Chapter Summaries

After returning from the DanMachi World, Riezel woke in the Franzer Family mansion with his Falna, Divine Blood, and twin swords safely brought back. Once he recovered enough to leave his room, he found Yuri Franzer in the Garden and joined her for a proper conversation.

• Riezel woke and confirmed that his strength and Falna had returned with him from the DanMachi World.
• A servant told Riezel that Yuri was waiting in the Garden and brought him clothes she had prepared.
• Riezel explored the Franzer Family's estate and recalled that Yuri belonged to a powerful marquis family in the Ginas Kingdom.
• Riezel found Yuri having afternoon tea in a pavilion, where Marilyn Impish stood by her side.
• Yuri welcomed Riezel, confirmed that he had fully recovered, and invited him to sit across from her.

Riezel told Yuri he planned to leave the Franzer residence despite the danger, while Yuri urged him to stay and revealed her doubts about the motive behind his attackers. After Riezel named Yuri’s titles and learned how she regarded her Strategic Class magic, the threat against him remained unresolved.

• Marilyn served Riezel excessively sweet black tea while Yuri expressed relief that he had recovered.
• Riezel said he planned to leave the Franzer residence, but Yuri warned that his attackers might strike once he was outside her protection.
• Yuri offered to let Riezel stay, and he insisted he needed to face the danger rather than keep troubling her.
• Yuri said her investigation had found no trace of the attackers and suggested their motive might be more than a powerful person’s interest in Riezel.
• Riezel identified Yuri as the Franzer Family head, the kingdom’s Chief Court Mage, and a Strategic Class Mage, while Yuri dismissed her battlefield magic as making her a weapon of war.

Yuri told Riezel that the Heretic Assassins, a powerful organization targeting Tactical and Strategic Class Mages and gifted candidates, might have attacked him. Riezel agreed to stay with Yuri while she spread word that his damaged 'Gate' had left him unable to use magic, and the chapter ended with her inviting him to afternoon tea.

• Yuri explained that Tactical and Strategic Class Mages were coveted as weapons of war but heavily restricted and monitored.
• Yuri said she suspected the Heretic Assassins were behind Riezel's attack because they targeted powerful mages and promising talents, and the attackers had erased their traces.
• Yuri warned Riezel that the Heretic Assassins might have the backing of national powers and said he should not leave her residence.
• Yuri arranged for word to spread that Riezel's 'Gate' was damaged and he could no longer use magic, hoping the Assassins would lose interest in him.
• Riezel agreed to stay with Yuri for a while, and she invited him to afternoon tea.

Riezel accepted Yuri’s Communication Magic Crystal and, after she left to receive a visitor from the Basolo Family, went to explore the Franzer Family’s Library. He discovered that its shelves held books teaching magic and sword techniques, suggesting the Library preserved valuable knowledge.

• Yuri left Riezel with a Communication Magic Crystal that could contact her or Marilyn after the butler announced a visit from the young master of the Basolo Family.
• Yuri suggested Riezel visit the Library, while Marilyn reacted with concern and later glared at him.
• Riezel passed several groups of guards who checked that Yuri had given him permission to enter the Library.
• Riezel entered the Library, where a brief Magic Circle flashed on the doorknob without his noticing.
• Riezel realized the books included instruction in magic and sword techniques, and his interest in the collection grew.

Riezel learned how sword skills let people strengthen their bodies by tempering their magic power, and searched the library for a path suited to him despite his damaged Gate. He found the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill, a Special Grade technique that demanded enormous innate magic power and had once made its creator’s body rival a dragon’s.

• Riezel set aside the Magic Books and read about the world’s Low-Grade, High-Grade, and Special Grade Sword Skills.
• Riezel learned that Special Grade Sword Skills could grant supernatural effects and that their practitioners could compete for the title of Sword Saint.
• Riezel suspected Yuri had directed him to the library so he could switch to sword skills while his Gate remained damaged.
• Riezel found the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill, a Special Grade technique created by the Dragon Sword Saint Aifasitin Tusenlo.
• Riezel read that the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill had been passed down for four hundred years, could make its master’s physique rival a giant dragon, and required enormous innate magic power.

