"Sigh..."
As they watched the departure of the four menacing mercenaries, Owen, Relo, and several knights couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Owen extinguished the fireball in his hand and sighed in relief, saying, "The title of a magician really comes in handy, much better than being a scholar. We managed to scare them off. I certainly don't want to die on the way to the Gran's Academy of Natural Science."
"Angar Tular Kilinna Yesusa..."
A elven girl approached them, her eyes filled with tears, speaking in Elvish and standing there, looking lost, tears on the verge of falling.
Owen, noticing that Relo still had a stiff expression, teased, "Hey, it's okay, they've already left. Give me my notebook back; I'll check if there's any Elvish language material in my spatial box."
The knights dismounted, removed their helmets, and wiped the nervous sweat from their foreheads.
The female knight looked at the elf girl, who almost looked like a painting, her expression full of sympathy. She turned to Owen, who was searching for Elvish language books in the spatial box, and said, "She needs clothes and food more than Elvish language right now!"
"Oh?" Owen suddenly realized, "I completely forgot!"
Relo, who had just snapped out of the tense standoff, was now dumbfounded once again by Owen's spatial box.
Owen took out a box about the size of a makeup case, and when he opened it, it revealed dozens of books and various miscellaneous items inside. The box seemed to have infinite space.
After a while, they drank some water, had some soft bread, and the elven girl put on clothes. She looked at everyone with gratitude, continuously speaking in Elvish. Owen was sweating as he tried to translate, managing only a few words with uncertainty. This allowed Relo to see a more genuine side of Owen.
"Um... I know a little Elvish," Relo, who had been silent all along, suddenly said softly.
Everyone fell silent and stared at Relo in astonishment.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Relo blushed and said, "When I was studying at the church, I aspired to become a missionary, serving the great God of Light, spreading the light to remote regions. So, I learned some Elvish, but only the most basic and simple parts."
"Why didn't you mention it earlier? Look at me embarrassing myself!" Owen complained and put back the Elvish language book he had barely ever looked at.
Relo seemed somewhat disheartened as he said, "Because I've lost my faith."
With that, Relo, to the incredulity of everyone present, pulled out the Purple Thornflower badge and "The Doctrine of Evolution" and looked at Owen. "My father gave me this."
"The Gran Natural Science Institute's Contribution Badge!" Owen immediately recognized the badge in Relo's hand, first in disbelief and then realization. He exclaimed, "Classmate?"
The group was shocked one after another, not expecting the civilian who had casually joined them on the road to be a scholar enrolling in the Gran's Academy of Natural Science!
Relo sighed, "Antonio the Pioneer once said that the progress of knowledge comes from the process of constant self-doubt, while devout faith requires unwavering self-confidence. Therefore, the two can never coexist. I... have betrayed my faith."
Relo's tone was somewhat melancholic.
Owen, however, was not impressed and excitedly said, "If I believed in the God of Light, my father would have donated all the gold coins he spent on my experimental studies to the church in exchange for a noble title by now! Compared to believing in the God of Light, the monotonous recitation of the Light Liturgy day after day, and the never-ending challenges of mathematical foundations, I find fulfillment in pursuing the limitless achievements of evolutionary knowledge! They pity me for lacking faith, but I pity them for their ignorance! Hahaha!"
Suddenly, the elven girl, who should have been the protagonist, had turned into Relo.
Owen continued, "This is great! We're classmates now! With your contribution badge, when you arrive at the institute, they should arrange a mentor for you. Do you plan to study the Doctrine of Evolution?"
Looking at Owen's enthusiasm, Relo responded, "Uh? I'm not sure. But let's continue discussing while we walk. It wouldn't be good if those mercenaries come back, and we can also ask this elven... lady what exactly happened."
"Yes, that sounds good!" Owen agreed.
The group packed up their camp, and Relo and the elven girl followed Owen into the carriage. With the escort of four knights, they continued their journey.
As the sun gradually rose, the thick fog in the forest began to dissipate.
During the journey, Relo used his almost unused Elvish language skills to communicate with the elven girl non-stop. With the addition of hand gestures, they finally figured out her background.
"My name is Krelina, and I come from the Moon Tree Tribe. When I was out collecting honey, those bad people captured me and brought me here. I'm so scared..."
It turned out she was an elven girl captured by those mercenaries for the purpose of selling her as a slave!
"Captain Bas, you guessed it right. These ruthless mercenaries are not the worst; it's those decadent nobles who raise elven slave girls that are truly despicable! I've heard that some corrupt nobles, while outwardly devout to the God of Light, secretly engage in filthy and sinful activities, just like the evil and corrupt wizards of the Dark Ages!"
