45: Red Eyes

Red Eyes

"Ships leaving as soon as possible? We have two ships still accepting passengers scheduled to leave this afternoon. The first docks in Southern Abetha, while the other in Southern Griven. Which do you want, boy?"2

"The ship heading to Griven, which one is it?" she asked.

The man signaled towards a cargo ship. "Golden Hawk Merchants headed to the port city of Selve in Griven. An ordinary ticket costs eighty coppers, the ones with better cabins a silver coin, and —"

However, Oriana was no longer listening. A flag with a golden hawk emblem. It was not the same cargo ship, but it carried the same flag as the one Ron and his group used to come to Azures Island. 

'That ship belongs to that Master Finn as well. I can't get that one.' She looked back at the man. "Are there no other ships heading to Selve?"

The man checked his records. "There is one, but it is for private use. I don't think they will accept—"

"Can you help me convince them, mister?" Oriana pushed a single silver coin towards the man.

The man quickly kept the coin. "Well, it's owned by an acquaintance of mine. Tell him Charles led you to him. I don't know if he will give me face, but you can try talking to his crew. Go hurry. They should be leaving in an hour or two."

Oriana found a longship by the pier. With an extravagant fee of five silvers, the captain allowed her to board the vessel. Just as she was about to sigh in relief, the captain told her, "The departure would be delayed due to some bigshot arriving at Port Hope. You can disembark and go find a pub to eat first, if you want."

'What's going on?' 

Disgruntled, she looked at the sea. There was an extraordinarily huge ship coming towards the island, causing many of the boats and ships to give way. Even though it was still a distance away, one could see how unordinary it was. 

To call it a ship was an understatement. It was like a moving fortress, about three or four times the size of the Golden Hawk Merchants' cargo ship. 

'Seems like someone filthy rich is coming to this port,' she thought and turned around to leave the longship. 'Doesn't concern me.'

When she stepped back to the pier, she heard the dockworkers and travelers  talking. 

"That ship is an official sea vessel from the mainland."

"How can you tell?"

"There is a black dragon emblem on the flag."

"Not just any black dragon, but black dragon surrounded by a sun! This is the crest of the Royal Family of Megaris."

"Damn, royalty! No wonder the port master has been so busy since yesterday!" 

"Didn't you see the chief of the town is also here personally to welcome them?"

'Megaris?' Oriana wondered. 'Grandpa and I stayed there for a year back when grandpa was still doing active mercenary work. I think the escort mission he accepted then was to safely deliver something for a countryside baron, then afterwards, grandpa worked briefly as a town watchman.'

However, it was merely a passing thought as she walked away. 

'Since I have time to waste, shall I just walk around the market and buy something for Grandpa and Aunt Gwen's family? Luke bought shoes for me as well, so it's only proper that I give him a present too.' she gave an approving nod but then looked around, 'Will it be safe? Not even Conor's men will find me suspicious if I don't wear a mask.'

She lowered the cloth from her face, revealing her pretty face that held a friendly smile…and she used that as a bargaining weapon as she went through the various shops. 

'For Grandpa, what should I buy? Local snacks? Maybe they have interesting books…'

'Aunt Gwen has long hair. This wooden pin will look good on her.'

'Uncle is not picky. I bet he would like a new belt.'

'That kid Rina loves to doll up. She might like to use this pink rouge.'

'Luke? What would he like?' she sighed. 'That stone-faced guy hardly changes expressions. I could not guess what he likes. Maybe something useful?' She picked up a tiny dagger which had a bunny carved on its wooden handle. 'This seems good for him.'

'I still have time to spare. I shall eat something."

Just as she was finding a decent pub, she heard a group of men conversing. 

"...That intruder stole five stalks of herb. We have to find him or Master Conor will punish us all."

"It's impossible to find anyone with the description they gave us. A masked man wearing black? How can we find the thief?"

"Not sure but we just have to keep an eye on any suspicious person. That person shouldn't be a local. Grab a random traveler and  personally check their bags if they carry herbs."

Oriana gulped and immediately ran towards a different direction. She decided to go back to the inn to get her things and hide inside the longship until they were a safe distance away from the island.

Just as she passed through an alley, she realized someone…was chasing after her!

'Damn it!' Only then did she realize her mistake. 'Of course, a person running away is suspicious. If only I slowly backed away, they would not have singled me out. You are so stupid, Ori!'

She hurriedly covered her face before turning right to the next alley, but the man following her was fast. In a matter of seconds, he was right at her heels. 

'This speed, is he not human? Is he a beast on two legs? Am I being chased by a hunting hound?'

She jumped over a wall to enter someone's private property, but she did not stay but rather continued to jump towards the next one, before running with all her might. 

Oriana had always been proud of her speed. Running was her best skill—afterall, all her life, she had been running away with her grandfather.

As she took a random turn at an intersection, she looked over her shoulder and found there was no one behind her. 

"Seems like I lost him." She felt relieved, but she didn't stop to catch her breath. Just as she began another sprint—-

'What the—'

She almost crashed into the man, and she was luckily nimble enough to stop just in time. All the hairs on her body stood up in fear.

Red eyes.

A pair of eyes as red as blood, giving off a frightening aura, were staring down at her.

'A devil!'

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