Today's meeting with the King of Jinas ended abruptly due to an unexpected match and its equally surprising outcome.
After the match, Riezel immediately turned and left, disappearing from sight and leaving a group of high-ranking officials, including the king, in shock.
Still in shock from the unexpected outcome, Albert was eventually taken away by members of the royal knightly order.
Meanwhile, once Yuri snapped out of her daze, she quickly apologized to the king and hurried off, seemingly in search of Riezel.
As for Hendrick, upon returning to the throne room, he dismissed everyone, sending the officials away while they were still reeling from the shock.
It was easy to imagine that these officials and knights would soon discuss this match, and by then, the name Riezel Brynhart would carry a weight many times greater than before, sparking heated discussions throughout the royal capital and the kingdom.
Hendrick could already see such a future unfolding, yet he still found it hard to believe.
"Albert..."
Hendrick muttered as he recalled the match.
Albert Borley, hailed as the best swordsman just under Sword Saint, had his sword broken and was defeated in less than the blink of an eye, without even having the chance to react.
What kind of swordsman could instantly defeat the best swordsman just under Sword Saint?
Sword Saint!
It could only be a Sword Saint!
Even so, this fact was just too unbelievable and ridiculous.
"...Rohm."
Hendrick suddenly spoke out into the empty throne room.
"Have you ever seen a seventeen-year-old Sword Saint?"
At this question, a hazy figure flickered briefly behind Hendrick.
Soon afterward, a gloomy and cold voice echoed.
"Not only have I not seen one, but I haven't even heard of one."
How could anyone have heard of such a thing?
In a world where becoming a Sword Saint before the age of thirty was already an extremely rare feat, how could anyone have heard of a seventeen-year-old Sword Saint?
Let alone someone who was seventeen, even Sword Saints under thirty were among the few in all of human history who could be counted on one hand.
"Are you saying that everything we saw today was fake?"
Hendrick didn't turn to look behind him but spoke as if he were talking to himself.
"..."
Upon hearing Hendrick's words, the person called Rohm fell silent.
In this situation, Hendrick rubbed his temples in exhaustion.
"Has the information on Riezel Brynhart really been completely investigated?"
Hendrick asked in a deep voice.
"It's been investigated..."
Rohm replied softly, explaining what he had found.
"We've checked it many times and confirmed it at least twenty times, but there's still no evidence that he has practiced swordsmanship."
"According to the information, he only began practicing swordsmanship after he was attacked and his Gate was damaged."
"Before that, there were no signs that he had ever been involved with swordsmanship."
Hendrick had heard this information many times already, but precisely because of this, he couldn't help but confirm it over and over again.
"If he hadn't shown any signs of practicing swordsmanship before, why did he suddenly become a Sword Master?" Hendrick muttered in wonder. "No, he's no longer just a Sword Master... Defeating Albert in one strike... such skill, such swordsmanship... is far beyond what a Sword Master should possess..."
As he recalled that flash of lightning once more, a deep sense of dread involuntarily surfaced in his eyes.
In his eyes, Riezel had become an extremely unfathomable figure, and he even suspected that the past Riezel was merely a disguise, hiding his true self all along.
Forget about anything else, just the swordsmanship alone, there was no way someone who just started practicing swordsmanship could develop that level of skill.
Swordsmanship that would take ordinary people decades to master—how could Riezel have developed it to that level in such a short time?
Riezel must have been practicing swordsmanship for a long time, but he simply never showed it or even hid it.
As Hendrick pondered further, he remembered that even his true skill in magic was hidden.
Otherwise, how could he have suddenly become a Tactical-Class Magician?
From the past information, when Riezel first enrolled in Spriller Academy, he was known to have barely mastered Combat-Class Magic.
Given this, how could he suddenly use Tactical-Class Magic in the incident between the Frenzel and Basolo families?
'Why is he hiding so deeply? Is he plotting something?'
Hendrick couldn't figure this out, but there was one thing he did understand—trying to win Riezel over or bind him to Jinas was almost impossible now.
"Since Riezel Brynhart is a Sword Saint, we absolutely cannot use forceful methods on him..." Hendrick muttered with a frown. "Since he's so resistant to becoming a noble, this route is probably closed..."
After hearing this, Rohm was silent for a moment before speaking up.
"Do you need me to take action, Your Majesty?"
At this point, Rohm's tone carried a hint of murderous intent.
"Can you handle 'that' strike?"
Instead of answering, Hendrick asked a question.
Obviously, he was referring to that terrifying lightning bolt that seemed to cut through the entire arena.
"I can..." Rohm paused, then continued in a flat voice. "But it won't be easy."
