Frenzel Residence, Top Floor, Yuri's Office.
When the night was quiet, the office was still lit by a magic lamp, dispelling the darkness and illuminating the entire room.
Yuri sat alone at her desk, writing on a piece of parchment with a quill, seemingly lost in her work.
Strangely, Marilyn was nowhere to be found.
Perhaps even she didn't know that her master was still working at this hour?
*Knock-Knock!*
In this quietness, the door to the office was suddenly knocked on.
"Come in."
Yuri paused her writing, stopped working, and looked up, speaking toward the door.
As the door to the office was pushed open, someone familiar to her walked in.
Seeing the visitor, a light smile appeared on her delicate face.
"I knew it was you."
Needless to say, only Riezel could make Yuri smile like this the moment he arrived.
"I saw the light still on and figured you were still up, so I came." Riezel said with a smile. "By the way, how did you know it was me?"
"From the knock, of course." Yuri replied, putting down her quill while still keeping her smile. "After all this time, I can pretty much recognize what your knocking sounds like."
"..."
Riezel was momentarily stunned by her answer.
"You can tell who it is just by the knocking sound alone?"
He had to admit, it was impressive to identify someone just from their knocking.
"Have a seat." Yuri said, her smile faded. "It's not often we get a chance to sit down and chat, is it?"
Upon hearing this, Riezel's expression turned apologetic.
He knew Yuri was upset because he had been so engrossed in the arena.
Since he had begun immersing himself in daily challenges, he had not made time to sit down and have a proper chat with her or enjoy tea together as they always had.
"Well, there's no helping it..." Riezel remarked as he sat down across from Yuri. "Since this is a rare opportunity for me, I naturally need to seize it as much as I can."
Because opportunities to gain excelia were scarce in this world, daily challenges from strong swordsmen were like a heaven-sent gift for him.
Moreover, he could use these challenges to develop a new sword form for Thunder Breathing or gain insights to improve Blooming Radiance, which made him even more excited and engrossed in it.
Given this, he truly couldn't help it.
"I really don't know what you're trying to accomplish, honestly..." Yuri muttered, rolling her eyes. "Being all mysterious and secretive, I don't even know how you suddenly became a Sword Saint..."
"And you? Why are you still up so late?" Riezel shrugged and changed the subject.
After helping Lizbeth organize her room, he noticed the light was still on in Yuri's office, so he came by to check.
However, when he brought it up, Yuri gave him a half-smiling, half-serious look.
"I'm handling some letters that need timely responses." Yuri replied, tapping a stack of already opened letters on the desk with a hint of meaning. "These are all from various duke and marquis families after the award ceremony."
"Oh..." Riezel instantly lost interest. "Is this just more of the same, trying to build relationships and connections?"
"I guess so, but... some of them are also testing our relationship." Yuri replied with a half-smile.
"Testing our relationship... you say? Hold on, what do you mean by that?" Riezel looked puzzled.
In response to his question, Yuri answered in an oddly calm tone.
"Simply put, we were too close during the award ceremony, and many nobles suspect we've become a pair of lovers. So, they deliberately sent these letters to probe the truth."
As soon as she finished saying this, the entire office fell silent.
She continued to gaze at Riezel with a half-smile, while Riezel, speechless, felt slightly awkward under her gaze.
"Seriously, do those nobles have nothing better to do?"
In the end, Riezel could only say this.
"Not really..." Yuri said nonchalantly. "You know, to those upper-class individuals who value social status and personal influence, if we were to unite, it would be an extremely powerful combination—one that's beyond impressive. Knowing this, it's not strange for them to want to confirm our relationship as soon as possible."
"Is that so... So, how did you respond?"
After hearing Yuri's serious explanation, Riezel asked in a somewhat annoyed tone.
"Do I even need to say? Of course, I just admitted it directly." Yuri answered in an overly calm voice.
"What...?"
Riezel's expression turned stunned.
"Fufu, just kidding."
Seeing his stunned face, Yuri giggled.
