Just as Yuri had said, over the following days, the royal capital began receiving a steady stream of nobles and influential figures from across Jinas.
One after another, grand carriages bearing the crests of the kingdom’s great noble families rolled into the royal capital, their stately procession creating a lively spectacle that dispelled much of the city’s previously gloomy atmosphere.
"Hey, that’s the Mavros family’s crest!"
"Guardian Sword Saint Raven Mavros is here!"
"And that’s the Letryss family! Could that be the legendary Grandmaster Nibald?"
"Over there! Ain’t that the Muraguet family’s crest?"
"Could it be that person?"
"Gotta be!"
Scenes like those became increasingly common.
Rather than remaining discouraged as before, the citizens of the royal capital found themselves swept up in excitement as one famous family after another arrived.
Only then did the people remember that although the king had passed away and the nobles of the royal capital had suffered devastating losses, the kingdom still possessed plenty of pillar-level powerhouses.
Among the Seven Sword Saints, the Shadow Sword Saint had unfortunately perished, but the remaining six Sword Saints were still alive.
As for the two Strategic-Class Magicians, both the one from the Frenzel family and the one from the Muraguet family were still serving the kingdom.
Because of that, Jinas was still far from reaching the point of despair.
As the citizens gradually came to think that way, it was almost as though someone was secretly orchestrating events behind the scenes, as all kinds of opinions began spreading one after another.
"Honestly, the king’s death isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If Young Master Sergius takes the throne, the kingdom’s future will surely become even brighter!"
That was the narrative spread by members of the Duke Faction.
"It’s a blessing that the third prince’s crimes were exposed before he ascended the throne. His Majesty’s sacrifice won’t have been in vain. If either the crown prince or seventh prince becomes the new king, they’ll certainly make even greater contributions to the kingdom!"
That was the narrative promoted by the Royal Faction.
As the saying went, the old had to make way for the new.
With interested parties fanning the flames behind the scenes, the royal capital truly began regaining its vitality, just as Yuri had predicted.
At the very least, as time passed, the citizens gradually stopped dwelling on Hendrick’s death and the heavy losses suffered by the major noble families. Instead, they began looking toward the future, discussing which candidate would become the new king and who would benefit both themselves and the kingdom.
Whether it was the eldest son of the Cordelion family or the crown prince and the seventh prince of the royal family, all of them enjoyed much better reputations among the common people than Sorren.
Sergius, in particular, had long been regarded by many as the ideal successor to the throne. Now, those opinions gained tremendous momentum, to the point where grassroots supporters even began to emerge.
"Young Master Sergius is definitely gonna become a great king!"
"He’s way better than the crown prince and the seventh prince!"
"When it comes to swordsmanship, smarts, and character, Young Lord Sergius beats everybody else!"
"Young Master Sergius oughta be the one they choose!"
Opinions like those grew louder with each passing day throughout the royal capital. Eventually, some citizens even began organizing marches of their own, rallying the public to openly support Sergius.
Naturally, the royal family refused to fall behind.
They actively sought the support of the major noble families, persuading previously neutral factions to choose a side.
As a result, they had supporters of their own as well.
Several old conservative noble families, along with those already closely aligned with the royal family, immediately declared their support, with their only disagreement being whether to back the crown prince or the seventh prince.
As for those noble families that were not particularly fond of the royal family, many of them weighed their options carefully. After learning that Redson had publicly aligned himself with the royal family, they likewise chose to support the Royal Faction.
Even the Borley family had recently begun making contact with both the Royal Faction and the Duke Faction, showing signs that they were preparing to make their choice.
Under such circumstances, the Frenzel family could not avoid being drawn into the situation either. Restless nobles came one after another to visit the residence, acting as lobbyists and making the Frenzel family’s doorstep nearly worn flat by the constant stream of visitors.
Unable to ignore them completely, Yuri personally met with representatives from both the Royal Faction and the Duke Faction, but even so, she ultimately refrained from making a definitive choice.
As for Riezel, aside from meeting Marquis Phillip Charlier—the only person he had previously encountered in Frenzel Territory—he refused to meet anyone else.
