The next day, the Frenzel family became slightly livelier than usual.
Because many people had received the news that in a few days, the Frenzel family would be hosting the War Festival.
At first, many people were unfamiliar with the term 'War Festival' and felt confused, not knowing what it was all about.
The War Festival, which hadn't been held for decades, was suddenly announced to be brought back, so it was quite normal that many people hadn't caught on yet.
It wasn't until Alderman vigorously began promoting the revival of the War Festival to enliven it that people finally understood what the War Festival was about.
Now, the whole Frenzel territory was buzzing.
"Are Lady Yuri and Sir Alderman really going to join in this fighting competition?"
"Yeah, sounds kinda interesting."
"It's been forever since the Frenzel territory had an event this lively."
Many people were discussing it one after another in such a mood.
However, Alderman didn't actually publicize the true significance of the War Festival.
In other words, although people knew that Yuri and Alderman were preparing to participate in the fight, facing off against each other, they didn't know that the purpose of hosting the War Festival was to make the other party compromise to their demands.
This was a conflict and decision-making within the direct line of the Frenzel family, and it wasn't convenient for those below and outsiders to know about it.
Therefore, knowing about the War Festival's existence, people were simply looking forward to it and discussing it, but they didn't notice anything amiss. Only a few intelligent individuals clearly sensed an abnormality.
"Marquis Frenzel caused quite a stir in the royal capital, and now she suddenly set up this War Festival thingy?"
"The Basolo family is pretty hostile toward the Frenzel family right now. With Sir Alderman's way of doing things, shouldn't he try to ease the tensions between them first?"
"It's not that simple... There must be something we don't know about."
"Let's find out then."
The people who reacted like this were either some nobles or spies sent by certain countries or members of some mysterious force who had been deliberately monitoring the movements of the Frenzel family.
They keenly sensed that there was more to this and began to take action in secret. Moreover, believe it or not, they actually found the answer.
After all, the War Festival was once a tradition of the Frenzel family. While today's people might not understand and know its purpose, an observant and knowledgeable one would surely find out how the Frenzel family used to hold the War Festival and why it existed.
This wasn't some particularly significant secret; anyone with a bit of influence could investigate and surely find out.
Thanks to this, they learned the reason behind the revival of the War Festival.
"It appears Marquis Frenzel and Sir Alderman have reached an irreconcilable conflict."
"Is it due to the marriage with the Basolo family?"
"Definitely worth keeping an eye on."
With ulterior motives in mind, these people began to act one after another.
Even those who were previously indifferent to the affairs of the Frenzel family showed considerable interest in the War Festival itself.
"This is a great opportunity to get a close look at the strength of the Frenzel family."
"Since Strategic-Class Magician Yuri Frenzel will also participate, it might be the only chance to see her power up close."
"The War Festival is open to the public, right? When does it start?"
And so, whether ordinary people or those with ulterior motives, turned their attention to the War Festival.
The Frenzel family did not conceal any information and directly broadcast relevant news.
The War Festival was a celebration, a tradition, and naturally, it would not be conducted in secrecy. It was completely open to anyone, but if one wished to watch, one needed to buy a ticket.
Alderman's decision to revive the War Festival and hold it in Undine's largest training field was carefully calculated.
The training field was typically used for training knights, and magicians also practiced magic there, making it a venue capable of withstanding all kinds of fights, as long as tactical-class and strategic-class magic weren't released, of course.
Moreover, the field also had audience seats with a modest capacity of about five thousand people, which was sufficient.
Alderman planned to sell tickets for four thousand four hundred of these seats to the public, allowing anyone with tickets to enter and watch the War Festival. As for the remaining six hundred seats, they were reserved for special invitations.
He seemed to be preparing to invite the local nobles from the Frenzel territory to watch the War Festival, even planning to invite some dignitaries to attend.
It was clear that he was determined to make the War Festival grand and lively, a high-class event, which truly made Yuri feel displeased.
"I feel like he's using me... Did he plan to revive the War Festival from the start?"
Yuri couldn't help but suspect, venting her frustrations to Riezel.
Riezel hadn't anticipated that this so-called War Festival would end up becoming so widely known. After all, he wasn't particularly fond of being in the limelight, reluctant to be evaluated and scrutinized in public.
Most importantly, this would likely expose his true power once and for all. After all, before this, everyone had treated him like a useless cripple.
However, upon further thought, he honestly felt indifferent.
'Well, I've already become famous in the royal capital anyway.'
As Riezel thought that, he honestly couldn't wrap his head around it.
