I am a wicked dragon, and you want me to fall into goodness?

Chapter 128 Seven Years Later (3.3k)

Seven years have passed quietly once again amidst the undulating waves of wheat.

Linor stood in the waist-high wheat field, her fingertips tracing the heavy ears of wheat.

When the wind blows, the golden wheat grains ripple across the fields, creating waves of gold and carrying the sweet scent of the grains.

She wore a coarse cloth apron around her waist, her hands were still covered in mud, her long ears swayed gently in the wind, and her eyes held a calm that had been tempered by the passage of time.

Back then, I followed the pioneering team eastward, enduring wind and rain, clearing and reclaiming land, facing the roars of wild beasts and the onslaught of torrential rains—

But every time she saw Amy's sleeping face, Linor gritted her teeth and endured it.

She learned to plow, sow, and harvest, and with the dexterity and tenacity of the long-eared tribe, she transformed a barren slope into a vast wheat field.

Every year, enough food was left over, and there was no longer any worry about having enough to eat. This peaceful life allowed Linor to experience the taste of happiness that had been long ago.

The constraints of the spell have gradually faded with the daily speaking of the truth.

She was hesitant to speak up when she was in the team, but she had to speak up to survive.

The more truth you tell, the faster that glimmer of magic fades away.

Now he can speak tactfully without any difficulty, but the sincerity in his words and actions has been completely etched into his bones by the art of truth.

"Sincere Linor," that's how the village describes this long-eared girl.

Or perhaps she can no longer be called a girl.

After such a long time, Linor's current appearance is similar to that of a human woman around twenty years old, somewhere between a girl and a lady.

The Long-Eared Clan are neither elves nor royalty, yet they can easily live to be over five hundred years old.

Some species lived for over a thousand years.

Normally, Linor's lifespan is only a little over two hundred years. If she were to live longer, she could reach over three hundred years, which would be her limit.

A series of light footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by a cheerful shout that burst into the wheat fields. She nestled into her arms and called out sweetly, "Mama Linor!"

Fourteen-year-old Amy threw herself into Linor's hair.

Linor instinctively raised her hand, her palm still damp with fresh mud, and gently rubbed Amy's hair.

Only when the dirt on her fingertips rubbed onto her daughter's hair did she belatedly realize her guilt. She quickly withdrew her hand and wiped it on her apron, subtly shifting her gaze to the side to avoid Amy's eyes.

Amy, completely oblivious to the mud splatters in her hair, straightened up proudly, hands on her hips, chest puffed out, her bright eyes full of anticipation.

"Mom, I've made up my mind. I want to become a knight!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a series of footsteps approached. A boy, slightly taller than Amy, had sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Amy, wait for me!"

The boy ran up to Amy and looked at her determined expression: "If you become a knight, you'll get hurt easily. It'd be much better if you became a mage!"

"Both the First and Second Starshine Knights are equipped with noble mages. I will become a knight to protect you!"

Over the past seven years, the Knights have been broken up, reorganized, and merged under Karen's will.

The former Red Fang Knights, Silver Leaf Knights, and Moonbow Knights have disappeared.

The First and Second Starshine Knights were subsequently established.

Amy immediately wrinkled her nose, put her hands on her hips, and took a half-step back. "No! Mages have to memorize so many spells, I can't remember them all! I want to be a knight!"

"I want to wield a longsword, it's super cool, and I can protect my mom. I don't want to be protected by anyone else!"

Rodman reached up and wiped his face, revealing his tanned skin on his arms.

"But knight training is incredibly tough; in less than a month, I'll be as tanned as I am."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Amy, who froze instantly, her hands still stiff on her waist, her bright eyes filled with conflict.

The initial enthusiasm vanished almost instantly. He subconsciously raised his hand to touch his face, his expression full of hesitation, and muttered to himself.

"Will I get that tanned?"

She secretly wanted to be a knight to protect her mother.

But the thought of getting a tan made the little girl's vanity falter, and she stood there, deeply conflicted.

Linor, watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle and stepped forward to gently tap Amy's forehead.

"Stop worrying about this, Amy, my daughter! I want to know if you've finished your homework at Cedric Junior School?"

"Your school will be starting soon, right?"

Amy jolted awake, as if she had suddenly remembered something of great importance, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh no! I've completely forgotten my homework!"

The Kingdom of Starshine has now promulgated new laws.

All minors in the country must attend Cedric Junior College to complete two years of basic education.

This is a rule that everyone must follow, even the children in the pioneering villages.

The basic requirements at the academy are very clear: the first priority is to be able to read and write Levi, the official language of the Starshine Kingdom.

For daily communication in this language, mastering the basic characters and being able to read and write them is considered passing the first hurdle.

The two years of learning will not only teach basic knowledge, but after the children have laid a foundation, the academy will also conduct a unified assessment of their basic talents.

For example, they will test magic affinity and physical resilience. Anyone who meets the required talent level will have the opportunity to be trained as an apprentice in various professions.

Amy didn't bother arguing with Rodman about the Cavaliers; she took off running towards the village, waving as she went.

"Mom, I'm going home now!"

Her light brown curly hair flew wildly in the wind, and after taking a few steps, she turned back and shouted at Rodman, "Hmph, even if I get a tan, I'm still going to be a knight!"

Rodman watched her retreating figure, then turned to Lenore and scratched his head. "Aunt Lenore, don't worry, I'll make sure she finishes her homework."

