Chapter 100 Canyon Frontline

The officer eating nearby snorted coldly, "Roman, when did you learn to accept invitations from others?" He swallowed a large piece of meat and continued, "Tell me, why didn't Lanweier come to find me this time? Did she go back to rest? Wasn't she with you?"

"Lanweier? I wasn't with her this time. She probably went back to rest. If I weren't waiting for my companion, I would have gone back to rest too. After all, this mission was quite exhausting." Mage Roman slightly shrank back into her chair, trying to use Shaoke's body to block the officer's line of sight.

The officer snorted again, tossed aside his dinner, picked up his knife, and left. "Roman, next time you must take good care of Lanweier. I already know she was injured. If something like this happens again, I'll cut down the fellow next to you." Ignoring the meaningful glances from the surrounding mages, he hurriedly left the tavern, as he needed to attend to the mage named Lanweier he had mentioned.

After the officer hurried away, Shaoke turned to look at the pale-faced female mage. "Mage Roman, what was that about just now? Why did that officer..." The female mage waved her hand, stopping Shaoke from further questioning.

"You don't need to know about these things for now. It's a private matter of mine." Mage Roman smiled at Shaoke. "Thank you!"

"Mage Roman, you should go back and rest for a while. You don't look so good." Shaoke's concern didn't sway the female mage's decision to stay in the tavern.

"No, there won't be time to rest even if I go back. It's better to stay here for a little while." Although Mage Roman declined Shaoke's suggestion, she still nodded gratefully at him, then slightly curled up in the tall-backed chair, hugging her staff and feigning sleep.

Shaoke quietly watched the female mage resting curled up in the chair. Fortunately, their spot was in a corner, and the surrounding mages generally wouldn't pay attention here. Moreover, with the high-backed chairs around, it was impossible to notice the female mage resting without regard for decorum.

When Mage Roman woke up, she found Shaoke still sitting beside her. She then noticed a red blanket draped over her and a small heater placed at her feet.

The female mage softly called out to Shaoke, who was meditating. "Mage Xueye, let's leave here first." She then glanced at the few remaining mages in the tavern and added, "There are hardly any people left here."

Hearing the female mage's voice, Shaoke quickly ended his meditation. Seeing that Mage Roman looked more energetic than before, he nodded. "Mage Roman, when should I follow you to the battlefield? I need to make thorough preparations as soon as possible."

Mage Roman rolled her neck and straightened the blanket draped over her. "Someone will notify you when it's time. Hmm! I estimate it'll take about three to five days before we set out again." After tidying the blanket, she said in a light tone, "Mage Xueye, let's end our conversation for now. You should head back early too." She then gestured for Shaoke to leave with her.

When Shaoke escorted the female mage to the entrance of their camp, he found the unruly officer from the tavern blocking the gate. Both outside and inside were female mages. In the lamplight, Shaoke noticed there were quite a number of them. Although most were Second Tier Mages, there were still many of the same rank as Mage Roman—at least more than the Third Tier male mages he had seen, including those in the tavern.

The officer stood at the entrance, bellowing toward a stone tower where mages were stationed. After listening for a while, Shaoke quickly understood the officer was arguing because he couldn't enter to see a certain female mage. From the stone tower, a female voice occasionally responded to the officer.

Shaoke's arrival caught the attention of the female mages blocked outside the camp gate. One female mage who had spoken with Shaoke in the tavern immediately approached him. "Oh! Mage Xueye, I never expected you to escort Mage Roman back. When will it progress to the point where you don't need to escort her back?"

The other female mages who knew Shaoke or Mage Roman quickly surrounded them, leaving the officer who was still bellowing at the camp gate behind, and began teasing Shaoke and Mage Roman.

Utterly confused by the situation, Shaoke awkwardly pulled the hood of his cloak over his head under Mage Roman's displeased gaze. Mage Roman repeatedly explained to the female mages that there was no special relationship between them.

While everyone was discussing, the officer blocking the camp gate stopped bellowing after hearing a message from a female mage on the stone tower. Upon inquiring, the mages quickly learned that the eccentric old spinster on the stone tower had agreed to let the officer see the female mage he requested.

