Within Lizbeth's residence, there was a spacious room located deep inside, though no one normally used it.
If it had been somewhere else, it probably would have been turned into a storage room. However, this was a princess's residence, and miscellaneous items were naturally never piled up here, so the room had remained vacant.
In fact, there were many unused rooms like this throughout Lizbeth's residence, which was understandable considering that the entire place belonged to her alone, and she was the only one living there. Naturally, countless areas had been left empty and untouched.
Among all those vacant rooms, this one was the most remote and the most neglected, situated in a place where almost no one would pass by unless they had a specific reason to come here.
Today, however, this forgotten room finally served a purpose.
*Swish!*
Amid a ripple of spatial fluctuations, Riezel appeared instantly in front of the room's door while carrying two people, one in each hand.
"Let me go, bastard!"
In Riezel's left hand was Leo, who had already regained consciousness. He glared fiercely at Riezel, roaring in anger while struggling constantly, his expression so vicious that he looked as though he wanted to tear Riezel apart on the spot.
"You despicable coward!"
In Riezel's right hand, Ivy, who had broken free from the charm effect, seemed to have remembered everything that had happened earlier and realized exactly how she had been treated. As a result, she was not only struggling but also glaring at Riezel, with faint tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
Unfortunately, both her resistance and her grievance appeared utterly powerless before him.
Having lost Divine Arcana and been restrained by Light of Heaven, this powerful magician had become nothing more than a fragile young woman for the time being. Naturally, she could not offer any meaningful resistance in his grasp.
Leo, however, was different.
He was a swordsman who was even stronger than veteran Sword Saints and had not lost his ability to resist.
Under normal circumstances, fighting back would have been easy for him. Unfortunately, the person he had encountered was Riezel, whose ordinary combat power already rivaled that of a Level 9. In Riezel's hands, Leo's resistance might not have been exactly zero, but it was not much greater than that.
Ignoring the struggles of both captives, Riezel kicked the door open and mercilessly threw them inside.
"Ouch!"
Ivy crashed directly onto the floor, and the pain caused the tears in her eyes to gather even more noticeably.
"You bastard?!"
Leo flipped through the air with impressive agility and landed steadily on one knee before bursting forward in a fit of rage, raising his fist and preparing to drive a powerful punch directly into Riezel's face.
"Hold Species."
Without even looking at Leo, Riezel calmly cast a magic spell, causing a magic circle to appear beneath Leo's feet.
"!!!"
Leo's charge came to an abrupt halt.
It felt as though an invisible giant hand had seized him, rendering him completely unable to move, no matter how hard he struggled.
"HAAAAHHH—!!!"
Refusing to give up, Leo let out a furious roar before his body began expanding once more, growing beyond two meters in height as his muscles swelled dramatically, as though power were being forcibly drawn from every part of his body.
By now, Riezel had already figured it out—this was none other than a Special Swordsmanship practiced by Leo.
Its unique ability allowed the user to increase the strength of their body several times over for a short period. It was an extremely simple yet exceptionally practical form of Special Swordsmanship.
According to legend, during the era of the ancient magic civilization, this straightforward and brutal style of Special Swordsmanship had been highly favored among swordsmen. A great many swordsmen had chosen to train in it precisely because it was direct, effective, and easy to understand.
However, the primary reason was that its training requirements were incredibly simple.
Unlike many other Special Swordsmanship styles, which came with various prerequisites and conditions that prevented people from even learning them unless those requirements were met, this one had an extremely low barrier to entry. As long as a person did not suffer from serious physical defects, almost anyone could practice it and use its powerful tempering effects to change their fate.
During the era of the ancient magic civilization, many commoners had risen to prominence through this Special Swordsmanship, eventually becoming Sword Saints or even surpassing them, earning places among humanity's greatest experts.
It could be said that a swordsman who mastered this style was similar to the beast-humans of the world of Danmachi, who could use Beastification, except that this technique required none of the conditions needed for Beastification and provided even greater enhancements.
If Ottar were present, he would likely have been astonished by the power of this swordsmanship.
Leo precisely practiced this swordsmanship.
In the Hidden Land, it was also one of the most widespread forms of Special Swordsmanship, with the vast majority of swordsmen studying it.
However, if he thought he could use it to break free from Riezel's restraining magic, he was simply dreaming.
"Don't waste your energy," Riezel said with a faint smile. "Even if you were Level 8, you still wouldn't be able to break my restraining magic. Unless you have some special ability."
Naturally, Leo could not understand what Level 8 meant.
"Let me go, then! Fight me fair and square, you bastard!"
Furious, Leo began cursing loudly.
