They don't want me to try anymore.

Richard nimbly dodged the attack, summoned a swarm of wasps he hadn't used in a long time, and smeared them on Joseph's face.

"piss off!"

In the chaos, Joseph threw his shield at Richard with a whoosh, then swung his axe into a whirlwind—not an exaggeration, but a real, sharp gust of wind that killed all the wasps.

But as soon as Joseph's wind speed decreased slightly, the already prepared giant black dragon pounced on him and spewed down a large mouthful of dragon fire.

Richard, having gathered his magic, unleashed a barrage of fireballs, sounding like a machine gun.

Both shots hit the bullseye.

Richard heard Joseph howl in pain and knew the plan had succeeded. He quickly jumped back onto the big black man's back, wanting to press his advantage.

however……

When the flames died down, he saw that Joseph, whose skin was festering and whose arms were charred, was not slowing down at all. He nimbly leaped into the sea and disappeared into the hull of the ship in a flash.

At this moment, the pirates on the deck also received the signal and rushed into the cabin.

Then the entire pirate ship gradually sank to the bottom of the sea amidst a huge wave that rose out of nowhere, leaving only a few bubbles for the Connaught people to watch.

Richard's brow furrowed.

This is a bit unexpected...

How come Captain Joseph was unharmed after taking dragon's breath and fireballs? Did he have a protective treasure, or some special life-saving combat technique?

His boat can even dive directly.

No wonder Veronica kept scratching her head...

He sighed, patted his chest, and summoned a small bat.

"You've all seen that, haven't you? This is all I can do. The rest is up to your master."

"Squeak!"

Richard then returned to his Connaught Navy ship.

Because the battle was short, the naval losses were not significant... well, one ship lost its mast, and another ship's toilet was blasted open, leaving it in the open.

But somehow, with each other being dragged along, they managed to return to the port safely.

Richard then received new information through the little bat.

The ships of the Evil Wind Pirates cannot stay submerged for long periods, so Veronica successfully ambushed them at a supply port in the north.

After a fierce battle, Veronica gained a great deal, killing at least fifty professional pirates, but in the end, Joseph and a few others managed to escape by ship.

According to her, Joseph wasn't particularly strong, but he was very troublesome and surprisingly resilient...

This reminded Richard of how the other party had taken a dragon's flame attack and acted as if nothing had happened.

However, with the initial cooperation between the two sides, the Evil Wind Pirates, which had been ravaging the west coast, have temporarily ceased their activities.

Next, Richard and Veronica whispered to each other every day, passing on intelligence, and then used various tricks to deceive White and intercept many second-tier pirates.

Of course, he would occasionally let White know about the plan to prevent the spy from being devalued.

About two weeks later, the pirate scourge in Connaught subsided considerably, and the port's throughput increased dramatically.

As a special operations officer, Richard completed his mission.

That evening, Henry II hosted a victory banquet.

"If it weren't for your heroic fight, I would definitely have gone bankrupt this year..."

"Your Highness, you are our savior! Please allow me to offer my humble respect..."

Midway through the banquet, many Connaught merchants came to toast Richard and subsequently made several deals with the royal family, such as buying and selling shares, supplying special silks, and inquiring about Richard's interest in his daughters... Of course, the last one was immediately rejected.

This can be considered an indirect benefit of suppressing the pirates.

The dinner is coming to an end.

"Child, come with me."

Henry II led the slightly tipsy Richard to a side room and said with a smile, "Several guests just arrived at the palace. I was going to let them rest for the night, but they insisted on meeting you as soon as possible."

Richard's curiosity was piqued, and then he heard a familiar voice.

Huh?

Isn't this Saint Goethe's old classmate?

The next second, he saw three people walk in, led by a maid. The first one was Ryan, his classmate from the Kingdom of Segar, in Saint Goethe.

The remaining man and woman were about the same age as Richard, both handsome and with extraordinary bearing. The man, in particular, seemed vaguely familiar to Richard.

After the three men stood still, Henry II casually remarked that he did not want to disturb the young people's conversation and returned to the main banquet hall to continue receiving guests.

