Royal Capital Yeluvia, City Center.
In the northwest part of the royal capital, there was a restaurant named 'Hydromel'.
It stood directly across from the Royal Market, in completely opposite directions, but it seemed that the owner of both places was actually the same person.
Both the Royal Market and Hydromel were exclusive venues for nobles and wealthy merchants, strictly off-limits to commoners.
For this reason, at the entrance of this restaurant, not only were carriages from numerous noble families parked, but there were also exquisitely dressed young nobles coming and going, chatting and laughing, creating a scene of high society.
In this situation, a carriage bearing the Frenzel family's crest slowly approached and stopped in front of the restaurant.
"Sir Riezel, we have arrived."
Speaking respectfully toward the carriage, the coachman this time was neither Ain nor Ian but a knight from the Frenzel family's knightly order.
Soon, the two occupants stepped out of the carriage.
Riezel whispered as he looked at the restaurant before him.
It resembled a small palace, not only shining in gold but also guarded by people dressed as knights.
Just like at the Royal Market, these people were responsible for maintaining order and checking the identities of those entering, allowing only people with high status inside.
In truth, Riezel wasn't particularly fond of places like this.
He felt that such practices, which clearly categorized people into different social classes, were snobbish and merely served to highlight the superiority of the privileged and the inferiority of commoners.
However, he also understood that this was, after all, a medieval world.
In such a world, human rights were indeed less valued.
If it had been any other day, he wouldn't have had the desire to dine at such a place, but after learning the content of Carrera's letter, and with the meeting spot being here, he had no choice but to come.
However, since this wasn't a formal event like the previous award ceremony, he dressed quite casually and looked nothing like a noble or wealthy merchant, causing the guards at the restaurant entrance to cast curious glances his way.
In some generic novels, he might have faced disdain or obstruction due to his attire, leading to a cliché scene of face-slapping.
Fortunately, he wasn't a character from those novels.
As the newly appointed seventh Sword Saint of Jinas, he was in the spotlight. Coupled with frequent challenges from various powerful and famous swordsmen, his appearance had become well-known throughout the royal capital.
As a result—
"It's the Lightning Sword Saint!"
"Whoa, it's Sword Saint Riezel Brynhart..."
"He's that famous youngest Sword Saint, right?"
"Yeah, it's gotta be him. Check out the crest on that carriage—it's the Frenzel family's."
"Any swordsman showing up in a Frenzel carriage can only be the Lightning Sword Saint!"
As expected, the crowd began to murmur and buzz with excitement.
"Let's go in, Lizbeth."
Riezel said calmly and took a step forward.
"Yes."
Lizbeth, holding Moslow and dressed quite casually, still drew the attention of many men and women around—visibly impressed by her appearance and figure.
With that, the two of them walked into Hydromel under the crowd's gaze, and as they wanted to enter, the two guards stationed at the entrance hurriedly bowed to Riezel, showing no sign of trying to stop them.
Although Riezel had received only the Sword Saint Medal and the title of Sword Saint, without holding any noble title and remaining a commoner rather than a noble, no one treated a Sword Saint as merely a commoner.
Even without special privileges or noble titles, the title of 'Sword Saint' alone granted him status and influence that surpassed most nobles, compelling even dukes and marquises to treat him with respect.
Moreover, one should remember that he was also a Tactical-Class Magician who could obtain a noble title whenever he wished. Given his current fame, he could receive treatment that most nobles would never experience simply by showing his face.
Naturally, the two guards also didn't dare to stop Lizbeth, who was known as Riezel's attendant. Unless they wanted to be thrown into the river to feed the fish by the restaurant owner tomorrow, they had no choice but to let her pass.
"Welcome to Hydromel, Sword Saint Brynhart."
Apparently having received word, the restaurant manager rushed out as Riezel entered, greeting him personally.
"I have a reservation. Where is Carrera Elliott?" Riezel asked without wasting time.
"Oh... the young lady from the Elliott family, is it?" The restaurant manager responded quickly. "She is in a private room on the third floor. Let me show you the way—this way, please."
With that, he respectfully led the way, taking Riezel up to the third floor.
As a restaurant open only to high society, Hydromel had its own set of rules.
In this restaurant, there were no public areas, only private rooms.
