Lakyus had been keeping an eye on Riezel Brynhart for quite some time.
Why?
Simple.
Just like Gagaran had mentioned, it had to do with a senior member of Blue Roses.
However, the senior had retired after Evileye joined Blue Roses and passed on her position to Evileye.
In truth, Lakyus hadn't been in touch with the senior for a long while since not only had her whereabouts always been a mystery, but even reaching out to her hadn't been an easy task.
However, just recently, the senior contacted Lakyus out of the blue and entrusted her with a task.
"I hope you can investigate a young man named Riezel Brynhart."
Yes, this was the nature of the task—even though the details behind it weren't explained, the senior hinted at something.
Because of these words, over the past few days, Lakyus and the other members of Blue Roses had been keeping track of Riezel, using their connections and channels to investigate him.
Given this, Gagaran's detailed knowledge of Riezel, which she had shared in the adventurer's inn before, wasn't just by chance.
Now that Gagaran and Evileye had encountered Riezel in person, it had caught Lakyus's attention.
"How did you two run into him?" Lakyus asked immediately.
Gagaran and Evileye then explained how they met Riezel and Gazef at the adventurer's inn, and how they went to Gazef's home for Brain's matter.
"I see..." Lakyus nodded in understanding and then added with a sigh. "So Brain Unglaus got involved in something like that? Pity him."
While Lakyus focused on Brain, Tia and Tina were focused on something else—in fact, they weren't concerned about Brain's situation at all but were more interested in what Riezel had done when confronting Brain.
"You're saying Riezel Brynhart stopped a full-powered strike from Brain Unglaus with just his fingers?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Brain Unglaus is a genius swordsman who once fought evenly with Gazef Stronoff. Even if he wasn't at his best, a full-powered strike from someone like him shouldn't be something anyone could just stop, no?"
"Forget two fingers, even using both hands, our boss couldn't do that, right?"
Tia and Tina voiced their doubts.
Everyone immediately turned to Lakyus, who nodded in response.
"If Riezel Brynhart had used special methods, like using a magic item or casting defensive magic beforehand, it could've been possible, but based on what you're saying, he must've overwhelmed Brain Unglaus with pure strength, stopping his full-powered strike with just two fingers, right?"
Lakyus seemed almost self-deprecating as she spoke.
"If that's the case, even if I were twice as strong, I still couldn't pull something like that off."
Her assessment, as the leader of Blue Roses, who had already reached the Realm of Heroes, made everyone's faces turn serious.
"Are you saying that Riezel Brynhart is even stronger than you, Boss?"
"Even way, way stronger?"
Tia and Tina both looked completely shocked.
Gagaran and Evileye, however, did not doubt it a bit.
"You weren't there, so you didn't feel the ridiculous power of that guy like we did..." Gagaran said in a deep voice. "If you'd been there and felt the pressure he gave off just by unsheathing his sword, you'd understand. I dare to say his strength is definitely on a whole different realm, like nothing we've ever seen before."
"Yeah..." Evileye agreed with Gagaran, speaking seriously. "Honestly, it's the first time I've felt a sense of danger like that from a human. Even those Demon Gods don't give me that kind of feeling, yet he did. If I were to go up against him... honestly, even if all of us attacked him together, we'd probably be killed in an instant."
Her statement finally made Lakyus, Tia, and Tina go pale.
"Even you can't defeat him, Evileye?" Lakyus asked, looking stunned.
It couldn't be helped.
Others might not know, but Lakyus and the other members of Blue Roses were very aware of how strong Evileye was. Maybe most people would think that the strongest member of Blue Roses was Lakyus, who had entered the Realm of Heroes at such a young age, but they were terribly wrong.
In truth, the strongest in Blue Roses wasn't Lakyus, but this girl standing in front of them, who hadn't even revealed her true appearance and had a small stature like a little girl—Evileye.
Even though Evileye was the latest to join Blue Roses, she was, without a doubt, the strongest in the group, far surpassing even Lakyus in power.
In fact, the two weren't even in the same league.
Evileye's background was extraordinary, and her strength couldn't be measured by the standards of a regular human. If using the Adventurer's Guild's difficulty levels, Lakyus would struggle with difficulty levels above 90, while Evileye could easily handle difficulty levels above 150.
Evileye could even defeat the La-Angler Lava Lord from the Azerlisia Mountains that Gagaran had mentioned in the adventurer's inn before.
Yet now, Evileye was saying that she would be killed instantly by Riezel, even if she fought together with them.
Was she joking?
Lakyus wasn't the only one who thought this way, as even Tia and Tina shared the same sentiment.
"...Like Gagaran said, if you were there, you'd understand what I meant..." Evileye sighed. "As much as I don't want to believe it, I can't match that human—that's the truth."
Everyone instantly fell silent.
"Now I wonder... is he even a human?"
"Could he be like Evileye, not a human?"
Tia and Tina, without regard for Renner and Climb's presence, asked these questions amid the bewildered looks of the two.
If it were any other time, Evileye would have at least shown some sign of annoyance, but unfortunately, she didn't have the energy for that now.
"I suspect... he might be a player descendant..." Evileye revealed her guess.
""A player descendant?""
Many people in the room immediately showed confusion at this unfamiliar term.
"Players are a very special group of individuals..."
Evileye began explaining to everyone.
"Either they were born with incredibly powerful abilities, or they possess extraordinary potential, allowing them to grow stronger at a jaw-dropping speed."
