Chapter 20: Turbing the Waters

As Komer gently licked the delicate flesh of the girl’s most precious peak, even Uma found the reincarnation chosen by Kenifer III to be utterly evil and despicable. To defile and insult the Holy Light Religion in such a manner was simply unimaginable. Whether it was out of instinctual release or genuine intent to provoke the Holy Light Church, Uma was skeptical. But for now, she could only passively comply with Komer’s actions—otherwise, what she considered a perfect body would never truly belong to her.

Soft sobs did nothing to soften Komer’s cold demeanor. He sucked gently yet firmly at the sacred part of the girl’s body that no one had ever touched before. As she cried out again, he pulled down her pants and placed his hands on her firm buttocks. His tender fingers moved like those of a pianist playing an antique instrument, slowly tracing, stroking, squeezing, and kneading her soft thighs and buttocks, as if searching for something within Elena’s elastic body. After sucking on two of her nipples, Komer quietly moved his face to her lower abdomen.

Her round navel resembled an inverted shell. His gaze instinctively dropped downward, where pale green hair formed a light brown cluster, with a faint shadow hidden among them. Komer touched the hair, and a violent tremor ran through Elena’s body. He smiled inwardly—such a bizarre scene would surely drive even the strongest-willed person to fury and shame. With her magic restricted, she could only watch helplessly as he did as he pleased. Even now, it would be easy for him to take her by force, but Komer had no intention of doing so—it would be too unchallenging.

“Miss Elena, do you believe I’m about to possess you right now?” Standing up slowly, Komer faced Elena head-on, their cheeks less than twenty centimeters apart, so close that they could feel each other’s breath. Even as he asked this, his eyes continued to wander over her body. He picked up one of her nipples, which had become erect and slightly purple from his sucking, and pinched it hard before saying, “What a shame. Such a magnificent body—why refuse to share it with the world? Why hide it beneath these thick robes? I’m considering whether I should be the one to lift this veil of mystery.”

Elena no longer wanted to express her feelings in words. Apart from the blazing anger in her eyes, she simply stared coldly at the other person, her lips tightly closed, unwilling to say another word.
Komer was somewhat disappointed. It seemed this guy was truly exceptionally stubborn. To maintain such composure under these circumstances was rare, but that didn’t matter—he still had plenty of time and opportunities.
“Well, it seems Miss Elena has a lot of misunderstandings about me. I think we need some time to communicate slowly. As for acting as a bridge between us, I think my friend Miss Umma could take on that role.” Komer smiled gently. “Umma, I’m entrusting Miss Elena to you. It’s understandable if she can’t change her mindset right away. I think you’ll need to do more to help her. Well, it would be best if it’s done within this week. I’m looking forward to seeing how you two perform.”
As Komer left the secret room with a sense of satisfaction, not only was Elena cursing endlessly, but even Umma couldn’t help but curse Komer in her heart. Such a perverted and resentful man yet possessing such great power—this truly seemed like an unfortunate thing for the world.
“You mean we’re going to Marco to rescue Rebrí?” Mihajević wasn’t very surprised, but concern still showed on his face. Everyone knew what Marco was—a holy city of the Light Church, a place where the elite of the entire Light Church gathered. The danger of attempting anything there was obvious.
“Mihajević, are you worried?” Komer smiled faintly.
“Aren’t you worried?” Mihajević retorted. He was puzzled by Komer’s carefree expression. Komer surely couldn’t be unaware of Marco’s strength. Aside from Julius, the two archbishops of the Light Church, Frenst and Vazinki, were both powerful magic users on par with the heavens. There were also Nojora and Lorenzo, those madmen from the Inquisition. Even if they were slightly inferior to Frenst and Vazinki, the gap was minimal. Add in countless Light Saints and Holy Knights, as well as the three major church knight orders—challenging the Light Church there meant almost certain suicide, no matter how many people went.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood me, Mihajic. I’m not openly challenging the Church of Light or the Tribunal. What I mean is that we just need to plan an operation that can be completed in a short time. The prison tower where Rebrí is held isn’t very well guarded. If we can launch a surprise attack when their defenses are weakest, we should be able to complete our mission and rescue Marko without alerting those other powerful figures. To put it precisely, it’s an operation similar to rescuing hostages,” said Komer, fiddling with the demon ring on his finger thoughtfully. “We already have a general idea of the situation in that prison tower. It’s quite far from the residences of the other experts. If we act wisely, I think we have a good chance of ending the battle and evacuating before the Church of Light can react.”

Sighing softly, Mihajic shook his head. “Lord Komer, I think you underestimate the strength of the Church of Light. Leaving aside whether we can successfully rescue Rebrí, even if we do manage to do so, have you considered what kind of reaction the Church of Light will have? Are you prepared for a complete break with them?”

Seeing Komer hesitate, Mihajic went on directly, “I know Lord, you now have the support of the Salvation Society and the Southern Dark Faction. But I believe neither of them is yet ready to openly confront the Church of Light. The Salvation Society still hopes to maintain its current semi-hidden status to develop further, while the Southern Dark Faction is still actively consolidating its territory in the south. I think Lord should reconsider whether now is the right time. It would be best to communicate with those other two groups as well. I believe we could benefit greatly from their strength, especially that of the Salvation Society. Perhaps you’ll gain even more advantages.”

