You are all my wings!

As for basic magic, the opponent can cast spells at high speed, but this doesn't give Leon much of an advantage.

If the distance increases, Leon will definitely be wary of him, fearing that he might be bombarded by intermediate-level magic.

But when the distance is closer, the situation is completely different.

Iris and the others were familiar with Lyon's strength, so they were not worried and watched calmly.

However, despite remaining calm, he was secretly preparing defensive magic.

If the situation becomes dire, immediate rescue can be provided.

Karl and his three companions also subtly moved closer, their sword sheaths moved to their chests, their intention to draw their swords quite obvious.

After Lyon uttered the words "the sword scar will be the boundary," the atmosphere on the field changed, becoming tense and on the verge of a fight.

This change, ironically, gave John, who was watching from behind, a sense of relief, as if he had been saved.

“Brother Rente, it seems that following you has indeed kept me on the right path in life.”

"Hmph! It turns out your older brother is still your older brother! But you'd better watch out, if a fight breaks out, you, being the weakest, will definitely suffer the most. Be prepared!"

"Okay, Brother Rent, I will definitely listen to you."

The two held their breath in anticipation.

The fourth-tier assassin Hoshir and the third-tier spellcaster Sally behind them were also sweating nervously, fearing a fight might break out.

If possible, they still hope that their savior can live peacefully with them.

As for Qiercha, he wasn't there this time. It's unclear whether he had something to do or had slipped away beforehand.

The Marquis of Rhine squinted and observed for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter:

"I am a fifth-tier archmage, how could I possibly have a falling out with a mere strategist like you? Friend, put away your sword. I was quite offensive with my words just now. Oh dear, I was just trying to make a joke because I saw your extraordinary appearance and felt a sense of closeness with you. I'm so sorry."

However, despite saying that, he didn't leave and remained standing there.

Lyon said calmly:

"Your Excellency Marquis, since you're joking, why aren't you leaving? I just said that the Holy Maiden does not allow you to stay here."

“Friend, don’t be so stubborn. The sacred murals are not your property. They are a gift left to us by the ancient gods, aren’t they?”

The Marquis of Rhine smiled slightly:

"We are simply extending a sincere invitation to you to discuss important matters. Why make things so unpleasant? Cooperation is the only way forward!"

That statement is actually correct.

But if it's the Marquis of Rhine, then there's a big problem.

As far as Lyon knew, this guy often made various promises on the spot to achieve his goals, but when it came time to fulfill those promises, he would renege on them, claiming that there was no promise and that Lyon had misremembered.

Therefore, it is more reliable to talk to the princess directly than to discuss cooperation with the Marquis of Rhine.

Princess Ophimasso possesses unparalleled skill in commanding legions, but her habit of spending lavishly to recruit people has resulted in her having many scoundrels under her command, which is one of her shortcomings.

However, being a bad person doesn't mean being incompetent. Sometimes, in order to achieve her goals, she would tolerate these bad people to a certain extent.

Unless her bottom line is crossed, she takes great care of her subordinates.

Of course, because Ophim Marceau's bottom line is quite clear, those who have been around her for a long time know how to avoid it.

Therefore, Lyon refused again without hesitation:

"Your Excellency Marquis, given your past reputation, I'm sorry, but I cannot believe that your so-called cooperation is a sincere proposal. Please leave!"

The Marquis of Rhine snorted:

"Are you really going to force me to go beyond your line?"

“I have already stated the rules. If you insist on offending Her Majesty the Holy Maiden, and this subsequently provokes the wrath of the Holy See, leading to discord between the royal family and the Holy See, then the responsibility will not lie with us.”

"Very good! It seems you may not be very good at strategy, but you are certainly good at using your tongue. Now I understand why the Holy Maiden had you do everything with your tongue! Reint, let's retreat!"

He left behind this pointed remark and turned to leave.

Reynolds and John, sweating profusely, followed closely behind.

Hossil and Sally, seemingly finding the Marquis of Rhine's words too vulgar, left with embarrassed expressions.

Upon hearing this sarcastic remark that was almost vulgar, the Four Horsemen's expressions changed drastically, and they wished they could rush over with their spears and teach the Marquis of Rhine a lesson.

"Ignore that guy Rhine, his personality is rotten, only Princess Ophimasso can tolerate his cousin."

Britta spoke up to stop the impulsive Four Horsemen.

"But Your Holiness, are we just going to let him spout nonsense here and then leave? This is absolutely infuriating!"

Carl was indignant.

Iris was also very annoyed. Although she didn't understand the underlying meaning of "working with your tongue," she felt that he was implying something when she thought about her recent behavior towards Leon.

“Breita, if you can’t take action yourself, I can do it for you and teach that arrogant fifth-tier mage a lesson! I have Machiru’s wand, and I can crush him with the Judgment Spear! This guy definitely won’t leave like this. He’ll definitely look for an opportunity to study the sacred murals in this area in the next few days, and even try to interfere with us!”

She was confident of defeating the Marquis of Rhine, and this was not arrogance.

Even if her class advantage makes her spell power less than that of Marquis Rhine and her magic consumption higher, with 99 points of magic power and the blessing of the Light Elementalist, these are not problems at all. If she can just keep at it, she will definitely have a good chance of winning.

Lyon laughed and said, "Iris, don't worry. They were just testing us. They won't be able to figure out our strength until we make a move."

Chapter 139 Your Excellency truly possesses discerning eyes.

Iris asked, puzzled, "Wouldn't it be more effective to just challenge him and defeat him?"

Do you think he's alone?

Lyon shook his head: "Just now, it seemed that Reint only brought the Marquis of Rhine with him, but in fact, there were other people on the outside."

