Four hours away from the borders of Lumont territory, at a river near a dense forest is where all of Hektor's infantry now resides. The goat-headed demon and the insect soldier will take the lead in ensuring that they remain hidden. While hunting monsters and wildlife is allowed for them, minimal contact with humans is part of the rules that their master set up.

"I'll send a crow to fetch you if I need you. This could take weeks maybe even months but the main goal I have right now is to get that Mana Circle surgery." Hektor headed back to the main path with only the birds and his sprites behind him.

Hektor and his minions forced their way through every encounter, the week-long journey to Lumont territory gave Hektor a grand total of 140 souls. While most of the souls were used to replenish his crows, he used enough of them to gain two more sprites. One new earth sprite who has taken the form of a small crow and a flame sprite in the shape of a raven.

Souls: 140 -> 25

The main horde of orcs and their contracted demons appear to have a small presence in Lumont Territory, but their looming threat has made nearly every town in the vicinity evacuate to the safety of their walls. With the news of the Fall of Teblez the entirety of the kingdom is in disarray. Panic set in for those that lived on the edges and any sane person was already running for safety.

Hektor looked on at the long line in front of the gates. Refugees from all over the region were present, stalls and tents were set up right outside the gates to accommodate them. The line appears to be for people looking to get in, usually presenting a plaque was enough for a mercenary like Hektor but it looks like even combatants are being asked to pay a toll.

"All right next!" The guard barked out, his voice was hoarse from shouting all day.

"Hektor, Silver-plaque mercenary. Captain in the frontlines." The silver plaque and a captain's badge was presented to the guard. Hektor already filled a small pouch with coins just in case they ask him for it.

"Dark hair, green eyes… crows. Oi boss this guy seems familiar." The guard said, calling back to his superior standing behind a desk.

The guard felt a hit right to the back of the head. "You FUCKING IDIOT! It's Miss Lina's brother! THE CROW CALLER!"

"Oh..OHHHH!" A look of realization can be seen as the guard smacked his own face. "Sorry for stopping you sir, Lady Lina is waiting at the manor."

Hektor nodded before handing the guard a small pouch.

"Wait, no sir! You don't need to-" The guard tried to explain that his entry was free but Hektor was already in his own world.

'The Manor should be that way, I'll inquire with the magic academy for now. They wouldn't turn me away due to mana capacity if I just showed them my merits.'

Hektor made sure not to suppress his aura as he approached the entrance of the magic academy. Hektor's aura reserves were nearing the 10,000 mark at this point. Not holding his aura back is sure to show everyone the magnitude of his strength.

To an aura user like Hektor, sensing mana only became relevant when he learned of the concept through his spellcasting minion. To spellcasters sensing both aura and mana from an individual is a matter of life and death, a mage who can't even sense the presence of a common enemy is looking to die a dog's death.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The person responsible for opening the front door shuddered and let the man walk in. Flashing the same silver-plaque and his captain's badge the guard instinctively saluted. "Welcome to Rosetang Academy, Captain!"

A lot of people looked towards his direction. Those that are aura sensitive focused on the energy that he was oozing out, the commoners noticed the crows while those that could sense mana, meaning every student in the vicinity were watching the sprites.

Spirits were the main topic of study in the Lumont territory, One of Rosetang's main subjects speaks of the spirits. Sprites were different but they might as well be the same in the eyes of the untrained. To the students of the academy getting a contract with a spirit is a dream, which is why the sprites piqued their curiosity as well.

Hektor walked towards the person behind a counter.

"My name is Hektor and I'm here to inquire about a few things."

At the drop of his name and the signs that were shown, the office worker quickly led Hektor to a private room. Lina was popular among the denizens of this city, a friendly young woman that married into the Lumonts just a few months ago. She often speaks of her "brother" a very capable young man who has made a name for himself in the frontlines.

"The…the headmaster will be with you in a moment, Captain Hektor." The guide left him in the private room and some snacks were provided along with tea.

When the door opened, Hektor quickly held onto his spear. The mana that oozed out from the headmaster was far more present, without even needing to force it the air around the old man heated up. Behind him were two cerulean spirits in the shape of well-armoured soldiers. The man himself was tall, his head was nearly reaching the top of the door frame.

Contrary to the power he was emitting, the old man's expression was a friendly one. "Hello there young man, I am Monstab Brasilaku. The headmaster of our humble magic academy, what business does a soldier like you have in our establishment?"

Hektor stood up to shake the man's hand. "My name is Hektor sir, I am here to inquire about a mana circle procedure."

The headmaster motioned for the young man to sit before pouring some tea for the both of them. "Seeking power, I assume it's related to that personal skill of yours."

"Yes, as you can see I can manipulate birds." Hektor whistled, causing the crows along with the sprites that he had with him to circle around the room. 'A fair deduction, though I still need to be on guard. Men like him are likely to have something up their sleeves.'

"There doesn't seem to be any mana involved in your commands for them, Am I correct to assume that you summon them using mana?" The headmaster questioned while still keeping his smile.

"Indeed, the mana cost is getting high and gaining a mana circle would help me greatly." Hektor kept his cool. He felt like he was being interrogated due to the suffocating amount of mana that the man was releasing.

"Then these sprites, are they also part of this ability of yours?" The headmaster asked, no doubt curious about the sprites since those that sprites follow are said to be a special sort of people.

"I believe so, they started to follow me even before the fall of Teblez." Hektor spoke in half-truths. "I think I am sharing far too much information already Headmaster Monstab."

"I meant no harm by it Captain Hektor, then let me give you the answers to your inquiry."

In the next two hours the two discussed the procedure. They settled on a price and a time for the procedure, luckily Hektor looted enough coin from the abandoned towns that he visited. The gold from the bandits also contributed greatly. The Headmaster agreed to providing Hektor with a bit of a discount due to his position in the military and his connection to Lina. A grand total of 50,000 coins this same procedure would be free for students at the academy but they were those who had to swear loyalty to the Lumonts. In most cases this procedure is done by a spellcaster's master, spending not just their own mana but valuable resources like specific magical tools and ingredients. The service fee was cut by a lot and most of the cost was on the materials.

The procedure used on a person with lower than 5,000 mana is considered to be a waste. For nobles consuming multiple elixirs to reach a base amount of at least 10,000 is standard procedure to ensure that even if the procedure only multiplies their mana capacity by 2 then they can at least qualify as an advanced mage.

[1,500/1,500]

Hektor's mana capacity is a bit larger than most soldiers but it was nowhere near the bare minimum. He knew that most magic academies would turn him away, In this one it just so happens that Lina had his back. 'A debt that I'll have to repay.'

"I will see you in two days, Captain Hektor." The headmaster waved him goodbye.