Chapter 104 Post-war Night Talk

The mages were silent for a moment. After waiting a while, Shaoke said to Mage Roman, "I will strengthen my overall mana as quickly as I can." As he spoke, he intended to pull his cloak tighter, but the female mage glared at him fiercely. Wisely, Shaoke abandoned the action, not wanting her to accuse him of being afraid to show his face or something similar.

Mage Roman took out a disc-shaped magic item, checked their location, and pointed at the other female mage. "Next time, you intercept the enemy spells. Xueye, you coordinate with the others in the attack. I think your powerful penetrating spells will give those mages quite a surprise." Mage Roman paused briefly. "Actually, I made a mistake in the initial arrangement. Fortunately, it's not too late now. Mage Xueye, I hope you can perform better next time."

After the team retreated a bit further back, Mage Roman directed everyone to stop temporarily. They needed to camp here to rest and wait for some reinforcements from the rear.

As dusk approached, the magic item in Mage Roman's arms emitted a faint buzzing vibration. While analyzing the gains and losses of today's battle for Shaoke and the others, Mage Roman checked it, and a look of joy appeared on her face. "This time, the rear has sent us several warriors. I think the losses among our warriors in the next battle won't be so great, and we won't have to worry about the enemy bullying us with superior numbers."

The warriors not far away, hearing Mage Roman's news, became somewhat excited. The two warriors who died in the previous battle had been surrounded and killed precisely because the enemy had more people. They believed that with sufficient manpower, they wouldn't die so easily in battles against the enemy.

After waiting a while longer, a warrior on guard duty nearby brought another rescue team. This team, however, consisted of five male mages. Mage Roman clearly knew the third-tier mage leading them. After meeting, the two mages temporarily left the group to talk privately.

Shaoke secretly observed the two mages. Although he couldn't hear what they were saying, their expressions seemed pleasant, which inexplicably irritated him. "How long have you all been part of this team?" To dispel the inexplicable irritation, Shaoke asked the other mages.

"For over a year," the female mage sitting next to Shaoke quickly answered. She had been chatting with the other male mages. "Any problems?" She then pointed at the other two mages. "They only arrived here a few months before you."

Shaoke nodded and then joined their discussion.

After chatting for a while with Mage Roman, the third-tier male mage who brought the reinforcements saw that the warriors had neatly arranged the supplies. He then bid Mage Roman a temporary farewell. They needed to take this opportunity to bypass the enemy country's mage team and infiltrate the rear to snipe at the enemies behind.

At night, while Shaoke was recording the battle, Mage Roman called for him outside. "Mage Xueye, can you come out for a moment? I'd like someone to chat with." Hearing Mage Roman's invitation, Shaoke's quill pen paused abruptly, and some ink dripped onto the parchment serving as the 'spell record.' He hurriedly took some fine sand from a small box, sprinkled it on the spot, and quickly responded, "As you wish, I'll come out right away."

When Shaoke came out, he found Mage Roman holding a roll of parchment. She slightly tilted her head and smiled at Shaoke. "Come, let's sit by the campfire for a while." Without waiting for Shaoke's reply, she led the way toward the fire at the edge of the camp.

Shaoke hesitated, then turned back into his tent to grab his staff. He tightened his cloak and followed Mage Roman to the fireside.

The female mage had already spread the roll of parchment on the ground and sat down, patting the spot beside her. "What are you waiting for? Sit down quickly! It's quite warm here too." As she spoke, she added a few pieces of firewood to the campfire to increase the warmth.

The parchment wasn't very large. Sitting there, Shaoke could clearly feel a coolness emanating from where his arm touched Mage Roman's. He didn't know why Mage Roman had sought him out at this time. Although it wasn't very late, the night's cold wind made him feel chilly even sitting by the fire.

"Can you tell me about your life before coming here?" Mage Roman placed her staff aside, hugged her knees, and stared blankly at the fire. After a long silence, she suddenly asked this question.

Although Shaoke didn't know why the female mage was asking about these things, he briefly recounted his studies at the academy and his time guarding the border. "Mage Roman, are you alright? You don't look well," Shaoke said, only now noticing that Mage Roman sitting beside him looked somewhat pale, and her previously smooth red lips were a bit chapped.

