Chapter 45: After the Slaughter

Seeing the merchants crowd around to express their gratitude, Shaoke quickly tugged his cloak lower. However, the merchants still caught a glimpse of the eerie diamond-shaped arrays in his eyes. Although they had seen many mages before, this was the first time they'd ever seen such a thing in a mage's eyes. Despite their shock and fear, the merchants still stepped forward to thank the two mages for their assistance.

Shaoke waved it off. "You should go find that bandit leader. He's alive, just wounded. Be careful. He's already unleashed his Aura."

Upon hearing that the bandit leader was a warrior who had unleashed his Aura, a wave of fear hit the merchants. If not for the two mages, even if they had as many guards as the bandits, they would have been wiped out. After all, a warrior who had unleashed his Aura wasn't someone ordinary fighters could handle.

While the merchants directed their guards to mop up the battlefield, Shaoke intended to take the female mage and leave, returning to the carriage. After all, some of the bandits were still alive, and the less fortunate ones were still burning. However, the female mage refused Shaoke's suggestion. "Mage Xueye, I want to get more used to the feel of the battlefield. I've heard that many mages are sent to the front to fight after returning to the capital. It must be even worse there than here. I want to get used to it now so I don't freeze up later and affect my spellcasting state."

Shaoke was a little surprised as he looked at the female mage frowning slightly. "Alright, Francis, you're right. However, I don't think the capital's military would just toss a female mage onto a brutal battlefield. The front is pretty much all male mages. Libraries and academy instructors are more a female mage's place."

"Mage Xueye, are you looking down on female mages? Why can't we go to the battlefield?" The female mage was somewhat dissatisfied with his view and hoped to get a satisfactory explanation from him.

"There just aren't that many female mages in the empire. The powerful mages won't allow such valuable assets to be brutally killed. They still hope these young and beautiful female mages will bear their children!" Shaoke pulled his cloak around him, feeling the magical mark in his eyes fade, and began observing how the merchants were dealing with the aftermath. The bandit leader had been bound with chains by the guards, who were now using makeshift instruments to interrogate him about violating the agreement.

"Ha! Mage Xueye, I never thought you shared their views. Are female mages just here to have your babies? How ridiculous. They can barely support themselves, let alone take on the cost of supporting another mage." The female mage flushed, and her pale lips regained their color from agitation. She even gave her staff a shake, clearly very angry.

Shaoke sighed to himself. Why did I have to go and say that? Isn't this just asking for trouble? I knew she was a female mage, so why did I say these things? Even though it's the truth, sigh!

To change the subject, Shaoke invited the female mage to go hear what the defeated had to say, as he wanted to know exactly why they had disregarded the agreement.

The female mage hesitated, glancing at the guards executing the defeated bandits. She said uneasily, "Mage Xueye, let's return to the carriage. Let them handle this dirty work. They'll tell us what this was all about soon enough."

"As you wish." Shaoke actually didn't want to go check either. It was settled. After all, the merchants would inform him later. Moreover, he couldn't bear to watch the guards brutally chop off the heads of the defeated bandits and bundle them up in the snow. However, Shaoke understood the guards were just following standard procedure. Besides, whether the wounded bandits would last long enough for anyone to find and help them was another question, so he didn't try to stop them.

As the female mage walked toward the carriage, her steps were unsteady. Shaoke hesitated before moving closer and grabbing her arm. Even through the thick clothing, Shaoke felt a flutter in his heart. How soft her arm was!

The female mage abruptly lowered her head and tried to pull free several times without success. After secretly glancing around and noticing the two guards weren't paying attention, she relaxed slightly. Still, she tried to free her arm. Unfortunately, her strength wasn't enough.

Once inside the carriage, the female mage said angrily, "Mage Xueye, this is extremely impolite. We are not nobles. We are mages, noble mages. How could you do such a thing without my permission?" She was quite dissatisfied with Shaoke grabbing her arm without consent.

"Francis, alright—Mage Woton, I saw you stumbling earlier, so I..." Under her furious gaze, Shaoke had to use a formal address to explain. He didn't want the beautiful mage to ignore him for the rest of the journey.

