Chapter Summaries

Riezel and Floren faced off in the Throne Room, where Floren acknowledged Riezel’s strength but refused to fight him while the Heavenly Pillar Light restricted him. Floren and Ferras then urged Hermulin to lift Yuri’s confinement, leaving the king trapped between his order and the risk of making Riezel an enemy.

• Floren intervened to stop Riezel’s attack on Rom, then praised Riezel’s power and said he could contend for the title of the Kingdom’s strongest.
• Riezel asked if Floren would fight him, but Floren declined because Riezel could not show his full strength under the Heavenly Pillar Light.
• Floren challenged Riezel to a future duel and asked Hermulin to lift Yuri’s confinement, warning that opposing Riezel would be unwise.
• Ferras also urged Hermulin to release Yuri and let her reunite with Riezel, leaving Hermulin silent and unable to easily withdraw his order.

Riezel refused to settle for Liz's release without learning why Hermulin had placed her under house arrest, even as Floren and Ferras urged both sides to step back. When Rom warned that Riezel was alone against the kingdom, Eulalie arrived as his new attendant and attacked Rom.

• Hermulin hoped Riezel would yield, but Riezel demanded an explanation for Liz's house arrest.
• Floren and Ferras called for a compromise, while Rom warned that the kingdom's forces could overwhelm Riezel.
• Riezel declared that he was not alone, and Eulalie entered the Throne Room after defeating the knights outside.
• Riezel introduced Eulalie as his new attendant, and she attacked Rom, making him scream.

Eulalie revealed overwhelming strength by nearly killing Rom and defeating Floren before returning to Riezel’s side. Riezel then explained that magic above Strategic Class could bypass Heavenly Pillar Light and unleashed a mysterious spell that engulfed the Throne Room.

• Eulalie pierced Rom’s abdomen, repelled Floren with a blow, and caught Rom’s full-power Shadow Sword strike barehanded.
• Riezel called Eulalie back before she could deliver a fatal blow to Rom, and Ferras began healing Rom.
• Floren recognized Eulalie as a Sword Saint, and Riezel confirmed that she served as his attendant.
• Riezel explained that magic above Strategic Class could be used despite Heavenly Pillar Light and declared that he possessed such magic.
• Riezel’s golden-eyed gaze drew everyone into a strange world, where he invoked “Holy Lance—Anchored” and unleashed a storm across the Throne Room.

Riezel threatened to unleash the Star Tower’s world-ending power until Hermulin agreed to explain why Liz was under house arrest. After the danger vanished and the Throne Room emptied, Hermulin revealed that Liz was not his daughter.

• Riezel transformed the Star Tower into a spear and warned that unleashing it would bring the end of the world.
• Hermulin shouted that he would give Riezel an explanation, and Riezel stopped the transformation.
• The Star Anchor and storm vanished, restoring the Throne Room and leaving everyone shaken.
• Riezel demanded to know why Hermulin had placed Liz under house arrest.
• Hermulin dismissed the others, leaving himself, Rom, Riezel, Yuri, and Eulalie in the Throne Room.
• Hermulin told Riezel and Yuri that Liz was not his daughter.

After a blood test showed that Liz was not King Hermulin’s daughter, the king sent her back to her former palace, where she struggled to accept that she was not a princess or a member of the royal family. Luna tried to comfort her, but Liz remained convinced that the test had revealed the truth.

• Liz sat listlessly in her former palace and refused the meal Luna brought her.
• Luna asked what was troubling Liz and insisted she would always regard her as a princess.
• Liz told Luna she was no longer King Hermulin’s daughter or the princess of the Ginas Kingdom.
• Liz recalled that Hermulin had ordered a Court Mage to compare their blood, and the samples repelled each other.
• Hermulin declared that Liz was not his daughter and sent knights to escort her back to her former palace.
• Liz sat in a daze, instinctively believing Hermulin’s claim that she was not part of the royal family.

