Chapter 233: The End of the High-Ranking and Departure

After the strange spell [Spell] ended, the crude magic array suddenly burst with a black glow, and the arranged skulls and arms completely vanished, along with the simple array on the ground. Only the disc remained in place.

After retrieving the disc, the Legion Commanders ordered the mages to go back for treatment and rest. As for the dead, following protocol, they ignited the Arcane Fire using special magic materials [magic materials], reduced them to ashes, and collected them to be buried in the Imperial Military Cemetery after the war.

The intense fight caught everyone's attention in the city, but unfortunately, some mages didn't join the battle. Meanwhile, the Low-order Warriors kept order on the streets to prevent any further incidents caused by ordinary soldiers.

After handling everything, the Legion Commanders flew toward the Eighth-Rank Blue-Robed Female Mage floating in the air and her two companions, apparently intending to question them about certain matters.

Of course, none of this concerned Shaoke. He picked up the skull staff of the Death Mage from his squad and the pale blue dagger thrown by the Sleazy Officer, then followed the Female Mage Yisier back to the military camp as ordered by the Legion Commanders. They believed the commanders would provide some explanation as soon as possible.

Being injured again within a short period made the White-robed Cleric, who had been confined to the camp, repeatedly complain to Shaoke under her breath. After examining the mage's wound, the physician hurried away, as there were far too many injured mages this time. The White-robed Cleric also cast a spell to speed up the recovery of Yisier's meditation space before rushing off, just like the physician, to tend to other mages awaiting her treatment.

"Within just a few months, you've been hurt several times. I think you might need to leave the battlefield for a while," Mage Yisier said, looking at Shaoke's wound helplessly. She was really worried this injury might mess him up long-term. However, the doc's diagnosis and the cleric's treatment did put her mind at ease a bit.

"The events of this period are rather strange," Shaoke speculated, though he didn't voice it. He sensed this might stem from disputes among the military's high command or the Empire's punishment of the Blizzard Legion, or even other reasons. But he didn't dwell on it; his only concern now was whether the Blizzard Legion could survive this ordeal.

"If we had been allowed to go, the casualties might not have been so severe," the two mages, still exhausted themselves, welcomed the White-robed Cleric's return. This time, however, she looked exhausted, with red and swollen eyes, as if she had been crying. "Morveer the Cleric always helped me. She said she would assist me when I advanced to the Fifth Tier Cleric," she said, then began to sob softly. The two mages, who had yet to fully recover from their own exhaustion, had to comfort her again.

"If you had gone, that mage and the other enemies would have targeted you first," Mage Yisier said, embracing the White-robed Cleric and comforting her in a low voice.

After chatting for a while, the three mages returned to their respective rooms. Shaoke sat alone in his tent, silently stroking the necromancer's staff and the Sleazy Officer's blue dagger, lost in thought.

He hadn't expected the necromancer to die in this conflict, remembering how he'd said that after this return, he would add the heads of those Ritualists to his staff to enhance its power. Now, that would never happen. Shaoke had never even seen the necromancer's true face, as the necromancer, who had always been near him, had his head smashed by a light ray from that Eighth Tier Mage, with three or five transparent holes pierced through his body. This bummed Shaoke out, since the necromancer was one of his better buddies in the squad.

This dazed state lasted until dawn, when a weary Mage Roman returned from the laboratory. "Xueye, what happened? Why didn't those High-rank Mages let us leave the lab?" she asked, quickly noticing the wound on Shaoke's leg and staring at him, awaiting an answer.

Seeing Mage Roman's anxious and worried expression, Shaoke simply recounted the previous day's events. When Mage Roman heard of the Sleazy Officer's death, a cry escaped her lips. She covered her mouth with her small hand, but sobs still broke through, and transparent tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks. "I remember him. When I first joined the Blizzard Legion, he took good care of me... He even knew my uncle!"

The Female Mage's crying didn't last long; after about half a magic hour, she stopped, as the physician arrived again to check and treat Shaoke's wound. Fortunately, the physician was highly skilled in bone-setting, and after the procedure, Shaoke felt no discomfort.

Over ten days passed, and Shaoke could now perform simple recovery exercises with assistance, thanks to the White-robed Cleric's frequent treatments and the physicians' prescribed medicines. Around this time, the Blizzard Legion Commanders, who had gathered here, once again summoned all the professionals in the town.

The gathering point was the simple square in the city center, where several officers stood upright, silently awaiting the arrival of the professionals. Thousands of professionals soon assembled, including wounded ones like Shaoke. Only those with severe injuries remained in their tents to recuperate.

With the help of an Amplification Spell, a Legion Commander's low voice explained the reasons behind the recent conflicts and the events of the past period. Finally, the one-armed commander of the 33rd Corps said, "The war is nearing its end. We will remain here until it concludes. As for all the medicines and other rewards you are owed, the Blizzard Legion will pay them in full according to the agreement." He looked at the gathered crowd and sighed softly, "If possible, I hope you all can still undertake some simpler tasks. This time, the military department will no longer provide us with false intelligence."

The commander's final words were met with opposition from nearly all the professionals, including Shaoke, who refused to take on any more missions. Faced with this situation, the Blizzard Legion commanders had no choice but to acquiesce. After getting betrayed by their own people, nobody wanted to fight for the Empire anymore, no matter how great the rewards.

However, over a hundred Alchemists continued their work, as the items they produced were sent to other Blizzard Legion sub-legions, not for use by other forces.

Shaoke and the others stayed in this small city for nearly three years, during which the front lines shifted, moving it away from the war. The Empire relocated large numbers of ordinary residents from other places to settle here, making the city seem more prosperous—at least, the streets were no longer filled with soldiers in uniform.

The Blizzard 33rd Corps then disbanded in the third year of its garrison in the city. Some professionals joined other legions, while Mage Yisier, Mage Roman, and many mages familiar to Shaoke chose to serve in the main Blizzard Legion. But this time, Shaoke refused to continue military service.

He was sick of fighting for other people's gain while only getting a tiny cut himself, and he didn't want to lose his life for unknown reasons within the legion.

A few mages made the same choice as Shaoke, though their numbers were small—only about a dozen out of hundreds chose to leave the military. Most of them decided to become Wandering Mages, while one or two joined the Mage Guild, as it generally offered more freedom than the military. No one organized these choices; after the legion disbanded, many high-ranking officers of the 33rd Corps, including the one-armed commander, disappeared, leaving only low-ranking officers to help the mages and other remaining professionals choose their legions.

Three Blizzard sub-legions were disbanded this time, sparking over a year of discussion in the city. But none of this concerned Shaoke. Though he still stayed in the city's military camp with other mages who had decided to leave the army, enjoying the various precious resources provided by the military and the Blizzard Legion, he would leave once the war ended. Where he would go next was unknown to him at the moment.

When Mage Roman and other mages were choosing their legions, they repeatedly urged Shaoke to join the main Blizzard Legion with them, so they could continue to gather and exchange magical knowledge. Mage Roman was disappointed by Shaoke's decision, but in the final days before their departure, she set aside her tasks and spent intimate time with him in his tent. The newly promoted Sixth Tier Mage [Sixth Tier Mage] Yisier also frequently joined in, clearly unwilling to be separated from Shaoke for long.