Today's meeting with the King of Jinas ended abruptly due to an unexpected match and its equally surprising outcome.
After the match, Riezel immediately turned and left, disappearing from sight and leaving a group of high-ranking officials, including the king, in shock.
Still in shock from the unexpected outcome, Albert was eventually taken away by members of the royal knightly order.
Meanwhile, once Yuri snapped out of her daze, she quickly apologized to the king and hurried off, seemingly in search of Riezel.
As for Hendrick, upon returning to the throne room, he dismissed everyone, sending the officials away while they were still reeling from the shock.
It was easy to imagine that these officials and knights would soon discuss this match, and by then, the name Riezel Brynhart would carry a weight many times greater than before, sparking heated discussions throughout the royal capital and the kingdom.
Hendrick could already see such a future unfolding, yet he still found it hard to believe.
"Albert..."
Hendrick muttered as he recalled the match.
Needless to say, it was a thorough and complete defeat.
Albert Borley, hailed as the best swordsman just under Sword Saint, had his sword broken and was defeated in less than the blink of an eye, without even having the chance to react.
What kind of swordsman could instantly defeat the best swordsman just under Sword Saint?
Sword Saint!
It could only be a Sword Saint!
Even so, this fact was just too unbelievable and ridiculous.
"...Rohm."
Hendrick suddenly spoke out into the empty throne room.
"Have you ever seen a seventeen-year-old Sword Saint?"
At this question, a hazy figure flickered briefly behind Hendrick.
Soon afterward, a gloomy and cold voice echoed.
"Not only have I not seen one, but I haven't even heard of one."
How could anyone have heard of such a thing?
In a world where becoming a Sword Saint before the age of thirty was already an extremely rare feat, how could anyone have heard of a seventeen-year-old Sword Saint?
Let alone someone who was seventeen, even Sword Saints under thirty were among the few in all of human history who could be counted on one hand.
"Are you saying that everything we saw today was fake?"
Hendrick didn't turn to look behind him but spoke as if he were talking to himself.
"..."
Upon hearing Hendrick's words, the person called Rohm fell silent.
In this situation, Hendrick rubbed his temples in exhaustion.
"Has the information on Riezel Brynhart really been completely investigated?"
Hendrick asked in a deep voice.
"It's been investigated..."
Rohm replied softly, explaining what he had found.
"We've checked it many times and confirmed it at least twenty times, but there's still no evidence that he has practiced swordsmanship."
"According to the information, he only began practicing swordsmanship after he was attacked and his Gate was damaged."
"Before that, there were no signs that he had ever been involved with swordsmanship."
Hendrick had heard this information many times already, but precisely because of this, he couldn't help but confirm it over and over again.
"If he hadn't shown any signs of practicing swordsmanship before, why did he suddenly become a Sword Master?" Hendrick muttered in wonder. "No, he's no longer just a Sword Master... Defeating Albert in one strike... such skill, such swordsmanship... is far beyond what a Sword Master should possess..."
As he recalled that flash of lightning once more, a deep sense of dread involuntarily surfaced in his eyes.
In his eyes, Riezel had become an extremely unfathomable figure, and he even suspected that the past Riezel was merely a disguise, hiding his true self all along.
Forget about anything else, just the swordsmanship alone, there was no way someone who just started practicing swordsmanship could develop that level of skill.
Swordsmanship that would take ordinary people decades to master—how could Riezel have developed it to that level in such a short time?
Riezel must have been practicing swordsmanship for a long time, but he simply never showed it or even hid it.
As Hendrick pondered further, he remembered that even his true skill in magic was hidden.
Otherwise, how could he have suddenly become a Tactical-Class Magician?
From the past information, when Riezel first enrolled in Spriller Academy, he was known to have barely mastered Combat-Class Magic.
Given this, how could he suddenly use Tactical-Class Magic in the incident between the Frenzel and Basolo families?
'Why is he hiding so deeply? Is he plotting something?'
Hendrick couldn't figure this out, but there was one thing he did understand—trying to win Riezel over or bind him to Jinas was almost impossible now.
"Since Riezel Brynhart is a Sword Saint, we absolutely cannot use forceful methods on him..." Hendrick muttered with a frown. "Since he's so resistant to becoming a noble, this route is probably closed..."
After hearing this, Rohm was silent for a moment before speaking up.
"Do you need me to take action, Your Majesty?"
At this point, Rohm's tone carried a hint of murderous intent.
"Can you handle 'that' strike?"
Instead of answering, Hendrick asked a question.
Obviously, he was referring to that terrifying lightning bolt that seemed to cut through the entire arena.
"I can..." Rohm paused, then continued in a flat voice. "But it won't be easy."
