Chapter 99 Mission Matters

During lulls in the war, the lives of mages became somewhat richer and more relaxed compared to before. Mage Roland made a daily habit of spending some time at the tavern in the afternoon, then leaving with a barmaid. Shao Ke also went to the tavern occasionally to unwind for a while, but he only asked other mages about difficulties in spell practice. Those mages were quite willing to help him during their free time.

After a lull of over ten days, the war flared up again. Mage Roland looked enviously at Shao Ke, who was temporarily exempt from the battlefield. "Mage Xueye, at times like this, I really envy you. At least you still get plenty of time to rest, but I have to face that damned war."

Upon hearing Mage Roland’s words, Shao Ke could only smile bitterly. "Mage Roland, what if I offered to switch positions with you now? Would you trade places, taking a few days' rest now for a mission later that's far more dangerous than your current one?" After saying this, he felt his mood grow heavy. So he avoided the topic, and the two mages wished each other well, hoping both could survive this war.

Once he was busy again, Shao Ke only counted the days in the evening, waiting for Mage Roman to return so he could tell her about his new position. The days passed slowly like this. Shao Ke only remembered he was still in a war when he smelled the thick scent of blood and heard the incessant sounds of slaughter from his room all day.

When the day Shao Ke had estimated for Mage Roman's return arrived, he went to the tavern in the afternoon to look for her. Just as he had initially estimated, Mage Roman was sitting alone at her usual spot. She quickly noticed Shao Ke’s arrival, and her somewhat dim eyes suddenly brightened.

"Mage Xueye, why do you have time to come here this time? I heard the battle has already started on the city walls." After Shao Ke sat down, Mage Roman asked him with some confusion.

"I've been reassigned, Mage Roman!" Shao Ke took off the hat covering his head, casually ordered a glass of red wine from a barmaid, and sat opposite the Female Mage, explaining the reason for his presence.

"Oh! Have they got you leading soldiers to maintain order in the fortress now? Or are you sent to the outside camp to oversee those poor prisoners?" Mage Roman asked with great interest about Shao Ke’s new role, while sighing inwardly. She knew these two positions weren’t great posts. Although they kept one away from the dangerous front lines, it meant the mage had been abandoned by the military. As for the specific reasons, she didn’t know much.

"Neither, Mage Roman." Seeing Mage Roman’s somewhat weary expression, Shao Ke didn’t beat around the bush. After taking a sip of red wine, under her curious gaze, he explained in detail about the change in his position, then quietly waited for Mage Roman’s opinion on the matter.

After hearing about Shao Ke’s new position, Mage Roman rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She hadn’t expected that her half-joking suggestion, which Shao Ke had seriously refused last time, would now lead to him being directly assigned to such a mission. "Mage Xueye, it’s fine. This time you’re assigned to my team, right? I’ll do my best to help you." For the time being, this was the only comfort Mage Roman could offer her future teammate. She knew that mages who carried out such missions were almost all those who had served in the military for over five years. With Shao Ke’s experience of just over a year on the battlefield, the danger he would face in such a mission was the greatest. And she herself didn’t dare claim she could guarantee Shao Ke’s safety.

Shao Ke idly turned the staff leaning against the table. When he heard the Female Mage say she would help him, a deep sense of helplessness welled up inside him. With memories from another world, he really didn’t want to be taken care of by a woman, especially on the battlefield. But to avoid truly dying in such a dangerous mission, Shao Ke only sighed softly and didn’t refute the Female Mage’s words.

Seeing Shao Ke’s somewhat unpleasant expression, Mage Roman sighed softly and explained the specifics of the mission there.

Just as the Seventh Tier Mage who issued the orders to Shao Ke and the others had said, these Second Tier Mages were randomly assigned to teams led by a Third Tier Mage. These teams all had a common point: one Third Tier Mage leading five Second Tier Mages and over ten Second Tier Warriors. Their mission was to engage in combat with similarly structured mage teams from the Enemy Country in the great canyon. They could only return to rest after a month, spending the rest of the time fighting in the great canyon, striving to seize the longest control over the entire canyon. This control was related to the subsequent larger-scale, bloodier, and more brutal wars.

After listening to Mage Roman’s explanation of the situation, Shao Ke had the barmaids prepare the pastries she liked and brought them over. Then he asked her what he should pay attention to when carrying out such a mission.

