Upper Fire Month, July 6th.
The light nearing evening was far less scorching than at midday.
Enri bent over, carefully pushing aside the wheat stalks, stepping on a weed growing nearby with her foot, and pulling it out with both hands.
Sweat dripped down her cheeks and neck.
Seeing the pile of fresh green weeds that had accumulated, Enri gathered all of them, followed the path through the wheat field, and walked towards the outside.
After exiting the wheat field and placing the weeds on the outermost path,
Enri finally straightened her back, raised her relatively clean arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and let out a soft sigh.
The sweat all over her body made her clothes stick to her, and combined with the fatigue, made her want to find a cool spot and have a good sleep.
"Can't be lazy, though."
Enri looked at the golden wheat field before her, still interspersed with a few green specks, and especially when she caught the faint scent of wheat in the air, her mood immediately improved greatly, and even her fatigue seemed to lessen.
"In half a month, it will be harvest season."
"The tax collector should arrive then. Once a year, he's always very punctual."
Enri muttered softly, a hint of complaint in her voice, yet despite her obvious fatigue, she still exuded a sense of vitality.
"Enri? Are you here by yourself?"
A voice of surprise and unexpectedness came from the path in the wheat field.
It was Auntie Aimebe's voice.
Enri turned around and saw Auntie Aimebe and several other women from the village, all carrying full loads of weeds, returning to the village.
"Auntie."
Enri quickly bowed slightly and said, "Father and Uncle Lacchi Mon went to the forest to gather herbs, and Mother still has to look after my sister, so I came by myself."
"It's just pulling some weeds, I can do it myself," Enri said shyly.
"That's amazing."
"It's still very hard work by yourself. If you need anything, just ask."
"..."
Words of praise came from the women.
"In another half a month, the tax collector will be here."
"Yes, speaking of which, quite a few outsiders have come to the village recently."
"I heard they're all adventurers, a bunch of rude and nasty fellows."
"Not all adventurers are like that. The black-haired young man from a month ago, the village chief said he was an adventurer too. He even gave us money before he left, and he was quite handsome."
"Hehe, what are you thinking at your age?"
"Get lost, get lost, what's wrong with thinking? I heard the noble ladies in the city keep a few… hey."
"Adventurers must make a lot of money, right?"
Watching the women gradually walk away, and especially hearing their faintly spicy remarks, Enri's cheeks flushed slightly as she let out a sigh of relief.
A black-haired young man?
Enri also remembered him. After all, the village wasn't big, so everyone would know about any commotion right away.
She had secretly peeked out the window, but it was already dark then, so she couldn't clearly see what he looked like.
Adventurers must all be very powerful people.
This thought flashed through Enri's mind, and then she shook her head.
People from two different worlds.
Piling all the weeds she had pulled together on the ground, Enri spent a good deal of effort with a rope before she managed to tie them up.
Turning her back, she pulled hard.
Enri hoisted it onto her back and, after steadying herself, headed back towards the village.
There was quite a lot of weed.
Enri's head was covered by the weeds, so she could only see the ground beneath her feet, but this didn't affect her much; she had walked this path so many times it was second nature.
Moreover, this wheat field was right next to the village, not far at all.
"You can't see the road like that, can you?"
"Do you need help?"
Suddenly, a gentle yet unfamiliar voice came from ahead.
"I can do it myself," Enri said subconsciously, carrying the pile of weeds on her back.
But the next moment, she realized.
Such an unfamiliar voice, not someone from the village.
"Awooo." A low growl, like that of some beast, followed immediately after.
Enri was startled. Since her vision was blocked by the weeds, she already lacked a sense of security, and then she heard an unfamiliar person and a beast's low growl.
She instinctively straightened up.
The weight of the weeds immediately shifted backward, causing her to lose her balance and fall uncontrollably.
"Ah!"
Enri let out a cry of surprise.
Fortunately, the pile of weeds was soft, so she didn't get hurt when she fell on it.
Bang!
"Awooo…"
The beast seemed to have been kicked.
"Don't make so much noise, you'll scare people easily."
The gentle voice continued.
Enri reached out to rub her shoulder, then finally looked up at the person opposite her.
