Two days quickly passed by.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the award ceremony had arrived.
Today, many nobles traveled to the royal palace in their carriages.
Luxurious carriages, bearing the crests of major noble families, arrived one after another from all directions of the royal capital, converging at the gate of the royal palace.
At this moment, the area in front of the royal palace bustled with activity as nobles, dressed neatly and luxuriously, greeted each other, made connections, or engaged in sharp, confrontational conversations.
After a while, they slowly made their way to the venue of the award ceremony—the audience room.
Since this was a formal award ceremony for the seventh Sword Saint of Jinas, it was a significant event for a major country like Jinas. Naturally, the nobles in the royal capital attended in full force to make their presence known.
In this scenario, the Frenzel family's carriage finally arrived, pulling up in front of the royal palace gate.
Ain and Ian were still the coachmen as always, both dressed in formal attire today and looking like the epitome of refined female knights.
Upon arriving at the gate of the royal palace, they dismounted and knelt on one knee, as true knights would, to welcome their master out of the carriage.
Soon, four people got out of the carriage.
First were naturally Riezel and Yuri.
Both wore formal attire today, including ceremonial robes, which surprisingly suited them quite well.
Following them was Marilyn, still in her usual maid outfit.
She trailed behind Yuri as always, but in others' eyes, she looked less like an attendant and more like a personal maid.
Finally, there was Lizbeth.
Now Riezel's attendant, this little princess still held her golden sword as before, but her outfit had changed to a plain, inconspicuous one. She seemed to like the outfit quite a bit, as her expression was brighter than usual, showing she was in a good mood.
Half an hour ago, Riezel gave a straightforward assessment after seeing Lizbeth's new outfit.
"You know what? No matter what outfit she wears, this girl always stands out."
In response, Yuri, Marilyn, Ain, and Ian, upon seeing Lizbeth, couldn't help but shift their gazes from her face to her chest, falling into silence as a sign of agreement.
With such a tight fit, it was impossible for Lizbeth not to stand out.
And so, after the group of four had exited the carriage, they took in the bustling scene around them.
"S-So many people…"
Lizbeth, who had been in a good mood before, now shrank back slightly upon seeing so many carriages, nobles, and knight guards, looking a bit intimidated.
Riezel frowned as well, unable to help but wonder.
"Is it really necessary to attend this so-called award ceremony?"
Honestly, he didn't really want to attend this award ceremony.
Since he had already distanced himself from the royal family, they shouldn't cause him trouble anymore. Attending the award ceremony at the royal palace seemed completely unnecessary.
In the first place, he didn't care about honor or reputation, so whether he had the Sword Saint Medal or not was of no concern to him.
However, Yuri, who had persuaded him to attend, wore a disapproving expression.
"You should attend since the Sword Saint Medal is an important item."
"Its very existence is not only a deterrent, a symbol, and an honor, but also a means of showcasing one's status."
"With this medal, wherever you go, you'll be treated as an esteemed guest, even in other countries."
"Not only will it save you from a lot of unnecessary trouble, but if you happen to enter places with restricted entry, they'll generally let you pass as long as you show the Sword Saint Medal."
"So, if you plan to travel in the future, it's best to get it. You'll find it more useful than you might think."
Yuri advised Riezel, leaving him with no choice but to attend the award ceremony to receive the medal. If this medal was going to be so useful for his future travels, he might as well get it.
"Let's go, we'll head straight to the audience room."
Yuri spoke, then turned to Ain and Ian.
"You two stay here and wait for us to come back."
""Yes!""
Ain and Ian immediately acknowledged the order.
"Should we also stay behind?"
Lizbeth timidly asked Marilyn in a whisper.
"No."
Marilyn responded flatly as always.
"Since we are the first attendants under our masters' command, wherever they go, we should follow and protect them closely. Even on occasions like this, we must stay with them. Once we get to the audience room, we can wait outside."
Marilyn patiently taught Lizbeth the duties of an attendant, giving the impression of a veteran guiding a novice.
It couldn't be helped.
Compared to Marilyn, Lizbeth was undeniably a novice as an attendant. Coupled with her reserved nature, she was completely at a loss about how to perform her duties well.
As a senior, Marilyn had been providing Lizbeth with guidance over the past few days, teaching her how to be a proper attendant.
"Okay, I understand."
Lizbeth accepted the guidance humbly and behaved obediently.