"You can't even break out of my restraining magic, and you still got the nerve to say that..." Riezel rolled his eyes. "Save it. You're not my opponent. Even if you had that so-called Cursekiller, you still couldn't do anything to me."
As he spoke, Riezel placed a hand on the edge of the doorway, causing a rotating magic circle to unfold.
"Create Prison."
In an instant, the entire room underwent a dramatic transformation—the walls, floor, and ceiling were first swallowed by waves of black light before turning into an ancient-looking black structure. Immediately afterward, iron bars emerged across the doorway, transforming it into a prison gate.
In just moments, the entire room became a prison cell—ancient, heavy, and sturdy, with an oppressive atmosphere that made it feel completely cut off from the outside world.
"W-What kind of magic is this?"
Ivy, who had just stood up while rubbing her sore backside, was stunned.
"A chance!"
Meanwhile, sensing that the restraint on his body had disappeared, Leo's eyes flashed sharply as he rushed forward without hesitation and slammed a punch directly into the prison gate.
Judging from the force behind that punch, it could likely have blasted a massive hole through a city wall, let alone a prison gate.
*BOOM!*
A thunderous impact echoed through the room as the prison gate trembled violently.
Yet the scene Leo had expected never appeared, for to his surprise, the gate did not break and instead remained completely unscathed, effortlessly blocking his attack as though his full-force punch had struck an immovable mountain.
"Impossible!"
Leo was utterly dumbfounded.
Ivy's eyes widened, her mouth slowly falling open.
A prison gate that looked completely ordinary had actually withstood an attack from Leo, a man stronger than ordinary Sword Saints?
You really think I only made something that just looks impressive?
Standing outside the prison, Riezel smiled calmly at the stunned pair.
Needless to say, the name Create Prison made its nature obvious.
Like Create Fortress, it was a creation magic and also a 10th-Tier Magic.
Unlike Create Fortress, which created a habitable structure, however, this magic specifically created prisons and possessed powerful confinement properties.
Its most distinctive characteristic was that its durability depended entirely on the caster's level, with the prison becoming stronger as the caster's level increased. If the caster possessed exceptionally powerful magical abilities, additional bonuses could even be applied.
Of course, durability alone was not the reason Riezel had chosen to use it, as this magical prison also possessed several special functions that he quite liked.
For example, it interfered with teleportation magic and sent a mental alarm to its caster if the prison was damaged or if a prisoner escaped through unusual means. Additionally, it interfered with various special skills and abilities, maximizing its effectiveness at preventing those trapped inside from escaping.
Naturally, it had its flaws as well.
For instance, against powers possessing greater authority than itself, it became extremely fragile and practically useless. To be precise, prisoners carrying World Items or capable of casting Super-Tier Magic would not be stopped by it.
Furthermore, it could only imprison players or NPCs and was incapable of imprisoning monsters.
Fortunately, both Ivy and Leo fell within the categories that could be imprisoned.
Since their mystical artifacts, equipment, and items had already been confiscated by Riezel and combined with the constant anti-magic effect of Light of Heaven, escaping was nearly impossible for either of them.
"You two can just stay here quietly for now," Riezel said as though the matter had already been settled. "After I deal with what's on my plate right now, I'll figure out what to do with you two."
Leaving those words behind, he turned and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Leo immediately shouted, his voice ringing out across the prison, while Ivy also hurriedly spoke up, unable to hide the concern in her tone.
Hearing her question, Riezel glanced at them.
"Nothing. Or rather, I'm not gonna do anything to her, so you can relax."
"You came here to save Lizbeth, so that doesn't make you my enemies. If you weren't planning to attack me, I would've been down to sit and talk."
"Too bad, I don't like your attitude, and I like your methods even less."
"Anyway, this is how you're gonna be treated. Stay as prisoners until I remember you, then I'll decide what to do."
After saying that, Riezel prepared to leave once more.
"Wait!" Ivy refused to let him go. "You can do whatever you want to us, but you must return Her Highness's freedom!"
"That's right!" Leo quickly followed up. "Do you even know who you've made into your attendant? Her High—"
Before he could finish, Riezel interrupted him.
"No matter who Lizbeth is, that's between her and me. What does it even have to do with you two?"
Riezel spoke with complete indifference, as though the matter was so trivial that it wasn't even worth discussing.
"Forget some royal descendant of an ancient magic civilization. Even if she were a god, how we live is our business."
"I mean, who do you think you are?"
"What right do you even have to butt into our business?"
"Lizbeth herself didn't even object, so what gives a couple of nobodies like you the right to oppose it?"
