Fighting Competition?

The argument that took place in the meeting room, Riezel naturally knew nothing about.

He could guess that Yuri would have some kind of argument with her father, probably not a small one, but he had no idea about the outcome of this argument.

He was busy practicing decomposition magic and swordsmanship in the courtyard, and by the time he snapped out of it, it was almost dark.

"Well, let's go back."

Glancing at the darkening sky, Riezel, who was sweating despite not having breathed heavily, returned to the manor, ready to wash himself.

At this moment, Riezel finally encountered almost all the members of the Frenzel family.

They just came downstairs and happened to meet him.

"Mr. Riezel."

Mediste was the first to greet him with a bow, the courtesy still so polite and graceful.

Isaac completely ignored him but also didn't confront him again, seemingly mindful of his family members around.

Yuri and Marilyn walked somewhat behind, and upon seeing him, their previously expressionless and cold faces relaxed slightly.

As for Alderman and Sefaz, both almost immediately directed their gaze toward his body.

"You're Riezel Brynhart?"

Alderman looked at the young man who appeared to be of Yuri's age before him, sweating all over and holding a wooden sword for some reason.

There was a slight ripple in Alderman's stern gaze as he gazed at Riezel.

"Yes, I am." Riezel nodded, his expression unchanged.

He could guess Alderman's identity, probably Yuri's father. Among the people present, only he seemed old enough to be the father figure, while the others were mostly younger than him.

However, compared to Alderman, Riezel's attention was somewhat drawn to the man behind him.

He was a man with his eyes closed all the time, never opening them, with a sword at his waist, and appeared to be over thirty years old.

Among the people present, except for Marilyn, all the others had either golden or silver hair. Yet, this closed-eyed swordsman had brown hair, and his appearance and aura were quite different from those of the Frenzel family, which made Riezel realize that this swordsman probably wasn't related to the Frenzel family.

According to Yuri, among her family members, males inherited their father's golden hair, while females inherited their mother's silver hair.

Sefaz and Isaac had golden hair, while Yuri and Mediste had silver hair.

It was truly remarkable how strong the genetics of this family were.

This also proves that the closed-eyed swordsman emitting a mysterious aura was not a direct relative of the Frenzel family, probably just like Marilyn—a subordinate or an attendant.

As it turned out, that was the case.

Seeing the closed-eyed swordsman constantly following behind Alderman, his entire aura seemed to be locked onto Alderman. If there was even a slight movement around Alderman, this swordsman would immediately react.

The others either consciously or unconsciously ignored him. Even in the meeting room just now, the swordsman's presence was pitifully low, not saying a word or making any action from start to finish.

Surprisingly, Riezel was the first to notice his presence.

There was no other reason.

Riezel could feel it, this closed-eyed swordsman was powerful. Though not enough to make him feel endangered, he still sensed a threat from this swordsman.

This swordsman, at the very least, was stronger than Ain and Ian, by quite a margin. This sensation was familiar to him since he had felt it before from the three top executives of Loki Familia—Finn, Riveria, and Gareth.

'This is getting interesting...'

Riezel felt a long-lost sense of excitement.

Meanwhile, Alderman, who didn't realize that Riezel was now paying more attention to his attendant than to himself, actually broke into a rare smile after sizing up Riezel.

"I heard about you, young man... You're pretty good." Alderman praised for no reason.

At his praise, Riezel was stunned for a moment.

'What does he mean by that?'

Unbeknownst to Riezel, he had actually become quite famous in the royal capital, Yeluvia.

While the common people might still be unaware, the well-informed nobles had received news of a Tactical-Class Magician on Yuri's side.

Alderman was aware of the significant events that happened in the royal capital and naturally knew about Riezel. Although he was very displeased with what his daughter had done, he was rather pleased with Riezel.

After all, Riezel was a Tactical-Class Magician who belonged to Yuri, which was tantamount to being a part of the Frenzel family.

After so many years, the Frenzel family welcomed another Tactical-Class Magician aboard, which was a good thing.

In its heyday, the Frenzel family had two Strategic-Class Magicians and eight Tactical-Class Magicians. Alderman, who was well aware of this history, was eager to restore the family's former glory. Therefore, he warmly welcomed and rejoiced in Riezel's addition as their family Tactical-Class Magician.

