My Friend

The explosion in the Frenzel residence had ceased, though it was unclear when.

The alchemical bombs buried all around the residence seemed to have detonated, no longer causing harm.

The surrounding walls had collapsed, allowing black smoke and exploding flames to billow. The ground, as well as all sides of the residence, became pockmarked as if it had suffered a fierce artillery attack.

At first glance, the situation seemed dire. But upon closer inspection, apart from the courtyard being affected, the luxurious mansion had suffered almost no damage with no casualties.

Yes.

Everyone emerged unscathed since the unarmed servants had sought refuge in the underground cellar.

The knights and guards, with some injuries but nothing serious, remained in the area. In contrast, the slaves who had attacked the Frenzel residence were now experiencing heavy casualties.

Some lay on the ground, others in pools of blood.

Some were restrained by the knights and guards, while others were tied up with ropes, each looking rather pitiful.

Even the sharp-eyed slave, now lying beneath Ian's sword, wore a face filled with regret.

Proven by reality, it was simply impossible for these slaves to overcome a hundred-strong knightly order led by a Sword Master.

The Frenzel family's knightly order possessed a strength that left even Riezel astonished, generally ranging from Level 3 to Level 4.

How could a group of people fallen into slavery pose a threat to knights who trained daily and had experienced numerous battles?

The sharp-eyed slave did show some strength, probably comparable to Level 4. Unfortunately, he happened to face a Sword Master equivalent to Level 5, and the outcome was easily predictable.

If there were any Sword Masters among these slaves, the Basolo family would have surely recruited them, rather than sending them as sacrificial pawns.

After all, very few Sword Masters became slaves because there weren't many magicians capable of imposing a slavery contract on a swordsman of this caliber. Only Tactical-Class Magicians and above could enslave a Sword Master.

Even if a Sword Master was enslaved, they were considered the most precious commodity. If one appeared in the royal market, it would be auctioned as the highlight of the event, not something the Basolo family could casually buy in bulk in the slave district.

Therefore, the slaves who attacked the Frenzel residence, despite possessing combat abilities, ultimately fell short of the knights trained under major nobles. Otherwise, the nobles wouldn't bother training their own knights and would simply buy slaves directly.

Among this group of slaves, the only standout was the sharp-eyed slave; while the rest couldn't measure up at all. Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Ian chose not to kill him and spared his life.

As Ian prepared to send all the slaves away, Ain, who was responsible for dispersing personnel and protecting the servants in the mansion, suddenly appeared with a command.

"Go into the basement and wait?" Ian was momentarily surprised, but in the next moment, Ain's whispered words in her ear made her show a look of sudden realization.

With a group of knights and slaves, they all quickly entered the basement.

Unbeknownst to them, someone had climbed onto the roof of the mansion.

It was none other than Riezel.

"Have they all taken shelter?" Riezel muttered as he looked down at the entire residence from above.

After confirming that there was no one in sight, he raised his head, looking at the tactical-class barrier overhead.

"Basolo family, huh?" Riezel squinted his eyes, suddenly smiling. "Since they used me, I'll personally take this bit of interest."

He was someone who held grudges after all.

In his previous life, many unpleasant things had happened to him, and although he had grown numb to them, he always remembered and vowed not to repeat them in this life, even at the cost of his own life.

In the past when ambushed by the Freya familia in the world of Danmachi, Riezel also took note of this grudge and vowed to settle it. Now, with the Basolo family's scheme of using that pouch of gold coins on him, how could he not repay this debt?

Therefore, after learning about Yuri's plan, he took on this task that would add fuel to the fire without hesitation.

"Okay, let's begin..." Riezel closed his eyes.

Among the eleven types of magic he possessed, there were three wide-area annihilation magic with destructive power on par with tactical-class magic.

One, learned from Lefiya, was the flame element wide area annihilation magic, 'Fusillade Fallarica'.

The other two were learned from Orario's strongest mage, Riveria Ljos Alf.

Being a high elf and member of elven royalty, she possessed a technique called 'Chant Connection'.

It allowed her to segment and connect the chants of her three magic, showcasing different effects and powers.

Through the flexible use of chant connection, she could break down each of her magic into three levels, allowing her three magic to manifest in a total of nine different forms.

Hence, Riveria received praise from various gods and earned 'Nine Hell' as her alias.

Riveria's nine magic was actually only comprised of three magic, which were attack magic, defense magic, and healing magic. However, with the chant connection, these three magic were divided into nine types, becoming three attack magic, three defense magic, and three healing magic.

Riezel learned a total of five magic from Riveria, leaving four untouched.

Of these four untouched magic, three were healing magic, as she believed her healing magic couldn't match Airmid's 'Dia Fratel', so she chose not to teach them to him.

