It was not the first time that [Appraisal] had no effect. It could be due to some type of protection or the characteristics of what it was supposed to analyze. So I wasn't too startled.

However, it was the first time it had happened with living beings. Perhaps Deia possessed some Gift, like my cloak, that also benefited Golgor? Anyway, as long as they don't pose a danger to me, I'm not going to bother with assumptions. But certainly, I will pay attention to those two.

"You guys are next... Can you tell me your names, please?"

Professor Mariella's voice interrupted my thoughts. The professor was registering the names of the candidates who would later enter the portal to be transported to the exam location.

"Wow, you're still an aspirant, and you already have two magic knights, and incredibly, one is an elf..." Professor Mariella commented as she wrote down our names. But it seems you are not going to take the exam alone like that young man from House Riverde. It is a good decision; you should not look down on the dangers of that valley.

After saying goodbye to the Professor, Nili began a quick march towards the portal. She had been roaming the human kingdoms for decades, but she had never felt more watched than she did on this day. She surely wanted to leave as soon as possible.

It didn't help her case that she was wearing quite revealing clothes, which made it easy to appreciate her extraordinary figure, which seemed to be sculpted by hand. It is worth mentioning that she chose them herself "to make me stand out among the other magic knight masters," according to her.

That also meant that Nili knew her qualities well, and she knew that she stood out from the rest. But she was still herself in the end, and her bashful personality wouldn't be gone so easily. On the other hand, at my side, Fiamme walked confidently, already wholly used to her new status.

She had a somewhat rougher walk than feminine, perhaps a vestige of her life as an outlaw. However, in appearance, she did not have much to envy Nili, and unlike her, she had no problems being appreciated by the rest. She even gave the occasional smile to those who looked at her.

The other two magic knights were also dressed according to the world's customs. Lilen, who walked behind Norvin, wore tight clothes that reminded me of a Chinese dress without the oriental touches.

For his part, Golgor was not wearing anything from the waist up, only the ax on his back. Everyone could appreciate the impressive amount of muscles he possessed. I still thought of him as a Viking.

That's how, while thinking of nothing important, I headed with the other six members of my group toward the portal that would take us to Brightwood.

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A portal was different from the magic circle I used in my tower. That magic is instantaneous, while, in here, behind the stone doors of the academy's portal, was a tunnel made up of light of a purple glow.

Our journey through this magic tunnel lasted a few minutes, and when we realized it, we were already walking in the middle of a forest. None of the other applicants could be seen. But we were already informed of this. Each group would be transported to a different location within the valley.

We walked for about an hour until we finally reached a clearing near a stream, a perfect location to establish our camp that would also serve as a base of operations.

The erection of the tents was also expeditious, and soon, the four of them were surrounding an improvised campfire (Golgor and Deia had brought one for each, while Norvin and I shared it with our respective magic knights).

"Remember to mark well the maps that the academy gave us," said Norvin, taking out a scroll that detailed the surroundings. These were magic items, and all it took was for Norvin to touch the map for the location of the camp to be marked.

"We must also mark where the return tunnel will open, or we will be stranded," Deia added with her usual smile.

In addition to these maps, each applicant had been given a bracelet that was used to know our location and, at the same time, supervise us. It was forbidden to remove it.

Once our preparations were ready, I decided to explore the camp's perimeter a little. Deia and Norvin suggested that we all go in case there was danger nearby. But I convinced them to wait for me at the camp.

The reason I gave was that it was easier for our forest expert, Nili, to cover the two of us rather than the entire group in case we unexpectedly stumbled upon the lair of something dangerous.

But once we confirmed that the perimeter was safe and nothing would surprise us from behind, Nili would act as the vanguard of the entire group in our next expedition. It must be remembered that I, Deia, and Norvin did not have much freedom of action; the magic knights had to have the central role per the exam regulations.

Well, as I said, that was simply the reason I gave, but the truth was that there was something I wanted to confirm, and I needed freedom of action. I couldn't explain that my concerns dated back hundreds of years without revealing my true identity.

Once we left the camp, I, with Nili and Fiamme (whom I had also made aware of the situation), began to investigate every nook and cranny we came across and literally picked up every rock we saw. It was a rather ridiculous sight for anyone who saw it without a reasonable explanation (I honestly wanted to save myself the trouble of making up an excuse for the rest of the group).

My wish was that it would end with just that, a ridiculous spectacle. But my fears became a reality when Nili called me from a distance. If anyone could find something first, it was undoubtedly her.

As I approached, joined by Fiamme, we saw the rabbit carcass that Nili had found. It was an ordinary rabbit. The strange thing was the way it had died. In our search, we had come across other corpses and live animals, but what we were looking for, and honestly didn't want to find, was something like this.

The body was that of a young rabbit; it had no wounds, nor did it show signs of having died from illness. Nili also corroborated this. The rabbit had simply lost its soul, as had happened to most of the population thousands of years ago.

That cursed magic still lingered in some parts of the world. Brightwood Valley was one of them. I thought the temple where the ritual was performed had been destroyed long ago. But apparently, someone had discovered and restored it.