Whether the officer eventually saw that female mage or not, Shaoke didn't know, because after the officer stopped arguing with the mages, he immediately stepped aside, allowing the mages blocked outside to return to the camp. As for whether these female mages would continue to gawk at this officer with Seventh Rank Aura, that was something Shaoke didn't know.

After resting for a few more days, Shaoke was informed by a soldier that the mission had begun, and he must now go to the designated location to find his team.

Having prepared in advance, Shaoke left a simple letter for Mage Roland and then gathered all necessary items to rendezvous with Mage Roman.

The rendezvous point was at the foot of the city wall that extended into the mountains. From afar, Shaoke could see a dense crowd gathered there—mages carrying staffs, warriors with swords, and even clerics holding scriptures.

A mage inquired about Shaoke's team and smoothly led him to Mage Roman. "Mage Xueye, I'm glad you've joined our team." Mage Roman nodded at Shaoke. Beside her stood two male mages and one female mage. The other three mages also nodded friendly at Shaoke, welcoming the new companion.

Once all the mages in her team had arrived, Mage Roman led them to a nearby camp to gather over a dozen warriors as attendants, along with ample food and necessities for life in the field.

Shaoke simply followed Mage Roman and the others silently. The mages eventually boarded a carriage heading toward a valley at the foot of the mountain. Since Mage Roman had previously explained in detail what to expect during this mission, Shaoke didn't feel nervous but somewhat excited, thinking he would finally engage in real combat one-on-one with a mage.

The valley wasn't very wide. According to the combat rules here, each vanguard unit could only deploy about ten or so mage teams, spaced over ten miles apart, while the remaining teams followed behind to provide timely support or replacement.

After traveling in the carriage for nearly half a day, they finally stopped at a frontline camp within the valley. After a brief reorganization, Shaoke's team was ordered by the local commander to reinforce the mage teams ahead, as news had arrived that several teams had suffered heavy mage casualties and urgently needed reinforcements from their comrades. Finally, the commander saluted Mage Roman and said, "Honorable Mage, please be careful! I will arrange for others to replace you as soon as possible."

Shaoke and the other three Second Tier Mages followed Mage Roman, leading over a dozen warriors on foot toward the battlefield ahead. Mage Roman called Shaoke to her side and pointed ahead. "Just be careful later; we shouldn't be in too much danger."

Shaoke nodded, slung his staff over his back, and touched the pouch at his waist containing various magic powders. He asked in a low voice, "Mage Roman, have they all participated in this kind of mission before?"

"Yes, only you are participating for the first time, so you can rest assured we will try our best to look after you." Mage Roman understood Shaoke's concerns because when she first executed such a mission, nearly the entire team died here due to all the Second Tier Mages being rookies. Therefore, she comforted Shaoke in a low voice.

"Mage Xueye, I heard you can use the two-handed hand-seal technique?" Mage Roman took advantage of the remaining distance to ask Shaoke why he had slung his staff over his back. "In this fortress, I've only encountered a few who can use the two-handed hand-seal technique. Hmm! It seems the Blizzard Legion will have another Battle Mage capable of rapid Spellcasting."

Shaoke twitched the corner of his mouth, revealing an awkward smile. "I'm only somewhat proficient; I haven't reached a level of proficiency yet."

"Haven't reached a level of proficiency yet?" A male mage nearby chimed in. "I've practiced for a long time but still haven't mastered this technique. The others are the same. Do you know? Many mages here have heard there's another mage who can perform two-handed hand-seals, and they're all extremely envious." The male mage looked at Shaoke with an envious gaze. He had practiced for nearly two years but still couldn't use this technique to cast even the lowest Zero-level Spell.

The mages' pace quickened. After traveling for another magic hour, their team had just climbed a small hill. As Shaoke was about to ask Mage Roman how much farther they had to go, he suddenly spotted a team approaching not far from the hill. Mage Roman quickly cast a Support Spell on herself and soon said to Shaoke, the others, and the warriors behind, "Attention, that team belongs to the Desasi Empire. We must prepare for battle."

Upon hearing the mage's words, the warriors quickly discarded various non-essential gear they were carrying and positioned themselves in front of the mages. Another female mage sighed softly. "Has the team ahead already been wiped out? Why didn't they send a magic signal? Could it be..."