Riezel discovered that the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill was missing its crucial Breathing Technique, though its sword moves still provided powerful physical training. After a Basolo Family butler tried to buy information about Yuri, Riezel gave him misleading advice and returned to practicing, where he saw a young noble arrive to pursue Yuri.

• Riezel found that the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill lacked its Breathing Technique and memorized its remaining sword moves.
• Riezel headed to the courtyard to test the sword skill after deciding not to interrupt Yuri while she entertained a guest.
• The Basolo Family's butler offered Riezel money for information about Yuri, and Riezel told him that she liked unusually bitter red tea.
• Riezel practiced the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill and found that its movements gave him an intense full-body workout.
• A noble-dressed young man appeared at the mansion entrance and loudly declared that he would not give up on Yuri, prompting her to come outside with a displeased expression.

After the Basolo Family’s eldest son left, Yuri told Riezel that her family had agreed to a marriage alliance without her consent, so she planned to return to the Franzer Territory and oppose it. She insisted Riezel accompany her for safety and decided to present him as a fellow student from Spriller Academy.

• Riezel watched the Basolo Family’s eldest son leave in tears after speaking with Yuri, then noticed her give Marilyn instructions.
• Riezel showed Yuri a money pouch the Basolo Family’s people had used to try to bribe him, and Yuri said she needed to return to the Franzer Territory.
• Yuri explained that her father had agreed to a marriage alliance with the Basolo Family without asking her, and she planned to reject it.
• Yuri told Riezel to come with her because the villa’s magical defenses would mostly shut down once she left.
• Yuri proposed introducing Riezel as a fellow student and revealed she had graduated early from Spriller Academy, making her his senior.

After Yuri left to arrange her return home, Riezel trained in the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill and received an invitation from Akil Rein, one of the original owner’s old companions. Riezel decided to meet the group despite the risk of another attack, and Yuri assigned two contracted knight retainers to accompany him.

• Yuri left to arrange her return to her territory, and Riezel resumed practicing the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill.
• Riezel developed muscle soreness and trained for three days, while news spread that his damaged Gate had left him unable to use magic.
• A servant delivered Riezel a letter from Akil Rein inviting him to meet with the noble youths who had once spent time with the original owner.
• Riezel accepted the invitation and told Yuri he wanted to test the reactions of his former companions and the assassins who might still be watching him.
• Yuri warned Riezel about the danger and summoned Ain and Ian, her contracted female knight retainers, to guard him.

Yuri arranged for her retainers Ain and Ian to guard Riezel as he left the villa to meet the young nobles from his memories. Yuri reflected on how Riezel had become her first friend and resolved to protect him from danger; the chapter ended with Akil Rein greeting Riezel in a plaza in Yeluf.

• Yuri explained the difference between Enslavement Contracts and Retainer Contracts and introduced Ain and Ian as her retainers.
• Yuri ordered Ain and Ian to protect Riezel and bring him back safely, and Riezel accepted their help.
• Yuri told Marilyn that she considered Riezel her first friend and would not let anyone harm him.
• Riezel thanked Ain and Ian, warned them not to worry about him if danger arose, and left the villa with them following.
• Riezel reached a plaza in Yeluf, where Akil Rein and a group of young nobles were waiting, and Akil called out to him.

Riezel reunited with Akil and the other young nobles after recovering from his injury, while Ain and Ian kept watch over him. When Akil and Sena suggested celebrating at a disreputable venue, Riezel refused, and the group settled on visiting the market instead.

• Akil welcomed Riezel, but Ain and Ian blocked him until Riezel told them to stand down.
• Sena Ram and the rest of Riezel’s former companions arrived, and Sena made pointed remarks about Riezel’s recovery and connection to the Franzer Family.
• Akil invited Riezel to celebrate, but Riezel declined when Sena hinted at drinking and carousing.
• The red-haired girl rebuked Akil and the others, so Akil proposed visiting the market, and she agreed.

Riezel realized Akil might be trying to control him as a valuable prospect while building a noble power base, and learned the Rein family was preparing to name an heir. At the Royal Market, the group split over what to browse, and Riezel said he wanted to look at sword skills.

