The brilliant rays of the mid-day sun shone upon Crest Valley and bathed it in vitality. This valley and the mountains surrounding it were home to all sorts of magic beasts.
People who passed through this valley would usually take the safest route that had already been scouted beforehand by the Magi. And if one were to travel through this valley alone, that was simply courting death.
Of course, if it were a very powerful Magus then there would be nothing to worry about.
The traveling party had just entered Crest Valley. From here on out, they would take about three weeks, give or take, to reach Moon City.
But more importantly, the attacks from magic beasts would also intensify from here on out. Magic beasts had extreme primal tendencies, they disliked foreigners encroaching upon their territory.
Adam looked at the view through the carriage window in awe. After all, he'd spent all his life in a small town in Cormier Kingdom. In the last two months, he had witnessed many new and different things.
In the distance, a pack of half a dozen foxes were staring at the traveling party vigilantly. Whereas, the fox cubs were playing with each other in a carefree manner. On the other side, a herd of horses with fiery mane ran unrestrainedly.
Although the scene looked spectacular, Adam knew that it was all just a facade. After his regular chats with the mercenaries, he had come to learn just how dangerous this valley was. Moreover, Crest Valley bordered the Murky Mountains, a place that even Magi didn't dare venture into.
Adam's hands involuntarily grabbed the hilt of his sword as he thought to himself, Rick and the others mentioned that there would always be deaths in the traveling party when they went through the Crest Valley…
He had learned that this wasn't the first time Rick and the other mercenaries were escorting young children to Moon City. In their past travels, there would always be casualties in this dangerous place.
Even if there were Magi present, they couldn't save everyone.
"E-excuse me." Suddenly, a meek voice called out to Adam. He turned around to see that a young girl with twin ponytails was looking at him nervously.
"Yes?" Adam asked.
The girl thought for a moment and then replied, "You've been talking to these mercenaries quite often… How long did they say it'll take us to reach Moon City? I-I can't stand it anymore."
Adam looked into the girl's eyes and noticed great discomfort as well as a hint of apprehension. He couldn't help but sigh.
These nobles have never had to withstand such inconvenience in their lives. I can see why they would find this journey unpleasant, he thought.
Just because Adam enjoyed the entire journey till now didn't necessarily mean that the others did too. In fact, most of the children were sick of traveling for months, not to mention they even had to be cramped up inside wooden carriages for long periods. Add to that, the constant attacks from wild beasts on their journey were taking a mental toll on them.
Adam replied what he knew, "The mercenaries said we'd reach the borders of the Nightingale Kingdom in another two weeks. From there on, it'll be completely safe. Moon City would take us another week of traveling once we enter the borders."
"Oh, I see… thanks," The girl replied and then turned quiet. The other children in the carriage heard Adam and most of them were relieved. They'd already spent more than two months traveling, a few more weeks shouldn't be that hard.
Or so they thought.
Just before sunset, the traveling party found a relatively high ground to camp for the night. The mercenaries all got to work as they set up tents and started a campfire. This was part of their duties, after all.
In one of the wooden carriages, the blue-eyed, olive-cloaked man who was still reading a book suddenly raised his head and looked into the distance. His gaze seemed to have traveled a long distance and made a discovery.
His lips parted and he spoke calmly, "I guess it's time to make our move."
Two other people in this carriage, a man and a woman wearing the same olive-colored cloak, looked in the direction the blue-eyed man was looking in.
The man replied, "Let those mercenaries handle it. We'll move in when things get a little difficult for them. Besides, those entitled little kids need some tempering. Clover Academy is not a place for weak-willed Magi."
"If you say so." The blue-eyed man shrugged and got back to reading. A few minutes of peace ensued.
When suddenly…
HOWL!
The howling of a wolf disturbed the peace in the camp. This wild and desolate howl echoed in the valley for a few moments and then more howling could be heard one after another.
"Damn it, it's a wolf pack!"
"And a large one at that." The mercenaries wore solemn expressions.
A single wolf alone, even if it was a magic beast, was not much to deal with. However, if it was a large wolf pack, then that spelled nothing but trouble.
The wolves within a pack were able to coordinate with one another almost like a small military troop and were very difficult to fight against.
"Hurry up! Arrange the carriages as the blockade and get into formation," The leader of the mercenaries, an intimidating-looking bald man wearing leather armor, screamed as he ordered the others.
In the dark of the night, hundreds of pairs of ominous green eyes were suddenly visible in the distance. And they were approaching the camp at a terrifying speed. The ground also began to rumble, signaling the incoming wolf pack.
"Shit! It's the night wolves!"
"Damn it!"
"Get in formation! Get in formation!"
The mercenaries began cursing one after another. Night wolves were the strongest during nighttime. Their movements were swift and their attacks vicious.
Rick looked at the dozens of children who were in a state of panic and spoke solemnly, "Prepare for battle."
The few little boys and girls in the group began crying and calling out for their parents. While some of them had serious looks on their faces and brandished their weapons.
Adam too felt the severity of the situation and unsheathed his steel sword that he had recently extorted out of one of the kids. His grip around the sword hilt tightened as he anxiously looked at the incoming wolf pack.
A few meters away, Jeffrey who had a crossbow in his hand, looked at the incoming wolves and gulped nervously. But when he turned his head and glanced at Adam, a cruel light shone in his eyes.