Riezel truly wanted to have a match with the mysterious closed-eyed swordsman who followed Alderman.
After coming to this world, he could no longer rampage through the dungeon like before, and could only rely on practicing swordsmanship and magic to hone himself.
In this world, he had only engaged in actual combat twice.
One was against the burly Sword Master who ambushed him, and he easily won. The other was against several masked people who blocked him inside the Frenzel mansion, and he also easily defeated them.
While those fights were satisfying, he still wanted an opponent who could match his strength. Fighting against such an opponent would allow him to gain more excelia, experience more growth, and ignite a sense of excitement within him, truly killing three birds with one stone.
Since that mysterious swordsman gave him a feeling similar to facing Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, it indicated that this swordsman was at least equivalent to a Level 6 adventurer.
An opponent of this level was worthy of his full effort.
Riezel hoped this swordsman would participate in the War Festival so he could face him. He just didn't know whether this swordsman would appear in the first round or the third, but he hoped it would be the third.
After finishing pondering the mysterious closed-eyed swordsman, Riezel looked at Yuri and asked another question.
Yuri didn't need to answer this question since Marilyn herself was the one who answered.
"I'll go..." Marilyn said calmly, though her expression showed uncertainty. "But I probably won't win."
"Huh? Why?" Riezel was somewhat surprised by her answer.
Yuri took over from Marilyn.
"The first one to go on my father's side will probably be my elder brother, Sefaz." Yuri explained. "Although my father has many attendants and knights, none of them have reached the level of a Sword Master yet. So, for the sake of winning, my father will definitely have my brother assist him."
"Oh?" Riezel raised his brow. "So your brother is a Sword Master?"
"Yes..." Yuri answered indifferently. "In my family, only my father and I have the talent to become magicians. The rest of my siblings, including my mother, cannot perform magic due to insufficient magical energy and can only pursue the path of swordsmanship."
"However, Mediste doesn't seem to have the aptitude for swordsmanship since she has never successfully mastered it. On the other hand, Isaac is too impulsive and reckless, often skipping swordsmanship classes. So, neither of them is at the level to call themselves swordsmen yet."
"Only my elder brother and elder sister have been practicing swordsmanship since childhood. Now both of them have achieved the title of Sword Master, especially my brother. He may seem frivolous, but he's a genius in swordsmanship. He obtained the title of Sword Master five years ago, and his strength is probably stronger than Marilyn, Ain, and Ian under normal circumstances."
Yuri informed Riezel that Marilyn obtained the title of Sword Master three years ago, while Ain and Ian obtained it one year ago.
Based solely on the time, these three couldn't compare to Sefaz. As long as he hadn't neglected his training in recent years, he wouldn't lose to Marilyn, Ain, and Ian.
However, Riezel was more concerned about details Yuri mentioned subconsciously just now.
'What does she mean by 'normal circumstances'?'
Riezel was about to ask this question in his mind when she suddenly spoke up again.
"You know, I've never really understood my elder brother..." Yuri said, furrowing her brow. "I always feel like he's hiding something... Ever since before, his actions have been suspicious, especially after my father handed over the family head position to me, causing my brother to lose his qualification as the family heir. He's become even more unpredictable since then, always out doing who knows what..."
As she spoke, her eyes betrayed deep suspicion and a hint of wariness.
This fearless young lady, who feared neither heaven nor earth nor even the royal family, dared to retaliate against anything, had begun to harbor suspicions and wariness about her own elder brother.
"It seems like my father knows something but never tells me... He never even inquires about what my brother is up to or arranges any marriage for him, which is very suspicious..."
Yuri couldn't help but say a few more words, before shaking her head shortly after.
"But regardless, my brother still listens to my father and has always been by his side since childhood. My father should make him take action this time, so he will definitely show up."
Yuri believed that her elder brother would be the first to act.
The reason was simple.
"That's just the way he is... If someone entrusts him with something, he'll either try his best to avoid it or, if he can't, he'll quickly resolve it. He dislikes troublesome things after all..."
"Why not let me go first then?"
Riezel became somewhat interested in fighting Sefaz after Yuri's explanation.
However, Yuri disagreed.
"Not worth it." Yuri shook her head. "If you go out as a swordsman in the first round, you can't use magic. It's better to avoid situations where you can't give your all."
Only swordsmen could participate in the first round, so if Riezel went out, he could have only used swords, not magic.
The same went for the second round. If he went out, he could have only used magic, not swords.