• Riezel recalled that Akil had been the only person at Spriller Academy to befriend him and suspected Akil had blocked others from approaching him.
• Ain and Ian warned Riezel that Akil seemed ambitious, and Ian revealed rumors that the count of the Rein Family planned to name an heir soon.
• Riezel decided to see what Akil wanted as the group entered Yeluf's Royal Market, where Ain and Ian gained entry by showing a snowflake-patterned token.
• Sena and the four boys wanted to visit the slave district, while Carly wanted Magic Items and Stephanie wanted to see newly arrived accessories.
• Riezel said he wanted to look at the sword skills for sale, prompting Sena to ask whether he had really started switching to sword skills.

Riezel brushed off Sena’s taunts and separated from Akil’s group before visiting a sword-skill shop with Ain and Ian. Akil planned to use Riezel’s connection to the Franzer Family to secure the Rein Family heirship, while Riezel learned the shop had no Special Grade Sword Skills.

• Riezel calmly defended his decision to become a Swordsman, then suggested the group split up and meet again in an hour.
• Riezel left with Ain and Ian, while Akil and the others stayed behind; Sena complained about Riezel, and Akil explained he wanted to exploit Riezel’s connection to the Franzer Family.
• Akil revealed he hoped an introduction to the Franzer Family’s rising star would persuade his father to name him heir over his older brother.
• Riezel visited a sword-skill shop and asked to see Special Grade Sword Skills, but the shop owner said they were generally only available at auctions.

Riezel searched the Royal Market for a complete Special Grade Sword Skill but learned that such skills were scarce and rarely auctioned. He discovered that the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill was a widely circulated incomplete copy, and the chapter left him without an easy path to finding a suitable skill.

• Riezel asked the shopkeeper when the next auction would be held, hoping to find a Special Grade Sword Skill.
• Ain, Ian, and the shopkeeper explained that royal families and great nobles controlled most Special Grade Sword Skills, so one might not appear at auction for years or decades.
• The shopkeeper showed Riezel an incomplete copy of the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill, which surprised him.
• Ian explained that Aifasitin Tusenlo created the famous skill four hundred years earlier and that a deadly struggle over it destroyed its Breathing Techniques.
• Ian told Riezel that the Franzer Family had no inherited Special Grade Sword Skills, leaving him with no simple way to obtain one.

Riezel gave up on finding a Special Grade Sword Skill and searched the Royal Market for a high-grade one, but found nothing worth buying. When the group reunited, he learned that the heir of the Basolo Family had bought nearly every valuable slave, including those Akil and the others wanted.

• Ian confirmed that the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill’s Breathing Technique had been destroyed, and Riezel decided to choose a high-grade Sword Skill instead.
• Riezel browsed bookstores with Ain and Ian for an hour but found no high-grade Sword Skill that impressed him.
• Carly and Stephanie returned from shopping, and Carly noticed how much Riezel’s manner toward her had changed.
• Akil, Sena, and the others returned angry after the Basolo heir bought the female slaves they wanted.
• Akil identified the buyer as the appointed heir of the Marquis Basolo Family, and Riezel focused on the news that he had bought all the slaves with combat ability.

After leaving the Royal Market, Riezel cut ties with Akil’s faction and ordered his household to refuse their visits. Before he could return to the Franzer Family estate, attackers ambushed his carriage in a dark alley, opening fire with a rain of arrows as armed figures descended around him.

• Riezel left the market with Ain and Ian, while Carly warned Akil that Riezel had changed and Akil decided to wait before trying to recruit him.
• Riezel ordered his household to reject Akil and the others, judging that most of them had hidden motives and were not worth befriending.
• The carriage stopped in a remote alley, where Ain caught the coachman as he tried to flee and learned that attackers had forced him to drive there.
• Archers on the surrounding buildings unleashed a barrage, and Ain and Ian shielded Riezel while dodging and deflecting the arrows.
• Armed figures leaped down from the buildings as the alley became a battlefield.

Ain and Ian fought off an ambush targeting Riezel, while a masked Brute engaged Ain in a fierce duel. When an arrow slipped past the guards, Riezel calmly deflected it with a silver shortsword, leaving the attackers stunned.

