The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 710: Volume Twenty: Wolf in the Mediterranean - Seventeen: Miss Klepper

Chapter 710: Volume Twenty: Wolf in the Mediterranean Chapter Seventeen: Miss Klepper

Vladimir Koff’s soft anti-magic armor was placed on the table in front of Mr. Mihailovich and Komer. This set of armor, originating from the treasury of Damarlinsk Castle, had an indeterminable age, but its excellent anti-magic performance and the convenience it afforded when worn made Vladimir Koff love it dearly, to the point that he was somewhat reluctant to remove it when Komer asked him to.

Mr. Mihailovich was not a professional miner or blacksmith, but his long experience in creating magic puppets had given him an understanding of various materials. The armor was crafted from a blend of Tianluo Mud and Bin Iron, found in the South. Tianluo Mud, a non-metallic mineral with impressive pliability and toughness, when infused into Bin Iron during the smelting process, not only greatly improved its resilience but also transferred the Mud’s earth-like qualities into the armor, granting it considerable resistance to general Water Magic.

To modify the armor into the so-called Illusory Puppet Armor that Komer mentioned was indeed a headache for Mr. Mihailovich. Even crafting a new magic puppet would be far simpler than installing an intelligent puppet mechanism onto this existing armor.

"Lord, please share your thoughts; my mind is utterly blank at the moment. I deeply admire your natural talent in Puppet Magic, and perhaps a hint from you would spark a breakthrough," said Mr. Mihailovich with a wry smile and a spread of his hands.

"Hmm, Mr. Mihailovich, please don’t overcomplicate the issue. The problem may not be as difficult as we imagine. My concept is quite simple: to install passive, reactive puppet devices in specific parts of this armor to circumvent the myriad restrictions imposed by the Spartans in the gladiator fights. For example, we put a magic puppet inside the armor’s breastplate. Once the breastplate is hit and triggers a certain magic mechanism, the puppet inside automatically activates and attacks, preferably in the form of a physical attack, like a crossbow bolt," explained Komer.

Komer knew that this makeshift solution would be somewhat unfair to Mr. Mihailovich, but to confront Aristotle’s disciple, he had to consider all possibilities, looking to grant Vladimir Koff and Solonberg any edge within the confines of the rules—employing any means not explicitly prohibited by the Gladiator Competition.

The competition rules banned the solitary use of magic and magic tools, but did not prohibit the use of inherently magical weapons or defensive gear. Komer intended to exploit this loophole to maximize the chances of victory.

Mr. Mihailovich nodded as if enlightened, only now grasping Komer’s intent; it was to cheat using a loophole in the rules. In a regular fight, setting a puppet mechanism in armor would be a ridiculous endeavor compared to crafting an actual magic puppet, which could function similarly and whose release timing could be controlled, thus being much more convenient and effective.

"However, Lord, we’re short on time now, and it would be difficult to tamper with this armor. I understand what you mean, but relying on such tricks to turn the tide of battle is unlikely to be easy," sighed Mr. Mihailovich. The esteemed master of Puppet Magic was reduced to rigging a piece of armor, a fact that would be laughable if known to others.

"Of course, this is just one approach. I will use other methods to boost the strength of Vladimir Koff and Solonberg. Even if we can’t defeat the Spartans outright, we must at least shake their confidence. All I need is that effect; I don’t expect such tactics to make the Spartans come to their senses instantly," Komer said with a smile.

The only help Komer could give to Solonberg and Vladimir Koff lay in his power of magic. Although the use of magic was prohibited during the combat of the competition, there was no explicit rule against employing supportive magic before the event. Komer planned to bless Vladimir Koff and Solonberg with Blessing and Magic Enhancement Techniques before they entered the fray, temporarily amplifying the knights’ strength and reflexes.

This entailed a rather secretive and intricate mix of Psychic Magic and White Magic, demanding extensive preparation and slow activation, yet it could sustain over an hour, significantly tapping into the subject’s latent potential and expanding the sensations in their nerve endings, thereby enhancing their reaction speed.

Komer had been researching such magic for a long time. Indeed, there were many spells aimed at stimulating the human body to unlock temporary potential, but most came with significant drawbacks, particularly post-effect harm to the user—resembling a strategy of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Komer had always hoped to find alternative ways to mitigate this.

