Chapter 2: Defying the Odds

Achieving mastery over the dual primordial forces is undoubtedly an audacious dream. Initially, Komer didn’t want to embark on such a seemingly risky venture that could easily cost him his life. However, the dire circumstances left him with little choice. The power of the Light Church remained entrenched in the Caucasus. No matter how much he tried to please Priest Belan and Pastor Kustav, their influence was clearly limited, and they couldn’t sway the decisions of the Light Church’s higher-ups. Even the members of the Rema Knights refused to leave, which proved just how suspicious the Light Church had become toward him. As his policies in the Caucasus and Leon inevitably touched upon many people’s interests, those individuals, sensing the Church’s hostility, would surely exacerbate the situation. To avoid this final crisis, he would ultimately have to rely on his own strength.

His status as a secular noble might exert some influence on the Light Church, but it wasn’t decisive. Once they discovered his true identity, not even the king of the Kingdom of Nicomedia could protect him—so ultimately, the burden would fall on him. Mastering the dual primordial forces could indeed be a solution: hiding the dark primordial force and concealing it with the light primordial force or elemental forces might allow him to pass through unscathed. Yet, achieving mastery over these dual forces was no easy task.

In fact, Komer began experimenting right after obtaining the scrolls and related books. The annotations and insights provided by Cynifer III in those books were of great help to Komer. Although Cynifer III didn’t delve deep enough and eventually gave up, his failures saved Komer from taking many detours. His experiences, especially in balancing and harmonizing the conflicts between the dual primordial forces, were invaluable—lessons gained from the brink of life and death.

Five months later, the elemental primordial force within Komer had taken initial shape. Though it wasn’t yet strong enough to conceal the dark primordial force, it was a good start. Komer didn’t choose the light magical primordial force—not out of concern that the two forces couldn’t be reconciled, but because he feared that such distinctly opposing magical forces might be exposed in front of the Light Church’s high-ranking clergy. Rather than take such a huge risk, he opted for the elemental primordial force, which was more balanced and moderate. Moreover, the lightning-based magical force he ultimately chose could largely conceal the traces of his dark magic.

The four primal elements—earth, fire, water, and wind—along with the three derived elements of ice, thunder, and wood, form the seven schools of elemental magic. Ice originates from wind and water, thunder from wind and fire, and wood from earth and water. Beyond these seven elemental schools, there are also metal and light, which do not belong to the elemental magic system but are closely related to it. For example, metal and wood both oppose and complement each other, while light has a special connection to fire, and in some cases, they can even transform energy into one another.

Komer chose thunder elemental magic as the foundation for building his second source of power. Since thunder tends toward darkness in certain aspects, and its origin, wind, also possesses dark characteristics in many forms, thunder magic often manifests as destructive and annihilating forces, similar to dark magic—something that could be used to conceal difficult-to-hide traces.

The successful establishment of the thunder elemental foundation gave Komer hope for success. He didn’t dare expect it to replace the dark magic foundation in combat, but as long as it allowed him to be perceived as an elemental mage by others, it would be sufficient. All his training focused on presenting himself as a powerful thunder mage.

In the days that followed, Komer worked to strengthen the transformation and cultivation of his thunder elemental power. King Canifer III had left behind a substantial legacy, providing a strong magical foundation for Komer’s pursuit of his second source of power. Progress seemed rapid, but this was merely superficial. Komer knew his training time was still very short, and he had only laid a rough framework. To truly apply this power in life-or-death situations, he still had a long way to go. Fortunately, for now, he only needed to deceive others enough to get by.

Now was the time to test the results of his long-term training. The people from the tribunal had already passed Mandu and were heading toward Muscat, likely to arrive in Ugru in about a week—by then, it would be time to see if his efforts paid off.

Upon entering the Caucasus region, Karu and Boriz immediately sensed a change in the surroundings. Although there were still many half-orcs in this area, the proportion of humans had increased significantly. Maskat was clearly a human town; though half-orcs could be seen everywhere, both the streets and buildings were entirely in a human style, largely resembling the northern style of Main and Susor. It was obvious that this was a town settled by northerners.

