A local snorted, "If you're that brave, why don't you go fight the dragon yourself?"

  “You—!”

  The red-haired knight flushed with anger but didn’t dare take up the challenge.

  He liked to act tough, but he wasn't foolish enough to brag about fighting dragons.

  Especially dragons from Dragon Island.

  Dragon Island was across the sea, home to dozens—maybe even a hundred—fierce dragons.

  Rumor had it that there was even a legendary dragon leader on the island.

  That meant it was a top-tier magical beast.

  The tavern owner sighed. "Looks like Bright Town is in real trouble. We should ask the capital for help before those dragons come here and start hurting people."

  During breeding season, dragons needed a huge amount of food.

  Each one ate far more than any person could imagine.

  And the town closest to Dragon Island was Bright Town.

  So Bright Town was sure to be their first target.

  This was just the beginning. No one wanted to picture what would happen if a whole group of dragons arrived, hungry for food.

  “How can this be happening?!”

  “We’re done for—Bright Town is gonna get wiped out by dragons?!”

  "I need to go home, pack my things, and get out of here!"

  "Where would you even go? If Bright Town falls, do you think other villages will be safe?"

  Fear spread through the crowd. No one knew what to do.

  The tavern owner muttered, "Adventurers these days are all cowards. If someone had taken care of those dragons sooner, we wouldn't be in this mess."

  At that moment, Rodel finally spoke up, calm as always. "Everyone, don't worry. I've already sent a letter to my master asking her to come deal with the dragons. With her here, it'll be easy. We don't need to beg the capital for help."

  “What?!”

  “No way—for real?!”

  “We’re actually gonna get to see the Sword Saintess in the flesh?!”

  In an instant, the whole depressed crowd lit up with excitement.

  Who hadn’t heard the legends of the Sword Saintess?

  She once cleared an entire monster-infested forest on her own!

  She had defeated the best swordsmen from neighboring countries—never losing a single match!

  They also said she was breathtakingly beautiful, like an angel descended to earth. Some even joked about wanting to be punished by her. But most importantly, her reputation gave everyone hope—maybe, with her, the town could survive the dragon threat.

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  Meanwhile, as the atmosphere in the tavern shifted from dread to excitement, Tian quietly stood up and slipped out.

  If he stayed any longer, the Sword Saintess might appear and discover who he really was—a risk he couldn't afford, as being found out by her would ruin all his plans.

  But he’d already gathered enough information.

  When the time came, and she was busy fighting the dragons, he’d just swoop in during the chaos and clean up the leftovers.

  His real goal was simple: kill or capture Rodel and his group.

  That part should actually be pretty easy.

  A month passed as the townspeople anxiously prepared for what was coming.

  Tian ran several simulations of the upcoming battle—two successes, one failure.

  The failure wasn’t because the Sword Saintess spotted him; he just got killed by a rampaging dragon in the middle of the fight.

  Even though some runs were successful, skipping straight to the real thing would miss the whole point!

  He had to experience it himself for it to matter.

  As the threat of the dragons’ attack on Bright Town drew near, Tian began planning his ambush.

  This batch of second-generation goblins numbered around seventy or eighty.

  They’d all reached adulthood.

  [Little Goblin: Lv11

  Race: Goblin

  Class: None

  Title: Elven Bloodline – Exceptional Talent

  HP: 110

  Strength: 15

  Defense: 13

  Skill: Gene Devour

  Equipment: None

  Overall Rating: 100]

  Even a basic second-gen goblin at level 10 already had stats close to an average human.

  They could reach level 30, far stronger than ordinary humans.

  If he could train enough of them to their peak, they might even be able to take down an entire city.

  Maybe even stronger third-gen or fourth-gen ones…

  Whether that would work was another matter.

  So this time, Tian didn’t bring any of the second-gen goblins.

  He only took the first-generation ones.

  Even if they all died in Bright Town, he wouldn't feel a thing.

  He never planned to bring them all back alive.

  This was the moment for natural selection.

  Sure, these guys had fought alongside him before.

  But goblins were just goblins—they didn't have real feelings like humans.

  To him, they were just tools.

  With that decision made, he set out for Bright Town, leading nearly a hundred equipped first-generation goblins.

  …

  Back in Bright Town, preparations were ramping up for the Sword Saintess's arrival.

  The Sword Saintess’s arrival filled the town with three days of celebration and excitement.

  In the church, a tall woman clad in dazzling gold-and-white armor stood praying.

  She was tall—at least 178 centimeters—with a long sword at her waist, radiating authority.

  A white cloak trimmed with gold lent her an air of holiness.

  Outside, Rodel slipped in cautiously. “Master, we’ve started seeing a few evil dragons prowling not far from town. Since no one’s been herding livestock anymore, I think they’re getting impatient. They might attack soon.”

  Even as royalty, he was on his best behavior around this overwhelmingly powerful swordswoman.

  No funny business allowed.

  “I see. Let’s go. Time to set up some dragon-hunting ballistae. Otherwise, you lot won’t even be useful in the fight, and that would embarrass me.”

  The Sword Saintess slowly turned as she spoke.

  In that moment, even Rodel’s heart skipped a beat!

  Her face was perfect, like it was made by the gods.

  Her lips were a vivid red, as if they might bleed at a touch.

  Her eyes were hidden beneath a thin white cloth, adding an air of mystery.

  Even with her eyes covered, she saw perfectly.

  She walked straight out.

  Outside the church, pretty much every man in town was craning his neck, desperate for a glimpse.

  “My god, is that really the Sword Saintess? So noble… so beautiful!”

  “Where does that holy aura come from? It’s way stronger than any nun I’ve ever seen!”

  “A woman who has both insane strength and insane looks… I can’t even imagine what kind of man could actually win her over.”

  “Forget it, dude—even our Lionheart King doesn’t dare make a move on her!”

  As the Sword Saintess stepped out, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.

  She radiated an invisible power that set her apart from ordinary people.

  She spoke again: “Go gather a ton of timber. I want ten dragon-hunting ballistae built within one day.”

  “Yes ma’am!!”

  Everyone rushed to assist, anxious not to appear unhelpful before her.

  Of course, no amount of hard work would earn her respect.

  That was why she kept her eyes veiled in silk—she had no wish to meet the gaze of a world she deemed unworthy, making her standards and pride clear to all.

  Nothing in this world had ever been worthy of her true gaze.

  Only a man who could truly win her heart would ever see her eyes unveiled.