"Then it won't work." Hendrick directly rejected the idea without hesitation. "Without absolute certainty, we cannot act against a Sword Saint. You should know that better than I do."
"In that case, what does Your Majesty wish to do?" Rohm asked solemnly, having put away his murderous intent. "He doesn't seem very willing to pledge loyalty to the kingdom. If left unchecked, he might be tempted by foreign forces."
Hendrick had nothing to say to Rohm's statement, as this was also his concern. After all, the better Riezel performed, the more shocked and unsettled he felt.
Perhaps this was a common characteristic of every ruler—too much suspicion and worry.
"If there's truly no other way, then we must try to build a good relationship with him..." Hendrick said in a deep voice. "Even if he doesn't become a noble or contribute to the kingdom, we need to ensure that he won't be an enemy."
"Your Majesty means...?" Rohm began to understand the implication.
"Obviously, the best approach for him would be a marriage alliance."
Hendrick continued with a slight gleam in his eyes.
"However, given his attitude, he probably wouldn't accept such an obvious attempt. Fortunately, aside from being a swordsman, he is also a magician. Since he is a magician, we'll use the old method..."
"Our first step is to ensure that he doesn't become an enemy."
Hendrick's words prompted a question from Rohm.
"If that's the case, who does Your Majesty plan to send to Riezel Brynhart?"
Rohm's question led Hendrick into deep thought once more.
After a while, Hendrick made a decision.
"Ordinary ones probably won't be able to sway the youngest Sword Saint in history..." Hendrick said decisively, gritting his teeth. "I will send Lizbeth."
"What? No, Your Majesty!" Rohm's tone changed sharply.
Hendrick clearly understood his objection.
"Princess Lizbeth's talents are on par with those of Prince Sorren, even comparable to Albert and Sergius. Given time, she might even become a Sword Saint. How can we send her?"
Rohm strongly opposed Hendrick's decision.
"Who else, then?" Hendrick asked coldly. "Among my daughters, who else besides Lizbeth could possibly catch Riezel Brynhart's eye?"
"What about Princess Petra?"
"She won't do. Not only is she much older than him, but her abilities are also lacking."
"What about Princess Anna?"
"She hasn't even earned the Sword Master Medal yet. How could she catch his eye?"
"What about Princess Selene?"
"She already has an engagement."
"Then… Princess Shea?"
"..."
Hendrick finally turned his head, looking behind him, and then spoke through gritted teeth.
"Rohm, she's only nine years old..."
With that, Rohm fell silent.
"It's decided. I will send Lizbeth..." Hendrick sighed and waved his hand wearily. "Becoming a Sword Saint isn't easy. Even Sorren might not make it, let alone Lizbeth. Instead of hoping for a Sword Saint who might never come, it's better to focus on the Sword Saint we already have."
At this point, he fell silent and, after a moment of thought, spoke again.
"Make an announcement stating that Riezel Brynhart has qualified to become a Sword Saint. Soon, the royal family will award him the Sword Saint Medal and officially recognize him as a Sword Saint. You will act as his recommender."
Upon hearing this, Rohm knew that his king was starting to make moves to build a relationship with Riezel Brynhart.
"...Understood."
Rohm accepted the order and immediately disappeared from the throne room.
===
Meanwhile, while Hendrick was deep in thought and making decisions in the throne room, Yuri was hurrying down the royal palace corridor toward the direction of the Frenzel family's carriage.
"My Lady?"
Marilyn, still unaware of what was going on, looked at Yuri, who was rushing by, with a puzzled expression.
Yuri ignored Marilyn and went straight to the empty space where the carriage was parked.
In that spot, she finally saw the troublemaker who had suddenly left earlier.
"Looks like my surprise was quite something, making even you hurry."
Saying this, Riezel leaned against the carriage with his arms crossed, waiting for Yuri to come over with a smile on his face.
Yuri slowed her pace, staring at the young man before her who was both familiar and oddly unfamiliar, unsure of what to say.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
Riezel asked with raised eyebrows as he approached Yuri.
Seeing this, Yuri briefly wanted to roll her eyes at him.
"...Why didn't you tell me?" Yuri asked with a confused look.
"Tell you what?" Riezel seemed not to understand.
Upon hearing this, Yuri glared at him.
"Playing dumb, huh?" Yuri said with an annoyed expression. "Since you already have the strength of a Sword Saint, you should've said so earlier! You had me worried for nothing!"
Although her words didn't seem to affect Riezel, Marilyn, who stood behind her, looked shocked.
'Sword... Saint...?'
Marilyn looked at Riezel with wide eyes.
'He is... a Sword Saint...?'
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Marilyn's shock didn't catch Riezel's attention.