The female mage glared fiercely at Shaoke, opening her mouth slightly but ultimately remaining silent. She simply blushed, lowered her head, and stopped talking.

Just as the two fell silent, a merchant came to report the information from the bandit leader. Shaoke glanced at the female mage leaning against the carriage wall and said, "Francis, you should rest. I'll go down to hear what the merchants have to say." Seeing her nod, he felt relieved. He had thought the earlier slaughter caused her instability and hoped she would recover quickly.

Shaoke led the merchant a short distance away and stood quietly, signaling him to speak. The merchant licked his dry lips, cautiously glanced at the mage who had just killed dozens, and said carefully, "Honorable Mage, the leader said they wandered here from the south. They aren't bandits from this area, so our earlier worries were unnecessary."

After hearing this, Shaoke still felt uneasy and asked, "Does he have any accomplices? It would be dangerous if they attacked us tonight."

"No, he used to be a mercenary. However, he offended a noble and was abandoned by his captain. He couldn't stay in the south, so he fled here." The merchant gradually relaxed, realizing the mage wasn't so unapproachable. "We were just unlucky—we were their first target." He smiled bitterly. If not for the two mages traveling with them, they would likely be the ones wrapped in ice and snow now.

After sending the merchant away, Shaoke stood quietly for a moment. Although he felt some sympathy for the mercenary forced by the noble, he couldn't plead for mercy. This world was cruel, and every step forward came with greater danger. He was still a newly promoted mage. If he reached the Third Rank, he would likely attract attention, and what would happen then was beyond his current imagination.

The merchants finished dealing with the battlefield, collecting the weapons. This would at least reduce their financial losses. Perhaps some bandits would take a liking to these weapons, turning them into another business opportunity.

The caravan set off again. Shaoke stood beside the coachman, looking at the bandits, including their leader, now wrapped in ice and snow. His heart was filled with mixed emotions. Finally, he sighed, stomped the snow off his feet, and climbed into the warm carriage.

Upon entering, Shaoke noticed the female mage had removed her cloak. In front of her was a small portable writing desk, with a quill pen floating, writing on a thick stack of papers. The female mage had her eyes slightly closed, using her mental energy to guide the writing. Whenever a sheet was filled, she would pause, tear it off, and place it in a small box beside her. Shaoke glanced and saw a stack of papers filled with writing inside.

Shaoke retrieved another portable writing desk, took out his 'spell record' scroll, and placed it on the desk. After securing the ink bottle, he cast a zero-tier spell, 'Mage's Will,' on the quill. This spell was primarily used to write ordinary letters or records that didn't require infused mental or magical energy under a mage's guidance. The mage who created it did so because he couldn't write properly on a bumpy carriage, so he and several like-minded companions developed it.

Once immersed in magic, Shaoke easily forgot the outside world. He carefully recorded his spellcasting during the recent battle, pondered the gains and losses, and summarized which spells would be most appropriate. Writing and thinking, he lost track of time before stopping. This spellcasting battle had a significant impact, compelling him to record it in great detail.

Seeing Shaoke put down his pen, the female mage set aside her work and asked with envy, "Mage Xueye, the characters you write are unique. How did you come up with such strange symbols? I've tried many times to design my own writing symbols, but I could never complete it and had to give up."

Shaoke smiled. "When I first started learning spells, I wasn't focused. I daydreamed a lot, and slowly came up with these. Why, do you want to learn them?" His concern was unnecessary. As a mage, everyone knew personal unique records were not to be shared unless trust was absolute.

The female mage glared. "I hope one day you forget what these symbols mean. Let's see what you do then. Hah!"

"What are you doing? Making your own 'spell record'? It looks beautiful." Shaoke noticed on her desk a container holding the written papers, and beside it a thick, sky-blue hardcover notebook with copper edges. She was carefully pasting the papers onto it using a special magical adhesive.

