"You want to become a magician?"
With raised eyebrows, Riezel asked Isaac, who stood in front of him.
"Duh!" Isaac rolled his eyes and spoke with no trace of politeness. "Who doesn't want to become a magician?"
'Well, that's true...' Riezel admitted in his heart.
In this world, being a magician symbolized nobility, symbolized status, and without a doubt, many people aspired to it.
Like the original Riezel, dreaming of becoming a Tactical-Class Magician, gaining a noble status, and being honored as a noble, it was safe to say that there were plenty of people like him. Even noble descendants hope to become magicians themselves, especially Tactical-Class or Strategic-Class Magicians.
However, reality was obviously more cruel than they imagined.
"Your elder sister said that only she and your father in the entire family have the talent to become magicians, while you, due to insufficient magical energy, can only pursue the path of a swordsman. Don't you know about this?" Riezel asked with a puzzled tone.
Yes.
It was this matter that made him puzzled.
Logically, Isaac should know about this since he was already attending swordsmanship classes. Even if no one told him, he should have guessed that he didn't have the talent to become a magician, right?
It was truly perplexing that Isaac suddenly wanted him to teach magic.
"I'm sure my father and elder sister have mistaken me, maybe I happen to have the talent to become a magician, they just haven't noticed it yet?"
When saying that, Isaac looked resolute and unwilling to accept defeat, but Riezel keenly noticed a hint of unwillingness in his eyes.
Apparently, this nine-year-old boy refused to believe in reality.
It was understandable.
At Isaac's age, how could he understand that 'talent' was something inborn and unchangeable?
At this age, Isaac certainly wouldn't be convinced by evaluations from elders. He wouldn't believe that if someone said it was not possible, then it was not possible. Even if it was true, he must be an exception.
This was a mindset shared by people of his age.
Perhaps, he also wanted to prove to his father and elder sister that they were wrong and that he could actually become a magician.
"Ahh, I see... It's probably because of this that you keep avoiding swordsmanship classes and never seriously study swordsmanship, huh..."
Riezel seemed to understand Isaac's behavior now, and indeed, it seemed to be the case.
"I don't want to learn swordsmanship and become a swordsman." Isaac said with disdain. "I want to become a powerful magician, like my elder sister, honored by the kingdom, and make our family stronger and more stronger. Swordsmanship classes are pointless."
Sure enough, this boy avoided studying swordsmanship and attending swordsmanship classes for this reason.
But still, reality was cruel.
"Listen, to become a magician, having enough magical energy to cast magic is the bare minimum. Even if you dream of becoming a magician, if you don't have the necessary magical energy, you won't be able to cast a single magic." Riezel explained, choosing not to deceive the boy, thus revealing the harsh reality.
"Are you going to say the same thing as my father and elder sister?!" Isaac shouted. "I don't care. Just teach me what you need to, whether I succeed or not is my concern, not yours!"
"That's a valid point. Whether you learn or not is up to you; I shouldn't get in your way." Riezel acknowledged his words, but shortly afterward, turned his gaze to his eyes. "But whether I teach you or not is my concern too, no?"
"You—!" Isaac became infuriated instantly.
Being a noble, if he had demands, others should comply with them, that was how things worked within his family.
Why did this guy really like to go against him? Did this man really think he was so great just because he had his elder sister to protect him?
He admitted that this guy was indeed somewhat impressive, but even after he had 'humbly' begged like this, this guy still refused.
This guy was truly a damn scoundrel!
There was no other choice; he would have to resort to a last-ditch effort.
"I can give you money!"
"I'm not short on money for now."
"I can give you my precious magic items!"
"I don't want any magic items for now."
"I-I can introduce you to women!"
"I don't need a woman for now. Also, please stop that; you're starting to sound like a wicked and nasty young master."
"What do you have to be dissatisfied about?"
"I'd like to ask you back, based on what you've said, do I have anything to be satisfied about?"
"In that case, how about I give you a magic crystal that can record images? It also contains scenes of my three elder sisters bathing!"
"...Pass."
It must be said that for the sake of learning magic, Isaac was truly willing to go all out, willing to use anything as bargaining chips.
Riezel's gaze at this boy became increasingly strange, feeling like there was something off about him, yet also seemingly normal in every way. This feeling was quite odd, but it didn't stop him from seeing Isaac as a troublemaker brat.