It couldn’t be helped, considering their arguments were practically identical.
Take Phillip, for example.
He had done everything he could to persuade Riezel to support the Royal Faction, enthusiastically praising how outstanding and wise Crown Prince Reinhard and Seventh Prince Benedict were. Yet throughout his entire speech, he never once mentioned what either of them could actually offer Riezel if they were to ascend the throne, leaving him completely uninterested.
Unfortunately, the Duke Faction was no different.
Serena had even taken the initiative to visit him personally, but the young lady had never gotten along with Yuri. Before long, the two of them were busy arguing with each other, leaving Riezel utterly speechless.
Of course, there were also representatives from other factions.
Some were supporters of other members of the royal family who possessed succession rights, while others backed the children of ducal families. Apparently unwilling to let Sergius, Reinhard, and Benedict take all the spotlight, they secretly sent envoys to seek Riezel’s support as well.
However, their sneaky approach only made Riezel find them even more tedious.
He could more or less understand their concerns.
They wanted to be chosen, yet they were afraid others would discover their ambitions. They feared being purged by the overwhelmingly powerful Cordelion family or by the factions supporting the crown prince and the seventh prince, so they could only campaign in secret.
But in Riezel’s eyes, the moment they became afraid of this and that, unwilling to step onto the stage and compete openly, they had already lost. At the very least, none of the Sword Saints or Strategic-Class Magicians would ever choose to support people like them.
As a result, Riezel eventually simply stopped meeting any of them.
It was during those days that, one day, Yuri introduced someone to him.
===
It was a bright, sunny morning.
Perhaps even heaven and earth could sense that the royal capital had regained its vitality, as after days of continuous snowfall, the sky was unusually clear today, and much of the snow lining the streets had already begun to melt.
Accompanied by Lizbeth, Euryale, and Lilith, Riezel followed the steward into the manor’s reception room, where Yuri and Marilyn were chatting cheerfully with a visiting guest—a rare sight, as Yuri seemed genuinely happy.
"You’re here?"
Noticing Riezel’s arrival, Yuri ended the conversation, turned around, and waved at him with a smile.
Seeing her so relaxed genuinely surprised Riezel.
Normally, Yuri only displayed such an unguarded and warm attitude around him, Marilyn, and a few others. In front of outsiders, she rarely behaved as though she were talking with a close friend.
Especially when guests were present, such a sight was even rarer.
Watching Yuri like that, Riezel curiously turned his attention toward the visitors.
What he saw were two women who appeared to be around the same age as Ivy, somewhere in their early twenties, with the older of the two looking no older than twenty-five.
Seated across from Yuri was the older woman, dressed in luxurious clothing and obviously a lady of high status, as she carried herself with the natural authority of someone accustomed to leadership.
Meanwhile, the younger woman wore attire resembling that of a secretary, giving off an elegant and intellectual air.
Riezel’s gaze swept across both of them before settling on the latter.
As for why, the secretary with the refined appearance surprisingly looked sixty to seventy percent similar to Yuri.
Moreover, he had seen that face before.
Although they had never met in person, she had appeared alongside Yuri and Mediste in the recording captured by the magic crystal Isaac had generously provided, which had been recorded in a bathhouse.
And everyone in the recording had been completely naked.
Riezel immediately formed a guess about the visitors’ identities.
At the same time, the woman sitting across from Yuri rose to her feet.
"You must be Sir Riezel Brynhart?"
As she spoke, the woman smiled graciously and bowed politely toward him.
"And you are?"
Even though Riezel already had a guess, he still asked.
"I’ll introduce everyone," Yuri said as she stood up. "This is the head of the Letryss family, the current Duke Letryss."
Letryss family.
It was a ducal family that had been mentioned before.
Founded by the biological younger brother of the king six generations ago, the family had long since lost its right to inherit the throne. Nevertheless, it still ruled a vast territory in the eastern part of Jinas and remained one of the kingdom’s most prestigious noble families.