At this moment, Riezel simply watched Yuri, who looked quite upset, before suddenly reaching out to pat her on the head.
"What do you want me to say?" Riezel asked with a faint smile. "Should I brag about how amazing I am?"
His reasoning was somewhat similar to what he had said in front of Yuri when he first revealed his swordsmanship abilities after defeating the Shadow Knights with Ain and Ian.
Yuri's frustration immediately vanished as she stared at Riezel, who smiled and patted her head without warning.
It took her a moment to react.
"Don't treat me like a kid!"
Yuri quickly swatted Riezel's hand away with an annoyed look, but if one looked closely, one would notice a hint of red on her cheeks.
However, his playful gesture seemed to make her lose her mood to confront him.
"I really want to know how many secrets you're still hiding..." Yuri sighed tiredly. "If I'd known you had this level of power, I wouldn't have worried so much..."
Not responding to her words, Riezel merely smiled faintly.
What Yuri didn't know was that Riezel was actually still holding back. After all, in his match against Albert, he had used Thunder Breathing, not Sun Breathing.
Regarding this, there was a world of difference between the two.
Sun Breathing had evolved into a completely different realm, giving Riezel a stable combat power that crossed a level, making him nearly invincible even against Level 7 opponents.
Thunder Breathing, though unique, couldn't compare to the evolved Sun Breathing.
However, if that was the case, why did Riezel choose to use Thunder Breathing and not other breathing styles?
Simple.
It was simply because Riezel had a special fondness for Thunder Breathing.
In truth, not only had he mastered the five fundamental breathing styles with the help of the Ubuyashiki family, but he had also mastered the derivative breathing styles from the Hashira during their two months of training together.
Whether it was Sound Breathing, Mist Breathing, Serpent Breathing, Insect Breathing, or even Love Breathing, he had mastered these derivative styles during his training with the Hashira.
For Riezel, who had managed to grasp Flame Breathing by merely observing Kyoujurou's breathing during their first meeting in the Mugen Train, this wasn't particularly difficult. He even mastered Moon Breathing just by observing it during his battle with Kokushibou.
If this fact were known to everyone in the Demon Slayer Corps, it would surely drop a lot of jaws.
Ultimately, Riezel had nearly mastered all the breathing styles from the world of Demon Slayer, except for Flower Breathing and Beast Breathing, which he had not yet seen in person.
Among all these breathing styles, Sun Breathing was undoubtedly the most useful for him, closely followed by Wind Breathing, which could be used in Fast Attack Mode with Ariel.
While the other breathing styles didn't have as much impact because they couldn't be applied to any attack modes, Thunder Breathing was undoubtedly his favorite.
Thunder Breathing was, after all, the second most challenging breathing style after Sun Breathing and had the strongest speed and explosive power of all breathing styles, making it a preferred choice for both killing and quick strikes.
It was evident from how he developed Blooming Radiance, a new thirteenth form of Sun Breathing. Much like Thunder Breathing's first form, Thunderclap and Flash, Blooming Radiance was also an Iai technique, though they were not identical.
For this reason, he even attempted to evolve Thunder Breathing just as he had evolved Sun Breathing.
Unfortunately, he failed.
He realized that Thunder Breathing and Sun Breathing were completely different.
One should know that the main reason Sun Breathing could evolve and transform was its incredible versatility and adaptability.
As the origin and ancestor of all breathing styles, the five fundamental breathing styles derived from Sun Breathing, while the remaining derivative breathing styles further evolved from these breathing styles, all ultimately traceable back to Sun Breathing.
Even Moon Breathing was a derivative of Sun Breathing, proving that Sun Breathing was all-encompassing and had extremely high versatility and adaptability.
Unlike other breathing styles, which focused on enhancing specific aspects, Sun Breathing offered a comprehensive boost to overall abilities.
Needless to say, such versatility, adaptability, and comprehensive nature allowed Sun Breathing to evolve into a divine swordsmanship capable of strengthening the human body in every aspect.
Other breathing styles, however, fall short.
For example, since Thunder Breathing emphasized speed and explosive power, with other aspects being less important, it couldn't integrate with the Akasha Continent's breathing technique like Sun Breathing, which achieved an all-around enhancement effect. Coupled with its lack of versatility and adaptability, it made improvement or reshaping difficult.
As a result, among the breathing styles he mastered, only Sun Breathing could evolve and transform as he envisioned, while the other breathing styles could not.
Understanding this, Riezel felt regret more than once.
Regardless, in his current situation and needs, Thunder Breathing still proved useful.
'Indeed, demonstrating strength is the best way to deter petty threats, but if you show all your strength and don't keep any cards up your sleeve, you'll eventually suffer.'
Riezel's heart was as clear as a mirror as he thought this.