Yuri seemed to have been keeping tabs on developments in the royal capital and finally got wind of information that his status as a Tactical-Class Magician had been widely known.
Now, any noble with half a brain already knew that Yuri actually had a Tactical-Class Magician by her side, and that person was none other than him. He had recently been rumored to have lost his ability to use magic because of his damaged Gate and had to resort to mastering swordsmanship.
This rumor inevitably made many people secretly curse Yuri for her cunningness.
To think that a Tactical-Class Magician had been quietly recruited by her and then portrayed as a cripple hiding away. Had it not been for the Basolo family's farce, exposing this secret card that the Frenzel family had deliberately concealed, one might have fallen victim to this deception.
The royal family seemed quite concerned about this matter as well, so upon contacting Yuri, they wasted no time in urging her to return to the royal capital and bring Riezel along.
The reason, of course, was to bestow a noble title upon Riezel.
Any Tactical-Class Magician could be received by the king in the royal palace and be granted a noble title in front of the nobles. Moreover, it wasn't the lowest rank of baron, but a step higher—a viscount.
For Tactical-Class Magicians, once ennobled, the lowest rank was always a viscount. For those like them, if they could achieve some merit on the battlefield, they would immediately be promoted to the rank of count and become major nobles.
As for Strategic-Class Magicians, if they managed to achieve it and didn't have a noble title, they would immediately become major nobles by being granted the title of count. On the other hand, if they already had a noble title, they were unconditionally promoted by one or even two ranks on the spot.
Yuri had been such a case.
As she became a Strategic-Class Magician at the age of fifteen, she directly ascended from viscount to marquis, achieving a two-rank promotion in an instant.
Now that Riezel's status as a Tactical-Class Magician had been exposed, the royal family naturally wished for him to return posthaste, bestow a noble title upon him, and directly imprint him with Jinas's mark to prevent other countries from poaching him.
When Yuri told Riezel about this, she even apologized, saying she hadn't expected the news to spread so widely, resulting in the entire noble circle being aware of it now.
What Riezel couldn't understand was this.
'How did it get exposed anyway?'
At that time, after the knights and guards had already suppressed the slave invasion, all of them, including the servants, had taken refuge in the basement under Yuri's instructions.
In other words, logically speaking, nobody should have known about him using Rea Laevateinn.
So how did this get exposed?
'Was there an outsider witnessing me casting Rea Laevateinn at that time?' Riezel expressed doubt.
If that were the case, then this person was quite lucky.
If a tactical-class wide area annihilation magic had been unleashed without a tactical-class barrier to block it, the entire vicinity of the Frenzel residence would have likely turned into a sea of flames.
For this person to stay within the barrier, within the range of Rea Laevateinn, and still survive, they either had some skills or were just incredibly lucky.
Riezel sighed at this thought, then stopped dwelling on it.
If the exposure happened, it happened. He wouldn't die from it anyway; at most, he would just become the target of assassination again.
But in a way, he actually welcomed it.
As long as they didn't send someone on the level of a Sword Saint to deal with him, these assassins, no matter how many came, would only serve to increase his excelia.
Of course, he had no intention of returning to the royal capital and accepting any noble titles or positions the kingdom might offer.
In his previous life, he had suffered enough persecution in that world full of conspiracy and deceit among the upper society. Now that he had finally distanced himself from that world and gained freedom, there was no way he would go back to it.
A noble? Not in this lifetime!
As a result, Riezel told Yuri about his decision.
"I had a feeling you would say that. Okay, don't worry, I'll do my best to delay and make excuses for you." Yuri took on this task seriously.
However, as news of him spread, Riezel found himself being pestered by others as well.
One day, just as he was about to practice magic as usual, he was intercepted by someone who suddenly appeared.
"Teach me magic!"
Speaking with such an air of arrogance was none other than—
"It's you, the brat—I mean, the youngest child."
Looking at Isaac who had suddenly popped up, Riezel couldn't help but blurt out.
"Who are you calling a brat?! Also, I already told you I'm not the youngest child, dammit!" Isaac jumped up and shouted in anger. "You insolent fellow! Address me as young master!"
Seeing him behaving like an annoying noble brat again, Riezel couldn't help but feel the urge to give him another knock on his head.
"Are you sure you want me to call you young master?" Riezel said while clenching his fist tightly.
"Forget it, I won't argue with you..."
Seeing that familiar fist, the ever-flexible Isaac ultimately chose to magnanimously forgive Riezel's impoliteness.
However—
"But you have to teach me magic!"
Isaac continued to insist, leaving Riezel puzzled.