Chapter 268: Your Highness?
Serena Cordelion.
Riezel was not at all surprised by the arrival of this renowned talented young lady.
Carrera was known as Serena's friend, and the Elliott family was a vassal of the Cordelion family. Given that Carrera had gone to such lengths to arrange this meeting, he didn't believe it was without the Cordelion family's influence.
As a result, before arriving here, he had already guessed that people from the Cordelion family might also show up.
Now it was just confirming that his guess had come true.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Serena."
Riezel gave a slight nod to the famous daughter of the Cordelion family.
Lizbeth, standing nearby, immediately followed Riezel's lead and gave a deep bow to Serena.
Serena naturally noticed Lizbeth, casting a meaningful glance in her direction.
It was clear that Serena was aware of Lizbeth's identity, but she did not mention it.
Now that Lizbeth was Riezel's attendant, having given up her princess status, Serena saw no need to bring up Lizbeth's past in this context.
She simply watched Riezel with curiosity and a faint air of scrutiny.
"First of all, thank you for guiding the Letto brothers." Serena said with a smile, bowing her head slightly. "After receiving your guidance, they have felt they've gained something precious and often express their gratitude to you."
Upon hearing this, Riezel recalled the triplet swordsmen.
Since the Letto brothers were Serena's attendants and had left a profound impression on him among all the challengers he had faced, her choice of topic to begin the conversation with him was truly appropriate.
Of course, Riezel did not claim any credit.
"No, it wasn't really guidance. I just pointed out some blind spots they hadn't noticed before." Riezel shook his head calmly. "Even if I hadn't pointed them out, they would have noticed them eventually."
"Even so, having them pointed out in advance saved them countless hours of hard work and time." Serena also shook her head. "As their master, I should thank you on their behalf. Please don't be modest."
"Alright then." Riezel shrugged, moving on from the point. "I hope they can make good use of it. I'm always here if they want to come for revenge."
If the Letto brothers could achieve what he had suggested and focus their combined strength on one of them during battle, that one person might be able to match the strength of a Sword Saint for a short time.
He was quite interested in fighting another Sword Saint after fighting the Shadow Sword Saint. Given their strength and the excelia he would gain, his interest was understandably piqued.
Needless to say, his anticipation was genuine, and everyone present could feel it.
'He really changed completely...'
Carrera and Sylvanie exchanged a quiet glance and silently marveled.
They still remembered clearly that the past Riezel had once been a young man intoxicated by success, prone to arrogance, lacking insight, and generally a country bumpkin.
In contrast, the current Riezel maintained a calm demeanor at all times, with a detached attitude and a mysterious air in every movement. Even when facing renowned figures and powerful challengers, he appeared nonchalant and fearless—a stark contrast to the Riezel of the past.
Carrera and Sylvanie even found themselves questioning whether the young man before them was truly Riezel or if his past self had been the true Riezel.
For the people in this world, such a drastic change in Riezel had occurred only within the past two months, making the transformation so sudden and striking, especially for those who had known him before, such a transformation was difficult to understand and hard to fathom.
Could it be that the way he was before was all just an act?
Carrera and Sylvanie, like others, had started to harbor such doubts.
Previously, they had thought that Riezel's drastic change was due to his life-and-death situation, leading to a complete shift in his mindset.
However, now they felt it was all nonsense.
How could the Shadow create a life-threatening situation for someone who was not only a Sword Saint but also a Tactical-Class Magician?
It was simply impossible.
Because of this, Carrera and Sylvanie gradually aligned their thoughts with Sorren and the others, believing that Riezel had been pretending to hide his true strength and that his so-called 'injury' was just a cover-up.
As for why he would do this, it remained unknown.
Surely, it couldn't be just to get close to Marquis Frenzel?
At least, Carrera and Sylvanie didn't think so.
Even Serena thought the same.
However, unlike Carrera and Sylvanie, who felt that someone like Riezel did not need such pretense, Serena simply couldn't believe that someone as amazing as him would go to such lengths just for a woman like Yuri Frenzel.
"By the way... would you like to find a time to visit my home?" Serena asked, hinting at something. "My elder brother would also like to meet you."
Clearly, this was a straightforward attempt to win Riezel over.
"Let's skip it." Riezel refused straightforwardly, shaking his head. "We're neither relatives nor friends—there's no need to meet for no reason. Plus, I'm not interested in these so-called noble exchanges."
