Peace Town, Top Floor.
In one of Peace Town's luxurious rooms, Riezel and Lizbeth moved in together—one stayed in the master bedroom, while the other stayed in the secondary bedroom, separated only by a leafed door.
When traveling outside, to ensure their master's safety and to be ready to follow orders at any time, an attendant was obligated to stay as close as possible to their master, just in case something happened and they couldn't react in time.
Based on this principle, Riezel and his group of six didn't stay in separate rooms but paired up and shared rooms.
Riezel and Lizbeth stayed in the same room, as did Fanny and Gerald. Even Nibald and Andrea shared a room, so they could look out for each other at any time.
As the six of them settled in, the sky gradually darkened.
Night arrived, prompting Riezel, who had been standing by the window, to pull his gaze back at the night view of Bessare.
*Knock-Knock-Knock*
Just as Riezel was about to leave the window and get ready to head out, someone knocked on his door.
"Lizbeth?"
Riezel called out in the direction of the door, not surprised by the knocking at all as if he had been expecting it.
"Just come in, it's not locked."
Behind the door, Lizbeth hesitated for a moment before finally pushing it open.
"Master..."
Lizbeth spoke with a timid tone and stood just inside the doorway as if she was too afraid to get closer to Riezel.
"Why're you standing so far away? Afraid I'll eat you or something?" Riezel couldn't help but chuckle.
Lizbeth shook her head vigorously, her small hands nervously twisting together, looking like she wanted to say something but was too scared to speak up.
Seeing her like this, Riezel let out another chuckle before sighing and motioning for her to come closer.
"Alright, don't just stand there. Come here."
Lizbeth still looked a bit hesitant, but she didn't defy Riezel's command and slowly walked toward him.
As Riezel watched her more closely, he noticed a hint of sadness lingering in the little princess's eyes.
"What's wrong? Still bothered by that trash?" Riezel asked as he habitually reached out and patted Lizbeth's head.
Lizbeth didn't answer his question but looked up at Riezel, staring at him for a moment before finally speaking.
"Master... are you really planning to attend Marquis Mavros's banquet?"
"Is there a problem?" Riezel smiled faintly and asked back. "Don't tell me you're like Sir Garland, thinking I'm no match for that Guardian Sword Saint? Or are you worried that my conflict with him will affect Jinas's national defense or something?"
If that were the case, he could understand.
Lizbeth was, after all, Jinas's princess, a member of the royal family. Having lived on this land for so many years, it was only natural for her to be concerned about her kingdom's safety.
However, when faced with Riezel's question, Lizbeth shook her head.
"I just... don't want Master to provoke such a powerful enemy because of me..."
Lizbeth finally confessed her true feelings, her voice tinged with a bit of gloom.
In truth, she felt guilty about what had happened the night before. Felix's filthy words didn't affect her too much, but the fact that his actions were aimed at her made her feel uneasy.
An attendant's duty was to protect their master and solve their master's problems, yet last night, when faced with a sudden attack, she hadn't been able to protect herself and had even needed her master to step in and save her, which shook her confidence.
Moreover, her master ended up killing the son of Count Hadyth because of her, offending a local power, and even provoking the Guardian Sword Saint, setting up a confrontation with him.
Needless to say, the way things had escalated left Lizbeth feeling completely lost.
Because her pure and innocent heart couldn't handle all these complicated matters, she simply thought that everything had happened because of her.
If it weren't for her, Felix wouldn't have angered Riezel, and Riezel wouldn't have killed Felix on the spot, which, in return, wouldn't have brewed conflict with the Guardian Sword Saint, with the potential for a clash at any moment.
Lizbeth saw all of this as her fault, which left her feeling down the entire way, feeling that her presence didn't make things easier for Riezel but instead caused him so much trouble.
'What if Master really fights Marquis Mavros?'
'What if Master gets hurt because of it?'
'What if a fight between two Sword Saints causes problems to the border and the kingdom?'
All of these worries kept swirling in Lizbeth's mind all day, making her feel both anxious and depressed.
Earlier, when Nibald talked about how serious things were between Riezel and Raven, Lizbeth felt extremely uneasy. Over time, her uneasiness and guilt grew stronger, and as evening came and the Mavros family's banquet was about to begin, she couldn't hold back anymore and went to see Riezel.
"C-Can we just not go, Master?"
Lizbeth pleaded with teary eyes, looking so pitiful that Riezel pressed his lips together in silence.
