Time passed day by day.
Jinas gradually regained its stability after Sergius ascended the throne, and during this time, many reforms were being carried out throughout the kingdom.
Almost immediately after becoming king, Sergius threw himself into his duties because he had evidently been dissatisfied with many of the kingdom’s old systems for a long time, and he was now making sweeping changes to them.
As a result, many nobles were said to have been affected, some for the better and some for the worse.
However, none of that concerned the common people, nor did it concern Riezel or Yuri.
Perhaps out of consideration for Riezel, Sergius rarely summoned Yuri, the chief court magician, after ascending the throne. Instead, he granted her an extraordinary degree of freedom. Unless absolutely necessary, he seemed to have no intention of ordering her around as Hendrick had done whenever it suited him.
Yuri was naturally more than happy with the arrangement.
Moreover, with the kingdom’s support, she had already recruited many outstanding knights from the Royal Knightly Order and was rapidly rebuilding the strength of her family’s own knightly order.
Aside from that, the Frenzel family had also become one of the few noble families left untouched by Sergius’s reforms, as though he had truly forgotten the existence of Yuri.
Under such circumstances, a little over half a month later, Riezel finally received a mental connection from the summoned creature he had sent flying toward Theresis, informing him that it had already reached its borders.
Since that was the case...
"It’s time to leave."
Riezel finally made his decision.
===
On this day, although the snowfall that had continued for nearly a month had finally come to an end, the sky remained covered in gloomy gray clouds, making it obvious that clear weather would not come easily.
In the courtyard of the Frenzel residence, everyone had gathered in an open area where the snow had been cleared away.
Riezel, Lizbeth, Euryale, and Lilith stood together on one side. Leo and Ivy, now free once more, stood beside them as well.
Now, the group of six had already finished preparing for their departure.
Standing before them, Yuri had come to see them off together with many members of the Frenzel family.
Marilyn, her personal maid, was naturally present, as were Ain and Ian.
Mediste and Isaac also happened to be home for once, arriving just in time to see Riezel off.
It was also worth mentioning that Anneliese, Yuri’s elder sister and the secretary to the head of the Letryss family, was present as well. Of course, the young lady had not come specifically to see Riezel off, but had simply happened to be here.
With the new king having only recently ascended the throne, the Letryss family still had many affairs to settle before they could leave. As a result, Isis, the head of the Letryss family, would remain in the royal capital for the time being.
Even though Anneliese served as Isis’s secretary, Isis occasionally gave her time off. And whenever she was on leave, Anneliese would usually stay at the Frenzel residence for a few days, clearly wanting to spend time with her younger siblings.
Today just happened to coincide with one of those visits, so Anneliese naturally came to see Riezel and the others off as well.
At the same time, Luna, the maid who had remained by Lizbeth’s side and refused to return to the royal palace, was also present.
However, it was obvious that Luna could not accompany Lizbeth on the journey, judging by how tightly she clung to Lizbeth now, her face filled with reluctance, tears welling in her eyes as though she had been abandoned.
"Please take good care of yourself, Your Highness."
"I know. Don’t worry about me, Luna."
"How can I not worry?! If I’m not there... won’t Your Highness just keep getting bullied by that bad guy?!"
"N-No, that won’t happen, Luna!"
"Let me come with you then! I won’t get in your way, Your Highness!"
"But Luna, you’re just an ordinary person. I heard Theresis has snow all year round, and we’re going even farther after that. You won’t be able to keep up physically..."
"Your Highness thinks I’m a burden!"
"I-I don’t! Please don’t cry, okay?"
"...Just remember not to stay in the same room as that bad guy at night anymore, okay? And don’t just let him do whatever he wants without resisting. Like the last time when I accidentally caught you using—mmph! Mmph!"
"Stop talking, Luna!"
As Luna became increasingly unrestrained with her words, Lizbeth’s face turned bright red as she hurriedly covered Luna’s mouth.
Standing behind Lizbeth like two loyal bodyguards throughout the entire exchange, Leo and Ivy glared fiercely at Riezel as though they wanted to tear him to pieces.
It had only been during the past half month that the two of them had learned their princess had already been completely devoured by someone.
Back then, the revelation had nearly driven them into a frenzy. Had they stood even the slightest chance against Riezel, they would have challenged him to a fight to the death without the slightest hesitation.
From that day onward, the two of them practically stayed by Lizbeth’s side at all times, wishing they could remain glued to her twenty-four hours a day. Apparently, they refused to let her leave their sight, lest the noble bloodline of the ancient royal clan be further tainted.
