Chapter 151 Possession Before Departure

Mage Man very naturally helped Shao Ke tidy up the white dust cloths covering the room and straighten the somewhat messy bedding, then sat down to wait for him to light the firewood in the fireplace.

As the flames burned, the mages finally warmed their chilled bodies. The two sat on low-legged soft stools, silently watching the flames in the fireplace, and lapsed into silence.

After waiting for a while, Mage Roman lit a candle and placed it on the writing desk, then returned to Shao Ke's side. "I'll be leaving here soon," she said, leaning against Shao Ke.

"Returning to the Blizzard Legion?" Shao Ke paused slightly before continuing, "When are you leaving? Will you come back?"

The female mage chuckled softly, as if trying to dispel the heaviness between them. "This time, I'm leaving with the people from the Blizzard Legion. Hmm! After they resolve matters here." At this point, as if to comfort Shao Ke, she further explained, "At least in the Blizzard Legion, I won't have to fight with those mages anymore. And I can also focus on preparing to advance to the Fourth Rank."

Shao Ke nodded, brushing the long hair from the female mage's face behind her ear. "If you get promoted to the Fourth Rank, what new plans do you have? Can you tell me about them?"

Roman sighed softly, taking out a small box carved with flowers and grass from within her robes and slowly playing with it in her hand. "I will retrain to become a true alchemy-type mage. By then, I want to personally craft a staff for you. As for the one my uncle promised, he still hasn't made it for you yet." She smiled apologetically at Shao Ke.

After hearing about the female mage's future choice, Shao Ke slowly twirled the staff in his hand. "I already have this staff. I think it will last until you make a new one." Unable to hold back, he then asked, "Can't you wait a bit longer? The large-scale fighting here is over. I think staying here..." He didn't finish, suddenly feeling he had no right to force the female mage to change her choice.

"I've grown tired of war," Mage Roman explained in a low voice. "I've been at this fortress for nearly twenty years. The fighting here has never stopped for a single day." She then propped her head on her hand, as if thinking about something. "If it's not fighting people from the Desasi Empire, it's fighting those nobles and merchants in and around the fortress. It really exhausts me." As she spoke, she handed the wooden box to Shao Ke.

"Is this a parting gift?" Shao Ke casually took it, rarely making a joke.

"Some letters people sent for you. Mage Roland asked me to give them to you." Mage Roman gave a wry smile, explaining in a low voice the contents and origin of the box. "Not long ago, he left here with the Blue Feather Legion. Hmm! There's a letter he wrote to you inside."

Shao Ke thought for a moment but ultimately didn't open the box, instead tucking it into his pouch.

"He became a Third Tier Mage?" Shao Ke hadn't expected Mage Roland to advance to Third Tier Mage so quickly. He hadn't thought the man was particularly talented before!

"No," replied Mage Roman. After adding a few more logs to the fireplace, she stood up and sat on the bed, gazing at the candle for a long time. "The mages from Bloody Fortress who participated in that war have all been recalled by their respective legions, even if they haven't been promoted to Third Tier Mage." She then added, "This has never happened before. Hmm! At least, I've never heard of it."

Mage Roman then explained in slightly more detail some of the changes occurring in the fortress, finally boldly suggesting they sleep.

This time, Shao Ke actively embraced the female mage and went to sleep on the bed. This sleep wasn't as peaceful as their previous ones. After frolicking on the sturdy wooden bed for a while and working up a sweat, they finally fell asleep in each other's arms.

In the morning, holding the female mage's smooth body, he once again gave in to his desires, pressing on top of her and starting another round. Although he wanted to satisfy her, two days in a row proved too much for him, and he retreated early. The female mage smiled; she wasn't bothered by it. Instead, she tightly held Shao Ke in her arms, enjoying the warmth between them. "Don't do this too often. Hmm! At least not two days in a row. It's not very good for your health."

After hearing the female mage's somewhat vague reminder, Shao Ke felt very embarrassed. Fortunately, she didn't press the matter further, instead closing her eyes and letting Shao Ke continue lying on top of her.

The two stayed in bed until noon, but nothing further happened. They simply held each other and talked. Only when lunch was delivered by a soldier did they hurriedly tidy up. After eating lunch, they parted ways.

It turned out that not long after that afternoon, while Mage Roman was listening to Shao Ke talk about the death garrison below the fortress, urgent knocking from a guest interrupted them.