Liz struggled with learning that she was not Hermulin’s daughter and wondered where she belonged, while Luna urged her to flee the palace. Liz insisted that her Master would protect her, and he appeared in the room just as Luna questioned his loyalty.

• Liz reflected that learning she was not Hermulin’s daughter had left her confused and without a clear sense of family or origin.
• Liz asked Luna about her family, and Luna explained that her parents had sent her into the palace before leaving for the battlefield and never returning.
• Luna warned Liz that Hermulin might punish her and urged her to escape, but Liz refused because she trusted her Master to protect her.
• Luna doubted that Liz’s Master would risk opposing the Ginas Kingdom for an attendant, but Liz declared that he was the best person in the world.
• Liz’s Master appeared behind her, tapped her on the head, and introduced himself to the startled Luna as the person she thought had abandoned his attendant.

Riezel, Yuri, and Eulalie found Liz in the Royal Palace, where she was being held under house arrest after Hermulin learned she was not his daughter. Riezel confronted Liz for keeping the situation from him, while Liz’s reasons for staying and the mystery behind Hermulin’s altered cognition came to light.

• Riezel, Yuri, and Eulalie appeared in Liz’s room and confirmed that she was unharmed.
• Liz introduced Luna as someone who had always taken care of her, and Luna shielded Liz when Riezel threatened to knock her on the head.
• Riezel scolded Liz for staying out all night and not using their Retainer Contract to tell him she had been confined.
• Riezel explained that Hermulin’s cognition had been altered to make him believe Liz was his daughter, and that an unknown person had later exposed and undone the change.
• Liz had remained in the palace to investigate what happened to Hermulin and avoid drawing Riezel into a conflict, but Riezel had arrived before she could act.

Riezel and Yuri suspected that the mysterious faction behind Liz’s exposed identity had targeted both Liz and Riezel, and Liz named Grandma Mia as the person who may have arranged her entry into the royal family. Riezel decided Liz should remain in the palace to draw out the people behind the schemes, and reassured her that she would always be his attendant.

• Riezel and Yuri suspected Ice Maiden’s mysterious faction had exposed Liz’s identity to target both Liz and Riezel.
• Liz said Grandma Mia, the woman who raised her and arranged for Hermulin to bring her to the palace, was the only person she suspected of manipulating events.
• Liz recalled Grandma Mia’s unusual abilities and said she had vanished after bringing Liz to Hermulin.
• Riezel reasoned that keeping Liz in the palace might draw out Grandma Mia and the mysterious faction, while escaping would risk further danger.
• Riezel comforted the distressed Liz by telling her that, no matter who she was, she would always be his attendant.

Riezel agreed to remain at the Royal Palace with Liz and Eulalie while the royal family investigated the mystery surrounding Liz and Hermulin. Missing the Loki Familia, he used the Dimensional Cube to travel to the DanMachi World, leaving Liz and Eulalie under the protection of summoned monsters.

• Riezel agreed to Hermulin's request to stay at the Royal Palace and help investigate, after Liz said she wanted to uncover the truth about her origins.
• Liz showed Riezel and Eulalie around her palace, then asked Riezel and Eulalie to share her bed that night because their presence made her feel safe.
• Liz asked whether Riezel missed his family, prompting him to think of the Loki Familia and decide to return to the DanMachi World.
• Riezel used the Dimensional Cube to open a passage to Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, learning that the trip offered doubled travel time and free assimilation of unique items.
• Riezel summoned Eight-Limbed Blade Assassin Bugs to guard Liz and Eulalie, then stepped onto the Ladder of Light and vanished.

Riezel returned to Orario after annihilating a horde of Earthborn on the Dungeon’s 37th Floor and teleporting to the surface. He found the city packed with crowds and realized the Monster Festival was underway.

• Riezel appeared in a chamber on the 37th Floor, where Earthborn surrounded him.
• Riezel cast Sunlight Burst and annihilated the Earthborn horde.
• Riezel put away Hermit, equipped Fool, and used Gate to teleport from the Dungeon to Orario.
• Riezel emerged into a crowded Orario decorated with Ganesha Familia flags and recognized the Monster Festival was being held.

