Chapter 57: Drawing Near

After a moment of quiet, the female mage suddenly pulled out of Shaoke's arms, rubbing her face with her hands and saying, "Xueye, go take a look at the 'spellbook' you made! It looks very beautiful."

Although her sudden departure left him feeling somewhat lost, he still turned his attention to examining the 'spellbook' he had just crafted. A light blue book rested quietly on the writing desk, which the female mage had already tidied up. The thick cover was imprinted with a butterfly poised to take flight, flanked by over a dozen ancient magic scripts inlaid with mithril, mainly serving as simple protection for the 'spellbook.' The edges of the book were wrapped in silvery-white snow-copper sheets, cool to the touch, which helped slightly focus one's scattered mind.

Shaoke gently stroked the 'spellbook' he had made for the first time, turning to the female mage beside him and saying, "Francis, wait a moment. I need to check if this book was successfully crafted."

The female mage nodded. "Mhm! I think it definitely succeeded."

Shaoke cradled the blue-covered 'spellbook' in his arms, carefully scanning it with his mental energy. He felt his mental energy easily penetrate the entire book without any obstruction. Then, he released his magical power to sense it once more. "Yes, Francis, this 'spellbook' is a success, hehe!" With that, he handed the book back to the female mage for her to feel as well.

Although the female mage took the book, she did not use her mental or magical energy to sense it. "I believe you. Your first attempt was very successful. Hehe!"

The two of them stayed up almost until dawn, leaning against each other as they fell asleep. They talked about many things: from their initial meeting to the present, and even shared some stories from their pasts. However, perhaps due to the natural wariness of mages, neither delved too deeply into their previous experiences, merely mentioning them in passing.

When Shaoke woke up, the female mage was still asleep. She had not done any meditation to restore her mental energy the previous night, and coupled with her emotional excitement, she still hadn't woken up. Gazing at the female mage's rosy lips, Shaoke couldn't resist the urge to kiss her again, savoring the softness of her lips. But reason prevailed over desire; he knew it wasn't appropriate.

Shaoke paused for a moment, slowly putting some distance between himself and the female mage. At that moment, she also woke up, looking at Shaoke's conflicted expression with confusion. "Francis, I really couldn't control myself. You're too captivating, I..." The female mage shook her head, gently lifting herself to straighten her slightly disheveled clothes and hair.

After the two of them playfully teased each other in the carriage for a while longer, the coachman cautiously called from outside, "Honorable Mage, breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat now?"

The two hurriedly straightened their disheveled clothes and hair, opening the carriage window to let in some fresh air. "Wait a moment, we'll eat outside," Shaoke said, planting another kiss on the female mage's cheek. Only after the female mage had prepared herself and covered her cloak did they step out to eat.

When the mages emerged, the coachman waiting outside took a few frightened steps back, not daring to look up at them. The other coachmen also kept their distance, unwilling to approach. After a moment of thought, Shaoke understood the situation. The blue light emitted during the crafting of the 'spellbook' the previous night had penetrated the carriage, startling the coachmen. Unfamiliar with the nature of spells, they assumed the mages were creating some strange, torturous device inside. Recalling the various bizarre tales about mages, the coachmen grew genuinely fearful of their two customers.

The two mages, now in better spirits, quickly devoured the food prepared by the coachman. Fearing reprimand, the coachman hastily grilled a few slices of meat for the mages to eat.

This time, the female mage silently accompanied Shaoke as they walked around the carriages for a while. Finally, under the coachman's somewhat uneasy urging, they boarded the carriage and set off again.

As soon as she entered the carriage, the female mage removed her cloak and carefully examined Shaoke. "Xueye, why do you always walk around the carriages? Is there something wrong?"

Shaoke shook his head, gently tucking the blanket around the female mage. As his fingers brushed through her long hair, his heart stirred. "I'm just exercising. Since my promotion, I've felt my physical condition decline significantly, and it seems to be worsening. The erosion of magical power shouldn't be this severe, right?"

The female mage looked up at Shaoke, adjusting the pillow behind her to a more comfortable position. "Xueye, this kind of exercise isn't very effective. Once you reach the military headquarters in the capital, the Mage Corps there will have specialized training methods to improve mages' physical condition. There are also many medicinal aids available." She paused briefly, glancing at Shaoke again before hesitantly adding, "Actually, as the magical power within the body increases, physical condition gradually declines. I don't think the mentors at your academy told you this, even though all mages promoted to the Second Rank know it. If... if special herbs and methods are used during the promotion, this decline in physical condition can be minimized."

