They don't want me to try anymore.

Richard continued, "Give up, Commander William. I will not abandon Connaught, nor will I treat anyone like a sheep for no reason. We are all living, breathing human beings... So, when are you going to get rid of this bad habit of comparing people to animals?"

"What a pity, Richard. You still don't understand the simple truth that the strong should rightfully dominate and enjoy everything..."

"Putting aside whether this statement is right or wrong, I have a slightly different opinion on the definition of the strong and the weak," Richard shrugged and said, "You underestimate the people at your feet."

William raised an eyebrow and said, "Is that so? It seems your string of victories has given you a false sense of security, preventing you from recognizing the gap in strength between us, and leading you to indulge in unrealistic fantasies..."

"For example, marrying Luvia?"

"...That is certainly one of them."

"I don't think so. Why don't you go and ask her yourself when you have time?"

"hehe."

William shook his head, a magical glow shimmering between his fingers: "Unfortunately, in the end, strength still has to speak for itself... Mr. Richard, let me remind you, that can be fatal."

"Haha, hasn't it always been like this throughout history?"

Richard laughed loudly and activated the starlight hidden all around him.

However, before the Starfires could set up their magic circle, William snapped his fingers, turning his legs into a high-speed spinning blade of air that instantly sliced ​​Richard's wondrous insect in half.

The scroll's protection mechanism only applies to humans; once these starfires die, they are truly dead.

William said, "Did you think I didn't notice your little gestures during our conversation?"

"...Then you obviously haven't read the whole thing yet!"

Although he felt it was a pity, Richard knew that the Starfires couldn't be fooled by the mage in front of him who had military experience, so he had only used the Starfires as bait from the beginning!

As soon as he finished speaking, a summoning circle appeared on the wall opposite the garden!

William clicked his tongue in amazement: "So you secretly set up a summoning circle behind us? But it's useless!"

He gestured for Damon, who was still able to move, to step forward and entangle Richard, while he turned around, intending to destroy everything that came out from behind the summoning circle.

He certainly has that confidence.

...if the total number of summoned creatures does not exceed two digits.

However, in reality, he saw thousands upon thousands of fist-sized green, spiky caterpillars, or rather, spiky caterpillars, spewing out of the summoning circle.

He fired a fireball, which exploded into a large amount of poisonous liquid that could even obscure people's vision.

William instinctively closed his eyes and stepped back to avoid the attack.

However, Richard's summoning circle doesn't only summon one type of insect...

Thanks to the special connection provided by the [Dragon Knight], he was able to keep the Dragonfly waiting obediently with the "Giant Spicy Peasants," and they emerged from the same door at that moment!

This scene surprised many summoners watching from outside the painting, who wondered if they could summon so many different kinds of creatures from a single array.

However, Richard in the painting didn't have time to stand with his hands on his hips and be proud.

After the dragonflies emerged, he sent two of them to harass William and Damon, while the third grabbed Sophia and flew straight into the sky—as for Catherine, the young lady was trapped in the wall by magic, and he couldn't rescue her in a short time.

He then summoned the giant black creature beneath his feet, had it breathe dragon fire, and then grabbed it to chase after Sophia.

The garden remains in its original location.

Leaving aside William, Damon cannot ignore either the Dragonfire Caterpillar or the Dragonfly. And Aaron, who had barely managed to stand, was nearly killed by this shockwave.

Therefore, even if William wanted to give chase, he had to stop and help his teammates.

By the time he cleared the field, Richard and Sofia had long since become tiny black dots on the horizon.

William sighed, "When a summoner has a lot of summoned creatures, it can really get chaotic..."

"Ahem, I'm sorry, Lord William, I've let you down."

Aaron endured the burning pain from touching the stinging caterpillar and bowed his head respectfully.

"It doesn't matter..."

William turned his head and listened to the screams of the dwarves in the distance, saying, "Let's get the key first. They'll come back for us sooner or later."

the other side.

After Richard flew Sofia a short distance...

Then there was no magic.

He didn't have any magic crystals on him, so he couldn't even feed Big Black anymore.