The female mage moved closer to the fire. "It's nothing, the wind is just strong today." Mage Roman gestured for Shaoke to move closer too, then smiled contentedly. "You like that female mage we met on the road, don't you?"

Faced with Mage Roman's sudden question, Shaoke nodded somewhat awkwardly. "Probably, but I'm not entirely sure if I really like her that much." After saying this, he glanced at Mage Roman, who was still staring blankly at the fire, unsure if she had heard him.

"If you somewhat like her, then seize the opportunity properly!" Mage Roman closed her eyes and looked up for a moment. "When you reach the Third Rank, I'll arrange for you to return to the capital for a while first, then assign you to the army guarding the capital. How does that sound?"

Shaoke didn't answer, just shook his head inwardly. He didn't believe the female mage before him could secure such a good position for him.

Shaoke's lack of response led to silence between them. After a while, Mage Roman, who had been looking up, suddenly sighed softly. Then, in a lighter tone, she asked Shaoke about the day's battle. Shaoke took this opportunity to continuously pose his own questions to Mage Roman.

Moreover, to thank Mage Roman for her detailed guidance, Shaoke solemnly promised her in front of the fire that in the next battle, he would definitely break through the opponent's defensive spells, creating opportunities for his companions.

Seeing Mage Roman nod in satisfaction, Shaoke tentatively made an excessive request. "Mage Roman, could I learn that mobile spellcasting technique from you?" Worried she might refuse, he quickly added, "Since I've already joined this kind of mission, there's no need to wait three or four years before giving me this technique, right?"

Mage Roman gave Shaoke a sidelong glance, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright. I don't think the military department will blame me for teaching you this technique. However, practicing mobile spellcasting consumes a lot of time and won't immediately improve your combat strength."

"It's fine. The earlier I start practicing, the sooner I can truly be of help to you." To obtain the mobile spellcasting technique early, Shaoke straightened his posture, trying to make his tone sound sincere. "Moreover, if the enemy hadn't followed the rules here today and had pursued us, I think losing a spellcaster's resistance would have posed a great threat to the entire team." After a moment's thought, he continued, "If I knew this technique, I could attack the enemy before they finish spellcasting. Then we would have taken the initiative in the battle."

Mage Roman just shook her head and smiled. Since meeting Shaoke, she had never imagined he would one day have such an expression. "Is that why you want to learn this technique early? And you don't need to worry about the enemy breaking the rules here unless they want to die prematurely on this battlefield." She then quietly waited for Shaoke's reply.

Shaoke just stiffened his neck and nodded, admitting to Mage Roman's guess. In truth, he was mainly considering his own strength, not genuinely concerned about whether he held an important combat position within the team. Because he knew that the more important his combat role, the sooner he would leave this otherworld.

Hearing Shaoke's words, the female mage suddenly realized that this once-powerful team had quietly declined. She remembered when she first formed this team after becoming a third-tier mage. The mages back then had extremely rich combat experience, having served in the Bloody Fortress for six or seven years. In countless missions, only a few of those mages died here or lost their chance for promotion due to severe injuries. Most successfully advanced within this team.

As time passed, the powerful mages under Mage Roman gradually left the team. She never imagined that now she would have to rely on mages with barely over a year of battlefield experience to maintain the team's strength.

Thinking about this vexing situation, Mage Roman gritted her teeth and finally decided to teach Shaoke the mobile spellcasting technique ahead of schedule. When Shaoke heard this news, he was so excited he almost hugged Mage Roman. Fortunately, the female mage glanced at him, otherwise, the consequences of rashly hugging a third-tier female mage were something Shaoke dared not imagine.

Just then, Shaoke suddenly heard a low murmuring sound from the rear of the camp, followed by faint footsteps. Shaoke quickly grabbed his staff, intending to go and investigate.

But Mage Roman grabbed his hand, shook her head, and whispered, "Don't move. Don't bother. There's no danger here. The alert wards I set up haven't been triggered, and attacks between both sides are forbidden at night here."

Despite Mage Roman's explanation, Shaoke was still somewhat worried. "Let me go check, just in case..." Before he could finish, the female mage interrupted him again.