The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 685: Volume Nineteen: Lost Horizon - Fourteen: Red-haired Witch

Chapter 685: Volume Nineteen: Lost Horizon Chapter Fourteen: Red-haired Witch

The beautiful seven-string harp flowed with the sound of heavenly music under Komer’s fair and nimble fingers; even the dwarfs hadn’t noticed where this exquisite harp had appeared from. Accompanied by Komer’s soulful singing, it showcased the wanderer’s love for nature and life beyond doubt. Both the dwarfs and Komer himself were somewhat intoxicated in this stirring song.

There was a silence in the hold, as the dwarfs seemed to be imagining their new lives far away from home, while Komer was reminiscing about the distant ones who missed him and whom he missed.

Unfortunately, this idyllic moment was soon disrupted by banging sounds from the hatchway, and a rough, harsh voice came through the planks, "What is hidden in here? Open it up right now!"

"Oh, this is nothing but ballast, just some pickled fish and salt. The smell is so strong, that’s why we’ve sealed it up," a nervous yet humble voice quickly responded.

"Hmph, cut the crap and open it up! Quickly!" the harsh voice suddenly rose a few notes, "Don’t keep Mr. Kanos waiting!"

"Uh, this, the•this•••••"

"What are you standing around for? Could it be you’re hiding something unsightly in there?" The harsh voice became alert all at once, accompanied by the sound of metal weapons, probably the entourage of the guy with the rough voice showing their martial power.

The expressions of the dwarfs had become somewhat panicked. Although they did not know what had happened, being hurriedly rushed here in such a sudden and alarming manner meant something must have occurred. The dwarfs were usually easygoing, but situations like this made them realize something was amiss.

At last, the hatch was opened, and as several weapons extended into the space, several figures sprung down the ladder, "What’s going on here? Why are these dwarfs here? And this fellow, sneaking around, what is he up to? Could it be that the Barbarossa family from Sparta..."

A gaze as sharp as a blade swept over the frightened dwarfs and the composed Komer. A thick scar stretched from the left brow to the bridge of the nose, adding a fierce ruthlessness to an already stern face. A few burly men were shoving a middle-aged man who looked like a steward, clearly intending for him to clarify the situation.

"Uh, please don’t misunderstand, sirs. They are forging craftsmen hired by our Barbarossa family. We’ve recently built a new iron forge in Patre and needed some skilled craftsmen. That’s why we’ve recruited some dwarf artisans in Piergos."

The middle-aged steward didn’t seem overly worried, which Komer found odd. The men’s clothes were clearly not the standard naval uniform and their fierce barbaric aura even resembled a bunch of pirates or bandits more than anything. If they were really the navy of Piraeus, then the man shouldn’t be so calm.

"Dwarf Craftsman?" The man with the scar furrowed his brow and sniffed, as if trying to detect some scent, "Since they are dwarf craftsmen you’ve recruited, why are they kept here?"

"Piraeus people do not wish to see dwarfs in this part of the Mediterranean, so we••••••" The middle-aged man shrugged; there wasn’t much of value on the ship, pickled fish and salt were quite valuable, but their size and weight made them cumbersome and not easy to sell off, which didn’t interest pirates much.

The scarred man immediately understood the reasoning—it was their own previous ruse of flying the banner of the Piraeus navy that had frightened these folks. The fallout from the collapse of the Giganthia Temple that had led to strained relations between the Severo Kingdom and the Piraeus City State was widely known in the Southern Mediterranean. As predators of the Mediterranean, there was no one who was unaware of the matter.

"Hmm, and what about this fellow?" The man with the scar quickly focused on Komer. The middle-aged man was also puzzled; he didn’t know how a mortal like this had popped up among the dwarfs, clad in odd attire and holding a seven-string harp, resembling a roaming bard. The family ship had not made any stops after leaving Piergos, so where did this guy come from?

Seeing the middle-aged man stammer and struggle to speak, the scar-faced man’s eyes suddenly grew more ferocious, and with a snort through his nostrils, the middle-aged man trembled in fear. These pirates were known to have their own rules on the Mediterranean, but they hated deception above all. His earlier explanation about the Dwarves had just barely allayed their suspicions, but this stranger with unclear origins was not something the middle-aged steward could easily explain. Could he say he didn’t know what the man was doing, or where he had boarded the ship? Such an explanation was unlikely to satisfy them.