The remaining one, which was one of three attack magic, had the strongest power and effects, situated on the third level. The reason for not teaching this particular magic was solely its overwhelming power.

Riveria hesitated to use it even in the dungeon, fearing it could harm allies, destroy the terrain, and lead to casualties on one's own side. In the city, the consequences would be even more catastrophic.

Regardless, she still taught him both the first and second levels of her attack magic, along with the other three defense magic.

Now, what Riezel was about to use was precisely the second level of Riveria's attack magic, the most potent among the three wide-area annihilation magic he mastered.

"The flame will soon be released."

A solemn chant echoed from Riezel's mouth.

"Creeping war, unavoidable destruction. The horn of battle sounds aloud, the cruelty of conflict will envelop all."

A fiery-red magic circle emerged beneath his feet.

"Come, crimson flames, the ruthless inferno."

The magic circle began to expand, spreading across the entire roof.

"You are the avatar of hellfire. Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war."

The temperature in the air began to rise, letting the scorching aura permeate all around.

"Burn them through, Sword of Surtr - my name is Alf."

Riezel slowly opened his eyes, transforming a substantial amount of his 'Mind' into magical energy, releasing it.

"Rea Laevateinn."

The flame-red magic circle expanded extremely fast at that moment.

*WHOOSH—*

In the next second, massive flames appeared.

It burst forth from the magic circle as if red fire had erupted from the depths of hell itself, instantly dyeing the entire area crimson.

The temperature in the atmosphere quickly soared, increasing to a level that ordinary people would find unbearable.

The intense heat raged, filling every inch of the tactical-class barrier without leaving a gap.

Soon, the ground ignited, the courtyard ignited, the flora ignited, and even the only undamaged mansion was mercilessly set ablaze, thoroughly engulfed in flames.

The red fire, capable of burning everything to ashes, raged throughout the entire Frenzel residence, shrouding everything in flames.

This was a sea of fire that could incinerate everything within a radius of several kilometers.

Riezel stood on the gradually burning mansion rooftop, watching everything unfold. His face and eyes seemed to be on fire, glowing red.

After a while, he turned around, leaped, and jumped down from the mansion rooftop.

Only the sea of fire remained, continuing to burn as if it would never extinguish.

Yuri, who had retreated to the edge of the barrier, was momentarily stunned senseless.

She saw a massive magic circle appear over the mansion, and flames descended from the sky, enveloping the entire Frenzel residence. 

"He actually unleashed a tactical-class magic..."

Staring at the astonishingly high-temperature sea of fire, Yuri seemed somewhat in a daze. On her side, Marilyn was also gazing at the scene, her eyes flickering.

"My Lady..." Marilyn said in a hushed voice. "Mr. Riezel's seems to hide something..."

Hearing her maid's words, Yuri pursed her lips and remained silent.

Hiding something?

Wasn't that obvious?

He was clearly bedridden and dying not long ago. Yet, after getting up and recovering from his injuries, he could effortlessly defeat a Sword Master from the Shadow and casually unleash tactical-class magic.

Both swordsmanship and magic were at such a high level, almost unbelievable.

Before being bedridden, Riezel definitely didn't possess such power. If he had, he wouldn't have been on the brink of death, almost killed by someone.

The question was, why did he completely change after that incident? Not just in terms of power, even his personality seemed to have transformed, like a different person.

"Should we investigate him again, My Lady?" Marilyn carefully weighed her words, pondering what exactly she suggested.

Yuri understood that Marilyn suspected Riezel of having some ulterior motives. Logic also told her that she should do what her maid suggested, to uncover whether he was intentionally hiding some unknown plot.

However—

"I don't want to doubt my friend." Yuri stated simply before turning away. "Once Ain and Ian have everything arranged, tell them to come and meet us outside the royal capital."

After saying that, she left directly.

Marilyn, however, stood in place, her eyes still flickering as she watched Yuri's departing figure.

Marilyn knew Yuri was avoiding.

Becoming a marquis at the age of seventeen was naturally impossible for an idiot. Yuri was wise and intelligent, evident in her planning to counterattack the Basolo family.

However, her past had been too restrictive and oppressive. Now that she had finally gained a friend with whom she could share her true thoughts and be her true self, she didn't want to treat him with the overly suspicious mindset typical of nobles.

Riezel was a rare and her only friend.

Yuri was unwilling to lose him, subconsciously rejecting anything that might lead to losing this 'connection'.

For that reason, she could do anything for this friend and could ignore everything for them as well.

However—

'For us, the most important one is you, not Riezel Brynhart...' Marilyn looked toward the sea of fire behind, a cold glow appearing in her eyes.

Several seconds later, Marilyn turned and left, following Yuri's footsteps.