Only after the appearance of Eve, a White Magic Shepherd, did Komer formally put this idea into experimentation. Although Eve’s magic power was lacking, which made her level of magic quite low, her knowledge system about White Magic was very rich and comprehensive. Some of Komer’s bold ideas and experiments also sparked her considerable interest. The two’s cooperation in this area progressed much faster than the stalemate in their relationship. Eventually, even Komer himself realized he preferred to discuss issues relating to the White Magic system with Eve rather than mention the emotional problems that made them both feel somewhat awkward.

And now seemed to be the best opportunity to put theory into practice. This type of Mixed Magic could protect the subject to the greatest extent from the depletion of potential after being stimulated by Psychic Magic. It even had the benefit of expanding the subject’s range of abilities. Furthermore, after the magic’s effect wore off, the subject would only feel exceptionally tired and a good rest would fully replenish their strength.

Just as Komer and his group were getting ready to thoroughly humiliate the proud and arrogant Spartans, the Spartans were also reviewing their own mistakes. The unexpected rise of the Piraeus people made them suddenly realize they were not invincible, especially since that bizarre horse race not only led to the death of two of Sparta’s best charioteers on the spot but also shattered many Spartans’ dreams of invincibility, causing disturbances that even affected Sparta’s image among other countries and cities in the Southern Mediterranean region. An emergency state was almost declared, and nearly involving the royal guard to quell the riots. Such an event, happening in the kingdom of Sparta, known for its order, stability, and wealth, undoubtedly greatly reduced the impression of its perceived great strength in the eyes of many.

"Miss Klepper, we need Miss Helena’s help. If we Spartans cannot cleanse this great shame with an absolute victory, we will have to live under the ridicule of everyone else for these four years. My father has sent me to earnestly request your permission to let Miss Helena defeat that vile and filthy Piraeus person and completely clear the cloud hanging over Spartans’ heads."

Prince Slupig’s words were very stirring, and his handsome and upright image also made him very popular among women. In Athens City, ninety-nine out of a hundred girls dreamed about him. Even though he was surrounded by women, he managed to maintain his purity, moving among numerous women without any unfavorable rumors of being a womanizer, which sent those unmarried girls even more mad for him.

The woman seated high on the gorgeous golden lotus throne was decked in a holy lustrous white silk robe, and the sterling silver crown on her head made her seem even more elevated. The silver-glowing ball-headed Magic Wand and the chilling long sword in its scabbard by her side made a picture of elegance.

"Prince Slupig, I understand the feelings of you and His Majesty the King. I witnessed yesterday’s battle myself. Did you notice that their warhorse, even in the form of a skeleton horse, was still able to maintain a strong vitality? Do you understand what I’m suggesting?"

Klepper’s face bore a captivating sweet smile, her fair and delicate skin showing no imperfections, and you simply could not guess her age from her face or figure. She seemed like a blossoming girl in her teens, yet her alluring demeanor added a touch of charm. If you thought she was in her early twenties in her prime, she seemed to possess a noble grace, but no one would believe she was over thirty. However, she had already held her position as the High Priestess of the Temple of Athena for twenty years, and Miss Helena, who had been learning to speak under her tutelage, had already turned eighteen.

"Do you mean to say that Uma is undead?" Prince Slupig asked, his eyes wide open with an incredulous expression on his face.

"No, you misunderstand me. Mr. Uma is definitely a body with vital signs of life. We can essentially rule out that he is undead. To my knowledge, the undead do not possess such intelligence and mana simultaneously. However, it’s very likely he’s a practitioner of Undead Magic; that warhorse, if I am not mistaken, should be a Ghost Demon Horse." As the High Priestess of the Temple of Athena, Klepper had far more insight than Slupig, who had always been engrossed in the pursuit of martial arts.

"A Ghost Demon Horse? But that warhorse passed the inspection of our competition committee from the start...," Slupig frowned, somewhat troubled, "And the competition rules did not explicitly forbid the participation of deceased horses. Our ancestors who formulated these rules had not considered this issue at all."

"Hmm, it’s a troublesome matter. The Piraeus people dare to field such a lineup, surely they are not worried about objections, as they will certainly argue with the reason that the rules did not explicitly prohibit it. If we Spartans had won earlier, perhaps this could be explained more easily. Now that we have lost initially, if we use this reason to bar Piraeus from competing, it will surely spark many rumors and be even less favorable to us," the beauty sighed lightly, her face showing a hint of helplessness.

(To be continued... If you wish to know what happens next, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM for more Chapters. Support the author, support authorized reading!)