So naturally, Yuri didn't want to waste Riezel, such an excellent combat power, in other rounds, and wanted him to fight unrestricted in the third round.
By now, everything had become very clear.
'The first round, Marilyn against Yuri's elder brother, she was likely to lose.'
'The second round, Yuri against her father, she was confident she could win.'
'So, does that mean... the outcomes depend on my performance in the third round, huh?'
As Riezel pondered that, he was unsure how to react.
"Or maybe... you do not need to fight at all?" Yuri suddenly grinned. "Perhaps my brother actually has neglected his swordsmanship over the years and lost to Marilyn. So, you wouldn't need to compete in the third round."
This young lady truly had confidence in herself, believing she could win against her own father.
In such a situation, Riezel didn't feel it appropriate to say something like, 'Maybe we lost the first two rounds, so I won't have to compete either.'
Of course, with the situation becoming clearer, it dawned on him that he might indeed face off against that closed-eyed swordsman. After all, according to Yuri's assessment, her brother would attend the first round, while her father would attend the second. Thus, in the third round, it was highly likely her father would send in that swordsman.
Yuri was uncertain of the swordsman's strength, but her father surely knew. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought the swordsman along to the meeting of the Frenzel family, which was an internal matter.
This demonstrated the swordsman's value, at least in her father's eyes.
Yuri mentioned that under her father's command, there were no Sword Master attendants or knights. With this in mind, it was probable that her father had recently recruited this swordsman and kept him as a trump card for the final showdown.
This realization only heightened Riezel's anticipation.
Facing off against an opponent of equivalent strength to that of a Level 6 adventurer would undoubtedly make for an exciting fight.
===
While Riezel and Yuri were discussing the War Festival, in a secluded alley of Undine, the mysterious closed-eyed swordsman, who had been on Riezel's mind recently, silently appeared.
He still had his eyes closed and a sword at his waist as he walked confidently through the alley, heading towards the darkness. His pace was not quick, but rather slow, almost as if walking through a swamp, dragging one step at a time.
As he walked, a few figures gradually approached him.
"Hey, blind guy, what are you doing alone in a place like this?"
A mocking voice rang out.
"It's dangerous to walk alone at night, y'know."
Accompanied by such words, several dangerous-looking thugs emerged from the darkness and surrounded the swordsman, forcing him to stop.
"Hey, blind guy, how about coughing up some money?"
The leader of the thugs licked his lips, chuckling softly.
"We're here to teach you a lesson, show you how sketchy these alleys get after dark. Handing over some money seems fair, don't you think?"
Upon hearing that, the closed-eyed swordsman remained motionless.
It was another thug who, upon seeing the sword hanging from the closed-eyed swordsman's waist, hastily spoke up.
"Hey Boss, watch out! This guy's got a sword. Maybe he's a swordsman."
As soon as these words were spoken, the bodies of every thug tensed up.
However, the leader still acted carelessly.
"Like, seriously, who cares if he's a swordsman? Who knows if this guy is just a trash swordsman practicing elementary swordsmanship? I mean, a truly powerful swordsman wouldn't be hanging out in sketchy alleys in the dead of night, right?"
Upon hearing their leader's words, the thugs instantly believed his words and relaxed. But at the same time, the closed-eyed swordsman finally spoke up.
"Do you know what color blood is?"
His voice was hoarse, sending chills down one's spine.
However, without waiting for the thugs to respond, the closed-eyed swordsman spoke again.
"Not knowing is okay, just take a look beneath you."
Upon hearing that, every thug lowered their head.
In that instant, they saw it.
Red.
A glaring red.
There was no doubt, it was the color of blood.
*Click*
A soft sound suddenly emerged.
It was the closed-eyed swordsman, sheathing the sword he had unsheathed at some point.
Only then did the thugs realize that just moments ago, unnoticed by everyone, this swordsman had drawn his sword and silently slashed them with his sword.
"You..."
The leader of the thugs trembled, pointing his finger at the closed-eyed swordsman, then collapsed, his body bathed in blood.
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*
The rest of the thugs followed suit, falling one after another into the pool of blood, losing their lives.
"It seems like even trash like you all bleed red too..."
The closed-eyed swordsman spoke calmly, squatting down and pressing his hand into the blood, looking at the red stain on his palm.
"Hahaha... Hahahahahahahaha—"
He suddenly laughed, his laughter was as sinister as a malevolent demon's.