*Bzzz—*
Gradually, the lightning in the surroundings faded, and the crackling lightning surrounding Riezel's body slowly disappeared as well.
*Peng!*
With a sound like shattering glass, the sword in Riezel's hand broke the moment he sheathed it. He watched its fragments fall to the ground before turning his gaze behind him.
Over there, Lizbeth slumped on the ground in a duck-like sitting position, her chest rising and falling slightly as she stared blankly at her empty hands and then at her sword lying a short distance away.
Clearly, she hadn't yet processed what had just happened.
"It seems the outcome is decided."
In the distance, Marilyn, who had been protecting Yuri, lowered her hand and announced the sparring result.
Yuri let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief before glancing at the golden sword Riezel had knocked away, which made her uneasy.
In such a situation, Riezel approached Lizbeth.
"Are you okay?" Riezel asked calmly.
Upon hearing his voice, Lizbeth snapped back to reality.
"I-I'm fine!"
Lizbeth shook her head vigorously in panic, but upon realizing her defeat, she couldn't help but show a hint of disappointment.
In her mind, the final sight of that lightning was deeply etched in her memory, leaving her with endless afterthoughts.
'A flash of lightning means defeat...'
Lizbeth remembered the rumor that had been spreading wildly in the royal palace over the past few days and now understood its significance.
"Can you get up?"
Riezel extended a hand toward Lizbeth.
"I-I can!"
As Lizbeth looked at the hand reaching out to her, her charming face turned slightly red, showing a hint of hesitation and struggle. Eventually, she shyly extended her hand, placing it in Riezel's palm, allowing him to help her up.
"I'll be honest, you're impressive."
Riezel remarked as he released Lizbeth's delicate, almost boneless hand, which felt smooth—unlike one accustomed to wielding a sword.
"You know, I can't believe you just became a Sword Master."
Riezel was genuinely surprised.
From his perspective, Lizbeth's strength was clearly beyond that of a newly appointed Sword Master. Her swordsmanship and strength evidently far surpassed those of an ordinary Sword Master.
He roughly guessed that this princess was equivalent to an upper Level 5, not far from the limit of Level 5 like Ais and Marilyn.
Given her swordsmanship, which could utilize spiritual power, she would likely surpass even a Level 6 Sword Master if her opponent wasn't mentally strong.
Needless to say, this meant that she could essentially challenge higher-level opponents, just like him or Ais, but under restricted conditions.
A swordsman as skilled as her had only just become a Sword Master this year?
Were all members of the royal family really this impressive, needing to reach at least Level 5 power and possess the Sword Master Medal?
Moreover—
"Your sword..."
Riezel's gaze flicked toward the golden sword he had knocked away and then back to Lizbeth.
"You didn't use its true power, did you?"
Truthfully, he had a feeling that her sword was more than it seemed, so he had mentally prepared himself to switch to his true weapon after his casually made sword was destroyed.
However, she hadn't actually used the sword's true power from beginning to end and had just swung it normally like an ordinary sword.
"U-Umm, I'm sorry..."
As Riezel brought it up, Lizbeth immediately bowed deeply in apology.
"I still can't use Moslow's power, so it's not that I didn't want to, but I just couldn't..."
At this, Riezel relaxed a bit and expressed his curiosity.
"Moslow?" Riezel raised his eyebrows. "Is that the name of your sword?"
Lizbeth nodded gently and reached out toward the golden sword.
In the next moment, something magical happened.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, the golden sword that had been knocked away began to vibrate, levitate into the air, and fly toward Lizbeth.
As it approached, she opened her palm and caught the sword.
At the same time, the scabbard, which she had set aside at the start, flew over and landed in her other palm.
*Cling*
A faint metallic sound was heard as Lizbeth sheathed the sword before cradling it again.
Riezel and Yuri, who had just witnessed everything, exchanged surprised looks.
Just then, Lizbeth spoke again.
"I lost."
Lizbeth lowered her gaze, sounding quite disheartened.
"Even though I knew someone like me couldn't possibly win against Lord Sword Saint, I didn't expect to lose so easily…"
It seemed to be a significant blow to her.
Apparently, she must have never lost so decisively before.
"You know, you're already very strong."
Riezel shifted his focus from the golden sword in Lizbeth's arms to her.
"Having such skillful swordsmanship at your age, there is only one person I know who can rival you."
Of course, Riezel was referring to Ais.
Ais was sixteen years old and the strongest Level 5 swordswoman in Orario.
On the other hand, Lizbeth was fifteen, a year younger than Ais, but she already had the power of Level 5, with swordsmanship almost on par with Ais.
In fact, due to the War King Sword Style's special ability, Lizbeth even had a slight advantage over Ais.
