Chapter 23: murderous Intent
The shock in Malon’s eyes vanished in an instant. As he grasped the other person’s soft hands, he activated his most advanced sensing techniques. He felt the magic energy spreading silently throughout the other person’s body, like ripples caused by a pebble thrown into a calm lake. Malon was convinced that such a young magician could hardly detect his sensing abilities. If the other person were indeed a dark magic user, his true nature would surely be exposed through his sensing.
Yet to Malon’s great disappointment and confusion, the echoes of the sensed magic energy encountered no resistance as they penetrated deeper into the other person’s body. Instead, the pull of elemental magic was clearly transmitted back to Malon’s mind. What was going on? Could his brief discovery earlier have been an illusion? No—such strong magical fluctuations and resistance clearly came from dark magic. Could it be Kafli? That was even more absurd.
“Mr. Malon, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Komer, carefully controlling the surge of magic energy within him. He had done his best to lock away the dark magic beneath the elemental magic. The other person’s sensing abilities seemed to penetrate every part of his body like mercury. Komer found himself trembling slightly, even lacking the strength to stand.
Fortunately, after the other person politely greeted him, he sat down at Kafli’s urging. Only then could Komer take a quiet breath and sit down.
Despite the other person’s piercing gaze scanning him, Komer faced it calmly. As long as the other person released his hands, Komer knew he hadn’t detected his true nature. Yet suspicion would remain in his heart. But at least for now, he was safe.
“Lord Baron, it seems you’re in the same field as us,” said Malon. After thorough inspection, finding nothing else amiss, he turned his gaze away and slowly picked up the glass of wine served by the waiter.
“Hehe, how dare I show off in front of Mr. Malon? I did study some elemental magic, but that was a long time ago. I’ve become quite rusty from not using it often. Still, I can’t escape Mr. Malon’s sharp eyes,” replied Komer calmly, under Kafli’s astonished gaze.
“Is that so?” The mage clad in purple-robed priestly attire had eyes that shone with captivating intensity, as if sunlight sweeping over Komer’s entire body, even allowing him to feel a hint of warmth deep in his heart. The slightly rough scars on his face indicated that this magician must have had extensive adventure experience—scars seemingly caused by the bites of highly poisonous magic ants. “But I feel that Lord Baron possesses a very profound magical spirit. It doesn’t seem as simple as just having studied magic, as Lord Baron himself claims. Could you tell me the truth?”
Clearly, Komer’s explanation didn’t dispel the other party’s doubts. The aggressive tone made Kafli sense something unusual as well. Komer felt even more that coming to this tavern today had been a foolish move. It was almost impossible to dispel such a stubborn person’s suspicions. And once this guy grew suspicious, it wouldn’t be long before the Light Church found out. Considering his previous suspicions, it would likely be hard to keep his identity as a dark mage hidden. At this thought, Komer grew somewhat troubled, but on the surface, he still maintained an elegant and noble demeanor.
“Mr. Malon, you seem to be overestimating me. I have learned some magic spells, and my teacher praised my talent for magic. But I’m not very interested in it, nor do I think I possess the skills you mention. As for the rest, I don’t seem obligated to explain too much to you, unless you’re a magistrate.”
His calm and respectful words left the suspicious priest in purple robes both shocked and angry. Yet, the other party’s noble status made Malon cautious. He wasn’t an ordinary poor man, and the man beside him, Kafli, was a well-connected merchant from the Barefoot Society. It seemed they had come to Versailles to meet high-ranking officials who had come with the king. If they offended them recklessly, it would surely bring many unnecessary troubles. But the priest wasn’t planning to let this suspicion go so easily. Although the other party hid it well, the priest trusted his intuition more—this seemingly composed young lord must surely have some hidden secrets.
“Hehe, I was rude. I’m sorry.” The priest generously extended his hand to express his apologies, but Komer had already noticed from the alertness in the other’s eyes that he had already set his sights on him. With a brief handshake, Komer pulled himself free from the other’s attempt to test him again and stood up. “Sorry, Mr. Malon. Mr. Kafli and I have other matters to attend to, so we must leave now. See you later.”
Kafli couldn’t understand why the two seemed to be at odds the moment they met. However, Comer’s abrupt departure forced him to apologetically nod to the priest in purple as an apology for his rudeness, though he dared not delay and quickly followed Comer away. When the two sat down in another tavern, Kafli struggled greatly to resist asking what exactly was going on between them. They continued discussing the issue of accepting refugees, but it was clear the lord’s mind wasn’t on that. He hastily decided that Pube and the others left behind should mobilize all available resources to prepare building materials and timber, and work on exploring mines and planning farmland also needed to start soon. Food was the top priority—what was originally planned for 30,000 people was far from enough; it needed to be increased to around 100,000 to be safe. Kafli eventually agreed to allocate an additional 100,000 gold shields in advance for the immediate preparatory work, and Comer agreed to increase Kafli and his friend’s share in the ferrous ore shares to 30%. Back at the inn, Comer lay in bed, troubled. That priest from the Light Church must have sensed something; otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked such probing questions. The deep suspicion in the priest’s eyes when he left proved this. It seemed he would rarely be able to escape the Light Church’s interference. Without solid evidence, the Church probably wouldn’t dare act against him easily, but once they were sure, it would likely be the end of his days. Thinking of this and recalling how that thief, who had dived like a swallow into the forest, died instantly under the enemy’s invincible arrows, Comer felt a chill in his heart. Comer instinctively clenched his fists and sat up. No, he couldn’t just sit idly waiting for death. He had to nip this potential threat to his life in the bud, and fast! Once that guy reported his situation to the Light Church, all suspicion would fall on him, and then that guy’s death would only confirm his guilt. The best solution was to make that priest in purple disappear completely right away, but how could he do that? Comer tried hard to recall his feelings when he first encountered that man. He was a court mage with powerful magical abilities, as well as the official mage of the Fire Shadow Knights. He must also have experience in actual battles. With his current strength, fighting him would be like trying to pull a tooth out of a tiger’s mouth—a life-or-death struggle. But he had no choice but to take the risk.
Try to stay calm, Komer analyzed the situation. This court magician came with His Majesty the King, so his status must be high; he likely resides in the hunting lodge. How to lure this guy out alone is a difficult problem. And if the other party shows up on time, how can he ensure he can deal with them without alerting anyone else? Komer stood up and began walking slowly around the room. What if the other party has accomplices?