If what Sergius said were true, then Sergius Jinas would become the new name of the eldest son of the Cordelion family—no, the next king.
Given that was the royal surname of the kingdom of Jinas, anyone who possessed the right of succession to the throne and ultimately ascended it would reclaim the surname Jinas, even if they had once changed their family name.
It had also been the former surname of Duke Cordelion, Sergius’s father and Hendrick’s younger brother.
For that reason, Sergius was merely reclaiming the original surname of his bloodline, and strictly speaking, it could not even be considered a change of surname.
Of course, only Sergius and his future descendants would bear the surnameAs for Sergius’s father, Duke Cordelion, he would retire peacefully, passing the surname and the entire ducal family to Serena. Once Sergius ascended the throne, she would inherit the title of Duke Cordelion and become the new head of the Cordelion family.
"Really..."
Yuri could not hide her shock.
Honestly, she had never imagined that while she was still hesitating over whom to support, Sergius had already secured his victory behind the scenes.
It should be noted that whether it was the Borley family, the Muraguet family, or even the Mavros family, each possessed no fewer votes than she and Riezel did.
And the fact that Sergius had won their support, along with that of Nibald and Orto, essentially meant that nearly all of Jinas’s highest-ranking nobles had chosen to stand behind him.
Combined with the already formidable Duke Faction, Sergius truly no longer needed the twenty votes from Riezel and Yuri’s side.
"Have you even managed to win people over from the Royal Faction, Lord Sergius?"
Yuri had begun addressing Sergius with honorifics without even realizing it.
However, the one who answered her question was not Sergius, but the silent Riezel.
"Yuri, that’s perfectly normal, isn’t it?"
Riezel spoke calmly, his voice steady and unhurried.
"Everyone wants this kingdom to have a wise and powerful king. Young Master Sergius clearly has what it takes."
"Back then, the Royal Faction probably never would’ve made that choice. Hendrick was still king, the Shadow Sword Saint was still alive and loyal to the royal family, and there was Sorren. He might’ve been insane, but he really had talent. Given enough time, he could’ve become a Sword Saint and led the kingdom to even greater heights."
"But now, Hendrick’s been assassinated, the Shadow Sword Saint has fallen, and Sorren, the most talented direct descendant of the royal family, committed such an unforgivable crime. It’s only natural that some members of the Royal Faction would start questioning the royal family’s ability and lose faith in them."
"Besides, none of the current heirs to the throne are all that impressive."
"It’s too bad the only two who really have what it takes, Prince Reinhard and Prince Benedict, are either too broad-minded and don’t have the heart for conflict, or too timid to be fit to rule."
"Knowing all that, it’s only natural that some members of the Royal Faction would switch sides and make a new choice."
In the end, not every noble cared only about fighting for power and influence, as there were still those who could see the bigger picture and understand who should be supported for the good of the kingdom, its people, and even themselves during such turbulent times.
Sergius already possessed the wisdom expected of a king.
Aside from the current royal family, who would truly suffer if someone like him ascended the throne?
No one.
Not a single person.
For that reason, in Riezel’s eyes, not only had members of the Royal Faction switched sides, but even within the royal family itself, quite a few people had likely already chosen to defect.
"I imagine some members of the royal family kinda took the initiative to drop out of the succession race to show you some goodwill, didn’t they?"
Riezel looked at Sergius as he spoke.
"Most of them are still blinded by the throne and the power that comes with it, but there are bound to be a few who realize there’s just no point in keeping up the fight."
"Instead of wasting their time and effort, they might as well step aside on their own and earn your favor. That way, they’ll at least lock in a better future for themselves."
"So, if I’m not mistaken, once you become king, you’ll purge part of the royal family while rewarding the others, letting them spend the rest of their lives in peace."
"Am I right?"
Hearing that, Sergius smiled and nodded, while Yuri silently sighed in admiration.
In fact, from the moment the succession battle had begun, Sergius had already held an overwhelming advantage. All he had needed to do was maintain that lead while continuously gathering more support. Like a snowball rolling downhill, his advantage would only continue growing until victory became inevitable.