"Then it won't work." Hendrick directly rejected the idea without hesitation. "Without absolute certainty, we cannot act against a Sword Saint. You should know that better than I do."
"In that case, what does Your Majesty wish to do?" Rohm asked solemnly, having put away his murderous intent. "He doesn't seem very willing to pledge loyalty to the kingdom. If left unchecked, he might be tempted by foreign forces."
Hendrick had nothing to say to Rohm's statement, as this was also his concern. After all, the better Riezel performed, the more shocked and unsettled he felt.
Perhaps this was a common characteristic of every ruler—too much suspicion and worry.
"If there's truly no other way, then we must try to build a good relationship with him..." Hendrick said in a deep voice. "Even if he doesn't become a noble or contribute to the kingdom, we need to ensure that he won't be an enemy."
"Your Majesty means...?" Rohm began to understand the implication.
"Obviously, the best approach for him would be a marriage alliance."
Hendrick continued with a slight gleam in his eyes.
"However, given his attitude, he probably wouldn't accept such an obvious attempt. Fortunately, aside from being a swordsman, he is also a magician. Since he is a magician, we'll use the old method..."
"Our first step is to ensure that he doesn't become an enemy."
Hendrick's words prompted a question from Rohm.
"If that's the case, who does Your Majesty plan to send to Riezel Brynhart?"
Rohm's question led Hendrick into deep thought once more.
After a while, Hendrick made a decision.
"Ordinary ones probably won't be able to sway the youngest Sword Saint in history..." Hendrick said decisively, gritting his teeth. "I will send Lizbeth."
"What? No, Your Majesty!" Rohm's tone changed sharply.
Hendrick clearly understood his objection.
"Princess Lizbeth's talents are on par with those of Prince Sorren, even comparable to Albert and Sergius. Given time, she might even become a Sword Saint. How can we send her?"
Rohm strongly opposed Hendrick's decision.
"Who else, then?" Hendrick asked coldly. "Among my daughters, who else besides Lizbeth could possibly catch Riezel Brynhart's eye?"
"What about Princess Petra?"
"She won't do. Not only is she much older than him, but her abilities are also lacking."
"What about Princess Anna?"
"She hasn't even earned the Sword Master Medal yet. How could she catch his eye?"
"What about Princess Selene?"
"She already has an engagement."
"Then… Princess Shea?"
"..."
Hendrick finally turned his head, looking behind him, and then spoke through gritted teeth.
"Rohm, she's only nine years old..."
With that, Rohm fell silent.
"It's decided. I will send Lizbeth..." Hendrick sighed and waved his hand wearily. "Becoming a Sword Saint isn't easy. Even Sorren might not make it, let alone Lizbeth. Instead of hoping for a Sword Saint who might never come, it's better to focus on the Sword Saint we already have."
At this point, he fell silent and, after a moment of thought, spoke again.
"Make an announcement stating that Riezel Brynhart has qualified to become a Sword Saint. Soon, the royal family will award him the Sword Saint Medal and officially recognize him as a Sword Saint. You will act as his recommender."
Upon hearing this, Rohm knew that his king was starting to make moves to build a relationship with Riezel Brynhart.
"...Understood."
Rohm accepted the order and immediately disappeared from the throne room.
===
Meanwhile, while Hendrick was deep in thought and making decisions in the throne room, Yuri was hurrying down the royal palace corridor toward the direction of the Frenzel family's carriage.
"My Lady?"
Marilyn, still unaware of what was going on, looked at Yuri, who was rushing by, with a puzzled expression.
Yuri ignored Marilyn and went straight to the empty space where the carriage was parked.
In that spot, she finally saw the troublemaker who had suddenly left earlier.
"Looks like my surprise was quite something, making even you hurry."
Saying this, Riezel leaned against the carriage with his arms crossed, waiting for Yuri to come over with a smile on his face.
Yuri slowed her pace, staring at the young man before her who was both familiar and oddly unfamiliar, unsure of what to say.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
Riezel asked with raised eyebrows as he approached Yuri.
Seeing this, Yuri briefly wanted to roll her eyes at him.
"...Why didn't you tell me?" Yuri asked with a confused look.
"Tell you what?" Riezel seemed not to understand.
Upon hearing this, Yuri glared at him.
"Playing dumb, huh?" Yuri said with an annoyed expression. "Since you already have the strength of a Sword Saint, you should've said so earlier! You had me worried for nothing!"
Although her words didn't seem to affect Riezel, Marilyn, who stood behind her, looked shocked.
'Sword... Saint...?'
Marilyn looked at Riezel with wide eyes.
'He is... a Sword Saint...?'