Demon Eagle Forest

The trees around him grew taller and taller, many of them at least several hundred years old.

Occasional beastly howls drifted from deep within the forest, only to quickly vanish. Traveling alone, Reilo felt no fear despite the unfamiliar surroundings. He took out the Brocade Badge and toyed with it in his hand.

The metal badge bore a lifelike Brocade Flower.

Strangely, it did not feel the slightest bit cold in his hand. He had no idea what material it was made from.

The Grand Duchy's Academy of Natural Sciences, also known as the Grand Royal Science Institute, was generally a place where only the Grand Duchy's few nobles went to study and further their education.

The mages people often spoke of were the profession these nobles took up after graduating from the academy.

However, mage was merely a commoner's term, born entirely from reverence for unknown powers. The nobles preferred to call themselves scholars. For instance, the Grand Magus who had been burned to death before Aurora Grand Cathedral of Light several centuries ago had called himself a scholar studying Cosmology.

According to Evolution's Profound Meaning published by Antonio, scholars completed their introductory stage at the various academies. After their graduation assessment, their results determined whether they could obtain a Natural Scholar's Degree Certificate. Above that came Profound Meaning Scholars, Extraordinary Scholars, and fellows of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

Generally speaking, earning the title of Royal Academician from the various nations was the lifelong pursuit of all scholars, representing the very forefront of humanity's exploration of natural knowledge.

As for Pioneers, only three had ever been born in human history. The birth of every Pioneer opened an entirely new field of knowledge and research for humanity, serving as a rule of reference for countless academic branches and bringing inspiration and wisdom to innumerable later scholars.

In the eyes of scholars, these three Pioneers held status nearly equal to that of "gods." They were legendary beings accorded the highest reverence. Their scholarship even transcended national boundaries and was admired by scholars from other academies.

Yet the requirements for becoming a scholar were exceedingly harsh.

In this age, most commoners did not even have the opportunity to learn to read. Many could not even write their own names and could only sign contracts with fingerprints. To ordinary people, the most important thing was to follow a priest in praying to the God of Light. They had never even considered something as noble as learning.

And to become students at the Academies of Natural Sciences of the various duchies, aside from a very few like Reilo who tried to enter through contribution badges, the overwhelming majority of students had to pass professional basic assessments before enrollment.

As a result, only nobles with inherited family knowledge would study such things.

As for wealthy merchants?

Merchants preferred to go to churches and donate gold coins in exchange for noble titles, using them to establish social connections and earn even more gold. It was rare to hear of anyone going to an Academy of Natural Sciences to study.

After all, according to traditional etiquette, even the succession to the thrones of the various duchies required recognition from the Pope of Aurora Grand Cathedral of Light. Thus, in the eyes of ordinary people, those so-called Royal Academicians naturally held status far below that of the bishops of the great cathedrals, who seemed far more exalted and sacred.

That was why, in the minds of ordinary people, mages were nobles who studied traditional knowledge: elegant, wealthy, learned, powerful, and mysterious.

With all sorts of thoughts running through his mind, Reilo put away the Brocade Badge and took out the Star Core Necklace to examine it carefully.

After this winter, Reilo had already become familiar with the Star Core Necklace's functions. With no one around, he began fiddling with it.

"Beep beep beep! Discovered: Pinaceae Subfamily species."

Reilo then tried identifying the soil beneath his feet.

"Beep beep beep! No valuable substance discovered."

After playing with it for a while, Reilo still failed to obtain the various pieces of information his father had mentioned before his death, such as analyzing beasts with Magical Beast bloodlines. Growing bored, he put the necklace away again.

The sky gradually darkened.

Dusk came earlier in the forest than outside, and the temperature dropped swiftly. To someone without experience, the forest at night was extremely dangerous. The indistinct canopies in the distance made it seem as though the entire forest had come alive, like grim demonic claws and fangs waiting in the darkness to devour a lone traveler.

Reilo tightened his Animal Skin Coat and stopped. He took a simple tent from the wooden box on his back, chewing dried meat as he gathered branches and dry grass.

"What is that?!"

A black strange insect crawling out from beneath the dead leaves suddenly gave Reilo a fright.

The black insect was the size of a palm. Along the edges of its black carapace were antennae gleaming with a faint green fluorescence, as if warning Reilo. In the brief moment of Reilo's surprise, the insect vanished into the dense forest at astonishing speed.

Once he recovered, Reilo let out a breath of relief.

Over the years, he had often heard his father speak of strange occurrences in Demon Eagle Forest. Some bizarre insects, unheard of and unseen, were sometimes even more dangerous than Magical Beasts. Although he did not know what kind of insect this was, it did not seem vicious. After Reilo turned over the dead leaves, it had fled.

Unfortunately, it had escaped too quickly for him to identify it with the Star Core Necklace.

There was no time to waste, so Reilo continued working.

After gathering enough firewood and fallen leaves, he took out a flintstone and lit a fire. The temperature rose noticeably, and only then did Reilo relax. He took out beast repellent and scattered some around the tent, then looked around. The sky was pitch-black, and he could see only the shadow of the last trace of sunset glow upon the treetops.

Clop clop clop...

Just then, a noisy sound of horse hooves came from afar. For a moment, Reilo even thought he was imagining it.

Reilo had often heard his father say that some man-eating trees deep within Demon Eagle Forest could even imitate the cries of babies, luring humans over before seizing the chance to prey on them. Just thinking about it was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

"Someone's ahead!"

Reilo nervously raised his torch. Only after hearing a rough man's voice did he breathe easier. Even if they were bandits, he had nothing worth robbing.

Under Reilo's gaze, four knights clad in metal armor slowly approached, escorting a carriage.

The knights were tall and powerfully built. They stopped beside Reilo.

From beneath the lead knight's metal helmet, a pair of sharp eyes scrutinized Reilo from above. After looking around and confirming there was no danger of an ambush, he turned toward the carriage behind him. "Young Master Orn, it's getting dark. Let's rest nearby tonight."

A fair, delicate hand lifted the carriage curtain. Inside was a young nobleman about Reilo's age, looking at him with slight curiosity.

"Where are you from? Where are you going alone?"

His curious gaze moved away from the well-equipped knights. Reilo looked at the young nobleman his own age and gave a slight bow. "I'm Reilo from Lake Onyx Town. I'm heading to Saint Grand Fort, and since it's getting dark, I'm resting here for the time being."

Through the lifted curtain, Reilo could see the soft light of Crystal Lamps and the exquisite decorations inside the carriage. He could not help but feel envious.

"You're going to Saint Grand Fort too? My name is Orn. I'm from Walsall Town in the southern part of the duchy. I'm a scholar researching Natural Law, and I'm heading to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Saint Grand Fort to register as a new student. Hehe, we happen to be going the same way. I can give you a ride tomorrow."

The young nobleman seemed quite easygoing. He did not look down on Reilo because of his commoner status and turned to the knight guards ahead. "Then we'll rest here tonight."

"Alright!"

Only then did the four knights dismount and remove their helmets, revealing their true appearances.

Besides three sturdily built men, there was surprisingly also a woman in her twenties. With a bow slung over her back, she lightly removed it and set up a tent beside Reilo's campfire together with the three male knights.