The tall man in the deep blue robes simply stared.
His name was Lord Vane, an official of the Velmer Imperial Court. He had read the intelligence reports. He knew exactly who Rias was supposed to be.
The reports stated the boy was a crippled, terrified weakling. A stain on the Duke's legacy. A boy who would likely cry the moment he saw the black walls of the Iron Fang Fortress.
But the intelligence reports were completely wrong.
The teenager sitting on the back of the massive Obsidian Horned Steed was looking down at them with eyes like pools of stagnant blood. His black tunic was soaked in dried blood. He held himself with the casual, terrifying grace of a veteran killer.
"You..." Lord Vane swallowed hard, forcing his voice to remain steady. "You are the Leonhart envoy?"
"I am," Rias replied. He patted the thick, muscular neck of his monstrous horse. "I apologize for my appearance. The road was a bit rougher than anticipated. Bandits, you see."
Lord Vane looked at the sheer amount of blood on the boy's clothes. Those weren't just bandits. That was a massacre.
"Right," Vane said, gesturing stiffly to the guards.
"Men, take the beast to the stables. Escort the young master inside the fortress walls. He needs to be washed and changed before we proceed to the capital."
Two armored knights stepped forward to grab the horse's reins.
The beast instantly bared its teeth, letting out a low, rumbling hiss. The knights froze, taking a quick step back.
Rias chuckled. He hopped down from the beast's broad back, landing silently on the dirt. He snapped his fingers once.
The horse instantly calmed down, bowing its head slightly toward Rias before allowing the nervous knights to lead it away.
'These Velmer soldiers are tense,' Rias thought as he walked past the heavily armed guards.
'Their hands are hovering right over their sword hilts. They are terrified of the Leonhart name, even if it belongs to a fifteen-year-old.'
Lord Vane led Rias through the massive iron gates of the fortress.
Inside, the military base was a hive of activity. Soldiers drilled in the courtyards. Blacksmiths hammered glowing steel. Every single person who caught sight of Rias stopped what they were doing and glared.
The hatred in their eyes was thick enough to cut with a knife.
Duke Reinhard had slaughtered thousands of Velmer soldiers on the northern front. To these people, anyone carrying the Leonhart blood was a monster.
Rias ignored the deadly stares. He simply walked with his back straight, his breathing perfectly synced with the ambient mana of the air. He let them look.
Vane led him to a tall stone tower near the center of the base.
"You will use the guest quarters on the second floor," Vane instructed, pointing up the spiral stairs.
"There is hot water drawn for a bath. We have also provided fresh clothes. Be quick. The Imperial Court does not like to be kept waiting."
"Thank you, Lord Vane," Rias smiled politely.
He walked up the stone steps alone, slipping into the guest room and locking the heavy wooden door behind him.
The room was spacious but clean. A large copper tub sat in the center, steaming with hot water.
Rias peeled off his ruined, blood-soaked clothes and tossed it into the corner. He stepped into the tub, sinking down until the hot water reached his chin.
He let out a long, satisfied sigh.
The hot water quickly turned a murky, reddish-brown as the blood and dirt washed off his skin.
He closed his eyes and focused inward. The fight on the road had completely transformed his foundation. He no longer felt the fragile, aching weakness of his old body.
He opened his eyes and looked at his arms.
His muscles weren't bulky or massive like his father's. They were lean, incredibly dense, and packed.
'I can crush a medium sized rock with my bare hands now,' Rias realized.
'The gap between my old state and my current state is like the difference between a glass cup and a solid iron anvil.'
He scrubbed the rest of the blood from his blonde hair and stepped out of the tub.
Laying on the bed was his new outfit. It wasn't the proud, roaring black-and-silver of the Leonhart family. It was a simple, elegant set of deep blue clothes—the traditional colors of the Velmer Empire.
It consisted of a high-collared shirt, dark trousers, and a long, flowing overcoat.
Rias dressed quickly. The clothes fit perfectly.
He looked in the small mirror on the wall. The dark blue fabric made his pale skin and piercing crimson eyes stand out even more. He looked like a proper, elegant noble.
"Time to go to the viper's nest," he muttered to his reflection.
He left the tower and walked back down to the main courtyard.
Lord Vane was waiting for him. But instead of a grand, luxurious carriage fit for an imperial fiancé, there was a plain, unmarked wooden wagon waiting on the cobblestones. It didn't have a single crest or magical enchantment on it. It looked like a carriage used by a traveling merchant to haul cabbages.
Rias stopped and raised an eyebrow.
"A bit of a downgrade from my previous ride, don't you think?" Rias asked, his voice laced with mild amusement.
"I thought I was supposed to be the honored guest of the Emperor."
Lord Vane crossed his arms, looking completely unapologetic.
"This is for your own safety, Leonhart," the official said bluntly. "We are heading directly to the capital city. If we rode in a carriage bearing your family's crest, you wouldn't survive the trip from the city gates to the palace."
"Oh?" Rias tilted his head.
"Are the assassins that bold in your capital?"
"Not assassins. The commoners," Vane corrected, his eyes narrowing.
"Your father wiped out entire battalions. Almost every family in Erzel lost a husband, a son, or a brother to the Duke's sword. If the citizens saw a Leonhart riding through their streets in luxury, they would riot. They would throw rocks, tomatoes, and glass bottles until your carriage was buried in debris."
Rias blinked. Then, a genuine, quiet laugh bubbled up in his chest.
'Rocks and tomatoes,' Rias thought. 'They hate my family so much they would literally form an angry mob just to throw vegetables at me. I really am the ultimate villain in this country.'
"Very well," Rias said cheerfully, stepping up into the plain wooden carriage.
"I certainly prefer avoiding ruined produce. Lead the way, Lord Vane."
