King of Jinas

For Riezel and Yuri, Sorren's appearance was just a minor event.

After all, the one they were about to face today was not a mere prince but the kingdom's most prominent existence—the king himself.

Under Yuri's lead, Riezel and Marilyn quickly arrived at a grand door.

Behind it lay the throne room where the king was waiting.

"Marquis Yuri Frenzel and Sir Riezel Brynhart have arrived!"

Beside the door, a court official, upon seeing Riezel and Yuri arrive, immediately called out loudly to the door.

As the announcement was made, two knights stationed beside the door stepped forward and slowly opened it.

Meanwhile, Marilyn immediately stepped aside, clearly unable to proceed any further. As an attendant, she could accompany them only to this point. Beyond this was not her place, so she had to wait outside.

Only Riezel and Yuri stood before the door, ready to enter the throne room.

"It's up to you now."

Yuri spoke softly before the door was fully opened and then took a step forward.

Riezel glanced at her back and, after a moment of silence, gave a faint smile and followed her with a calm step.

Before long, the grand door opened completely, revealing the throne room. 

He finally saw its interior. 

He saw a hall with a red carpet laid out, exuding a solemn atmosphere, while stone pillars were neatly arranged on both sides, stretching forward to support the high ceiling. 

In front of the stone pillars, dozens of people dressed as knights or nobles lined up in two rows, adding to the already intense solemnity of the atmosphere.

At the far end of the hall, elevated on a high platform, a throne stood with a man seated on it.

He appeared to be around forty years old, with a remarkably dignified and handsome appearance. He wore a royal crown on his head, was draped in a regal robe, and held an exquisitely ornate sword, which he gripped like a scepter.

He was none other than Hendrick Jinas, the King of Jinas.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Yuri approached about three meters from the throne and bowed to Hendrick.

At the same time, Riezel stood by her side, bowing his head slightly, but his gesture earned him a scolding from a court official.

"Impudent!"

Glaring at Riezel, the official scolded loudly.

"Why are you not kneeling before His Majesty the King?"

In an instant, the surrounding officials and knights turned their attention to Riezel. An invisible pressure began to weigh on him, making the atmosphere in the throne room tense. 

In their eyes, Riezel's attitude clearly did not create a good first impression. 

Before a king, even major nobles like dukes, marquises, counts, and other nobles had to kneel on one knee to show respect and loyalty.

Yuri did not kneel due to her special status.

In the Akasha Continent, regardless of the country, there was an unwritten rule.

Except for kings of equal rank, only Sword Saints and Strategic-Class Magicians were privileged not to kneel before a king, as a mark of respect from the country for those who had achieved the highest honor on the continent.

Because of this, while Yuri could remain standing, Riezel was required to kneel at the very least.

Yet, despite the stares and the invisible pressure from everyone present, Riezel did not change his expression. He merely glanced at them calmly before looking away as if he had lost interest and remained silent.

Needless to say, he still did not kneel and continued to stand in place as if nothing had happened.

"You…"

Seeing this, the official was clearly furious and was about to reprimand Riezel again but was interrupted.

"Enough."

Hendrick finally spoke up, raising a hand with a neutral tone.

"Sir Brynhart may not be a Sword Saint or a Strategic-Class Magician, but he is not just an ordinary Sword Master or Tactical-Class Magician either. As someone holding both statuses, he is a very special presence in this kingdom. We should not press him too hard."

"Yes."

Upon hearing Hendrick's words, the official immediately replied, lowering his head and stepping back.

At the same moment, the others withdrew their gazes from Riezel, relieving him of the pressure.

Of course, Riezel remained unfazed by this so-called pressure. He was just as composed now as he had been at the start as if nothing had happened.

Hendrick then shot a deep look at Riezel before turning to Yuri.

"Welcome back to the royal capital, Marquis Frenzel. I'm relieved to see you well." Hendrick said, his tone still neutral but his attitude warm.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine now." Yuri replied, lowering her head and sounding somewhat respectful.

She had not forgotten that she had used the excuse of 'serious injuries and escape' to leave the royal capital last time.

Even though many saw this excuse as a blatant lie, some things, even if their truth was known, were left unspoken since, after all, people would continue to act according to the surface reason.

Yuri understood this, and so did Hendrick.