Riezel realized the Monster Festival was underway and anticipated the coming attack, so he searched for Ais instead of returning to the Loki Familia headquarters. Ais wandered East Street with Loki, worried about Riezel, while a huge creature began moving toward the surface beneath the city.

• Riezel recognized the Monster Festival and recalled that a god would unleash monsters and draw the Loki Familia into a dangerous battle.
• Riezel sent a magic eye into the sky and decided to find Ais before anything happened.
• Loki took Ais around East Street, trying to cheer her up as Ais remained distracted and worried about Riezel.
• Loki reassured Ais that Riezel would return within a month, and Ais relaxed enough to follow her through the crowd.
• A huge creature moved toward the surface beneath Orario as the ground began to tremble.

Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya discussed Ais’s low spirits, Riezel’s absence, and their own desire to grow stronger before a blast destroyed a building beside them. As a massive black shadow emerged from the rubble, Riezel found his target in a deserted alley and vanished.

• Tiona said she wanted to cheer up Ais, and Tione and Lefiya agreed that Ais had seemed unusually dispirited since reaching Lv.6.
• Tione reasoned that Riezel’s absence was probably due to a private matter, while Tiona lamented that she and the others were falling behind.
• Tiona resolved to level up on the next expedition, and Lefiya quietly vowed to keep pace with the people she admired.
• Lefiya sensed a tremor, then a blast smashed a building apart and knocked her down as a massive black shadow appeared in the rubble.
• Riezel opened his eyes in a deserted alley, said he had found his target, and vanished.

Monsters went berserk on East Street, and Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya struggled against a powerful Man-eating Flower Monster. Riezel and Ais arrived in time to save Lefiya, and Riezel reunited with his former companions after a year and a half away.

• Loki and Ais learned that monsters were rampaging on East Street, and Ais hurried to the scene with Loki following.
• Tiona and Tione fought the Man-eating Flower Monster but could barely hurt it without their usual weapons.
• Lefiya began casting magic, but the monster abandoned the Amazon sisters and charged at her.
• Riezel and Ais arrived and cut the Man-eating Flower Monster into four pieces, killing it instantly.
• Lefiya, Tiona, and Tione welcomed the pair, and Riezel told them, “I'm back.”

Riezel returned in time to protect Ais, Lefiya, Tiona, and Tione from a swarm of Man-eating Flower Monsters that erupted through East Street. He destroyed the monsters with Lefiya’s magic, leaving a huge crater, then reunited with the girls as Ais watched in relief.

• Riezel and Ais defeated the first Man-eating Flower Monster, but Riezel warned that the danger was not over.
• Numerous Man-eating Flower Monsters burst from the ground and attacked the street, overwhelming the adventurers.
• Riezel drew the monsters toward himself by chanting, dodged their attacks while completing Parallel Chant, and used Arcing Ray to destroy them all.
• Riezel’s spell devastated East Street and left a massive crater, while Loki realized he had returned and recognized that he had amplified Lefiya’s magic.
• Riezel sheathed his sword and walked toward Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, and Ais, who greeted him with relief and excitement.

After returning to Orario, Riezel was reprimanded by the Loki Familia leaders for his overwhelming display during the Monster Festival disturbance. Loki learned the incident may have been deliberate, while Riezel recognized it as the start of a larger plot that would eventually target the Familia.

• The Monster Festival was suspended after the East Street disturbance, and Riezel's attack made him the focus of talk throughout Orario.
• Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Loki confronted Riezel at Twilight Manor, where he apologized and offered to cover any Guild fine.
• Loki said the Guild and Ganesha Familia were responsible for the damage and that there had been no citizen casualties.
• Loki revealed that the monster cages had all been opened and their guards found unconscious, suggesting the disturbance had been deliberately caused.
• Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Loki agreed to leave the matter alone, while Riezel realized the incident was only the beginning of a plot that would draw the Loki Familia in.

