Urgent notice

The only Wind Blade spell he knew had been stolen from the Magic Runes on that Charged Staff, and it could not really count as the true First-Rank Spell, Wind Blade. He knew no other spells at all, nor did he know how their Runes were constructed. After some thought, he decided to keep studying Wind Blade, experimenting with adding and removing different Runes and testing the power they produced to find a Rune that would strengthen the spell.

Allen's plan was sound, but before he had spent more than a few days experimenting, an urgent notice arrived. It required them to gather in the hall within an hour, as Lord Pelaven had something to say.

Without giving it much thought, he went straight to the hall, where many other apprentices had also arrived. Lord Pelaven arrived then as well, dressed completely differently from the last time Allen had seen him. He wore heavy armor, with magical Runes faintly visible flowing across it. Together with the unusually enormous magic sword at his waist and the blood-red robe billowing in the wind, he looked imposing, like a great general. Allen also noticed traces of blood on Lord Pelaven, some of them even fresh. It seemed Lord Pelaven had probably fought on the front lines not long ago.

Pelaven wasted no time and got straight to the point. "Mage apprentices, I need your help. Recently, the beasts in Silverpine Forest have begun undergoing demonic corruption. I need you to find the Magic Source for me. Of course, whatever happens, I will prepare ample payment for you. All you need to do is find the Magic Source. Leave the rest to us."

As soon as Pelaven finished speaking, discussion erupted in the crowd. Finding a Magic Source was no easy task. Pelaven was probably sending mage apprentices because the ordinary soldiers could not find it. Ordinary people lacked a mage's sensitivity to magic and could only rely on an exhaustive search to find a Magic Source. Mages were different. Even an apprentice's sensitivity to magic far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Even Alchemy Apprentices like them, who specialized in brewing Healing Potions, were being sent out. Clearly, the situation no longer allowed for a slow search. Lord Pelaven had to deal with the magical beasts of Silverpine Forest at the front while worrying about attacks from corrupted beasts behind him. No wonder he had come to notify them without even having time to change out of his battle armor.

Lord Pelaven acted quickly. That very afternoon, they were assigned to the army, with one apprentice in every squad and one Full Mage accompanying every company. Pelaven dispersed all his troops throughout Silverpine Forest to search for the Magic Source.

To be honest, Allen did not agree with Lord Pelaven's approach. Even for soldiers, entering Silverpine Forest in squads was far too dangerous. A single mistake could wipe out an entire squad. He believed the best course was to withdraw immediately, then wait for the corrupted beasts and the magical beasts to slaughter one another. Once corrupted, beasts would not care whether something was human or a magical beast. They would lunge madly at any living creature they saw and tear it to pieces. As long as Lord Pelaven withdrew his troops, the corrupted beasts would certainly fight the magical beasts, and he could reap the benefits afterward.

Unfortunately, Lord Pelaven was too impatient. His approach was bound to cause many casualties. Of course, Allen was of little standing and his words carried little weight. Never mind making a suggestion-even meeting Lord Pelaven would be difficult. He could not change Lord Pelaven's decision and could only obey.

That day, he was assigned to a ten-man squad, and they set out the next day. Their squad leader was a low-ranking officer named Ryan. "Hello, mage. My name is Ryan. I'm the leader of this squad."

"My name is Allen. I'm the mage apprentice the lord assigned to your squad. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we work well together." After Allen and the squad exchanged brief introductions, they set off into the interior of Silverpine Forest. He was no longer wearing his old iron armor, having changed into leather armor instead. Of course, he still had to carry his weapon. There would be fighting ahead, after all.

Now, however, he could cast Wind Blade. Though its power was still lacking, it at least freed him for the moment from the awkward necessity of close combat. In any case, close combat was something he would resort to only when there was no other choice. More importantly, they were entering Silverpine Forest. He was not a Warrior, and wearing too much weight while moving through the forest would drain his stamina.

After walking for a little over an hour, the squad reached a dense stretch of woodland. Allen raised a hand. "Wait. Let me check the magical fluctuations nearby first." Squad leader Ryan brought the entire squad to a halt. Allen walked straight into the bushes and took out the Soul Book he had recently obtained. It could temporarily enhance his mental perception.

With his current abilities, even putting everything else aside, his mental power alone was fully comparable to that of a Second-Rank Mage. When it came to sensing nearby magical fluctuations, never mind Full Mages—even third-tier mages might not match him.

