When Rodos chose a Gold Mission, everyone in the Hall turned to stare at him.
“He chose Gold?”
“Has he gone insane?”
None of them had expected such a choice.
The moment he attempted to select something so absurd, the Magic Circle would surely prevent him from doing so.
“?”
However, the Magic Circle did not activate.
That could only mean one thing.
Rodos was qualified to select a Gold Mission.
“It is actually letting him choose it?”
“It thinks he can succeed?”
The family members could not hide their astonishment.
It might have been an unwritten rule of the House to select a mission above one’s own level, but even so, they could not understand Rodos’s choice.
“Even so, Gold is….”
“I heard all he does is swing axes, but he really has changed. He has become incredibly reckless.”
This was the first time Rodos had ever received a mission.
And yet he was choosing a Gold Mission from the very beginning?
It was a decision born entirely of recklessness and foolhardy bravado.
“It would have been strange enough if he chose Silver. I never imagined he would choose Gold.”
“Maybe the accident made him forget how difficult the missions are?”
The family members whispered among themselves.
Although the standards were not absolute, the House had recommended levels for each mission color.
Even Silver Missions were recommended only for Intermediate Mages of at least the 5th Circle.
Gold Missions, which were second in difficulty only to Black Missions, were so difficult that even High-Ranking Mages of the 7th Circle or above could not be certain of success.
“He has lost his mind.”
“Yes. There is no other explanation except that he has gone mad and can no longer judge things properly.”
Their reaction was hardly surprising.
No matter how much Rodos had changed recently, a Gold Mission was an entirely different matter.
“How far can Rodos possibly get when he cannot even use magic?”
“There is no chance he succeeds.”
The family members shook their heads.
He intended to complete a mission whose success could not be guaranteed even for someone capable of freely wielding magic with nothing but two axes?
It was absurd.
“I have chosen my mission, so I will be leaving.”
Rodos stepped down from the platform without caring what anyone else thought.
Now that he had received his mission, he had no further business there.
‘I wonder what kind of mission it is.’
Rodos was simply curious.
With his axes strapped to his back, he quickly left the Hall.
“Hmm.”
Brutus watched Rodos leave with an intrigued expression.
The Head of the House would probably find this amusing when he heard about it.
Brutus was beginning to understand why the Head of the House had ordered that Rodos be assigned a mission as well.
‘Whether it was a reckless choice or a reasonable one based on his ability will become clear soon enough.’
Time would reveal the answer.
It would show why Rodos had chosen a Gold Mission.
***
News concerning the Mission Assignment Ceremony quickly spread throughout the House.
In one laboratory where Mages of the Flame Faction had gathered, the ceremony had also become the subject of conversation.
“I heard a Black Mission appeared at this Assignment Ceremony.”
“A Black Mission? It has been a while. Who received it?”
“Young Master Galva.”
“I wonder how quickly he will finish it.”
The Mages of the Flame Faction looked intrigued, but there was also a hint of unease in their expressions.
“In that case, those bastards from the Wind Faction must be delighted.”
If Galva succeeded in completing the Black Mission, the Wind Faction that supported him would undoubtedly gain considerable influence.
“Do not look so troubled. Even the great Young Master Kaiser has failed several times. Black Missions are that difficult, so I do not think there is any need to worry too much.”
Just then, another Mage hurried inside as though he had heard something even more entertaining.
“Has everyone heard?”
“Heard what?”
“Young Master Rodos chose a Gold Mission.”
“???”
The Mages stared at him in bewilderment.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. Apparently, he picked up a Gold Mission sheet without the slightest hesitation and walked out.”
“Hahaha.”
“Ahahahaha!”
The Mages could not contain their laughter.
No matter how they looked at it, his choice had been absurdly reckless.
Did he think a Gold Mission was merely another Duel?
It seemed his pride had soared to the heavens after winning a single Duel.
Rodos was still an inexperienced novice who knew little of the world.
“We may not be seeing him much longer.”
“Ahahahahaha.”
The Mages of the Flame Faction laughed as they looked forward to what would happen next.
***
At the same time, Rodos was sitting at his desk.
He was there to examine the details of his mission.
Rodos broke the seal on the mission sheet, which had been closed with golden wax.
At last, the nature of the Gold Mission was revealed.
The golden sheet of paper read as follows.
[Subjugate the Deathfrost Dragon Glacies]
▷ Rank: Gold
▷ Classification: Subjugation
▷ Time Limit: 3 Months
▷ Reward: Gold Token, Ownership Rights to Subjugation Spoils
▷ Description: The Deathfrost Dragon Glacies has established a nest in the Glaci Mountains, the easternmost territory of House Augustus and a source of Magic Ice Stone.
As a result, the production of Magic Ice Stone has suffered serious disruptions.
Subjugation forces composed of Mages and soldiers from the territory have been dispatched on several occasions, but all of them were annihilated.
As a child of House Augustus and one blessed by magic, subjugate it and prove your ability.
That was everything written on the mission sheet.