After the guest was welcomed in, Shao Ke saw it was the same Bald Officer who had barged into the tavern before. Following the officer was a female mage wearing a white robe, and beside her was a Female Cleric holding a wide, golden book.

"Mage Roman, last night..." Before the officer could finish, the mage and cleric standing behind him simultaneously stood on their toes to twist his ears hard. "Can't you just be quiet? You go out first; you're not needed for this matter here," they said, forcefully pulling the bald officer outside.

Subsequently, Shao Ke was also politely asked to leave by Mage Roman, as the guest had important matters to discuss with her, and it wasn't appropriate for Shao Ke to listen in.

The officer smiled at Shao Ke. Hmm! Although the smile was rather ugly, Shao Ke still sensed his goodwill.

"Can you tell me what's going on? I have a bad feeling about this."

"The army is about to depart, but Mage Roman is still in your bed, unwilling to leave. I had to come fetch her," the bald officer said, laughing loudly. However, his expression soon turned somewhat unpleasant. He bent over slightly, panting heavily a few times, and touched his chest with his hand, apparently feeling unwell.

The door opened again. The female cleric quickly flipped through the golden hardcover book in her hands, her fair, delicate fingers pointing at the pages as she chanted in a strange language and tone. Then, a faint golden light, controlled by her fingers, flew out from the golden book and her body, quickly merging into the bald brute's chest.

"Can't you just rest peacefully for a while?" The other female mage who had come out with Roman, though trying hard to control her emotions, couldn't hide the anxious look on her face. "We can handle this ourselves. Do you still have to come along? Can't you take care of your own health?" Without regard for Shao Ke and the other outsiders present, she went up and gently rubbed the bald man's chest a few times.

Shao Ke didn't pay much attention to the bald officer's situation. Instead, he turned to look at Mage Roman's calm face and asked, "Are you leaving at this very moment?" As he spoke, he saw Mage Roman nod in agreement. His heart grew somewhat flustered; he knew he couldn't accept this news immediately.

"If you leave here, who will take care of those mages who just joined the Blizzard Legion and are still here? I think they still need a High-rank Mage's help for a while." After thinking for a moment, Shao Ke finally came up with this reason to dissuade her, but as soon as he said it, he realized how weak and feeble it sounded.

"Don't worry," Mage Roman sighed softly. "At least I won't have to face war here anymore. I'm tired of war." She quickly added, "Moreover, the Blizzard Legion has now received documents from the Military Department, so I must leave here unless I want to disobey their orders. And the Blizzard Legion has already arranged for a new mage to take over my duties. He is capable of helping those Second Tier Mages."

"I just wanted you to stay a few more days," Shao Ke muttered under his breath. But Mage Roman walked a few steps toward him, offering sincere blessings, hoping he could successfully advance to Fourth Tier Mage within the Death Mage Corps.

Subsequently, the other three also came forward to bless him. Finally, they bid farewell to Shao Ke because the Blizzard Legion's unique urgent assembly signal kept sounding outside the military camp. Under these circumstances, the female mage embraced Shao Ke, accepted his blessings in return, and then hurried toward the camp entrance with her companions.

Shao Ke followed behind until the female mage and the others boarded a four-wheeled carriage, surrounded by a cavalry unit several hundred strong in the center, before turning to leave. He knew he currently had no ability to make her stay. Moreover, the female mage would be fine after leaving here. What reason could he use to stop her under these circumstances?

Mage Roman's departure made Shao Ke even more withdrawn than before. After losing Mage Roland, an occasional visitor, this state of his never changed again.

One day, the Military Department summoned Shao Ke once more. A Fourth Tier Mage again inquired if Shao Ke agreed. Shao Ke only awkwardly refused once more because he didn't know what new choices that Seventh Tier Mage had given them at the time. Moreover, he had already decided to return to serve in the Blizzard Legion after leaving the Death Mage Corps.

Upon hearing Shao Ke's refusal, the Fourth Tier Mage, for some reason, let out a soft sigh of relief. "Although I don't know what impact your choice will have on the future, I believe it is, at least for now, a very correct one." He then gave Shao Ke a kind smile. "It's not only that one profession that possesses great power. I think in the future, you could transition to become an even greater mage. Of course, all this depends on your own choices." After saying this, he let Shao Ke leave.