Gone?… Glen probed the surroundings once more with his heightened senses and ascertained that there was indeed no one present.

"Leaving without a word. Could she be annoyed?" he muttered softly to himself. He carefully stowed away the small ball and then turned to depart.

As he walked, he pondered whether to inform the puppet siblings about the events of the day upon his return.

After much deliberation, he decided to keep it a secret. The mysterious woman's demeanor had clearly indicated that she did not wish the siblings to know. It was prudent for him not to cause any trouble, especially considering he had accepted her favor.

The sky was beginning to take on a faint glow of white, marking the passage of the night.

Nonetheless, Glen still intended to take a brief nap. After all, staying up all night was not a commendable habit.

He rested on the deer - drawn cart for approximately an hour and a half, after which he resumed his journey alone, driving the cart forward.

Along the way, he passed through numerous places, traveling at a leisurely pace while enjoying the journey. Whenever he came across local festival activities, he would join in the merriment, and when a circus was staging a performance, he would enter to watch.

Mysterious incidents akin to the encounter with the mysterious woman were scarce, if not non - existent.

However, he had numerous experiences of encountering bandits and wild beasts in the wilderness, which added a touch of flavor to his travels.

Finally, after inquiring with a kind - hearted passer - by, he managed to enter the territory of the Demonfall Valley.

Daof had mentioned that once Glen reached the Demonfall Valley, he would be able to detect his scent.

Glen, therefore, attentively sniffed the air and, indeed, caught a whiff of Daof's aroma.

However, aside from that, there was an overwhelming scent of magical beasts.

Why are there so many magical beasts here? Could they be employed by Daof to safeguard his abode?… Glen speculated as he followed the scent.

As if to confirm his supposition, not long after he started walking, a colossal, jet - black magical beast burst forth from the forest. It resembled a rhinoceros in appearance but had a cross - shaped mouth that opened and closed.

The beast let out a fearsome roar, and the large deer was so terror - stricken that it foamed at the mouth and collapsed to the ground.

Glen had no time to attend to the unconscious mount. He promptly unleashed a Demon Wolf Fist, striking down the attacking magical beast.

Only then did he prepare to examine the seemingly lifeless deer.

Yet, as soon as he drew near, the deer rolled its eyes back from their upturned, white - showing state and then rose to its feet as if nothing had occurred.

This left Glen utterly bewildered.

"Old fellow, have you attained spiritual enlightenment?!" Glen exclaimed involuntarily.

The deer, however, merely haughtily turned its head aside. It was difficult to discern whether it was out of embarrassment or simply disinclined to interact with Glen.

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With a smile, Glen patted the deer's belly as a gesture of comfort, then re - took his seat in the carriage, ready to continue his journey.

A youthful voice emanated from above the tree: "You actually vanquished the Dumbro. You're truly formidable!"

Glen looked up and beheld a diminutive figure with wings reminiscent of a dragonfly's on its back. The figure held a small rod in its hand and regarded him with an expression of wonder.

"What are you?" Glen instinctively inquired.

The figure retreated slightly behind the leaves before cautiously responding, "I'm Sili."

"Hello, Sili. I'm Glen. Delighted to make your acquaintance," Glen introduced himself courteously.

"I'm equally pleased to meet you!" the little one exclaimed, brimming with excitement.

"I'm off to find my teacher now. Farewell," Glen said. At the moment, he was not in the mood to engage in conversation with the figure, despite his curiosity about its identity. He thus took his leave directly.

The little one in the tree waved its hand. "Farewell."

After traversing a downhill section ahead, the vegetation cover receded, and a portion of the magnificent scenery of the Demonfall Valley came into view.

The majestic canyon, the waterfall cascading down from a great height, the expansive plain and forest, the chirping of birds, and the growling of magical beasts.

All these elements assailed his senses, instilling in Glen an urge to gallop freely.

Among these elements, what captured his attention the most was the rich aura of magic in the air. Perhaps this was the very reason why Daof had chosen to reside here.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh air, Glen adjusted to a comfortable position and, whistling cheerfully, continued on his way.

During the journey, there were, of course, unwelcome attacks from unruly magical beasts, which somewhat marred the experience.

The deer had learned its lesson and no longer feigned death as it had done initially. It now appeared rather composed.

A tall and peculiar - looking house came into sight on the mountaintop ahead. Presumably, that was Daof's dwelling.

Not long after spotting the house, as if anticipating Glen's arrival, a bird with blue tail feathers alighted on the tree trunk beside him and transformed into a girl of around thirteen or fourteen years old.

"Are you Glen, the new apprentice of the teacher?" the girl asked, her eyes wide with innocence.

Could this be another apprentice of the teacher?… Glen paused briefly before replying, "Yes, I am."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of delight appeared in the girl's eyes, yet she deliberately assumed an air of seniority and said, "My classmates call me Leaves. I noticed you quite some time ago, so I came down specifically to fetch you. Am I impressive?"

"Wow! You're incredibly impressive!" Glen played along.

The girl almost tilted her nose skyward, placed her hands on her hips, and declared, "You'll be as remarkable as me in the future."

Subsequently, she transformed back into a bird, flapped her wings, and took flight. "Now, follow me. You won't be able to reach there on your own."

"Very well," Glen responded, and he drove the deer - drawn cart to follow her.

The previously clear view of the distance suddenly became hazy with fog. The further he advanced, the denser the fog grew until the visibility was less than the length of an arm.

Only the form of the bird that Leaves had transformed into remained unaffected by the fog, standing out in sharp clarity.

Occasionally, there were rubbing sounds beside the deer - drawn cart, and moving vines would intermittently come into view.

Glen surmised that the entire area in front of him was in motion. This was likely a "confusion array" designed to protect Daof's residence.

The girl's voice emanated from the bird in front: "If you attempt to break in alone, you'll merely end up being turned around and will never be able to enter the magic house. Someone from the inside must guide you in."

That's not necessarily so... Glen did not take this to heart.

If he enhanced his perception, such a measure would surely not pose a challenge to him.

As the fog dissipated, Glen once again beheld the strange, massive house.

Below the house, several apprentices of a similar age to the bird - girl were watching him with curiosity. At the forefront was a male apprentice who appeared to be around Glen's age.

Leaves transformed back into human form and turned to Glen to introduce, "These are all our classmates."

"Hello, everyone. I'm Glen," Glen greeted them with his customary politeness.

The apprentice, who was approximately Glen's age, stepped forward. Clad in a dark - purple magic robe, he removed his soft, pointed hat and bowed.

"I'm Lucas, the fourth apprentice of the teacher. I'm somewhat of a leader here. If you have any requirements regarding your daily life, you can approach me."

"That's truly wonderful. I'm likely still just an entry - level apprentice, and I indeed have numerous questions," Glen said, appearing quite pleased.

Lucas smiled. "Those who become apprentices of Teacher Daof are destined to achieve great feats."

He then turned slightly to the side. "Allow me to introduce our classmates to you."