Luckily, Riezel didn't need to intervene; this boy was about to face consequences on his own.
"Ahh, so that's how it is... A magic crystal that can record images, is it?"
A voice, sounding as though it emerged from hell, suddenly echoed behind Isaac.
"I've never heard of such a thing. Shouldn't you explain this to me properly, Isaac?"
As the voice resonated, Isaac, who was about to reach into his pocket to take out the so-called magic crystal, froze entirely. He showed a frightened expression, and shortly afterward, the terror on his face turned into despair.
*Pak!*
A hand forcefully slammed onto Isaac's shoulder, grabbing hold of him, and preventing his escape.
Mediste's face appeared behind Isaac, her slightly childish yet exceptionally beautiful face frosted over with coldness, darkness swirling in her eyes.
"It seems like the two of us need to have a serious talk, don't you think, Isaac?" Mediste's voice was particularly cold and terrifying.
"A-Ah... Aah..." Isaac let out a sound akin to a broken doll, a voice resembling that of a dying man.
At that moment, delicate and fair hands swiftly clasped around his neck.
*Crack!*
The next second, Isaac's neck twisted almost ninety degrees, emitting a bone-cracking sound, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed to the ground.
"My apologies, Mr. Riezel."
Mediste appeared from behind Isaac and bowed her head to Riezel.
"My brother seems to have lost his senses, speaking nonsense. Please forget what he just said, and accept my deepest gratitude."
After uttering those undoubtedly emotionless words, she raised her head, her gaze and expression both seemed to have lost their luster.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Seeing Mediste's eyes devoid of their usual brilliance, Riezel was somewhat taken aback.
"Uh, yeah, take care..." Riezel could only respond awkwardly.
"Then, excuse me." Mediste bowed her head once again and turned to leave.
However, she still held Isaac's nape in her hand, dragging her younger brother directly toward the other end of the corridor.
In Riezel's eyes, it seemed as if a large predatory animal was dragging its prey into a corner to devour it.
'Frenzel family's women are truly terrifying...'
Whether it was Yuri or Mediste, neither of them was to be trifled with.
Lost in thought, Riezel didn't realize that the turned-away Mediste was currently feeling somewhat devastated.
Perhaps it was because of the matter her father mentioned to her last night.
—I'm planning to marry you off to Riezel Brynhart. Be prepared at all times.
Her father's absolute words lingered in her brain, leaving her with a complex mix of emotions.
As a result, for a short while, Mediste didn't dare to meet Riezel.
As for shocks or resistance, surprisingly, she didn't show any.
Surprise?
What was there to be surprised about?
Her father was always like this, and she knew it long ago. She had mentally prepared herself for her marriage arrangement long ago, so nothing was surprising.
Resistance?
How could she resist?
Her two elder sisters had the ability to resist, but pitifully, she didn't.
After all, she wasn't like her eldest sister, skilled in swordsmanship, or like her second-eldest sister, who was a great magician.
She was just an ordinary girl.
With her abilities, what could she do to resist?
Let alone herself, even her eldest sister who was a Sword Master could only resist their father with their mother's support. Otherwise, her eldest sister alone wouldn't be able to resist their father at all.
Only her second-eldest sister, Yuri, truly possessed the ability and privilege to resist their father solely with her own power. Because of this, she admired her second-eldest sister the most and aspired to become someone like her.
Unfortunately, she could only dream, since she was the most useless daughter in this family. Obeying marriage arrangements obediently and living a somewhat happy life was the best future she could hope for.
With such complicated emotions, Mediste dragged Isaac away.
Meanwhile, Riezel, who remained oblivious to her thoughts, watched as Mediste hurriedly left with her younger brother. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed an item on the ground.
"Hmm? Magic crystal?" Riezel raised his eyebrows and picked it up.
The crystal-shaped item that had fallen to the ground looked very similar to the communication magic crystal he had received from Yuri, so he immediately recognized it as some kind of magic crystal.
"Did this fall from that brat?"
Suddenly, he remembered what Isaac said earlier and realized what thing contained in this magic crystal was.
As a result, he fell into a long, long silence.
"...I'll just keep it for now."
After a long time, Riezel quietly tucked the magic crystal into his pocket and left the scene.
As for what kind of cruel interrogation and punishment Isaac would face from his elder sister for losing the magic crystal afterward, that had nothing to do with him.
