Chapter 19: The Circle of Power

Komer frowned slightly and took a sip of the strong black tea from his cup. Even Duke Tez was powerless to address this issue. Although Kafli had already tried to contact his companions in the Barefoot Society, he made it clear that purchasing such a large amount of food would not go unnoticed. Duke Philip and Duke Zelin would surely use various means to pressure the local grain merchants. For these merchants, raising food prices would not only yield high profits but also avoid offending their lords—why not do it?
“My lord baron, I have a friend who has extensive connections among the kingdom’s grain merchants and also maintains close relationships with Philip and Zelin. I think if you could entrust this transaction to him, it would likely help you save a lot of money and make the process much smoother. What do you think?” After carefully choosing her words, the princess in her light yellow dress hesitantly offered this suggestion.
Only then did Komer realize the purpose of Princess Kakiya’s invitation for afternoon tea. A grain transaction worth over a million gold shields was indeed a huge deal. Whoever secured it would reap substantial profits. Even Princess Kakiya was interested, and she had rushed to invite him, probably hoping to use his well-informed advantages to secure the deal first.
Pretending to be deeply grateful, Komer nodded earnestly repeatedly. “If such a good opportunity exists, Komer would certainly welcome it. I thank Princess Kakiya in advance. Whether she can help me or not, I will always remember her kindness.”
Kakiya wasn’t sure whether this man was pretending or truly naive from his rural background, unaware of the intricacies involved. But she didn’t care. Since she had made the offer, her goal was to achieve it. As for the rest, everyone in the circle knew exactly how much money the treasury allocated to the royal family each year—just enough for an ordinary official’s expenses. How could that suffice for the extravagant needs of the royal family? The royals still needed to live, and they wanted a better life. To enjoy such a life, they naturally had to find their own ways.
“Very well. My friend is waiting for you in the living room. I’ll invite him in now.” Without any hesitation, Kakiya was direct and efficient. With a wave of her hand, the servants waiting in the distance had already received instructions, and soon a middle-aged man was brought into the garden.

Leaning against the window sill, the pure white veil clung to the beauty’s porcelain-like face, a hint of melancholy seemingly lingering on it. Kakiya gazed absentmindedly at the two people outside who were discussing something intently. She knew her friend well—before interests were at stake, a merchant’s nature remained impeccably meticulous. But what about that baron? He seemed to be chatting and laughing leisurely with the other party, as if they had met too late. This guy was no ordinary person.

In fact, from their first encounter at the banquet, Kakiya had sensed that this seemingly rough-around-the-edges man was nothing simple. Just by daring to take in 150,000 refugees from that remote place called the Caucasus, he was already gambling—proving his willingness to risk everything, including his life and fortune. If a humanitarian disaster of starvation or freezing occurred, even a little provocation from those with ulterior motives could send this scapegoat to the gallows.

Yet Teyz seemed to have great confidence in this man. Perhaps out of the intention of planting a spy, Teyz was very dedicated to supporting him this time. It seemed Philip had already angered the king and Duke Teyz greatly. But this also served her own interests. Philip didn’t seem to take her seriously; maybe he thought she had no chance of becoming the kingdom’s heir. In his eyes, only her brother or even Hoffman seemed more qualified to inherit the throne. Kakiya thought coldly—there were only allies or enemies in this war; no neutrals. Perhaps this country nobleman could indeed become a thorn in Philip’s side.

The visit from the court’s chief archmage made Kakiya even more interested in this country bumpkin. Everyone in Versailles knew what it meant when the chief archmage of the Light Church paid a visit. Could this bumpkin be a mage—or even a killer—who could defeat Mage Melon? It was astonishing and bewildering. Even Kakiya couldn’t help but wonder what Onia had asked him and how he had given her a satisfactory answer. After all, Onia wasn’t someone easy to deal with.

Magician? Assassin? These are not unfamiliar professions, but when associated with a minor country noble, it seems somewhat strange. It is said that the killer of Mage Melon likely possesses dark magic powers, meaning it could be a dark mage or a necromancer. Although there are not only holy light mages in Nicomia, dark mages are rarely seen. After the fall of the Nether Empire, known as the Dark Dynasty, six hundred years ago, dark magic has become a synonym for evil, and no one wants to mention it. Necromancers, who worship darkness and death, are even more despised and loathed. And this is just within Nicomia. In the holy light-aligned countries of the Northern Alliance, such mages are utterly intolerable to the holy light mages led by the Church of Light.

Clearly, Oonia did not obtain any valuable clues from Baron Komer. The fact that he passed Oonia’s grand mage’s test proved his innocence. But what exactly led Oonia to suspect this minor country noble? Kajia was very interested in this, but given Oonia’s stance, it was unlikely to get an answer from him.

Interesting, witty, with a hint of mystery—this man seemed to be gradually entering the kingdom’s power circle. Especially after the deal involving 150,000 refugees, both the Caucasus region and his lord would surely come under the attention of the kingdom’s elite. He might even become more important in the days to come. That was Kajia’s conclusion about the young man outside the window. Though she hadn’t developed any deeper feelings for him yet, he was at least someone worth continuing to interact with, in every sense.

