Apart from him, the others had a mixture of surprise and excitement on their faces.

This group, except for Aresia and Jorgus, enjoyed gossiping. The campus gossip always managed to catch their attention, especially when they gathered, eager to share rumors. They were a well-informed bunch within the campus.

The information they had heard was directly related to Rogest Family, and many people approached them seeking information because of Aresia. Apparently, someone from the Duke’s family, Aresia herself handed over this unexpected gift to them, a grand gift.

But seeing the folded parchment containing the incantation, Karina hesitated to take it.

Karina anxiously says, “This is too precious; we shouldn’t take it. Hurry, put it away.”

Karina considering it was a parchment with the incantation, seemed like she is anxious of how valuable this gift of Aresia. This is the incantation that everyone wants, she even speculated that if it were brought in the auction it can fetch a high price, perhaps enough to buy a house in Holy Lotean City.

Initially, following Duke Rogest’s thoughts, they refrained from revealing too much during this phase. Even the Beast Companion Contract incantation remained primarily under wraps. They arranged for mage to handle the signings privately. However, due to a shortage of their mages, they involved the entire Empire’s mages.

In addition, the ministers secretly wanted to get the spell in their hands.  

In the end, this idea was collectively rejected by other ministers, and finally evolved into a selected group. They let their people recite the incantation and sign the contract relying on the magic ore. The reason is also very valid.

They opted to educate a selected group on the incantation, utilizing magical stones to expedite the signing process. Despite the added expense, the stone’s quantity was adequate, and this method proved faster and efficient than hiring the mage group, ensuring the swift spread of the Beast Companion Contract.

It was essentially the minister’s way of dealing with the situation after facing opposition. They couldn’t compromise the Emperor’s interests, so while the Emperor dealt with the Beast Companion Contract, the minister’s negotiated with other ministers for benefits.

Information was confined within Holy Lotean City; attempts to spread it resulted in severe consequences. Those nobles who were too curious faced stern reprimands, even a few taught lessons. The Emperor’s wrath led to the punishment of those who inadvertently stirred up trouble. This resulted in the silence of those who knew, they dared not speak out further. Even those aware of the incantation signed a secrecy agreement.

This was why despite the initial curiosity, they hesitated to approach Aresia.

Karina’s words reminded them; the others’ initial refusal highlighted their caution. Jorgus, with a constant frown, remained silent throughout, indicating his disapproval.

Aresia came prepared. She pulled out a contract magic scroll from her spatial tool, she said, “Let’s sign a confidentiality contract. The information about this will eventually spread, but as teammates, if we have a bit of an edge, it will reflect on our trial results.”

“Plus, the incantation I transcribed is a transliteration, not the original text. It’ll be quite challenging to decipher. Memorizing it won’t help until I explain its contents. The incantation only works when understood; otherwise, they’re just regular pieces of magical beast parchment.”

The Beast Companion Contract’s incantation was originally very complex. Even a proficient magic language master couldn’t decipher it at a glance. The transliteration was even more confusing, leaving people scratching their heads. However, with Aresia’s explanation, this transliterated magical text would provide them no clue about the Beast Companion Contract.

Magic isn’t something you just conjure; it requires a deep understanding to truly control it.

Seeing a few hesitant, Aresia straightforwardly handed each of them a piece of parchment, saying, “It’s a collective reward for our team. Take it; just don’t lose it.”

Aresia’s choice of teammates, including Jorgus, was quite deliberate. Recalling past memories, from entering the Academy to graduation, Rony has always been Jorgus’s teammate, leaving a favorable impression. Also, she has Steward Aaron hired an investigator to investigate her other groupmates families. So far, she didn’t receive any bad news and they seem all trustworthy.

After handing out the parchment, regardless of their reactions, Aresia unrolled the contract scroll, signifying a confidentiality agreement. They couldn’t refuse this time.

As they awkwardly thanked her, their curiosity got the better of them, and they couldn’t resist peeking at the content on the parchment. To their surprise, as what Aresia have said, they couldn’t connect this transliteration to the Beast Companion Contract incantation.

Cautiously, they accepted the parchments and vowed not to disclose them to others.

Six individuals gathered at the school gate, ready for the wilderness adventure. Because they with their teammates Aresia and Karina didn’t use their hoverboard and followed them wearing boots suited for outdoor activities.

Aresia didn’t dare to share their beast hunting activity to her mother because she is afraid that her mother will sent a guards to follow her. Thinking that she might be reprimanded later if they were to be discovered, she sent a letter to Amos, inquiring whether he could join them by month’s end.

Amos wasn’t required to act, and Aresia particularly urged him not to intervene during the adventure. His mere presence assured Aresia that she wouldn’t be nagged by her mother.

Moreover, taking advantage of this opportunity, Jorgus was introduced to Amos, aiming to recruit the promising youngster into the Gryphon Legion. However, this process required subtlety; rushing it might hinder convincing others of Jorgus’s capabilities.

Coincidentally, Amos was resting and, having received Aresia’s recent correspondence, had decided to comply to Aresia’s invitation.

By the time the group arrive at the gate, they saw Amos waiting for them, along with someone.

Amos knew that there will be 7 individuals in total going on adventure. Hence, he arranged for a carriage that could accommodate ten people. Pulled by two horse-shaped magical beasts from their duke’s estate, the beasts’ strength was ample for the carriage’s load.

Ofcourse the carriage can only pull them out of the city gates and it cannot enter the forest with them. The horse-shaped beast might frighten the lower level beast and Aresia’s group might not be able to find prey by then.

It just that Amos overlooked one aspect: apart from him, there is another knight in the group, and Jorgus young horse was an ordinary one. It hadn’t received special combat training, and upon encountering the two magical beasts it agitated the horse. Aresia intervened, casting a magic spell to mask the horse’s scent, blindfolding it, and tying it alongside the carriage to calm it.

While Amos looked at Aresia’s magic wand curiously, he said to Jorgus, “This horse isn’t suitable for a knight. It’d be better to replace it sooner.”

The knight’s mount is very important, and it needs to be strong. Additionally, in terms of appearance, Jorgus’s horse, a mottled one, didn’t fit the norm.

The trend was leaning towards replacing ordinary mounts with magical beasts; soon, these ordinary horses might retreat from battlefields. He advised Jorgus to consider replacing the mount, for Aresia’s sake.

Jorgus considered Amos’s advice; coupled with Aresia’s recent delivery of the incantation, he indeed needed to consider a more suitable mount.

Once everyone boarded the carriage, they realized they weren’t the only passengers; there was a special guest.

Having received Aresia’s message, Amos didn’t conceal anything from others. He brought along a woven nest-like basket, covered with a spider silk blanket, holding a peculiar companion inside.

“Behold, my Andalucy, isn’t he utterly adorable!”

That was the reason why Amos came looking for Aresia, his Gryphon’s egg had finally hatched.

The young Gryphon wasn’t particularly impressive; its body was fluffy, similar to a lion’s, but its head resembled that of a young eagle, the same of the newly hatch chick. With its eyes still half-closed and peculiarly bulging, combined with bare, fleshy wings on its back, it didn’t yet exhibit the typical characteristics of a gryphon.

However, in Amos’s eyes, his Andalucy was his beloved baby.

The sight of this young Gryphon captured everyone’s attention. They had just learned about the buzz surrounding the Beast Companion Contract, and now, they encountered a real case. It was undeniably thrilling!