Vane frowned, deeply unsettled by the boy's complete lack of fear. He climbed into the carriage and sat across from Rias. The driver up front cracked the reins, and the plain wooden wheels began to roll.
They didn't head for the main road. Instead, the carriage moved deeper into the Iron Fang Fortress, approaching a massive, open courtyard.
In the center of the courtyard stood a towering ring of solid white stone. It was easily fifty feet tall, covered from top to bottom in glowing, intricate magical runes. A dozen Velmer mages wearing grey robes stood in a circle around the ring, chanting softly.
"A Teleportation Gate," Rias noted, leaning slightly to look out the window.
"Indeed," Vane said proudly.
"The Solaria Empire relies on horses and physical roads. But Velmer is the pinnacle of magical advancement. This gate connects directly to the outskirts of the capital. It saves us three weeks of travel."
As the carriage rolled closer to the towering stone ring, the center of the gate began to ripple. It looked like a puddle of water turned sideways, glowing with a mesmerizing, deep purple light.
Rias didn't just look at the gate. He stared at the runes carved into the stone.
Deep in his mind, his [Infinite] talent suddenly flared to life.
The complicated, ancient magical script that took royal mages decades to understand suddenly began to decode itself in Rias's eyes. He saw how the mana flowed from the ground, through the stone, and into the purple vortex. He saw the exact frequency required to bend space.
[Passive Talent Triggered!]
[Analyzing Spatial Magic Construct...]
[Comprehension expanding...]
[Host has gained a minor understanding of Spatial Manipulation.]
Rias blinked, pulling his gaze away from the runes just as the carriage plunged directly into the purple light.
The world went entirely blank.
There was no sound. There was no feeling of movement. For a single, breathless second, Rias felt like he was floating in a dark, endless void.
Then, sound rushed back into his ears like a crashing wave.
The carriage rolled forward, its wooden wheels clattering against perfectly smooth, paved white stone.
"Welcome," Lord Vane said, his voice completely devoid of any welcome.
"To the capital city of Erzel."
Rias looked out the small window of the carriage.
His breath caught in his throat.
It was absolutely breathtaking.
The Solaria Empire was built on martial strength. Its cities were made of heavy iron, dark stone, and imposing fortresses. It was a nation of swords and shields.
But Velmer was a nation of magic.
The capital city of Erzel stretched out for miles in every direction. The buildings were crafted from pristine white marble and topped with vibrant blue, sloping roofs. Massive, towering spires reached into the sky, connected by glowing bridges of hard-light magic.
Looking up, Rias saw massive crystals floating lazily in the clouds above the city. They pulsed with a gentle, warming light, acting as artificial suns that bathed the streets in a perfect, golden glow.
The streets themselves were bustling. Thousands of people walked along the wide street. Merchants sold potions in glass vials. Street performers created illusions of dancing dragons for cheering children.
It was a city full of life, color, and overwhelming wealth.
'I wrote this city in my notes,' Rias thought, watching a magical transport train glide silently over a raised track in the distance.
'But seeing it with my own eyes is entirely different. It's a paradise.'
But he knew the truth.
Beneath the beautiful white marble and the glowing crystals, the Velmer Imperial Court was a pit of vipers. The nobles here were obsessed with bloodlines, magical superiority, and political backstabbing. They smiled at your face while slipping poison into your tea.
The plain wooden carriage blended perfectly into the busy streets. No one spared them a second glance. The commoners had no idea that the son of the devil who killed their families was rolling right past their fruit stands.
"We are approaching the Imperial Palace," Vane announced, breaking the silence. He pointed out the window toward the center of the city.
Rising above the rest of the capital was a massive, sprawling complex. It was built entirely from shimmering, enchanted crystal and white gold. Massive waterfalls cascaded from floating gardens above the palace, creating permanent rainbows over the courtyards.
It was the most beautiful building Rias had ever seen.
And it was also the most dangerous place in the world for him.
The carriage passed through the outer gates of the palace without being stopped. Vane flashed a golden token to the heavily armored Royal Guards, and they immediately bowed, waving the plain carriage through.
The sounds of the bustling city faded away, replaced by the quiet, tense atmosphere of the royal grounds.
Rias leaned back in his seat, his sharp mind completely focused on the immediate future.
He was about to meet the Emperor of Velmer. But more importantly, he was about to meet 'her'.
Amyra Celestia.
The Blood Princess.
In the novel, she was a terrifying antagonist. She was a magical genius born with a Fire affinity. She was completely ruthless, viewing all humans as nothing more than pieces on a chessboard. But she loved her nation and hate anyone who destroy even an inch of her nation. She hated the Leonhart family with a burning, violent passion because Duke Reinhard had killed the several thousands knights and generals of the kingdom
She wasn't going to marry Rias. She was going to try and torture him until the Duke surrendered.
[Ding!]
The translucent blue screen materialized in the air between Rias and Lord Vane. Vane, of course, couldn't see it. The official just stared out the window, completely unaware of the glowing text.
[Main Quest Reminder: The Wolf in the Lion's Skin]
[Objective 3: Survive your first encounter with your betrothed, the 'Blood Princess' Amyra Celestia.]
[Warning: The target possesses overwhelming hostility toward the Host.]
Rias read the prompt, his face remaining a perfectly calm mask.
The carriage slowly rolled to a stop on the polished white marble of the inner courtyard.
"We have arrived," Vane said, pushing the carriage door open. He looked at Rias, a dark, mocking glint in his eyes. "Prepare yourself, Leonhart. The Princess requested to greet you personally."
Rias stepped out of the carriage.
He stood in the shadow of the massive, glowing crystal palace. The air here was incredibly hot.
Standing at the top of the grand marble staircase, looking down at him, was a girl.
Rias looked up, his crimson eyes locking onto her.
'Let the games begin,' Rias thought.