The rations that he had on his bag were enough to last him the rest of the way to the town. As a sort of exercise, he would summon a carrion feeder every couple of hours. Creating a sizable group of them on his way to the town. While also making use of the goblin souls that he encountered.
"I'd still like to call it weird that they are that numerous."
"I'll only summon the advanced ones when I know I'm safe." He reasoned to himself. Fighting without mana was far too risky.
"Hide yourselves here in the trees, don't make any contact with other humans. Keep yourselves safe."
He had 12 carrion feeders at the moment, with a grand total of 14 souls left in his collection. "I'll be headed to the town, I'll be back in a few hours after finding a job for us."
The town of Gallum, much like the town of Fernthur was a fortified one. With guards at the main entrance, guards that were currently being aided by dozens of mercenaries. The entire outerline of the walls are currently filled with goblins, where a single one falls two more would take their place.
Upon seeing other travelers help the guards, the young man decided to do the same. He rushed to the scene.
He aided a soldier by piercing the skull of a goblin and flashed his mercenary's plaque.
"It's 15 coins an hour kid, here." The guard used a magical orb to register him to the current defense mission at hand. Tapping the plaque with the orb, a small ding sound followed to confirm his registration.
"Best of luck!" The guard continued before calling for more reinforcements from the town.
The battle would go on until sundown, Hektor earned a grand total of 90 coins. A lucrative endeavor despite how tiring it was. He had enough money to afford an inn for the night and to help him in repairs for his armor and weapons.
"Usually a subjugation mission would grant 50, they must be desperate for the man power." He thought out loud before checking his status screen.
Name: Hektor
Title(s): Young Soldier
Mana: 1,172/1,500
Aura: 1,764/2,300
Personal Skill: [Manifest Minion]
Skill(s): Markluzian Spear Art, Mana Barrier, Mana Bolt
Souls: 46
"Manifesting a middle class is out of the picture, should I gamble on another Low-class preset?"
The Carrion Feeders could deal damage to foes like goblins and unprepared humans but they lacked power or any other redeeming qualities aside from the fact that they can recover from injuries. "25 souls, huh?"
[A random Low-Class Minion preset has been unlocked.]
[Corvidae Cost: 500 Mana, 5 Souls]
"What else can I do, it seems like I'll be here for a while."
It was beneficial for him to stay in the town, he gained both the souls he needed and funds for his travel. It was a win-win situation for him. "I'll need the funds for both travel and magical books anyways, I need to enlarge my mana pool if I want any shot at manifesting higher class minions."
With 21 souls left and the rest of the night to learn, Hektor summoned four of these Corvids.
"Crows, ravens and magpies…. It seems that this preset focuses on birds."
He then had an idea. "I could use this, I can pretend that my personal skill is something that relates to birds!"
Seeing as he had the ability to summon a Vulture as well, it wasn't a bad idea to pretend. He saw how sought after the [Beast Taming] ability was and he would classify his real skill [Manifest Minion] in the same bracket.
"We'll see what we can do from there, but for now." He enjoyed the comfort of a bed once more. The hot food served at the inn was far better than the rations that he was used to.
---
Two weeks into Hektor's stay at the Town of Gallum.
A large number of soldiers arrived at the town. 400 Infantry, Each capable of using Aura. 100 Cavalry soldiers and a grand total of 40 Spellcasters. The personal army of the fourth prince, was nothing to scoff at. This was the reinforcements that the town has been waiting for. And with their arrival, comes the end of Hektor's stay. The funding for the mercenaries would now decline back to their usual rates and it means that he has outstayed his welcome.
Hektor's savings now got to a point where staying at a nice inn would not leave him broke, reaching just a little over a thousand coins. With his small army of black birds and his excellent technique with the spear, he gained a bit of notoriety amongst his peers as simply "the boy followed by crows".
Hektor was among the onlookers as the prince arrived in the town, tall, blond and blue-eyed the 4th prince Mars, was a dignified individual that oozed confidence. Someone that Hektor had no business interacting with. But right before he could turn around and leave, he watched the prince escort someone else outside of his personal carriage.
Hektor's jaw dropped as he muttered her name. "Eliza?"
'I thought that it would make sense for her to be bought by a noble, but a royal?' His eye twitched lightly. 'I guess some people really are meant to be at the top, despite their humble beginnings.'
"Haha, I would say hi but I'll be heading out soon." He turned around. "And besides, she probably doesn't even remember me."
---
"I'm sure you are all wondering why we gathered you here at my office." The Guard Captain began his spiel.
"The five of you have proven yourselves as great contributors to defending our walls. Which is why we have decided to reward you with an upgrade to your mercenary plaques."
Individually speaking Hektor was the weakest among the five mercenaries chosen by the guard captain. But with the help of his birds, information gathering and sharing has become an easier part of battle. Orders can be sent from one end of the town to another and he has been a great asset as both a combatant and a support in regards to intel on their enemy's positioning.
Hektor's plaque was now made of silver and a special mark was inscribed on it, indicating that he was a great asset in the war efforts. He got what he wanted from the exchange, it should have been over by then.
"Ohh and one last thing, the prince requested an audience with all of you. To personally thank you for your contributions, if you choose to do so then this might be a great opportunity that can lead to knighthood."
Excitement could be felt by most of the other mercenaries but all Hektor saw was another cage. 'I'm just going to end up as a pawn again.'
Hektor had no business here, but if the prince was requesting an audience then he wouldn't mind meeting an old schoolmate.