Chapter 8: Arrival

Mahagumi always felt oppressed and constrained when sitting in front of the lord. In fact, he wasn’t the kind of person who lacked confidence or couldn’t relax; especially after being appointed as the head of intelligence, his confidence had grown unprecedentedly. Yet no matter how casually he spoke in front of others, stepping into this room filled him with a deep sense of reverence. The lord never said anything special, but Mahagumi had to admit he felt an inexplicable fear toward him.

“Are you saying Homer’s Storm Infantry Regiment is training intensively? Is there something wrong with that? Armies need to train.” Komer put down his quill and tapped the table lightly as he asked.

“No, my lord. There is indeed something wrong. The new commander of the Storm Infantry Regiment is a professional soldier, unlike previous commanders who were noble knights. His training methods are more similar to those of professional mercenaries. In my opinion, his approach is better suited for actual combat. Moreover, the floating bridge at Brooke Fortress is almost complete. I’ve also heard that Homer’s knights are making preparations, and even magicians are conducting joint drills with them. This is quite unusual. All these signs suggest that Homer is likely to take military action against Leon.” Mahagumi was anxious. The lord seemed reluctant to believe that Homer would use force against Leon at this time.

“Do you think Homer’s military preparations are aimed at us? Why not against the orc invasions in the north?” Komer raised his head and asked in return.

“My lord, the kingdom is still resisting. In the short term, the orcs can at most cause some damage in the central region. If they really intend to march south, they’ll need to be better prepared. But Homer’s actions now might be intended to deceive us, to catch us off guard. Look at the progress of the floating bridge at Brooke Fortress—there’s been little advancement for months. Now, suddenly they’re working day and night. What’s their intention?” Mahagumi’s forehead was covered with worried wrinkles.

“Hmm, you make a point. It seems that old Philip still isn’t giving up. If Homer really wants to deal with us, heh, we’re in trouble indeed.”

Komer clicked his tongue. He had indeed considered this possibility—the four great lords had joined forces to deceive the kingdom. The orc army had broken through the northern defenses and advanced deep into the kingdom’s north, with their aggression and penetration growing increasingly intense. It was impossible for the lords not to be vigilant. Any understanding between orcs and humans could only be based on mutual need; once one side felt its interests were threatened, that understanding would vanish. Now, the orcs had not only broken through Fort Saint Nicholas in the north but were also advancing in the west, directly threatening the interests of the entire kingdom, including the four great lords. It should be time for them to be highly alert to the orc attacks. Could Philip really be so confident that the orcs posed no threat to him, let alone have the means to deal with him? Yet Mahagumi’s analysis wasn’t entirely unfounded. If Philip was truly determined to eliminate him, now was indeed an excellent opportunity—at least on the surface.

“Thus, my lord, you must remain highly vigilant. Once the floating bridge outside Fort Bruce is built, Homer’s army can move south into Leon at any time. It would be best if you made some military preparations as well.” Mahagumi was well aware of the huge disparity in strength between the two sides. Although Lord Komer and his fellow magicians were incredibly powerful, Homer also had his own group of magicians. Their previous successful ambush had relied on the enemy’s carelessness. Now, with both sides coordinating their magicians and knights, it was clear they had taken precautions. Could things still turn out as optimistically as before?

After all, the Storm Infantry Regiment was a regular infantry unit with a long history. Though it couldn’t compare to the Golden Oak Infantry Regiment, it was still a well-known fighting force in the duchy, and its numbers far exceeded those of the current Caucasus-Leon Self-Defense Forces. Although the Caucasus-Leon Self-Defense Forces had trained hard under Fran and Bauling for a long time, their lack of experience, coupled with the half-orcs’ lazy tendencies, limited their combat effectiveness. Aside from the first batch of five hundred members of the Caucasus Lord’s Guard, who were barely passable, the subsequent troops, especially the half-orc soldiers recruited from the Leon rebel forces, gave Fran and Bauling a real headache. Their physical strength was unmatched by ordinary humans, but warfare was a team effort, and these lazy half-orc soldiers drove the trained officers almost mad.