In fact, Lizbeth even seemed to enjoy being guided by Marilyn, like a younger sister finally receiving attention from an elder sister after a lack of care in the past.
Seeing this, Riezel was more than happy to let Lizbeth communicate with Marilyn. Whether it was for practical reasons or otherwise, there was no need to stop it.
As more people gathered around, some recognized them and approached to greet them.
Noticing the troublesome situation approaching, Riezel spoke up.
"Let's get inside quickly. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head home."
Riezel took the lead and stepped into the royal palace.
Yuri smiled and followed.
Marilyn and Lizbeth quickly followed, one closely behind Yuri and the other closely behind Riezel, not a step apart.
===
Royal Palace, Audience Room.
It was an extremely vast room, resembling a cathedral hall, surrounded by exquisite stone pillars reaching up to the ceiling, with murals carved on the walls and pillars, as if narrating a grand history, creating an atmosphere of solemnity, sanctity, and authority.
By the time the award ceremony officially began, the place was already filled with nobles in magnificent attire, with fully armed knights stationed around.
Even so, it was not noisy despite the bustle.
Hendrick sat on the throne at the farthest end, high above, exuding elegance and looking down over the entire assembly.
"Sword Saint Riezel Brynhart! Step forward!"
A civil official standing beside Hendrick, who seemed to be the person in charge of the award ceremony, dressed similarly to a priest, made a loud announcement to the whole room.
*Step!*
In the solemn room, a clear footstep echoed.
"..."
Everyone present turned their gaze, focusing on the master of the footsteps.
Over there, Riezel, under the full attention of the crowd, walked calmly toward the throne, his expression tranquil as if he were not participating in a serious event.
Hendrick also watched the young man approaching his position slowly, feeling deeply moved.
Although his interactions with Riezel had not been very pleasant, and the royal family's efforts to recruit and control him had not met expectations, the presence of a seventeen-year-old Sword Saint, who might be unprecedented and perhaps unparalleled, appearing in his kingdom, made him quite emotional.
Especially since Riezel was also a Tactical-Class Magician with the ability to dominate the battlefield and crush thousands of soldiers at once, combining these two identities made him one of the most exceptional people on the continent.
Moreover, Riezel formed an extremely close relationship with one of the only two Strategic-Class Magicians of Jinas also indicated that he had substantial support behind him.
From Rohm's reports, he learned that Riezel had already mastered Yuri's Decomposition Magic, which further elevated his evaluation of Riezel.
Although intelligence indicated that Riezel's compatibility with the Control System was only second-grade, which theoretically should not have allowed him to learn such advanced magic from the Control System, Decomposition Magic was not particularly high-class magic.
Hendrick was unsure how Yuri had developed this magic to such a terrifying degree, so without knowing the specifics, he could only accept this reality and make compromises for Riezel.
Not to mention, knowing Riezel had defeated Rohm, he could not afford to treat him lightly. If he could not win Riezel over, he certainly could not afford to offend the young man, lest he bring trouble to the royal family and the kingdom.
For this reason, when Riezel walked calmly in front of the throne amidst the high-ranking nobles of the kingdom, Hendrick wore a friendly smile.
"A seventeen-year-old Sword Saint, such an amazingly talented character, born in our Jinas, is our honor and the honor of this kingdom."
Hendrick stood up and picked up a medal from a nearby tray.
It was a medal with a sword pattern, just like the Sword Master Medal, but unlike the silver Sword Master Medal, this medal was entirely brilliant gold, gleaming like a gold coin, and extremely luxurious.
"Hereby, as the 21st King of Jinas, I award Riezel Brynhart the Sword Saint Medal."
Hendrick stepped down from the throne and pinned the medal onto Riezel.
"From today onward, you are the seventh Sword Saint of Jinas."
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
*Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!* *Clap!*
As soon as the declaration was spoken, thunderous applause erupted throughout the audience room.
Everyone applauded, watching Riezel, whether out of genuine joy or just going through the motions, clap at this moment.
Amidst the applause, Riezel's gaze was directed toward Yuri, standing in a prominent position, meeting her eyes for a moment before smiling.
With that, the award ceremony came to an end.
From now on, the name 'Lightning Sword Saint' was destined to resonate throughout the Akasha Continent.
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On the Akasha Continent, the award ceremony was a very formal occasion, with everything arranged according to a strict schedule.
As a result, during the award ceremony, except for the main character, Riezel, everyone else was just there to serve as a backdrop, with no role other than to witness the ceremony.