Iris was surprised: "But I just cast a detection spell, and it seems I didn't find anything."

"Your detection magic is light magic. Do you remember the bright light magic that flashed when Marquis Rhine entered just now?"

Lyon countered with a question.

Iris's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized, "You mean they used light magic to disrupt my detection magic? That intense light magic was just a cover for his grand entrance?"

“That’s right. Before Marquis Rhine arrived here, there was a sign of interference with magic, remember?”

Iris's heart stirred again, and she said:

"Are some of the roars and battle sounds from those monsters outside fake? Or just used to disrupt wind detection magic?"

"exactly."

Lyon said, "The reason they went to such lengths to use interference magic is definitely to cover up the fact that they still have people waiting outside. So, they may have premeditated this conflict. They can't directly clash with the Vatican right now, but if we take the initiative and are captured, even if they don't harm us, their influence will definitely be greatly reduced."

Iris clicked her tongue and said, "These intrigues and struggles are terrible. It's much more satisfying to just have a direct magical clash."

Her little face showed a puzzled expression, but it was also very cute, making Leon want to pinch her fair little cheeks.

Considering that Britta was right there, Lyon suppressed the urge.

Beside him, Bovary exclaimed in admiration:

"Your Excellency is truly discerning, possessing keen eyes that can even detect the signs of the other party secretly casting interference magic. Moreover, that line, 'Those who cross the line will be executed,' was even more impressive! It perfectly embodies your astonishing charm."

Mark: "Luckily, Carmiro and I didn't act impulsively. If one more person had drawn their sword and pointed it at the Marquis of Rhine, I'm afraid even if he wanted to use the word 'joke' to brush it off, it wouldn't be right. We would have to fight."

Karl looked at Britta, then suddenly knelt down on one knee and lowered his head.

"Holy Maiden, my cultivation is indeed still lacking; I almost caused trouble. Please punish me!"

Britta: "There's no need for that. I understand your desire to protect me, and I think the Marquis of Rhine wouldn't have backed down so easily if you hadn't been so tense."

Lyon added, "That's right. It was your fearlessness that made him doubt our confidence, which is why he finally decided not to provoke us any further."

Carl breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

Bovary asked, "So, Your Excellency, what should we do now?"

"Ignore them. As long as they don't step into the valley, we'll continue our observation and training at our original pace. Anyway, we've been replenishing our food supplies along the way, and this place is safer, so we can hold out against them for a long time."

Lyon's death was the final verdict.

Nearby, Machiru yawned: "What the hell? It turns out to be a bunch of cowards. I thought I could have a match to practice my treant puppet."

Leon flicked Maggie's forehead with his middle finger and thumb:

"Alchemy golems are consumables; don't use them up after just a few times."

"Tch! You underestimate my skills, don't you? With my continued maintenance, it should last for three years without any problems!"

“It doesn’t matter if I underestimated you, I’m even happier that you exceeded my expectations, Machiru. Let me look forward to seeing you produce this alchemical golem again in three years.”

"Hmph! Just you wait!"

……

Not far from the edge of the valley, on a barren, vegetation-free, dry rock face.

"It seems they've already guessed that we've sent more than one Tier 5."

Marquis Rhein stroked his chin, his brown eyes gleaming with magical light as he gazed at the distant valley.

The change in his eyes was none other than the mid-level combination magic unique to their von Tyhes family: Glimpsy Gaze.

It is even more difficult to learn than a regular intermediate detection spell.

By collecting data on changes in light in the target area, it is possible to remotely observe conditions beyond the normal line of sight.

Of course, because the changes in light are too subtle, it is impossible for him to see the target clearly from several kilometers away.

The scene we see so far is only a relatively blurry picture.

Behind him, Rent couldn't help but ask:

"Your Excellency Marquis, didn't Her Highness the Princess ask us to invite the Holy Maiden and her entourage? Why are we deliberately provoking them to attack us first?"

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Rhine gave a meaningful smile and glanced back at Reint:

"What, it seems to you all want a fight to break out?"

"No, you're joking. How could I dare?"

Renette gave an awkward smile.

From his perspective, he would naturally prefer the conflict to break out as soon as possible.

He knew all too well that he must not explicitly express his stance at this time.

Because if you state your opinion in advance and the other party has the opposite opinion, you may incur their wrath.

He had learned a harsh lesson from the Saintess incident before, and he would never dare to make the same mistake again.

For adventurers from ordinary backgrounds, even if they have reached the fourth rank, that is the limit. If they want to advance further, they must rely on these established forces.

"Don't worry, Her Highness has her own intentions. You're new here, so just observe and learn from her."

Marquis Rhein patted Renette on the shoulder, his eyes losing their magical gleam.

He walked to the back, looked around, and said:

"Let's set up camp here for now. If any fifth or sixth-tier monsters come, we can retreat at any time. It's just a bit of a pity that we can't see the sacred murals right now."

Not far away, four or five imposing figures approached in the shadows.

Renette glanced back and was secretly alarmed; Her Highness the Princess indeed had many capable people under her command.

……

Lyon restarted his attempt.

As he said before, as long as they remain firmly in the valley, they are relatively safe.

In this situation, there is only one thing to do: continue to become stronger!

Since we found last time that the pseudo-intermediate magic imagery combination process could activate resonance, let's continue using the same operation this time!

He casually ate some dried, tender tree roots and began to meditate on the combined imagery of the Hurricane Flame Bullet, recreating the process of multiple primary magical images evolving into intermediate magic.

This step is basically only usable by those who create combination magic.

As for those who inherit what their predecessors have learned, they often learn the magical imagery that has already been integrated, but lack the process of combining the elements.