Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: An Unscheduled Event (2)
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Was it because he had reaped an unexpected harvest?
After arriving at the Wiote Mountains, Roin's face, which had been etched with constant irritation, finally softened a bit.
I should pass this on to Iroa later.
If he let her know, shed whip up a top-grade cleanser just for him.
Humming a little tune, Roin shouldered his gear and sought out Luem.
Luem. Tell me everything you know about what animals, plants, and monsters live around here.
I dont know everything, but would it be all right if I focus on what Ive seen with my own eyes from coming here up until last year?
Yeah. Thats fine.
In fact, it might be even better for Roin.
Thered be no wasting time chasing rumors of monsters that might not even exist.
Roin jotted down a list of animals, plants, and monsters.
Once hed finished taking notes, Luem asked him.
Lord Roin. But what do you plan to use that for?
This?
Roin carefully tucked the paper with Luems eyewitness accounts into his coat pocket.
Then.
He answered like this.
For hunting later.
He planned to dry the seeds of the ones that were good for the body.
The three of them finally entered Scream Valley.
Contrary to its name, the valley was eerily quiet.
Quiet enough to send chills down the spine.
Remina tilted her head at the unnaturally silent Scream Valley.
This is completely different from what I heard.
Its nickname came from the constant screams of people echoing through it.
However,
There wasnt even a hint of screams, not even the chirp of insects.
Roin, who had been taking point again this time, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
By now, even his slightest movements put Remina and Luem on high alert.
Another monster jumping out?
No.
Roin lightly wetted his index finger with saliva.
Then he raised it up above his head.
Remina couldnt fathom what Roin was doing.
He was known for his eccentric behavior on normal days, so she wondered if this was just another one of his weird antics.
Thats when.
Its coming.
The moment Roin finished speaking
-Kieeeek!!!
-Kyaaack!!!
A deafening screech assaulted the group, tearing at their eardrums.
It was a scream in the truest sense.
Remina and Luem simultaneously clamped their hands over their ears as if theyd rehearsed it.
Even so, the eerie noise reverberating through Scream Valley continued to torment their ears.
Through it all, Roin remained unfazed.
Remina yelled at him at the top of her lungs.
Why are you fine?!
Instead of answering, Roin showed her.
A small wad of tissue plugged into his ear.
Roin lightly squeezed and then released the wad.
A blue glow shimmered around it.
He had infused it with mana before stuffing it in his ear.
This perfectly shielded his ears from the infernal noise filling Scream Valley.
Back when he was Rodri. On his first visit to Scream Valley, an adventurer guide had shared this handy tip.
And it still worked.
Remina and Luem mimicked Roin exactly.
With the mana-infused tissue absorbing the sound, they finally felt like they could breathe.
You couldve told us about this trick sooner.
Reminas voice dripped with resentment.
But the noise echoing through Scream Valley drowned her words before they could reach Roins ears.
The true terror of Scream Valley was that you couldnt hear anything.
In other words, sound-based scouting was impossible.
The most intuitive way to sense presences was through sound.
Especially in a deep place like the Wiote Mountains, sound was invaluable.
You needed to hear it to detect the monsters Roin took down and respond in advance.
But in Scream Valley, that kind of response was impossible.
Unless you were right next to each other, you couldnt even hear voices.
At a distance, you had to read lips to understand.
And when even that was too far, hand signals were better.
Roin signaled to the two of them.
Lets sleep.
At Roins signal, the two wore baffled expressions.
Sleep in a situation like this?
All-nighters are a major cause of skin trouble.
.
Remina inwardly cursed herself for understanding all of Roins signals.
Honestly, this environment was just confusing to her.
And here was Roin casually suggesting they sleep.
She was at a loss for words.
On top of that, they couldnt even light a fire in Scream Valley.
They had to rely on fire stones theyd brought.
The wind whipping through the valley was that fierce.
A biting gale that felt like it would tear skin.
It was no small hardship.
Noise, cold.
And darkness.
It was an extreme situation.
Remina finally understood why camping in Scream Valley was the last outdoor training exercise.
But it didnt faze Roin much.
Whos taking first watch?
At Roins question, Remina volunteered for the first shift.