It was a young man wearing a black robe, who didn't look very old. What was particularly noticeable was his black hair.
His hair on both sides had grown past his ears, appearing somewhat long but not messy. He was looking at her with a hint of apology.
Enri's shoulders twitched, and she inexplicably shivered. The back of her neck felt a bit cold, but this sensation disappeared in an instant, like an illusion.
Immediately after.
Enri saw the Evil Spirit Dog standing beside the black-haired young man, with a fierce appearance and bone chains moving on its body.
"A monster!"
Enri's face instantly turned pale.
Although she had never seen an Evil Spirit Dog, its appearance was clearly not that of an ordinary beast.
Nolan saw Enri's panicked expression, walked forward, and comforted her helplessly, "Don't worry, it won't hurt you."
Enri heard Nolan's words and, realizing that the little Evil Spirit Dog indeed showed no signs of aggression, finally let out a breath.
"I, I'm sorry."
Enri's cheeks flushed, and she quickly stood up, speaking somewhat flustered.
She had remembered now. The black-haired young man before her was the one who had appeared in the village a month ago.
Although she hadn't seen his face, his voice couldn't be mistaken.
Especially when she thought about the topics the village aunties had been discussing in private just now, Enri's cheeks flushed even more.
"I should be the one apologizing for scaring you just now."
Nolan waved his hand lightly, turned his head to look at the Evil Spirit Dog behind him, and pointed at the pile of grass, saying, "Little Black."
"Awooo."
The Evil Spirit Dog's back trembled, and the black bone chains wrapped around its body swiftly extended.
The tail of the chain coiled around the rope binding the pile of grass, tightened abruptly, lifting the pile of grass directly off the ground, and then placed it on its back.
"How amazing."
"This… no, I can do it myself," Enri's eyes widened, then she reacted, quickly waving both hands and saying worriedly,
"So many weeds, it'll crush him."
After all, the little Evil Spirit Dog's size was much smaller compared to the pile of weeds she had pulled.
Its body was completely covered.
It looked like a pile of grass that could move on its own.
"It's fine. Consider it an apology for scaring you just now," Nolan said. "Don't let his small size fool you; he's a magical beast after all. His stamina and endurance are no less than an adult's."
After speaking,
Nolan had no intention of continuing the conversation. He gestured for the little Evil Spirit Dog to follow, and they walked together in the direction of Carne Village.
Enri stood there for a moment, stunned. Her somewhat rough hands nervously clutched the hem of her clothes a few times, then she quickly followed.
However,
Enri didn't dare to walk alongside Nolan, but instead lagged a few steps behind, following with her head down.
Enri, huh?
Nolan felt Enri following behind him, and his gaze flickered slightly.
The last time he came to Carne Village, due to his eagerness to level up, he only camped for one night and left early the next morning, so he hadn't seen Enri.
He didn't expect to encounter her by chance this time. She was much more naive compared to her future self.
Who would have thought?
This young girl, born in a small border village, would become one of the world's top figures in the future.
The Overlord!
Or she could also be called the Overlord General.
The first time Enri used the "Goblin General's Horn," she only summoned a regular goblin squad.
However, the second time, it triggered a hidden effect, summoning a goblin army of 5,000 at once.
This army consisted of eight legions. Apart from the Royal Guard, the remaining seven legions each had a legion commander with hero-level (≥ 29Lv) strength.
The Royal Guard, on the other hand, had only 13 members, with an average level of (43Lv), also known as the Thirteen Red Caps!
Among them was also a Goblin Strategist who commanded the entire army, with his level reaching (51LV).
With this army, Enri could be said to have the power to crush surrounding nations, if she so wished.
To easily possess such an army, even Nolan felt a slight envy.
Furthermore,
Enri later awakened commander-type professions like "General" and "Commander" on her own, which shows she indeed had some talent in this area.
Nolan thought of this, and his heart stirred.
Four years is neither too long nor too short. Besides leveling up, he might indeed need to make some arrangements in other areas.
His strength was too weak before.
Now, with his current strength, at least an "Mithril-ranked" or higher adventurer party could pose a threat to him, or high-level experts like Nail Clipper and the Warrior Captain at this stage.
He was still a bit short of dealing with hero-level opponents, though.