Chapter 274: Sorrow After Departure

"Yeah, don't tell her for now." After a moment of silence, the White-robed Cleric looked at Shaoke.

As for why she did this, she didn't make it clear. "Can I come here often from now on? I hardly have any friends here." Saying this, the White-robed Cleric seemed to recall something and let out a soft sigh. Then she turned to look at Shaoke, realizing that the mage before her seemed more mysterious and gave off a strange feeling compared to years ago, which made her feel both unfamiliar and uneasy. But she didn't show it.

"Who are you?" At that moment, the maid opening the door noticed Shaoke and the White-robed Cleric outside. However, since the mage had resumed his original attire, the young maid couldn't confirm if this guest was her master. She hurriedly tried to close the door, but Shaoke stopped her.

"Can't you recognize my voice?" Shaoke glanced awkwardly at the White-robed Cleric beside him, noticing she was holding back a smile. If not for the maid's presence, she would have laughed outright. Shaoke then glared at the maid, pulled his cloak tighter, and this familiar gesture made the maid instantly recognize him. Blushing with panic, she welcomed Shaoke and the Cleric inside.

After comforting the flustered maid, Shaoke sent her to prepare some pastries and drinks. He wanted to hold a lengthy discussion with the White-robed Cleric about what had happened since they parted. Of course, this was not a time for servants to attend, as many topics were not suitable for their ears.

The discussion lasted an entire day, with the two sitting in Shaoke's room. Unless something arose, neither left the room.

"Mage Xueye, can you tell me why you came here?" Perhaps due to the reunion, the White-robed Cleric's cheeks flushed for a long time, even without drinking. "Why did you leave the Blizzard Legion? Isn't Mage Roman there?" Saying this, the White-robed Cleric looked at Shaoke with envy. If only her husband were still alive.

"After the incident in the small town back then, I decided to leave the Blizzard Legion." Shaoke swirled his wine glass, leaning sideways on a soft stool. This posture was not much different from how he used to sit on the battlefield. "I didn't want to lose my life over the internal conflicts of the high-ranking officials." He waved his arm agitatedly, "Especially being casually killed by those Eighth-order Practitioners. I couldn't stand that outcome."

His words left the White-robed Cleric silent for a long time. Finally, she just lowered her head and poked at the coals in the fireplace with an iron poker. The reason Shaoke left the Blizzard Legion wasn't much different from hers; she only made up her mind after her husband's death. There was nothing left worth holding on to there.

"Maybe you could return to the Death Mage Corps," the White-robed Cleric broke the silence again. She didn't understand why Shaoke left the Corps back then, given that she had vaguely heard from him that the Corps offered generous rewards and access to many books for mages.

Shaoke didn't know how to respond to her advice. He felt that being in the Corps or not made little difference now. Moreover, since leaving, he could freely allocate his time without needing to perform any missions. He also felt that returning to the Corps would lead to a more monotonous life, which he could no longer accept. After all, he was no longer the young Third Tier Mage who sacrificed everything for advancement. But he didn't voice these thoughts, as he had too many reasons for leaving.

"After leaving the Death Mage Corps, I still received substantial benefits from them, along with many books." Shaoke paused briefly, looking at the White-robed Cleric. "And for a while, I can still seek their help." He took out a large amount of medicines and books to prove his point.

"That's good," the Cleric sighed softly in relief. "Life as a Wandering Mage is tough. I regretted leaving the military soon after I did," she said, then chuckled softly. "If I hadn't left back then, maybe I'd have the power to advance to a Sixth Rank Cleric by now." With another sigh, she touched the golden book in her hand and then focused on the medicines Shaoke had laid out.

"You're out of medicine?" Shaoke frowned at the White-robed Cleric. "Didn't the military give out plenty of medicine and other items after the war?" He added, "You should have received more rewards."

Seeing his puzzled expression, the White-robed Cleric said bitterly in a low voice, "Shortly after arriving here, some people came looking for us. Would you rather lose your life or precious medicines and materials?" She touched her face, clearly resigned to the past events.

"Is this true?" Shaoke raised his voice, spilling his wine in his agitation. "Who did this? I'll kill them." He stared intently at the White-robed Cleric. He knew that Clerics below the Eighth Tier had no offensive capabilities, so they couldn't resist such situations. He didn't blame her for giving up all her possessions.

"Some members of the Wandering Mage Alliance and the Mage Guild," the White-robed Cleric grabbed Shaoke's hand to calm him down. "Are you sure you can fight the Wandering Mage Alliance consisting of hundreds or thousands of mages? Can you resist the Mage Guild's demands?" She sighed softly again. "Let what's lost be lost. Pretend you never had it."

"Tell me their names," Shaoke gripped her small cold hand tightly. "I'll kill them for you. I can do it. Remember, I'm a mage from the Death Mage Corps." He held her hand firmly, believing this would comfort and help her.

"I don't remember their names." Though he hurt her hand, the Cleric didn't pull away. She liked this feeling. During the war, whenever other mages clashed with their group, Shaoke would always side with them without asking for reasons.

After repeated questioning, the White-robed Cleric still refused to name those mages, making Shaoke irritable. He finally slammed his staff on the floor and leaned back on the soft stool, staring blankly.

Seeing this, the White-robed Cleric rubbed her bruised hand, moved closer to Shaoke, and grabbed his arm. "Mage Xueye, leave this place. If the old rules haven't changed, High-rank Mages will soon come looking for you to take everything you have." She looked at him worriedly, hoping he wouldn't lose the precious items he'd risked his life for over decades.

"Are they Eighth-order Practitioners?" Shaoke took a deep breath to calm his temper. He had noticed the bruises on her hand and felt guilty. "Are you okay?" He gently massaged her hand to help it recover.

"I'm fine." The White-robed Cleric blushed slightly and said softly, "They don't have Eighth-order Practitioners. They'll threaten you with Seventh-order Practitioners and other professionals. If you don't comply, they'll kill you." She tightened her grip on his arm, not wanting this stubborn mage to be harmed over magic materials and other valuables.

"I can handle them." Shaoke relaxed a bit upon hearing there were no Eighth-order Practitioners. He wasn't afraid of Seventh-order Practitioners; if necessary, a single spell could take one down. This confidence came from the combat records of ancient and primordial spellcasters in the magic scripts he had read, as well as the spellcasting techniques not passed down in modern times. All because his spells were so powerful, he had the confidence to destroy higher-ranked opponents.

Faced with Shaoke's stubbornness, the White-robed Cleric had no choice. After dozens of unsuccessful attempts to persuade him, she gave up. They then discussed other topics before the Cleric decided to leave. "Don't stop me. If nothing goes wrong, my companion should be waiting for me at the estate." She nodded to him and prepared to leave alone.

"I'll see you off." By now, Shaoke sensed that as night fell, the streets had turned chaotic again, with warriors and other professionals starting to fight. He couldn't let the White-robed Cleric, who lacked offensive spellcasting ability, walk these streets alone.

"No one here will harm me," the White-robed Cleric reassured him. "They all know I'm a Cleric, so they'll come to me when injured for healing." She smiled helplessly. "But they don't know you. If a conflict arises..."