As for Riezel, he acted as though he saw nothing.
During the day, he allowed them to remain beside Lizbeth and was even pleased that she had two powerful fighters protecting her.
However, once night fell, came to the rescue.
Lately, every night had ended the same way for Leo and Ivy.
Every time, the last thing they remembered was hearing that magic chant before everything suddenly went white, and by the time they regained awareness, it was already morning.
As a result, the two of them now looked at Riezel with the same murderous resentment as Luna did, and the resentment in their eyes was so intense that anyone might have thought he had seduced their daughter.
Fortunately, Riezel had long since grown accustomed to their hostility, so whether before or now, he simply ignored the two of them. Besides, he had no time to pay attention to them, considering that quite a few people still needed to say goodbye to him.
"Mr. Riezel, this is for you." Mediste handed him a small package. "It’s just some snacks. Please eat them on the road."
"You’d better treasure them," Isaac said with a mischievous grin from beside her. "Big Sis Mediste stayed up all night making them by hand—ow, ow, ow!"
Before he could finish speaking, someone grabbed him by the ear.
"Children don’t know any better. Please don’t listen to his nonsense."
Anneliese, acting as the eldest sister, punished her talkative younger brother while protecting her younger sister’s little secret.
"Thanks. I’ll make sure to enjoy them."
Riezel chuckled softly as he accepted the package.
Mediste smiled shyly before quietly stepping aside, leaving Yuri to speak with him.
However, Yuri truly had very little to say.
Riezel had already informed her beforehand, and she also understood his current strength and abilities, so there was virtually no possibility of him encountering any danger outside.
As the strongest person in Jinas, accompanied by two female Sword Saints serving as his attendants, together with Lizbeth wielding Moslow and those two mysterious yet extraordinarily powerful companions, if someone like Riezel could still find himself in danger, then the continent’s strongest nation would not be Volcarion, but Theresis.
Furthermore, Riezel possessed space magic that allowed him to cross immeasurable distances in an instant and return here whenever he wished. Because of that, Yuri no longer worried about his journeys the way she once had.
In the end, she simply smiled and spoke gently.
"Be careful. Go and come back soon."
Her farewell was remarkably brief, revealing almost nothing of her reluctance to part with him.
"Yeah."
Riezel naturally did not make a fuss over it. He simply smiled back and nodded, looking as though he were merely going out for a short walk and would soon return, calm and composed.
"Have a safe journey."
"Please be sure to take good care of yourself."
"Goodbye."
Marilyn, Ian, and Ain each offered their farewells as well.
"I will."
Riezel nodded to them before turning toward Euryale and Lilith behind him.
"Hwahh..."
As always, Euryale felt sleepy during the daytime, lazily clutching the corner of Riezel’s clothes with drowsy eyes, looking like a little girl who was about to be taken outside yet could not be bothered to move.
Lilith, on the other hand, said nothing, nor did she need to, because wherever Riezel went, she would follow.
Aside from Riezel, she cared about no one else and did not even pay much attention to Lizbeth and Euryale, who were her fellow attendants. At most, she felt a little jealous that the two of them received her master’s affection.
Recently, Lilith had discovered that, besides being interested in the hearts of the living, she had also begun taking an interest in the things Riezel did with Lizbeth and Euryale every night.
If Riezel permitted it, Lilith believed she could step slightly beyond the line and climb into his bed to attend him.
In her eyes, that was naturally an attendant’s responsibility and duty!
Since those two women, whose hearts looked delicious, had already fulfilled those responsibilities and duties, there was no reason why she, another attendant, should be left behind.
Unfortunately, her master did not seem to have any intention of that sort, and she did not dare act on her own.
Perhaps it was time for her to be a little bolder and do what a female demon was supposed to do?
Wasn’t it simply a matter of seducing men?
What female demon could not do that?
Among female Heart-Eating Demons, many of them performed work similar to that of succubi. In order to devour the hearts of strong men more easily, they disguised themselves as harmless women, approached their targets, and seduced them.
Although Lilith had never done such things herself, she knew perfectly well how they were done, so perhaps she could be a little bolder and gently tempt her master.
Just like that, Lilith quietly entertained those thoughts while meeting Riezel’s gaze.
If not for the fact that Riezel couldn’t read minds with just a glance, and because Lilith maintained her usual respectful expression without revealing anything on her face, he would certainly have been stunned.