It was strange. He could sense that the nearby magic was extremely restless, but it was different from the restless magic in the Magic Sources he had seen before. To be precise, it was chaotic. He did not understand the distinction, but that did not stop him from observing the strength of the magic nearby. Finally, after ten minutes, he found several places where the magic was stronger amid the disordered currents.

Then he withdrew from that state, pointed in one direction, and told the soldiers behind him, "I can sense stronger magic over there. Perhaps the Magic Source we're looking for is that way." The soldiers looked at their squad leader.

After a moment's thought, the squad leader told everyone, "We have to confirm whether what we're looking for is here, so we need to go and check the situation there." His meaning was clear. Still, Allen had to warn him. "The magic ahead is extremely violent. There will be many frenzied beasts there. You must be prepared for any unexpected situation, especially a retreat."

"I understand. We'll protect you, mage." Allen knew Ryan must think he was someone who clung to life and feared death, so he explained, "I think you should understand what our mission is. We only need to locate the Magic Source. Dealing with the monsters around it is the company's job. We can't treat the soldiers' lives as a joke. We can't handle that many corrupted beasts."

The squad leader said nothing, and Allen did not know whether he had taken his words to heart. They then headed in the direction Allen had indicated, moving slowly all the way as the soldiers watched their surroundings. In the middle of the group, Allen also began using Mind Probe to search the area.

"Wait." Allen suddenly called the soldiers to a halt. This was far from the first time he had stopped them. At first, the soldiers had raised their longswords warily, but nothing had happened afterward, so they had begun to doubt his words. "Mage, why are we stopping?" the squad leader demanded.

Allen ignored him. Through his mental power, he had just sensed that the magic ahead was far stronger than anywhere else, and more violent as well. Only after a while did he say, "Squad leader Ryan, something is wrong up ahead. I can sense powerful magical fluctuations. There must be Fel Beasts ahead, and a great many of them. We should take a detour immediately."

Ryan was clearly beginning to grow displeased with Allen. "Mage Allen, are you sure? We haven't seen so much as a single Fel Beast since we started following your directions. How could there possibly be a Magic Source nearby?" Allen heard the doubt in Ryan's voice, but he was not angry at all. He told him coldly, "You shouldn't question my abilities. My mental perception is beyond your imagination. If not for me, we wouldn't have made it this far safely. Believe me, you are no match for those Fel Beasts. There are too few of us. They'll surround us."

Ryan remained unconcerned, and his tone toward Allen grew even harsher. "Allen, you're only an apprentice. Don't get too full of yourself. On the battlefield, I could easily kill ten of you. I've seen plenty of apprentices like you. You barely know a handful of spells, and you tremble on the battlefield."

Allen said nothing more to him. He knew that unless Ryan learned a painful lesson, he would never know his limits. In the end, he said only one thing to Ryan. "You'll regret this, Ryan."

Ryan snorted, turned, and left. Naturally, the soldiers trusted their squad leader more. Only one young soldier did not follow the group, staying beside Allen instead. When Ryan realized there was a traitor in his squad, he shouted at him angrily, "Magg, what are you doing? Do you want to be a coward?"

The young soldier standing beside Allen immediately explained, "I'm sorry, captain. I just thought Mage Allen needed protection. That's the mission His Lordship the Highlord gave us, isn't it?"

Ryan came to his senses and stopped shouting. Looking at Allen, he said, "Magg, take good care of our mage. Don't let him wet his pants in fright." With a derisive laugh, he led the squad away, and the soldiers began mocking Allen for being a coward. Allen still did not get angry. He asked Magg beside him, "Do you think I'm a coward too?"

Magg felt a little ashamed. He had indeed entertained that thought just now, but he would never say so aloud. "Mage Allen, how could I think that of you? In fact, I think what you said was quite right. Because I can tell that you place great value on ordinary soldiers like us, Mage Allen. I'm willing to believe everything you've done was to prevent unnecessary losses."

Allen was not one of those medieval nobles, and he was also influenced by his previous life, so he still placed great value on human life and would not casually send ordinary people to their deaths. He simply could not quite understand those lofty figures who chose the worst way to solve a problem when a good solution was available. Lord Pelaven was one such man, and his subordinates were much the same as him.