Riezel's merciless words were like sharp blades, each sentence cutting deeper than the last, nearly making Leo and Ivy explode with anger on the spot.
Leo's face turned red with fury, while Ivy clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
In the end, however, it was Ivy who managed to calm down first and speak.
"No matter what you say, the Reinnail remains the ruler acknowledged by all descendants of the ancient magic civilization. They are our spiritual pillar and our faith. Even though the ancient magic civilization has fallen and 11,000 years have passed, that will never change."
Ivy spoke with unwavering conviction.
"And we're not the only ones who think that way. Everyone in the Hidden Land thinks the same."
"Especially the Sanctuary. If they learn how a Reinnail is being treated now, they will never let the matter rest."
"You are powerful. Stronger than either of us, but believe me—the Hidden Land is far stronger than the Akasha Continent."
"We inherited the legacy of the ancient magic civilization and preserved it for 11,000 years. Our foundation is beyond anything people living on the Akasha Continent can imagine."
"If you refuse to listen, the Sanctuary's judgment will be waiting for you in the end."
Her words were half warning and half advice.
Clearly, this powerful woman from the Hidden Land had already realized that her mission was likely doomed to fail. Even so, her attitude remained firm, because matters concerning the Reinnail Clan were not something the descendants of the ancient magic civilization could ever treat lightly.
To the people of the modern magic civilization, the Reinnail Clan was merely a group of ancient figures—kings from a distant era and legends long since passed away.
To the Hidden Land, however, the Reinnail Clan remained their saviors, humanity's leaders, and the representatives of God—their status was so exalted that even the Sanctuary's priests could not compare.
Without the Reinnail Clan, there would be no humanity as it existed today.
Without the Reinnail Clan, humanity would never have escaped its fate as prey.
Without the Reinnail Clan, not only would the Hidden Land never have come into existence, but their ancestors would also never have been preserved as the final sparks of civilization, instead vanishing alongside the ancient magic civilization itself.
If that had happened, neither they nor the Akasha Continent—which later gave birth to the modern magic civilization—would exist today.
One must remember that even the humans who later spread and prospered across the Akasha Continent had originally come from the Hidden Land. Because of that, both Ivy and Leo believed that Riezel's treatment of the final descendant of Reinnail as an attendant was a complete betrayal of humanity's origins.
What they did not know was that, strictly speaking, Riezel was not even from this world.
In other words, the origins of humanity in this world had absolutely nothing to do with him.
As for Ivy's mixture of warning and advice, it did not frighten him in the slightest. Instead, it made him smile in amusement, and this time, the smile was entirely genuine.
"Y'know, I'm actually looking forward to it."
Riezel spoke sincerely.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how powerful the so-called Hidden Land really is."
"Honestly, I've already started feeling like there might not be anywhere left on the Akasha Continent that I can't go or conquer."
"If the Hidden Land is really as strong as you say, then I'd be pretty happy."
"It would mean my adventure can keep going."
Right after saying that, Riezel casually waved at the two prisoners.
"I hope the Hidden Land you keep talking about can actually give me some surprises."
"And even if they don't come to me, I'll go to them myself, so just stay here and wait for that day to come."
With those words, Riezel turned around, activated teleportation magic, and vanished from the prison.
"Wait—"
Ivy tried to stop him, but she was too late.
"Dammit!"
Leo slammed his fist into the prison gate, his voice filled with frustration.
"Didn't we get told people from the outside world weren't supposed to be that strong? Why did we end up like this the second we got here?"
Upon hearing Leo's complaint, a bitter smile appeared on Ivy's face.
What an irony.
They had arrived full of confidence, convinced that everything was under their control, only to end up as prisoners.
Truth be told, the outcome had dealt a considerable blow to both of them.
Within the Hidden Land, they had always been regarded as geniuses, standing far above their peers.
When had they ever suffered such humiliation?
"Your Highness..."
As she recalled the innocent and naive-looking little princess, a sharp pain pierced Ivy's heart.
A princess so beautiful and noble had become the attendant of such an arrogant man. No matter how Ivy thought about it, she could not convince herself that nothing would happen behind closed doors.
As frightening possibilities surfaced in her mind, Ivy became increasingly agitated and began ruffling her own hair into a mess.
"I just hope the worst hasn't happened… otherwise…"
Ivy felt a growing headache coming on.
What she did not know was that, after returning to Lizbeth's side, Riezel had already climbed into the bed he had been using during this period while holding the little princess in his arms.
Feeling the small princess cuddled against his chest, Riezel could not help but think with difficulty.
'I'm reaching my limit...'
Unable to hear Riezel's thoughts, Ivy continued praying anxiously inside the prison.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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