Chapter 114 Night of Death

After hearing Mage Roman's explanation, Shaoke could only marvel at their good fortune; otherwise, why would the female mage have used her mental scan precisely at that moment?

When the mages were just a day's journey from the fortress, Mage Roman once again picked up the enemy's trail through a magic item. "Mage Xueye, I hope we can return to the fortress smoothly," the female mage thought with a sigh as she looked at the red dots marked on the magic item. She truly didn't know if they could complete this final day's journey without incident.

Upon carefully examining the item in Mage Roman's hand, Shaoke discovered that a dense swarm of red dots had massed beneath the entire fortress, with each dot representing the presence of at least one Third Tier Mage. The red dots gathered in front of the fortress were steadily streaming toward Shaoke and his group, and along the way, dots kept blinking out here and there.

"Mage Roman, what is happening?" Shaoke asked in confusion. He never expected the military command in the fortress to dispatch so many mages, and from what the magic item showed, the fortress was also filled with red dots representing Third Tier Mages. Of course, anything farther out could not be detected by this item.

"I don't know. We can only passively receive messages from the command; there's no way to inquire through this item," Mage Roman replied in a tone of resignation. "This scene feels somewhat familiar to me." After saying this, she furrowed her brow, trying to recall past memories.

Weighed down by exhaustion and an uncertain path ahead, the mages gradually slowed their pace. After seeing the situation displayed on the magic item, Shaoke felt little desire to return to the fortress. He knew that even if they managed to run the enemy's gauntlet over this final stretch and return to the fortress, the command would still dispatch them to this battlefield.

"Night of Death!" Mage Roman, who was holding onto Shaoke's arm as they advanced, was jolted from her thoughts. She vividly recalled the events of the night when the Desasi Empire first attacked them. "Mage Xueye, do you remember that night when they first attacked us? A warrior shouted that name!"

"Night of Death"? Shaoke immediately recalled the warrior who lost his composure. He remembered how the warrior had been chewed out by another soldier, and after they separated to flee, he never saw that warrior again. "Could this breach of the rules by the enemy be called the 'Night of Death'?" Shaoke asked Mage Roman in confusion.

"Yes," Mage Roman replied, exhaling into her hands to warm them before grabbing Shaoke's hand. "I remember hearing some mages in the Blizzard Legion mention this name when I first returned after being promoted to Third Tier Mage, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, so I don't know why it's called that."

"It must be a secret among the high-rank mages!" Shaoke muttered helplessly. He was quite dissatisfied with the command's approach but had no choice but to accept it. This sometimes gave him a profound sense of sorrow and helplessness.

"Don't worry, Mage Xueye. I feel you'll soon be promoted to Third Tier Mage. I remember that shortly after I began autonomous mental detection, I successfully advanced," the female mage said, squeezing Shaoke's hand reassuringly. "Mage Xueye, once you become a Third Tier Mage, you won't complain like this anymore."

"But, Mage Roman," Shaoke suddenly raised his voice, speaking excitedly to Mage Roman, "why hasn't the command given us any news until now? I don't believe that after providing intel that was a bit off, they would sit on new intel for so long."

Mage Roman frowned. In truth, she had received a message from the command while sleeping last night, but after reading its contents, she decided to keep it to herself.

"Mage Xueye! I think you should understand that we must temporarily ignore any dispatches from command if you want to return to the fortress alive," Mage Roman also raised her voice. She didn't want her companion to doubt her, so she briefly explained the message she had concealed for a day.

The message from the command to the mages still outside the fortress was: continue engaging the enemy outside, while the enemy would abandon the use of Infiltrators, warriors, Archers, and other professions for hunting. Instead, both sides would deploy mage teams to hunt each other on these mountain ridges.

After hearing this news, Shaoke turned his head with a grim expression, looking back at the mountain ridges they had traversed over the past few days, and a deep unease settled in him. He didn't resent the command for making such arrangements, but he was dissatisfied that they hadn't first explained the reason for the enemy's sudden attack before sending them back into conflict.

"You are first and foremost a mage," Mage Roman suddenly tugged at Shaoke, quickening their pace. "Only then are you a soldier. Remember why you joined the military."

