Chapter 62: Waiting

The officer shot Shaoke a furtive glance and said, "Honorable Mage, if that female mage has connections with the Mage Guild, once she relinquishes her status as a Military Mage here, she will return directly to the Mage Guild. The military's Mage Corps won't be able to mobilize her at all."

Shaoke breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh!" He then fell silent. He didn't know if the mage would come here to report, but according to their agreement, she was supposed to come today. So, Shaoke decided to wait here. "Ulfat, I'm waiting for someone here. Will I be in your way?"

The officer quickly shook his head and said, "Honorable Mage, it's no trouble at all. Why don't you rest inside the room for a while? I'll have the soldiers keep an eye out for you."

Shaoke shook his head, declining his suggestion. "I'll be fine here. No need to trouble you."

Although Shaoke said so, the officer temporarily excused himself to instruct the soldiers to help keep watch, after all, this would show his willingness to help mages.

The officer fetched a chair for Shaoke. "Honorable Mage, please sit here and wait. It's too tiring to stand the whole time." Shaoke once again declined his kindness and apologized, "Ulfat, go attend to your own matters. There's no need to take care of me. Otherwise, your superior might reprimand you if they see you."

"Yes, Honorable Mage." The officer saluted again, somewhat nervously asking, "Are you following the military department's transfer? Your robes are black?"

Shaoke was taken aback and carefully examined the now-tense officer. "Yes, is there a problem?"

Upon hearing Shaoke's affirmative answer, the officer hurriedly took out several gold coins from his pocket and handed them over in a panic. "Honorable Mage, I didn't know you were a mage directly subordinate to the military department. Please forgive me. I thought..." The officer lowered his head, feeling deeply ashamed for having accepted money from this mage.

Shaoke gave a slight smile and pushed his hand back. "Ulfat, I never take back what I've given. Are you trying to insult me like this?" After a slight thought, he continued, "Did you think I was from the Mage Corps?"

The officer looked up at Shaoke, feeling uncomfortable. "Honorable Mage, I never meant to insult you. Yes, initially, I thought you were a mage from the Mage Corps, which is why I accepted your money."

Shaoke insisted the officer keep the money and began asking him about matters within the military department. He wanted to know why there was conflict between the Mage Corps and the soldiers, and why there were distinctions like mages directly under the military department versus those belonging to the Mage Corps.

The officer then explained in detail to Shaoke. While waiting for the female mage to arrive, Shaoke listened to this infighting within the military. After all, it wouldn't hurt to hear more, and it helped pass the time.

Just as the two were talking, a frivolous voice suddenly chimed in. "Oh! Isn't this the watch officer? What, another poor soul assigned to gate duty?"

Shaoke, who had been keeping an eye on the entrance, had already noticed the owner of this voice. It turned out that five or six mages in gray robes had entered through the door and were heading straight toward them, spouting such disrespect.

The officer started to speak, but Shaoke gently stopped him. He sized up the approaching mages and saw that the collars of their robes were uniformly embroidered with the insignia of a Second-tier Mage. He stepped forward and asked, "Aren't you mages? Don't you even know the most basic etiquette? Didn't your mentors teach you how to interact with mages of the same rank?"

The mage who had just spoken was also a young mage. He curled his lip, glanced sideways at Shaoke, and said, "Are you the mage who just arrived yesterday? What? Assigned to this position so quickly by that rigid old man? Not bad!"

Shaoke turned his head and whispered to the officer, "Is fighting allowed here?"

The officer shook his head worriedly. "Fighting isn't allowed, but I'm concerned they might challenge you to a duel outside. He's been here for nearly a year." After subtly hinting at the opponent's strength, the officer intended to step forward and speak to the mage, but Shaoke stopped him again. He knew what the officer planned to say, but he didn't want to bow to these fellow mages of the same rank just because they belonged to different factions.

Shaoke twirled his staff and asked the officer loudly again, "Ulfat, what would happen if a fight broke out here?"

The officer was pondering how to resolve the situation when Shaoke's question made his eyes light up. He replied, "Honorable Mage, before your spell could even be cast, high-rank mages would intervene to stop it."