Compared to him, this generation of the royal family’s heirs was simply far too inexperienced.
It was only natural.
Even when Hendrick was still alive, Rohm had yet to fall, and the Royal Faction still stood at the height of its power, Sergius had already managed to gather enough supporters to establish the Duke Faction and rival the Royal Faction head-on.
Now that the royal family’s leader and its most loyal guardian were both gone, and its greatest competitor had destroyed himself, what could possibly overturn Sergius’s victory?
Of course, the Duke Faction had also suffered heavy losses during the chaos caused by Sorren, but compared to the Royal Faction—which had lost its king, its most outstanding heir, and a Sword Saint-level supporter—the Duke Faction’s losses simply could not compare.
Not to mention that Sorren’s actions had undoubtedly caused many people throughout the royal capital and the kingdom to grow dissatisfied with the Royal Faction.
It could only be said that the moment Sorren was defeated while Sergius miraculously survived, this outcome had already become inevitable.
"What about the Old Sword Saint? Didn’t he try to stop you?"
Riezel asked the question anyway.
If Redson had stepped forward to restrain Sergius, then at the very least, winning over those members of the Royal Faction certainly would not have been nearly so smooth.
"He never appeared," Sergius answered honestly. "From what I can see, it really didn’t matter to him whether I became king or not. After all, if we’re being precise, I’m also a member of the royal family."
It should be noted that Redson’s true master had been the king before Hendrick’s grandfather, making both Hendrick and Sergius’s father, the current head of the Cordelion Family, grandsons of that former king.
As such, in Redson’s eyes, Sergius was likewise a direct descendant of the master he had once served.
Because the one he protected was the royal family, and Sergius was also part of it, Sergius becoming king was something Redson could accept.
In fact, the only reason he had publicly supported the Royal Faction was because of his position, not because he truly opposed Sergius inheriting the throne.
In other words, even if he had noticed Sergius’s actions, he probably would have turned a blind eye.
Perhaps he had even admired Sergius and, like those members of the Royal Faction who had switched sides, believed that allowing Sergius to ascend the throne would be what benefited the kingdom the most.
"Hmm, so you’re really about to become king, huh..." Riezel looked at Sergius for a moment, then smiled. "Should I congratulate you ahead of time?"
Hearing those words, Sergius seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"So you don’t oppose me becoming king."
As he spoke, the smile on Sergius’s face immediately became far more genuine.
"Huh?"
Yuri seemed unable to understand what had just happened and sat there in confusion.
Seeing that, Riezel explained directly.
"Don’t be fooled by how unconcerned he sounds. The real reason he came today was to find out if we’d support him."
"Even if he already has enough votes to secure the throne, us opposing him would still cause him a lot of trouble."
"After all, we’ve got three Sword Saints and one Strategic-Class Magician. Right?"
Riezel looked at Sergius with an amused smile.
Sergius could only smile bitterly.
"That’s right. I’ll be honest, your group is simply too terrifying to ignore. It’s enough to stage a coup," Sergius admitted frankly. "I really don’t want to become king only to end up making enemies of you. You know, the pressure would literally give me a stomach ulcer."
Including Euryale and Lilith, Jinas now possessed eight Sword Saints and two Strategic-Class Magicians, but nearly half of them belonged to Riezel’s side.
Especially Riezel himself, Jinas’s strongest Sword Saint and a magician suspected of wielding magic beyond the Strategic Class. Either identity alone gave him the power to overthrow the entire kingdom.
If the two Sword Saints under his command, along with Yuri, joined Riezel, the resulting force would far surpass what Sorren had once commanded.
Knowing that, Sergius naturally had to come and personally confirm Riezel’s attitude.
If Riezel had no objections to him becoming king, then that was naturally the best possible outcome.
But if he did object, Sergius had to prepare himself in advance.
Perhaps that had been the true purpose of his visit all along.
"Now that we’ve come this far, Sir Brynhart, please allow me to ask one final question."
For the first time, Sergius put away his smile and looked directly at Riezel.
"Will you become my enemy?"
