Unedited chapter. It will be edited soon.

-

That was the forest where they would have to fight that boss. Even though the map on his system wasn't very detailed, he could recognize it at a glance.

Although Leon was excited to show them everything around them, Louis and Laura didn't pay much attention until he said it was time to start moving again.

The downhill path was not easy due to the large number of beasts on the mountain. Many were so small and elusive that they caused more trouble for the powerful young couple than the entire meteorite sea they had crossed earlier.

But they descended in a short time, and the journey to the village took only another day.

When they arrived in the vicinity, they understood why Leon praised these trees so much.

From a distance, they didn't understand because they weren't able to grasp their size, but they were gigantic!

They commanded respect just by being there, but they also seemed to give off a strange, pungent energy that could stun them.

"You must be careful not to breathe too much around them when the trees are breathing so heavily. These trees serve as guardians precisely because of the peculiar smell they give off. Beasts are usually very attracted to it, but they end up dizzy and fighting each other when they absorb too much of it," León recalled.

Louis frowned. 'Such an intense smell... no wonder it makes them dizzy.' He looked at Leon.

"Doesn't it affect you?" he asked, watching him breathe normally.

Leon smiled. "We've lived here for longer than I can remember, which has allowed us to evolve and adapt to it. So it doesn't usually affect us," he said and started walking again, asking them to follow him.

"León, it's you!" On the other side of a large barrier of dry logs, a man shouted. "Why did you come back so soon?"

"Sir, I found visitors who brought me quickly!" Leon shouted from a distance as he took out his badge to prove he wasn't a beast.

The man who was speaking began to laugh. "Hahaha, really? Bring them here; we have to give these distinguished guests a warm welcome!"

Soon the three of them were entering through the front gate. Many people had gathered around them, looking at Leon and making sure he wasn't hurt.

"I thought it would take you longer to return, Leon," said a man who had just arrived, with a cane in his hand.

The people around them stepped aside.

"Father!" Leon smiled at him and approached to greet him respectfully.

"I'm sure it's only been a week or two since you arrived in the city. How did you get back so quickly?"

León approached to help him walk. "Father, I have been accompanied by these two great ascended beings. They are truly powerful, and I met them in the city because they were interested in coming to the village."

The older man, with wrinkles already on his face and a hunched posture, looked the young men up and down. Suddenly his eyes widened, revealing great surprise. At the same time, his body trembled.

"You..." His voice cracked slightly from the strange emotion rising through his body.

"Father?" Leon held him firmly, and suddenly, several guards jumped out from the side, different weapons pointing at Louis and Laura.

"What have you done to the Great Ancestor?!"

León felt his body tremble. "What the hell are you doing?! Lower your weapons!" he shouted.

"Don't worry, Young Master, we'll take care of it...!"

"I said lower your weapons! Can't you hear me?" León roared again.

He wasn't trying to protect his guests; rather, he was trying to prevent those idiots from becoming some kind of mincemeat, like all those meteorites from before.

These two were completely out of their league!

Louis and Laura were also in shock and looked at each other, but neither of them could understand what was happening.

Even so, the old man would soon give them an answer.

He waved his hand at the guards who were watching him and then smiled at them both. "Follow us inside my house. It's not very big or pretty, but we have delicious locally grown fruit. We'll take good care of you."

Louis hesitated for a moment, but after thinking about the reasons they had come, he had to agree, although he first remained alert to everything that was happening, ready to act in case this old man had acted this way because he wanted to kill them or do something strange to them.

He followed the old man inside, under the gaze of all the locals.

They were followed by guards, who stayed outside after they entered a concrete house.

In fact, all the houses in this village were built of concrete reinforced with expensive materials, and this one in particular was fortified with that blue stone from before, making it quite difficult to break into.

Although it was small by the standards of the mansions outside or the big cities in the tower, it was very clean inside and spectacularly tidy. Louis felt that this had been done by an elderly lady, as the design reminded him of those he had seen in his grandparents' house many years ago, when he lived on earth.

"Please, have a seat." After showing them where to sit, the old man looked at Leon. "Bring some fruit to eat and go say hello to your mother. She's been worried since you left."

"Yes, Father." Leon immediately went to do as he was told, leaving the room with an old man and two young people staring at each other.

Five minutes passed like this, until Louis decided to break the silence.

"Sorry for the late introduction, sir. I'm Louis. My companion here is Laura."

"Haha, Louis, Laura, and Leon traveling together... not bad, your names start the same and the three of you get along well, that's a good sign," said the old man with a satisfied smile. "You can call me Old Leonardo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Leonardo." They were both respectful, not noticing anything strange for now.

The old man seemed to be waiting for something, perhaps the fruit, so he didn't say much after that. Fortunately, Leon didn't take long.

He came with numerous appetizing and diverse fruits. He placed them on the table and then left again.

Finally, Mr. Leonardo spoke.

"Go ahead, the fruits are fresh, they were picked this morning," he said, and casually grabbed one to eat.

Louis didn't think twice. The fruits weren't poisonous, so he grabbed an apple and took a bite. The peculiar taste invaded his mouth; it was an apple with a strange sour touch complemented by a peculiar and powerful sweetness. The contrasts gave it a better flavor.

"It's good, right?"

"It is." Louis was sincere.

"Haha, good. Local traditions tell us that we must first eat with our guests before talking, because with a full stomach, people are more sincere. But I know you guys are in a hurry, so I didn't invite you to a feast like usual."

"An interesting tradition," Louis praised him. "No wonder you've been quiet all this time."

"Thank you for your kind words, young man." Leonardo took another bite of his fruit before speaking.

"I was also a student at the Royal Academy," he said suddenly.

Louis stopped halfway through taking his second bite of his apple, and Laura stopped reaching for her second grape. They both stared at him.

"You were a student?" Louis couldn't help but ask about what he had just said.

"Yes, a long time ago. The Royal Academy was my home, and my teacher was the famous gunslinger, Mr. Harvey. Have you heard of him? One of the first in his field."

Louis raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Laura's eyes widened.

"You were a student of Mr. Harvey?"

"It seems you recognize him." Leonardo smiled. "Is he still alive?" he asked.

Laura shook her head. "Mr. Harvey died about 150 years ago."

Although her eyes widened in surprise, they soon closed slowly, revealing sadness.

He already knew this since his teacher never returned to this area, but finding out was still painful. He was the teacher who guided him through his early years, when everyone despised him.

Even when he wasn't the talented student Harvey always wanted him to be and ended up being a total failure, he still visited him often and taught him things. He encouraged him to follow the path of magic and even sponsored him.

"And his legacy? Does it still exist?" he asked suddenly, trying to bury the sadness deep in his mind.

Laura smiled broadly. "After Mr. Harvey died, Mr. Hector inherited his legacy, but he met a very premature end and was unable to continue it. Even so, he had a good student, who persists to this day. In fact, we belong to that legacy. Mr. Hardrial is our teacher and Mr. Hector's heir. He is also one of the most powerful men in the empire."

The emotion was practically palpable on the old man's face. He remembered Hector; his death was unfortunate. But even though he had no idea who Hardrial was, if he was so good and had inherited his teacher's legacy, then he was someone worthy of admiration.

"Are you also armamentists?" Leonardo asked, intrigued by this.

"We are," Laura nodded, looking quite animated to talk about it.