At the deepest part of the royal capital, Re-Estize.
In this area, which resembled a heavily fortified military zone, stood an enormous castle occupying a vast stretch of land.
Its outer perimeter measured approximately 1,400 meters, surrounded by thick walls, and around the walls stood twenty massive cylindrical towers, forming a robust defensive network that enclosed the extensive grounds, securing everything within.
It was a royal castle known as Ro-Lente Castle, the most important place in the Re-Estize Kingdom.
Within Ro-Lente Castle were three grand palaces collectively known as the Valencia Palace, and the largest of these palaces served as the royal family's residence—the home of the Re-Estize Kingdom's royal family.
One had to admit that the design of this palace was remarkable in its ability to draw in light. Not only was it illuminated by Continual Light throughout, but its surfaces were also polished to a dazzling shine year-round, free of even the smallest speck of dust—truly the epitome of luxury.
At this moment, Climb was walking briskly down one of the palace's corridors alongside Gagaran and Evileye, heading toward a specific destination with quick steps, an unmistakable sign that they were in a hurry.
"Seriously, we're screwed..." Gagaran muttered as she walked. "I didn't think we'd waste so much time. I bet our devil boss gotta be fuming right now."
"It's my fault..." Climb said, taking the blame onto himself. "Lady Aindra specifically asked me to summon you both to the palace to meet her, but I ended up delaying this important task."
Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, the leader of Blue Roses, was an old friend of the Re-Estize Kingdom's third princess.
Lakyus, who had stepped into the Realm of Heroes at the age of nineteen, wasn't just the highest-ranking Adamantite Adventurer but was also a noble by birth, a true noble young lady.
As a result, this well-known leader of Blue Roses would often appear at Ro-Lente Castle, usually because of invitations from the third princess to visit the Valencia Palace for personal chats.
Currently, the third princess had invited Lakyus to take on a confidential commission, and to assist with this, Lakyus had borrowed Climb, the princess's personal bodyguard, to summon her companions, Gagaran and Evileye, to the Valencia Palace.
Unfortunately, due to Brain's matter, the three of them had been delayed, forcing them to rush toward the third princess's quarters now.
Climb blamed himself for the delay, believing it was his fault that he hadn't brought them to the palace on time.
However, this mistake clearly wasn't on him.
"Nah, it was me who got caught up in Brain Unglaus's situation." Gagaran said, slapping Climb's back with her large hand. "In the first place, it was me who suggested we go see him. It's got nothing to do with you, kid. If Her Highness gets mad, I'll tell her it's all on me."
"Exactly."
Evileye chimed in, sounding far more talkative than she had been at Gazef's home and seemingly having her guard down.
"Like Gagaran said, this isn't your fault. We chose to go there on our own. If Lakyus asks, we'll explain it ourselves."
In the next moment, Evileye's tone suddenly shifted.
"Besides, it's not like our leader is completely blameless here either..."
Such a statement made Climb pause.
"Huh? What does this have to do with Lady Aindra?" Climb asked, looking a little lost.
Seeing his reaction, Evileye hesitated for a moment before revealing something to him.
"Actually, Lakyus told us long before this to keep an eye on someone named Riezel Brynhart."
"Eh?" Climb froze, completely stunned.
"It's real." Gagaran nodded, confirming Evileye's words. "Well, this actually concerns a senior member of Blue Roses, so when we saw Riezel Brynhart show up, we couldn't help but follow him. It was all to observe him properly." 𝙍ÅΝŐＢЁś
Because of this, Evileye claimed that their delay wasn't entirely unrelated to the leader of Blue Roses.
"Anyway, this isn't on you. You don't need to take all the blame for yourself, kid." Gagaran continued bluntly. "We'll explain everything to our boss later."
"Alright..."
Climb still looked a little uncertain but didn't insist on shouldering the responsibility, so he nodded to show he understood.
And so, the group quickened their pace, hurrying to a particular room.
Finally, as they arrived, Climb stepped forward and politely knocked on the door.
*Knock-Knock!*
"Princess, I'm back." Climb stated, his voice unconsciously becoming more respectful as he spoke through the door.
Gagaran and Evileye stood behind him, waiting for him to lead the way.
Moments later, a clear and gentle voice came from inside the room.
"Come in."
A soft, chime-like voice, warm and soothing, resounded from behind the door, lifting Climb's spirits.
"Excuse me..." Climb said as he reached out and pushed the door open.
In the next moment, a room that was both luxurious and tastefully understated appeared before them.
What caught the eye most, however, wasn't the expensive furniture or the opulent decorations but rather two striking young women with golden hair who sat by a table near the window, dressed in exquisite dresses—their beauty was the kind that could only be described as breathtaking.
"You're finally back, Climb."
Saying this was the master of the room, a young woman with a voice as gentle and soothing as wind chimes.
She possessed a beauty so breathtaking that it couldn't be easily captured in a simple portrait. Her smooth, silky long golden hair flowed gracefully past her neck and draped over her back, while her deep blue eyes, as dazzling as blue jewels, radiated a soft warmth, making anyone who saw her, without exception, be struck with awe—captivated by her beauty and filled with genuine admiration.
She was Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, the Third Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom, known as the Golden Princess.
Following Renner, the other beautiful young woman in the room also spoke up.
"Geez, you two sure took your sweet time..."
Saying this with a hint of irritation was a young woman who looked slightly older than Renner and had the same striking golden hair, but her eyes were green instead of blue. Even though her beauty didn't quite match Renner's, she still exuded extraordinary charm.
She was none other than Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, the leader of Blue Roses.