Relo opened his mouth, but when he heard the word "wizard," he didn't know what to say.
The dark ages of rampant wizards had long since become history. This was an era dominated by the Church of Light, where at least humanity maintained a facade of goodness.
As the only true god worshipped by humanity, the God of Light had completely saved humanity from the years filled with fear of death. Wizards, along with the Black Plague they created, had vanished into history, leaving only a few remnants trembling in the shadows, desperately hiding.
Owen did not notice Relo's reaction and said solemnly to the elven girl, "I swear on the honor of the Ridge Family that I will safely send you back to your homeland. I apologize on behalf of the Gran Duchy. Please believe that those corrupt nobles are a minority, and the majority of the people living in this land uphold the values of light, justice, and beauty with unwavering hearts!"
"Thank... thank you!" At this moment, the elven girl finally relaxed completely. She looked at Owen, who radiated righteousness, at Relo, who was translating with great effort, and at the female knight outside the window, who was full of sympathy, and tears of gratitude streamed down her face.
Two days later.
As the sound of hooves on the cobblestone road echoed, Relo and the others finally arrived at the capital of the Gran Duchy, Saint Gran Castle.
While there were countless principalities surrounding the Empire, there were only six large-scale principalities that could be considered major ones. Gran Duchy was one of the six major principalities in the multitude of human principalities.
The small town of Onyx Lake was located deep within the Duchy, and Relo had taken less than three days to reach Saint Gran Castle. In contrast, it had taken Owen a full eight days to travel the same distance, indicating the vastness of the principality.
It was only in these major principalities that there were enough resources to establish the Royal Natural Science Institute, form the Royal Academy Committee, and establish a Mercenary Association, among other things, to counterbalance the influence of the church and provide the royal family with more secular power.
As for the numerous small and pocket-sized countries, they often had strict and extreme religious beliefs. The pursuit of truth and freedom of thought had never truly been enlightened, and atheists were considered heretics. The so-called king was far less important in the hearts of commoners, and there was no capability to establish a scientific institute or produce so-called mage scholars.
"Dong..."
The majestic sound of bells rang out.
Through the carriage curtains, Relo's gaze extended beyond the elegantly dressed passersby on the street, toward the distant Saint Gran Castle Cathedral. He couldn't help but mutter in awe, "It's truly magnificent."
The pure white domed marble cathedral stood at a height of a hundred meters!
From a distance, the cathedral seemed to be shrouded in a golden aura, a result of the countless devout prayers nearly coalescing into substantial holy light at the top of the church, which was itself considered a work of art.
As the bells rang, pedestrians stopped what they were doing and assumed prayer postures. Even the young knights responsible for escorting Owen did not exempt themselves.
"It is indeed magnificent; the God of Light always loves miracles," the leader of the middle-aged knights said in agreement.
Relo noticed that although the knight leader slightly bowed, he did not join in the prayers.
Sensing Relo's gaze, the middle-aged knight leader, with his metal helmet, still had the rational gleam of self-awareness in his eyes. He calmly said, "I worship the Goddess of Wisdom."
The Goddess of Wisdom was one of the subordinate deities under the God of Light.
Then, the middle-aged knight leader looked at the elven girl next to Owen with a solemn gaze, revealing a touch of tenderness. He continued addressing Relo, "After you and the young master enroll at the institute, we will be responsible for escorting her to the Mercenary Association and posting the relevant tasks to ensure her safe return to her homeland."
"Alright," Relo didn't say much.
On the other side of the carriage, Owen was holding a picture book, looking at it with the elven girl. It seemed to be an illustrated guide to ancient magical beasts, and the elven girl was engrossed in it, flipping through the pages with her long, slender, and fair fingers, blinking her slender eyelashes, momentarily forgetting her sadness.
Owen glanced at the Saint Gran Castle Cathedral outside the window and said rationally, "According to mathematical logic, even the Creator of Light is not all-powerful, because He can never create a stone that He Himself cannot lift. Therefore, the laws of truth must exist above the Creator of Light, beyond His influence."
Relo was momentarily stunned, looking at Owen in disbelief as if he had received enlightenment like never before.
That's right!
If the Creator of Light could create such a stone but couldn't lift it, how could He be considered all-powerful?
And if He couldn't create such a stone, He couldn't be considered all-powerful at all!
In an instant, Relo's fear of the Creator of Light due to his wizard lineage receded, and he gained confidence in the truth laws that Antonio had pursued for hundreds of years, the truth laws that scholars had been burned at the stake in front of the Cathedral for.
The Creator of Light is by no means all-powerful!
(End of this chapter)