They don't want me to try anymore.

"Richard, this is a farewell gift."

"Senior, I can't accept this. You've helped me so much, and I don't have time to reciprocate..."

"Don't worry about it, meeting you is my favorite gift... Come on, open it and take a look~"

Helpless, Richard lowered his head and opened the gift box.

But they found nothing inside.

At the bottom of the box, there was only one short line of text:

look up.

look up?

Richard did as he was told, and then suddenly realized that Alice's charming face was right in front of him.

This is a distance where we can feel the temperature of each other's breath.

It's getting closer and closer.

Getting closer……

at last……

Peach petals drifted onto the pool, creating gentle pink ripples.

Huh?

Ee-ee-ee!

It took Richard a long time to come to his senses.

He touched the warmth on his face, looked around, but the girl had already disappeared.

He hurriedly chased after him out the door, but couldn't find him anywhere. He could only faintly smell the lingering fragrance in the air.

However, he didn't know that Alice was actually using invisibility to stand three meters away from him.

The girl gazed quietly at her beloved, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

Alice certainly wanted to be with Richard, but she was afraid that if she took him to Vanderbilt now, would the tragic ending she had simulated repeat itself?

So after much struggle, she decided that they should part ways for the time being.

Once she has truly become a competent empress and wiped out all the scourges of Vanderbilt, she will grow up in the light and come to find Richard!

This time, there will be no Black Chancellor at Vatican City, but that's alright, Richard, because I will live as you, and in this way...

You won't need to work so hard anymore.

This temporary separation is only for a better reunion in the future... Richard Targaryen, fate has bound us tightly together, and we will eventually meet again.

Hmm... I can't watch anymore, if I keep watching I won't be able to bring myself to leave.

The subtle fragrance in the air gradually disappeared.

"This... is really catching us off guard..."

Is the "Older Man Killer" really that powerful...?

Richard was equally confused and bewildered, and remained stunned for a long time.

He could sense Alice's intense love, but he couldn't understand this relationship that was so fleeting...

Finally, faced with nothing but emptiness, he could only shrug and return to school.

Let bygones be bygones; we must return to reality.

Without Alice, it would be impossible to follow the simulation exactly, so Richard quickly devised another plan.

He chose a new Silver Advancement Ritual called the Key to Ten Thousand Gates.

This is a specialized ritual specifically for summoners, requiring the user to set up an inverted magic circle with a sufficient amount of mercury in a place in the main world where chaotic spacetime energy remains, and then defeat and bathe in the blood of an otherworldly creature.

Once successful, in addition to advancing in rank, the user will also increase their mental limit, and the magic power required to summon otherworldly creatures will be further reduced.

Richard is looking forward to the day when he can summon a hundred elemental soldiers all at once.

As for the location of the ceremony, Richard had an idea after Arno's enthusiastic recommendation.

That was a small city called Nyon, located in the province of Virginia in the southeastern part of the empire, near the middle of the Abarania Mountains.

That's right, it's very close to Mr. Arno's hometown, and he used that as an excuse to give Richard a list of local specialties he hoped Richard would bring back on his return...

This made Richard suspect that Mr. Arnold just wanted to find someone to run errands for...

However, putting aside the minor issues, Nion is indeed a suitable city for Richard—because eighty years ago, a legend had an accident while conducting an experiment there, which blew out a large illusionary portal. Although it was later repaired, the chaos of magical energy in the vicinity has not been improved.

As a result, a strange monster called the Fungus Beast has emerged on the outskirts of Nyon, requiring constant eradication.

The school happens to have an internship program that does just that.

Then things proceeded smoothly.

Richard applied for the internship program directly, completed his existing course assessments ahead of time, prepared his materials, and planned to work on tasks and advance his level simultaneously, aiming to reach Silver rank in six months.

Besides him, Katyusha and Zoe were also with him. The former goes without saying, while the latter became even more clingy after Alice appeared. Seeing that Richard was going out, she naturally wanted to come along too, since she could get credits and it wouldn't interfere with her studies.