Just by looking at Lizbeth, Riezel could tell that this little princess truly didn't care about Felix's attempt to violate her because she was only worried about him, clearly ignoring herself.
'She'd been a princess for so many years, yet she hadn't developed a single bit of a princess's temper...'
Riezel thought to himself while continuing to gently pat Lizbeth's head.
'Funnily, in less than a month, she'd completely taken on the role of an attendant so naturally... Lizbeth... you sure have an attendant spirit...'
It was precisely because Lizbeth was such a person that Riezel felt he couldn't just let Felix's matter go.
"Seriously, if I don't stand up for you, who else will?" Riezel asked helplessly.
"I don't care, Master." Lizbeth quickly responded.
"I know you don't care, but too bad, I can't just not care. You get that, right?" Riezel said with a faint smile.
If the attackers last night had just been some fools who could be easily dealt with, Riezel wouldn't have taken it so seriously.
Unfortunately, they weren't.
He understood well that those strange attackers had peculiar abilities. Not only did they have the power to subdue Lizbeth, a Sword Master, in an instant, but like ghosts, they could also move through the camp as if no one was there, completely unnoticed by all the knights who were on guard.
One should know that the Hadyth family was a count family—a genuine major noble family.
Such a noble family, the knights under their command were definitely skilled and wouldn't be as powerless as someone like Gerald. Even at a conservative estimate, they should have had at least Level 3 individuals among them, yet eighty-eight of them, all heavily guarded, failed to notice any trace of the attackers, which alone proved how bizarre those attackers were.
Naturally, the scariest part was that Lizbeth herself didn't notice anything.
One should remember that this little princess had mastered the War King Sword Style, a swordsman who had awakened spiritual power. Someone like her, who could use spiritual power, should have senses far sharper than others, including a heightened sixth sense.
Yet, who would have thought that even Lizbeth didn't notice the attackers getting close to her?
If Riezel hadn't possessed the Transparent World, he probably wouldn't have noticed the attackers either and would've been just as clueless as Lizbeth.
As a result, when Riezel noticed the attackers out of nowhere already beside Lizbeth, he was both shocked and caught off guard, so in his haste, he could only warn her through their attendant contract connection, urging her to defend herself.
Sadly, it was useless.
Even with Riezel's prior warning, Lizbeth still couldn't react in time as those strange attackers used some mysterious power to completely neutralize all her resistance before taking her away.
If Riezel hadn't arrived in time, Lizbeth would've been truly kidnapped—he didn't even want to imagine what might've happened to her then.
Because of that, Riezel felt so shaken afterward, his heart lingering in fear before it surged into uncontrollable anger.
It was precisely because of this lingering fear and the possibility that Lizbeth could've been taken away that Riezel became truly enraged, causing him to kill Felix on the spot and plan to go after the Hadyth family for allowing Felix's actions.
As for the Mavros family and the Guardian Sword Saint, if they wanted to stop him, they were welcome to try.
Even if Riezel hadn't reached Level 7 yet, he wouldn't have been afraid of a Guardian Sword Saint or the Mavros family, and now that he had leveled up, there was even less to fear.
"Master..."
Maybe it was because Lizbeth felt Riezel's intentions or perhaps sensed his thoughts that she was both touched and guilty.
Lizbeth was truly worried that, because of her, something might happen to Riezel. Even though she admired him and believed he was an extraordinary person, Nibald's analysis of Sword Saints' strength in Jinas still made her anxious.
Just as Nibald had said, it had been less than a year since Riezel became a Sword Saint—in fact, it had only been around two months since he became one.
Meanwhile, the Guardian Sword Saint, Raven Mavros, had been a Sword Saint for ten years.
After ten years of honing his skills, Lizbeth didn't believe, not even for a bit, that the man who had been guarding the border and fighting on the battlefield for so many years would have remained stagnant.
She didn't believe the Guardian Sword Saint was just an ordinary Sword Saint—at the very least, he was likely stronger than the Shadow Sword Saint, the One-Eyed Sword Saint, and the Meteor Sword Saint.
Moreover, the main residence of the Mavros family was the domain of the Guardian Sword Saint.
Not only did it have numerous knights of the Mavros family, but it also housed the kingdom's army they trained, with even someone like Norman, who had strength second only to a Sword Saint, present, so it was easy to imagine the overwhelming power that awaited anyone who dared to enter that place.
