"Valley Master, this might be rude for me to ask. But are you trying to use us as baits?"
"Noel!" Paul frowned because he never thought Noel would blurt out something like that.
The Valley Master was only surprised but not offended. He closed his eyes for a moment as if trying to regain his calm before asking, "So, why do you say so? Can you explain your thought to me?"
Noel carefully arranged the words in his mind, making sure not to attack the Valley Master too much but also to send enough messages to the rest of the team.
"First of all, there is one thing that I can't understand. The water runs from the south, which is the mountain. And the north is the demon territory. Just by looking at this fact alone, we can see that this is not the work of a demon.
"With your strength, I doubt there will be a demon that can get past this castle, so I arrive at the conclusion that this is someone's work," Noel explained his first point.
"Understandable." The Valley Master nodded. "Continue."
While the Valley Master was listening to him, Paul and the others didn't know what to do. After all, this might enrage the Valley Master. At the same time, they remembered when Noel had a suspicion about this mission on the way.
It was clear that something was missing, but they still wondered whether this was just Noel being paranoid or a fact.
"My second point is about the poison itself. I'm a bit lacking in my understanding of demons, but I haven't experienced a demon strong enough to utilize a strategy like this. More so when you can't even find the culprit.
"Also, we can't forget the fact that the choice of poison is the one inciting the demons. A powerful demon doesn't need to use poison to bring a massive army of demons.
"With that kind of poison running down the valley, it's clear that this is the work of someone that wants to destroy or take over this place."
"…" Paul looked down, falling into deep thought. He realized he hadn't put too much thought into this matter.
The Valley Master, on the hand, smiled after listening to him.
Noel furrowed his eyebrows, becoming a bit more suspicious. "Do you need me to continue, Valley Master?"
"No. It's enough. The fact that this is the handiwork of someone is clear, and everyone in this room should be able to figure out why I send you there." The Valley Master admitted it without hesitation. "Yes, I'm sending you as baits."
"!!!" Paul and the others raised their eyebrows in shock. They never expected they would be backstabbed like this. Paul glared at the Valley Master and demanded his explanation. "Valley Master. What do you mean by baits?"
"I have a good reason for doing this, especially hiding that fact from all of you." The Valley Master took out the map of this valley along with the Demon Territory. There was surprisingly a huge red dot on the map located in the north of the valley. "Two months ago, my people found a sleeping bear when doing their exploration.
"Its body is colossal and has a lot of power. A single swipe of its paw can even destroy this castle. The bear is this dot…" The Valley Master pointed at the red dot. "Take a look at the distance and the river carefully."
"…" Paul furrowed his eyebrows. "It's not that far…"
"Yes. The demon bear is hibernating during the cold season, especially this winter. However, due to the poison that causes a lot of ruckus among the low-level demons who don't have the need to hibernate, there is a risk that the bear will wake up."
Noel narrowed his eyes, staring at the map. "So, you want to make us the baits? With our strength, it's possible to fend off the enemies while draining the water. Just by looking at the trajectory and their objective, it's clear that they'll prevent us from draining the water.
"Hence, it's better to send us there. However, there is one question in my mind… How strong is that bear?"
The Valley Master smiled as if expecting this question. "That bear is a Superior Demon."
"!!!" The people from the Demon Relief Squad trembled. Their squad might be strong, but they weren't strong enough to handle a Superior Demon. Only their captain could handle this demon. "This is…"
The Valley Master stated with a serious expression. "Don't worry. I'll handle that Superior Demon myself. Although it's strong, I can repel it from here. The only reason why I let the Superior Demon live this whole time is because of its life cycle.
"This demon bear will hibernate for more than half a year. During that time, this place experiences peace. By letting that bear reign the Demon Territory around this area, I can have an easier time compared to a more aggressive demon.
"That's why I'll handle the bear while you take care of this culprit." The Valley Master explained.
Even Paul had no objections to such a plan. The Valley Master had been using that bear to shield this place as well.
Looking at this fact alone, he understood why the Valley Master wanted to solve this problem as soon as possible. And by using the Demon Relief Squad to drain this lake, it was clear that he was very serious about dealing with the poison, which would trigger the action of the culprit.
Noel didn't say anything after all this explanation as if he had agreed to take on the task.
It seemed he had underestimated Noel's observation skill. As one would expect from a noble, even though the house had fallen, it didn't change the fact that Noel was the son of the richest person in the kingdom. There was no way both of them would be ordinary.
Paul nodded his head and said, "If that's the case, then our squad will take on this task."
"If you need help, you might go to my butler. At the very least, he can go to assist you in dealing with this problem."
"Understood. Thank you for your concern. I'll discuss the plan with my squad first before working on it. Please let us handle the problem."
The Valley Master nodded while seeing Paul and the rest stood up, ready to leave.
Before that, the Valley Master stopped them. "Wait!"
"Is there any problem?" Paul frowned.
The Valley Master looked at Noel. "You're good, kid. Your name?"
Noel contemplated for a moment. But considering he was famous because of his fallen household, there was no need to hide it anymore. Noel declared with a proud smile. "Noel Ardagan."