"My, it's just a casual chat and some tea, nothing as serious as you're thinking." Serena chuckled. "My brother and I aren't fans of all the complicated etiquette and the back-and-forth that comes with noble exchanges either. Especially my brother... If you met him, you'd probably get along as sword friends rather than tea friends."
"Hmm..."
What she said piqued Riezel's interest a bit, making him look at the daughter of the Cordelion family with a deeper gaze.
He could feel that Serena, who seemed to be of a similar age to Yuri, might actually excel in communication and social skills even more than the rather reserved Yuri.
On two previous occasions, she had managed to bring up topics that perfectly matched his interests, which was not something an average person could achieve.
It could only be said that a talented person was indeed talented.
No wonder Yuri spoke so highly of this sibling pair—the high popularity they enjoyed in the kingdom was not without reason.
Yuri had also mentioned more than once that this pair was not only exceptionally talented but also outstanding in character and other qualities.
Now, Riezel was beginning to feel this firsthand. If it had been another situation, he might have agreed to Serena's invitation on the spot.
As for Sergius Cordelion, who was considered the best candidate for the next king and had managed to put Sorren in his place, Riezel was also quite interested.
Moreover, Sergius had practiced swordsmanship diligently since childhood, showing both talent and hard work. At just thirteen years old, he had already received the Sword Master Medal, becoming the youngest Sword Master in the kingdom.
Now, at twenty-two, having been a Sword Master for nearly ten years, even though he hadn't yet become a Sword Saint, he was undoubtedly an expert Sword Master.
Yuri had once mentioned this man to Riezel.
"According to rumors, Albert Borley once claimed in public that he hoped Sergius Cordelion would be his final opponent after he had challenged 999 Sword Masters."
"It seems that the two have met more than once in private. Captain Albert even has publicly praised Sergius several times, saying he's strong, talented, and hardworking—a worthy opponent to go all out against."
"On top of that, since Sergius could easily defeat the third prince, many people believe that his strength might be nearly on par with Captain Albert's."
In other words, Sergius might also be one of the best swordsmen just under Sword Saint, and even if he were to fall short of Albert, it likely wouldn't be by much.
If Riezel could have a match with Sergius, it would definitely be worth the trip.
Unfortunately, Sergius's identity was too sensitive. If someone like Riezel were to make a move to approach him, it would undoubtedly trigger a series of chain reactions.
Understanding this, Riezel gave Serena a calm smile.
"If your brother really wants to be my so-called sword friend, then let him come to my arena."
Needless to say, this was essentially a rejection.
Serena saw Riezel's attitude and realized that the discussion probably couldn't continue any further.
"Alright then... I'll take this message back to my brother." Serena replied while puffing her cheeks.
Ignoring her acting-cute behavior, Riezel nodded calmly, and only then did both sides finally get a chance to sit down.
Seeing this, Carrera seized the moment to clap her hands, causing the door of the private room to open, letting in servers who carried dishes from outside and continuously brought food to the table.
Surprisingly, there were many dishes, enough to cover the entire table, and there were at least eighty dishes, possibly even a hundred, each one looking and smelling wonderful, befitting a restaurant only open to high society.
Sylvanie, with her innocent and pure look, had her eyes shining with excitement, clearly very interested in the dishes. If not for Riezel and Serena not having started eating yet, she would have definitely dived in already.
Even Lizbeth, who stood behind Riezel, frequently glanced at the dishes, showing a mix of craving and shy embarrassment.
Seeing her like this, Riezel pulled out a chair next to him.
"Why don't you sit down and eat with us, Lizbeth?"
Riezel invited Lizbeth to sit.
"H-How can I?" Lizbeth quickly shook her head. "I'm just an attendant. I can't sit at the same table as my master."
"Like I said, no need to stick to the rules with me." Riezel insisted. "Plus, this isn't a public setting—just a private meal, so sit down."
Lizbeth was about to refuse again, but before she could, Serena chimed in.
"Please, sit down and eat with us, Your Highness." Serena smiled gently. "As Sir Riezel mentioned, this is just a private meal, so there are no strict rules."
Even though her words didn't make Lizbeth react, they surprised Carrera and Sylvanie.
""Your Highness?""
Muttering in unison, Carrera and Sylvanie looked at Lizbeth with blank expressions.
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