Mahagumi’s last words hit Kommer right in the heart. Initially, he had focused solely on the advantages of orcs—their physical strength, loyalty, ease of recruitment, and low cost—but he hadn’t considered their carefree nature as the biggest obstacle to improving the army’s combat effectiveness. Whenever Kommer saw groups of disorganized orcs running around the training ground, waving their weapons and screaming like demons, he felt the urge to turn around and leave. Such an army might be enough to intimidate ordinary people in formation, but if it came to a direct confrontation with regular infantry, Kommer himself had no confidence at all.

It wasn’t until Mahagumi left that Kommer finally settled down to seriously consider this tricky issue. He didn’t want to show his concerns in front of Mahagumi. If they were to fight using conventional tactics, Homer’s army could easily wipe out his own militia with no effort. Even if he tried to expand the army right away, it might be too late. Homer’s infantry numbered 15,000, plus a cavalry unit of over 300—his ragtag group simply had no chance of winning. Kommer understood this without even asking Fran or Baoling.

Borrow troops from the barbarians? The idea flashed through Kommer’s mind, but the risk was too great. The Caucasus region had finally started to stabilize, and if the barbarians discovered its weaknesses, they might drive away the Homerians, only to make dealing with them even more difficult later. Relying solely on Rebrí, Mihajović, Sorenberg, and Vladkov was clearly unrealistic. Not to mention that the enemy also had their own mage corps—15,000 regular infantry couldn’t be defeated just with magic, unless under special circumstances.

Special circumstances? A thought struck Kommer. The gloomy and long passages in the Greenland Forest seemed to inspire him. What if he could force those Homerian soldiers to face a massive migration of magical beasts? But the enemy also had a mage corps, making this difficult to achieve. Moreover, even attacks by small magical beasts like wolves would hardly cause significant damage to an infantry force of over 10,000.

Although no specific solution had yet been found, the ancient paths in the Greenland Forest suddenly gave Komer an idea. If that old fellow Philip really intended to wipe them out completely, this long and gloomy passage would indeed be an excellent spot for an ambush. Here, he and Rebri, along with Shatima and Uma, could do as they pleased—this place was practically a paradise where any new trick could be displayed. The Homers would never forget it. By the way, didn’t the Great Secret Sect always want to build relations with him? It seemed this could be a way to test their sincerity. There had been no response regarding the issue of the Evil Dragon, so the trip to the Greenland Forest should be fine. Thinking of this, Komer’s mood improved significantly.

Things were exactly as Mahagumi had predicted. As the Homer army continued to train on the outskirts of Cyprus City, news kept flowing from Cyprus to Ugru. These news items weren’t very secret—such a large-scale military operation simply couldn’t be kept hidden. In fact, Philip didn’t intend to keep it secret either. He wanted the world to see what would happen to those who betrayed the Philip family. Leon belonged to Homer, and the Caucasus also belonged to Homer. As long as he wanted it back, he could take it easily.

Dark clouds gathered over Leon and the Caucasus. Perhaps those half-orcs hadn’t realized the severity of the situation yet, but the administrators under Komer’s lordship had all sensed an impending crisis. Homer’s spies also began to become active in Matdan and Ugru. Even the priests of the Light Church were becoming evasive in their statements. Taverns and cafes were filled with people discussing these rumors.

Leon, on the other hand, remained much calmer. The half-orcs seemed uninterested in these mortal rumors. They only knew that Leon now had a lord—current Baron Komer—and they didn’t care about anything else. The memory of Leon defeating the Homer army in the last battle remained fresh in their minds. Although they weren’t sure it was Komer’s doing, even the simple-minded half-orcs could guess that the Caucasus must be behind that battle. Among the half-orcs, no one had ever heard of anyone who could cast magic.

The 3,000-strong Caucasus-Leon Self-Defense Forces were marching northward toward Leon while training, and intelligence suggested that Homer’s army had already begun moving slowly southward. In any case, at least on the surface, Komer had to appear firm. He also warned the overwhelmed central kingdom that Homer might defy the kingdom’s Star Chamber ruling and trigger war, urging the kingdom to take action. At the very least, Komer wanted to establish a moral advantage first.