Chapter 4: Night Talk
Entering the Caucasus region through the Darman Pass, they were still 180 li away from the core area—Ugru Town. As darkness fell, it seemed impossible to reach there that night, so Fran proposed setting up camp early to rest. By now, they had entered Caucasus territory by 40 li, surrounded by almost uninhabited wilderness. The only road available seemed unlikely to see any traffic for days. Even the bandits from the Leon region would find it difficult to launch an attack, as it was too easy to find a hidden place to stay in such a desolate area.
As the blazing campfire ignited, Fran, as usual, divided the eight soldiers into two shifts, with two sentries each in opposite directions. Though they were now in a safe zone, Fran still insisted they remain vigilant to foster good combat habits. He believed that excellent qualities couldn’t be developed overnight; only after enduring many trials of blood and fire could a troop or a soldier truly become qualified. After such intense battles, soldiers were most likely to slack off, yet it was also the best opportunity to strengthen their will.
After closing his eyes and resting for a while, Komer slowly opened them. Ilot and Pube sat silently by the fire, resting. Perhaps due to the many events of the day, they found it hard to process everything. Komer’s wild behavior made them realize they could no longer see their friend clearly. But since they had embarked on this journey together, they had no intention of turning back. Fran also sat quietly a bit farther from the fire. The four soldiers on duty had already rested; they would take over guard duties in the second half of the night. Baoling went to check on the sentries. The howling mountain winds swept through the valleys, and the dancing flames took on endless strange shapes, seemingly trying to capture people’s attention.
“It seems our journey is really unlucky—attacks by magical beasts, ambushes by fallen knights, and now bandits blocking our path. Heh, am I, Komer, that failures? Am I really so detestable?” With a faint smile, Komer picked up a dry branch and added it to the fire, stirring it gently. The flames grew brighter, turning the four men’s faces red, while their reflections danced erratically.
“Boss, actually we all know who did this assassination. It’s because we’ve done despicable things before, right? Hehe, looking at his attitude, it seems he wants to take care of all three of us at once. It seems I and Pupber are right to follow you—otherwise, we’d end up as floating corpses off the coast of Seipulus Port sooner or later. Well, if we avoid this disaster, maybe we can survive for a while longer.” Ilot appeared utterly unconcerned. Though sitting on the grass, the broadsword with its S-shaped hook still moved nimbly in his hands.
“Hmph, do we really have no choice but to survive barely? I knew this trip wouldn’t be easy when that guy Bamo Li refused to escort us. But it seems that old fellow still has some reservations. If it were really Bamo Li’s guards doing this, we’d have no chance at all.” A cold smile flashed across Komer’s face. “But once we reach the Caucasus, that old guy won’t be able to reach us. If given time, I think we won’t have to stay in a subordinate position and endure scorn for the rest of our lives.”
“I hope so, boss. But the Caucasus isn’t exactly a good place. Fleeing might be a good option, but it won’t be easy to do anything there.” Pupber wasn’t so optimistic. From a financial perspective, he felt like his role as treasurer was on the verge of bankruptcy, especially after hearing Fran say that the entire Caucasus region had fewer than five thousand inhabitants, many of them half-orcs, which made him even more pessimistic.
But thinking of Komer’s unexpected performance lately, Pupber’s eyes lit up with a sly smile as he added, “But if you keep pulling off amazing feats like today, I think we might gain a lot in the Caucasus. I heard there are many adventurers there, and there are plenty of places worth exploring for treasures. If you’re free, why not act as an adventurer too? We could go look for treasures too. Who knows, we might even find an ancient treasure, and then we’ll be rich. After all, Fort Damalensk is also very famous—maybe there’s some secret treasure buried there.”
Hearing Pupber’s delusional nonsense, Ilot sneered in disdain. “Come on, Pupber, if everyone pinned their hopes on such fanciful treasure hunts, wouldn’t the world be full of adventurers? You’d better stick to your own job. After all, there are still thousands of subjects in the boss’s territory. If we manage our resources carefully, we can get by. If that doesn’t work, we can take on side jobs—like being bodyguards, acting as merchants, or killing some low-level monsters to make some money. Oh, and there are barbarians in the south—don’t they have plenty of special ores? That’s the real way to make a living.”
Hearing their argument, Komer also felt annoyed. This place called Caucasus seemed utterly hopeless with no prospects for development. What he had said earlier was mainly to boost everyone’s morale, but if asked to come up with a concrete plan, he had no idea—at least for now.
“There’s always a way when you get to the mountain. Don’t be so pessimistic. I can’t believe such a vast area can’t support us. Since Caucasus is so famous, there must be some secret to it. Now that we’ve reached this point, we have no choice but to take a chance. Whatever it is, if it’s valuable, we should give it a try—whether it’s Damalsk Fortress or other places worth risking it for. We have to try to find out.” Komer shook his head and spoke firmly, his words brimming with confidence. “You can never know the outcome before you try, but if you don’t try, you lose even that sliver of chance. To be honest, I’m surprised by my own performance these past few times. I’ve never done this before. Maybe it’s the potential that emerges when people are pushed to their limits. Caucasus will be our lucky place. We’ll fight for ourselves there, and I believe we’ll do better!”
Komer’s words were filled with confidence, even a strange magnetism. Not only did Ilot and Pupber’s faces light up, but Fran, who was sitting a bit further away, also became deeply captivated after a moment of distraction. Komer skillfully controlled his mental energy to keep it stable until the end of his speech. Only then, seeing the expressions of the three, did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief—he knew he had succeeded.
He cast a magical spell on the three of them. But it was not an ordinary spell—it was a unique dark magic. Dark magic refers to spells of a dark nature cultivated through special mental control powers. This is a rare type of magic on the continent. Firstly, because it belongs to the dark and necromantic categories of dark magic, it is despised by orthodox magicians. Secondly, such magic requires a special aptitude to understand and embrace its unique principles; one must not only be proficient in common dark and necromantic spells but also quite skilled in orthodox magic. Such demands are almost impossible for a magician, as ordinary white magic and elemental magic are incompatible with dark magic, especially necromancy. There have indeed been magicians who tried to master incompatible spells, but their outcomes were always the same—they went mad and died. Throughout history, aside from Franz Grühlich, who was known as the “Sacred Mage” and rose like a meteor during the time when magical beasts threatened the continent five hundred years ago—rumored to have reached the divine realm of unity between magic and divinity—this remains just a legend. No historical records on the continent mention Franz Grühlich at all; only bards pass down his story orally from generation to generation, leaving the true circumstances unknown to all.
Komer didn’t know why he possessed such dark magic, but instinctively, he wanted to use it to boost the confidence and courage of his three companions. This dark magic was the best choice—it could make people believe in themselves without them realizing it, and its lasting effect far surpassed that of ordinary mental spells. This was an instinctive reaction in Komer’s mind, filling him with excitement and tension while also causing some concern, as he didn’t know how long this sudden ability would stay with him. Perhaps upon waking, these thoughts would vanish from his mind. But at that moment, he had no other choice.