Given this, Lizbeth's performance was already impressive, without any flaws. At least, Riezel greatly admired this seemingly timid yet extraordinarily skilled little princess.
"So, I..."
Lizbeth's eyes shined, looking at Riezel with hopeful anticipation.
Her expression was truly pitiful, making one feel an overwhelming urge to shower her with affection.
Unfortunately—
"I admit, you're very impressive—there's no doubt about that..."
Riezel spoke calmly as he looked straight into Lizbeth's eyes.
"But as I've said before, I have no intention of taking on any attendant, and I don't want to be bound by any nonsensical restraints."
His meaning was clear as day.
Lizbeth, holding her sword, subconsciously tightened her grip and lowered her head, looking somewhat dejected.
Yuri and Marilyn, who had come closer, looked at Lizbeth with unexpectedly complex expressions.
Seeing this, even though Riezel was somewhat uncomfortable, he wasn't planning to change his mind.
"Go back."
Riezel continued, patting Lizbeth on the shoulder.
"Just be a proper princess. There's no need to heed the unreasonable demand to become my attendant."
With that, Riezel turned and walked away.
"You should go back, Your Highness..." Yuri chimed in, her mouth opening to say something more but ultimately managing to come up with only these words.
As for Marilyn, she seemed unwilling to say anything, her gaze at Lizbeth filled with a hint of subtle pity.
Soon, the servants began to gather and started repairing the damaged courtyard from the battle.
Lizbeth stood silently among the servants, receiving many astonished and infatuated looks from them.
However, since no one recognized her as the ninth princess of Jinas, no one approached her, making her seem somewhat pitiful and lonely.
After a long while, Lizbeth finally left the Frenzel residence with her head down.
Yuri and Marilyn personally saw the princess out, watching her leave without saying a word.
===
Due to the sudden visit of the ninth princess, today's challenge arena was unexpectedly canceled.
As a result, the swordsmen and the crowd gathered outside the Frenzel residence had no choice but to leave in great disappointment, causing the residence, which had been bustling for the past few days, to become instantly desolate.
As Lizbeth walked a considerable distance from the Frenzel residence, a luxurious carriage arrived and stopped right beside her.
"Get in, Your Highness."
A cold voice sounded, causing Lizbeth to pause and stand in place for a moment before finally boarding the carriage.
Inside the carriage, it was completely empty.
Lizbeth hunched her shoulders and then took a seat with her head down.
Once the carriage started moving, the cold voice spoke again inside the carriage.
"Failed?"
Accompanied by this voice, a vague shadow swayed in front of Lizbeth.
It was none other than the Shadow Sword Saint, Rohm.
"Y-Yes, I'm sorry…"
Lizbeth didn't look up, hunching her shoulders even more and apologizing with her head bowed lower.
"No, there's no need for you to apologize, Your Highness." Rohm said emotionlessly. "It's just that we didn't expect Riezel Brynhart to have the courage to reject someone as talented as you, who is also a princess. Honestly, this was really unexpected... His Majesty will surely be surprised as well."
"What should I do...?" Lizbeth asked in a helpless, almost mosquito-like voice. "Should I go back to the royal palace?"
"...No."
Rohm fell silent for a moment before replying in an emotionless tone.
"Riezel Brynhart's existence is too important for us. If someone like him becomes an enemy, it would pose a significant threat. Please make another effort, Your Highness."
"But... he doesn't like me..." Lizbeth said, feeling very dejected. "Someone like me really can't seem to be liked by others..."
Upon hearing this, Rohm frowned but then recalled Lizbeth's treatment in the royal palace and could not bring himself to say a word in rebuttal.
"No matter what, please make another effort." Rohm said decisively, suppressing his emotions. "After all, this is His Majesty's will."
"..."
Lizbeth bit her lower lip and remained silent.
Rohm also stopped speaking, and soon, his figure vanished in a flicker—whether he left or simply concealed himself was unclear.
And so, the luxurious carriage drove out of the Frenzel residence perimeter, heading in the opposite direction from the royal palace.
===
The next morning.
As Riezel stepped out of the mansion as usual, heading toward the arena outside the Frenzel residence's gate to face his challengers, an unexpected situation arose.
"Hey! Who's that beauty?"
"A-Am I dreaming? She's so beautiful..."
"Is there really a swordswoman this beautiful in the royal capital?"
"H-Her boobs are so damn huge!"
Surrounding the arena, both swordsmen and regular people erupted in genuine awe and discussion, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as they stared intently at a young swordswoman in the arena.
"P-Please, give me your guidance!"
Clearly, the swordswoman was none other than Lizbeth, her face filled with nervousness as she shouted to Riezel with her eyes closed.
"..."
Riezel stood in the arena, silently watching the little princess across from him, lost in thought.