They don't want me to try anymore.

A terrifying tornado that stretched straight to the sky swept across the lake, stirring up towering waves and throwing an unfortunate griffin rider off the shore.

"Ouch!"

Damon Cullen rubbed his backside, got up from the ground, calmed the griffin down a bit, then turned back to look at the tornado and sighed:

"William is getting stronger and stronger..."

boom!

He had barely finished speaking when Aaron was thrown out as well, clutching his large shield, which smashed into the ground, creating a large crater.

"Seconded."

Aaron's muffled groan came from inside the pit.

A few seconds later, the dragon tornado disappeared from the spot, and a thin man with a high nose bridge and light golden short hair slowly descended barefoot.

The moment his toes touched the water's surface, the rolling waves vanished instantly, and the entire lake became as still as a mirror.

Aaron scrambled to his feet and said with unusual respect, "Commander William, with you here, victory is assured!"

William nodded slightly, but did not answer. Instead, he looked at the road in the distance and said, "We have a guest."

The three of them immediately straightened their clothes and went to the roadside to wait.

A carriage slowly approached and stopped, and Robert Dulles, who had met Richard once before, stepped down from it.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Dulles!"

"It's been a long time, my esteemed sages of the Empire..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Robert looked at William, indicating that he wanted to speak privately.

Once they were some distance apart, he smiled and said, "Commander William, regarding my previous suggestion..."

"Using a pre-recorded illusion scroll to threaten Richard Targaryen?"

William raised an eyebrow and shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry, I must refuse."

Robert said in a low voice, “Commander William, please forgive my insolence, but I do not mean to belittle you or think you cannot win the match. I just do not want that Prince Connaught to form a friendship with the Tory family. Believe me, it is not good for the Empire either… You only need to threaten him to play passively, and I am willing to pay him a very generous reward afterward.”

My answer is still no.

William sighed and said, "I understand your interests in the southwest, and I don't mind using trickery in battle, but fundamentally, I don't agree with the way you treated that foreign prince..."

Robert stroked his beard and asked, "So, in your opinion, what is the right way?"

"Just like the Lion King treats the lions..."

William did not give a detailed answer, but turned his head and smiled, "Don't worry about the outcome of the match, Lord Robert, Richard won't win."

"As long as Luvia doesn't come, I'm invincible!"

Chapter Ninety: Before the Great Battle, There Must Be Supplements... No, Simulations!

There are still three days until the competition begins.

"Ryan, hurry up!"

"immediately!"

Ryan quickly put on his cloak, ran out of the school gate, and got into the carriage full of his classmates.

As Easter approaches, the festive atmosphere in Idaril grows stronger, to the point that even the students of St. Goethe can't resist the urge to go out and have some fun.

Ryan, from the small kingdom of Segar, a similar kingdom to Connaught, and a few friends planned to go to the south of the city to watch the wild fighting.

The so-called "wild fights" are private competitions held by merchants in Idaril before the start of the Resurrection Festival competition in order to gain popularity. Compared with the official competition, they are far less large-scale and competitive, and there is a certain element of deliberate performance, but that makes them very entertaining.

The group rode in carriages through the central avenue, which was beginning to be decorated with ribbons and flowers, and arrived at the privately owned arena in the south of the city.

At this moment, a match has already begun inside.

The two opponents were a female knight and an orc wielding a giant hammer. Two rings of fireworks were deliberately placed along the edge of the circular arena, constantly being launched. Although this would interfere with the two opponents, it would also make the match more visually appealing.

At this moment, the female knight seemed to have exhausted her strength, and her one-handed sword was knocked away. Taking advantage of this, the orc grinned and approached, about to pin the female knight down and humiliate her mercilessly...

At the critical moment, the female knight suddenly did a split on the spot, showing off her long legs, and slid down to the orc's crotch, then punched forward with her right fist, which was covered by an iron gauntlet.

Click!

