Chapter 52: Summoning in Front of the Formation (II)

Without wasting time in surprise, Ferdinand waved his hand at the officers beside him. Immediately, two lower-ranking officers left and soon returned with two squads of Holy Sword Legion swordsmen. In less time than it took to drink a cup of tea, they had counted all the orc heads—203 ordinary orc warriors and 50 elite orc warriors.

Although orcs all appeared similar to humans with yellow-green skin and ferocious claws, there were differences in appearance and attire between the elite orcs and the ordinary ones. Human veterans familiar with this could easily tell them apart.

As for the orc shaman, ordinary civilians could tell just by looking at his physique and attire, not to mention those from the Holy Sword Legion who dealt with orcs at the border all year round.

Strengthful individuals, whether humans or other races, deserved proper respect. After verification, everyone’s gaze toward Donald changed completely.

“Not bad. Mage Merlinna killed 254 orcs, including 50 Axe-Handed Warriors and one shaman priest. This achievement will be recorded by this general. Once the war is over, it will be reported to the military headquarters and His Majesty the King. Now, let’s go to the command post to discuss this mission!”

Compared to the spectacular sight of hundreds of orc heads piled together, Donald’s miraculous method of storing loot was less noticeable. After all, temporary storage spells were something ordinary minor nobles had only heard of but never seen. Even high-ranking nobles and princes had encountered them before. Mages at the Bronze rank or even those at the peak of the Black Iron rank could barely cast such spells. Even those extremely rare spatial artifacts were merely precious items for these elite figures at the top of the human hierarchy, not truly priceless. Although alchemy had declined in this world, there were still advanced alchemists capable of creating simple spatial devices.

Hearing the young general’s words, Donald knew his achievements were recognized. He bowed in thanks and then followed everyone into the command post. There, he described in detail what he had seen through the owl, as well as his own battles. As the young general listened, his brows furrowed. By the time Donald finished, most of the people present looked extremely displeased.

“Three totemic banners—this indicates that three orc tribes are coming, with tens of thousands of enemies. There’s also a tall totem of a giant tree on the leader’s chariot, clearly meaning at least one elder shaman priest of the Bronze rank or higher is accompanying them; otherwise, they wouldn’t use the Orc God totem! What are your thoughts on this?”
After speaking, the young general looked at the nobles present, waiting for someone to respond.
However, the orcs were extremely fierce, and those noble youths who came seeking military glory remained silent, fearing that the supreme commander would assign them as vanguard troops. With their meager forces, they would essentially be cannon fodder against the orc army.
Then the young general turned his gaze to his own officers.
An middle-aged officer with a dark face at the front spoke solemnly, “Please give the order, General! With the orcs attacking, we human warriors are ready to fight!”
After that middle-aged officer spoke, all the officers eagerly volunteered to fight.
“Yes! Let’s wipe them out completely! Since these beastly hybrids have come, let’s leave them behind as fertilizer!”
The contrast between them immediately showed the difference between these army officers and the noble youths—some were brave, resolute, and skilled in battle, while others were lazy and unwilling to take risks. Although this was largely due to their different backgrounds, Donald secretly nodded in approval at having such loyal and strong warriors in the Holy Sword Legion.
Very satisfied with his officers’ performance, the young general exchanged a glance with Prince Duri, then turned to Donald and said, “Mage Merlinna has done an excellent job on this mission. I will record her achievements along with her previous military exploits. The orcs should arrive at the front lines by tomorrow. I hope others can fight bravely like Mage Merlinna!”
“Thank you, General! Donald will redouble his efforts to eliminate more orcs!”
Delighted, Donald thanked him with a smile.
Thanks to Bolton, the eldest son of the viscount, he not only completed the reconnaissance mission but also earned the highest military honors present—meaning he could at least secure a second-tier knightly domain after the war ended!
Seeing the young general, the supreme commander, award Donald military honors, the other nobles and professionals present became jealous, eager to go to the battlefield and kill hundreds or even thousands of orcs right away!
However, a few nobles questioned Donald’s achievements, hoping the Holy Sword Legion would verify whether those orcs were indeed killed by him. Among them was Bolton from the Macbeth family.

Unfortunately, the young general of the Ansel family remained unmoved and recorded Donald’s achievements in the war log without any concealment!
“Whatever method is used to kill orcs, as long as it isn’t stealing someone else’s credit, it counts. If you’re not satisfied with this way of distributing credit, then go to battle alone without any followers—I will record your achievements exactly as they are!”
At these words, the nobles of Macbeth’s faction were left speechless. Few of these noble young men had enough combat strength to defeat orcs. If credits really had to be distributed that way, wouldn’t those nobles who lacked combat skills and brought their own troops still have to share their credits with their subordinates, leaving themselves with nothing?
Seeing that Bolton’s proposal not only brought trouble upon themselves but also affected their own interests, the other nobles grew even more disgusted with them.
This supreme commander was no ordinary noble; a single sentence silenced all the nobles. Though they were unwilling in their hearts, none dared offend the dignity of the Ansel family. Those who had once provoked them were now long buried, their bones rotting in the ground.
On the orc side, the shaman priest leading the troops along with fifty of the finest warriors never returned, with no news at all. Those in the know grew uneasy, and the old shaman personally came forward to express his concern, further troubling Prince Kanzhi, the orc leader.
Yet he still believed that this campaign to seize human kingdom lands was crucial for his future status and survival, and he couldn’t possibly give up halfway. Besides, these were just human tricks. If humans could truly confront the great orcs head-on, they wouldn’t have failed to invade orc territory so many times over the years.
This somewhat simple-minded orc prince never considered why humans, who lived in the barren lands of the Northwest Wasteland and occupied the richest regions of the continent, would invade orc territory.
So Prince Kanzhi ordered the entire army to set out, without sending any vanguard, and march straight toward the human border.
Although the old orc shaman felt there must be other factors at play, he thought that with a massive army of ten thousand, the forces of a single human fortress couldn’t possibly withstand the combined forces of their three tribes, so he decided to wait and see rather than oppose it.
With the two most powerful leaders in this orc army having spoken, even if the other orcs had any objections, they couldn’t voice them.
And so, by evening, the orc army had arrived at the gates of the Holy Sword Fortress.

Since the warriors were extremely tired from continuous travel, and due to the weather conditions, the orc leaders were not in a hurry to take action. Instead, they ordered a camp to be set up and meals prepared, planning to rest for one night before launching an attack on the enemy forces and capturing the human fortress. Out of contempt for human combat strength, the already disorganized orcs set up camp in a messy manner, lit fires, and cooked food, then went back to their tents to sleep. Those who couldn’t find a spot slept in the open field, with no sentries for patrol or warning. The humans wanted to take advantage of the situation for a night attack, but considering the disparity in combat strength, they feared excessive losses and decided to rely on their sturdy fortress for defense rather than giving up their advantages. Donald felt somewhat disappointed, as with his powerful summoning abilities, he could have taken on half of the orc camp alone. It would be a shame to miss such a good opportunity for a night attack. But as just one of many volunteers, he had little say in the military’s decisions; how the humans would respond depended on the orders of the Holy Sword Legion’s leaders.