Two Major Factions

One had to admit that magic was truly a miracle, especially when it came to Structure System Magic, which could create materials out of nothing.

In many ways, it touched upon the realm of the divine.

With such magic at play, a luxurious mansion, which had recently been thoroughly burned down, was rebuilt in less than half a month, and it was even identical to the original, without a single difference.

If this wasn't considered a miracle, then what could be?

When Riezel and the others returned to the Frenzel family's secondary residence in the royal capital, they found no differences compared to before, even the furniture had been perfectly restored.

As a result, they didn't need much time to adapt and quickly settled in.

However, there were still some changes in various aspects.

For example, this time Yuri didn't place the accompanying knightly order in the royal capital's training field but had Ain and Ian station them directly at the residence instead.

Another example was that Yuri no longer used the magic defense of the court magician but designed her own, working tirelessly to make significant modifications to it.

Additionally, the servants and guards recalled by the Frenzel family were under a certain level of surveillance. Ain, Ian, and the knights always kept an eye on them, ensuring that incidents of accepting bribes from others, as had happened before, no longer occurred.

All of these were changes that only perceptive individuals might notice, subtle yet significant.

Mediste and Isaac, however, didn't notice anything amiss and curiously explored the entire residence, moving about as if they were on vacation.

Yuri had no intention of revealing her and Riezel's matters to her younger siblings, so she arranged for them to be accompanied and entertained by the servants. However, if they wanted to go out, they had to get her approval first.

Riezel noticed that since their return to the royal capital, the Frenzel family's secondary residence seemed livelier than before.

Clearly, this wasn't only due to the hundred knights stationed directly at the residence but also because many nobles began to visit one after another.

Over the past few days, luxurious carriages bearing noble family crests had continuously entered the residence to meet Yuri.

Riezel also received many letters from the servant, all from major nobles in the royal capital.

Some were greetings, seemingly aimed at building a good relationship with him, while others subtly expressed a desire to meet and discuss something, which was quite obvious in its intentions.

After all, Riezel's fame in the royal capital was now on par with Yuri's. His dual identities as a Sword Master and Tactical-Class Magician led many to believe he would soon rise to the status of a major noble himself.

As a result, whether it was to build good relations or to win him over, the nobles in the royal capital were eager to take action.

Riezel even received a letter from his 'dear friend', Archie.

Archie's letter was filled with joy as if he were greeting a long-lost friend. One might think he regarded Riezel as a close friend, if not for the constant inquiries about when they could meet and his hints that he needed Riezel's help with something.

Later, Riezel learned from Yuri that Archie seemed to have drawn considerable attention from his family because of him.

Archie's father had originally intended to make his eldest son the heir, but after Archie revealed his 'friendship' with Riezel, his father appeared to be having second thoughts.

Given this situation, it was easy to guess what Archie might want Riezel's help with.

Understanding this, Riezel obviously chose to ignore Archie and had no intention of sending a reply. Even so, to his surprise, apart from Archie, someone else from Riezel's small group also sent him a letter.

It was none other than Carrera Elliott, the object of the original Riezel's admiration—or rather, the original Riezel's crush.

As the only young lady in the small group with a status and background equal to Archie's, Carrera had previously shown disinterest in Riezel, not being very warm toward him. Yet now she had sent a letter inviting him for a cup of tea if he had time.

Carrera's sudden change of attitude made Riezel furrow his brows, reminding him of a previous conversation with Yuri that had taken place before they arrived at the royal capital, Yeluvia.

===

At that time, Riezel and the others had already disembarked from the ship and were riding in a carriage, leaving Trantia behind as they headed toward Yeluvia.

Since the three-day ship journey had left Mediste and Isaac utterly exhausted, they had fallen asleep in Marilyn's embrace.

Riezel, on the other hand, was chatting with Yuri.

As they chatted, Yuri eventually began to discuss the current state of Jinas.

"Actually, the royal family's situation isn't all that great right now."

Yuri suddenly revealed this fact to Riezel.

Perhaps it was because they were approaching the royal capital, or perhaps because she knew Riezel would be involved with these matters later, Yuri decided to bring it up.

"Why's that?" Riezel asked, puzzled.

In response, Yuri began to explain in detail.

"In Jinas, there are essentially two major factions right now."

"One is the Royal Faction, led by the current members of the royal family."

"While the other is the Duke Faction, led by a certain duke."

According to Yuri, the current king of Jinas and this certain duke were blood brothers.

In the past, after the death of the previous king, who was their father, they entered a period of rivalry for the throne.

In the end, the current king emerged victorious and claimed the throne, causing the duke to lose his chance to become king.