Who would have thought that this female demon, who normally appeared so obedient and well-behaved, had been planning something like that?
Unable to see through Lilith’s thoughts, Riezel simply assumed she was ready, so he raised a hand and activated his magic.
In the next moment, part of the courtyard’s space was swallowed by darkness before a semicircular portal of darkness silently emerged, devouring the surrounding space as it opened a path that led directly to Theresis.
"Lizbeth."
Riezel called out to Lizbeth, who was still being held by Luna.
"I have to go now, Luna. Be sure to listen to Ms. Yuri and work hard, okay?"
Releasing Luna’s hands, Lizbeth smiled reluctantly.
"I will! You take good care of yourself too, Your Highness!"
Tears finally streamed down Luna’s face as she choked back a sob.
Lizbeth nodded firmly before jogging back to Riezel’s side and taking one of his hands.
Leo and Ivy naturally followed behind her, but their eyes remained fixed on the hands Riezel and Lizbeth held together, as though they wanted to set Riezel’s wandering hand ablaze through sheer force of will.
"Well then... we’re leaving."
Completely ignoring Leo and Ivy’s little display, Riezel casually took Euryale’s hand with his other hand and spoke to Yuri and the others.
Immediately afterward, taking the lead, Riezel stepped into the portal together with Lizbeth and Euryale. Lilith followed immediately without the slightest hesitation, prompting Leo and Ivy to hurry into the portal as well.
Only then did the pitch-black spatial portal tremble gently, as though its task had been completed. Before everyone’s eyes, it slowly began spinning like a vortex, gradually shrinking until only a tiny dot remained before disappearing without a trace, closing the passage that connected the two distant nations.
Yuri remained standing in the courtyard, gazing in the direction Riezel had departed, standing there for a very, very long time.
"Shall we head back, milady?"
Marilyn quietly reminded Yuri.
"...Mm."
Only then did Yuri withdraw her gaze.
Watching her younger sister like that, Anneliese could not help but sigh inwardly.
It had also been two years since she had last seen Yuri, and the image she still carried of her was that of a fifteen-year-old girl. At the time, Anneliese herself had only been seventeen—the same age Yuri was now.
Yet even then, Yuri had already become one of Jinas’s only two Strategic-Class Magicians.
Even now, Anneliese still remembered that although Yuri had been young, she had always kept others at arm’s length, treating every man with indifference, as though even the finest among them were nothing more than an ordinary pebble in her eyes.
Because of that impression, when word of Riezel and Yuri reached Letryss Territory and eventually reached her ears, she found it difficult to believe.
Yuri Frenzel had actually taken notice of a man from the countryside, and one whose reputation at Spriller Academy had not even been good.
Back then, the news had left Anneliese both shocked and puzzled.
It was only natural.
So many outstanding men had come and gone before Yuri, yet she had not been interested in any of them. Instead, she had chosen someone burdened by bad rumors.
Anneliese had genuinely worried that her exceptionally gifted younger sister had been deceived by sweet words and had chosen the wrong person. Only now did she realize those so-called rumors had been terribly misleading.
A man like him actually had a bad reputation?
If that were the case, then there simply were no good men left in this world.
Riezel Brynhart was not merely outstanding.
He was outstanding in a way no one before him had ever been, nor was anyone after him likely ever to be.
Perhaps only a man like him could win over her proud younger sister.
Over the past few days, Anneliese had actually spent quite a bit of time talking privately with Yuri, sharing conversations that no one else knew about.
Anneliese had asked that question one night when the three sisters slept together again after such a long time.
Even now, she still remembered Yuri’s answer.
On that night, dressed in a rather alluring set of sheer pajamas, Yuri paused several times before finally speaking in a shy voice under Mediste’s curious gaze and Anneliese’s watchful eyes.
Anneliese still remembered Yuri’s expression vividly as she spoke those words, and perhaps she never would forget it for as long as she lived.
It couldn’t be helped.
It had been the very first time she had ever seen her younger sister smile with such radiant, heartfelt joy, as though every burden weighing on her heart had finally been lifted away.
As that unforgettable memory resurfaced in her mind, Anneliese quietly watched Yuri’s retreating figure as she steadily made her way back toward the manor.
"...I hope your wish comes true, and I hope you’ll find happiness, my dear younger sister."
After murmuring those words softly to herself, Anneliese followed Yuri.
No one noticed that, outside the Frenzel residence, atop a large tree, a graceful and alluring figure had been quietly watching everything the entire time.
Only after a long while did that figure finally turn around and leave.