Even so, with so many high-ranking officials and nobles present, it was naturally impossible for them to just show up and then leave right after.
For them, the award ceremony was indeed Riezel's moment, but once it ended, it was their time to shine, especially those who had long had their eyes on him. After the ceremony ended, they finally got their chance to make some connections with him.
However, it wasn't as easy as it seemed.
Even before Riezel revealed his Sword Saint strength, many nobles had tried to get close to him, but all they faced were closed doors. Whether they were major or minor nobles, even from duke families, none of them had managed to meet him, not even once.
Most of the letters they sent disappeared into the void, and the replies they received were nothing but perfunctory responses, clearly not written by Riezel himself but by someone else on his behalf.
Because of this, many nobles who wanted to interact with the youngest and newly appointed Sword Saint were disappointed, including a certain young lady who tried to secretly meet Riezel with Carrera's help.
To make things worse, after Riezel revealed his true strength and was acknowledged as a Sword Saint, he set up an arena right outside the Frenzel residence, where he accepted challengers from morning until dusk, spending all day there without leaving once.
As a result, the nobles had no chance to talk to Riezel at all, leaving them quite frustrated.
However, today, the opportunity had finally arrived.
After the award ceremony ended and Hendrick, surrounded by civil officials and knights, exited the audience room, many high-ranking nobles gathered around Riezel.
"Greetings, Sir Brynhart."
"Greetings, Sir Sword Saint."
"I've heard so much about you, Sir Brynhart."
They greeted Riezel one after another, their faces full of friendly smiles, with some even showing fawning expressions.
"Ah, greetings to you as well."
Riezel knew he couldn't escape socializing at an event like this, so he nodded to the nobles and responded to their greetings.
At this moment, Riezel became the center of attention, surrounded by nobles dressed in luxurious attire and engaging in conversation.
Surprisingly, Yuri joined in, holding Riezel's hand and standing by his side so naturally, helping him deal with the nobles.
However, as everyone in the audience room saw this scene, they had many wild thoughts running through their minds, especially those who had never seen Riezel before or witnessed the interaction between him and Yuri—they were quite shocked.
Although they already knew that the relationship between Riezel and Yuri wasn't simple, seeing how close they were right now made it seem like their relationship was even better than they had imagined.
At the very least, they had never seen the famous Marquis Frenzel stand this close to anyone in public, let alone hold someone's hand, an opposite sex at that.
Ultimately, this inevitably led to all kinds of speculation.
"Could these two be a couple?"
"Judging by Marquis Frenzel's demeanor, she's clearly very close to the Lightning Sword Saint."
"If these two are a couple, that would be something big."
"If their relationship gets out, the entire continent would be shaken."
Seeing the closeness between Riezel and Yuri, the nobles began whispering among themselves.
If the relationship between Riezel and Yuri was really what they imagined, the notion that it would shake the entire continent was not an exaggeration at all.
One was an unprecedented seventeen-year-old Sword Saint and Tactical-Class Magician with limitless potential and a promising future, while the other was a seventeen-year-old Strategic-Class Magician with boundless potential.
If these two, seen as juniors by others but already having achieved the highest honors and accomplishments on the continent, were to come together, it would certainly cause countless countries to tremble.
Everyone present, just by thinking a little about such a future and the impact and developments that would come from these two joining forces, couldn't help but be secretly amazed.
'It seems like I can't ignore them anymore...'
'Even if I can't build a good relationship, I can't afford to offend them.'
'Offending one might as well mean offending the other, and the consequences would be unimaginable.'
'Better to keep things friendly. If I actually manage to get on their good side, it'd be like getting two allies for the price of one... Hmm, not a bad deal.'
With these thoughts, the nobles who were still watching from the sidelines couldn't hold back any longer. One by one, they approached, heading over to Riezel and Yuri's side.
Unfortunately, not everyone was so wise.
At that exact moment, a particular unwelcome guest decided to make his move, even though he clearly wasn't invited.
"Well, well, quite the lively crowd here... mind if I join?"
When this overbearing voice cut through the chatter, everyone in the audience room, including Riezel and Yuri, fell silent.
All eyes turned to the source of the voice.
Riezel remained silent, his expression calm, while Yuri frowned slightly.
In this tense moment, a young man dressed in dazzling attire with a luxurious sword at his waist, which looked more like a work of art, made his entrance.
He was none other than the third prince, Sorren Jinas.
"Your Highness."
