"Riezel Brynhart."
When this name came out of Ice Maiden's mouth, the chamber instantly shifted with different reactions.
"It's him?"
Fire Princess looked stunned.
"..."
Giga froze, motionless.
""Riezel Brynhart...""
Heavenly Hunt and Goliath muttered in unison, exchanged a glance, and then fell silent.
As for Tyrant and Bashe, the two were confused.
"I know that name." Bashe said flatly. "Isn't he the new Sword Saint who recently appeared in Jinas?"
"Yeah, the one everyone's been talking about lately." Tyrant chimed in, his face full of disdain. "Isn't he only around seventeen?"
Although neither of them said it outright, their expressions clearly showed they didn't believe a newly risen Sword Saint could actually injure Ice Maiden.
"A seventeen-year-old brat?" Tyrant's tone carried nothing but scorn. "Forget Ice Maiden using that sword—even without it, there's no way she could be hurt by him."
"So, you mean I was careless?" Ice Maiden responded, her voice turning colder. "Or that I'm just making things up?"
Her icy words instantly shut Tyrant and Bashe up.
They dared not speak rashly against Ice Maiden, or there would be consequences.
"You'd better not underestimate that Lightning Sword Saint."
Fire Princess happened to speak then, her uniquely sultry tone carrying her words to everyone present.
"He may only be seventeen, and yeah, he's just a newly risen Sword Saint, but his strength is nothing to scoff at."
"After Giga's incident was exposed, I personally investigated him and found that his battle record was quite remarkable."
"He fought against the Shadow Sword Saint, and even against the Guardian Sword Saint—and he defeated both of them."
"He even struck at that Jinas's Mad Dog Prince and nearly killed him. In the end, the royal family chose to remain silent about it, clearly unwilling to pursue the matter."
"And lastly, he injured the Holy Beast."
Fire Princess's final revelation instantly stirred the group into an uproar.
"He injured the Holy Beast?"
"Impossible!"
"How could the Holy Beast ever be injured?"
Tyrant, Bashe, and Giga all spoke out, and even Ice Maiden reacted to Fire Princess's final revelation, her expression tinged with visible surprise.
In the end, the ones who confirmed Fire Princess's final revelation were none other than Heavenly Hunt and Goliath—two individuals of exceptionally high standing within this group.
"I've seen it myself—the Holy Beast was indeed injured with large-scale burns. It won't recover anytime soon."
Heavenly Hunt's calm statement left everyone speechless.
"Haha, Lightning Sword Saint? What a joke this turned out to be."
Goliath let out a cold laugh, then continued.
"I've also seen the Holy Beast's injuries. No doubt, those wounds could only have been caused by Strategic-Class Magic."
"In other words, he's not just a Sword Saint who can defeat veterans but also a Strategic-Class Magician capable of releasing Strategic-Class Magic."
"It's truly ridiculous that the world's judgment of him is completely wrong."
"He's no mere rookie Sword Saint and Tactical-Class Magician. He is, without question, a prodigy whose strength surpasses veteran Sword Saints, and one who can already unleash Strategic-Class Magic."
Goliath's words plunged the entire room into silence.
"Impossible..." Tyrant said in disbelief. "How could a seventeen-year-old brat defeat veteran Sword Saints and also cast Strategic-Class Magic? Wasn't he just a countryside student at some academy not long ago? How could he suddenly transform into someone so terrifying?"
He couldn't accept that the boy he once despised might actually be such a world-shaking figure.
"In any case, there's definitely something strange about this..." Heavenly Hunt tapped the table before him and said lightly. "He surely has secrets—big ones at that. And he may turn out to be a true variable."
Hearing this, the rest opened their mouths, wanting to say something, yet unable to find the words.
Even Giga, usually so careless, dared not speak this time, his face full of unease.
"You didn't lose to him, did you? Even while using that sword?" Fire Princess glanced at Ice Maiden, seeking confirmation from her.
"Yes." Ice Maiden did not hesitate, speaking as though about someone else's matter. "I lost to him and nearly lost my life, which is why my mission wasn't completed. I'll probably have to go back again to retrieve the technology of the Nibelung Pillar."
At these words, everyone glanced at one another, brows furrowing.
"So... we've really provoked a terrifying enemy?" Giga looked miserable, speaking weakly—his regret was clear.
Yet Ice Maiden was not finished and dropped another bomb in the next moment.
"By the way, the Reinnail's princess has been following him—she even carried the legendary holy sword and appeared with him inside that ruin."
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted.
It grew heavy.
It grew eerie.
"Reinnail..." Heavenly Hunt's voice lost its usual calm for the first time. "So you're saying the holy sword's seal may already be undone, and the princess's bloodline may have awakened?"
His words made the tension in the air even heavier.
"If nothing unexpected has happened, then yes." Ice Maiden, as ever, was concise and direct, causing everyone's eyes to flicker.
"So it has awakened...?" Goliath whispered.
At this moment, the mood in the chamber grew even more complex than when they first heard of Riezel's deeds.
"Two variables... Although that's one more than we originally expected, things have already reached this point—there's no changing the plan now."
In the end, it was Heavenly Hunt who spoke, pulling everyone's thoughts back.
"Our plan proceeds as usual. After delivering what's been completed to Goliath, each of you will continue gathering materials for the magic dolls in your respective territories."
"As for Ice Maiden and Giga, you two need to speed things up."
"Our moves will soon be brought to the surface. Before that, all the required technologies must be secured. Understood?"
Heavenly Hunt's instructions earned nods from the group.
