Chapter Five, Farewell

The knight glanced at Ilani, and his expression suddenly changed. He leaped down from his warhorse, landing before Ilani like a flying iron mountain. He knelt on one knee, removed his helmet, revealing his entire face, lowered his head slightly, and said in a deep voice: "I am Sir Mordred, the knight of Lord Gerdon, sent by my lord to escort the lady back home"

At this moment, a knight rode up to Mordred and inquired, "My lord, what should we do about the people in this village?"

Little Richard shouted frantically, kicking and hitting the heavily armored knight who was holding him, trying to rush into the fire. However, all his efforts were in vain, and the flames were incredibly fierce; in the blink of an eye, the entire apothecary collapsed with a thunderous crash

Gazing at the ruins, Mordred's lips curled slightly upward, and in a voice so low that only he could hear, he said: "This is the woman worthy of a gentleman!"

Richard straightened his chest and said, "Mom, don't worry! I have grown up and will definitely accomplish it! Oh, what is the wish?"

The wind in the mountains still carries a hint of chill, and when it blows, even the bravest and strongest hunters cannot help but shiver. They do not feel the temperature is low, but rather an uncontrollable coldness rises from deep within their hearts, as if some irresistible disaster is about to occur. The earth continues to tremble, and all the people in Ruslan Village have stepped out of their homes, silently standing in the open space at the village entrance. From here, one can already see the rising dust in the distance. In the forest, ancient trees occasionally crash down with a roar, and the flocks of birds have long since taken to the skies; they do not even dare to linger in their nests, flying directly towards the deep mountains. The earth continues to tremble, and all the people in Ruslan Village have stepped out of their homes, silently standing in the open space at the village entrance. From here, one can already see the rising dust in the distance. In the forest, ancient trees occasionally crash down with a roar, and the flocks of birds have long since taken to the skies; they do not even dare to linger in their nests, flying directly towards the deep mountains.

Mordred had short, dark red hair that resembled steel needles. Although he knelt before Ilani with his head bowed, an unstoppable aura emanated from him, causing the entire potion shop to tremble gently under his imposing presence. Within his massive body lay the potential of a volcano that could erupt at any moment.

The mornings in Ruthland Village have always been very peaceful and tranquil, but this morning's tranquility was disrupted. First, the ground of the entire village began to shake inexplicably, and then the shaking turned into violent tremors. Even the slowest of the elderly felt that something was amiss, so they stepped out of their doors and looked towards the end of the road outside the village.

Mordred slowly emerged from the ruins, looking at the hysterically crying young Richard. After a moment of silence, he said: "You have a good mother. Come, I will take you to see your father"

Little Richard nodded vigorously and said, "Mom is the most beautiful!" In his eyes, his mother was always the most beautiful woman. Moreover, now that Ilani had regained her original appearance, the beauty of the silver moon elf was as renowned as their divine arts and magic.

I still need to get something very important, please wait for me a moment. After Ilani finished speaking, she walked into the potion shop and closed the door.

The mountain road, with a base of gravel, groaned under the iron hooves of the warhorses. As the warhorses passed, stones flew and mud splattered, leaving deep pits that directly exposed the muddy ground beneath the base. Behind the knight, there was a squad of twenty heavily armored cavalry, followed by nearly a hundred light cavalry. Even the light cavalry were clad in finely crafted full chainmail, with more than half of them equipped with magical longbows that shimmered with light patterns, showcasing their exceptional gear. Such an army was sufficient to capture Baron Tucker's castle, yet at this moment, they were charging at full speed towards the small village of Ruthland

Little Richard slept for a full seven days. It was only when the sunlight streamed into the bedroom on the seventh day that he opened his eyes. The first thing he did upon waking was to rush out of the bedroom, searching throughout the entire building for his mother. When he saw his mother in the study, Richard immediately pounced on her, exclaiming, "Mom, guess what I found in the Temple of the Moon Goddess?"

Mordred smiled and said, "Thank you, hetushucom.com, thank you for the compliment, madam"

Ilani turned around, gently stroked Richard's head, and asked: "Let me guess, my Richard has always wanted to become a magician, so you must have obtained 'Elemental Affinity', right?"

However, his smile suddenly froze on his face

Including the village chief, everyone appeared pale. The hunters were brave, but even the bravest hunter knew he could not withstand these fully armed knights. The village chief, in particular, noticed unusual signs from the exceptionally tall warhorse of the leading knight. His past military experience informed him that only a constructed knight would possess such a tall warhorse

The knight looked up at Ilani and said, "Dear lady, your belongings must be ready; let us set off. Lord Gerdon must be eager to see you!"

After Ilanira passed away, Richard placed his small hand in Mordred's palm and said: "He is the one that Gawain desires the most. His name is Richard..." After a pause, Ilanira continued: "...Richard Ackmond."

Is it real? Ilani was surprised. She knew about wisdom, but she had never heard that there could be such a capability as reality within enlightenment

"My Richard, this is how Mom really looks. Is Mom beautiful?" Ilani asked with a smile

Ilani gazed deeply at Richard and slowly said, "If one day in the future, my Richard becomes a truly great person, then let us bury my mother in my father's family cemetery, in the highest tier!"

Ah? This is a very unexpected piece of news. Richard had no idea how to react; he simply nodded in a daze. Then he remembered something and asked, "What about Mom? Is she going too?"

