Chapter 5: murderous Intent

Jacques Mason was filled with jealousy toward Komer’s performance. Deep down, he preferred Komer to be more sharp and cruel, as that would help balance his own emotions.
Tracy being taken away by this guy was like a thorn stuck in his heart. Though his sense of chivalry prevented him from taking action, he couldn’t help but admire how this man had risen so rapidly in the Caucasus, becoming the most powerful figure in Nicosia and even crushing Philip under his heel.
Komer’s magnanimous behavior left Jacques speechless. When Vladkov approached him, he hadn’t even considered pledging loyalty to anyone. Although the Black Flame Knights’ vision was noble, it held little appeal for Jacques. The reason he dragged Morsen and Pitt along was to see how Komer, who saw himself as the liberator of Nicosia, would react facing him, an assassin. But Komer’s behavior deflated him instantly. Facing such a strong opponent, Jacques knew he had no chance to fight back.
Watching the three fallen knights leave in disappointment, Komer couldn’t help but laugh. The leader of those fallen knights seemed to bear a grudge against him over his wife, acting like a porcupine with all its hairs bristling, ready to explode at the slightest provocation. It was amusing. Their self-serving actions weren’t worth pursuing. As for the Black Flame Knights, having these men join them marked a first step. After all, these three were indeed first-rate.
Everything was ready; all that remained was to begin. Komer gazed into the distance, filled with anticipation. He wanted to see how the Gallics would retaliate to the orcs’ provocation. Once this step was taken, there would be no turning back. It was time for him to join in the dance as well.
The Bear Warriors were struggling to hold out under the relentless attacks from the Rebirth Knights.
This was clearly a trap, a carefully crafted one.

The Wolf Clan’s shock cavalry and the Deer Clan’s light cavalry were firmly held at bay by the resilient defenses built by the Gallian infantry. No matter how fiercely the Wolf Clan’s shock cavalry charged, the Gallian infantry managed to contain them outside the encirclement at a heavy cost. At the same time, the Deer Clan’s light cavalry tried their best to bypass the rear and break through the Gallian infantry’s lines, but the pre-positioned mobile chain vehicles deprived them of their mobility. Wherever they went, those layered chain vehicles connected by iron chains formed a moving blockade. The Deer Clan’s light cavalry’s attempts to break through were futile, while the Berserker warriors trapped in the encirclement faced a storm of attacks.

The Gallian mage corps unleashed their most powerful forces, perfectly combining lightning magic with earth magic arrays. Thunderstorms exploded above the heads of the Berserker warriors. Although they had withstood simple magical assaults before, they were thrown into chaos by such fierce lightning attacks. Their once orderly formations collapsed under the assault of this divine power from the heavens. The Risen Knights, seizing the opportunity to break through, used their sharp lances like scythes of death, cutting through the already disorganized ranks of the Berserker warriors like a raging wind.

Despite the victory, concern still lingered on Susinov’s face. No one could predict what this victory would bring. Two thousand Berserker warriors were completely shattered under the combined attacks of the mage corps and the knight corps, with less than three hundred managing to break out of the encirclement with the cover of the Wolf Clan’s shock cavalry and the Deer Clan’s light cavalry. It seemed like a satisfactory victory, but for an orc army of fifteen thousand Berserker warriors, it was nothing. If the enemy was provoked, Gallia would face an even more fierce counterattack.

The counterattack near Cologne was a classic example: using infantry to hold off the Wolf and Deer Clans’ cavalry, luring out the less mobile Berserker warriors, and then concentrating the power of mages and knights to deliver a fatal blow. This battle indeed achieved its intended goal, but its long-term effects remained uncertain.

Seeing the arrogant demeanor of those knights, Susinov’s worries grew even greater. The blows dealt to the orcs hadn’t weakened them at all—neither their wolf cavalry nor their boar infantry had been affected. The loss of two thousand Berserker warriors only served to infuriate them further, with no other consequences. And as loyal allies of the bears, the Tiger Clan’s Heavenly Might Warriors and the elite Variegated Armors had yet to appear. Would they swallow this insult?

