Contradiction and Worry

Royal Palace, Courtyard.

In the stillness of the night, apart from the knights on guard and patrol, almost no one wandered the royal palace at this hour.

As a result, the royal palace's courtyard, once the most scenic and lively place where people often strolled to unwind, now lay in a chilling silence.

A few patrolling knights happened to pass through, their strong footsteps echoing as they chatted casually.

"Have you heard? Captain Albert seems to have taken a long leave."

"Yeah, I heard. It seems he thinks he's not strong enough, so he wants to really focus on training. He doesn't have time to manage the knightly order, so he temporarily resigned from his captain position."

"No wonder the knights from the First Knight Division have seemed a bit restless lately. So, it's because Captain Albert quit?"

"Can't blame him. Getting defeated in one move by a previously unknown seventeen-year-old must be a huge blow for someone born into a family of Sword Saints."

"Yeah, not only is that youngster now a Sword Saint, but I also heard he hasn't lost a single match. No matter who it is, they can't dodge his lightning bolt or escape his lightning-speed slash. Captain Albert is strong, but he's not a Sword Saint, so losing to the famous Lightning Sword Saint isn't that embarrassing, right?"

"You're right, but it seems the guys in the First Knight Division are pretty upset about Captain Albert's situation. They've been stirring things up, wanting that Borley family's Sword Saint to step in and regain some pride against the Lightning Sword Saint."

"What? Are those guys out of their minds? Aren't they acting like sore losers?"

"It's normal, honestly... You know, most people in the First Knight Division are either vassals, distant relatives, or directly related to the Borley family—meaning the whole division is basically made up of Borley family supporters. Plus, Captain Albert isn't just their knight captain; he's also the one they'll be loyal to in the future. Now that he's lost so badly, a lot of them probably feel like they can't just let it slide."

"If the Borley family's Sword Saint gets involved, it'll be a big deal then..."

"Sword Saint versus Sword Saint, huh..."

"Sounds a bit scary, but I kinda want to see it."

"Me too."

As the knights chatted about this topic, they followed their designated patrol route, occasionally glancing around to show that although they were chatting, their vigilance hadn't decreased.

However, just seconds later, they suddenly noticed a magic circle appearing in the air above the courtyard.

"What's that?"

"A magic circle?"

"Get ready! Something's about to happen!"

Saying these words, the knights quickly reacted, almost reflexively drawing their swords.

However, the terrible situation they had thought about didn't occur.

At this moment, the magic circle in the air didn't launch any attacks or make any movements but merely released a person to the ground before vanishing, leaving only the person, who slowly bled onto the ground, dyeing it red.

Seeing this, the knights quickly surrounded the person before gasping in shock.

"Wait, isn't this His Highness the Third Prince?"

"What in the world happened…"

"What a serious injury!"

"Quick! Go get the court magician!"

"His Highness is in danger!"

In an instant, the stillness of the royal palace was shattered.

On this night, many were destined to remain sleepless.

===

Meanwhile, on the other side, after finishing his objective, Riezel returned to the Frenzel residence, having stored his bloodied sword and black robe in the storage space of the Dimensional Magic Cube.

A thin mist drifted in through a window, enveloping Riezel's room before revealing his figure.

"Hmm?"

As soon as Riezel stepped into his room, he noticed that someone was there.

"Master..."

Lizbeth, sitting on Riezel's bed with Moslow in her arms, looked a bit uneasy, but upon seeing his return, she immediately stood up.

"What are you doing here?"

Riezel walked over to Lizbeth and asked with a surprised expression.

"Because I felt you left…" Lizbeth answered softly, her face tinged with worry.

Due to the presence of the attendant contract, a magical connection was created between Riezel and Lizbeth that not only bound them to their agreement but also allowed them to sense each other's locations.

Thanks to this, when Riezel left his room in the dead of night, no one else noticed—except Lizbeth.

Lizbeth had thought about following Riezel, but remembering the earlier conversation he had with Serena, she guessed he was going out for something important.

As a result, Lizbeth hesitated for a long time, struggling with herself, and ultimately decided not to follow him but to stay in his room, waiting for his return instead.

"I see..." Riezel nodded in understanding. "You really didn't have to come here, y'know? You could've just stayed in your own room and even gone to sleep."