As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the reception room changed.
It became heavy and oppressive.
Riezel and Sergius looked straight at each other without saying a word.
Yuri and Marilyn instinctively held their breath.
Hardt moved for the first time, quietly placing his hand on the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back.
However, the instant his hand touched the hilt, an icy, murderous intent and overwhelming malice locked onto him, causing his entire body to tense as his pupils contracted.
Only then did Hardt realize in shock that someone else had been hiding nearby the entire time. From his perspective, the murderous intent and malice were so overwhelming that cold sweat instantly covered his back.
Hardt silently heightened his guard as anxiety filled his heart.
If the other side suddenly attacked his master now, there was no way he could stop them alone. He could not even stop Riezel by himself, let alone the hidden female Sword Saint whose murderous intent was fixed upon him.
Hardt was certain that the moment he drew his sword—no, the moment he made even the slightest suspicious movement—the hidden Sword Saint would strike without hesitation and cut off his head in an instant.
If that happened, his master would be in grave danger.
Hardt was immediately filled with concern as he thought of that possibility.
Fortunately, the tense atmosphere quickly disappeared because of a single sentence from Riezel.
"I couldn’t care less about this kingdom’s future..."
He paused, calmly meeting Sergius’s unwavering gaze for a moment before suddenly smiling.
"If you don’t want me as your enemy, then don’t provoke me."
Riezel’s words earned Sergius a broad grin.
"Honestly, I don’t expect you to devote yourself wholeheartedly to this kingdom, Sir Brynhart. I only hope that we can coexist peacefully and enjoy a prosperous era of governance together."
Sergius made his position clear.
"I hope so..."
Riezel shrugged in response.
"I also hope that Lord... no, Your Majesty... will govern this kingdom well and bring peace and prosperity to its people." Yuri seemed to have finally made up her mind as she chimed in with complete sincerity. "As long as Your Majesty continues to govern this kingdom and care for its people, then I will also choose to support Your Majesty."
Sergius nodded firmly at her.
"Don’t worry. Even without you saying it, that’s exactly what I hope to accomplish."
And so, with the matter of the king’s succession finally concluded, the three of them continued chatting for quite some time, discussing what would happen after the succession contest ended and what each of them planned to do afterward.
It was obvious that Sergius wanted to build a good relationship with Riezel and Yuri—or rather, that was the wisest decision he could make.
Maintaining good relations with Riezel would ensure decades of peace for Jinas, after all. If their relationship truly remained strong, then should Jinas ever face danger in the future, Riezel would not hesitate to lend a hand.
In that regard, Sergius was clearly far wiser than Hendrick.
Hendrick had only thought about binding Riezel through immediate benefits and political ties, forcing him to work for the crown.
Sergius was much wiser.
He understood that as long as he maintained a good relationship with Riezel, Riezel would naturally never grow to dislike the kingdom. Over time, once Riezel developed a sense of belonging there, everything else would naturally fall into place.
At the very least, Riezel lived within Jinas, and Yuri was one of its nobles.
If Jinas truly faced disaster, then as long as Riezel did not come to despise the kingdom, his personality all but guaranteed that he would eventually step in to help.
As he chatted with Riezel and Yuri, that was exactly what Sergius was thinking.
If Riezel and Serena could become a couple, he would never have to worry about this matter again. Unfortunately, Sergius knew perfectly well that Riezel would never agree to a marriage driven by political interests.
Needless to say, that was precisely where Sergius’s wisdom lay.
He knew exactly when to back off, when to patiently observe, and when to press forward, never allowing haste or impatience to ruin what could be achieved through careful timing.
Just like that, the three of them enjoyed an excellent conversation, and it was not until evening that Sergius finally took his leave together with Hardt.
"He’ll be a good king."
Not long after seeing Sergius out of the manor, Yuri quietly spoke those words to Riezel.
"Perhaps..."
Riezel neither outright agreed nor disagreed.
Regardless, with Sergius ascending the throne, life in this kingdom would undoubtedly become much more comfortable, and for Riezel, that was not a bad outcome at all.