Nibald Garland, whom Riezel had previously met, came from Letryss Territory. As a guest of the Letryss family, he relied on their resources to conduct extensive research and development in the field of magic.
Yuri’s mother’s original family had also been a vassal of the Letryss family, with their home likewise located in Letryss Territory.
Yuri had once mentioned that after falling out with her husband over the marriage of their eldest daughter—Yuri’s elder sister—her mother had taken the eldest daughter and returned to Letryss Territory.
At present, Yuri’s elder sister served as the secretary to the current lord of Letryss Territory—Duke Letryss herself—assisting her with the administration of the territory’s many affairs.
Now, Duke Letryss, whom Yuri had mentioned so many times, had arrived at the Frenzel residence and now stood before Riezel.
"My name is Isis Letryss."
Isis introduced herself with an attitude that was notably respectful toward Riezel.
Right afterward...
"I am Anneliese Frenzel."
At first, the woman who resembled Yuri studied Riezel with a scrutinizing gaze before giving him a respectful bow and introducing herself.
"I knew it..." Riezel nodded in realization. "You’re Yuri’s big sister, aren’t you?"
"Yes..." Anneliese replied with a serious nod. "My younger sister seems to have received a great deal of care from you. Please allow me to express my gratitude."
"No, I haven’t really taken care of her." Riezel glanced at Yuri, who was smiling beside him. "If anything, she’s the one who’s been taking care of me."
After all, he had been living at the Frenzel residence the entire time, with Yuri taking care of both his accommodations and daily necessities.
Unfortunately, Anneliese clearly didn’t see it that way.
"Having a renowned Sword Saint reside here is a privilege others could only dream of. The fact that Sir Brynhart accepted my younger sister’s hospitality has already brought her tremendous honor. That hardly counts as you being taken care of."
Anneliese remained as serious as ever, causing Riezel to blink.
"Don’t mind her," Yuri chimed in with a chuckle. "That’s just how Sis Anne is. She’s always far too serious. Otherwise, our father wouldn’t have been able to push her around so easily."
Back then, Yuri’s father, Alderman, had actually intended to marry Anneliese off as the concubine of a duke who had already been over seventy years old. Not only had Yuri’s mother never let go of that grudge, but Yuri herself had clearly remembered it as well.
Hearing Yuri’s words, Anneliese smiled bitterly, as though those words had reminded her of an unpleasant Chapter from the past.
"He’s actually quite pitiful in his own way..." Anneliese sighed helplessly. "He’s spent his entire life living in the glory of the family’s former days, almost as though he’s under a curse, constantly trying to restore its past greatness. Speaking of which, is he still the same now?"
"More or less..." Yuri answered indifferently. "After I completely shattered his confidence during the War Festival, he locked himself away for a while. But according to the letters from back home, he’s finally come out of his room and is full of energy again."
As she spoke, she couldn’t help glancing at Riezel.
She had never told anyone that after Alderman learned Riezel had become a Sword Saint, he had bombarded her with letters, insisting that she absolutely secure such a rare talent. Better yet, he wanted her to marry Riezel and have him marry into the Frenzel family.
Honestly, those letters had infuriated her for quite some time.
Of course, whether she had been angry at her hopeless father for never changing, or because he had once again tried to interfere with her marriage, only she herself knew.
In any case, she had no desire to bring him up anymore, since the mere mention of him irritated her.
"I, on the other hand, should be thanking your father," Isis said teasingly. "If not for him, Anneliese wouldn’t have returned to Letryss Territory with her mother. In that case, I might have lost such an outstanding secretary."
"I’m not outstanding at all, Lady Isis," Anneliese replied calmly. "If I were truly that capable, your marriage still wouldn’t be unresolved after all these years."
Hearing that, Isis immediately found herself speechless.
Riezel, on the other hand, was suddenly reminded of something.
Looking at Isis, Riezel couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic.
As Riezel quietly made that remark to himself, Isis hurriedly changed the subject.
"All right, that’s enough. I didn’t come here just so you could tease me about my marriage."
Isis spoke with a sigh before taking an invitation from inside her clothes.
"I came to invite all of you to a banquet."