Chapter 123 Cloak Incident

After the mages left, Mage Roman looked exhausted and said softly to Shaoke, "You should have helped me just now. I couldn't handle all their questions alone."

Shaoke nodded apologetically, offering Mage Roman a sheepish smile before hesitantly adding, "Mage Roman, you seem a bit troubled. Is something wrong? Would you like to talk about it?"

"It's nothing!" Mage Roman shook her head, pressing her pale little finger against her forehead. "Keep me company at the tavern for a little rest. I'll be fine in a bit." With that, she gestured for Shaoke to follow her.

Along the way, Mage Roman was rather quiet. Shaoke noticed she wasn't paying attention to their surroundings at all. If he hadn't occasionally talked to her about spellcraft, she would have strayed from their intended path.

Since the barracks where the female mages lived were on the way to the tavern, when they reached the military camp, Mage Roman seemed to remember something. She suddenly turned to Shaoke and said, "Mage Xueye, please wait for me in the tavern for a while. I need to grab something and will join you shortly." After nodding to him, she headed back to her quarters in the barracks.

The tavern was noticeably less crowded with mages compared to previous days. Shaoke took his usual seat, ordered two glasses of alcohol and some pastries from the waitress, and slowly savored them while waiting for Mage Roman.

"Mage Xueye." Mage Roman's clear voice snapped Shaoke out of his thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"

Seeing the natural smile on her face, much of the gloom brought on by the war dissipated. "Nothing much, just reminiscing about my brief time in the capital," he replied, noticing she had brought a small package with her. He looked at her curiously, realizing this must be what she had gone back to the barracks to retrieve.

"Hehe!" Mage Roman chuckled softly. "What's so good about there? Few people can focus on magical research in the capital." She added, "Of course, that doesn't include the mages who stay cooped up in their labs all day."

Their conversation gradually shifted to lighter topics. Finally, Mage Roman carefully unwrapped the small package and pulled out a black hooded cloak. "Mage Xueye, your old cloak is beyond repair, so I had someone make a new one for you. See if it fits?" She unfolded the cloak, gesturing for Shaoke to put it on right there.

The cloak was nearly identical in style to Shaoke's previous one, only more exquisitely crafted. The edges were embroidered with delicate patterns using dark black thread, almost unnoticeable unless examined closely. Other parts of the cloak were similarly adorned with intricate magic arrays and magic script unfamiliar to Shaoke.

Sensing the powerful magical fluctuations emanating from it, Shaoke knew this cloak was far superior to the one he had lent Mage Roman. Looking at the intricate arrays, he thought it could already be considered a low-tier magic item.

Putting on the cloak again, a familiar feeling washed over him. Gently stroking the cloak made from unknown materials, Shaoke felt a sense of security. "Thank you!" he said, instinctively reaching to pull the hood over his head, but a sharp glare from the female mage reminded him of her request not to do so in her presence.

Seeing Shaoke adjust the cloak, Mage Roman stood up and said, "Let's go stand on the city walls for a while. I'd like to see the fortress's night view again." She gestured for Shaoke to accompany her.

Just as Shaoke and she were about to leave, a loud voice shattered the tavern's tranquility. "Moxier! My dear Moxier! Where are you hiding? Come out, I can't see you!"

Shaoke ignored the shouting, merely feeling annoyed that someone was disrupting everyone's peace. "What's wrong? Do we need to stay here a bit longer?" he asked, noticing Mage Roman had suddenly stopped.

"It's nothing." A faint blush appeared on Mage Roman's face as she slightly turned her head toward the source of the loud call. "That person is looking for me." Seeing Shaoke's look of surprise and disbelief, she smiled and said, "Let's wait a moment. He'll come over soon." She pulled Shaoke back to their original seats.

"Heavens! My dear Moxier, I knew you'd be here. Aren't you going to welcome me?" A male mage who appeared to be in his thirties—similar to Shaoke's previous life—stood beside Mage Roman, emanating a faint spiritual fluctuation. He plopped down on the chair Mage Roman had prepared for him, glanced at Shaoke, and said casually, "My dear, is this the Mage Xueye you mentioned? Why does this kid give me a strange feeling?"

Shaoke carefully observed the newcomer. The seemingly young mage had a mess of white hair draped over his shoulders. His military-issued robe bore the insignia of the Fifth Tier, and he carried a snow-white staff that resembled those commonly used by female mages.