Ill do it.
Okay. Luem takes second. Wake me for the last one.
The watch rotation was set quickly.
Sleep well, Lord Roin. Lady Remina.
Leaving Luems words behind, Roin slipped straight into his sleeping bag.
But in that instant,
?
Roin froze.
His gaze turned upward toward the top of Scream Valley.
Remina tapped his shoulder and signaled.
What?
No, nothing.
Roin spread out his sleeping bag again.
He grabbed a few fire stones and crawled inside.
Confirming Roin and Luem were in their sleeping bags, Remina reached toward the pit where shed gathered the fire stones to warm her frozen body.
She could only hope this hellish night would pass quickly.
While the trainees positioned at the bottom of Scream Valley suffered from the eerie noise, cold, and darkness.
Things were surprisingly peaceful up top.
The wind passing through the valley didnt reach that high.
A short-haired man scouting the activity below spoke to the three waiting behind him.
Targets spotted.
Location?
East 321. 932.
Near the end of Scream Valley.
A man with his hair slicked back walked over to the short-haired man.
He peered down at the valley too.
Thats when.
!
The slicked-back man suddenly dropped into a crouch.
The short-haired man reflexively flattened himself to conceal himself.
Whats going on, boss?
.
The man called boss stayed silent for a while.
It was as if he couldnt believe what hed just seen.
Whats the name of the blond boy among the targets?
Roin Leyden.
Roin. Roin, huh.
The boss gestured to his team.
Hold position. Well revise the plan to a sudden assault once theyre fully asleep.
His subordinates looked puzzled at the order.
Pardon?
Werent we going in right now?
That had been the original plan.
Hit them right as they entered Scream Valley, before they could get their bearings in the unexpected environment.
Take them out quietly then, disguise it as an accident, and no one would know who killed them.
But something gave him a bad feeling first.
Rointhat boyhe seems to have noticed were here.
The moment Roin looked up.
The boss felt an indescribable chill.
Thats why hed ducked down instinctively.
Sensing a presence dozens of meters away at the bottom of Scream Valley was theoretically impossible.
It required something beyond animal instinct.
Roin had already surpassed that level, but his subordinates had no way of knowing.
It was just coincidence.
He just happened to look up once. Probably only someone like Rodri has senses like that.
The legendary hero, Rodri.
No one else in the world had reached that realm.
Rodri was an exception, something beyond human.
This is weird. Its ridiculous that I keep having these stray thoughts about a kid.
After secretly confirming Roin had looked away and gone back into his sleeping bag, the boss finally stood.
Following Roin, Luem finished preparing for sleep too.
Only Remina, on first watch, remained alone guarding the makeshift fire from the gathered fire stones.
Boss. Wouldnt it be better to go in 30 minutes? Best to strike while they havent adapted to Scream Valley.
It was a reasonable point.
But the boss just couldnt shake it.
More than that, Roins glance kept replaying in his mind.
Better to wait until those two are asleep before moving in.
The context was the samestriking when they let their guard down.
Just delayed a bit.
His subordinates didnt argue further at his words.
His orders were absolute.
The slicked-back man began preparing traps with his subordinates.
Yeah. Im just overreacting. Dont think about it.
Its nothing.
He decided to brush it off lightly.
Left alone on watch, Remina.
As she huddled by the fire stones to preserve body heat, she suddenly heard a discordant noise.
A monster?
Remina drew her rapier and turned toward where she sensed the presence.
But it was too dark to see anything.
She couldnt hear sounds either.
.
Remina reached into the small pouch on her belt.
She pulled out something like a stick.
She pressed her thumb firmly on the end, then tossed it toward where she was looking.
Thud.
The moment it hit the ground, the stick began to glow.
The light illuminated the surroundings.
All she saw nearby were grass and trees whipping in the gale.
No monsters. No traces of beasts.
Did I imagine it?
The wind was so fierce, it could be mistaken for a monster.
No, I definitely heard something.
And that sound was growing louder.
No.
Closer!
The moment she looked up,
Remina was utterly dumbfounded.
Dozens of boulders rolling down from the top of Scream Valley.
They came crashing toward Roins group.