Chapter Twelve: Redemption

Lenta sneered inwardly. It seemed her brother had also become somewhat hysterical. If that guy from the Caucasus was such a submissive character, then Hoffman must be overestimating his own abilities and charm.
The kingdom was now a weak, feeble giant, on the verge of collapsing at the slightest push. Yet its downfall would not be welcome either by the Light Church, the Four Lords, or the other nations in the Northern Alliance.
They didn’t want the kingdom to thrive, but that didn’t mean they wanted it to completely disintegrate. That would plunge the north into utter chaos, exposing the entire northern plains to the orcs. Without the kingdom’s military strength, both the nations bordering the Kingdom of Nicomedia and the Four Lords would face the threat of orcish devastation. Conversely, their unwillingness for the kingdom to collapse didn’t mean they wanted it to revive. A weak but still combat-effective kingdom was what they truly desired. In that case, the Light Church could gradually implement its religious policies by relying on the kingdom’s central authority, while the Four Lords could use the kingdom as a barrier against the orcs—something the nations of the Northern Alliance also hoped for.
The Kingdom of Nicomedia had now become nothing more than a pawn in the hands of these power blocs, acting according to their wishes. It was sad, and even sadder that Hoffman seemed to turn a blind eye or remain indifferent. He still hoped that minor nobles like Komer would unite and pledge loyalty to him, serving the kingdom. Could the kingdom’s cause or the Romanov family’s noble bloodline truly make people willing to die without regret?
But it wasn’t she who held power now—it was Hoffman. Moreover, her fate seemed tightly tied to his, forcing her to worry and scheme for him.
“Hoffman, I can go to Mainz, but I must warn you—don’t trust that guy too much. He doesn’t seem like someone who’ll stay hidden. You can use him, but you need to keep things in check. Don’t place all your hopes on them, or you’ll regret it deeply,” Lenta said calmly, adjusting her dress. “Don’t let all our efforts end up serving someone else’s interests.”

With his mood relaxed, Komer seemed to become somewhat lazy, and the construction of the second Magic Armament Cannon was delayed, mainly because Komer wanted more time to relax. After obtaining a Magic Armament Cannon, the Grey Skulls seemed to gain a surge in confidence. According to messages from the Haiding Fleet, the Grey Skulls’ fleet had engaged in two battles within three months in the Northern Mid-Sea against Red-Haired Witch Katrina’s fleet, with both sides experiencing wins and losses. However, the Magic Armament Cannon severely damaged one of Katrina’s flagship warships, gradually eroding the advantages of her fleet that had previously been overwhelming. Seizing this opportunity, the Grey Skulls’ fleet became even more aggressive in the Northern Mid-Sea, forcing Katrina’s fleet to adopt a defensive stance temporarily.

Although the Grey Skulls were in greater need of the second Magic Armament Cannon, Komer was reluctant to meet their demands hastily and even intended to delay the already signed agreement. This prompted the Grey Skulls’ envoy to come to Ugru almost every other week to urge him, while the Grey Skulls also tried their best to satisfy Komer’s unreasonable minor requests.

His relationship with Homer was also delicate. Homer seemed to have forgotten about this place to its south, which used to be its direct territory. Now, even Fortress Bruce had fallen into the hands of the enemy, who firmly controlled the entrance to the Great Greenland Forest that lay between the south and Homer. For some unknown reason, Homer neither rebuilt a fortress at the northern end of the Great Greenland Forest path nor blocked it. Perhaps it realized that since the blockade at the Nise River mouth had already been lifted, blocking the Great Greenland Forest path was meaningless.

The full reopening of the Nise River finally brought an opportunity for Leon to regain its glory. All mines could now operate at full capacity. After Komer promoted Neptune from Mandu’s administrative officer to assistant administrative officer for the entire Leon region, Neptune effectively became the de facto administrative officer of Leon. The young man’s enthusiasm for work was unprecedented; within a few months, he was constantly traveling between the four towns in Leon, encouraging workers and merchants, promoting investment, and advancing road construction. Leon’s development resembled that of the Caucasus in the previous two years.