• Cloaked assassins descended on Riezel, and Ian drove them back while Ain leapt to the rooftops to stop the archers.
• A masked Brute arrived, identified Ain and Ian as True Swordsmen, and ordered the assassins to kill Riezel.
• Ain charged the Brute, while Ian guarded Riezel and fought off the surrounding assassins.
• An arrow flew toward Riezel as Ain and Ian were held back, but Riezel deflected it with a silver shortsword.

Riezel effortlessly defeated a powerful assassin during an ambush, while Ain and Ian helped defeat the other attackers. The assassins poisoned themselves before they could be questioned, leaving Riezel suspicious of the Heretic Assassins and their backers.

• After deflecting an arrow, Riezel dodged the brute's attacks and wounded him repeatedly until he collapsed.
• Riezel explained that his strength far surpassed the True Swordsmen and described his powerful swordsmanship and destructive magic.
• Ain and Ian stopped the remaining assassins from fleeing and defeated them, but the brute poisoned himself before Riezel could question him.
• Ain and Ian returned and reported that their captured assassins had also died, prompting Riezel to suspect the Heretic Assassins had powerful supporters.
• Riezel ordered Ain and Ian to have the Franzer Family collect the bodies and investigate, then they returned to the estate.

Riezel told Yuri how he had survived the attack, while she weighed the chances of investigating the assassins. After Ain and Ian linked the attackers to the royal family’s Shadow Knights, Yuri realized Riezel had been caught up in a political struggle and headed to the royal palace.

• Riezel told Yuri that a fortuitous encounter had given him his swordsmanship, but he declined to explain further in front of others.
• Yuri said the attackers’ suicides and likely magical countermeasures would make identifying their employers difficult, though she would consult Court Mages or a High Priest.
• After Riezel left, Yuri asked Ain and Ian what they had noticed about the attackers.
• Ian and Ain said the assassins’ fighting styles resembled Shadow Knights, prompting Yuri to suspect they had been sent by someone in the royal family.
• Marilyn connected Riezel’s contact with the Lyatt Family to tensions between the royal family and the ducal house that backed them.
• Yuri ordered Marilyn to summon a carriage so she could go to the royal palace.

Riezel began training with the Steelbreaker Sword Skill, using its breathing techniques to absorb his body's magical energy and improve his Ability Values. After practicing the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill as well, he learned that Yuri and Marilyn had returned from the royal palace and that they would leave the capital for Franzer Territory the next day.

• Riezel practiced the Steelbreaker Sword Skill for half an hour, using its breathing techniques to activate his magical energy and temper his body.
• Riezel used Loki's divine blood to trigger Self-Salvation and discovered that his Ability Values had risen by more than 1,400 proficiency points overall.
• Riezel chose the Advanced Grade Steelbreaker Sword Skill for growth and weapon-breaking ability, while deciding to keep practicing the Sacred Dragon Sword Skill for its combat techniques.
• Riezel continued alternating between the two sword skills until Yuri and Marilyn returned to the estate around noon.
• Yuri told Riezel she had gone to the royal palace and said they would leave the capital for Franzer Territory the following day.
• After Yuri and Marilyn went inside, Riezel returned to training with greater determination.

As Yuri prepared to return to Franzer Territory, Riezel assessed her formidable forces and considered how far he still had to grow. Yuri’s departure alarmed Akil and another young nobleman, while the king secretly confined the royal heirs, and Riezel remained unaware that trouble was approaching.

• Yuri ordered preparations for her journey, and Riezel saw the hundred knights assigned to escort her and considered the strength of her forces.
• Riezel compared Strategic Class Mages and Sword Saints to the power levels he knew, concluded that he was still far from their ranks, and decided to plan another Dimensional Travel.
• Akil panicked when he heard Yuri was leaving before the heir was chosen and hurried toward Franzer Villa.
• A thin-looking young nobleman ordered his butler to proceed with a plan and vowed not to give up.
• The king secretly met with someone overnight, then reprimanded and confined every prince and princess, while Riezel remained unaware that trouble was coming.