"Respected..." Shaoke stood up to greet him but was rudely interrupted. "Don't bother with formalities. I'm not used to them. Hmm! That's enough." The Fifth Tier Mage casually tossed his staff onto the table, called the waitress over for a drink, and downed it in one gulp. "Ah! It's been a long time since I've had a drink here."

"Uncle, can't you at least maintain some decorum in public? No wonder no female mages are interested in you. Your behavior makes the female mages here uncomfortable." Mage Roman rarely pouted, glancing at the other mages watching them. "Is there something you need, Uncle?" She tugged at the Fifth Tier Mage's sleeve, hoping he would observe some etiquette.

"Hmm! There is! My dear Moxier, can't I visit you without a reason?" The young mage grabbed the drink in front of Shaoke—though it had already been sipped—and poured it down his throat in one go. Wiping the spilled drink from his neck, he complained to Mage Roman, "I just finished making that cloak for you, and you let this kid wear it. Don't you know how to thank me? And stop calling me 'Uncle'! It makes me sound old."

Watching the unique interaction between the Fifth Tier Mage and Mage Roman, Shaoke felt a warm sense of familiarity. It had been a long time since he had experienced such familial warmth, and he envied the female mage for having family here.

"Alright, my dear Moxier!" The Fifth Tier Mage, seeing his niece glaring at him, quickly added, "Fine, I shouldn't use your name in public. Damn it, how did I forget again?" He took another sip of the drink Shaoke had just ordered and said in what he thought was a low voice, "I came here to deliver a message! Is this how you treat me? Are you only allowing this Mage Xueye to call you 'dear' but not your own uncle?"

"No! Don't say that, Uncle!" Mage Roman almost buried her face to avoid Shaoke's gaze. "What's the message? We were about to head out."

"Heavens! I knew it, I just knew it. Haven't you ever thought to ask for your uncle's opinion?" Mage Roman's uncle exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Mage Xueye, you're a lucky one. My Moxier isn't too bad, is she?"

Hearing such a blunt question, Shaoke glanced oddly at the female mage and smiled, "Moxier has been very kind to me, though she never mentioned you." Seizing the opportunity to order another drink from the waitress, he gently nudged the blushing Mage Roman under the table.

"No matter. It's fine if you don't know me. I know you, and that's enough." The mage waved his hand, signaling Shaoke to stop asking. "I remember a mage mentioned you to me some time ago, saying you were quite interested in integrating magic arrays with items. Hmm! That's right." He nodded affirmatively. "Can you tell me why you're interested in this? If you'd like, for my dear's sake, I can give you some books on the subject."

"Thank you!" Shaoke stood up sincerely to express his gratitude. He hadn't expected the mage to be so generous as to offer him books on array integration. From what he knew, such books were far more valuable than general spell knowledge texts. Back in the academy, he had only found a few books in the library about the relationship between integrated arrays and magic materials, and even the military library in the capital had very few.

The three chatted for a while longer, though it was mostly Mage Roman's uncle who spoke. Shaoke and Mage Roman listened quietly, occasionally chiming in. However, when Mage Roman noticed her uncle had drunk quite a bit, she signaled Shaoke with a nod to stop engaging. She began asking her uncle about the message he had brought.

"Hehe! This time, it's good news." The Fifth Tier Mage took another sip of his drink and announced loudly, "You won't have to go to the battlefield tomorrow. The military just issued a new order, recalling all mages stationed outside." He chuckled to himself. "Do you know why?"

Shaoke looked at the mage in astonishment. The news not only shocked him greatly but also stunned Mage Roman and the other mages nearby who had been watching them.

"What exactly is going on, Uncle? Tell me in detail." Mage Roman took the drink in front of her and placed it before her uncle. "If you don't tell me, you won't get any more to drink."

"Hmm!" After downing the drink in one gulp, Mage Roman's uncle began explaining the main reason behind the military's recent changes.

It turned out that after the battles outside the fortress had been ongoing for some time, the military quickly realized that the mages fighting outside were suffering heavy casualties. Many mages had died in the mountains outside the fortress, but not at the hands of mages of the same tier. Instead, they were killed by the special Third Tier Mages who had later joined the battlefield.