Mihajic’s words put Komer into deep thought. Even now, Komer’s understanding of the Salvation Society remained vague and incomplete. Exactly how many members it had, which social classes they belonged to, and how strong their influence was in certain areas—all of these details were rather unclear. Mahagumi had clearly made some efforts in this regard, but with little success. Considering that even the Church of Light’s Tribunal, despite years of relentless investigation, had failed to eradicate the Salvation Society, which was even growing stronger, one could only imagine the extent of its influence.

Perhaps the most difficult to deal with are enemies lurking within. The Inquisition tried every means to eliminate the forces of the Order of Salvation hidden within its own ranks, but never succeeded. They were also well aware that some members of the Order of Salvation had even infiltrated their upper echelons. The Order of Salvation? Komer slowly chewed on this term, which seemed both unfamiliar and familiar. Carrera’s performance was truly remarkable; even in the orc-dominated region of Leon, he managed to win the support of many orcs. Of course, this support had its limits—should he have other ambitions, it would be meaningless. The reputation Komer had built among the orcs was shining brightly, and no one could easily replace him. Komer was absolutely confident in this, which was why he insisted on keeping the orc forces as part of his core military strength. But if Carrera were in a region dominated by humans, his influence would likely go far beyond that. This was what worried Komer. A person who couldn’t be fully controlled, no matter how outstanding his performance, might sometimes pose a greater threat. The political scheming he had experienced had taught Komer how to leverage strengths and avoid weaknesses. It was fine to let Carrera help those impoverished regions recover, but once he gained enough influence, it would be time to make adjustments. “Mihajic, there seems to be more to what you’re saying. I’m not quite understanding. Could you explain it more clearly?” Komer asked after pondering for a while, wanting to see if Mihajic shared his views. “Lord Komer, you should be able to figure it out. If the Order of Salvation can thrive in the heartland of the Church of Light, it must have the support of certain high-ranking members of the Church. If we can gain their understanding and support in this matter, I believe we can minimize the pressures and threats we face. I think you understand what I mean. They don’t necessarily have to take action themselves, but they can provide us with the necessary intelligence—about the guards in the prison towers and various factors that might hinder our operations. They can even offer us better suggestions.”

Komer’s eyes lit up. Mihajic was right—these guys were indeed dissidents within the Church of Light. They must have thorough knowledge of all aspects related to Marco, especially their internal affairs. With their support, the difficulties and risks could be greatly reduced. However, the other concern Mihajic raised also made Komer think carefully: were they really prepared to break ties with the Church of Light?

His conversation with Mihajic made Komer realize once again that his understanding of Mihajic had been too superficial. Perhaps their discussions had focused more on puppet magic, leaving little room for talk on other topics. But today, Mihajic’s performance really inspired Komer. Though this guy might not know as much about the Church of Light as Rebril, he certainly understood it well. To survive as a dark mage in the northern parts of the Azure Continent, one had to understand well this major enemy—the Church of Light. It wasn’t surprising at all.

The battle in the Bosen Plains dealt a heavy blow to the Church of Light’s influence in Nicomedia, but it still didn’t shake its foundation there. In Poznan, Silesia, Calais, and the kingdom’s direct territories, the Church of Light still held considerable power. Even in Homer, it had a solid base. People’s beliefs couldn’t be changed in just a day or two, nor could they be swayed by a few conciliatory policies from rulers. Compared to other regions, Homer already had a good foundation for Komer thanks to Philip’s suppression of the Church of Light. If things continued on this track, Komer was confident he could gradually drive the Church of Light’s influence out of this land over the next few years or even decades. But that was only possible if external factors didn’t interfere. The best strategy to keep the Church of Light preoccupied was to create internal chaos and let the Salvation Society stir things up, thereby stirring up turmoil in the rest of Nicomedia as well.

But to get the Salvation Society to willingly take this step, something would have to be offered in return. A sly smile appeared on Komer’s lips. Why not make a few empty promises? What if he granted the Salvation Society missionary rights in Poznan and Silesia, or even Calais? It was all very distant anyway. If he could get the Salvation Society to gain influence in these regions, it would be extremely beneficial for his future plans and for strengthening his existing territories.

Gazing at the dark sky, Komer stood with his hands behind his back in deep thought. The situation was stabilizing day by day, and his path ahead seemed increasingly clear. The struggle between Katyn and Gothenburg now appeared like child’s play in his eyes—trying to be arrogant without the strength to back it up was truly pitiful. The Anson family was also frequently showing goodwill; it seemed Lenta really wasn’t willing to remain just a background figure for Hoffman. Hoffman… Hmph. Remembering his arrogant attitude when he first met him, he was undoubtedly the most pitiful now. Without his support, how long could he last? Balance… This act of maintaining balance must have enraged Kakiya. He wondered if she would bite off his testicles the next time they met. Komer thought maliciously.