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 must be wary of him, fearing he might be bombarded by intermediate-level magic.

But when you get closer, the situation is completely different.

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

However, while remaining calm, she was secretly preparing to prepare defensive magic.

If the situation worsens, immediate rescue can be provided.

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

After Leon uttered the words "with the sword scar as 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 the back, a sense of relief and salvation.

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

"Hmph! Facts prove that 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 that 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-order archmage, how could I possibly have a falling out with a strategist like you? Friend, put away your sword. I was quite offensive with my words just now. Oh dear, actually I just saw your extraordinary appearance and felt a sense of closeness with you, so I couldn't help but want to make a joke with you. I'm sorry."

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

Lyon said calmly:

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

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

The Marquis of Rhein smiled slightly:

"We were just looking for a few clues, and we didn't know what to do with them. We just wanted to find some information, but we didn't know what to do with them. We were just looking for information, and we didn't know what to do with them."

That statement is actually correct.

But if it were the Marquis of Rhine, then the problem would be much bigger.

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

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

Princess Ophimosa possesses unparalleled skill in commanding the army, 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 good care of her subordinates.

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

Therefore, Lyon refused again without hesitation:

"Your Excellency Marquis, given your past reputation, I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that your so-called cooperation involves seeking favors from others."

The Marquis of Rhine snorted:

"Are you really going to force me to surpass you?"

“I have already stated the rules. If Your Excellency insists 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, as the strategist, are not so good at generating wealth, but you are certainly good at using it. Now I understand why the Holy Maiden had you do everything with your tongue! Reint, let's retreat!"

He left with this pointed remark and turned to leave.

Renette and John, sweating profusely, followed closely behind.

Hersch 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 knights' expressions changed drastically, and they wished they could draw their guns and rush over to teach the Marquis of Rhine a lesson.

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

Berylita spoke up to stop the impulsive four knights.

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

Carl was indignant.

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

“Breita, if you can’t do it yourself, I can do it for you and teach that arrogant fifth-tier mage a lesson! I have Macchiato’s wand, and I can crush him with the Judgment Spear! That guy definitely won’t just leave like that; he’ll definitely look for an opportunity to study the sacred murals in this area these next few days, and maybe even try to harass us!”

She was confident she could defeat the Marquis of Rhine, and this was not arrogance.

Even if her class advantage makes her spell power less than Marquis Rhine's 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 keep at it, she will definitely have a good chance of winning.

Lyon laughed and said, "Elise, 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 a better solution to just challenge him and defeat him?"

"Do you think he's all 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 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?"

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 were signs of interference 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 have people waiting outside. So, they may have pre-planned a conflict. They can't directly clash with the Vatican right now, but if we take the initiative and get captured, even if they don't harm us, their influence will definitely be greatly reduced."

Iris clicked her tongue and said, "These underhanded tactics are terrifying. It would be much more satisfying to just clash with magic."

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

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

Beside him, Bovary exclaimed in admiration:

"Your Excellency is truly insightful and possesses keen eyes. You could even see the signs that the other party was secretly casting interference magic. Moreover, your line, 'If you go too far, you will surely be punished,' is even more impressive! It perfectly embodies Your Excellency's amazing charm."

Mark: "Luckily, Carmilo and I didn't act impulsively. If one more person had drawn their sword against Marquis Rhine, I'm afraid even if he wanted to use the word 'joke' to brush it off, he wouldn't be able to justify it. He would have had 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!"

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

Lyon explained, "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?"

"Never mind them. As long as they don't step into the valley, we'll continue our training at the original pace. Anyway, we've been replenishing our food reserves along the way, and it's safer here. We can hold out against them for a long time."

Lyon's death was the final verdict.

Beside her, Machiru yawned: "What the hell? It turns out to be a bunch of cowards. I thought I could practice my Treant Puppet."

Leon flicked Machiru'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 continuous maintenance, it should last for three years without any problems!"

"It doesn't matter that I underestimated you. I'm even happier that you exceeded my expectations, Macchiato. Let me look forward to seeing you produce this alchemical puppet 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 had more than one fifth-tier member."

Marquis Rhine stroked his chin, his brown eyes gleaming with magical light as he gazed into the distance at the valley.

The change in his eyes was none other than the intermediate combination magic unique to the Fontyhes family: Glimpsy Gaze.

It is even more difficult than learning the regular intermediate detection magic.

By collecting changes in light in the target area, it is possible to remotely observe situations beyond the usual line of sight.

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

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

Behind him, Reynolds couldn't help but ask:

"Your Excellency, didn't Her Highness the Princess want 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 Renette:

"What, do you mean you also 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 erupt as soon as possible.

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

Because if you express your opinion in advance, and the other party has the opposite opinion, you may offend them.

He had learned a harsh lesson from the Saintess incident before, and he dared not make the same mistake again this time.

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

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

Marquis Rhine 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 a fifth or sixth-level demon attacks, we can retreat immediately. 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.

Reint glanced back and was secretly shocked; the princess indeed had many capable people under her command.

……

Lyon restarted his attempt.

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

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

Since we found that the pseudo-intermediate magic image combination process could activate resonance last time, 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 Bullet, recreating the process of multiple elementary 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 them.