in.
===
Meanwhile, Riezel was feeling some strange sensations in his body.
"What's going on?"
*BOOM!*
Awakened by the sudden explosion, he looked around in surprise at the rising black smoke. Before long, he discovered something glowing on his chest.
Riezel jerked an object out of his inside breast pocket, only to find it was a money pouch. His heart tightened as he unhesitatingly threw the pouch to the ground, causing the coins inside to scatter.
Among the coins, one emitted a radiant glow.
As the brilliance shimmered, waves of magical energy fluctuations appeared, causing an unknown effect that plunged the entire Frenzel residence into an eerie atmosphere.
"Wh-What is this?!"
"The money! It's glowing!"
"AAAAHHHH!"
Inside the mansion, some servants and bodyguards also had glowing money pouches, with coins rolling out.
*Thud!*
Riezel crushed the glowing coin underfoot, a cold gaze appearing in his eyes.
"Basolo..."
At this point, he understood what had happened.
He had been used.
Used by the Basolo family.