In other words, there were only private dining rooms, with no areas for a large group of guests to gather and eat together.
However, there were exceptions, such as venues designed specifically for hosting special events like banquets or balls, while everything else consisted of private rooms, ensuring that no one would disturb the guests while they dined.
The first floor was a series of venues specifically designed for hosting banquets, balls, and other special events.
The second floor featured private rooms that could be reserved by minor nobles, like viscounts and barons.
The third floor was reserved for major nobles, such as counts, marquises, and dukes.
If members of the royal family came here to dine, they would also be on the third floor.
Although the Elliott family was neither a marquis family nor a duke family, they were still a count family, meaning they were considered a major noble.
Given this, Carrera's reservation was, of course, for a private room on the third floor.
Before long, Riezel and Lizbeth, with the restaurant manager's guidance, made their way to the third floor and arrived at a magnificent golden door.
*Knock-Knock!*
"Miss Carrera, Sword Saint Brynhart has arrived."
After knocking politely, the restaurant manager called into the room.
Soon after, a familiar voice to Riezel called out from within.
"Let Sir Sword Saint come in."
As soon as these words resounded, the golden door was opened.
Inside was a room akin to a presidential suite, complete with partitions, a tearoom, a lounge, and, surprisingly, a bedroom.
In the lounge, an expensive dining table was set, with three girls in formal dresses seated around it.
As the door opened, the three girls rose to their feet.
Two of these girls were ones Riezel had met after arriving in this world.
One had strikingly bright red hair, while the other had an innocent, childlike face.
Needless to say, they were none other than Carrera and Sylvanie, who had previously accompanied Riezel to the Royal Market and had met him after his transformation. Now dressed in elegant formal wear, they no longer appeared as the carefree girls they had once been but as true-born noble young ladies.
"Long time no see..."
Carrera gazed at Riezel, who had just walked in with an exceptionally beautiful attendant by his side, her eyes filled with mixed emotions.
"Ah, long time no see."
Riezel nodded and responded calmly to Carrera's greeting.
It was as if there was an invisible distance between them, making it hard to believe that not long ago, they had been part of the same group, students at Spriller Academy.
Sylvanie, on the other hand, cast a timid glance at Riezel, her large eyes reflecting curiosity and a sense of reverence for a Sword Saint.
As the saying goes, a scholar should be viewed with new respect after three days apart—meeting again here, Riezel was no longer the same person Carrera and Sylvanie had known.
Clearly, they were now just strangers to Riezel, and their past 'friendship' was no longer relevant.
Especially for Carrera, who had never expected that the once insignificant magic student, who had shown a bit of talent, been flaunted by Archie, and occasionally sought to please her, would transform into a Tactical-Class Magician and the highest-ranked swordsman on the continent—a Sword Saint.
After all, the name 'Lightning Sword Saint' was now well-known throughout the kingdom and the continent, and his popularity was soaring.
As a result, encountering Riezel again, Carrera found herself feeling a bit nervous in his presence.
"Thank you for coming today."
After taking a deep breath, Carrera managed to mask her nervousness and, with a polite gesture of lifting the hem of her skirt, greeted Riezel with formal courtesy.
"You brought out the Mad Dog Prince in the letter, so how could I not come?" Riezel responded with a calm smile. "Surely, that shouldn't be an excuse, right?"
If that had just been an excuse to lure him out and meet him, he would have turned around and left immediately.
In his eyes, Carrera was just a stranger, and the original Riezel's feelings toward her were irrelevant to him, so he would not give her any special treatment.
Fortunately, she wasn't that foolish.
"Of course, it's not an excuse." Carrera gently shook her head. "However, before mentioning that prince, let me introduce you to someone."
Her words didn't surprise Riezel.
"You mean the person next to you?"
Riezel asked calmly, glancing at the third girl in the room beside Carrera and Sylvanie.
She had long golden hair that reached her waist, a delicate and beautiful face, a graceful figure, and a very distinguished presence, especially her pair of sparkling, enchanting eyes, which made her even more attractive than Carrera.
Noticing Riezel's gaze, the golden-haired girl immediately flashed a beautiful smile.
"Greetings, I'm Serena Cordelion. Nice to meet you, Sword Saint Riezel Brynhart."
With this introduction, the famous, talented daughter of the Cordelion family finally made her appearance.