"Yes, at least it's much prettier than your rough scroll. The 'spell records' you male mages make are always so simple and crude." The female mage resumed her work, hurrying to paste the papers to avoid mixing up the order.

Shaoke packed his desk items into his pouch and said, "Have you seen many male mages' spell records?"

"Yes, I've seen the records of all the mages stationed with me in that small town. Mages from nearby towns often visited, so I've seen plenty." The female mage answered without looking up.

"It seems you were quite popular, at least on the border." Shaoke's somewhat sour reply elicited a light laugh from her.

After the battle with bandits who disregarded the agreement, the caravan traveled several more days before reaching its destination. The mages had to temporarily end their journey. They needed to rest for a day in this larger city before seeking merchants heading toward the capital to continue.

The merchants kindly drove the mages' carriage to their inn, again expressing it was their honor. Shaoke took a common gold coin from his purse and gave it to them as payment. How they divided it was not his concern.

Since they hadn't used any magic powder for emergencies, neither mage went to purchase more. They returned to their rooms to attend to their affairs. Shaoke continued his meditation on magical energy. There was no time for meditation during the day while traveling—only at night. Fortunately, the empty stone liquid purified his mind, which made Shaoke feel somewhat better.

The next day at dawn, Shaoke and the female mage prepared their belongings. After entrusting the innkeeper with their luggage, they planned to visit the city's mercenary guild to see if any merchants had posted commissions. If so, they could travel together. This way, the mages wouldn't need to hire coachmen, and they would receive good service, reducing unnecessary troubles.

When the two mages stepped out at the guild entrance, they attracted the admiring and reverent gazes of the mercenaries coming and going. Many made a living here and guessed these were mages returning from the border. They whispered among themselves.

Fortunately, the mages were accustomed to this. Moreover, both wore cloaks, so they didn't feel too uncomfortable. Just as Shaoke was about to lead the female mage inside, a middle-aged mercenary approached, placing his left hand on his chest and bowing. "Honorable Mage, are you heading to the capital? We've just accepted a task to escort a merchant caravan to the capital. We would be honored to have you join us."

The female mage looked at Shaoke in surprise, wondering how he knew. Shaoke smiled inwardly, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Honorable Miss Francis, all mages from the small towns around our city who need to return to the capital must pass through here. Other routes take much more time."

The female mage was unaccustomed to such closeness, especially in public. She slightly turned her head, blushed, and glared fiercely at Shaoke. To Shaoke, it seemed coquettish. Fortunately, the people around thought they were discussing something.

"Can you come with me to confirm? I also need to learn more about your situation." Shaoke nodded lightly and replied calmly.

"Honorable Mage, it would be my honor." The middle-aged mercenary straightened up excitedly and followed them inside.

Outside, some mercenaries were happy—those from the same group or mission. Others were unhappy because they were also heading to the capital. Previously, one mage came here, then two not long ago, and now another two. If two mages joined their escort, safety would be greatly enhanced.

Leaving aside those frustrated with their leaders' slowness, Shaoke quickly learned the basics from the guild staff. Five mercenary teams were escorting a great merchants caravan to the capital. This caravan had operated for tens of thousands of years with an excellent reputation and strong own guards. The five teams were capable. Although no Fourth Rank or Fifth Tier warriors were among them, there were two Third Rank warriors. Most members were military veterans, either First Tier Warriors or Second-order Warriors, with rich combat experience. Besides, no high-tier bandits would appear; once warriors reached the Fourth Rank, they could secure good jobs with nobles or large merchants, better than banditry.

Upon learning all five teams were military veterans, Shaoke and the female mage immediately decided to travel with them. The middle-aged mercenary explained they were split into five groups mainly due to lack of experience as a single unit. He led one team.

Shaoke inquired, "When do you depart? We need to prepare."

After learning their lodging, the mercenary leader said, "Honorable Mage, we can set off anytime. Your thoughts?"

"Tomorrow." Shaoke and the female mage spoke simultaneously, stunning the leader. Afraid of appearing unprofessional, he quickly bid farewell to inform his companions and the caravan owner.