"Marilyn."
Yuri called the maid by her side.
The maid remained silent, only to pull out a teacup from seemingly nowhere and place it in front of Riezel, pouring a steaming cup of black tea for him.
The aroma of the tea was pleasant, catching even Riezel, who was usually indifferent to tea, off guard.
He quickly picked it up and took a sip.
As soon as he tasted it, he regretted it immediately.
This was ridiculously sweet!
It felt like at least a dozen spoons of sugar had been added, sweet enough to almost dissolve his tongue!
His lips twitched a few times, wanting to say something but eventually giving up, forcing a faint smile.
It was not without reason.
He saw Yuri seemed to enjoy the tea, displaying a satisfied expression. It was evident that she was extremely pleased with this sweet tea.
Riezel wasn't lacking in social awareness and wouldn't deliberately point out anything at this moment.
At the same time, Yuri also observed his behavior.
Seeing him sitting there in silence with a faint smile adorning his face.
"Seeing you in such high spirits, I feel relieved. When the servant went to deliver your meal yesterday and got no response after knocking, I thought you were resting and didn't want to disturb you. But you stayed in your room for a whole day, without eating or drinking. If the protective magic system of this mansion hadn't been activated, I would have thought something happened to you again." Yuri said with relief.
One could imagine that if Riezel had appeared even a bit later, she might have sent someone into his room to check on him. After all, he had once faced an assassination attempt in this mansion, so it was natural for her to be concerned.
"I'm sorry for worrying you..." Riezel said as he put down the teacup and looked at her. "But, as you can see, I'm good now, so there's nothing to worry about."
"I can see that." Yuri glanced over his body, nodding satisfactorily. "You're indeed in much better shape than yesterday."
He no longer looked sickly and his complexion wasn't pale anymore. He appeared lively, even his gaze was different, like a sword ready to be unsheathed at any moment, sharp and surprising even herself.
However, no matter what, his recovery was a good thing.
"What are your plans now?" Yuri casually stirred the black tea in front of her with a spoon as she asked nonchalantly.
Riezel didn't hesitate much in responding.
"Since my injuries have healed, I've naturally decided to leave. I can't trouble you any longer."
He had made this decision before returning.
The Frenzel family was different from the Loki Familia.
Loki Familia was akin to his true family since its members were connected by Loki's blood, making them no different from a blood-related family and her children, so staying there just felt right to him.
But the Frenzel family was different.
Riezel had no ties here, and the original Riezel had no connection whatsoever with this marquis family; otherwise, he would have been ecstatic.
Yuri was merely his savior, taking him in solely to allow him to recover from his injuries. It was a kind and well-intentioned gesture, but now that he had recovered, he didn't feel right staying here and continuing to trouble her any further.
Being from a marquis family, she had already shown great kindness by allowing a stranger and countryside boy like him to stay and recover.
However, Yuri frowned at his answer.
"Is that really okay?" Yuri stopped stirring her tea and met his gaze with a serious expression. "There are still people outside who want to kill you. If you stay here, they might hesitate, but once you leave, they won't have any reason to hold back."
In other words, leaving this mansion might immediately expose Riezel to danger and another assassination attempt.
He couldn't be oblivious to this.
"But they are after me, not you." Riezel said indifferently. "I don't want to trouble you anymore."
"I don't mind, y'know." Yuri smiled slightly. "It's rare to find a friend with whom I can have a conversation with. Even if you choose to stay, you're more than welcome."
"But I can't hide here forever, can I?" Riezel looked directly at her eyes. "I have to face this sooner or later."
Hearing his resolute words, Yuri fell silent. Not just her, even Marilyn stealthily glanced at him, seemingly surprised by his words.
"What's wrong?" Riezel found their reactions strange.
"Nothing..." Yuri shook her head, sighing. "I just feel that you're not quite like the rumors say..."
Riezel fell silent.
He knew what she meant.
As someone from a marquis family, Yuri could easily investigate him and learn about his past—or rather, she had likely discovered what kind of person the original Riezel was.
What kind of person was this world's Riezel?
Someone with the courage to leave the countryside and travel far to the city in pursuit of a higher status—brave and ambitious.
However, upon the discovery of his talents and the following flattery from the nobility, he lost his original purpose. He became arrogant, spending his days fooling around with a group of noble children, a countryside boy corrupted by the allure of the city.
In the eyes of others, could someone like him be considered a good person?
His manner and evaluations in the eyes of others were likely quite poor. But for Yuri, who had witnessed Riezel's various performances with her own eyes so far, such evaluations naturally differ.
If the original Riezel had known that someone outside was spying on him, ready to kill him at any moment, he would have been scared to death by now. Even if Yuri urged him to leave, he wouldn't be willing to do so, no matter what.