The villagers exchanged glances; there was no woman named Ilani in Ruthland Village. The blacksmith and the village chief recalled something but remained silent. The knight's expression grew even darker; just as he was about to speak, the door of the apothecary suddenly swung open, and Ilani walked out,淡淡的问: "Did Godon send you?"

Richard furrowed his brow with effort, trying hard to think, but he could not come up with an answer. Before he had figured it out, Ilani said: "You will soon be able to see your father; the people he sent should be arriving soon, and they will take you to meet him. On the way, you must be obedient and remember that"

The sudden change also stunned the villagers of Ruthland. They stared blankly at the ruins, where only wisps of blue smoke rose as the flames gradually extinguished, unable to believe that just a few minutes ago, it had been the apothecary that had accompanied them for ten years.

Mordred stood silently, allowing the flames to lick at his body. Ilane's final smile was deeply etched in his mind, a smile that was so beautiful, so graceful, and yet so complex

Richard suddenly froze, for the person who turned around was a woman he had never seen before. However, he had his own way of recognition; he took a deep breath and inhaled a scent that was incredibly familiar and comforting. Thus, he hesitantly asked, "Are you... Mom?"

A demonic heavy-armored knight charged out from the forest

No, Mother will not go

Little Richard furrowed his brow, striving to explain with the newly acquired wisdom: "Reality is... um, the ability to understand the world more clearly. It seems to be something that can be enhanced; its current utility is not significant, it merely allows me to see further and hear more clearly."

Flames erupted without warning from every window of the potion shop, even breaking through the roof, with the spouting fire shooting directly up to a height of over ten meters! The flames were so fierce and sudden that even Mordred did not notice them

Ilani finally realized that she was being too verbose, so she smiled and asked, "My Richard, would you like to meet your father?"

Ilani smiled and said, "My Richard is going to the picture book, because Mom has another wish that needs your help to fulfill"

Then I won't go either! Richard said resolutely

Ilanne's dress also fluttered, yet she did not step back. Standing calmly in the airflow, she nodded and said, "With you here, I feel at ease."

The deep black full-body armor was adorned with more than ten steel spikes, and a grotesque and terrifying devil's head was sculpted on the chest. The warhorse beneath was exceptionally robust, standing half a meter taller than the wild horse kings seen by the mountain dwellers. Its body was covered with heavy horse armor, and the protruding sharp steel spikes indicated that it was not merely for defense. Hanging on the left rear side of the warhorse was a two-handed greatsword, resembling the commonly seen horse-slaying sword, but unusually, it was a full meter longer than the ordinary horse-slaying sword and significantly heavier. This deadly weapon weighed at least over one hundred kilograms, and its power when swung was nearly unstoppable

The rearmed cavalry formed a line and slowly departed from Rutherlan Village with Richard. Mordred and the light cavalry remained behind; he had no intention of burying Ilane, as she had completely transformed into flames. Only a pure and mad genius could burn themselves entirely, which filled Mordred with respect for this woman he had only seen once.

Mordred carefully looked at Little Richard, then brought his hands together, gently holding Richard's small hand and smiling as he said, "Mordred is willing to serve you"

Mordred looked at the men, women, and children gathered in the square, stroked his mustache, which was as hard as iron, and said softly: "There are quite a few adult men here; the adults would not wish to see men living here. Therefore, eliminate them all"

Little Richard nodded vigorously. At this moment, he did not yet understand the true meaning behind this wish and the difficulties of its realization. However, even if he were to know, he would not back down. Boys from the mountains are never lacking in courage

Ilani made a sound of acknowledgment, supporting Richard's shoulder, and meticulously urged him to cherish the abilities gained from enlightenment, while also remembering the teachings she had imparted to him. Her admonitions were somewhat verbose, taking over an hour to complete, and many points were reiterated, causing young Richard to secretly make faces in protest. Young Richard was originally very intelligent, with an exceptional memory, and having enhanced wisdom, he truly did not need to be told anything a second time. Her admonitions were somewhat verbose, taking over an hour to complete, and many points were reiterated, causing young Richard to secretly make faces in protest. Young Richard was originally very intelligent, with an exceptional memory, and having enhanced wisdom, he truly did not need to be told anything a second time

With a roar of anger, the knight took a step forward and crashed into the apothecary. The walls, made of blue stone, were no different from cheese in front of him, and the raging flames could not inflict even the slightest harm upon him. As he burst into the apothecary, he saw Ilani sitting gracefully, flames erupting from every part of her body, consuming everything in the room! Mordred was taken aback; he had intended to rescue Ilani, but he did not expect that all the fire was erupting from her, for she was already engulfed in flames!

At this moment, Little Richard was gazing at Mordred, who, like a bloodthirsty lion, was also looking at him. The two stared at each other, their small eyes wide open against each other's larger ones. After a while, Mordred grinned again, completely unaware of the reason behind it.

The patience of a boy is always limited, and the patience of a youth does not increase much either. Therefore, little Richard, without waiting for Ilani to guess a couple more times, hurriedly exclaimed: "Mom, I have gained wisdom and truth!"

The armored knight charged into Rutherlan Village, pulling hard on the reins of his steed. The massive horse reared up, its front hooves crashing down, creating two shallow pits in the ground. As the horse came to a halt, the hot breath it exhaled had already reached the chest of the village chief. The knight lifted the visor of his helmet, revealing a resolute and imposing face. He coldly scanned the villagers in the square and asked, "Who knows where Ilani lives?"

Seeing Mordred rush into the flames, Ilani smiled at him, and then completely transformed into fire, burning, sublimating, leaving no trace in this world.