"Rest assured, we have taken appropriate action regarding the Basolo family's crime. Moreover, the main culprit has received the severest punishment and will no longer pose any danger to the Frenzel family."

Hendrick reassured Yuri.

"Marquis Basolo is willing to accept the punishment and offer compensation to the Frenzel family. He should be in contact with you soon, and you can discuss the matter with him in detail."

"Yes." Yuri responded calmly, though her interest in the so-called compensation was unclear.

However, one thing was certain.

Since Hendrick had explicitly stated that the Basolo family would compensate, Yuri essentially had his approval to make a significant demand from them, making them pay a price.

In this regard, this could be considered a good thing.

After discussing Yuri's matter, Hendrick turned his attention to Riezel.

"Sir Riezel Brynhart."

Hendrick surprisingly addressed Riezel with a gentle tone.

"I heard your name a long time ago. As a commoner, you possess a rare natural talent and have been recognized by Spriller Academy for having the potential to become a Tactical-Class Magician. Truly, you're quite an impressive youth."

"However, it seems everyone has underestimated you."

Hendrick's words carried a hint of implication, prompting many to cast another glance at Riezel.

"You're too kind." Riezel calmly shook his head. "I'm not even half as good as Marquis Frenzel."

Yuri raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.

One should admit that Riezel's statement was indeed the truth.

Yuri became a Tactical-Class Magician at twelve and a Strategic-Class Magician at fifteen, earning the status of one of the continent's strongest magicians.

Given this, Yuri's achievements and talent were clearly unmatched, making Riezel's statement quite accurate.

"In my view, both of you are equally outstanding." Hendrick smiled and shook his head. "Being able to achieve such accomplishments at your age is something anyone would feel humbled by."

At his words, many people in the throne room began to realize something.

Both Riezel and Yuri had just turned seventeen, yet at an age when most people were still indulging in youthful whims, these two had already achieved accomplishments so remarkable that even adults were in awe.

Yuri was already a Strategic-Class Magician, one of the continent's best magicians.

Riezel, on the other hand, was both a Sword Master and a Tactical-Class Magician. Either achievement alone would place him at the top of the kingdom's ranks for his age, and having both was a testament to his exceptional talent.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say Riezel was among the continent's prodigies, just like Yuri.

Many people in the throne room quickly understood why Hendrick didn't pursue Riezel's disrespectful act of not kneeling.

As Hendrick had said, Riezel was indeed a special case, perhaps not inferior to Yuri in terms of uniqueness. Such rare and exceptional talent was not something anyone would want to overlook.

Naturally, Hendrick felt the same way.

"Since you are already a Tactical-Class Magician, according to kingdom laws, you are eligible to be granted the title of viscount."

Hendrick finally brought up the main topic.

"After some discussion, the ennoblement ceremony is scheduled for two days from now. What do you think?"

At Hendrick's question, Riezel finally looked up, gazing into his eyes.

In contrast, Yuri lowered her head slightly, leaving everything to Riezel, as she trusted that he would handle the situation well.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty..." Riezel stated his unchanging intention under everyone's gaze. "I don't plan to accept the title."

At his statement, the throne room instantly fell silent.

"Oh?" Hendrick's expression was unchanged. "Can I know the reason?"

"Because I don't intend to stay in one place." Riezel replied calmly. "I want to travel across the continent."

What he said was the truth.

He wasn't using it as an excuse but genuinely had this idea.

"I'm not interested in becoming a noble. What I really want is to explore different places on the continent, meet strong people, and fight powerful monsters." Riezel admitted directly. "Your Majesty, we should just forget about this ennoblement."

While Riezel's blatant refusal surprised the others, it did not even change Hendrick's expression.

Clearly, Hendrick had already gathered some understanding of Riezel's personality and temperament through various channels.

For instance, Phillip Charlier, the marquis tasked with summoning Riezel and Yuri back to the royal capital, observed every way Riezel behaved in detail and reported back to Hendrick.

Given this situation, it was not surprising that Hendrick had already guessed Riezel would not accept the title to become a noble.

However—

"Sir Brynhart, this seems to contradict your previous intentions..."

Hendrick spoke with a hint of meaning.

"As I understand it, the reason you left your hometown, came to the royal capital, and enrolled in Spriller Academy was to be granted a noble title and become a noble, correct?"

Needless to say, Hendrick had conducted a thorough investigation into Riezel.