"Your Highness."
Seeing the third prince, everyone in the room quickly lowered their heads, instinctively making way while respectfully greeting Sorren.
"It's him?"
"What's he doing here?"
Some of the nobles visibly frowned, clearly supporters of the Duke Faction, uneasy about the arrival of this 'Mad Dog Prince'.
For such a formal ceremony, only titled nobles, civil officials, and knights were typically expected to attend, while noble heirs who had not yet inherited their titles and members of the royal family usually did not participate.
During the award ceremony earlier, no prince or princess from the royal family, including Sorren, had been present. Yet, after the ceremony ended, he suddenly chose to show up on his own, making the nobles feel uneasy.
Sorren, on the other hand, didn't care about the reactions around him, calmly walking in without care and going straight to Riezel and Yuri, smiling at them.
However, his smile, true to his nature, had a mocking, disdainful vibe as if he was looking down on everyone.
"Long time no see, you two."
Sorren wasn't just focused on Yuri this time; he also included Riezel in his gaze, looking at the pair holding hands with a smirk on his face.
"You two have been causing quite a stir lately. Even I, who's been grounded, hear people in the palace talking about you every day. Seems like you've been having a lot of fun out there, huh?"
For some reason, Sorren said this with a tone that seemed to carry hidden meanings.
"...You're joking, Your Highness." Yuri replied calmly, though her face clearly showed a frown. "We haven't done anything special."
"Hahaha... You're the one joking, right?"
Sorren laughed out loud before turning his head to Riezel.
"Seriously, the youngest Sword Saint in history is right by your side. Not only did he defeat a descendant of the Borley family with one strike, but he also set up an arena and fought a thousand matches every day, earning the title of the Lightning Sword Saint..."
"A flash of lightning means defeat? Now that's a phrase that really packs a punch!"
As these words came out of Sorren's mouth, they didn't sound like praise at all but more like insults.
At the same time, the surrounding nobles frowned, some displeased with Sorren's attitude, while others looked fearful.
Yuri, on the other hand, stayed silent and coldly watched Sorren.
However, Sorren didn't glance at her anymore but stared at Riezel, who wore a calm expression, his mouth twisted into a grin and his eyes flickering.
In truth, Sorren still couldn't fully accept it.
After all, the man in front of him, the one he had never taken seriously and had even warned once, had actually become a Sword Saint.
He had even doubted the rumor about Riezel being a Sword Master and a Tactical-Class Magician before, so the idea that Riezel was a Sword Saint was even harder to believe.
A seventeen-year-old Sword Saint?
If someone had told him this before, he would have laughed in their face and thought it was the biggest joke, not worth listening to.
However, the rumors that Riezel had instantly defeated Albert, the best swordsman just under Sword Saint, and had fought a thousand matches daily without a single loss, were now completely confirmed.
If he kept doubting it, he would just look like a clueless fool.
Because of this, he had no choice but to take Riezel seriously and view him as a threat, which was why he came to the audience room to meet Riezel today.
Since he was grounded, this was probably his only chance to meet Riezel.
"Riezel Brynhart."
Sorren's eyes met Riezel's directly.
"I admit, I underestimated you before."
Truthfully, getting Sorren to admit something like this was a miracle. With his violent and jealous nature, he never acknowledged that anyone could be better than him.
In Sorren's eyes, even Albert, who was praised as the best swordsman just under Sword Saint, only had the advantage of age. If he had been Albert's age, he would never have lost to him.
Sorren also looked down on his other siblings, looked down on any so-called prodigies his age, and was so arrogant that he thought the throne was already in his grasp.
For this reason, when Sergius, who was close to his age, was seen as the best successor to the throne and considered more talented than him, Sorren reacted so strongly, attacking Sergius like a mad dog.
He refused to admit that he was inferior to Sergius.
He refused to believe that anyone his age deserved his attention.
However, Riezel's appearance shattered his pride more straightforwardly and brutally than Sergius ever could.
Not only was Riezel younger than him, but he was also far stronger, becoming the first person in history to achieve the status of Sword Saint before turning twenty, leaving no room for denial.
When the gap became this wide, it left everyone speechless, just as Sorren felt at this moment.
Luckily, Riezel wasn't part of the royal family and wasn't competing with him for the throne.
In that case—
"Come to my side."
Sorren bluntly threw this offer at Riezel.
"Serve me, and you'll be the greatest figure in this kingdom, second only to me."
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