Moreover, upon seeing Yuri, an influential figure from a marquis family, he might have considered it a rare opportunity. If he could curry favor with someone from a marquis family, wouldn't he easily attain the position and privileges he desired?
These were things the original Riezel would definitely have considered.
Meanwhile, as Riezel was busy pondering matters concerning the original Riezel, Yuri suddenly spoke again.
"Even though you say that, I still think it's better for you to stay here for now."
Her words prompted him to lift his gaze and glance over, and after a moment of silence, he threw a question.
"Have you investigated the one who targeted me?"
Yuri's words made Riezel consider that possibility.
Unfortunately, he was about to be disappointed.
"Just like before, I couldn't find anything because they cleaned up their tracks really well..." Yuri shook her head. "But it's so tidy that I'm starting to suspect it might not just be some influential figure keeping an eye on you like we first thought."
At her speculation, Riezel's brow furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Yuri didn't answer immediately and seemed to be lost in thought, looking down at the cup of tea in front of her before finally asking a question.
"You should know who I am, right?"
At her question, Riezel couldn't help but pause, then truthfully provided an answer.
"In this kingdom, almost everyone knows you. You're the head of the Frenzel family, one of the marquis families in Jinas. Plus, you're the chief court magician of this kingdom, holding the title of Strategic-Class Magician—one of the strongest magicians on the continent."
Indeed, this was Yuri's true status and the reason he considered her one of the most impressive characters in this world.
This seemingly rich young lady, though similar in age to him, was not some typical daughter of a marquis or an heir to the family. Instead, she had taken over the position of the Frenzel family's head and was granted the title of marquis personally by the king.
The Frenzel family, once a fallen noble house, rose to prominence under this talented young lady, becoming a major noble in Jinas, with authority over ten thousand people.
Moreover, the reason she could achieve this was precisely because Yuri Frenzel, this extraordinary woman, was an exceptional character.
Despite her young age, she possessed the power to become the chief court magician of the kingdom.
Two years ago, she became one of the most powerful magicians on the continent, earning the title of 'Strategic-Class Magician', causing a commotion throughout Jinas.
She could be considered the brightest and most dazzling star in Jinas.
However, upon hearing Riezel's answer, Yuri just laughed.
"The strongest magicians on the continent?" Yuri said with a hint of self-deprecation. "Just someone who can use magic most advantageous for war, that's all. Such a tool for war hardly qualifies as the strongest magician, right?"
Hearing her response, Riezel was at a loss for words.
He understood why she would say such a thing.
In this world, magic was generally divided into three classes.
These three classes were 'Combat-Class', 'Tactical-Class', and 'Strategic-Class'.
Combat-class magic referred to lower-power magic with a narrow attack range, suitable for one-on-one combat or small group battles.
Tactical-class magic had greater power and a wider attack range, capable of destroying a village in one blow or an entire army.
Strategic-class magic, on the other hand, was extremely powerful, with a broad attack range, capable of instantly destroying a city or even a small country.
Although it might have seemed that strategic-class magic was the strongest and combat-class magic was the weakest, in reality, it was not the case.
While strategic-class magic was terrifyingly powerful, its conditions for casting were strict, making it almost impossible to use in a fight, especially a fast-paced one. Its only use was as a massive weapon of destruction for large-scale wars, akin to nuclear weapons.
Combat-class magic, although less powerful, had simple casting conditions and was the mainstream method in fights.
Many magicians actually believed that mastering strategic-class magic didn't necessarily make one the strongest; it was just a tool for war. A truly powerful magician was one who excelled in combat-class magic.
However, this perspective might have been popular in the magician circle but had little relevance in the view of countries.
The reason was simple.
In a world where numerous countries and forces vied for dominance on a continent in constant war, what mattered to a country was not an expert who could win fights one after another but a weapon that could be invincible on the battlefield and instantly destroy their enemies.
Thanks to this, whether it was Jinas or other countries, magicians capable of using tactical-class and strategic-class magic were highly valued.
If a magician could use tactical-class magic, they were instantly granted a noble title and welcomed into the kingdom.
If a magician could use strategic-class magic, that was even more incredible. The kingdom considered them a national treasure and, to win them over, the kingdom might even grant them a title of major noble, providing them with great privileges.
The original Riezel had precisely this in mind when, upon discovering his abundant magical energy, left home without hesitation. Because to cast tactical-class or strategic-class magic, the primary requirement was a significant amount of magical energy within one body.
Yuri was a successful example of this.
Becoming a Strategic-Class Magician, she was regarded as one of the strongest magicians on the continent, securing the then-current status of the Frenzel family.
Yet, Yuri herself seemed indifferent to all this.