Upon hearing Female Mage Roman's words, Shaoke realized she had taken his frustration for fear of further combat, so he quickly explained, "I'm just frustrated that the command hasn't provided an explanation for this breach of the rules. Are we supposed to face the enemy again with this unanswered question?" He then added in a somewhat subdued tone, "I think the mages who died in this battle still want to know why the long-standing rules were so suddenly broken."

After hearing Shaoke's explanation, Mage Roman's stiff expression relaxed slightly. She felt ashamed for her earlier misunderstanding. "I'm sorry, Mage Xueye. I shouldn't have thought that way." She then stopped Shaoke's humble response and continued, "We must return to the fortress. The other mages are doing the same. They are even more eager than us to learn the reason for this change."

After hearing Mage Roman's decision, Shaoke glanced at her gratefully. He knew that even if they returned to the fortress safely, the command would still punish Mage Roman for this decision.

The two mages picked their way cautiously toward the fortress, guided by the red dots on the item. After nightfall, they finally encountered a mage team dispatched from the fortress. After both sides released the command's internal 'Spell' for identification, they successfully merged.

The ragged condition of the two mages quickly drew sympathy from the Third Tier Mage and the Second Tier members. The male mage promptly wrapped them in thick furs and invited them into a small tent where a fire was lit.

Without concern for their appearance, the two mages tore off chunks of the crusty bread, hastily eating it with a bit of wine. After two days of subsisting on dry, hard breadcrumbs and snow to replenish their energy, they had resorted to gathering nuts beneath the snow to stave off hunger. The soft bread provided by the Third Tier Mage delighted them both, especially Mage Roman, who gently swirled a silver goblet before sighing softly and taking a sip.

The Third Tier Mage stepped out to give them privacy, and waited patiently outside. The Second Tier Mages gathered outside were also sent back to their tents and posts. He'd only managed this by promising to share any news he obtained.

The female mage quickly regained her usual elegance after eating a few bites, while Shaoke also slowed his pace after alleviating his hunger with some food.

After the two finished eating, the Third Tier male mage waiting outside entered. "Mages, could you provide a detailed account of what happened? The other mages are very concerned about you after hearing this unfortunate news."

Mage Roman set down her goblet, smoothed her mud-stained white hair, and with a furrowed brow, briefly recounted the events. After hearing her account, the Third Tier male mage's expression turned grim. "Didn't the command warn you in time?"

Shaoke shook his head with a bitter smile. "With such a sudden event, even if the command had received the news and tried to warn us, it would have been too late. That's why we ended up in such a sorry state..."

The Third Tier Mage shook his head and, at Mage Roman's request, briefly explained the situation in the fortress.

It turned out that shortly after Shaoke and his group of mages left on their mission, many Third Tier Mages suddenly returned to the fortress, accompanied by a large number of Third-rank Warriors. The fighting on the city walls intensified, with ordinary soldiers engaged in relentless combat for two days and three nights. Additionally, many First Tier Warriors joined the fray.

"We shouldn't have undertaken this mission," Shaoke said after hearing the mage's account, suddenly feeling like a discarded pawn.

Mage Roman gently rubbed her forehead. "Is there any water? Although robes and such don't need cleaning, my hair hasn't been inscribed with magic script yet!"

The Third Tier Mage shrugged. "I've already had the mages prepare hot water—enough for both of you." Sensing their desire for privacy, he stood up and went outside to urge the mages to prepare hot water for Shaoke and the others.

The silence between Shaoke and Mage Roman lasted until the Third Tier Mage and a Second Tier Mage brought in sufficient hot water.

The Third Tier Mage waved for the excited Second Tier Mage to leave, then turned to Mage Roman and asked in a low voice, "Were the other mages killed by the enemy?"

"No," Mage Roman replied, knowing he was inquiring about the current status of the other mages in her team. "During a night raid by the enemy, we were forced to scatter after barely gathering together. I hope they can return safely."

"That's good. As long as they weren't killed on the spot, there's hope for their return," the Third Tier Mage muttered softly. In truth, he knew that Second Tier Mages separated from the protection of Third Tier Mages would likely die in enemy pursuits unless they were exceptionally lucky.

"How many Second Tier Mages did you encounter today?" Mage Roman asked after a moment of silence.

"One," the Third Tier male mage replied, adding a piece of firewood to mask the unease in his voice. "Perhaps the others were met by different teams. After all, my position is somewhat remote."

....Posted on behalf of Qiqi, whose power went out again at home.