Undoubtedly, the White and Black Knights were among the strongest combat powerhouses of the Freya Familia.
Before Ais leveled up, both the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia each had three Level 6 First-Class Adventurers.
The Loki Familia's trio consisted of Braver, Elgarm, and Nine Hell.
The Freya Familia's trio consisted of Vana Freya, Hildrsleif, and Dainsleif.
Before Ais's level-up, these six were the only Level 6 adventurers in Orario, forming the second tier right behind the city's sole Level 7, who stood at the very top.
Hildrsleif and Dainsleif, both Level 6 adventurers, had long been recognized as the strongest magic swordsmen in the world—some even went so far as to call them the fiercest magic swordsmen alive.
Yet now, Riezel, a so-called monster rookie who, in the eyes of outsiders, had just reached Level 5, had taken that title from the hands of the White and Black Knights?
Was that reasonable?
At least to Riezel, it was not.
However...
"They are indeed strong..." Riveria said as she turned toward Riezel. "But compared to you, perhaps they truly fall short."
As an elf who stood at the pinnacle of her race, her words carried great weight.
"Dainsleif is an exceptional swordsman. In pure swordsmanship, he might even surpass Ais, but his magic isn't the powerful type, so his overall attack power is limited."
"Hildrsleif possesses an even greater mind capacity, magical energy control, and casting range than I do, and his combat technique is good enough for a frontliner, but he leans more toward being a rear-guard mage."
"They may both be called magic swordsmen, but one lacks offensive magic, and the other has abilities closer to a mage. One has always been positioned as a frontliner, the other as a backliner. Compared to the usual midline fighter role that defines magic swordsmen, their positions are somewhat at odds."
"It's like Ais and me." Riveria continued. "We can both use magic and chant while engaging in close combat, but no one would call us magic swordsmen, right?"
Her reasoning drew nods from everyone present.
Indeed, both Ais and Riveria could fight in close combat while chanting magic, but calling them magic swordsmen would be stretching the definition.
Ais, for example, only possessed one magic—an enchant-type magic meant to enhance herself.
It was powerful enough for that purpose, but it couldn't be used as a direct offensive magic.
Riveria, on the other hand, was not only highly skilled in Concurrent Chanting and proficient in staff and archery techniques, but she could also fight up close while casting magic and even push to the front lines.
Yet, she was still a rear-guard mage and had never been considered a magic swordsman.
Dainsleif and Hildrsleif, despite their fearsome reputation as the most ruthless magic swordsmen, each had a notable flaw in that regard.
Riezel, however, had no such weakness, which was why he was now widely recognized as a true magic swordsman.
"You possess swordsmanship on par with Ais, and your magic's attack power rivals mine. You've mastered both sword and magic without falling behind in either."
Riveria continued calmly.
"We all saw your battle on the 50th Floor—you surrounded that woman-looking monster with a storm of slashes, fought at incredible speed in close quarters, and still managed to perform Concurrent Chanting, releasing magic after magic—even long chants for wide-area annihilation magic."
"As a magic swordsman, you're already highly accomplished. Even though you've just reached Level 5, your combat power isn't inferior to that of a Level 6—or to the White and Black Knights."
"So if you've been granted the title of the strongest magic swordsman, I can understand why."
Riveria's evaluation of Riezel was astonishingly high, yet no one present voiced any disagreement.
Everyone remembered the battle on the 50th Floor—Riezel's fight against the woman-looking caterpillar monster—and began to gaze at him with admiration.
Especially Anakitty, the catgirl he had saved during that fight—her cat ears now twitched slightly as she looked up at Riezel.
Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya recalled the scene from the previous day, when Riezel had defeated the man-eating flower monsters on East Main Street.
He had danced through the horde, his silver slashes gleaming as he stepped across glowing magic circles, chanting magic spells with dazzling precision, while the final flash of light he unleashed was so powerful it collapsed the ground beneath their feet.
Remembering that form, that posture—if he wasn't the strongest magic swordsman, then who could be?
"I agree with Riveria."
Finn, finally downing the strange liquid Tione handed him, spoke with a smile.
"In my view, you were already a mature magic swordsman back when you were still Level 4. Everything you showed back then was at least on par with a Level 5. And now that you've become a First-Class Adventurer, your abilities are undeniable."
"Anyone with eyes can see your strength through your record. Level 5 clearly isn't your limit."
"I mean, this isn't the first time you've beaten someone above your level, so after yesterday's public display, it's only natural that the people of Orario believe you possess the power of a Level 6—and that you deserve the title of the strongest magic swordsman."
Receiving such direct recognition from the familia's captain only made the title settle even more firmly upon Riezel's shoulders.
"Guhahaha! I bet those troublemaking gods totally had a hand in spreading that title, didn't they?" Gareth said with a big laugh, chugging water like it was ale. "But hey, isn't that kinda great? If the people gave you that title, you might as well roll with it. I don't think you'd lose to Freya Familia's White and Black Knights anyway! Worst case, just have a real match about it! I mean, the Freya Familia's our rival familia anyway. Better us than them, right?"
Gareth's words earned nods all around.
"Exactly! No way we're letting the Freya Familia take all the glory!" Tione said, clenching her fist.
"Hehe!" Tiona giggled. "Guess that means our familia's got three number ones now! We've got more than the Freya Familia, sooo we're totally winning here!"
Indeed, the Freya Familia only had two individuals recognized as the best in Orario.
King, Orario's sole Level 7, bore the title 'strongest in the city.'
Vana Freya, the Freya Familia's vice-captain, was acknowledged as the fastest in Orario, titled 'fastest in the city.'
Meanwhile, the Loki Familia now had three.
Riveria was Orario's strongest mage.
Ais was Orario's strongest swordswoman.
