021 Squirrel

Roland followed Wallace and the other two deep into the dense forest. Observing the shadows around him, he stayed close to Wallace, not daring to step an inch away.

Seeing Roland’s extreme caution, the two new students sneered, whispering about the "ignorant bumpkin," before swaggering ahead, quickening their pace, and moving deep into the woods, leaving Roland and Wallace behind.

Wallace found Roland’s wariness somewhat amusing. "Don't be so nervous," he said. "They are just a few Abyss Blood Moths. You could go take a look to the east; the magical energy is more concentrated there."

Roland looked toward the east and found the forest atmosphere there to be incredibly dark. In the shadows, a multitude of unknown creatures seemed to be quietly writhing, as if something was about to crawl out from the darkness.

Roland’s expression turned deeply peculiar.

Just then, he saw the blonde and red-haired new students swaggering into that very patch of writhing shadows.

Wallace laughed. "Roland, if you don't keep up with them, I'm afraid you won't get a good score on your first trial. You should know that the results of this first trial have a significant impact on subsequent tests."

Roland turned to face Wallace. "Lord Wallace, to be honest, I have never seen a magical creature like an Abyss Blood Moth. Besides, I have only mastered three spells so far, so I don't dare to venture deep into the woods alone."

Wallace looked slightly surprised. "You've only mastered three spells? No wonder. For a new apprentice, mastering three spells is already quite an achievement... I myself have only mastered two formal spells so far."

It seemed Wallace mistook Roland’s mention of "three spells" for three simple cantrips. As for Wallace himself, he had only just mastered two formal spells—one fewer than Roland.

He said to Roland, "I will protect you, but I’m afraid your trial score will be hard to justify... Are you sure you want to stay with me?"

Roland replied, "Sir, I truly have no confidence in capturing a Blood Moth."

Wallace shook his head, showing a look of disappointment. He had originally thought that a student brought in personally by Miss Catherine would be exceptional, but it turned out he was a dud.

"Very well, then, just follow me," he said. "Although your score for this trial will likely be a failure, as long as you stay behind me, I will keep you safe."

Roland expressed his gratitude humbly and asked for some knowledge regarding the Abyss Blood Moths.

In the realm of magical knowledge, Wallace’s grasp was indeed solid. With just a few simple sentences, he described the appearance of the Abyss Blood Moth quite clearly.

As they walked, he summarized, "In short, despite the name 'Blood Moth,' they are vastly different from actual moths. They have no abdomens and no wings; they look more like rotting, writhing tentacles. They can float like ghosts and often cling quietly to people to feed on their flesh and blood."

After hearing this, Roland stopped in his tracks, looking with a strange expression at a tree of flesh and blood nearby.

There was a large patch of writhing tentacles on it, yet Wallace had walked right past the tree without seeing it at all. Roland’s expression grew even more bizarre.

At that moment, the tentacles writhed toward Wallace’s back, then suddenly lunged at him.

Roland swung his sword, cutting the tentacle-like Blood Moth into several pieces. By the time Wallace turned around, Roland had just sheathed his blade.

"It’s good that you didn't go with those two," Wallace said with a smile. "To be honest, something like an Abyss Blood Moth might be beyond your ability to handle. You can’t compare yourself to them. They are apprentices from wizarding families, and each of them knows at least one formal spell. Furthermore, they are quite talented in swordsmanship and are already formal knights—low-level swordsmen. They are not your average new students."

"But don't be discouraged. You’ve only been in contact with magic for a few months; being able to learn three cantrips is already very good."

Roland nodded, offering no comment on Wallace’s words. He pointed at the carcass on the ground and asked, "Lord Wallace, is this a Blood Moth?"

Wallace looked at the remains on the ground and then gazed at Roland with a strange look. "Isn't this a squirrel?"

A thunderous realization struck Roland, and his face turned ghastly. He finally understood why these people were blind to everything around them.

Just then, Roland’s coin purse suddenly extended a tongue, coiled around the corpse, and swallowed it.

Wallace looked at Roland in shock. "His Lordship actually gave you this artifact?!"

Roland replied, "It is only lent to me temporarily for self-defense... Lord Wallace, does this artifact have any special history?"

Wallace said with deep emotion, "It is a relic of His Lordship's former student... She had no intention of taking on more apprentices, and even if she did, she wouldn't give this artifact away. Perhaps you have a fated connection with it."

Roland said nothing more.

Wallace’s gaze toward Roland grew somewhat warmer. "This artifact comes from the Abyss and is fond of abyssal things—the squirrel just now was likely tainted by the scales of an Abyss Blood Moth, which is why your artifact consumed its body."

*It wasn't a squirrel,* Roland thought to himself. *It was a Blood Moth.*

Wallace continued, "With an artifact like this, you don't need to worry about Blood Moths anymore. Go ahead and catch them... Roland, this is a trial, and I am your examiner. If you keep following me like this, it will be very difficult for me... Besides, in this academy, such magical creatures aren't just for exchanging for magic stones; they can be exchanged for academic credits."

Wallace patted Roland’s shoulder with a hint of envy, then walked away on his own.

Roland watched Wallace’s back, saying nothing. At this moment, he had absolutely no interest in magic stones or academic credits. The fear of the Yellow Fern Forest, deep in his heart, had once again enveloped him.

Just then, Roland suddenly heard a violent sound of electricity coming from the woods to the east. Roland quickly hid behind a tree and suppressed his presence.

Before long, a cat-like figure flew out from the woods—it was the "Cat Witch" Anna.

At this moment, she seemed to have a very clear mind. She leaped nimbly between the giant trees, heading into the distance, carrying two new students in her hands.

The students mistook Anna for Catherine and shouted, "Lord Catherine, if you hadn't electrocuted those birds, we would have definitely found the Blood Moths! No, wait, we already found them, we were just about to catch them!"

Those two had already lost their minds. They claimed they were about to find the Blood Moths, but the moths were already on them—covering them in a dense, thick layer.