Royal Palace, Throne Room.
As the feeling of solid ground returned beneath Riezel's feet, the Mist of Nothingness surrounding him dissipated once more, bringing him back to the throne room, away from the royal treasury where Jinas had stored hundreds of years' worth of treasures.
Touching the emerald-green jewel pendant hanging from his neck, he confirmed that everything that had just happened was real and not a figment of his imagination or a dream brought on by a momentary lapse in focus.
Such a realization made him smile.
No choice.
His haul this time was, after all, quite significant.
Even though he had only obtained one treasure, its value was undoubtedly high, and its function was profound.
Needless to say, it had instantly become the most valuable item in his possession.
He had merely scammed the royal family, yet the reward he reaped was akin to a massive windfall from the heavens.
However, this experience also reminded him never to underestimate a country, especially one with a history spanning hundreds or even thousands of years—the power of such a country was not to be taken lightly.
Not only was it likely to harbor hidden treasures and unknown means, but its deep foundations also couldn't be ignored, even by someone with the power of a Sword Saint or a Strategic-Class Magician.
Understanding this, Riezel adjusted his mindset slightly.
Truly, the moment he had successfully advanced to Level 6 and gained power on par with a Sword Saint, he had to admit that his actions had become more reckless.
Although daring to venture into any dangerous situation and actively seeking thrills had always been his way, even before he got transmigrated, this didn't mean he could afford to dismiss the danger itself.
Being fully aware of the risks and still charging ahead with a fearless heart was very different from underestimating those risks and charging ahead with a fearless heart.
While the former was called adventure, excitement, and bravery, the latter was courting death, arrogance, and negligence—they truly couldn't be compared.
After readjusting his mindset, Riezel turned to Hendrick, who had appeared beside him.
"Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty."
Riezel spoke while bowing his head slightly in gratitude.
"No, that isn't a gift, but a compensation." Hendrick shook his head with a smile. "Your family should now be escorted by the royal knights to the Frenzel residence. My unworthy son's mistake... I hope Sir Brynhart won't hold a grudge."
At this revelation, Riezel's brow furrowed slightly, though it went unnoticed.
'Escorted to the Frenzel residence...?' Riezel thought, feeling a little surprised. 'Tch, whatever. I'll have Yuri take care of them later.'
In the first place, he had no intention of meeting the Brynhart family, let alone acknowledging them.
"In that case, I'll be taking my leave." Riezel nodded calmly. "Once again, I thank Your Majesty for your 'gift'."
With that, Riezel turned and walked toward the throne room's door.
Hendrick watched Riezel's back, looking at the extraordinary figure who, in the span of a month, had gone from an unknown to someone renowned throughout the continent.
After a moment of silence, Hendrick suddenly spoke up.
"Sorren's matter... that really wasn't your doing?"
As soon as this question was uttered, the air in the throne room seemed to freeze.
Riezel's steps halted, and he stood still.
He could feel Hendrick's sharp gaze locked on him, filled with piercing intensity, giving him a sense of unease and a feeling like the truth was being exposed after a facade of politeness.
Maybe Hendrick had long wanted to ask that question.
Maybe Hendrick had planned to confront him with that question the moment he summoned him to the royal palace.
Or maybe it was just a sudden whim.
Nevertheless, whatever it was, he couldn't help but chuckle at Hendrick's question.
"Well, let's say it was me..."
Riezel no longer used polite formal language when speaking to Hendrick, but instead spoke as if he was addressing an ordinary person, someone no different from himself, a commoner.
"If it were indeed me, what would you do?"
Riezel asked in a tone that made Hendrick feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, instead of answering it, Hendrick followed up on Riezel's question with one of his own.
"Do you think I shouldn't do anything?" Hendrick asked back, his tone cold. "A royalty, the heir to the throne, the son of the current king, was almost killed. Shouldn't I investigate this? Shouldn't I punish the culprit for it?"
Upon hearing this, Riezel's voice did not change at all and remained calm as he retorted in the next moment.
"Even if you say that... he's not dead, is he? So what's the big deal?"
"You—!"
Hendrick finally snapped, his face showing anger, but Riezel's next words felt like a bucket of cold water being poured directly onto his boiling heart.
"Honestly, aren't you actually relieved that things turned out this way?"
Riezel's voice drifted into Hendrick's ears slowly.
"If your son had died, there would be no chance for coexistence between me and your kingdom. We'd most likely be enemies, wouldn't we?"
"However, since he's still alive, there's still room to ease the tension, right?"
"Isn't that a good thing for you? I know you don't want to see me as an enemy or fall into the arms of another country, at least not before you're sure you have the capability to eliminate me."
