Chapter 15: Backing Forces
Even constructing a simple route across the Little Greenland Forest was extremely difficult. The distance between Fortress Bruce and the river port by Lake Nisea was over 400 kilometers. Although the river was fairly wide, it was flanked by untouched primeval forests with no inhabitants. The biggest challenge was the threat of magical beasts along the way. To establish a smooth connection between the river port and Fortress Bruce, relay supply stations had to be built along this 400-kilometer water route, and such stations posed even greater dangers.
However, compared to the pressures faced by the southwestern regions of the Kingdom of Nicotia and the need for military support from the Caucasus, these dangers were considered surmountable. Although Lake Nisea could not be approached for now due to the presence of magical beast colonies, taking a land route around the lake reduced risks significantly. Moreover, this route was initially reserved for use by the Caucasus Self-Defense Forces, with only a few adventurer groups daring to use it, so there was no risk of civilian merchant caravans being attacked.
Although the route had been opened, Komer was not eager to deploy the Caucasus and Leon Self-Defense Forces to the Aker Valley. After all, the appearance of a half-orc army in Livonia would pose too great a threat to the mortals in southwestern Nicotia. Perhaps only at the most critical moment could such threats and opposition be minimized.
This buffer period made things relatively easier for Komer. Although both Kajia and Hoffman were preparing for battle and harboring hidden intentions, their verbal disputes grew increasingly intense. News from Gothenburg indicated that Hoffman planned to seize the throne by force to better organize a counterattack against the orcs, a plan supported by the four great lords and most of the nobles. Even some merchants quietly shifted their stance. In their view, Kajia, lacking military support, was unable to shoulder the responsibility of defending against orc invasions, especially since the kingdom’s core military forces had been severely weakened. The military support of the nobles thus became even more crucial.
What was even more unfavorable for Kakiya was the change in the Light Church’s attitude. The church, which had previously maintained a neutral stance, also began to shift. Onia, the chief mage of the Court Mage Corps, and Hesetins from the Nicomedia diocese jointly attended Hoffman’s engagement ceremony. Princess Caroline from the Principality of Bessarabia became Hoffman’s fiancée, greatly strengthening Hoffman’s power. The blessings spoken by the two leaders of the Light Church in Nicomedia during the ceremony only deepened Kakiya’s concerns. Without military strength and now also lacking religious support, it seemed extremely unlikely for her to defeat Hoffman relying solely on the support of minor nobles and merchants from the southwestern region.
“Mr. Palermo, what’s wrong? Have you lost interest in hunting deer too?” Komer gently spurred his horse forward, which stepped lightly toward him. Seeing the other man come out of the shrubs on the opposite hill with empty hands and a few servants, Komer raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked.
“Oh, my lord, I’m too old to compare with you. That damned moose could jump such a long distance. Before I could reach it, it disappeared into the woods. I wouldn’t dare go deeper—what if I ran into those bears that have just awakened? That would be terrible.” Palermo swayed his obese body on the saddle, making Komer worry whether his sturdy horse could bear such weight.
“Hehe, Mr. Palermo, life lies in movement. If you can maintain one or two enjoyable hunting trips per week, I think your health will be much better than it is now,” Komer praised. “At least you’re still quite agile.”
“Oh, my lord, I can’t tell whether you’re mocking me or complimenting me.” The obese man smiled happily and jokingly rode up to Komer’s side. “But I really don’t have much interest in hunting deer anymore. Although this weather seems like the perfect time for rest, it seems we don’t have that luck.”
Komer understood the deeper meaning behind Palermo’s words. He shrugged indifferently and said, “Well, Mr. Palermo, it’s not us—it should be you. I’m very content now. I really enjoy this leisure time. Early summer in Livonia is truly delightful. Compared to the Caucasus, the climate here is much more pleasant. I really plan to build a summer resort farm by the Zik Valley.”
“My lord, I don’t believe you still have the mind to consider such matters now.” Palermo waved for his servants to stay away from him and Komer, his expression losing its smile. “Do you really think the Valley of Zuck belongs to you? Or are you simply satisfied with the current situation?”
“Mr. Palermo, I understand what you mean, but what can we do now?” Komer took off his suede gloves and spread his hands, speaking with a hint of helplessness. “The orcs’ strength is beyond our reach right now; their military force is far too powerful. I think we have to accept the status quo for now. Even the Church of Light is at a loss. With the kingdom’s military forces suffering such heavy losses, it’s already quite good if we can just maintain the status quo. Do you really think we still have the power to turn things around?”
“Mr. Komer, you should know I’m not referring to the orcs’ problem. Princess Kakiya isn’t concerned about Jazair either. Hoffman has openly declared that he won’t recognize the rulings of the Kingdom’s Star Chamber, claiming those judges were bribed by Princess Kakiya. He intends to seize the throne by force and demands that Princess Kakiya go to Gothenburg to face questioning. Do you really think we can still live carefree under these circumstances?” Palermo’s expression darkened. This guy was still acting foolish in front of him. With the situation so tense, he remained indifferent—it was truly impossible to figure out what he was up to.
“Mr. Palermo, I don’t think you need to be so anxious. The rulings of the Kingdom’s Star Chamber can’t be overturned by just anyone. Without moral support, it will be difficult for Hoffman to gain the kingdom’s consensus. As long as Princess Kakiya ignores him and doesn’t recognize his claim to the throne, he can only indulge in being a pretender king.” Komer’s gaze wandered, seemingly uninterested in the issue.