"I don't have the time to explain my personal life and private relationships to those so-called nobles. If their noble titles weren't so high, I wouldn't even bother responding."
"Anyway, for these kinds of questions, I haven't given them a straightforward answer. I've covered it all up with vague and evasive answers."
"As for what they think and what they'll do, that's their own business."
Yuri's cheerful words nearly left Riezel breathless.
"Seriously, you're really playing with my nerves with that joke."
He felt a mix of frustration and amusement.
"Well, let me ask you this then..." Yuri looked directly at him. "If it were you, how would you respond?"
"..."
Riezel was completely speechless.
Yuri's intense gaze seemed to convey some other kind of emotion, making him feel a bit awkward. Fortunately, his mental fortitude was always strong so no matter what he was thinking, his face remained as calm as ever.
"Of course, I'd do the same as you. I wouldn't have the time to explain my personal life and private relationships to those so-called nobles." Riezel answered casually, seeming quite natural.
However, his answer made Yuri fall silent, and the unusual emotion in her gaze toward him began to change, giving him a sense of silent displeasure.
"Ahem, by the way..."
Unable to bear Yuri's gaze, Riezel coughed and chose to change the subject again.
"Do you know a place called the Hidden Land?"
Yuri gave him another glance but followed along with the topic.
"Hidden Land? Is there such a place?" Yuri thought for a moment and then asked with confusion.
"Isn't there? Haven't you heard of it?" Riezel asked again.
"Nope... at least, there's definitely no place called the Hidden Land within Jinas." Yuri thought again and then confirmed.
Although Yuri was young, she was, after all, a prodigy who could graduate early from Spriller Academy. Not only did she excel in magic, but she also had substantial knowledge in various other fields.
In all the geographical knowledge she possessed, there was no place called the Hidden Land. Especially within Jinas, she could confidently tell Riezel that there was no place or area by that name.
As for other countries, she couldn't remember every single place, so she couldn't be certain about them.
"Why are you suddenly asking about such an obscure place anyway?" Yuri asked, her tone confused.
"Because something is going on..." Riezel said without giving much detail. "If possible, I'd like you to check if there's a place called the Hidden Land on the Akasha Continent."
"Well, that's no problem. Just let me know, and I'll handle it." Yuri nodded, giving a promise. "By the way, is this really important to you?"
Her expression grew serious as she sensed something in Riezel's demeanor.
"...Yeah, it's very important." Riezel replied after a moment of silence, nodding heavily.
Obviously, this was related to his biggest secret, and nothing could be more important than this.
"Got it. I'll look into it thoroughly." Yuri nodded, grasping the situation.
"Thanks... Oh, and could you also check on the sword called Moslow that Lizbeth owns?" Riezel added.
He recalled the sword held by the queen in the picture on the animal skin, which, in both appearance and aura, resembled Moslow in Lizbeth's possession. If they couldn't find the Hidden Land, perhaps there would be clues in Moslow.
"Sure."
Yuri, who didn't know Riezel's thoughts, simply nodded, as she was also curious about Moslow, given how unsettling it felt.
"Speaking of which, since you're here, there's something else I need to tell you."
Seemingly remembering something, Yuri pulled out a letter and handed it to Riezel.
"You better take a look at this."
Riezel took the letter and looked at the signature.
"Carrera Elliott?"
Seeing the familiar name, he frowned immediately.
"Her again?" Riezel casually tossed the letter aside. "Is there any point in reading this?"
Carrera had sent him letters before, but he had only read the first one and hadn't looked at the others since.
Needless to say, he didn't see the point in reading her letter.
"Actually, this time it's different..." Yuri shook her head. "She mentioned the third prince in the letter and said she has something important to talk about that involves him and you."
Riezel's eyes narrowed slightly as soon as he heard the 'third prince'.
"Mad Dog Prince?"
Remembering Sorren, Riezel thought it might be worth listening.
"Talking to someone who also has to deal with that mad dog isn't a bad idea, right?" Yuri continued with a nod. "So, what do you think? Would you go?"
Upon hearing this question, Riezel smiled slightly and only said one word.
"Go."