"So, even if you get to the bottom of this, even if the investigation brings you undeniable proof that I was the culprit, would you really take action against me? Would you really push me away to other countries, or maybe to your opposition?"
"No, you'd hesitate."
Riezel pinpointed the exact concern in Hendrick's heart and amplified it.
"Let's be clear, your son is the one who started it, so isn't it only natural for me to retaliate?"
Riezel finally turned around to face Hendrick.
"Or... do you honestly believe that just because he's a prince, he can do anything he wants toward me without facing any consequences?"
As Riezel asked this, his tone turned indifferent, and a cold gleam flickered in his eyes as he looked at Hendrick.
Seeing this, Hendrick's freshly kindled anger vanished instantly.
He really couldn't retort Riezel's question.
If being a prince meant one could act arbitrarily toward a Sword Saint without consequences, once this statement got out, the entire kingdom would descend into chaos.
Let alone a prince, even a king couldn't do that, or else any Sword Saints of Jinas would leave Jinas without a second thought or, worse, strike back against it, leaving it in ruins.
In fact, this point was already becoming clear from the recent incident when many Sword Saints sent protest letters.
One should remember that they were Sword Saints, the strongest and highest-ranked swordsmen on the continent. Aside from those of equal rank, they were considered unmatched individuals, not servants to be bullied at will.
It was also precisely because of this that Hendrick had no choice but to offer Riezel compensation. Otherwise, Sorren's actions would never be forgiven by the other Sword Saints.
Moreover, Jinas also still needed them, needed their strength. If Jinas lost their support and loyalties, it would soon face its decline.
As a result, not even Hendrick dared to claim that his son could act arbitrarily toward a Sword Saint without facing any consequences.
Seeing Hendrick fall silent, Riezel spoke again.
"Still, there's one thing I didn't lie about..." Riezel said calmly. "Since I came here to meet you, it means I don't plan on pursuing this any further."
Indeed, the fact that Riezel came here proved that not only did the royal family want to maintain their relationship with him and avoid pushing him toward others or away from the kingdom, but he had also settled an old score and would not pursue the matter any longer.
Since Sorren had once sent the Shadow Knights to nearly kill him, it was his turn to almost kill Sorren in return.
Both had faced life-threatening danger because of the other, both had narrowly escaped death, yet both had survived by sheer luck.
Considering this, they were even now.
"As long as that mad dog doesn't mess with me again..."
Riezel continued in a blunt tone, straightforwardly calling Sorren 'mad dog' in front of Hendrick.
"Otherwise, I can't guarantee he'll be lucky enough to escape next time."
Needless to say, this was a naked threat.
However, without giving Hendrick time to react, Riezel suddenly changed the topic.
"Of course, all of this is just hypothetical."
Leaving this meaningful statement behind, Riezel turned and calmly walked out of the throne room.
Hendrick could only watch as Riezel left, his expression shifting unpredictably as he sat on his throne, silent for a long time.
"Your Majesty."
After a while, a familiar voice spoke from behind Hendrick.
"Rohm... what do you think I should do?"
Hendrick didn't turn around but merely let out a tired breath before calmly asking Rohm.
By now, it was almost certain that Riezel was the one who attacked Sorren.
What did this mean?
It meant Riezel had truly mastered two different types of Special Swordsmanship.
It meant Riezel really had hundreds of high-performance alchemical dolls and the ability to control them.
It meant Riezel was the one the survivors called 'Mist'.
Unfortunately, knowing all of this was useless since there was no concrete evidence.
Moreover—
"...As much as I hate to admit it, what he said is the truth."
Rohm appeared behind Hendrick and, after a moment of silence, answered.
"He hid his identity when attacking His Highness and then came here, proving that he didn't truly want to become our enemy, and he hasn't yet decided to sever ties with the royal family or the kingdom."
"Moreover, His Highness was indeed the one who started it, so we can't argue with that."
"Although attempting to assassinate a prince is undoubtedly a great crime, His Highness is still alive, so it's not worth making an enemy of this unfathomable Riezel Brynhart over it."
In Rohm's eyes, Riezel had now become an unfathomable figure, much like how Hendrick saw Riezel at that time when he defeated Albert in an instant.
"Also, according to intel from the Shadow, the Cordelion family seems to be quietly up to something recently. I bet they are making arrangements to clear both their own name and Riezel Brynhart's from the incident..."
Rohm informed Hendrick of additional information.
"Soon enough, we may not even have a reason to move against him."
Upon hearing this, Hendrick finally relented.
"Hahh... in that case, let's leave it at that..." Hendrick sighed before speaking with a tired expression. "When Sorren wakes up, make sure to let me know."
He really needed to properly warn his son.
"Understood."
Rohm lowered his head and vanished once again.