If, by any chance, foreign countries tried to escalate the conflict from behind the scenes, it would surely lead to a terrifying situation. No matter how powerful her master was, facing such a perilous place and dealing with such turbulent undercurrents would make it almost impossible for him to get out unscathed.
Lizbeth couldn't help but worry because of this.
Seeing the lingering concern in Lizbeth's eyes, Riezel suddenly smiled and spoke calmly.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not the same as I was before."
Indeed, with all the world-defying magic he obtained from the world of Overlord, he couldn't imagine facing a situation in this world that he couldn't handle. Besides, he was Level 7 now, putting his power on a completely different level compared to before.
In truth, he actually wished to fight the Guardian Sword Saint.
"You know, I'm actually kinda looking forward to seeing how that Guardian Sword Saint performs. I hope he can give me a bit of a surprise, or it'd be boring."
As Riezel said this with a calm, indifferent, and serene smile, all of Lizbeth's negative emotions in her heart quickly eased.
Lizbeth stared blankly at Riezel, and after a moment of silence, an unusual emotion gradually appeared in her eyes.
It was an emotion even she hadn't noticed.
===
Bessare, Mavros Family's Main Residence.
As the residence of the lord of Mavros Territory, the Mavros family's main residence, much like the impression Bessare gave, was filled with grandeur and solemnity.
Unlike the residences of other nobles, it was neither a manor nor a mansion but a fortress resembling a castle with white walls stretched out like ramparts, encircling an area spanning several kilometers.
Iron towers, shaped like blades, spears, and halberds, stood tall within the walls, resembling watchtowers yet also looking like weapons wielded by giants, rising and falling in an uneven formation.
Heavily armed knights, standing like soldiers at their posts, filled every corner—they stood in perfect formation, their unwavering gazes alone exerting immense pressure on anyone who looked their way.
Such an imposing place was the main residence of the Mavros family—a militarized family, a noble family rooted in warfare.
*Pa-ta!* *Pa-ta!* *Pa-ta!* *Pa-ta!*
At a certain moment, a carriage slowly approached, the sound of horse hooves and wheels echoing clearly, reaching the ears of the knights stationed at the massive gate of the white walls.
""HALT!""
Two knights stepped forward, their voices boomed through the air as they shouted at the girl driving the carriage, simultaneously raising their spears and blocking the front of the carriage.
Seeing them and hearing their shouts, the girl looked startled and wanted to stop the carriage, but just as she was about to pull on the reins, a voice suddenly echoed in her ear.
"Ignore them. Keep going."
Upon hearing this, a voice from inside the carriage spoke up before the girl could react.
"Sir Brynhart, you..."
An old man's shocked voice resounded, but before his words were finished, the girl tightened her grip on the reins, her eyes flashing with resolve, and without a second thought, she followed her master's command and drove the carriage forward.
"HALT!"
"STOP!"
Seeing the carriage force its way through, the knights, apparently not expecting it, had their pupils shrink in surprise.
""ARCHERS! READY!""
In the next moment, however, as if used to such a situation, they shouted in unison, making the other knights stationed in the distance and those with longbows on the iron towers either rush over or aim their arrows at the carriage.
However, just as the knights were about to take action and forcibly stop the carriage, an astonishing scene unfolded.
"Greater Teleportation."
As soon as this faint chant resounded, the carriage speeding toward the gate of the white walls suddenly vanished without a trace.
"What?"
"G-Gone?"
"What's going on?"
Seeing such a bizarre scene, the knights halted in their tracks, stunned.
Only those on the iron towers, after a brief moment of shock, noticed something unbelievable.
"H-Hey, that carriage appeared inside!"
Someone on one of the iron towers shouted to his fellow knights.
At this moment, the carriage that had just vanished suddenly reappeared within the white walls, continuing to move forward as neither the gate nor the walls could stop it, effortlessly passing right through them.
"FIRE!"
"SHOOT!"
Shocked by the scene, the knights guarding inside the walls quickly surrounded the carriage, trying to stop it.
*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
At the same time, the knights on the iron towers began firing arrows, creating a barrage that sliced through the air and rained down on the carriage.
"Greater Teleportation."
At the same time, from inside the carriage, faint chanting was heard once more before the carriage vanished once again, causing the knights' encirclement to fail as the rain of arrows fell harmlessly to the ground, embedding into the paved tiles.
*Swish!*
In the next second, the carriage reappeared in another direction, and ahead of it, the castle's main gate was within reach.
*BANG!*
In the next moment, the gate was shattered.