Lizbeth's room was, after all, right next to Riezel's, separated only by a wall, so she could easily wait there without needing to come over.

"But..."

Lizbeth looked down, nervously shifting her weight from foot to foot.

Seeing Lizbeth's demeanor, Riezel guessed what she wanted to say.

"What's up?" Riezel smiled, finding her behavior amusing. "Are you worried about what I did to your half-brother?"

"I'm sorry..." Lizbeth, caught in her thoughts, looked dejected. "I know I shouldn't feel this way..."

"Nah, it's okay..." Riezel patted her head. "No matter what, he's still your brother, so it's normal to care about his well-being."

"I-I just want to know how he's doing, that's all! I mean no harm!" Lizbeth quickly explained in a hasty tone. "Elder Brother Sorren means you harm, so it's totally normal for you to fight back! I don't think what you did was wrong either! If I were there, I would definitely help you against him!"

She felt somewhat worried that her master might suspect her loyalty. If he started to distrust her because of this, she feared she might burst into tears.

"I get it, just calm down, okay?"

Riezel shook his head with a gentle smile, soothing the anxious Lizbeth.

"I don't doubt you, and I understand how you feel. I'm grateful that you understand my circumstances, so there's no need for you to be this anxious."

Logically, when Riezel went out to confront her own brother, Lizbeth should have tried to stop him, even becoming his enemy to protect her family. However, she chose to accept Riezel's actions instead, showing that when she had to choose between supporting Riezel or Sorren, she decided to stand by Riezel.

In truth, it wasn't just because of the attendant contract or simple loyalty, but because, compared to her cruel and violent brother, Lizbeth was more willing to trust and support Riezel, her amazing master.

Moreover, Lizbeth understood that her brother was in the wrong and Riezel wasn't, so even though she knew he wanted to do something bad to her brother, she decided not to stop him.

Likewise, Riezel held no ill feelings toward Lizbeth's worries about Sorren and merely considered it human nature, feeling that he should apologize and thank her instead. From the moment he decided to take action against Sorren, he had, after all, completely ignored her feelings, disregarding the fact that she was Sorren's sister.

Given this, Lizbeth didn't need to act this way, as the one in the wrong was Riezel, not her.

"I don't even know if I should tell you this, just to ease your mind..."

Riezel ultimately proceeded to briefly explain the clash between himself and Sorren.

"In the end, he got away. Even though he's seriously injured and could die at any moment, there's a high chance he'll be saved."

Needless to say, the teleportation magic crystal that Sorren used was definitely set to a location he considered very safe, a place where he could escape and be safe no matter what happened.

Riezel believed that this place was probably the royal palace.

He knew that the royal palace was always guarded by a group of court magicians, each skilled in their own right, with high mastery of magic. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been selected by the royal family and recruited to serve in the palace.

Even Yuri held the position of Chief Court Magician, showing how exceptional the court magicians in the royal palace were. Some of them were undoubtedly Tactical-Class Magicians, capable of using Tactical-Class Magic.

Riezel was sure that, among this group of magicians, at least one would be proficient in healing magic.

Considering this, and knowing the royal palace must have many top-tier potions and magic items, Riezel believed there was a good chance Sorren would escape death this time.

"Um... I don't know if I should be relieved that my brother survived or feel regret that my master couldn't finish what he wanted to do..." Lizbeth muttered, feeling a conflicted mix of emotions.

Hearing her mutter, Riezel continued to pat her head before offering her some advice.

"Even if he may not be dead, the royal family will definitely look into this matter. I'm not worried for myself, but I can't let it implicate Yuri and her family."

"Although I've disguised myself, so it should be alright, remember not to let this information slip. Of course, it's best if you don't mention our contact with the Cordelion family either."

"Got it, Lizbeth?"

Riezel gazed solemnly into Lizbeth's eyes.

"Understood, Master. I absolutely won't say a word!"

Lizbeth understood Riezel's meaning clearly and promised him.

In truth, Riezel wasn't worried at all about Lizbeth spilling anything. With the attendant contract in effect, she couldn't do anything that would harm him. Even if it was just mere words, as long as they would negatively impact him once exposed, she couldn't leak them.

Riezel just reminded her for caution's sake.

Done with Lizbeth, Riezel looked out the window and silently gazed at the bright moon.

'What a beautiful moon...'