Chapter 14: Flattery
The clever Finitz quickly understood that the ones in charge of this group were likely nothing but Kommer, who had brought her here, and those two silent women standing there. She handed the knuckle knife to Briarnos and shyly stepped forward to stand in front of Eve, saying, “This must be Sister Eve, right? Finitz is not sensible enough—please forgive her. Your skin is so smooth; even the swamp elves among our people can’t compare to you. This is a Water Crystal given to me by a swamp elf. It’s said that wearing it close to the body keeps one’s skin moist. If Sister Eve could wear it, she would surely remain youthful forever.”
Seeing the oval crystal in the elf girl’s hands, even though they were indoors, its refracted light still shone with colorful streaks within the crystal, making the elf girl’s pink palm appear even more dazzling. Eve wasn’t sure whether she should accept this seemingly valuable gift. She didn’t particularly like this overly sweet girl. Of course, she had no idea that all these words were taught to the elf girl by Kommer during the journey. But seeing Kommer’s approving gaze, Eve hesitated. It would be a lie to say that such a Water Crystal wasn’t attractive to a beauty-conscious girl, but accepting someone’s gift might mean accepting them as well. And Grace’s hostility was obvious. Eve didn’t want to strain her relationship with Grace over this.
“Eve, accept it. It’s also a token of Finitz’s sincerity,” Kommer said, sensing Eve’s hesitation, stepping in to defuse the situation. Sure enough, Grace turned her gaze away from Eve and snorted indignantly.
After Eve thanked Finitz and accepted the Water Crystal, Finitz once again approached Grace with a sweet smile. “This must be Sister Grace. On the way here, Brother Kommer told me that Sister Grace has the best figure. If only I could have half as good a figure as yours, I’d probably laugh myself awake while sleeping. Sister Grace, could you teach me how to have a figure as great as yours? Oh, and Brother Kommer said that Sister Grace has the strongest sword skills and the fastest flying ability. This is a kapok cloak made from the silk vines of the kapok trees unique to our great forest. It not only enhances flying skills but also protects against fire magic. I think Sister Grace would be the perfect fit for this cloak. Would you be so kind as to accept this gift from Finitz?”
Komer couldn’t deny that the elf girl before him had an extraordinary level of comprehension. He had merely introduced the hobbies, personalities, and temperaments of the members in his small group along the way, yet this girl pressed him to figure out how to make her companions accept her. Of course, Komer was the one who chose the gifts. Aside from the Water Crystal and the Keng Wood Knife, which belonged to the girl, the kapok cloak was purchased by Komer at the cost of three thousand gold shields from a magic equipment shop in the vicinity of the Mossonas Mausoleum Area. The gifts given to Javier and Bayezid were also bought at great expense by Komer, yet he had to pretend that they were generously given by Fenitz and had nothing to do with him.
Grace really wanted to refuse the gifts, but under Komer’s peculiar gaze, coupled with the fact that the cloak was indeed quite attractive to her as an assassin who prided herself on speed, she changed expressions several times before finally reluctantly accepting the white cloak handed to her.
After Grace accepted Fenitz’s kapok cloak, the originally cool atmosphere in the room immediately warmed up a bit. Lomei was indifferent to the bottle of Green Spirit Cream produced by forest elves that Fenitz gave her, but Javier and Bayezid happily accepted a pair of kapok boots that increased flight speed and a scale silk armor set that enhanced their defensive capabilities.
The Green Spirit Cream was naturally only useful for women, as it could effectively keep their hair smooth and shiny—a highly desirable item for them. As for the other two items, though not particularly magical or expensive, they were both very practical magic equipment. The kapok boots were long enough to cover the entire lower leg, providing effective protection against attacks from fire demons on the ground. The scale silk armor was made from the scales of a rare magical beast from the ancient forest—the Crawling Worm. These scales were extremely smooth and offered strong resistance to attacks from metal weapons, serving as an excellent aid in close combat.
