A special scouting team was quickly organized.
The team members were led by Felice and included Shane and the three members of Shane’s original scouting team. The three were Kevin, MacGowan, and Hackerts.
“What on earth is this! A special scouting team! A special scouting team!!”
Of course, Kevin threw a fit.
A special scouting team?
Just the name sounded like a sure way to get killed.
Moreover, since it was a group created under the direct command of the second princess Anastasia, there was no way to avoid it, and with Felice firmly standing in the way, it wasn’t easy to even protest.
The three of Kevin and the others put their heads together and started pondering if they had somehow offended the princess, but nothing specific came to mind.
“Alright, stop your fussing. Let’s start the briefing for our mission.”
With that single remark from Felice, the three of them finally closed their mouths and turned their attention to him.
If there were exactly three people in Arunvida who shouldn’t be offended, they would be the princess, her aide Mimir, and Felice who was right in front of them.
“Let me tell you in advance: you must never let what I say now leak to the outside. Got it?”
“…I already feel a noose tightening around my neck.”
“That’s right.”
“Damn it, seriously.”
Though they grumbled, the three of them nodded their heads.
“The core of our mission is to move north.”
“How far north are we talking about?”
“The first objective is to locate the orcs’ stronghold.”
“Holy shit.”
Hackerts immediately cursed at Felice’s words.
It was understandable. The orcs’ stronghold hadn’t been discovered in the 50 years since this Viduron Castle was built.
How were they expected to accomplish in a team of five what the imperial family had failed to do 50 years ago?
MacGowan followed up with a question.
“Why are we suddenly searching for the orcs’ stronghold?”
“It may seem sudden, but apparently the orcs have started using magical power.”
“What?!”
The trio’s jaws dropped in shock at Felice’s revelation.
Orcs using magical power?
When the trio couldn’t respond to the unexpected situation, Felice gestured to Shane with his chin.
It was now Shane’s turn to explain.
“The orcs are using magic power and inciting monster waves at the same time. Also–”
Despite the lengthy explanation, the trio remained silent.
It wasn’t because they accepted Shane’s words.
The information was too outrageous for their brains to process all at once.
Orcs using magical power? And it’s some unknown blood magic? They’re inciting monster waves with that? Am I really supposed to believe this?
Such questions naturally followed.
In the end, they couldn’t understand it in their heads but had to nod in agreement.
The three of them were residents of Arunvida as well as soldiers.
In the end, if orders came from above, they had no choice but to follow them.
“I guess I should write my will.”
“Like there’s anyone who would read your shitty will?”
“This is f**king crazy, f**king crazy.”
Despite the curses they uttered, this became a moment for Shane to see the trio in a new light.
Even though it was clearly a life-threatening mission, none of them said they couldn’t do it.
This must be the charisma of the Second Princess.
It wasn’t for nothing that the residents of Arunvida had joined the princess’s rebellion in Shane’s previous life.
“The operation begins at dawn tomorrow.”
“I still have a question. It’s not that we won’t participate in the mission, but we want to know at least this. Is there any clue to finding the orcs’ stronghold?”
“There is.”
It was Shane who answered this, not Felice.
“I plan to track the orcs’ traces using a tracking spell I developed on my own.”
“Uh… a spell? Oh…”
Kevin tilted his head in confusion for a moment, but then nodded his head as if he understood.
He didn’t know a thing about magic, but Shane shouldn’t be lying.
No wonder he always seemed to know when the monsters would launch surprise attacks.
It seemed Shane had used some sort of tracking spell.
“Anyway, there are enough clues, so it’s not an impossible task. Also, depending on what achievements we make, the way the Empire treats Arunvida could change in the future.”
“What do you mean by that?”
This time, it was Felice who asked that.
This was something even Felice hadn’t heard from Mimir in their private talk.
“Orcs have started using magical power, do you think the Empire will just sit back and watch?”
Felice gave a faint laugh at Shane’s words.
His expression seemed to say, “Of course, that’s the kind of thinking you have at your age.”
