Chapter 46: A Dangerous Mission (II)

Seeing everyone stop their conversations due to this sudden incident and turn their attention here, Ferdinand frowned slightly and asked Donald, “Mage Merlinna, are you sure you want to carry out this mission? You should know that such a reconnaissance task is quite difficult even for a mage!”
This reconnaissance mission was extremely dangerous—requiring them to get close to observe the orc army, a situation no less perilous than a direct battle with the orcs. Even their finest scout team, sent deep into enemy territory, might not return if they encountered orc vanguard forces. Let alone a mage with a weak constitution.
Ferdinand had already taken a special interest in this rare young summoner, hoping he could play a significant role on the battlefield. It would be a great loss if he died in a reconnaissance mission before the battle even began. The mage factions behind him might demand an explanation from their family.
After all, assigning a mage to a dangerous reconnaissance mission was unprecedented, and as the lords of the land, the Ansel family could not shirk responsibility. Thus, this young general who had become a military commander decided that even if Donald had been forced into agreeing, he would step in to stop it. He didn’t care if it offended the faction of the Crown Prince—after all, he was already close to the Second Prince, Durai, while Andrew, though seemingly magnanimous, was actually narrow-minded and had long disliked him.
While thinking this, Prince Durai, who had just learned Donald’s background from his attendant, also reached the same conclusion. The Macbeth family belonged to his elder brother’s faction, and since this young mage was their enemy, even if he couldn’t be won over, he would still be useful. Therefore, he naturally wanted to offer his help.
To the surprise of these two important figures, under everyone’s gaze, Donald showed no sign of fear. Standing tall, surpassing many of the men present in height, he stepped forward and said seriously, “I am sure I want to take on this mission! General, please give the order!”
Ferdinand was quite surprised upon hearing this.
“Are you sure? If someone forced you to do this, I can stand up for you!”
Prince Durai added, “Sending a valuable mage alone into danger is an unprecedented task. Mage Merlinna, if you’re unwilling, I can ask Ferdinand to assign you another mission!”

Seeing the two powerful figures showing favor to Donald, the faction led by Boron paled, and even Donald himself was surprised—when had he become so important in their eyes? Yet, given the young general and Prince Duri’s recent actions in defending him, he began to feel goodwill toward them as well.
“I’m sure of it, General. How could I miss such an opportunity to earn merit! Do some people think that by forcing me to take on this task, I’m doomed to fail? I’ll show them that Donald Merlinar is no ordinary mage! What seems impossible to them isn’t impossible for me.”
Hearing Donald’s confident tone, the two powerful figures realized that this mage wasn’t really being provoked by his rivals but was determined to complete this difficult task. After all, someone who had become a full-fledged mage at such a young age wouldn’t be so easily deceived. Mages were among the wisest professions—skilled in meditation and capable of great patience.
What Donald meant was his second profession: Demon Hunter. What could be more suitable for jungle warfare than the heroic profession of elves, who were closest to nature? Moreover, if no one else was around, he could use his demon transformation skill, boosting his strength to nearly that of a silver-level warrior, making it easy to deal with thirty or fifty orc scouts.
However, the others present thought he was referring to his Summoner profession. Compared to ordinary mages with limited magic power and weak constitutions, summoners, who focused on calling beings from other worlds, and priests, whose power came from gods, could usually spare some energy to build stronger bodies than ordinary people. Some priests even doubled as warriors. And maybe they wouldn’t even need to take risks personally—just send summoned creatures to complete the task!
Looking at Boron’s faction’s increasingly grim expressions, it was clear they felt worse—had they failed to strike again and instead helped the enemy? But for now, they could only hope the orcs weren’t as easy to deal with as they claimed.
Understanding Donald’s intentions, the general couldn’t help but glance at this brave and shrewd young mage again. To outwit a group of nobles single-handedly was no ordinary feat—even his cousin Duri, known for his quick wits, wouldn’t have done better in such a situation.

With that in mind, Ferdinand glanced at the prince beside him and saw approval in his eyes as well. Smiling, he said, “Since that’s the case, I approve of your request. The official orders will be issued soon. If Mage Merlinna can complete this mission and determine the exact number and movements of the orcs, in my capacity as the commander-in-chief of this battle, I will recognize your merit with the title ‘Slayer of a Hundred Beasts’!”
Prince Duri also nodded, agreeing to act as a witness.
After hearing this, Donald respectfully thanked the two of them. However, he wasn’t satisfied with just the title of “Slayer of a Hundred Beasts.” Confident in his own abilities, he decided to exceed expectations in this mission—aiming for at least “Slayer of a Thousand Beasts” to earn the title of knight and a manor, so he could stand out in the upcoming battles and accumulate enough merits to secure an hereditary knightly domain.
After this incident, the banquet came to an end quickly.
While the small group led by Bolton thought Donald had fallen for their trick, hoping that tomorrow’s mission would end either with him abandoning it against orders or dying at the hands of the orc vanguard, Donald had already left the banquet hall with the guests and returned to his tent to prepare for the next day’s task.
Early the next morning, after having a breakfast with a military flavor, Donald received the official orders from the officer who had greeted him earlier. Without informing anyone and leaving his two attendants in the tent, he alone left the gates of the Holy Sword Fortress.
After Donald left, another group of elite scouts dressed in dark brown uniforms left the fortress under the commander’s orders and dispersed in the northwest direction.
Meanwhile, those pampered noble young masters led by Bolton still hadn’t even gotten up!