Shaoke smiled bitterly. "Francis, are you sure a mage like me can access those slightly special promotion meditation methods? And do you think I have enough common gold coins to buy those expensive herbs?" As he spoke, Shaoke suddenly felt a wave of discomfort in his heart. He then leaned back opposite the female mage, carefully studying her, hoping to forever imprint her image in his mind.

The female mage shifted to a more comfortable position, gently extending her small feet from under the blanket and resting them on Shaoke's lap. Uncertainly, she said, "Xueye, why don't you come to the Mage Guild too? If you go to the military headquarters, you might be assigned to the border to fight against the empire's mages. Just thinking about the elder mage I saw in that library terrifies me. He... wasn't he injured on the battlefield before becoming like that? I'm worried."

Shaoke's heart wavered at this. If he returned to the capital, there was a high probability he would be assigned to the border to fight against the empire's mages. In that case, it would be difficult for him to return to the capital anytime soon. However, the Mage Guild wouldn't forcibly assign tasks to mages; they only issued internal tasks for mages to choose from, offering a much more relaxed living environment. Moreover, the variety of spells learned there was considerably greater than in the imperial military headquarters.

Seeing Shaoke's hesitation, the female mage pressed eagerly, "What do you think? At the Mage Guild, we could study magical knowledge together and discuss things. Even if money is tight, we could take on tasks together! I hear the rewards for those tasks are quite high."

Shaoke frowned. "Francis, aren't most of those tasks about serving as bodyguards for nobles and great merchants? Wouldn't that still mean a lack of freedom? And while nobles and merchants nowadays look down on mages somewhat... gold coins still drive mages to take on such work... sigh!"

The female mage nodded in agreement. "Yes! But what else can we do? Should mages set up stalls on the streets, hawking the spell scrolls they've made? If not this, how else can we earn enough gold coins to study spells and buy those expensive auxiliary materials?" She gritted her teeth and continued, "I've heard that in the past, mages held a much higher status than nobles. They received annual subsidies from the empire. But now, for some reason, that hasn't happened since the establishment of the Blue Feather Empire."

Shaoke carefully sorted through his thoughts, slowly placing his hand on the female mage's small feet, keenly feeling the warmth emanating from her body. "If I join the military headquarters, the commonly used auxiliary herbs wouldn't need to be purchased, and copying spells would cost half as much as at the Mage Guild. Plus, the soldiers there respect mages; they aren't like those merchants and nobles who lack even basic courtesy." As he spoke, his hands gently massaged the female mage's small feet. The female mage blushed, shaking her head, hoping he would stop. "Xueye, don't do that. It's too ticklish."

Shaoke smiled awkwardly and withdrew his hand. "Although the battlefield is dangerous, I believe the opposing mages are of similar rank to us, so... I don't think it's that risky. Who knows, there might even be clerical vacancies in the capital."

The female mage picked up a book and shook her head. "No matter what, I still hope you'll come to the Mage Guild with me. I'm afraid... I'm afraid if you leave the capital, I might slowly forget you. After all, there are more outstanding young mages there!" After saying this, the female mage suddenly looked up, slowly playing with the large-format book in her hands, her fingers tracing the patterns on the copper cover.

Shaoke was slightly taken aback but quickly changed the subject, starting a new conversation.

And so, the two of them discussed their futures on the carriage, learning from each other's spellcasting techniques as time slowly passed. That night, neither mage meditated for long, only engaging in brief meditation to restore their mental energy before sitting opposite each other, talking about endless topics. Shaoke wanted to tell the female mage before him that he liked her, time and again, but after several attempts, he still couldn't bring himself to say it. The female mage likely knew what Shaoke wanted to say. Biting her lip, she said, "Xueye, don't do this. I'm afraid if you really leave, I might forget you because of your actions now." Although Shaoke didn't fully understand what she meant, he knew the female mage was somewhat afraid of what he might say. With a soft sigh, he abandoned his plan to confess his feelings to her.

The two mages hardly slept all night, each feeling the warmth of the other's body. They both knew the choices they had made—choices that very likely would separate them. They had no idea what would happen after parting ways, so they cherished this short night and the final day they would spend together.