A week later, Richard packed his bags and arrived at the door of St. Goethe's.

Before setting off, he suddenly saw a familiar figure.

"...Linda?"

Upon hearing Richard's voice, the figure trembled violently, like a lamb being chased by a tiger, and without looking back, scurried into a luxurious carriage parked on the side of the street, never to emerge again.

Just as Richard was wondering if he had mistaken someone for someone else, a tall, middle-aged man walked towards him.

He was dressed in high-class and sophisticated clothes, his hair was neatly combed back, he had a mustache, and a pipe was dangling from his mouth. Although he was smiling, you could always feel that there was a knife hidden behind his eyebrows and eyes.

He approached Richard, bowed, and said, “You must be His Highness the Younger Targaryen? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Robert Dulles.”

Dulles the Elder, Linda's father? The modern-day Grand Duke of Firehorse himself?

At this moment, many students at the school gate stopped in their tracks—they had heard about Richard and Linda's story over the past few days, and now, seeing this scene, they were all wide-eyed.

It's a classic case of enemies meeting; what will happen? Will Dulles lose his temper on the spot?

To everyone's surprise, Robert simply extended his hand, smiled, and said, "I've come to thank you for teaching my daughter a crucial lesson in life."

"This generation of women, born into wealth, has long forgotten the reasons for their ancestors' rise to power, and has forgotten how wolves in the forest should tear apart their prey."

The people around held their breath.

"You're welcome. I don't mind taking a few more classes if you need them."

Richard took Robert's hand openly, looked him in the eye, and said, "I've also heard that the best hunters often appear in the form of prey. Perhaps that's something more worthy of learning than the bloodthirsty wolf cubs, isn't it?"

"...Ha, that makes sense."

Meeting Richard's gaze sent a strange sense of pressure through Robert. He laughed and released his grip, saying:

“Are you going out? Then I won’t bother you. After all… as neighbors living only 60 kilometers apart, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet in the future.”

"I look forward to it."

After a brief encounter, the two groups separated again.

Such a bland scene caused the onlookers to shake their heads in dismay.

After Robert returned to the carriage, recalling Richard's earlier gaze, he muttered to himself, "So domineering, the new master of Connaught..."

A voice came from the shadows nearby: "Is there anything we can do?"

"Of course not, making a move now would make me a laughing stock... At least, I can't rush things..."

Outside, Richard turned around and smiled at Zoe, whose face was full of worry, and said:

"It's time for us to set off too."

Just as Alice was determined to return to Vanderbilt and clear away obstacles, Richard and his companions, in pursuit of power, ventured deeper into the heart of the empire, listening to the faint echoes of ancient battles.

But no matter who it is, a young girl or a young man, an old nobleman or a commander, they will meet again one day...

...In the arena called fate.

Chapter Forty-Nine: Leaving the School Gate, One Soars to the Heavens and Dives to the Earth

Two days after leaving St. Goethe.

Richard was already three thousand meters in the air.

Of course, he wasn't captured by some mysterious dragon; he was simply riding an airship belonging to the Empire's Good Brothers Company.

The airships in this world operate on similar principles to those in the previous world, but due to significant differences in chemistry and materials science, they have to utilize a lot of alchemical materials and magical runes. Although they are larger, they are also much more expensive than commercial airships like the Zeppelin in the previous world.

Even the Empire only has a mere thirty-odd airships in operation, and the maintenance costs are very high; Connaught couldn't afford to keep one even if it were given away for free.

In fact, if it weren't for the witch mom... ah no, it was the respected headmaster of St. Goethe who gave him a few tickets for free before he left, Richard wouldn't have been willing to pay for the ride at all.

At this moment, he walked with great interest through the spacious restaurant inside the airship, large enough for a horse to run, and arrived at the observation room at the far end, made of crystal and glass.

Beneath my feet lies the magnificent landscape of the Holy Roland Empire.

Heading southeast from Idaril, one can clearly feel that the vast plains are decreasing, while hills and mountains are becoming more and more frequent...