They shook their dazed heads, let out deafening, threatening roars, and tried to get up from the ground.
Although their eyeballs were so small as to be nearly invisible, they could still fixate on the surrounding people, whom they perceived as food.
"Monster!?" Is that a dragon? Or a lizard?"
"Quick, form up and protect the children first!" The crowd erupted in great commotion and shouts.
The adults reacted the fastest. Although under the influence of the illusion, they saw the dragon lizard as an even more terrifying beast,
their training and instinctive sense of duty over the past period made them immediately grasp their steel swords tightly and quickly form a loose defensive formation.
They bravely stepped forward, creating a standoff with the three ferocious dragon lizards.
At the same time, they didn't forget to turn and shout to the frightened children: "Don't be afraid! Children! Hide behind us! Quickly!"
These semi-adult children were only armed with wooden swords and iron daggers; steel swords were too heavy for them to wield effectively.
When facing ferocious, huge monsters, fear inevitably grips the hearts of most people.
Even with the knights blocking their way, many children were so terrified their faces turned pale, and they were in a daze.
Some couldn't even hold their wooden swords, dropping them to the ground with a clatter.
Then, with a sharp cry, they turned and tried to flee the dangerous area.
Hen watched this scene of timid and confused retreat before the battle, frowning slightly and slowly shaking his head.
He said to Karl beside him: "Karl, they are still too young; their minds are not fully developed. When facing such a real threat of death, fear is an instinctive reaction."
"Is it... unreasonable to test these children with such a harsh, almost combat-like trial?"
Karl seemed to have anticipated this; there was not a trace of disappointment on his face. Instead, he turned to another side of the arena, signaling for Hen to look there.
A faint, knowing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Teacher, your opinion isn't entirely accurate. Look over there."
Hen looked in the direction Karl signaled, his gaze sweeping past panicked figures and the smoke of battle, finally stopping on the other side of the field.
He was stunned for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. There he saw a boy who didn't look much older than the other children.
He gripped a coldly glinting dagger tightly, his face still young, but in his eyes burned a determination and resolve far beyond his years.
Even facing the roaring dragon lizard at such close range, he showed no fear or retreat. He was not alone.
Beside him, four other children of the same age, though nervous and frightened, still gripped their weapons tightly and stood behind him with determined looks.
These five boys, led by the brave youth with the dagger, did not break or flee like the other children who had shown weakness.
Instead, they quickly and orderly formed a simple but effective defensive formation: three in front and two behind, forming a pincer movement.
Their position was directly behind the protective circle of the adults, like a reserve force or a sharp blade ready to strike.
The five stared intently at the upcoming battle, as if the moment any knight in front fell, they would immediately, without hesitation, engage in a life-or-death fight with the dragon lizard.
And the young man leading the group, with a resolute and unyielding gaze, bravely leading his companions, was none other than Roche.
Karl looked at Roche and the four young men beside him, his eyes full of approval, and explained to Hen: "This trial is not just about selecting those knights who have already reached adulthood."
"What's more important is to observe whether, among these growing children, there is tenacity and fearlessness in the face of danger."
"As for the children who are currently performing poorly, they will not be completely excluded due to momentary weakness."
His gaze swept over the fleeing or stunned figures, without accusation, only a calm observation.
"When they reach a suitable age and become more mature mentally, they will undergo another test."
"Then, if their results are still unsatisfactory, they will finally be removed from the list of soldier candidates. For now, this is only the first time I am observing and recording."
Hearing Karl's explanation, Hen raised no further objections, simply nodding silently.
Karl's plan is tightly connected, balancing current and future cultivation and selection, truly thoughtful.
He did not simply criticize or give up, but gave opportunities for growth and change, which was far more mature than he had expected.
At that moment, the situation on the field changed. "Ah!"
A brave knight, to cover the flanks of Roche and the others, used his body to deflect a quick tail strike from the Dragon Lizard.
Under the dual effect of Keira's illusion and Triss's mental suggestion, in the eyes of Roche and all other recipients,
the knight's chest was instantly pierced by the spike-covered tail, blood spraying like a fountain.
He let out a piercing scream of pain, then collapsed heavily to the ground, his body shuddering several times before stopping.
At least in their view, this comrade had heroically sacrificed himself to protect them.
"No! Uncle Marcus!" Roche saw this scene, his eyes instantly reddening.
His face contorted with rage, and a furious roar erupted from his throat: "We are the lances of the Divine Emperor! Go to hell! Monster!"
Roche and the four boys beside him ignored the other two dragon lizards attacking other knights, which were being beaten and bleeding under the influence of the illusions.
Their gazes locked firmly on the dragon lizard that had just "killed" Marcus.
Even as the dragon lizard opened its blood-red maw, scorching flames brewing deep in its throat, spewing towards them,
they ignored the approaching flames, overcoming the scorching shockwaves and the agonizing pain of the imagined fire, screaming madly and charging forward fearlessly.
The daggers in their hands, filled with all their strength and rage, desperately stabbed and slashed at the dragon lizard's relatively soft belly, joints, and other parts.
However, due to limitations in strength and weapons, they could not inflict fatal wounds.
But this unyielding, determined momentum shocked Hen, Keira, and the others outside the field.
Such behavior, knowing death is inevitable, yet displaying astonishing courage for the "sacrifice" of comrades, daring to make a desperate strike against enemies far stronger than themselves,
Hen softly expressed admiration, and even Karl nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval.
This is exactly the resilience and courage, deeply rooted in the soul, that he was looking for.