With this in mind, Alderman glanced at his daughter beside him before patting Riezel's shoulder.

"Keep up the good work."

Alderman tried to relax his demeanor, showing his goodwill toward Riezel.

"Although the Frenzel family may not offer you much at the moment, as long as you remain loyal to this family, rewards will naturally come your way."

Alderman was currently contemplating how to solidify Riezel's relationship with the Frenzel family. The bond between this young man and the family was not very strong after all.

During the Frenzel family's heyday, those eleven figures who made the entire continent tremble were either the children or the disciples of the first-generation family head, which clearly established an incredibly strong bond with the family.

But Riezel?

He had almost no direct relationship with the family.

While Riezel was considered to be Yuri's person, given her cold and aloof personality, Alderman doubted she could capture this young man's heart. So, to prevent this rare Tactical-Class Magician from slipping away, he was considering whether to marry Mediste to Riezel.

Marriage was the most convenient and powerful proof of a relationship, after all.

Any noble would consider marriage alliances to expand their family connections, strengthen their network, and facilitate alliances and cooperation.

For this relationship to truly be secured, Riezel needed to become part of their family as a son-in-law.

Alderman didn't express his idea outright.

He simply spoke earnestly with Riezel for a few moments, then intentionally or unintentionally shifted the conversation toward Mediste, causing Yuri and the others, who somehow realized something was off, to furrow their brows.

As for Riezel?

Unfortunately, his attention wasn't on the youthful and beautiful Mediste but on the closed-eyed swordsman behind Alderman.

Unaware of this, Alderman, seeing Riezel's continued gaze at his back, thought Riezel was gazing at Mediste and had taken his words to heart. Feeling quite satisfied, he added a few more remarks, and only later did he leave contentedly.

The closed-eyed swordsman immediately followed behind, eyes closed but steps steady, firmly trailing behind Alderman.

"Good luck, young man."

Sefaz finally spoke at this moment, smiling meaningfully at Riezel.

"I look forward to your future performance."

After saying that, Sefaz also left.

Mediste and Isaac exchanged a few words with Yuri before walking away together—or rather, Isaac attempted to escape, only to be caught by the ear by Mediste, who dragged him away despite his protests.

Soon, only Riezel, Yuri, and Marilyn remained.

Riezel didn't turn around to look at Yuri until the closed-eyed swordsman's figure had vanished from his sight. When he finally did, he noticed something off in her expression.

"What's wrong?" Riezel asked in confusion. "Did the conversation not go smoothly?"

"...No, it's mostly settled..." Yuri shook her head. "It's just that man's stubbornness, thinking I can't see through his scheme."

He didn't quite understand the meaning behind her words, but he grasped the general idea.

"Since it's mostly settled, you shouldn't be randomly arranged for marriage again in the future, right? That's good then." Riezel nodded with a faint smile.

Even if Yuri's father were to arrange another marriage, Riezel didn't think he would succeed. With her influence, denying any marriage arranged by her father wasn't easy, but it wasn't particularly difficult either.

If her father were sensible enough to learn from the incident that just happened and refrain from such actions in the future, they could all coexist peacefully. But if not, given Yuri's somewhat unpredictable personality, she might as well not acknowledge him as her father.

As Riezel was still in the middle of his musing, Yuri thought for a moment before shifting her gaze to his face and speaking up.

"I have something I want to ask for your help with."

Yuri looked straight at his eyes, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Hmm? Go ahead." Riezel replied casually, feeling somewhat surprised but not hesitating.

Whether it was out of gratitude for saving his life or for taking him in, he had every reason to help her unconditionally. Not to mention, she had tirelessly helped him, ensuring his safety, granting him access to her important library, and even teaching him her magic unconditionally, which led to his significant growth and accomplishments.

With their relationship, if Yuri needed his help, Riezel wouldn't hesitate to help. Even if it involved some danger, he didn't mind taking the risk.

Perhaps sensing his inner thoughts, Yuri's anticipatory eyes quickly filled with warmth.

"I want to invite you to participate in the upcoming family fighting competition hosted by my family, known as the War Festival." Yuri explained.

"War Festival?" Riezel raised his brows. "A family fighting competition?"

"Yes." Yuri nodded, then grabbed his hand. "C'mon, let's talk about it back in the more private room."

With that, Yuri led Riezel, accompanied by Marilyn, in the direction of her room.