Obviously not. Susinov knew well the nature of the orcs. Such a major humiliation could only be redressed through military victory; otherwise, even the authority of their leaders would be challenged. Even if they didn’t want to expand the war, they might now be forced to do so. Perhaps they were even waiting for this outcome as an excuse to escalate the conflict.

Yet, it wasn’t the orcs’ military threat that worried Susinov the most. What concerned him most were the unrest in Gutenberg and the sneaky actions of the Homers in the east. With just the orcs’ attacks, Susinov was confident he could contain their rampage using the fortresses in the north. Though he might face significant pressure, as long as Galle remained stable and no other enemies struck from behind, he believed that by prolonging the war, the orcs—unaccustomed to prolonged battles—would eventually lose patience and withdraw. But if chaos arose within his own forces and someone took advantage of the situation, things would become much more complicated.

The northern front was already tying up a large portion of his available forces. If he couldn’t hold out during this period, the situation would become extremely serious. This was the critical moment, and Susinov would check the situation on the eastern front and see if the Homers had any other moves almost every day as soon as he woke up.

As soon as Komer learned that the orcs in northern Galle had suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Galle’s forces, he knew an opportunity had arisen. According to the intelligence sent back by Mahagumi, the orcs seemed divided, each holding its own opinion. After the wolves broke their original rules first, various factions acted on their own. The boars and bears followed suit, launching raids on the surrounding regions of Silesia and Galle. These actions by the orc royal families directly led to many vassal tribes joining the conflict, turning the entire east and south of Jazair into a sea of war.

Although the Calais army on Homer’s front still retained quite a number of fortresses, it was obvious that its main forces had moved north. Amidst the strong protests from the nobles and merchants of Calais, even Zerin could not suppress the calls to protect their private property. Without their support, the Storten family might also become mere passersby for Gutenberg overnight.

The conflict between the Calais army and Homer’s army also provoked strong resentment among the people of Calais. It was simply inconceivable that, under the pressure of orc invasions, the Calais army would go to war with Homer’s forces!

The people did not have such profound political considerations. In their view, Lord Homer’s conquest of Poznan had nothing to do with Calais. But it was unacceptable for Calais to ignore the real threat of orc invasions to go and fight for the Cilicians or Poznanians. Especially since both Homer and Calais belonged to the Kingdom of Nicomedia, these matters should, from any perspective, be resolved by the Romanov family and had nothing to do with the people of Calais.

“Fran, it seems we need to return to Homer right away. I hope our preparations are fully complete.”

“There shouldn’t be any major problems. The situation in Poznan has settled down. The Cilicians are too busy dealing with the orc onslaught to worry about us. From a tactical standpoint, I think it’s better to take control of Cilicia at once.”

Fran crossed his arms, looking relaxed. Coming to Livonia with Komer was like a vacation, freeing him from the burdens of military duties and allowing him to relax. At first, he was a bit unaccustomed, but soon he realized how blissful it was to let go of everything. He even began to miss life here. After delegating their tasks to subordinates to carry out according to the established plan, Fran was also very carefree this time.

And now it seemed the time had come to reap the rewards.

“Heh, it’s fine. Cilicia can’t escape. Calais must be dealt with first. That guy Zerin might not be as incompetent as we thought. He’s managed to stay strong right under the kingdom’s nose all these years—I’m sure he has his own strategies. Philip and Ebson are nowhere near his level. If we don’t bring him down, I won’t be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of my life.” Komer shook his head. “I’d rather not touch Cilicia until Calais is resolved.”

Fran nodded silently. The conquest of Nicosia had begun, and this lord would never stop now. Though Zerin Storten was cunning, the sheer disparity in strength between the two sides made any strategy or tactic utterly ineffective. Unless the Gallics received external support, no matter how carefully Zerin planned, he could not change the outcome.