Then Ryan spoke first: "Richard, didn't expect me to come back, did you?"

“It is indeed a surprise,” Richard replied with a smile.

"Haha, come, let me introduce them. They are our prince and princess..."

The man's name was Ram, and the woman's name was Jocelyn. They were the Crown Prince and Princess of the Kingdom of Segar, which was next to Connaught.

No wonder it looked familiar!

Richard remembered that he had seen Prince Ram twice when he was very young.

However, the latter went to study in Vanderbilt after he was eight years old, and now that they hadn't seen each other for almost ten years, he couldn't recognize him.

After Ryan finished his introduction, he extended his hand:

Welcome to Connaught!

Across from him, the pretty young Jocelyn slightly curtsied, while Ram warmly grasped Richard's hand and said, "It's so good to meet you, Your Highness Richard!"

Huh?

Is it necessary to get so worked up?

"I'm sorry, I lost my composure. You don't know, you've always been my idol!"

Huh?

Richard quickly invited them to sit down, and they enjoyed the food and wine while having a detailed conversation.

It turns out that this little prince Ram is quite similar to Richard in some ways.

His homeland, the Kingdom of Sega, was also riddled with holes by the imperial power represented by Standard Fruit, and was on the verge of collapse.

Therefore, he resolved to save his country from a young age, which is why he chose to study in Vatican City to improve his skills.

Unfortunately, his talent was limited, and he stopped at the high Bronze rank. As for the influence and connections he cultivated, there was no need to mention them. Just like innocent Paradox Interactive players, you can't say there were none, but there were certainly not many.

To be honest, this is the level of a normal prince from a small country.

So when Ram returned home after the semester ended, although he was slightly disappointed, he didn't have any other emotions.

Until he heard about Richard's deeds...

"He summoned a dragon with unprecedented skill at the Bronze rank, defeated the eldest daughter of the Dulles family in a duel against all odds, fought alongside the Imperial Sword in Nion to slay cult monsters, and then won the championship in the highly anticipated Easter Grand Tournament..."

As Ram spoke, she trembled as she grasped Richard's hand.

Ah this...

Have I done so much?

Richard blinked, sensing a hint of jealousy in Princess Jocelyn's gaze.

Your Highness Ram, please stop!

You're not an older sister, so please don't do this!

"...Oh, by the way, I also heard that you once publicly proposed to the Sword of the Empire. Although you were rejected, you withstood three of his sword strikes and became the only man who confessed his love with his pants still dry?"

fake!

Even in the simulation, it was Luvia who proposed to me!

And she wasn't so violent as to attack someone just because they confessed to her, was she? I couldn't possibly withstand three serious sword strikes from her...

After a few questions, Richard was left speechless, and had to put in a lot of effort to explain.

However, putting aside the slight embarrassment, Richard confirmed that Prince Ram was a friend worth having.

With shared anti-imperialist aspirations and princely status, who else is worth winning over if not this kind of person?

It was already quite late, and everyone in the main banquet hall had left. Richard decided to take the day off tomorrow and invite Ram to go for a stroll around the port area and beaches of Connaught.

The latter readily agreed.

The following morning, Richard, along with Katyusha, picked up the Crown Prince and his wife, along with Ryan, and set off for the coast of Connaught.

Although Connaught is small, there are still some places worth visiting.

For example, the port area is beautifully built, and then there's the beach on the south shore, with its white and fine sand, and the nearby reefs with their magnificent shapes, showcasing the wonders of nature.

To avoid being surrounded by onlookers along the way, Richard stopped the carriage early, dressed himself up a bit, and then led the trio from the Kingdom of Segar on foot.

"What you can see in the palace is only a small part of the country. If you want to truly understand a country, even a small country like Connaught with only 500,000 people, you must go out and see the people in the city."

Along the way, Richard enthusiastically acted as a tour guide: "Look, there's a whole row of snack stalls over there. Don't be fooled by how unappetizing the food is; it's how the sailors in the harbor fill their stomachs..."