Renner and Lakyus, arguably the most famous in the kingdom in their own ways, were now gathered together in this very room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Princess."
Climb was the first to bow his head, apologizing to his master.
"It's fine as long as you're okay."
Renner didn't seem upset with Climb and instead looked relieved after seeing that he returned safely.
It was clear that Climb's prolonged absence had worried the princess, leaving her to wonder if something bad had happened to him.
Realizing this, Climb felt both happy and guilty, so he quickly bowed even lower, apologizing repeatedly.
"We're here, Boss."
"Sorry for being late."
Just then, Gagaran and Evileye spoke up one after the other, greeting Lakyus.
Unlike Renner, however, Lakyus didn't have such a forgiving demeanor, so her face still showed a clear sense of annoyance.
"You two didn't drag your feet on purpose because you heard you were heading to the palace, did you?"
Lakyus's question wasn't entirely baseless speculation.
She knew her adventurer companions were different from her since they weren't fond of places filled with rules and formality, like castles or palaces, and they especially disliked having to dress up and wander around in places like that.
Under such circumstances, it wouldn't have been surprising if Gagaran and Evileye deliberately slowed down after being summoned.
Needless to say, Lakyus had a reason to ask that kind of question.
"Now that's unfair, Boss. We just got held up by a few things, not on purpose." Gagaran shrugged helplessly.
"Is it just you here? Where are Tia and Tina?" Evileye asked while looking around.
As soon as she asked this, two voices responded immediately in unison.
""We're here.""
Two voices rang out together, identical in tone and pitch, coming from a shadowy corner of the room, a particularly well-hidden spot.
From there, two petite figures suddenly darted out, appearing in front of Evileye.
They were twin sisters who looked completely identical, even down to their outfits, named Tia and Tina. Like Gagaran and Evileye, they were members of Blue Roses, the highest-ranked Adamantite Adventurers.
Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, the group's leader and templar.
Gagaran, the group's warrior.
Evileye, the group's magic caster.
Tia and Tina, the group's assassins.
Together, these five formed one of the few Adamantite Adventurer Groups in the Re-Estize Kingdom, known as Blue Roses.
At this moment, all the members of the renowned Blue Roses, known across the Re-Estize Kingdom and even throughout human society, were gathered in this room, standing before Renner and Climb.
It was, in a way, quite a spectacular sight.
"You two are here, huh? Low presence as always."
Gagaran grinned, though it was hard to tell whether she was genuinely happy or mocking Tia and Tina for their lack of presence.
However, Tia and Tina didn't care in the slightest and immediately started scolding.
"We've been here from the start."
"We've been waiting for you two forever."
"Where did you even go?"
"Don't tell me Gagaran was out hunting for guys again, looking for someone to sleep with. Is that why you're late?"
"You really ought to tone it down a bit, Gagaran."
"You know, there isn't a man alive who could handle you."
Just like that, the twins didn't hesitate to tag-team their jabs, mostly aimed at Gagaran, making her expression crumble.
"You two better quit badmouthing me like that, seriously..." Gagaran said, visibly annoyed. "Anyway, I'm way better than you two little brats. If someone were to sleep with you, I bet they'd be worried about crushing you like a pair of twigs."
At this, the twins fired back without missing a beat.
"More like the guys you're into would get crushed under you."
"Poor Gagaran. You should face reality—you're not even a human anymore."
"Honestly, we've all started wondering if you've turned into a dragon already."
"If not a dragon, definitely a gorilla."
"Who's a gorilla?!"
Finally snapped, Gagaran roared in anger at their mocking, loud enough that Evileye, who was standing nearby, instinctively covered her ears.
"Okay, that's enough, you three!" Lakyus cut in, unable to stand it any longer. "Keep the situation in mind, will you? Can you see there's a pure and innocent princess here?! Don't let Renner hear your nonsense!"
Hearing this, Climb, who was standing by, nodded repeatedly, as if protesting Gagaran, Tia, and Tina for saying inappropriate things in front of Renner.
"C'mon, I'm already sixteen! Stop treating me like a kid, okay?"
Renner puffed out her cheeks, protesting in her own odd way.
"No, this is still too early for you."
Lakyus, like a big sister, spoke firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument, which only made Renner pout even more.
Thankfully, Gagaran and the others seemed to take Renner's presence as a princess into account and refrained from spouting any more vulgar remarks.
Regardless, Tia and Tina weren't done and started questioning Gagaran and Evileye about why they were late.
"Alright, so why were you two so late?"
"Forget about Gagaran, but Evileye being this late? That's pretty rare."
With these questions, the two brought the topic up again.
Gagaran and Evileye exchanged a quick glance before turning to Lakyus in unison, seeming unsure as if debating whether they should bring this up in front of Renner.
"It's fine. Go ahead." Lakyus said, noticing their hesitation. "Renner isn't an outsider. She won't go around spilling our secrets."
"If you need me to step out, I can leave for a bit." Renner offered with a gentle smile, her tone thoughtful. "You can have the room, and we'll discuss our matters later if that works better for you."
"Nah, that's not necessary, Your Highness." Gagaran said, shaking her head. "Besides, that guy on your side already knows about this, so there's really no point in keeping it hush-hush."
"Alright, I'll explain."
Evileye, ever straightforward, stepped forward without hesitation before turning to Lakyus.
"We actually ran into Riezel Brynhart."
As soon as these words left Evileye's mouth, the room fell silent.
A flicker of something unrecognizable flashed in Renner's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"Riezel Brynhart..."
Lakyus, on the other hand, first looked surprised before her expression gradually shifted, growing solemn.