"Fire Princess." Heavenly Hunt called out to the woman at his side.
"I'm here." Fire Princess replied softly.
"Help me make a connection." Heavenly Hunt's voice was calm. "I want a word with a certain member of the royal family of Jinas."
Fire Princess raised her eyebrows, immediately understanding his meaning.
"You're planning to use that to trouble Riezel Brynhart?"
"Hmm, that, and more..." Heavenly Hunt spoke coldly. "Since the princess has awakened, having the royal family trouble her too wouldn't be so bad."
"Well, that's not a good idea, y'know?" Fire Princess warned. "If we provoke both variables directly, it'll only cause us problems."
"It doesn't matter. In the end, everyone will be our enemy anyway—this just makes it a little earlier."
Heavenly Hunt's expression did not change.
"Besides, now that the princess has awakened, those people from the Hidden Land may also emerge. Rather than letting them hide in the dark and strike at us whenever they please, it's better to draw them toward the princess."
"I believe His Majesty, the King of Jinas, will help us complete this mission."
Upon hearing this, the Fire Princess could only nod.
"Alright, I'll spread the word."
Fire Princess gave her assurance, and Heavenly Hunt nodded in return.
Just then, Ice Maiden spoke again.
"Once I finish my work, I'll be heading home as well. Given that Reinnail's princess may already know about Theresis, I have a feeling she'll come to me sooner or later."
At this point, a subtle change colored Ice Maiden's voice—one few could detect since she had left something unsaid.
'If that princess comes, then that man might come too...'
Remembering the man who had broken through her blizzard and struck her with merciless steel brought an unfamiliar heat into Ice Maiden's frozen heart.
It was fighting intent.
It was defiance.
Needless to say, she had not yet accepted defeat.
But Ice Maiden did not notice that Giga, who had been looking miserable all this time, suddenly paled at her words.
In contrast, Heavenly Hunt and the others failed to grasp the deeper meaning behind her remark.
"Theresis, huh?" Heavenly Hunt fell into thought, then finally nodded. "Fine. Once you bring that country under control, things will go much smoother for us. Just keep an eye on the women of the royal family. They may truly be connected to the Hidden Land. If they join hands, we'll be in even bigger trouble."
At his warning, Ice Maiden only nodded carelessly, her mind clearly elsewhere.
A moment later, Giga, who had been silently watching her, suddenly spoke up.
"Come to think of it, I never really understood—why are we even working with the City Lord of Sinielle?" Giga voiced the question without preamble. "If it's just exploring the ancient ruin built by the Reinnail's last queen, couldn't we manage it ourselves?"
Indeed, though the ancient ruin was sealed by Sinielle and surrounded with magic mechanisms impenetrable to ordinary people, just as Riezel had entered with ease—and as Sinielle's lawless fugitives often slipped in—the defenses set by Sigmund could not stop those with true ability.
Clearly, Giga and the other six were people of true ability, so breaking through Sigmund's arrangements would be child's play.
If so, why cooperate with Sigmund?
Just to let him lead the way?
Admittedly, the labyrinth within the ancient ruin was tricky.
Without a guide or special means like what Riezel had used, reaching the stone hall at the deepest point—and thereby the sealed land of the ancient fire dragon—was no easy task.
Still, no matter how difficult, such a labyrinth could never stop someone like Ice Maiden for long.
For this reason, in Giga's eyes, cooperating with Sigmund to enter the ancient ruin was utterly unnecessary.
Yet it was Heavenly Hunt himself who had ordered it, leaving many—including Giga—puzzled from the very beginning.
Now Giga finally voiced the doubt, drawing even Ice Maiden's gaze toward their leader.
Clearly, she too did not understand Heavenly Hunt's reasoning.
"It's just a minor move." Heavenly Hunt answered with indifference. "I only want to see whether Sigmund Bayard, living so close to Reinnail's tomb, might've uncovered something unexpected."
In other words, this was merely a probe—nothing more.
"As it turns out, he's even more timid than I imagined. After all these years sitting on that ruin, all he managed to obtain was that amber blade." Heavenly Hunt shook his head, sounding disappointed. "I thought if he had hidden something, then letting him join us wouldn't be out of the question."
At these words, the one who objected was none other than Ice Maiden.
"Best not." Ice Maiden gave her judgment without mercy. "He may have some strength, but that man is unfit for the stage."
She had already seen through Sigmund's nature, and among everyone present, the one most against his joining was surely her.
"Rather than bringing him in, I'd rather bring in Riezel Brynhart." Ice Maiden's remark left the others exchanging glances.
"Now that's unexpected. Didn't think you'd hold someone in such high regard." Fire Princess voiced what everyone was thinking.
"At the very least, he's far better than a certain careless fool." Ice Maiden said coldly, leaving the 'target' of her jab to chuckle bitterly.
"Oh, c'mon, no need to put it like that, Sister Ice Maiden." Giga wore his usual carefree smile, though only Fire Princess caught the odd note in his tone.
Fire Princess looked at him deeply but said nothing.
Ice Maiden didn't bother responding at all, causing a faint shadow to cross Giga's eyes.
"In any case, let's leave it here for now."
Whether or not he noticed the tension between Ice Maiden and Giga, Heavenly Hunt abruptly shifted the topic.
"By the end of this year, we must have all preparations complete."
"By this time next year, our new era will arrive."
"Time is running short."
As these words fell, Heavenly Hunt rose to his feet.
"May our revolution succeed."
At this, the others all stood as well.
""May our revolution succeed.""
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[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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