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In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.
On this day, the War Festival hosted by the Frenzel family was officially announced open, making the city of Undine much livelier than usual.
Citizens pointed and gestured in the direction of the training field, which served as the arena for the fight, seemingly discussing the War Festival.
One carriage after another proceeded in the same direction, most likely heading to the training field.
Outside the training field, the Frenzel family's people stood guard.
Some were responsible for maintaining security and order, others for guiding and collecting entrance tickets, while some welcomed VIPs arriving in luxurious carriages, allowing everyone with tickets to enter one after another.
In such a scenario, Riezel's group also arrived quietly.
They remained the same old members, with Riezel, Yuri, Marilyn, Ain, and Ian, the group of five, walking together without any other members.
On the opposite side, the lineup was quite grand.
Apart from Alderman, Sefaz, and the mysterious closed-eyed swordsman, many knights and attendants were accompanying them.
At first glance, Riezel's group seemed somewhat outnumbered, but the attention of most people was actually focused on them.
"Is that Marquis Yuri Frenzel?"
"Those three women behind her, are they all her attendants?"
"I heard they're all Sword Masters."
"Amazing... Each one is so beautiful..."
"Yeah..."
People started discussing one after another enthusiastically, while Alderman's group, despite appearing more grand, didn't attract much attention.
It couldn't be helped.
Alderman's group was mostly men, and their fame wasn't high either, except for Sefaz himself being a Sword Master, the others weren't well-known, including Alderman himself.
Of course, when mentioning fame, it referred to strength.
People recognized Alderman as the former head of the Frenzel family, but in the end, he was just a Combat-Class Magician. He wasn't even a Tactical-Class, let alone a Strategic-Class Magician.
As a result, his support in this festival focused on combat wasn't very high.
On the other hand, in Riezel's group, Yuri herself was one of the continent's only eight Strategic-Class Magicians, while Marilyn, Ain, and Ian were all Sword Masters.
Although they were fewer in number, each one was elite, and of course, beautiful. After all, people were visual creatures, naturally more inclined to pay attention to something or someone beautiful, so it was understandable for their group to be more popular.
Even Riezel himself sparked considerable discussion.
"That's Riezel Brynhart, right?"
At one of the specially invited seats, a young nobleman dressed in finery turned to his attendant beside him for confirmation.
"Yes, he is indeed Riezel Brynhart." The attendant respectfully replied.
"Quite young, huh..." The young nobleman remarked. "Becoming a Tactical-Class Magician at such a young age. While not quite on par with Marquis Frenzel, he's certainly stronger than most Tactical-Class Magicians in the kingdom. No wonder the royal palace's people insisted I abandon all my work and rush over here just to bring this young man back for ennoblement."
This young nobleman had come from the royal capital, traveling a long distance. Apart from him, there were many other VIPs in the special seats, each with their own purposes.
Riezel was the focus of attention for many, with some even coming specifically for him.
"Is he the Tactical-Class Magician mentioned in the intelligence report, the one who hasn't been ennobled yet?"
"Yes, that's him."
"Good, let's find an opportunity to approach him and see if we can recruit him to our country before Jinas gets their claws on him."
In corners of the audience seats, whispers like these were happening, as if darkness pervaded everywhere.
And so, the opening time of the War Festival arrived right on time.
===
In the center of the training field, the two sides about to face off finally met.
"Are you ready?" Alderman looked at his daughter standing opposite him, asking without any expression.
"Let's get started already." Yuri didn't waste any words, simply dropping this statement before turning to walk back with the others.
Riezel lagged behind, his gaze involuntarily flicking to the closed-eyed swordsman standing behind Alderman. But after gazing at the closed-eyed swordsman, he suddenly frowned.
"What's wrong?" Yuri noticed his unease and asked in a lowered voice.
"Haven't you noticed?" Riezel continued to frown, looking at the closed-eyed swordsman. "There seems to be some sort of change in him..."
"Really?" Yuri seemed not to have noticed.
Not only her, but Marilyn, Ain, and Ian also seemed not to have noticed any anomaly. Only Riezel had a feeling that something had changed about the closed-eyed swordsman.
The closed-eyed swordsman's aura became somewhat dangerous, somewhat horrifying.
