Yeluvia, Royal Palace.
It was a white castle located in the heart of the royal capital.
As Riezel saw the castle, he had to admit that it was more magnificent and towering than any building he had ever seen. It also had a sense of solemnity that didn't quite match his idea of a building called a 'royal palace'.
In Riezel's impression, a royal palace should be a glorious and luxurious building, but this castle, rather than being glorious and luxurious, had a more inorganic feel, somewhat similar to a steel fortress.
Sitting in the Frenzel family's carriage, Riezel observed the castle through the window while making a small chat with Yuri.
"Oh, and here."
Yuri suddenly handed Riezel an object.
It was a medal.
It featured an engraved sword that seemed designed to be pinned to the chest, and its material was not ordinary metal but appeared to be a rare magic metal.
"What's this?" Riezel asked while examining the medal.
"It's a Sword Master Medal." Yuri answered with a smile.
"Sword Master Medal?" Riezel was taken aback at first, then asked in surprise. "Is this really the Sword Master Medal? You're giving it to me directly just like this?"
One should know that the Sword Master Medal was a symbol of a Sword Master, a coveted honor pursued by countless swordsmen. Apart from Sword Saints, Sword Masters were the most respected and revered swordsmen on the continent.
Not only were Sword Masters the highest quality attendants that most magicians desired, but kingdoms and major nobles also regarded them as top-tier talent and essential combatants.
Many factions even wished to recruit a Sword Master but were unable to do so.
Just look at Yuri, as a Strategic-Class Magician, she had only Marilyn, Ain, and Ian as Sword Master attendants.
From this, it was already impressive to have even one.
As a result, many novice swordsmen set becoming a Sword Master as their primary goal, with some even making it their life's aim. They trained diligently in swordsmanship to earn this honor.
Including Sergius and Sorren, as mentioned earlier, their most significant life goal was to earn the Sword Master Medal and become a Sword Master.
It was easy to see how precious the medal was.
Moreover, since becoming a Sword Saint was truly difficult, as evidenced by their small numbers, achieving the status of Sword Master was already considered the ultimate goal for many swordsmen.
Yet, Yuri was handing the Sword Master Medal directly to Riezel in a casual manner.
"Is this really okay?" Riezel asked with concern.
"Why not?" Yuri replied calmly. "You're already a recognized Sword Master. Given that, awarding you this medal is only natural, right?"
Other than the king himself, the Sword Master Medal could only be issued by the lords of great territories. As long as a lord recognized the recipient as having the strength of a Sword Master, they could award the medal.
Yuri, as Marquis Frenzel and the lord of the Frenzel territory, naturally had the authority to issue the Sword Master Medal.
Of course, this wasn't something to be handed out casually.
If it was awarded and later discovered that the recipient did not possess the required qualifications, not only would the recipient be penalized, but the lord who issued it would also be held accountable.
However, since Riezel had already been acknowledged as possessing the strength of a Sword Master in the War Festival, Yuri could freely award him the medal without worry.
"Just put it on for now."
Yuri continued before explaining.
"Remember, to become a Sword Saint, the main things you need are the Sword Master Medal and the status of Sword Master. Not only does this medal act as proof, but it's also a symbol of honor."
"It's actually nothing complicated, really... In brief, just wear it, and it'll shut a lot of people up."
Upon hearing Yuri's explanation, Riezel thought for a moment, then nodded and put on the medal.
Seeing him wear the medal, Yuri began to explain further.
"Since this summons was arranged by the king himself, his purpose is quite simple."
"First, to check on my condition, and second, to confer a noble title upon you, making you a noble of Jinas."
Yuri's expression grew serious.
"I know you might want to refuse, and since this will be in a public setting, the king won't take any action against you because of it. In fact, considering various factors, he might even choose to step back."
She believed that with her there, the king would definitely not press Riezel too hard.
Moreover, with the Duke Faction's eyes keenly fixed on his throne, the king also had to worry about whether pushing Riezel too far might lead him to ally with the Duke Faction and oppose the Royal Faction.
Additionally, considering Riezel's own value as a Sword Master and Tactical-Class Magician, the king would certainly not want to offend such a talent easily.
"If you insist on refusing, the king will likely compromise with the title of honorary noble, making you a nominal part of Jinas."
It was clear that the honorary noble Yuri mentioned was a noble title with no real power, merely a name.
On the Akasha Continent, the noble titles could be roughly categorized into four types.
The first was the territory noble, who had their own territory within the kingdom and mainly governed it, similar to a feudal lord.