Riezel congratulated Ais on reaching Lv.6, and the two shared a quiet walk through the Loki Familia headquarters. Their closeness sparked rumors that they were a couple, provoking Loki just as a clash of swords rang out through Twilight Manor.

• Riezel met Ais outside Loki’s office and suggested they walk together before Loki came out.
• Riezel congratulated Ais on reaching Lv.6, and they discussed how she had defeated Udaios despite her exhaustion and Riveria’s day-long lecture.
• Ais pointed out that Riezel had also recklessly challenged Goliath alone, and he admitted they were alike.
• Riezel and Ais strolled through the headquarters with smiles, prompting Familia members to speculate that they were romantically involved.
• Tiona and Tione joined the gossip, while an elven girl who admired Riezel and Ais froze in shock.
• Loki heard the rumors, shouted that Riezel had cheated on her, and prepared to rush out before a fierce clash of swords echoed through Twilight Manor.

Riezel noticed that Ais was still struggling to adjust to her recent Level Up, so he challenged her to a spar in Twilight Manor's courtyard. Their fierce fight revealed that Riezel's sword skill had changed, and he was far stronger than Ais expected.

• Riezel recognized Ais's Mind-Body Discomfort and invited her to spar so she could adjust to her new strength.
• Ais worried she might injure Riezel, but he drew Fool's Sword and warned her not to assume he was still as strong as before.
• Riezel and Ais launched into a swift, intense sword fight that startled the Loki Familia members watching from Twilight Manor.
• Riezel kicked Ais's raised sword aside, pressed his attack, and cut several strands of her hair as she struggled to keep up.
• Ais realized Riezel's sword skill was no longer the style she had taught him and told him it felt unfamiliar.

Riezel defeated Ais in a spar by revealing Wind Breathing, a sword-based combat art that produced powerful wind attacks without magic. After explaining its effects to the astonished Loki Familia, he saw that Ais was eager to learn it.

• Riezel used his accumulated combat experience to suppress Ais despite limiting himself to his former Lv.5 abilities.
• Riezel activated Wind Breathing and struck Ais with its first and second forms, sending her into a wall and leaving her unharmed but defeated.
• The Loki Familia members rushed into the courtyard and questioned Riezel about the wind attacks they had witnessed.
• Riezel explained that Wind Breathing strengthened the body and could work alongside Wind Spirit Sprint to enhance the magic and reduce its strain.
• Ais looked at Riezel with bright, eager eyes and silently asked to learn Wind Breathing.

Riezel agreed to teach Ais Wind Breathing, explaining why it suited her but would offer limited benefits to most of the Familia. The discussion ended with the Familia recognizing Riezel’s strength, as Loki arrived after everyone had already finished talking.

• Ais asked to learn Wind Breathing, and Riezel agreed to teach her.
• Tiona and Tione asked why Riezel would not teach them, so he explained that Breathing Techniques had limited long-term benefits for most adventurers but worked exceptionally well with Ais’s Wind Spirit Sprint.
• Finn and the others concluded that enhancement magic could complement Breathing Techniques, and they suggested Bete try them, but Bete rejected the idea and walked away.
• Riveria said it was good that Riezel and Ais could become stronger, and the Familia’s members began regarding Riezel as second only to their three leaders.
• Loki ran out of the manor, complaining that everyone had talked without waiting for her, as evening fell over Twilight Manor.

Riezel visited Loki, who updated his Ability Value and discovered that he had secretly reached Level 7. Loki was left stunned by the revelation.

• Orario's residents discussed Riezel's recent feats and began recognizing him as a formidable fighter and mage.
• Riezel escaped Ais's attempts to learn Wind Breathing and went to meet Loki in the God's Chamber.
• Loki asked Riezel to reveal what he had been doing, and he warned her that his Ability Value might shock her.
• Loki updated Riezel's Ability Value and saw that he was Level 7, leaving her dumbfounded.