By now, as long as someone wasn't completely cut off from the world, they would know that not long ago, the royal family of Jinas had awarded a Sword Saint Medal to a single man, officially making him the seventh Sword Saint of Jinas.
He was only seventeen this year, making him the youngest Sword Saint in history.
He also wasn't a noble, not even a swordsman before—just a youngster from a rural territory.
However, out of nowhere, he suddenly showed an overwhelming mastery of swordsmanship, and in the end, he was recognized by Jinas's higher-ups, acknowledged as someone who had already stepped into the realm of a Sword Saint.
He was Riezel Brynhart, known as the Lightning Sword Saint.
What made him well-known was when he set up an arena for his challengers in the royal capital for nearly a month, fighting a thousand challenges daily without suffering a single defeat.
Because of this incredible feat, the phrase 'a flash of lightning means defeat' started spreading, becoming the signature phrase used to describe the Lightning Sword Saint.
Of course, the Lightning Sword Saint's reputation didn't just spread within Jinas, as it rapidly reached the neighboring countries as well.
Even though Mavros Territory and Letryss Territory weren't exactly close to the royal capital, Yeluvia, when it came to a legendary figure like the Lightning Sword Saint, it wasn't just the nobles with influence and connections who had heard about him, even some commoners at the bottom of society knew his story.
What was worth mentioning was that despite being a new Sword Saint, the Lightning Sword Saint's popularity was definitely only high and not low compared to the others.
Why?
It was simply because he was way too young—so young that countless youngsters started looking up to him, took him as their role model, and saw him as their motivation to push forward.
"If someone can become a Sword Saint at seventeen, then I can do it too."
Such a belief was shared among many youngsters who hadn't yet been crushed by society, hadn't experienced the cruel reality of the world, and still carried their lofty dreams and burning passion.
In this way, Riezel's appearance sparked a craze, not just in Jinas but also in the neighboring countries, inspiring many youngsters to rise and make a name for themselves.
Given all of this, when Riezel mentioned his name and when the family crest on the carriage that Yuri had generously provided was noticed, his identity was basically exposed.
In all honesty, anyone who was well-informed would know that the famous Lightning Sword Saint wasn't working with Jinas but with the Frenzel family's Strategic-Class Magician, so much so that he had even stayed at their residence for months.
Gerald and Fanny, being from a viscount's territory, were only slightly more knowledgeable than the average person, which was why they hadn't immediately recognized Riezel.
However, Nibald was different.
Not only did he recognize the Frenzel family's crest on the carriage, but after hearing Riezel's name, he also instantly figured out who he was.
As a result, as soon as Nibald's question dropped, Riezel, bathed in the stunned gazes of Nibald and the others, stood in place, debating whether he should just scrape the Frenzel family's crest off the carriage.
In the end, Riezel gave Nibald a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Yeah, that's me."
Riezel didn't bother hiding anything and admitted it outright.
He hadn't been trying to conceal his identity in the first place—he just wasn't going around announcing it to everyone. If people didn't recognize him, that was fine, but if they did, he wasn't about to deny it either.
"Hoho, this is truly an honor!"
Nibald's attitude changed completely in an instant.
Just moments ago, he had clearly treated Riezel as an interesting youngster, basically, just a child, a junior, but now, for the first time, he placed Riezel on the same level as himself and gave Riezel a respectful bow.
"No wonder you had the guts to just hand out monster meat like that, so you're the Lightning Sword Saint."
Nibald's tone turned respectful and polite.
"Nah, that isn't about guts or anything. I told you, I was just lending a hand this once." Riezel chuckled lightly. "By the way, you really believe who I say I am just like that, Sir Garland?"
"Of course." Nibald stroked his beard with a smile. "I already had my suspicions that you weren't ordinary, and now that I've seen the Frenzel family's crest, how could I not believe you?"
"I see..." Riezel nodded calmly, then suddenly shifted his tone, becoming quite indifferent. "By the way, who's this?"
He was, of course, referring to Felix, who had approached but hadn't introduced himself yet.
Felix was still frozen in place, unable to move, and it wasn't until Riezel's gaze landed on him that he suddenly snapped out of it, rushing forward and giving a respectful bow.
"G-Greetings, Sir Brynhart!"
Maybe it was because it happened so suddenly, or maybe Riezel's identity was just too shocking, but Felix was stumbling over his words.
"I-I'm Felix Hadyth, the eldest son of Count Hadyth!"
Felix still seemed a bit out of it, even fumbling with his attempt at a formal greeting.
"Hadyth...?"
Upon hearing the name, Riezel muttered in wonder, clearly not recognizing it.
