The Valley Master was looking at the silhouettes of the people who had just left his castle.
"It's been a while since someone managed to pique my interest. To think there is someone who can see through that plan in just a glance…" The Valley Master narrowed his eyes. "Noel Ardagan, huh…"
"Do you need me, Master?" The butler entered the room and bowed, asking for the instruction.
"If I'm not wrong, Ardagan Family has…"
"Yes. They've fallen after the battle for the throne. The richest man in the kingdom, Luke Ardagan, is executed together with his wife. His riches are seized by the royal family. But there is currently no leader that occupies their territory."
"No one is occupying that land? Even though that land is the reason why the Ardagan Family becomes the richest family?"
"The Count once became famous for saying, 'The land is like iron ore. Without great experts tempering it and turning the ore into a sword, nothing will prosper.' And that's why after the execution, all the experts who have been working for the Count scatter. Some join another family, some are living in seclusion, some are missing."
"Hoh?" The Valley Master narrowed his eyes. "I see. It seems that the former Count is the head and those experts are his limbs. Cutting the limbs won't take down the count, but taking down the head will destroy the family…"
The Valley Master contemplated for a moment before smiling. "Can you see it, Azhen?"
"What is it, Master?"
"The new head." The Valley Master smirked.
"!!!" The butler's body shook a bit as if understanding his intention. "Master, are you going to…"
"Well, it doesn't feel bad to have the next generation owe me something. Once they ask for your help, make sure you keep him alive no matter what."
The Valley Master didn't know at that time, who would actually be the one owing the favor.
…
After finishing their discussion, Paul led them to an inn while waiting for the rest to return.
Surprisingly, all of them had a troubled expression as if they had seen something ominous.
Rose and Zion reported what they found without hesitation. "We've gone to the city wall and the land is completely destroyed. I don't know how the Valley Master handled the monsters, but it's clear that they're only attacking one side of the wall. As for the number, we suspect… in the thousand."
Paul pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating for a moment. Before saying anything, he asked Noel's opinion, considering he had seen Noel's true ability earlier. "Noel. What do you think?"
"Actually, there is one thing that I haven't told you during the discussion."
"What is it?" Paul frowned. He should have told him during the conversation so that he could negotiate with the Valley Master. But that thought vanished as soon as Noel shared his opinion.
"Calling us to this place is surely bringing the attention, not only from this place, but also those outsiders that want to crush this place. Do you think the enemies who can do something like this are so foolish that they will underestimate us?"
"What do you mean?" Paul was still confused since Noel's explanation was all over the place.
"To put it simply, we have the Valley Master and you, a new Spirit Grandmaster. Suppose the Valley Master could stop the demon bear, there is no way the enemy will send their people to their deaths just to stop you…
"There is a chance that they have prepared enough to kill you, either with a complex plan or with overwhelming strength."
"Overwhelming Strength… Wait, are you saying…" Paul gasped as if realizing Noel's true concern.
"Yes. The enemy might be someone at the Valley Master's level or the Valley Master might be the culprit himself. But because I couldn't find any proof for the latter, I didn't say it during the negotiation."
"I don't think the Valley Master would kill us, considering there would be a huge conflict with the Demon Banner Army. If that's the case, there might be an outsider as strong as our captain… But that kind of outsider that doesn't mind killing us…"
Noel nodded. "Yes. There is only one organization that has the ability to kill us and doesn't mind picking a fight with the Demon Banner Army. I'm afraid they're sending a Devil Bishop to this area. If this is the case, after exterminating our group, this Devil Bishop will sneak attack the Valley Master, who is occupied by the bear, to take over the area."
"!!!" The people were shocked. Stella asked with a horrified expression. "Is that why you asked me about this town's specialty?"
"Yes." Noel nodded.
Stella gasped, wondering how far ahead he could see. 'To think Noel had seen through this situation even before reaching the place… I guess the son of a tiger is also a tiger…'
Anna, on the other hand, had known that Noel seemed to be able to gain complete information after she gave some clues about it. And everything he said would always be correct.
So, Noel actually made up all these suspicions to direct the group into thinking about the existence of the Supreme Devil Organization. He didn't have concrete proof that the Supreme Devil Organization was the culprit, but he knew they were the culprit.
All he had to do was create the conspiracy theory to make them believe they were the culprit.
Paul closed his eyes, realizing this matter was more complex than he thought. He admitted there was no way they could stop a Devil Bishop. At the same time, it was impossible for the Valley Master to die in the Demon Bear's hand. So, the only way to kill the Valley Master was to join hands with the demon.
He had heard about the rumor of the Supreme Devil Organization taming the demons to fight alongside them.
Suddenly, his body trembled as if he had received an even greater shock. He stared at Noel and asked with a shaking voice. "Don't tell me… You want me to call any captain around here to sneak attack the ambusher?"
Noel smirked. "Aren't trump cards meant to be used to flip the situation around?"