If it weren’t for Prague, the capital of magic, Komer wouldn’t have been able to gather so many suitable gifts in such a short time. Choosing different gifts for different people based on their needs wasn’t easy for him. Fortunately, it happened to be the period of the Magic Competition, during which many merchants of magic instruments, equipment, and items brought out their best wares to attract customers, allowing Komer to gather everything in such a short time—though it also cost him a fortune.
After all this turmoil, the elven girl was finally able to join this temporary team as she had wished. Though Komer didn’t know how long such a team could last, would Eve and Grace still accompany him and accept his help after his identity was revealed? Komer wasn’t sure either, but it seemed unnecessary to consider such things for now—at least until they reached Rosenberg before discussing anything else.
When Komer woke up from his meditation, sitting on the bed, he found Lomei sitting motionless beside him, staring at him with a strange gaze—part familiar, part utterly strange. A hint of resentment flickered in Lomei’s beautiful eyes, though it was extremely clear to Komer.
Waving her over to sit beside him, Komer realized he had neglected this young girl who had always been by his side. With much of her memory erased, Lomei resembled a pure, innocent girl untouched by the world. Yet the erased memories didn’t mean she had no experiences at all; the imprints hidden in her subconscious still gave her extraordinary keen intuition. As for emotions, she never hid them, and her lack of worldly experience made it even harder for her to conceal anything.
“Lomei, what’s wrong? I’ve noticed you’ve been in a bad mood these past few days. Is there a problem with your training?” Komer could certainly sense the girl’s depression. He asked this deliberately to change the subject.
“Great Sage, you can sense Lomei’s heart, I know that. Lomei doesn’t like Grace, nor Eve, and certainly not that Fenitz. Lomei doesn’t understand why the Great Sage insists on staying here. Can’t we go back? Mr. Rebril and Sorenberg are waiting for us. We should continue our journey. This magic competition seems of little value to us.” Lomei bit her lip anxiously, her pale cheeks trembling slightly.
“Lomei, you’re wrong. As magic practitioners, it’s a rare opportunity to see the magical techniques of different schools. Although their techniques may not be the same as those we practice, witnessing the clash and competition of various schools can be of great help when we face similar situations in the future.” Komer’s expression turned serious. “Look, the dark magic and light magic we practice are inherently incompatible. Yet, the magical energies of dark and light magic can be transformed—how to do so requires us to explore on our own. And these various magic performances might provide us with an opportunity to uncover the mysteries between them.”
After a pause, perhaps realizing his words were too severe, Komer glanced at the girl’s tearful eyes, sighed softly, and continued, “Come, Lomei. Your mood seems a bit unstable lately. It’s time for you to wear this necklace. Wearing it will bring peace to your mind and help you control your magical power more steadily.”
Komer took out the necklace from his bosom. The light yellow necklace shone brightly in his palm, with a red thread running through its beads, looking very beautiful.
Perhaps seeing the necklace, which resembled the summer sky, made Lomei’s mood improve instantly. Her eyes, once filled with tears, now sparkled with a charming glow, exuding an alluring beauty. “Did the Great Sage prepare this necklace for me? Great Sage, did you go to Finitz this time just to get back this necklace? Is it very important to you, or is it Lomei who’s important to you?”
Staring calmly at Lomei, whose face radiated excitement and happiness, Komer knew that if his answer was too significant for her at this moment, it could lead to serious consequences. He slowly said, “Lomei, you should know your place in my heart. Whether it’s important or not doesn’t need to be expressed in words or actions—it should be felt with the heart. You are a very special girl. I hope you won’t let trivial matters cloud your vision. No matter what I do to others, in my heart, Lomei will always be Lomei—no one can replace her.”
A set of vague words that sounded both like a confession and an explanation could be expressed in such classic language by him; even Komer was surprised by his own linguistic skill. It seemed he had returned to those carefree days when he could speak fluently and effortlessly win over the hearts of young girls.