As the sound of the egg shattering rang out, the orc fell to the ground, fireworks lit up the surrounding area, and thousands of onlookers burst into laughter.

"...This is so fake."

Ryan pursed his lips, somewhat disappointed.

My companion said, "Tell me, isn't it interesting or not!"

"I think it would be even more interesting if the female knight were actually captured by the orcs."

"Is that something seriously funny?"

Another person said, "Oh, right, I saw a betting area over there..."

"What's so great about betting on this kind of exhibition match?"

"No, there are also betting odds for next week's official competition there! Most of the participating teams have been announced... Don't we have quite a few senior students participating in the competition? Do you think they have a good chance of winning?"

The topic has returned to this point.

Ryan has recently discussed the predictions for the big game with many people, and some people, seeing his close relationship with Richard, have privately inquired about Richard's preparations and whether he has a chance of winning.

To be honest, he wasn't very clear about these things either.

But being from the same small country of Nanbang, his attitude was still very clear.

While his classmates were still gossiping, he secretly took out a silver coin from his pocket, intending to bet on Richard to win at the other end of the street.

However, as soon as he arrived, he saw two groups of people arguing.

A group of burly men, who appeared to be mercenaries or bounty hunters, were pointing at the odds on the signboard and laughing, saying, "Foolish girl, you actually bet on that Connaught guy? This match is bound to be won by Commander William of the Highland Legion!"

"You country bumpkins from the South just can't see your place. Just stay where you are and keep to yourselves. Why are you jumping around like that!"

"If you ask me, even the Tory family's eldest daughter and that Richard guy teaming up will definitely get them involved."

Opposite this group of people was a petite girl with pigtails, her hands clenched into fists, her face flushed.

Ryan was also angry when he heard this. At the same time, he was afraid that these people would hurt the girl, so he secretly prepared a plan to help.

Who would have thought that just as he was ready, the girl pulled out a spiked club from somewhere and charged at a group of burly men!

then……

Bang bang bang!

"Ouch! That hurts! How can this crazy woman be so strong!"

"Stop it, stop it!"

"We admit defeat!"

In the blink of an eye, a group of mercenaries lay sprawled on the ground, while the girl clapped her hands and turned away with a flourish.

"Wow, this looks even better than the stage!"

Amidst the laughter and commotion of the crowd, Ryan finally remembered that the girl was Richard's sister, and her name was Zoe...

I remember she was only 14? Shouldn't she be at an age where she's afraid of school bullying?

It has actually turned into a situation where others are afraid of violence?

terrible.

But it’s okay…

Ryan shuddered, then quietly went to the counter next to him and bet two silver coins.

"...Luckily, she and I are on the same side."

Richard, you have to win!

"Richard, you've lost."

Inside St. Goethe's training room, Sophia approached Richard with a smile, pulled him up, and said, "You've made great progress; you lasted fifteen seconds longer than last time."

Catherine, standing nearby, also praised, "With this level of skill, even if you're alone and surrounded by the enemy, you'll have a chance to escape."

Richard shook off the ice shards from his clothes and sighed, "Phew, looks like I didn't get beaten up for nothing..."

He had just been training to be surrounded by multiple people.

For the past two weeks, the three have been training in various ways, including cooperating in offense or defense, competing against each other, and today's righteous two-on-one, all to simulate the scenario of being alone.

Hard work pays off, and Richard can now confidently say that he has become much stronger.

If he also considers the enhancement brought about by Luvia's special training, he even feels that he can easily toy with his younger self from Nion.

Besides personal combat experience, the biggest gain was in relationships.

Richard smiled as he accepted the stamina potion from Catherine, in a good mood.

Sofia goes without saying; Richard and she became friends after only a few days of hanging out.

As for Catherine, Richard initially thought she was a bit arrogant, but after getting to know her, he found that she was much better than Linda—arrogant as she was, at least she didn't have much ill intentions.