“Hah, of course, they won’t just watch. If it were about five years ago, that is.”
At Felice’s words, the three others tilted their heads in confusion.
None of them knew much about the outside world, especially the situation in the Empire.
However, Felice was one of the few who continuously received information about the Empire’s state of affairs from outside sources.
“The Empire probably doesn’t have the leisure to care about the North right now.”
“There’s a reason the Empire is deliberately ignoring the North. If we solve that, it’ll be fine.”
“Is that related to this operation? I doubt it. From what I see, even if this damn castle falls, the Empire won’t even bat an eye.”
Though it was slightly exaggerated, Felice’s words were essentially true.
To the current Crown Prince who wielded real power in the imperial family, the Second Princess Anastasia was a thorn in his side.
However, Shane just smiled without answering Felice’s question.
“You never know until you try.”
After all, wasn’t solving this issue the reason he came here?
The reason Shane had come to Arunvida was gradually being put into action.
Contrary to the plan, Mimir did not head straight to the imperial palace.
This was because Shane had requested a month’s time.
If possible, Mimir wanted to leave quickly.
The imperial family wouldn’t pay any attention due to Anastasia, whom they despised.
However, they couldn’t ignore the interest of the coalition.
If public opinion turned unfavorable, wouldn’t the imperial family at least provide financial support?
Time was of the essence, and the faster they acted on spreading the related information to the outside world, the greater the benefits would be.
Despite this, the reason Mimir waited was that Shane’s proposal had that much value.
Mimir also recalled Shane’s proposal and he closed his eyes in nervous excitement.
It had been so long since Mimir’s heart had pounded like this; emotions rarely stirred in him.
He didn’t just come here by chance.
At first, Mimir thought Shane had come to investigate Arunvida like other mages.
Though many had given up in this harsh environment, there were still a few who hadn’t.
Even when Shane was doing well, Mimir’s belief didn’t change.
Of course, Shane had some promising aspects unlike the other mages, but this was to be expected from an outsider.
Shane had already garnered significant attention with just one paper about the Great Mezaiya Forest, so it was natural to think he could handle Arunvida as well.
However, the proposal Shane made yesterday completely overturned Mimir’s judgment.
– There will be an opportunity.
– Opportunity? What kind of opportunity are you talking about?
– The opportunity for the princess to return to the imperial palace.
– ……?!
It was a highly political statement.
Many had come here seeking political gain.
They were mainly knights without family prestige who were hoping to establish a connection with the imperial family through the second princess.
However, the current imperial family had completely rejected Anastasia.
When they realized this, those who came eventually returned after wasting their time.
Mimir wondered if Shane might be one of them, but in the end, he wasn’t.
Shane’s family certainly knew the current atmosphere of the imperial family, and Shane wasn’t the type to just show up and leave with nothing.
He had come with the intention of changing Anastasia’s position himself.
– If everything goes according to plan, this is by no means an empty delusion.
Those words ultimately stopped Mimir in his tracks.
It had almost been 15 years since he started serving Anastasia.
From a mischievous little girl to a mature woman.
To Mimir who had been by her side all this time, Shane’s words were incredibly sweet.
However, the rational Mimir usually wouldn’t have reacted to such words.
The years in Arunvida had completely taken away any trace of his expectations for the imperial family.
But this time was different.
Shall I give it a try?
Of course, for now, it was merely a delusional proposal.
Perhaps even at this moment, he was wasting his time.
But.
– If this goes well, we will take down the crown prince. A sharp dagger is about to be stuck in the neck of that oblivious madman who is enjoying peace
The killing intent in Shane’s eyes as he said those words.
Mimir who helped govern Arunvida where even death row inmates who had killed dozens were sent.
Even Mimir had never seen such intense killing intent.
So, shouldn’t he listen to the boy who had determination, plans, and ambition?
Mimir watched Shane and the others head toward Arunvida from early dawn through the window of his office.
And when they disappeared beyond the castle walls, he started gathering and organizing any documents that might be helpful to their cause.
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