Helpless, he sent his summoned creatures home for the time being, and he and Sophia descended into the forest below.

However, the roars of orc wolf riders immediately came from nearby.

"Richard, I can't walk very well yet..."

At this moment, Sophia had barely managed to stabilize the magical elements within her body and remove the ice shards from her body, but she still couldn't take a step.

“This is easy to handle.”

Richard clapped his hands, walked up to the beauty, squatted down and said, "Get on my back."

"what?"

Sophia blinked, then immediately realized what was happening. No longer holding back, she wrapped her white, lotus-root-like hands around Richard's neck, her long legs around his waist, and pressed her entire body against his back.

That's quite straightforward.

Richard was even thinking that if Sophia was being dramatic, he would just carry her on his shoulder like a heavy sack.

However, while the other person was no longer being coy, he had some strange feelings...

Sofia's size is only slightly smaller than Luvia's among all the characters in the simulation, and she and Veronica each have their own merits.

Now she was lying on Richard's back, and her two mounds of fat were inevitably squeezed and deformed, giving Richard an undeniable yet undeniably comfortable touch and warmth...

Furthermore, in this position, Sofia's warm breath was almost entirely directed at Richard's neck...

Every time I buy something, I can feel the soft material trembling...

hiss!

How can you use something like this to test your cadres!

Although Richard was a seasoned veteran in the simulation, he was still somewhat inexperienced in real life.

The situation was still very critical, so he had no choice but to use the breathing techniques he practiced during meditation to calm his body down.

Sophia, standing behind Richard, noticed the change in his expression, understood something, and recalled the various stories from the simulation. Her cherry lips curled up slightly.

As a woman, seeing a handsome and outstanding man like Richard attracted to her would make her feel a little proud.

Of course, despite her pride, considering the crisis, she still secretly released the cold energy within her body to help lower the temperature.

The two fled in this way, finally getting away from the dwarven capital and the orc soldiers patrolling around it, and hid in an abandoned mine.

They need rest.

Since it was inconvenient to start a fire, Richard summoned a small fire elemental that was only knee-high, fed it a twig, and then sat on either side of it with Sophia.

Sophia stared at the fire elemental standing there blankly, feeling her body gradually warming up, and her thoughts returned to the moment she was defeated by William not long ago.

Despite gaining such valuable experience from the simulation, she was still almost instantly defeated...

However, she is confident that given more time, she will definitely be able to catch up!

But this competition is probably over.

Although she had temporarily escaped, she had given up hope of victory.

She looked at Richard, who had stood up and was searching in the grass outside the mine.

"...What are you looking for?"

"Mushrooms, berries, and bird eggs. I tasted them, and they're real, not paint. It seems the alchemist who created the scroll deliberately left these Easter eggs..."

Easter eggs? Do you mean bird eggs?

Sofia raised an eyebrow, watching Richard's busy movements, and suddenly spoke:

“Richard, during the previous battle, I was caught in William’s elemental torrent midway through my spellcasting, and my magic backfired, so I can’t recover for a while. Right now, I can only exert the strength of the early Bronze stage…”

"uh-huh?"

"...I'm no longer capable of fighting. Although I don't think you still have a chance to win, if you still want to try, you can use me as bait in a bit."

Richard's lips twitched: "Why are you suddenly saying something like that?"

Sophia rested her chin on her hand, watching the fire elemental rolling around in place, and said, "It's nothing, I was just telling you the maximum value I can currently utilize."

"Then my answer to you is the same as my answer to William: I refuse."

Richard returned carrying two bird eggs and a few white mushrooms, saying, "I don't have the habit of abandoning my companions, whether they are valuable or not."

"Yeah……"

Sofia smiled outwardly, but inwardly she recalled the scene from many years ago when her mother dragged her out of bed in the middle of the night and they fled the burning castle in a carriage...

"Never abandon, never betray"—just take those words with a grain of salt.

However, if it were Richard...

Sophia recalled how, in several simulations, Richard had persevered to the end for different lovers, even sacrificing his life.