With that, the boy followed Amy back to the village.

Linor followed Amy's figure slowly toward the village, the wind carrying the scent of wheat behind her, and after a few steps she could see rows of white wooden houses.

The wooden window frames, glowing a warm yellow, are scattered across the gentle slope. Every household has piles of dried wheat straw in front of their doors, and the air is filled with the smell of cooking fires.

The open space in front of the house was covered with smooth gravel, and a group of children were chasing after Amy.

She had just rushed into the village entrance when she was stopped by a group of five- or six-year-olds. Seven or eight pairs of short legs surrounded her, tugging at her clothes and chattering away.

"Sister Amy, are you going to become a knight?"

"How about you teach us how to wield a sword?"

"I've heard that knights can defeat the monsters the adults talk about. Will you be able to protect the village in the future?"

"Hmph, of course." Amy was so entangled that she couldn't move her feet. She frowned like a little adult and raised her hand to slap away the little hand that was tugging at her clothes.

"How dare you! Let go! I need to get home and catch up on my studies. How can I be a knight if I fail my exams!"

She puffed out her chest, radiating an aura of dominance befitting a leader of children, which intimidated all around.

The little ones initially hung their heads, looking at each other with regret, before finally letting go obediently and pitifully heading to the other side.

Just then, Linor walked up and greeted Aunt Kieran before watching the children scatter.

"Remember this well: you are not allowed to leave the village!"

The children stopped what they were doing when they heard her voice, turned to look at her, and quieted down a bit from their earlier playfulness.

Linor warned, "There's a terrifying monster hiding in the woods outside the village that preys on playful children."

"Sharp teeth can crush wood, and claws can tear flesh. If you run away, you'll be carried away and eaten by monsters by evening, leaving not even bones behind."

She gently tapped the little boy on the far right who was peeking out of the village.

"Be good and stay in the village to play, or you won't be allowed to go gleaning wheat with Amy and Rodman next time."

The children's eyes widened, and they hurriedly nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, Aunt Linor, we understand."

Those fleeting thoughts of venturing out vanished instantly, and they obediently retreated back into the village, with even fewer people venturing near the fence.

Linor looked at the children who had calmed down and put away the wicked smile on her face.

Aunt Kieran had just greeted Lenore while rubbing her flour-covered hands when her smile vanished instantly, her brows furrowing so deeply they could trap a fly.

She looked at Linor with concern, as if she were a child who would never grow up.

"Linore, the goblins in the Black Oak Forest to the north are starting to swarm again. Be careful at night these days!"

She glanced towards the woods outside the village, tugged at the cloth at her waist, and sighed.

"Yesterday, Tom and the men were preparing wood for the winter when they saw goblins with their own eyes."

"They are incredibly bold; when they see humans, they only shrink back instead of immediately running away!"

Linor's long ears perked up slightly. She steadied herself against the wooden fence beside her and asked, "Auntie Kieran, what should we do? Should we notify the Knights?"

Aunt Kieran shook her head: "This morning, when Old Mike was delivering the wheat, he reported the news to the Knights of Stars in town."

"But you also know that in the eyes of the knight, these goblins are just some weak little magical beasts, as long as they haven't completely overrun the population—"

"They only ever deal with big players who can threaten the existence of a village; they would never willingly invite such trouble!"

The Knights of Stars already bear countless burdens.

The defenses of Starfall City are fundamental, requiring knights to be stationed there. At night, they must patrol the city to guard against the monsters that wander into it, leaving no time for relaxation.

The expansionist policies in the west of the kingdom continued unabated. They also had to allocate manpower to escort the expansion teams deep into the forests and mountains, clear out monsters along the way, and help establish the initial barriers for the newly reclaimed land.

Often, just as the chaos is quelled on one side, another distress signal is issued on the other.

Meanwhile, in the east, Karen was completely clashed with the black dragon's army. It is said that the black dragon even personally intervened, attempting to kill Princess Karen.

In this non-stop busy work, manpower has long been dismantled and is extremely scarce.

Even the defenses around Starfall City are barely maintained, so where would they find the strength to deal with such insignificant disturbances as goblins in remote villages?

Those green-skinned bastards steal children and food, which is annoying, but they don't go so far as to overthrow villages. So, in the Knights' packed schedule of duties, it naturally became the least important matter.

If the situation escalates to the point where a village can be overthrown, the Knights Order will indeed send a troop of knights, but by then the village will be almost completely destroyed.

They can't afford to drag this out any longer.

Aunt Kieran paused for a moment: "Now we can only hope that the adventurers of the Adventurers' Guild in Starfall City will accept the commission."

"I've heard there are quite a few young professional adventurers in the association, perfect for dealing with goblins."

"But if even adventurers aren't willing to come, then that would be a real problem."

After all, the village's income was limited to grain, and the reward they could offer was only a dozen or so silver coins.

If no adventurers take on the quest, they'll have to shoulder their hoes and machetes and band together to defend against these annoying green-skinned bastards!

Suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the dirt road outside the village.

The crisp sound of horseshoes striking the gravel grew closer, breaking the tranquility of the village.

It was one team of knights after another.

Generally speaking, even if there are knights from the Knights Order, a force of about twenty is sufficient to deal with the goblin scourge.

Linor stared blankly at the endless knightly order outside the village.