“But Mr. Komer, you should be aware that Hoffman has already assembled an army made up of those noblemen’s private troops, reportedly named the Blood Lion Corps. Together with the Royal Guard and remnants of the knightly orders who have retreated to Gothenburg, they hold a complete advantage over us. If he truly decides to attack Princess Kakiya for refusing to obey the orders of the Kingdom’s Noble Council, we simply don’t have the strength to stop their advance.” Palermo never believed that this greedy lord wouldn’t care about the fiefdoms in the Uck Valley unless he was secretly colluding with Hoffman—this was exactly what worried him the most. But now it seemed unlikely.
“Do you think Hoffman would dare to do such a thing under the pressure from the orcs?” Komer countered.
After a pause, Palermo pondered for a while before slowly saying, “Perhaps not yet, but the orcs have now stabilized the situation in the kingdom’s north. The territories of the Duchy of Mellen, the City-State of Susor, and the City-State of Main have all been connected to the northern regions of the kingdom. Large numbers of orc immigrants have settled in these areas, and the kingdom simply doesn’t have the strength to reclaim them in the short term. Perhaps Hoffman believes that if he can become the king of the Kingdom of Nicossia, he can unite the entire kingdom’s forces to fight back against the orcs. So, as long as Hoffman has such ambitions, even if it’s only verbal battles for now, once he decides he needs to gather all forces to restore the kingdom, he will find various excuses to attack us in order to unite all the forces under his control to achieve his goal.”
Komer also agreed with this view. He knew Palermo’s intention was to force him to keep his promise—to find a way to open a passage through the Little Greenland Forest so that the armed forces from the Caucasus could cross it to help Princess Kakiya defend against Hoffman’s increasingly formidable forces. Although Palermo was aware that efforts were being made to open a passage through the Little Greenland Forest, he wasn’t aware of its actual progress. After all, few people were willing to enter that forest full of magical beasts. Perhaps, aside from the simple-minded, blindly loyal half-orc troops, even ordinary soldiers wouldn’t dare to set foot in that eerie forest.
Komer did not tell them that the path through the Little Greenland Forest had actually been preliminarily opened. In fact, Komer had ordered the Dragumov forces stationed in Leon to conduct two armed drills over the past month or so to adapt to the conditions of that path. Yet both drills only brought the troops as far as the vicinity of the Zek Valley before they stopped. After replenishing their supplies, Komer ordered them to return to Fortress Bruce. He still did not want these ferocious half-orc armies to appear in Livonia, as that would expose his true whereabouts to the Church of Light, especially the Inquisition. Although the Church of Light was currently more focused on the orc invasions in the north, if the Inquisition discovered his location, they might launch a full-scale attack. Before being fully prepared, Komer was not ready to openly confront the Church of Light.
Moreover, his current armed forces still seemed insufficient, especially given the earlier crisis of facing a joint invasion by the court mages and Homer. Komer was not confident he could deal with the kingdom’s court mages, nor was he sure if his half-orcs could withstand the intense magical attacks from the mages. As a result, he had to keep Mihajic, Newman, Uma, as well as Sorenberg and Vladkov temporarily stationed at Fortress Bruce. He even asked Xuro to send three papal protectors to help him through this difficult time. Fortunately, the orc invasion allowed this crisis to pass.
Although the crisis had been averted, Komer realized that he would eventually have to fight Homer and Hoffman, who was backed by Homer. Expanding the armed forces once again became a priority. The Caucasus region could readily recruit tens of thousands of soldiers, but these untrained and unexperienced half-orc soldiers would be of little use in battle. Therefore, Komer had to ask Fran to conscript another two thousand men, raising the number of troops in the Caucasus Self-Defense Forces to a record five thousand. This caused strong dissatisfaction among Puber and Fran, but under Komer’s strong push, the Caucasus lords quickly approved the plan. Soldiers were quickly conscripted and put into training. What worried Fran, however, was that such a large-scale expansion would dilute the number of experienced veterans, leaving it unclear just how combat-effective this army, which already had little combat experience, would be.
Faced with Palermo’s worries and concerns, Komer also had little to say. Leaving aside the issue of his own whereabouts possibly being exposed due to the appearance of the half-orc army in Livonia, there was another danger: although the court mages had withdrawn to Gothenburg, the threat from Homer’s own forces still existed. It was uncertain whether Homer would attempt another southern invasion once they learned of the large-scale half-orc army in Livonia. At present, Komer couldn’t openly discuss these issues with Palermo and Kakiya, especially not the Inquisition’s pursuit of him.
However, Komer’s evasions led Kakiya to mistakenly believe he was taking advantage of the situation, which was why Palermo had gone to Livonia this time. The conversation ended on a sour note. Komer realized that his original plans might have been too simplistic. Sometimes, the risks had to be taken. If his armed forces couldn’t truly boost the morale of the small and medium-sized nobles in the southwest, Kakiya’s foundation of support might indeed collapse. But deciding when to deploy these forces and how to ensure these nobles wouldn’t worry about the half-orc threat required careful consideration. Still, making the Little Greenland Forest Passage more accessible so that the Caucasus army could reach the southern end of Livonia more quickly was an urgent priority. Komer even considered designating a restricted zone secretly at the southern end of the Zek Valley, allowing some half-orc troops to be stationed there in advance for emergency use, as well as to reassure Kakiya and Palermo after their inspection.