Upon hearing the officer's words, Shaoke didn't hesitate and began chanting an incantation. A fireball the size of a washbasin quickly materialized in front of his staff, causing the mages to tense up. The opposing mage also intended to cast a spell but was stopped by his companions. On one hand, they didn't believe Shaoke would dare to blast them with a fireball; on the other hand, if they cast a spell here, the high-rank mages would impose the harshest penalties. Moreover, they were confident that the opponent's fireball would soon be shattered by the high-rank mages.

After the 'Fireball' spell was fully formed, Shaoke still didn't see any high-rank mage appear. The group of mages, seeing Shaoke holding the fireball without releasing it, mocked him, "What's wrong? Using that little flame to keep warm?"

Just as they were jeering, Shaoke, under their horrified gazes, hurled the fireball straight at them.

The fireball didn't explode in front of the mages. Instead, when it was less than half the distance away, a small fireball suddenly appeared in front of the large one and quickly merged into it. At that moment, Shaoke felt the spell he had cast slip completely out of his control.

The merged fireball, under the control of an unknown spellcaster, slowly flew to a nearby spire and disappeared. Then, a middle-aged man's voice came down from the spire, "The mage who cast the spell, leave immediately and report this incident to your superior. As for the rest of you, get back to your rooms right now. If you cause any more trouble for the Mage Corps, I'll have you standing guard on the city walls."

Shaoke adjusted his cloak, glanced at the pale-faced mages, and bid farewell to the officer, asking him to keep an eye out for the female mage's arrival and telling him his name.

When Shaoke knocked on the tall wooden door again, it was the same officer who opened it. Although somewhat surprised, the officer politely invited him inside.

The senior officer, seeing Shaoke enter, waved his hand to stop the officers who were arguing nearby and pointed to the same spot from the morning. "Sit down. What's the matter?"

Shaoke saluted, sat down, and gave a complete account of what had just happened. "Sir, I'm sorry." After speaking, he stood up, awaiting the senior officer's punishment.

The senior officer was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily. The officers who had stopped arguing also joined in the laughter. Seeing them laugh so carelessly, Shaoke felt the tension in his heart ease. It seemed this wasn't a major issue.

The senior officer stroked his graying hair and sighed, "Mage Xueye, this is really not a big problem. Hmm... how about this? Since you need to copy spells anyway, I'll sentence you to stay in the library for a month without leaving. I'll arrange for someone to bring you the necessities." After speaking, the senior officer glanced at the officers standing by and added, "However, once you leave this branch, you must not engage in direct confrontations with those mages. Not only have they mastered some second-level spells, but they also have support from influential nobles behind them. If anything happens outside, we won't be able to do much for you."

Shaoke nodded, thanked the senior officer for his protection, and requested to go to the library tomorrow instead, as he needed to wait for a female mage to report here today.

The senior officer frowned and asked, "Is that female mage the one who came with you?" Seeing Shaoke nod in confirmation, he gave Shaoke a strange look and said, "You don't need to wait for her. She won't be coming here. Her mother has already come to complete the procedures for her. I suspect the mage is currently studying spells at the Mage Guild."

Shaoke was stunned for a moment, tightened his grip on his staff, and said uncertainly, "She will come here. She said she would. We agreed on it." After speaking, he once again performed the mage etiquette to the officers present and turned to leave.

After Shaoke left, the senior officer asked the officers beside him with a touch of sadness, "Do you think he'll be able to wait for Mage Peyton's daughter to arrive? Sigh!"

The surrounding officers didn't say anything more, merely lowering their heads to carefully inspect the white cloth on the table for any stains, ready to clean them promptly.

Shaoke's mind kept echoing the senior officer's words. He had no idea whether the female mage would keep her promise. In a daze, he returned to the entrance. The officer on duty approached him with concern, "Honorable Mage Xueye, did the superiors punish you too harshly?"

Shaoke nodded, adjusted his cloak, and asked, "Has a female mage passed by here?" The officer shook his head. "I'm sorry, Honorable Mage Xueye, we haven't seen any. Perhaps she'll come in the afternoon. After all, the capital is so large. If she lives far away, it would be difficult to arrive in the morning."

Shaoke waved his hand, signaling the officer to leave. "Go attend to your duties. I need some quiet time." With that, he stood in his original spot, watching the mages coming and going through the entrance, hoping to spot the figure he had been waiting for so long.

————Keep it up!