"Gentlemen, I am but a bard without the means to travel, who boarded the ship without the master’s permission," he said.

Komer’s demeanor, neither servile nor overbearing, left both the scar-faced man and the middle-aged steward puzzled. While bards were popular everywhere and not typically troubled by any powers, that was under normal circumstances. In this situation, with Komer’s identity and origins hard to clarify, his ability to maintain such an attitude was indeed surprising.

"A bard? Where did you get on the ship?" the scar-faced man asked gravely, his instinct telling him that something was off about this bard whose demeanor seemed strange.

"Ah, I boarded at Zago Island," Komer replied after a moment’s thought. Lying at this point would be futile, and it seemed he had encountered pirates. These simple-minded Dwarves would certainly confirm that he had not boarded at Piergos.

"Zago Island?" The scar-faced man was even more astonished. Zago Island was a holy place of worship for Piraeus and the entire Corinth City-State Union, home to the largest cluster of Dark Temples. Apart from the followers of Hades, the god of darkness, who could visit the island during specific worship times to make their pilgrimage, only the Dark Priests had unrestricted access. However, in the south, there wasn’t just one Dark Sect, and it was hard to tell which had the most authority. This fellow certainly didn’t seem like a Dark Priest. If those belonging to the Dark Sects became aware of this, it would undoubtedly spark a major controversy, although it would have no impact on his own organization.

Watching Komer, who appeared natural and composed, the scar-faced man ultimately couldn’t decide how to deal with them. Although the Barbarossa Family had some influence in the Southern Mediterranean, they were nothing compared to the formidable Carter Fleet. The Spartans’ navy was not as renowned as their warriors on land, and in the Mediterranean, the Carter Fleet needed no one’s permission to act.

When Komer was untied and the blindfold removed, he knew immediately where he had been brought.

Looking from a side column to the terrace beside the columned hall, the warm sunshine spilled alongside it, and below the undulating foothills lay a tranquil blue bay, quietly nestled there. The forest of masts stood dense as a sugarcane field, with ships constantly entering and leaving the port. Except for the visitation of the ballistae on one high tower, from any angle, it seemed he was placed high within a bustling port city in the Southern Mediterranean, likely a Noble’s palace or private residence.

But the person seated before him revealed the truth of his whereabouts. Her bright red, loosely cascading hair over her shoulders was a vivid, lively hue, burning like a flame radiating unlimited heat, like the clouds scorched by a setting sun, with a brilliance imbued with endless fervor, enough to incinerate anyone into ash.

Her wild, fiercely expressive eyes and the ever-changing expressions in her gray-blue pupils might hide much, but to Komer, they spelled just one thing: cold-heartedness. That gaze was filled with contemptuous indifference and ruthlessness, appraising him as if he were a mummy buried in the sand.

A too delicate red mouth sat below a straight, proud nose, while slightly high cheekbones seemed to mar the delicacy of her pretty face, adding a murderous air and making her visage at once more imposing. Dressed in pure black riding attire, the bright red riding pants stretched over her thighs outlined the alluring aspects of her femininity. However, her posture, with one leg propped up and the other elbow resting on the chair’s arm, supporting her chin on her wrist, was a mix of brazenness, nonchalance, and a touch of laziness—an attitude that often deceived many.

The Blue Stinger sword casually placed next to the double-headed eagle chair seemed ordinary, but Komer knew it was a weapon that had tasted the blood of many, its blade steeped in a deadly aura that he could feel even from ten meters away.

On lifting his gaze slightly, an overwhelming spiritual pressure hit him, staggering Komer, who had little time to prepare. After a brief struggle, he took a deep breath to break free from the opponent’s mental control. Such domineering psychic manipulation!

Seeing that her aggressive move had no effect, the red-haired girl’s curiosity on her face grew more intense. The spark in her bright eyes exploded briefly as she nodded slightly, her mouth curling into a beautiful arc, "It seems you’ve come especially to see me. Very interesting. It’s been a long time since I encountered something so intriguing. Can you tell me who you are and your purpose?"

(To be continued. For further details, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM where there are more Chapters. Support the author, support authorized reading!)