If, when Riezel first saw this closed-eyed swordsman, he felt like he was facing powerful experts like Finn, Riveria, or Gareth. Now, the feeling he got from this closed-eyed swordsman was more like facing a floor boss, full of oppression and terrifying monster-like presence.
Although the feeling of power remained just as strong, perhaps even stronger than before, the change in the closed-eyed swordsman made him feel more hostile and filled with bloodlust.
Strangely, he felt an urge to immediately cut down the closed-eyed swordsman, which made no sense and left him quite puzzled.
"Alright, don't think too much about it." Yuri patted his shoulder. "Whatever it is, let's talk after the War Festival is over."
Riezel nodded, taking one more deep look at the closed-eyed swordsman before following Yuri and the others, leaving the center of the training field.
On the other hand, Alderman remained in the center and chanted a magic. It was a small magic that amplified his voice to deliver the opening speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you gathered here today! I am deeply grateful for your presence at our Frenzel family's War Festival!"
As Alderman's voice reverberated loudly, the audience immediately quieted down.
"War Festival has been a tradition of our Frenzel family since its birth, once widely known. Unfortunately, we, the later generations, have been incapable of maintaining the brilliance of our ancestors. Eventually, this tradition faded away, not mentioned for decades."
"Now, the Frenzel family finally has the opportunity to reclaim some of its former glory, and it's time for the revival of this family tradition."
"Today, I, Alderman Frenzel, along with the family head, will recreate the War Festival, hoping that our ancestors will bless our family and restore its past glory."
After Alderman delivered the opening speech, he didn't waste much time and went straight to the point.
"The rules of the War Festival are as follows..."
Alderman announced the rules of the War Festival to the audience, which included three rounds with two victories needed to win, consisting of three fights with specific limitations on participants for each round, and so on.
Additionally, he made a special reminder.
"The War Festival is a tradition, a ritual... As such, it strictly forbids both sides from seriously harming their opponents, let alone killing them."
"Any violation of the safety regulations, regardless of which side, will be punished by the Frenzel family, even if it's me or my daughter, who is the family head."
"As for determining the winner, it will be based on destroying the medals worn by the participants."
After saying that, Alderman took out a medal and wore it on his left shoulder.
"Participants from both sides must wear this medal on their left shoulder."
"Once one side's medal is destroyed, victory will be decided, and the one who destroys it will claim the win."
"Additionally, once a participant has taken part in a round, they cannot participate again. Each participant is only allowed to participate once."
These were roughly the rules, with the rest being just some precautions, such as the training field employing barrier magic to protect the audience when the fight began, so the audience didn't need to worry about being affected by the fights.
"Now, each side, please send out a swordsman to participate in the first round of swordsmen."
After declaring that, Alderman left the center of the training field, and not long after, someone from his side entered.
"Good afternoon, everyone!"
Sefaz stepped onto the center of the training field, waving and greeting all around. His performance was akin to a football player entering the field, which indeed drew cheers from the audience, especially the teenage girls.
"Kyaaa—!"
"Kyaaa—!"
"Young Master Sefaz—!"
When they saw the first participant to enter was the handsome Sefaz, they all screamed one after another.
It must be said that the genes of the Frenzel family were indeed excellent. Handsome men and beautiful women, not a single one was mediocre. They were much better looking than the celebrities from Riezel's previous life.
"As expected, the first one to enter is my elder brother..." Yuri murmured as she watched her elder brother waving to the audience while approaching the center of the training field.
"I'll go." Marilyn said calmly.
"Um, go ahead." Yuri nodded. "Don't force yourself, just do your best."
"Understood." Marilyn bowed her head slightly, then calmly walked toward the center of the training field.
*Whistle~*
*Whistle~*
The stunning maid made a bold entrance, this time prompting a chorus of wolf whistles from the men.
"Ahh, are you my opponent?" Sefaz looked at Marilyn across from him and chuckled. "This could be tricky."
"Lie." Marilyn spoke without a trace of politeness. "You clearly don't think I could be your opponent."
"Then you've misunderstood me..." Sefaz shrugged casually. "If you unleash your family's specialty and use that swordsmanship, you would definitely be one of the opponents I least want to face."
Upon hearing that, Marilyn remained calm and quietly took out her weapon.
"Come."
Her calm and indifferent voice made Sefaz reveal a meaningful smile as he unsheathed the sword hanging from his waist.
In this manner, the first round of the War Festival had finally begun.
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