Of course, Komer, under the sunlight outside the window, had no idea that a woman was secretly observing him from behind the window. He was currently engaged in lively negotiations with one of the kingdom’s top grain merchants over this deal involving 150,000 people’s food supply. Kajia was right—the fat man’s price was indeed fair. Although he could earn a substantial profit, if he could truly resolve the issues of purchase and transit transportation as promised, Komer thought the deal could be left to him. Of course, it still depended on whether anyone offered better terms.

Palermo was also using this business negotiation to get to know this young lord under twenty years old. He was well aware of the situation in the Caucasus. If those 150,000 people truly survived there, it would be impossible for them to meet their food needs with local production in just one or two years. He was confident that they would still need to import large amounts of grain in that time. If this deal succeeded, it would be a good start for future business, so he preferred to earn less now to secure this long-term contract.

As one of the top grain merchants in the kingdom, Palermo’s success didn’t rely solely on his strong network; more importantly, he possessed sharp and profound foresight. Securing a long-term, stable client was far more important than closing a single big deal—this was the experience he had gained over the years.

Although this young lord appeared calm and composed on the surface, seemingly unskilled in business, he always showed shrewdness in critical moments, such as transportation issues and losses along the way. He would either address these points precisely or avoid them altogether, insisting that the final written contract take precedence to avoid making statements on issues he wasn’t familiar with. This made Palermo admire him even more. A foolish lord might help him close a profitable deal, but fools rarely became long-term partners, as they couldn’t hold important positions for long—even hereditary lords often ended up in debt or bankruptcy due to poor management.

During the days handling the grain deal, Komer quickly became very familiar with Palermo and Princess Kakiya. As Princess Kakiya’s agent, Palermo not only ran a massive grain business but also owned a large fleet of freight ships. From Bruce to the important river ports in Duke Zelin’s territory upstream, Palermo’s fleet operated freely, which explained why he agreed so readily to handle the transportation issues.

Although Melon’s death caused a stir throughout Versailles, with even the emperor personally intervening and ordering the internal affairs department to thoroughly investigate the cause of his death and identify the killer, no valuable clues were found in the hunting manor. As a result, the court mage and two Rema knights from the Light Church had to focus their investigation on outsiders outside the manor. However, this scope was too broad, and completing such a task couldn’t be done in just a few days. Versailles soon returned to its usual hustle and bustle.

Onia’s visit was not a surprise to Komer. In fact, even after that night, Komer had already begun preparing to face her challenge. Fully aware of her danger, he deliberately spent those days practicing elemental magic, striving to conceal his deep-seated dark nature. He even placed several objects in his room that emitted elemental energies, aiming to confuse her senses. Most importantly, he skillfully used a hidden spell from the parchment scroll to transform his dark nature into a fire-based one, and this ingenious spell proved extremely effective.

When Onia arrived, the strong presence of elemental magic around Komer caused her thoughts to deviate subconsciously. Meanwhile, the Knight of Mare, bound by Commander Kent’s strict orders not to reveal anything about the pursuit mission to outsiders, could only watch from the sidelines. This allowed Onia, who failed to detect any anomalies through her senses, to miss her best chance to uncover the truth. Yet Komer’s formidable magical power still left a deep impression on the court’s chief mage, though he was not included in the list of suspects.

Vansell’s extravagant nightlife also left unforgettable memories for Komer. As night fell, lights and fires were lit throughout the hunting manor. Officials, nobles, merchants, and scholars gathered according to their circles and interests—playing games, having affairs, dancing, watching operas, and courting each other—all in a subtle and discreet manner, as if everything could be settled at night. The corrupt and decadent lifestyle of the kingdom’s nobles left Komer, who thought he already understood noble life, utterly astonished. Gambling, horse racing, reckless spending, chaotic relationships, the popular practice of wife-swapping, and bureaucrats colluding with merchants for huge profits—all of these broadened his horizons greatly.

But this life did not last long. Neither the kingdom nor the other three city-states, nor the refugees themselves, wanted to remain without a place to settle any longer. Accompanied by the refugee representatives, Komer took Fran to the refugee camps gathered in the border areas of the three city-states. Tens of miles of refugee tents and shacks stretched from the Dutch border all the way to the western border of the Kingdom of Nicosia. Over two hundred thousand refugees were packed into this narrow strip of land, waiting for their rulers to decide their fate. With no food, no clothing, no daily necessities—everything destroyed by the wars waged by the orcs—everything they had left was themselves, and perhaps only their meager savings that they could take with them.

Thinking that countless fellow citizens had been captured as slaves by the orcs, these poor refugees still considered themselves lucky. The orcs disliked mortals, and once captured, whether adults or children, they were without exception sold at the T-shaped markets of slave traders. Adults were sent to mines and farms, while most young women ended up in brothels. A few who were beautiful and lucky might catch the eye of some nobles or wealthy men and be bought as servants or mistresses. The fate of children was the most tragic; many nobles with perverse tastes enjoyed obtaining the items they desired in this way, treating children as their pets.