As a result, the duke was then made a duke and given a new surname, Cordelion, leaving behind the surname Jinas.

From there on, the conflict between the king and the duke began.

"Duke Cordelion has never been able to accept his defeat. He always thinks he's just as good as his elder brother and that he only lost because his brother was born as the crown prince and the eldest son. Since his own succession rights were a bit weaker, his elder brother ended up taking the throne."

"Actually, the king is also aware of his younger brother's dissatisfaction, so to prevent him from rebelling and usurping the throne, he has been secretly suppressing the development of the Cordelion family and keeping Duke Cordelion in check."

"Although there hasn't been any apparent conflict between them, the rivalry has continued in the shadows to this day."

"Originally, this wouldn't have caused the kingdom to split into two factions because Duke Cordelion never had the opportunity to develop his power and influence, but it changed after his children started to grow up..."

Yuri told Riezel that Duke Cordelion had two children.

The first child was a son named Sergius Cordelion, who was twenty-two years old.

The second child was a daughter named Serena Cordelion, who was seventeen years old.

Although Duke Cordelion had only two children, making his children relatively few compared to those of the other nobles, their achievements were exceptional.

Sergius, from childhood, had diligently practiced swordsmanship, showing exceptional talent and effort. At thirteen, he received the Sword Master Medal, becoming the youngest Sword Master in the kingdom.

When he turned fifteen, Duke Cordelion handed over control of the Cordelion family's knightly order to him. Surprisingly, this knightly order, with about a thousand members, was eventually transformed into one of the best knightly orders in the kingdom under his guidance.

Not only did this knightly order have several Sword Masters, but it also included a Sword Saint, said to have been personally recruited by Sergius.

Serena, on the other hand, had demonstrated exceptional talent in magic from a young age. By fourteen, she had developed Tactical-Class Magic on her own, becoming a Tactical-Class Magician.

Like Yuri, she graduated early from Spriller Academy.

Needless to say, these siblings were not only exceptionally talented but also incredibly hardworking, excelling in all aspects, including strength, achievements, knowledge, and character.

They were famous for their excellence throughout Jinas.

"Looking at the current generation of the royal family, they all fall short compared to the Cordelion siblings."

Unlike the duke, the king had many children.

Unfortunately, among these children, only four were relatively well-known.

Among these four, one princess was still very young and would be set aside for now, but the other three princes had made a name for themselves, albeit in less favorable ways.

"Crown Prince Reinhard has been frail and sickly since childhood, unable to practice swordsmanship and lacking any talent in magic. He was neglected in the palace but, through self-study, gained considerable knowledge. Later, he discovered many errors in magic studies, and after publishing his findings, he quickly gained the attention of Spriller Academy and eventually became a professor of modern magic there."

"Third Prince Sorren possesses outstanding swordsmanship and earned the Sword Master Medal at the age of fifteen, but he is known for his brutal and vicious nature. He also has suppressed many nobles for his own gain, making him the most notorious royal family member."

"Seventh Prince Benedict is a rare magician in the royal family with pretty good talent. Although he didn't quite make it to a Tactical-Class Magician, he's got fourth-grade magic compatibility in both Transformation and Control Systems. He was once highly praised, but his timid and cowardly nature, along with his weaknesses, really disappointed the king, who ended up being cold toward him."

From Yuri's explanation, all three princes had their displeasing aspects.

"Many nobles in the kingdom believe that the royal family members represented by these three princes haven't lived up to what's expected of the kingdom's next generation. As a result, many of them have decided to side with Duke Cordelion."

As a royal relative, Duke Cordelion carried the royal bloodline and had a claim to the throne.

After all, he was originally a prince before becoming a duke, being a direct brother of the current king. With such a strong royal bloodline, his children, Sergius and Serena, held a very high position in the line of succession.

Because of this, many nobles in Jinas had been thoroughly divided into two factions—one led by the current royal family and one led by the duke.

Of course, there were also many neutral nobles who had not yet decided or had yet to choose a side.

"Until now, my family still hasn't picked a side."

At this point, Yuri looked at Riezel and spoke with a somewhat meaningful tone.

"By the way, one of your friends seems to be from the Elliott family, right?"

Yuri was obviously referring to Carrera Elliott.

"You know, the Elliott family is actually part of the Duke Faction, serving as a vassal to the Cordelion family."

"Carrera Elliott used to be friends with Serena Cordelion at Spriller Academy. Even though Serena has already graduated, Carrera still keeps in touch with her about academy stuff and helps her out."

"Well, it seems like your friend is not simple, huh?"

Yuri's words, laced with a hint of a smile, made Riezel furrow his brow deeply.