The second was the local noble, who assisted the lord of the territory in governance, generally a vassal of that lord, akin to a local official.
The third was the court noble, who held a position in the royal palace, handling major affairs of the palace and the royal capital, comparable to a central official.
The fourth was the honorary noble, who did not hold a position within the kingdom but was nominally a noble of the kingdom, enjoying certain privileges. Their duty was to respond to the kingdom's summons in emergencies and address issues that negatively affected it.
Compared to the first three types of nobles, honorary nobles had less power but more freedom.
Needless to say, the title of honorary noble was meant to attract those who did not wish to serve within the kingdom, remain active in noble circles, or be bound by restrictions.
"Currently, in Jinas, there are six Sword Saints in total, and one of them is an honorary noble."
Yuri continued her explanation.
"This person travels freely within and outside the kingdom without any restrictions and only responds to summons during kingdom crises to deal with catastrophic events."
"If you insist on refusing, the king will definitely offer you the title of honorary noble as a compromise, which will allow you to maintain your freedom while nominally belonging to the kingdom, preventing other countries from poaching you."
"Of course, 'freedom' is relative. If you don't have the necessary strength, the kingdom will probably summon you a lot to deal with certain things."
"Only by becoming a Sword Saint, which is the most powerful swordsman with unbeatable combat ability on the Akasha Continent, will the kingdom stop using you so often, giving you the greatest freedom."
Until this point, Yuri smiled gently at Riezel.
"Of course, the choice is yours. I just want to say that no matter what you decide, I will support you."
Upon hearing this, Riezel also smiled, exchanging a look with Yuri—everything was understood without words.
At this moment, the Frenzel family's carriage finally entered the castle and was allowed through by the guards stationed at the gate.
"Hmm?" Riezel sensed something was off.
"You noticed?"
Yuri asked, observing the change in Riezel's expression.
"Do you feel like there's some kind of suppression, making it impossible for you to use magic?"
Riezel nodded with a frown.
After entering the castle gate, he immediately felt an invisible suppression, as if something unseen was pressing down on him, making it seem like he couldn't use magic.
"Well, this is the magic-banning system that's been in place in the royal palace for years."
Yuri looked out the carriage window and explained.
"Unless someone has special permission to be exempted, no one can use magic within it."
"A Strategic-Class Defensive Barrier Magic is currently covering the entire royal palace, and if it detects any foreign magic targeting the palace, it will activate immediately."
Yuri pointed upward, signaling Riezel to look up.
Riezel immediately looked up and saw a faint, ripple-like shimmer in the air.
"It's considered the best defensive magic in Jinas, known as the 'Light of Heaven'."
Yuri's voice gently reached Riezel's ears.
"Royal palaces in various kingdoms usually set up the best possible defensive magic to protect themselves. As for Jinas's Light of Heaven, it has been famous throughout the Akasha Continent for hundreds of years, and any magician who encounters this magic can only admire it from a distance."
"Now you see why I said Sword Saints have a greater deterrent effect than Strategic-Class Magicians in front of the royal family?"
Yuri smiled, but her smile seemed a bit self-deprecating.
"No choice... No matter how powerful a magician is, once they enter the royal palace, they become just ordinary people."
"Magic loses all its effectiveness here and only swordsmen remain unaffected."
"Even though swordsmen using Special Swordsmanship will be somewhat affected too, like not being able to channel the Special Swordsmanship's special power outward as if it were magic, they're still largely unrestrained. With their impressive physical strength, they can still show off their power."
Especially Sword Saints, as the most powerful swordsmen on the continent with exceptional close-combat ability and near-invincibility in combat, could certainly display enough deterrent force in a magic-restricted area like the royal palace.
Even though the Light of Heaven could restrain magic in the royal palace, it couldn't restrain someone's body and prevent them from moving.
As a result, in the eyes of the royal family, who had the best defensive magic to protect them against the most powerful magic, a Sword Saint who could move freely and charge around with superhuman strength posed a greater threat than any magician.
"If you want to avoid the kingdom's schemes and gain maximum freedom, becoming a Sword Saint is undoubtedly the best choice."
After making this point, Yuri quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, we're here."
As soon as she said this, the Frenzel family's carriage came to a stop.
Riezel, Yuri, and Marilyn immediately disembarked one after another.
"Let's go meet His Majesty the King."
Yuri's tone turned slightly indifferent as she led Riezel and Marilyn into the royal palace.