Maskat was a fortified town. Although its military significance had diminished after peace was restored in Leon, the presence of 100 half-orc soldiers and 50 elf archers reflected the Caucasus’ unique character. Whether in Leon or the Caucasus, the military forces here seemed to be composed mainly of half-orcs, with humans being rare. Even among middle and lower-ranking officers, half-orcs dominated, with humans only appearing among higher-ranking officers.

Maskat’s prosperity carried an eerie quality. Even before the blockade on Bruce’s river port was officially lifted, it had become a logistics hub for the entire Leon region. Even after the Nise River was unblocked, transporting large quantities of goods from Mandu and Izmel through here was much more cost-effective than via Bruce. The abundant high-quality bluestone and basalt produced near Maskat also became important building materials for towns in the Leon region. Although transportation was somewhat difficult, the use of long-horned cattle—characteristic livestock of the Leon region—for pulling carts reduced costs significantly, despite the slower speed.

“Nothing! Again, nothing!” Boriz raised his whip in frustration, his eyes filled with anger, yet he didn’t know where to vent it. “The atmosphere here is suffocating—half-orcs without faith, dwarves obsessed with alcohol, arrogant and simple-minded elves, and the rest of the humans are nothing but profit-driven merchants. This is a corner forgotten by the gods. Look at all these stone materials—such excellent conditions, yet I can’t find a decent church here, oh, except for a few damned statues of Mars!”

“Boriz, maintaining a calm mind and rationality is a basic requirement for us judges. Not finding anything isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it can mean two things. Either this Caucasus region is truly a desolate place, with some other forms of idol worship existing here that have little impact on the world and will eventually perish on their own, or someone else has already started cleaning up ahead of us, removing or hiding anything they think might cause them trouble. That’s good too—such actions suggest there’s something hidden that we need to uncover. The more they try to conceal it, the more likely there’s a big fish lurking behind it. Either way, it’s good for us. If we do find something, but it turns out to be nothing significant, that’s more realistic, though it will be disappointing.”

Karu leisurely adjusted his dusty cloak. Muscat was too prosperous—too prosperous to be a Caucasus town; it resembled towns near Jazair, though the diversity of races was somewhat off-putting.

“Oh? Karu, which possibility do you think is more likely?” Boriz pondered his companion’s words carefully before nodding. He wasn’t stupid and certainly understood what such cleanliness implied.

“I hope it’s the first one, but I also know that good hopes often mean impracticality, so…” Karu smiled meaningfully without continuing.

Boriz’s eyes lit up, his gaze sharpening. He took a deep breath to suppress his excitement. A desire for killing wasn’t a virtue for a judge, and Boriz was aware of that, but he found it hard to overcome this flaw, nor did he want to. Eliminating dark evils was the most important duty of a judge—so long as the blade of destruction was directed at darkness, that was enough.

“Though this time, it might be an exception.”

Karu’s addition displeased Boriz greatly. “Why?”

“No reason, just intuition.” Karu’s words were enigmatic, further irritating Boriz.

“Intuition? Isn’t that something you hate the most? Don’t you always emphasize evidence? Why are you talking about intuition now?” Boriz grew even angrier. This guy was always so sarcastic. Having worked together many times, he had experienced this attitude enough, yet every time, his predictions seemed almost always accurate, which was frustrating.

“I hate other people’s intuition, but I trust my own,” Karu said in a calm tone, yet the firmness in his words was unmistakable. A sharp remark from his companion pierced like a thorn in Boriz’s throat, leaving him speechless for a while before he grudgingly said, “Alright, it seems you’re right after all. Let’s wait and see then.” “Boriz, I rarely have intuition, but when it does occur, it’s very accurate. This time, I have a strange feeling—that we might just have a plain day, or we might encounter tremendous upheaval. But I can’t determine which feeling is more likely to be correct.” Karu gazed thoughtfully at the bustling street ahead. “Maybe we shouldn’t have come this time.”