And now, Riezel had become Orario's strongest magic swordsman, giving the Loki Familia three number ones—one more than the Freya Familia.
"Tch..."
Standing off to the side, Bete clicked his tongue as he listened to the others talk, unable to hold back his complaint.
"Fuck that cat... Once I hit Level 6, I'm gonna kick his ass to death, then his number one will be mine."
As the Loki Familia's recognized First-Class Adventurer with the highest AGI—the fastest among them—Bete had clearly been annoyed with Vana Freya for a long time.
Amusingly enough, Bete was a werewolf, while Vana Freya was a cat person.
Both belonged to the beast-human race, both were equally foul-mouthed, and both had terrible tempers.
People often compared them for exactly those reasons.
It was said that similar types repelled each other—and that was especially true for these two equally bad-tempered, sharp-tongued beast-humans.
If Vana Freya weren't Level 6 while Bete was only Level 5, Bete would've probably picked a fight with him long ago.
"Well... If this title can bring some benefit to the familia, then I don't mind taking it." Riezel, seeing everyone agree, said calmly while casually biting into his bread, not bothering with false modesty.
Forget being the strongest magic swordsman—for him, even surpassing the man who stood at the absolute top, King, wasn't an impossible goal.
In a sense, he was the true 'strongest in the city.'
Ottar might be powerful, but if it came down to an all-out fight, he had confidence he could win.
Of course, that was only if he could fight with his full power.
For now, unless he pulled out one of his forbidden magic spells—something on the level of time magic—he wasn't certain he could defeat Ottar.
Still, there was no need to rush.
Given how fast others saw his growth, another month or two, and he could publicly announce his advancement to Level 6.
And then, not long after that, he could openly declare his advancement to Level 7 as well.
When that time came, thinking of Ottar's overwhelming power from the original work, a faint spark of fighting intent flashed in Riezel's eyes.
In today's Orario, perhaps only that man at the very top was worthy of facing him at full strength.
Two people noticed the glint in Riezel's eyes.
One was Ais, who had been silently watching him all along, while the other was Lefiya, whose eyes were filled with admiration for him.
Ais and Lefiya—each, in their own way, captivated by him—found themselves wondering the same thing as they saw that fighting intent.
'Who is he directing that intent toward?'
Both felt an inexplicable curiosity take hold of their hearts.
Meanwhile, the other familia members had begun excitedly discussing Riezel's new title as Orario's strongest magic swordsman.
"Getting the title of strongest at Level 5—that used to be Miss Ais's thing, right?"
"Now that Mr. Riezel's got one too, our familia's totally gonna surpass the Freya Familia soon!"
"Yeah! As long as Riezel keeps growin' this fast, we'll overtake 'em in no time!"
"I'm kinda more worried about Hildrsleif and Dainsleif. If they find out, you think they're gonna try and start something with Riezel?"
"Yeah, those two—White and Black Knight—are like the scariest magic swordsmen around. Who knows what they'll pull?"
"I'm not too worried. Riezel might be Level 5, but with his strength? He ain't losin' to either of 'em."
"Yeah, but if the White and Black Knights teamed up on him—two on one—that's a whole different story. I mean, those two are always sticking together, y'know?"
"They wouldn't seriously do that… right?"
"If they did, that'd be straight-up pathetic, and the Freya Familia would lose all their face in Orario."
"Yeah!"
In no time, the chatter grew louder and livelier, filling the already bustling dining hall with even more noise and energy.
Meanwhile, Riezel's group began discussing their plans for the day.
Unsurprisingly, the three top executives said they would stay at the manor to handle official business—the post-expedition paperwork still wasn't done, and preparations for the next one had already begun.
It was hardly a time to rest.
Lefiya planned to visit the library to study and practice Concurrent Chanting, aiming to become a mobile artillery mage—one who wouldn't always need protection.
Tiona and Tione mentioned they would head into the Dungeon.
Having been overtaken by both Ais and Riezel, they felt their pride as seniors slipping away and decided to train harder.
As for Ais, she said that after her recent sparring with Riezel, her body and mind were finally in sync again, so she intended to stay home and continue practicing Wind Breathing until she mastered it.
Bete, as always, had already slipped away without a word, but with just one look, anyone could tell he had gone straight to the Dungeon.
Coincidentally, Riezel also had plans to enter the Dungeon today.
First, his status hadn't yet reached its limits.
Having returned to the world of Danmachi—to Orario, where the Dungeon never stopped spawning monsters—he naturally wanted to take advantage of it to accumulate excelia and push his abilities toward SSS across the board, reaching the peak of his current level.
Second, he had suddenly recalled another possible benefit of holding himself back at Level 5, and that was to achieve great deeds to gain high-rank excelia.
In the original work, there was once someone who could have leveled up but didn't, for various reasons, and remained at Level 4.
At that level, the man repeatedly faced near-death adventures—struggles that wouldn't have been much had he been Level 5, but as a Level 4, they were monumental feats.
Because of that, he accumulated an incredible amount of high-rank excelia and achieved extraordinary deeds. When his status was finally updated after a long delay, the result was a miraculous double level-up—the first in the Lower World's history.
He went from Level 4 straight to Level 6, creating a miracle that left even the gods in awe.
Remembering that, Riezel felt a surge of excitement.
'If I keep challenging foes far above my level while staying at Level 5, maybe I can do the same—accumulate high-rank excelia, achieve great deeds, and trigger another level up.'
He wanted to test the idea.
Of course, he had no intention of telling anyone about it, or else his familia members would surely try to stop him.
'I'll just quietly give it a try...'
Having made up his mind, Riezel finished his breakfast without another word, and then, half an hour later, he left the Twilight Manor alone and made his way toward the Dungeon.
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