Eastern Region, Valley of Fear...

Croak!

A shrill cry pierced the sky. The bird's body stretched nearly four meters long, its wingspan spanning twelve meters.

Despite its size, it seemed almost insignificant against the vast expanse of blue.

"Wow! The view from up here is incredible!"

Merlin leaned forward over the bird's head, peering down in awe, unable to contain his excitement.

The bird he rode was a monster tamed by Professor Victor. Interestingly, Victor's specialty wasn't magic or combat—it was support: monster taming.

Leina, Jason, and Victor couldn't help but smile at Merlin's childlike wonder.

"Be careful, Merlin. One slip and you'll die. Remember, this is the Valley of Fear," Leina warned, her expression serious.

"What she said is true. The wind's strong, and we can't help you if you fall," Jason added with a teasing laugh.

Merlin swallowed hard and settled back into his seat.

He knew their warning wasn't an exaggeration. The Valley of Fear was notoriously perilous.

Legends said anyone who dared to pass through would hear heart-wrenching cries—sounds that gnawed at the mind and slowly eroded sanity.

But that wasn't even the worst part. Rumors whispered of an ancient monster lurking beyond the valley, a creature known only as "The Devourer."

A thousand years ago, the monster had appeared out of nowhere, devouring everything in its path.

Experts from across the world intervened and finally managed to seal it away. The site of that battle came to be known as the Valley of Death.

Most people dismissed it as legend, but Merlin knew it was entirely true.

Regardless, the Valley of Fear was the location he had suggested to Michiku-sensei.

At the time, Michiku-sensei wanted to create frightening settings to enrich his novel.

Merlin's suggestion fit perfectly, and Michiku-sensei accepted it, though the valley wasn't given much focus in the story.

"Drink up first, kid. It's going to be a long journey," Jason said, tossing him a bottle of tea.

Merlin caught it and drank eagerly. The cold, sweet liquid revived him instantly.

"Thank you, Professor Jason."

Jason simply smiled and gave a slight nod.

"Hey, kid, I've got a question for you. But it's okay if you don't want to answer," Jason said, looking a bit shy.

Merlin frowned slightly, confused, but didn't refuse and waited for him to continue.

Jason cleared his throat and asked, "What's your relationship with the Academy Head?"

Leina and Victor immediately perked up, their eyes sharp and full of curiosity as they studied Merlin.

Merlin was momentarily taken aback. He'd assumed Linda had already revealed their master-disciple relationship.

But apparently, Linda hadn't told them. Merlin weighed his options for a moment before deciding to just come clean.

After all, it wasn't wise to arouse their suspicion—especially since he would need their help in the coming days.

He also didn't want them to form any negative assumptions about his master.

Taking a deep breath, Merlin looked at each of them in turn and said, "The Academy Head and I are master and disciple."

The three were stunned by his words, and only after a few seconds did they regain their composure.

Jason swallowed hard and repeated, "You and the Academy Head… are master and disciple?"

Merlin took a sip of tea and gave a small nod.

"Yes. She and I are master and disciple."

Jason was left speechless. No wonder Linda had insisted on bringing Merlin along for this mission.

Merlin was her personal student. Even though Jason knew Merlin wasn't lying, it was still hard to believe.

And there was reason for his disbelief. At the academy, everyone knew how indifferent and cold the academy head could be.

Forget taking someone as a personal student—she rarely appeared in public unless there was an emergency or an event of great importance.

Many senior students had hoped to become her disciples, but the result was always the same: failure.

It wasn't just Jason; Victor and Leina also found Merlin's revelation extraordinary.

"Hahaha! So that's how it is! I get it now." Jason burst into laughter, instantly lightening the mood. "Thanks for telling us, kid. Don't worry—no one will know about this except us. I promise."

Leina and Victor nodded in agreement. Since the academy head hadn't revealed her connection with Merlin, it was clear that this had to remain a secret.

Merlin smiled. "Thank you for understanding, three professors."

He had actually intended to ask for that, but who would have expected Jason to offer it first?

"You're welcome." Jason returned the smile.

The atmosphere relaxed immediately, filled with light conversation as they traveled.

Before they realized it, they had passed through the Valley of Fear without incident and continued toward the eastern edge of the region.

…

"Agh… Argh… it hurts… no… not again!"

In a dark, silent, tense room, a five-year-old boy cried out in a hoarse voice.

His desperate gaze was fixed on several men clad in black cloaks and terrifying masks.

"Don't talk so much, kid. You have only one job—follow our orders," one of them said coldly.

The man stepped closer and grabbed the boy by the neck.

The boy, already writhing in pain, struggled as the chokehold made it even harder to breathe.

Without letting go, the man dragged him to the center of the room.

A massive triangle was engraved into the floor, with a red circle at each corner, blue flames flickering continuously above them.

Without hesitation, the man hurled the boy into one of the fires.

"Hot! Hot! No! Argh!"

He screamed hysterically, each cry soaked in unbearable pain and despair.

But the man and his comrades showed no sign of pity.

The blue flames consumed his skin, then his flesh, and finally his bones.

The process was unnervingly fast, yet for the boy, every second stretched into unbearable torment until his body was reduced to nothing.

Whoosh!

The flames surged higher, leaping several centimeters above their previous height.

Still, the man was not satisfied. Behind his mask, his face twisted with rage.

"It's not enough! We need more children and women!" he bellowed, his voice thunderous.

Seventy children had already been sacrificed, yet the demons they sought to summon had not appeared.

He turned to his comrades, his tone icy as he issued the order. "Go to the prison cells. Bring all the remaining children and women here. Now."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.