Wizard: This mushroom is too fierce.

Outside Colt Town

Lynn Colt stood atop a wall piled with stones, his face extremely grim. He shouted, "Bloodspear Lizardmen, this is Colt Town, a officially registered northern town under the jurisdiction of the Duke of Bauhinia! Are you trying to start a war with us?"

Beneath the wall, a lizardman dressed in black robes threatened in broken wizarding language: "Lynn Colt, a cold wave is coming, and my tribe needs food and clothing."

"If the deal is struck, we'll leave!" The black-robed lizardman's voice grew even deeper, his mouth spitting foul-smelling saliva as he laughed, "Otherwise... my hundred tribal warriors will utterly destroy your clan's town!"

"Your families will be wiped out completely, and your people will become our slaves and food!"

"Roar!" Behind it, nearly a hundred lizard warriors wearing leather armor and wielding sharp weapons roared loudly.

"Impossible!" Lynn's will was extremely firm. He knew that these lizardmen were like wolves that could never be fed. If they did it once, they would do it again. Besides, they didn't have enough food.

"So... the negotiations have broken down?" The black-robed lizardman sneered. "In that case, you have no reason to exist anymore."

"Let them all become food for our tribe!"

"Attack the city!"

The next moment, a large number of lizardmen picked up their weapons and rushed towards the city wall.

Thirty minutes later, Lynn Colt, holding a longsword and clad in armor, stood before the crumbling city gate and said in a deep voice to the dozen or so soldiers in leather armor and dozens of farmers carrying farm tools behind him, "The women and children have been safely sent out, haven't they?"

"Yes... Lord Lynn, they left with your father, Baron, and are heading to the Celtic Baron's domain for refuge," a soldier, sweating profusely, replied hastily.

"Well done!" Lynn nodded, casting his gaze upon the people behind him, each one's expression reflected in his mind.

Confused, hesitant, afraid, and terrified, most of them were neither knights nor professional soldiers, but simply farmers who worked in the fields on a daily basis.

"I treat the weak kindly, I stand against the powerful bravely, I punish all evildoers, and I fight for those who are powerless to fight!"

"All who ask me for help will be granted assistance; I will shelter all my people; I will protect my homeland until the end of my life!"

The knight's oath was etched into Lynn's heart, word for word. He took a deep breath, raised his longsword, his eyes burning with fervor, and declared, "Brothers, I know you are afraid, afraid of death, afraid of the unknown outcome."

"I'm scared too. Who isn't afraid of death? But for my family, and to buy them more time..."

Lynn raised his longsword high, the cold blade reflecting the panicked faces of the people behind him, as well as his unwavering determination.

"We must stand here!"

"I will lead the charge, fighting to the very end!"

Rumble

After prolonged ravages, the town's gate could no longer withstand the onslaught and collapsed with a crash.

Amidst billowing dust, the lizardmen stormed in, seemingly ready to wreak havoc.

Lynn and his men formed a battle formation, ready to fight the lizards that were about to invade.

"roar!"

Suddenly, a roar echoed throughout the town. Lynn's expression turned serious. The roar was so loud that it must have come from a lizardman comparable to the Earth Knight.

However, the expected all-out attack by the lizardmen did not occur. Instead, they began to scatter and flee. At the same time, the tremors that appeared on the ground made everyone's faces look puzzled.

Da da da

The neighing of many horses echoed from outside the town, and a joyful shout was the first to reach everyone's ears: "It's Lynn...they're still alive!"

"Son!" Old Barron rushed in, killing a lizardman instantly. "Thank goodness... Lynn, we arrived just in time!"

Lynn looked completely bewildered; who would come to their rescue at this moment?

"Old Barron...it seems I've arrived just in time!"

The voice was deep yet powerful. Outside the ruins of the city gate, a middle-aged man dressed in armor and wearing a cloak with a bauhinia flower pattern slowly walked in. Behind him, a large number of knights stained with blood followed.

"Greetings, Your Grace!" Lynn's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately gave a knightly salute.

Duke Bauhinia, Sky Knight of the Lionheart Kingdom, a figure standing at the pinnacle of knighthood.

"Hehe..." Duke Bauhinia smiled, his eyes filled with admiration: "Lynn, is it? No need for formalities. You are quite good. I heard the oath you just made."

"You are a true knight!"

"I remember you're not married yet, are you?" Duke Bauhinia came to Lynn's side and asked softly.

Lynn shook his head and said respectfully, "Your Grace, when I was studying in the Kingdom's Knights, I had a fiancée. However, due to my father's health, I returned to inherit the fiefdom, and she broke off the engagement and became engaged to another knight."

"Oh..." The Duke of Bauhinia gave a strange smile and patted Lynn on the shoulder: "So, you were jilted at the altar?"

"That's roughly the idea..." Lynn said with an embarrassed expression.

"Very well..." Duke Bauhinia said in a deep voice, "In that case, I will betroth my daughter Anna to you."

"Lynn, the chivalry you displayed in that life-or-death situation has impressed me greatly," Duke Bauhinia continued. "In half a month, I will personally arrange your marriage."

"I believe your future won't end here, and the woman who left you will definitely regret it in the future."

"This..." Lynn originally wanted to refuse, but after seeing the large amount of food and people brought by the Duke of Bauhinia, as well as the smelting tools, he had nothing to say.

"Old Barron..." After assigning all the tasks, the Duke of Bauhinia gave Old Barron a bottle of potion: "This is a bottle of dragon blood potion, a gift from my daughter Irina, as part of Anna's dowry after her marriage."

"This bottle should be enough for you to break through to become an Earth Knight and add a little to your lifespan."

Old Baron was trembling with fear, an expression of disbelief on his face: "Your Grace, is this for me?"

"My daughter Irina wrote to me saying that your son Roland Colt has become a third-class wizarding apprentice and seems to be gaining some influence within the academy."

"I'm helping you because I'm also helping my daughter, Irina. Everything I've done is for your son, Roland Colt."

"Old Barron, you've raised a fine son!"

"Roland Colt, it is likely that in the near future, his name will resound throughout the entire Lionheart Kingdom."

"And you, Knight Baron Colt, as the founder of this family, will also witness the rise of your Colt family in the near future."