"Some of them are humans, some are not, but they all have abilities powerful enough to affect the world. Even when compared to the legendary Dragon Lords, they're not far behind."
"For example, the Six Great Gods who founded the Slane Theocracy—they're players."
"The Eight Greed Kings, who defeated the dragons and ended their rule over this world, were also players."
"And the Thirteen Heroes you're familiar with? Some of the members were also players."
Evileye's revelation caused Climb, who had been listening quietly until then, to speak up.
"Even among the Thirteen Heroes?"
Evidently, the topic of the Thirteen Heroes was of interest to Climb.
It was understandable since they were perhaps the most famous legendary figures of the current time.
It was said that around 200 years ago, a group of powerful beings known as the 'Demon Gods' appeared in this world. They were brutal and vicious, even more evil and sinister than the Eight Greed Kings, who had taken their personal desires to the extreme in legends.
Among the vile acts they committed, the most notable ones were destroying one nation and civilization after another, causing great disasters, and bringing terrifying calamities to the world.
As a result, to resist these ruthless and violent Demon Gods, the strongest individuals from various races, nations, and civilizations rose, forming a group under the leadership of a mysterious figure to fight against them.
In the end, they succeeded in defeating all the Demon Gods and ending the chaos they had caused, becoming a legend sung by the various races across the world.
Yes, the strongest individuals from different races, nations, and civilizations who stood up to fight the Demon Gods were collectively known as the Thirteen Heroes.
Because the crisis caused by the Demon Gods almost swept across the entire continent, involving all races, nations, and civilizations, and because it happened just 200 years ago, which was not too long ago, the deeds of the Thirteen Heroes were widely known throughout the continent, making them even more famous than the Six Great Gods or the Eight Greed Kings.
In the Re-Estize Kingdom, children would sometimes play and imitate the famous figures among the Thirteen Heroes, acting out their favorite heroes.
Just from this alone, it was clear how famous their legends were.
Climb, still young and at the age where he was fascinated by hero tales, not only took a great interest in the legendary tales of the Thirteen Heroes but also admired several figures among them.
Now, hearing that Evileye had mentioned the presence of special individuals known as players among the Thirteen Heroes, it was impossible for Climb not to be curious.
Evileye didn't want to go into too much detail, but perhaps she felt that this level of secrecy wouldn't hurt to reveal, so she nodded and responded to Climb's question.
"Yes, there were players among the Thirteen Heroes, and the mysterious leader was one of them."
Even though the leader of the Thirteen Heroes was certainly an interesting topic to discuss, Evileye only mentioned it briefly and did not intend to delve deeper into it.
"Anyway, all you need to know is that there is a group of incredible individuals called players in this world."
"Of course, since players exist, their descendants also exist."
"Sometimes, there are individuals who awaken immense power, becoming stronger than anyone else. In the Slane Theocracy, they call these individuals 'God-kins'—at least, anyone who inherited the bloodline of the Six Great Gods is referred to as such in their country."
Evileye's implication was clear to everyone.
"Do you mean that Riezel Brynhart might be a god-kin from the Slane Theocracy?" Lakyus asked in surprise.
"Not necessarily..." Evileye shook her head. "He could also be someone who inherited the bloodline of players from outside the Six Great Gods—well, that's the only origin I can think of for him. Otherwise, it's hard to explain how a human could have such absurd power."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought, and after a moment, they all nodded in agreement with Evileye's statement.
If the so-called players were truly that powerful, then inheriting their bloodline could indeed make someone extraordinarily strong.
Considering that the powerful leader of the Thirteen Heroes was a player, if Riezel inherited the bloodline of such a person, didn't that mean he was no different from a descendant of the Thirteen Heroes?
With that kind of origin, Riezel truly seemed to match the identity of someone with that level of power.
Such a thought was in everyone's mind until Renner suddenly spoke up.
"What if Riezel Brynhart you're talking about is actually a player himself?"
At this question, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"Princess?"
Climb looked at Renner with a bewildered expression.
Lakyus and the others also turned to Renner, their faces filled with uncertainty.
"What's wrong? Did I say something weird?" Renner blinked, looking confused. "I just thought, if that person is as strong as you say, maybe he's not just a player descendant, but something more..."
Lakyus and the others furrowed their brows and fell silent.
Renner's words, though seemingly simple and naive, actually got straight to the heart of the matter and pointed out the core issue.
Everyone highly valued Renner's opinion because they all knew how special Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, the Third Princess of the Re-Estize Kingdom, was.
She had a gentle and compassionate personality, deeply valuing the kingdom and the well-being of its people. Among those who were knowledgeable and blessed, her reputation and popularity had always been very high.
For the sake of the kingdom and its people, she enacted numerous policies and instigated reforms within the kingdom. Even though most of these policies and reforms had failed due to the self-interested nobles, there had still been successful ones.
For example, the banning of slave trading, which eliminated legal human trafficking within the kingdom, was a result of her efforts.
As a result, she was extremely popular not only within the Re-Estize Kingdom but also outside of it. Many people genuinely praised her, seeing her as one of the few royals who was not only highly intelligent but also truly cared for her people.
Because of this, when someone like Renner voiced an opinion, no one could ignore it—at least, Lakyus and the others felt this way.
"It's not impossible..." Evileye said with a solemn tone. "Looks like we really need to find a chance to meet Riezel Brynhart."
At this, every member of Blue Roses nodded seriously.
Renner no longer spoke, only watching Lakyus and the others continue their discussion about Riezel, her eyes occasionally flickering.
In them, unknown emotions swirled.