Facing his current situation, where countless people were eyeing him, he knew he needed to show enough power to make them wary but also not reveal his full capabilities to avoid being targeted.
Because of this, Riezel kept a few tricks up his sleeve, hiding his true power.
For him, even without using Sun Breathing in Strong Attack Mode or Wind Breathing in Fast Attack Mode, he could easily handle someone claiming to be the best swordsman just under Sword Saint.
Under normal circumstances, he could already dominate Level 6 opponents, so even against Albert, who had reached the limit of Level 6 and could be considered a half-step to Level 7, he would still have the upper hand.
For this reason, when he used a breathing style to enhance his power, even a standard breathing style without evolution could help him reach the power of Level 7 and effortlessly defeat Albert.
Level 7, even if just barely, was the genuine realm of Sword Saint, enough to deal with an ordinary Sword Saint, let alone someone who was still a step away.
Moreover, with Riezel using Thunder Breathing, the strongest in speed and explosive power among all breathing styles, merely using its first form, which was the same as the Blooming Radiance, the strike he unleashed at that moment would be hard for ordinary Sword Saints to block.
In this way, the result was as expected.
Albert Borley, the so-called best swordsman just under Sword Saint, faced a devastating defeat. If it had been a life-and-death battle, he would have been killed in an instant without even realizing it.
Demonstrating such a level of power was enough to intimidate petty threats.
Riezel had already planned this thoroughly.
'In the future, I'll use Thunder Breathing in front of others and hide my true power. If someone thinks that's all I have and targets me, I'll give them a big surprise.'
With this thought, Riezel suddenly remembered Zenitsu.
As a swordsman who only knew the first form of Thunder Breathing, Zenitsu appeared to be a hopeless case but was, in truth, a master practitioner of Thunder Breathing.
In the original work, Zenitsu perfected the first form and developed even stronger techniques based on it.
They were 'First Form - Thunderclap and Flash - Godspeed' and 'Seventh Form - Flaming Thunder God', the two techniques Zenitsu created based on his understanding of Thunder Breathing's first form.
Godspeed was the ultimate move of Thunderclap and Flash, the fastest strike, the fastest slash.
Flaming Thunder God, on the other hand, could achieve speeds even Upper Ranks couldn't catch, allowing Zenitsu, who wasn't even a Hashira and had none of the three abilities—the Demon Slayer Mark, the Bright Red Nichirin Sword, and the Transparent World—to decapitate his senior brother, who had become an Upper Rank.
Riezel thought these two techniques had a lot of potential and were similar in essence to his Blooming Radiance.
'Maybe if I develop them further, I might find some inspiration to improve Blooming Radiance.'
Indeed, Riezel was thinking about improving Blooming Radiance.
Meanwhile, Yuri, who was unaware of all this, was still in awe of the stunning lightning bolt Riezel had created, not realizing that it wasn't even his true strength.
However, there was one thing she did know.
"Is the swordsmanship you used a Special Swordsmanship?" Yuri asked seriously. "So, you already know and have learned a Special Swordsmanship?"
She had been trying every possible way to give this troublemaker access to her family library, only to find out he didn't need it at all.
Special Swordsmanship was, after all, something even the Frenzel family didn't possess.
"Well, I guess so..."
With such a casual answer, Riezel didn't explain much further.
In the eyes of the people of this world, Thunder Breathing could indeed be considered a type of Special Swordsmanship.
Special Swordsmanship was a form of swordsmanship that allowed a swordsman to develop unique abilities—some could summon wind, while others could control fire, performing feats similar to magic.
Since Thunder Breathing used the power of lightning, it was seen as a type of Special Swordsmanship.
However, unlike the genuine Special Swordsmanship of this world, Thunder Breathing didn't permanently enhance the body and only provided temporary effects.
For this complicated reason, Riezel didn't intend to clarify further.
"Anyway, with this, things are settled..." Riezel said calmly. "Although I can't say I'm completely safe, it should help prevent some underhanded tricks, right?"
At his words, Yuri paused for a moment before suddenly smiling.
"I can't guarantee there won't be any underhanded tricks, but I can guarantee that you'll have something to do next."
"What?" Riezel asked with a confused expression.
Perhaps out of spite, she kept him in suspense.
"You'll find out soon enough."
With that, Yuri turned and got into the carriage.
Marilyn, still shocked, gave Riezel a peculiar look before following her master into the carriage.
Still standing in place, Riezel was lost in thought.
'What did she mean by that?'
Not understanding Yuri's meaning, Riezel shook his head before getting into the carriage as well.
It wasn't until later that he realized he indeed had something to do next.
However, whether it was a good or bad thing was up to everyone's interpretation.
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