Chapter Eleven: The Army of Magic Devices

When Komer shared his ideas and intentions with Newman, it immediately piqued Newman’s keen interest. For him, magic devices were far more appealing than any star magic arrays—they required no sophisticated spells or great magical power, but rather creative ideas and an understanding of magical materials. Magic served more as a supplementary element, though it was still essential for magic devices.

Komer deliberately guided Newman to explore certain areas, such as enchanting siege engines to enhance their attack power and durability, or installing magical reaction devices on city walls to defend against enemy soldiers launching night attacks. These ideas helped Newman quickly overcome his misconceptions and recognize his own strengths in this field. Komer generously promised to provide more funding and magical materials, and even assist in recruiting talented apprentices skilled in magic devices to accelerate his research.

However, short-term solutions couldn’t address long-term problems. Newman’s focus on magic devices wouldn’t help Komer overcome the current weakness of the Caucasus Mage Corps. If it hadn’t been for the undead army of Umma holding back the forces of the Court Mage Corps and the Light Church during the last battle on the Bosen Plains, the entire Caucasus Mage Corps might have already collapsed. Komer understood this all too well—without a strong magical force as a backing, his carefully trained army would have to pay a much higher price to win battles.

Komer didn’t expect his magical forces to reach an extremely high level, but the severe situation in the north forced him to invest more effort in strengthening them. It was now very difficult to recruit reliable and capable mages, especially since he had made it clear he might confront the Light Church. Mages with various ties to the Light Church would not easily join him. Under such circumstances, to make use of his existing magical forces, Komer had to put in extra effort with magic arrays.

The secret chamber beneath Fort Damansky left behind quite a number of useful books, including several on magic circles. In his free time while meditating, Komer would instinctively browse through some of these materials. A magic circle essentially serves to enhance certain powerful spells or stack various forces together. To amplify, strengthen, or stack such forces, special mediums are required—such as substances induced by particular magical creatures, or a specific minor spell acting as a catalyst, or even a specially created artificial or natural environment. In short, a special trigger is needed to activate it. Moreover, there is a crucial factor: one or more magicians capable of controlling these powerful forces must guide and manipulate them, ensuring that the power released by the magic circle aligns with the caster’s intended goals.

The earth magic circle was an idea that came to Komer after he witnessed Clarence’s mastery in earth magic and thought of the starry magic circle hidden beneath the obelisk in Fort Damansky. However, star magic, along with space magic and spirit magic, is considered one of the three less popular branches of magic. Not many people on the continent understand star magic, let alone those with expertise in it. Aside from Komer himself, only Newman has some familiarity with it. Since he couldn’t handle it personally, Komer naturally turned to Newman for help.

It was extremely difficult to find someone in the lands of Homer and the Caucasus who could replace Newman. Komer knew how important it was to strengthen his mage team for his future plans. But ever since he made himself public in the Caucasus, he had to maintain a certain distance from the Great Secret Sect. He didn’t want to fully reveal his connection to the dark forces before securing decisive control over Nicomedia, as that would only unite the entire Northern Alliance under the banner of the Light Church. He needed to be patient; everything had to wait until his next plan succeeded before he could take action.

Komer sat lost in thought in his study in the lord’s manor. Time—time waits for no one, yet it forced him to pause and wait. Everything wasn’t ready yet, neither his preparations nor the political situation in the Kingdom of Nicomedia allowed him to act as he wished.

One’s own army had just entered the training phase, and the Homer Knights, under Leclerc’s guidance, had begun to recover their strength. Yet this still required time. Having inspected them once or twice, Komer could tell that those unruly knights still hadn’t truly accepted him as their lord. After all, one of the once notorious “Three Wolves” had suddenly become their lord. Although he had received recognition from both Gothenburg and Katyn, the knights still harbored a deep-seated aversion toward this illegitimate nobleman with a poor reputation. But that didn’t matter—it would take time to gradually change their minds. Komer was convinced that as long as he could fight alongside them in two real battles, those proud knights would eventually accept him. He was firm in this belief.

At Komer’s suggestion, the barbarian infantry and the orcish infantry were officially separated. The barbarian unit was named the Stormtrooper Corps, consisting mainly of heavily armored shock infantry. Their standard equipment included long-handled axe spears and lightweight iron scale armor. The Earthdragon Warrior Squadrons and the Thunderhawk Knight Squadrons were separated from the Stormtrooper Corps. Komer didn’t want to see a fully organized barbarian force—it didn’t fit his vision nor the interests of Homer and the Caucasus.

The orcish unit, on the other hand, was named the Rockbound Corps, symbolizing the orcs’ tenacity. They would consist mainly of heavily armored infantry capable of both offense and defense. Their spears were not only slightly lighter than the barbarian soldiers’ axe spears but also longer in length. They were also equipped with thick, large tower shields and lighter kite-shaped shields. Their double-layered iron scale armor, reinforced with leather straps, could minimize damage from light weapons—ordinary arrows couldn’t even penetrate such mixed armor.

A new human regiment was also formed. After discussion, Komer and Fran named it the Ghost Monkey Corps, symbolizing the unit’s agility and ferocity. Compared to the numbers of heavily armored infantry in the Caucasus and Homer, this unit was more of a support force. However, it would grow stronger over time, as city defenses relied heavily on them. Round shields and halberds were their standard equipment, along with simple and convenient light crossbows, which effectively enhanced their mid-range attack capabilities.

The last force is undoubtedly the archer unit composed of half-elves and mortals. The half-elf archers form a powerful medium-to-long range strike force, while the mortal crossbowmen are the best choice for long-range attacks. Together, they make up the Feiyu Regiment, an army to which Komer and Fran place great hopes. Since its formation, this army has suffered very few losses, and after several wars, it has grown rapidly. With more soldiers joining, the proportion of mortals in this army, which was originally made up solely of half-elf soldiers, has continued to rise. Through actual combat, they have proven that their role is irreplaceable by any other military unit.

All five armies still need time to be further integrated and strengthened, especially the barbarian forces that were severely damaged in the last battle on the Bosen Plains. Apart from firmly holding onto the soldiers provided by the Sanjia tribe, the number of soldiers from smaller barbarian tribes flocking to join the army in the Caucasus has also increased significantly. However, in terms of combat experience and skills, they still cannot compare to the original veterans, which greatly reduces Komer’s reliance on the Sanjia tribe soldiers. Although the Sanjia tribe remains in a stalemate with him, if they were to try desperately to reclaim their soldiers, it’s hard to say how many would follow their former leader. If that were to happen, Komer would have to rely on the remaining veterans to lead a group of new recruits.

Komer believes that his actions are unlikely to go unnoticed by Galle, Poznan, and Silesia. But under the current circumstances, they probably can’t react too much to his actions. Apart from strengthening their own forces, they seem to have no other choice. The conflict between the two heirs to the kingdom has led to the gradual decline of the kingdom’s central governance system. For these great lords, this might seem like a good thing, but on the other hand, it also harbors a huge crisis. Without the restraint of central authority, any great lord no longer needs to worry about anything. Whether it’s Homer or Galle, they can do whatever they want, and they can even use various tactics to justify their actions under the guise of legitimacy, such as waging war on a certain lord without facing any moral condemnation.