The Female Mage casually picked up a pastry and ate it. After moistening her somewhat chapped lips with wine, she finally answered Shao Ke’s inquiry. "Mage Xueye, on the battlefield, you just need to kill your opponent. Don’t worry, your opponent is just another Second Tier Mage, only from a different country." After saying this, Mage Roman added, "The Enemy Country’s team configuration is the same as ours. When the time comes, I’ll handle the Third Tier Mage. We won’t worry about the warriors for now. First, kill all their mages, then go help our warriors."

Shao Ke asked the Female Mage question after question until the crystal lamps in the tavern were lit. Only then did he notice the Female Mage’s face looked somewhat pale, as if she hadn’t rested well. So he quickly stopped his inquiries and called a barmaid to massage Mage Roman’s head, which made the Female Mage look more energetic.

"Mage Xueye, you really ask a lot. Actually, telling you these things now isn’t of much use. Who knows what will happen on the battlefield! So the most important thing is to rely on your own adaptability. Of course, luck is still quite important." Under the barmaid’s massage, Mage Roman closed her eyes and told Shao Ke something he hadn’t asked about. She hoped her current help would allow this companion, who had only been on the battlefield for a little over a year, to safely advance to Third Tier Mage.

The exquisite dinner was quickly brought to the table by the barmaids. Mage Roman gently blew on the steaming medicinal soup with her small mouth, then scooped a little with a silver spoon and brought it to her lips. Afterward, she wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and repeated the action. Shao Ke simply took a few pills and then slowly began to enjoy the exquisite dinner.

The two mages unconsciously followed the mages’ rigid rules in such a place, and neither spoke a word during the meal.

Shao Ke finished dinner before the Female Mage, who had just finished her medicinal soup. Mage Roman looked at the food, which wasn’t too messy from Shao Ke’s eating, nodded with satisfaction, and then began her meal. While waiting boredly, Shao Ke’s eyes involuntarily shifted to her red lips, which opened and closed from time to time. Finally, after taking a sip of wine, the Female Mage glared at Shao Ke as usual before lowering her head to continue eating.

After being glared at by the Female Mage, Shao Ke quickly averted his gaze. Although he knew what he had just done was impolite, he couldn’t control himself. To avoid similar incidents from happening again, Shao Ke leaned back in his chair and slowly recalled the experiences the Female Mage had just told him, to deepen his impression.

While recalling the experiences told by the Female Mage, Shao Ke suddenly sensed someone approaching. His time in the war made it easy for him to detect the strong scent of blood on the other person. This scent, caused by too much killing, was something he hadn’t smelled on the Female Mage, nor had he sensed it on other Third Tier Mages in the tavern. Who knew how many people this person had killed to have such a lingering scent of blood around their body.

Opening his eyes, Shao Ke saw a Bald Brute in military uniform approaching. Over two meters tall, his solid muscles strained against the thick military uniform. A long knife hung at his waist, and several steel javelins were stored in the pouch on his back. The surrounding mages quickly made way for the soldier. On one hand, the bloody scent on him was unbearable; on the other, the mages quickly recognized that this officer was a powerful officer in the fortress who often visited the High-rank Mages. So they didn’t want to block this warrior who didn’t conform to the rules by coming to this tavern belonging to the mages.

The officer walked to Shao Ke’s side and plopped down on a chair, pulling the large knife from his waist and casually throwing it on the table. After ordering food and fine wine from a frightened barmaid, he ate there without saying a word.

Mage Roman had actually finished dinner while Shao Ke was lost in thought, but she didn’t disturb him. Instead, she leaned back in her chair, found a comfortable position, and rested with her eyes closed. The arrival of this officer startled the dozing Female Mage. Lazily stretching a little in her chair, she glanced at the officer, frowned, then turned to Shao Ke and said, "Mage Xueye, come sit next to me. I really can’t stand this smell."

Shao Ke hesitated for a moment. Seeing the Female Mage gesture for him to come over again, he picked up his staff and sat next to the officer who exuded the scent of blood. Mage Roman nodded with satisfaction, turned sideways, and smiled at Shao Ke. "If I weren’t so tired today, I might have accepted any invitation you might have offered!"