The size of several market towns is also expanding rapidly. Thanks to the restoration of the river port at Fort Bruce and the Great Greenland Forest Trail, the mines in the Murray and Barnasha regions have quickly returned to their peak production levels. Especially in Barnasha, after Neptune carefully surveyed the terrain there, he organized a large workforce to dredge the rivers that had been clogged for decades and continued to work to clear them further. As a result, the waters of the Nise River flowed in, reaching less than two miles from Barnasha. Neptune also pushed hard for the market town to develop closer to the riverbank, successfully constructing a smaller river port in this low-lying area.

This allowed the ore from the entire Barnasha region to be transported directly here and loaded onto ships from this river port, eliminating the need to transport it by land to the river port at Fort Bruce. However, since this river port was somewhat smaller, it was difficult to meet the growing mining demands of Barnasha.

The construction of the Barnasha river port greatly reduced the pressure on the Fort Bruce port and enabled the coal from Murray to be shipped out without hindrance. Although Barnasha produced both coal and iron ore, its quality and scale still couldn’t compare to those of Murray and Izmel. Yet the availability of both resources inspired Neptune to consider building an iron smelting workshop in Barnasha. This would allow for the local processing of large amounts of coal and iron ore, shifting Barnasha’s focus from exporting ore to exporting pig iron and crude iron, thereby reducing the loading pressure on the river ports.

Neptune’s ambitious planning and construction efforts in the Leon region received full support from Komer and Puber. Leon was originally a region with a purely economic reliance on ore exports. The visiting nobles had also considered building smelting workshops there, but the chaotic situation in the region made them abandon the idea. The iron produced was just one step away from becoming weapons, which was too dangerous for the mortal nobles who were already terrified of half-orcs. They preferred to earn less rather than take such risks. Even Cyprus would not agree to building an iron smelting workshop there.

Puber’s thoughts were entirely focused on how to selectively admit refugees from the northern kingdoms in accordance with Komer’s intentions. Since it was selective, certain conditions had to be set—those in extreme poverty were completely excluded, as were those with strong religious beliefs. Puber, who was based in Mardan, personally led several subordinates to screen those who wished to settle in the Caucasus. For those with skills or substantial wealth, the Caucasus adopted a relatively lenient policy. This differentiated treatment also piqued the interest of those still undecided—since the Caucasus was in high demand, it must have its merits. With chaos reigning in the north and the threat of orcs hanging over everyone, perhaps the remote Caucasus and Leon were indeed an undiscovered paradise.

“I think perhaps it’s time for me to leave,” the girl said. Her pure white silver-trimmed priest’s robe appeared eerily sacred, contrasting with her serene and delicate cheeks. Her dark eyes, as deep as a still pool, remained calm when meeting Komer’s intense gaze, though a hint of melancholy appeared in them.

“Why?” Komer’s somewhat low voice carried a mesmerizing power that penetrated deep into the heart of the girl in the white robe, causing her to flinch. “Is it because Eve feels guilty for all she’s done?”

“No, not entirely. I’m not someone who would betray her principles. Perhaps you have your own reasons. Since I’m willing to meet your request, it means I believe I have a clear conscience. I trust you have your own intentions and difficulties; the methods aren’t the most important—having the right purpose is sufficient.” Eve’s response was firm, which surprised Komer. He had always thought she was helping him out of gratitude for his rescue, never expecting her to say such thought-provoking words. It seemed he had overestimated her, underestimating her complexity after all.

“Then why did Eve leave? If Eve feels she’s doing nothing here, I happen to have some tasks I’d like to ask her for help with.” Although the other person didn’t directly answer his question, Comer could faintly sense a hint of distress hidden beneath their depression. Perhaps he had indeed neglected their feelings. This kind-hearted but by no means naive girl harbored many unknown depths. For a priest, true satisfaction could only come from saving the weak both physically and spiritually. Comer seemed to sense something from her calm yet unyielding spirit. Could giving her a goal win her heart? Well, he would just play the role of the weak for once, Comer thought with a faint smile in his heart.