Chapter 54: Return and the Camp (Part 2)

“So, Donald, it’s only been a few months since you became a mage, and you’ve already risen to the mid-level Black Iron rank?”
In front of Donald, Prince Duri, the noble second prince of the Celts, spoke as if chatting with an old friend, without the slightest trace of arrogance.
Compared to the prince’s elegance and gentleness, Ferdinand Ansel, as the fortress commander, had a more straightforward and military-style demeanor.
“As expected, you truly are the greatest genius mage in the North County. At first, I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but after meeting you in person, I realize the rumors fall far short of your true abilities!”
“I heard that the famous Moonlight Wine in the kingdom now belongs to you, and you’ve also invented a new type of mage beverage. I need to discuss these matters with you in more detail in the future!”
“General, you flatter me! Compared to the royal family and the Ansel family’s businesses, my small estate is merely enough to sustain me. But thanks to its location near the Ash Cloud Mountains and the Green Cloak Forest, my Dark Night Estate has a unique atmosphere. I’ll certainly welcome your visits once it’s completed.”
“I’ve said it before, Donald—just call us by our names. Don’t let so-called titles prevent us from becoming friends!”
While remaining humble, Donald also extended an invitation. The two young leaders exchanged glances and were very satisfied with his respectful attitude, convinced they had made a good choice.
Not all newcomers from noble families or professions could maintain such calmness and rationality when facing a prince and an heir to a powerful noble house.
This genius mage not only behaved gracefully and with proper etiquette but also possessed broad knowledge and unique insights into various matters. He didn’t seem like a boy from a remote village in the North County at all; rather, he resembled an outstanding member of one of the ancient noble families with centuries-long traditions on the continent.
This was the influence of Donald’s memories from his past life. A soul that had lived in modern society for decades carried the imprint of that world, giving him traits completely different from those of this medieval world. It was like standing on a mountain top, looking down at climbers below—having reached a certain level of insight, one naturally viewed ancient times with clarity and openness.
In truth, Donald was thrilled that these two important figures wanted to befriend him, but to make a good impression on them, he strived to maintain his composure.

Although he could see that the two of them wanted him to stay longer to build a rapport, they still had a multitude of affairs to handle and couldn’t leave for the time being. He had too many concerns back home—having been away for over half a month, he didn’t know how things were going at the manor. Moreover, he had gained a great deal from this trip and needed time to sort through and process it all.

So, after the banquet, Donald bid farewell to the Supreme Commander and Prince. Aside from the life-or-death moment when he was attacked by a silver-tier powerhouse, the war against the orcs turned out to be easier than Donald had expected. He even didn’t have to use his ultimate trump card, the abilities of a Demon Hunter, to achieve such significant results.

With Prince Duri and the other two as guarantors, as long as he received his reward, he would almost certainly gain official control over a territory, allowing him to start building his own faction. At the thought of this, Donald’s heart burned with excitement.

“In that harmonious society on Earth in my past life, where was there such a chance to become a noble above others, to acquire my own land, and to rule as a carefree local emperor?”

That’s why Donald ignored the attempts of those two important figures to keep him. After all, there was plenty of time later; he could express his intentions then. He quickly boarded the carriage arranged for him by Ferdinand’s subordinates and headed back to North County.

It wasn’t that Donald didn’t want to summon flying units to fly back—take the Horned Eagle Beast, for example. Although it was fast, its endurance was poor. Its capacity to carry passengers allowed for two hours of continuous flight before it needed to rest for half a day to recover.

Though two hours of flight was comparable to half a day by carriage, this trip involved not just him but also Clinton, Eric, and the new member Uther. The amount of magic cores consumed would be far too wasteful compared to using a carriage. As for other advanced flying units, their cost was even higher. Since this wasn’t an emergency, there was no need to waste magic cores by rushing.

After leaving the fortress and entering Ansel’s territory, Donald rode in the carriages arranged by the Holy Sword Legion and saw many people bringing their families eastward. After traveling for two days and arriving at the town closest to the capital of the Northwest Province, where he planned to stay overnight, he discovered that at least a thousand struggling refugees had set up a camp outside the town, severely disrupting traffic.

Several groups of merchants were blocked outside the town and unable to enter to rest; they had to take a detour. One of the leaders was negotiating with those vagrants, hoping they would make way so they could enter the town to rest. However, Donald and his three companions were not greatly affected, as he simply summoned a horned eagle beast to carry them through the air into the town. A mere second-level demon was not worth wasting for his wealth. Such a small town basically had no air defense; if it were a noble castle or a large city like a provincial capital, he wouldn’t want to become a target of crossbow arrows—going through the city gates was safer. Once inside the town, he recalled the horned eagle beast, ignoring the frightened pedestrians and the murmurs of onlookers. Donald headed straight to the only inn there. As soon as he entered, he noticed the inn was very busy—many guests were having dinner in the lobby. Without hesitation, he took his three followers to an empty table and sat down. Due to the large number of guests, it took a while before a waitress who looked like a country girl rushed over to serve them. “Prepare four rooms for me, and bring four dinners—roast lamb chops and vegetable soup will do. And a large glass of wine for each person!” Donald instructed the waitress with a smile, handing over a few silver moons. In such a small-town inn, just a dozen copper coins could afford a decent meal, and accommodation wouldn’t cost more than a silver moon. Yet Donald’s ordered dinners would cost two silver moons in total. After deducting the room fees, there would probably be half a silver moon left as tip. His striking appearance, his noble attire beyond the reach of ordinary people, and his generosity immediately made the young girl blush with shyness. “Sure, sir!” The young waitress took the money, tucked it into her bosom, and rushed off, glancing back at Donald before entering the kitchen. After a while, the food was brought out. The waitress apologized, “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, sir! Here’s your dinner. The inn is fully booked, and only two rooms in the corner are available…” “It’s fine!” Donald interrupted her before she could finish. With the hot food served, Donald didn’t rush to eat. Instead, he casually said, “The inn is very busy—that’s understandable!”

The girl, who had intended to start a conversation anyway, immediately took over and said, “It’s not that business is good at the inn; it’s just that the town is blocked by refugees outside. These merchants and travelers can’t leave the town, so they have no choice but to stay in the inn. This has been going on for several days now!”
Oh? Refugees?
Donald was intrigued and asked, “So, where did these refugees come from?”