"Hoho, the Hadyth family governs Karudia and is a vassal of the Mavros family." Nibald explained with a chuckle, seeming to notice Riezel's confusion. "Young Master Felix's father is the current Count Hadyth, and Count Hadyth's elder sister is married to Marquis Mavros."
Hearing this, Riezel gave Felix another look.
Marquis Mavros was the Guardian Sword Saint and the lord of Mavros Territory, so if Count Hadyth's elder sister was his wife, that made Count Hadyth his brother-in-law.
In other words, Felix was Marquis Mavros's nephew—the biggest second-generation noble in Karudia.
However, that wasn't important.
What was important was that Riezel was pretty sure he had just sensed a faintly hostile gaze from Felix.
He clearly didn't even know Felix, so why was this man looking at him like that?
'Hmm, what's the reason?'
As Riezel pondered inwardly, his gaze on Felix became intrigued.
Under Riezel's gaze, Felix couldn't help but swallow hard, cursing inwardly.
'Fuck, why'd I have to run into a guy like him?'
It couldn't be helped.
Riezel was a huge deal lately, making waves everywhere.
Just like his uncle, Riezel was one of the strongest swordsmen to earn the status of Sword Saint, so someone like him was definitely not someone he could afford to offend.
Forget about him—even his father or even his uncle probably wouldn't dare to provoke Riezel so easily.
Who dared?
Riezel wasn't just the youngest Sword Saint in history with a bright future ahead but also had the Frenzel family backing him.
What was the Frenzel family?
Not only were they a marquis family, just like the Mavros family, but their current family head was none other than Yuri Frenzel, a well-known genius who became a Strategic-Class Magician two years ago.
In terms of power and influence, they were no weaker than the Mavros family, and if anything, they had even started to surpass them.
If he pissed off someone as influential as Riezel, his father might have to rush to Bessare overnight just to beg for help from his uncle.
As for himself?
If he wasn't kicked out of the family with his legs broken, he would already be lucky.
Just thinking about what would happen if he angered Riezel sent a wave of panic through Felix, taking all his effort to force himself to calm down.
'No, it's fine, I'm still safe. I haven't actually made a move against him yet.'
Such a thought was the only thing that gave Felix a sense of relief, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.
Calming down, Felix then straightened up and gave Riezel a respectful bow once more without hesitation.
"It really is an honor for Sir Sword Saint to grace Karudia with your presence. Please wait a moment, I'll notify my father right away and have him prepare a grand welcome ceremony for you."
In the next moment, Felix took out a communication magic crystal, ready to contact his father immediately.
"No need."
Riezel, naturally, had no interest in any grand welcome ceremony.
He stared at Felix for a long moment, long enough to make Felix break out in a cold sweat, before finally speaking in a calm tone.
"I just happened to pass by and will be leaving soon, so there's no need to go through all that trouble."
As Riezel spoke, he glanced around at the refugees.
"Rather than wasting money on an unnecessary welcome ceremony, wouldn't it be better to spend it on food to help these refugees? Don't you think so, Young Master Felix?"
Riezel's words carried an unclear meaning, making Felix force an awkward, strained smile.
"Y-You're absolutely right..." Felix could only nod. "I'll inform my father and ask him to provide more aid for the refugees."
Upon hearing this, Riezel's expression didn't change—he clearly wasn't holding out much hope for it.
Let alone Riezel, even Nibald and Andrea standing nearby weren't buying it.
If the Hadyth family actually cared about helping the refugees, they would've done something long ago, so the fact that the refugees were still stuck here, starving and suffering, said enough.
Nonetheless, the fact that Riezel had spoken up about it made Nibald and Andrea feel a slight sense of admiration for this newly ascended Sword Saint.
'He's maybe way too young, but having a Sword Saint like him is probably a blessing for Jinas.'
Nibald thought with relief, stroking his beard while nodding repeatedly.
'So, he's that famous Lightning Sword Saint?'
Andrea was still curiously sizing up Riezel, but her gaze was completely different from before.
She glanced at Riezel, who looked calm and indifferent, then at Felix, who was drenched in sweat and pale as a sheet.
Instantly, she involuntarily compared the two and, without hesitation, declared Felix's complete defeat.
In the first place, could they really be compared?
Someone like Riezel was what a true big shot looked like in Andrea's eyes, while Felix, seeing his current state, only made her dislike him even more.
"Hoho, don't just stand around. Why don't we find a place to sit?" Nibald chuckled, speaking in a warm tone.
Seeing that Lizbeth, Gerald, and Fanny weren't finished yet, Riezel nodded at Nibald's suggestion.
"Sure, let's sit down and talk."
With that, Riezel, Nibald, and Andrea left together.
Felix trailed behind, his eyes full of reluctance as he looked in Lizbeth's direction.
He understood that his favorite prey so far was probably lost.