It was only for a split second, but the person called Van Helsing had also demonstrated the strength of a Mid Rank 2 Aura Master, the same level as Eliphas.
Yet, despite their seemingly equal strength, their fight ended in a mere instance. Van had won by a landslide; he had utterly decimated his opponent.
It was a difference in skill execution and battle experience.
Just by looking at Van Helsing’s middle-aged face, the crowd could quickly tell that he was a person with plenty of battle experience.
After all, even if male witch descendants couldn’t live as long as witches, their lifespan was still longer than a normal human being.
Male witch descendants that looked like ordinary middle-aged men were most likely already entered their first hundred years of age.
After the crowd’s initial shock, they erupted with cheers and amazement and started gossiping.
“Van Helsing… was there such a skilled Mid Rank 2 Aura Master in the city?”
“Skill Mid Rank 2 Aura Master? At his age? Most aura users in their 100s would have reached Rank 3 Aura Grandmaster by now. He might be skilled, but he is untalented.”.
“Untalented? You don’t even know if he had shown his full strength. For all we know, we had only seen a glimpse of it. Perhaps, Van Helsing really is a Rank 3 Aura Grandmaster.”
“Ugh, you do have a point…”
Seeing the Senior Witch overseeing the matches had yet to announce the winner, Vaan glanced at her and urged, “The winner?”
“Oh, right. The winner is Van Helsing!” the Senior Witch recovered her wits and made the announcement.
Shortly after, she handed the token marking the 250th spot to Vaan after taking it from the previous spot-holder.
The following matches continued after Vaan stepped off the battle platform.
…
On a tall building away from the market square, a few high-profile figures watched the enlistment competition from afar.
At the start, it was just Hester overseeing the enlistment process. But along the way, Helia, Ember, and Astoria quietly joined her on the rooftop.
“You had us wait over something like this, Lord Helia?” Ember furrowed her brows as she stared at the ongoing match on the battle platform.
“While it might delay the expedition a bit, this screening process is necessary if we want to ensure we have the strongest mercenaries,” Helia calmly explained.
“The Red Goblin Mountains isn’t a place we can venture into with ill preparation, Grand Inquisitor. If the remnant forces of the Assembly of Silent Night are only hiding in the outer region, then we have nothing to worry about.”
“However, if they ventured deep into the core region to hide and still manage to survive the goblin horde, then it’s best that we have all the manpower we can muster to enter the depths of the mountain to eliminate them,” Helia stated.
“You speak too seriously, Lord Helia. We have the butcher of ten thousand demons on our side. The Red Goblin Mountains is nothing to fear,” Ember coolly dismissed Helia’s warning. “We only need the extra troops to clear out small fries and conserve our strength.”
“Please wrap up the enlistment asap, Lord Helia. We don’t have time for this,” Ember requested.
Helia softly sighed.
If the Red Goblin Mountains were so easily conquered, they would have been conquered ages ago. The danger in the depth of the mountains was hard to estimate.
Nevertheless, Ember Killian had already given her word. She had no choice but to obey.
“Alright. If the Grand Inquisitor wills it,” Helia replied.
…
Shortly after Helia went down to the square, the enlistment competition was swiftly brought to an end, much to many people’s disappointment. Vaan was fortunate enough to grab a spot before it happened.
Even so, many Rank 2 Aura Masters were disgruntled by the missed opportunity.
However, there wasn’t anything they could do about it. No one dared to appeal to the Lord of Redpine City herself.
“All unrelated parties may leave! As for the rest, you have an hour to prepare everything you need for the punitive expedition and gather in front of the southern gate!”
“Yes, Lord Ashenborn!”
The crowd of spectators and hired mercenaries obeyed after receiving Helia’s instructions.
Since Vaan made his preparation beforehand, he headed straight for the southern gate along with a few other organized individuals who had also prepared everything before enlisting.
…
One hour later, Helia’s three hundred hired mercenaries, fifty private troops, and Ember’s hundred inquisition force arrived outside the southern gate.
Moments later, Helia, Ember, and Astoria also arrived overhead on the three magic airships managed by their own crews, only roughly two hundred feet above the ground.
Seeing everyone was gathered, Ember and Helia gave out individual instructions to their own people.
“We set out for the Red Goblin Mountains.”
“We leave for the Red Goblin Mountains!”
Right after everyone heard the orders, the large group of four hundred and fifty people set forth for the foot of the mountains ahead.
But while Ember’s forces and Helia’s private troops moved an organized formation, the three hundred hired mercenaries traveled like a chaotic mob without order or discipline.
As Ember observed the troops’ movement from the sky, she could clearly see the problem.
“Our combined forces consist of a hundred and twenty Senior Witches, thirty Rank 3 Aura Grandmasters, and three hundred Rank 2 Aura Masters,” Ember suddenly mentioned to Helia.
“I intend to use the three magic airships to scout the mountains from the sky and have a real-time understanding of the situation. However, seeing how disorderly these hired mercenaries are, they don’t look like those who can’t follow orders properly. I doubt my plan will work with them.”
“You were the one who hired them, Lord Helia. How do you intend to use them?” Ember inquired shortly after.
Helia glanced down at the ground route the troops were taking toward the Red Goblin Mountains and paused in thought.
“Since I’m paying them for their services, we should make full use of them by sending them ahead to sweep out the pests and clear a path for our main force,” Helia suggested after much contemplation.