Rodos first examined the reward.
‘A Gold Token….’
The Gold Token was the most important part of the reward.
The memories belonging to his current body told him with certainty that if he obtained a Gold Token, he would be able to acquire one of the things he desired.
Whenever a mission was successfully completed, the person who completed it received a token in addition to the reward specified on the mission sheet.
The token served as a type of certificate that could be exchanged for a reward of the owner’s choosing.
The higher the difficulty represented by the token, the greater the rewards for which it could be exchanged.
A Black Token could be exchanged for an entire territory.
Even a Gold Token, one tier below it, could be exchanged for a castle.
If a mission offered rewards of this magnitude, then the monster he was required to subjugate had to be extraordinarily dangerous.
Rodos looked intrigued.
The Deathfrost Dragon Glacies.
It was a monster that had been given the name “dragon” because of its resemblance to one.
Its level of danger was said to be great enough that it could easily destroy an entire territory.
‘There is no information.’
The mission sheet provided no information about Glacies itself.
Apparently, researching what kind of monster it was and devising an appropriate strategy were part of the mission from the outset.
Simply ordering him to subjugate a monster without giving him anything else to work with was certainly typical of House Augustus.
However, Rodos was familiar with monsters possessing similar characteristics.
Back when he had been the Great Warrior, he had encountered a similar creature in the North.
It was a mutation that occurred when an Ice Drake, a monster that inhabited cold regions, was exposed to naturally occurring Cold Energy for an extended period.
Strictly speaking, it was not a Dragon.
Dragons were said to be the strongest creatures on earth.
Naturally, this monster could not compare with beings said to possess supreme intelligence and transcendent magical abilities.
‘There is a reason it has “dragon” in its name.’
Even so, there was a reason it bore the name of a Dragon.
It lacked intelligence comparable to a Dragon’s, but there was still a reason for the name.
Its body.
Its scales, formed from ice, repelled all Magic and swords just like a Dragon’s scales, and despite its enormous bulk, it moved with astonishing speed.
Furthermore, because its body was composed of Cold Energy, merely approaching it was enough to freeze living creatures solid.
‘I have to subjugate something this dangerous.’
Rodos recalled the past.
Even back then, killing such a creature had not been easy.
If he had not fought alongside the other warriors, he could not have been certain of victory.
‘That only makes it more exciting.’
Rodos felt his fighting spirit flare.
It was a powerful monster.
A creature that he had barely managed to kill after risking his life in battle.
The thought of fighting something like that again made his heart pound with excitement.
To think that creatures like this existed outside the North as well.
The world truly was vast, and he had been nothing more than a fire spirit trapped inside a chimney.
‘It will not be easy.’
Rodos knew that the House would provide him with no support whatsoever.
A mission had to be completed from beginning to end through one’s own ability, without assistance from the House.
If he needed companions, he had to hire or recruit them himself.
If he needed equipment, he had to obtain it himself.
Even traveling to the region where the mission would take place was his own responsibility.
That was one of the reasons the missions were so difficult.
Of course, there was a loophole.
Numerous factions existed within the House.
The blood relatives backed by those factions could easily obtain the companions and equipment they needed.
After all, many Mages would voluntarily offer to accompany a Young Master carrying out a mission.
However, there was no possibility that Rodos had a faction of his own.
There was no reason any Mage would support a Young Master who could not even properly cast a single Low-Level Spell.
‘I cannot do this alone.’
There were some things that simply could not be accomplished alone.
The Deathfrost Dragon Glacies was absolutely not a monster he could subjugate by himself.
Therefore, the first thing he needed to do was obvious.
Find companions.
He needed someone capable of drawing the creature’s attention.
Rodos tucked the mission sheet inside his clothes and left his room.
***
It was afternoon, and the sun stood high in the sky.
The Knights were training at the Training Grounds.
“Hah!”
Only the sharp battle cries accompanying their sword thrusts echoed through the solemn atmosphere.
It was a familiar sight to Rodos.
He had trained at the Training Grounds every single day without fail.
Unlike usual, however, when he focused solely on his own training, he carefully observed the Knights practicing before him.
He needed reliable companions.
Skill mattered, but more than that, he wanted courageous people rather than cowards who would point a sword at his back.
That was why he had come to the Training Grounds.
He could not help but prefer Knights who wielded weapons over Mages.
After all, crossing blades with someone was enough to tell what kind of person they were.
Rodos crossed the Training Grounds and headed toward the Knight Commander’s Office.
‘I do not know if this will work.’
He did not know whether it was possible.
But he would never know until he tried.
Igrun was seated at his desk, working on documents.
The moment Rodos saw him, he spoke without preamble.
“I was assigned a Gold Mission.”
“You will be facing quite an ordeal.”
Igrun looked intrigued.
He also knew that a Gold Mission would not be easy for Rodos.
“But why have you come to see me? Do you need someone to Spar with?”
“I need companions.”
“?”
Igrun’s eyes widened at the completely unexpected words.