Chapter 4: Ardent Jealousy
The situation in the kingdom seems to be growing increasingly tense. Recent news from Jazair reported that the Minister of Internal Affairs publicly criticized the dukes of Galle and Homer for failing to contribute to the kingdom’s welfare and instead focusing on expanding their military forces, indicating disloyalty. This sparked severe dissatisfaction in the Galle and Homer regions. Although the Royal Council stepped in to mediate, the central government’s stance became increasingly firm. In particular, the Minister of Finance insisted on strictly enforcing the Edict of Utrecht in Galle and Homer, while the Duke of Galle openly declared that the Edict was inappropriate for Galle and could not be implemented anytime soon, triggering another crisis between the central government and Galle. During this crisis, the Duke of Homer, Philip, initially held an ambiguous attitude but ultimately firmly sided with Galle, further escalating the situation.
To prevent the imminent deterioration of the situation in the kingdom, Prince Hoffman and Princess Lenta were sent to Cyprus, while Princess Kajia was dispatched to Gutenberg to ease the tensions between Jazair and these regions. However, no one is sure how effective this will be.
Just from the behavior of these individuals yesterday, Komer could already conclude that the marriage alliance between Hoffman and Tracy was on the verge of collapse. Although they maintained their usual courtesy and restraint on the surface, the wariness behind their eyes proved otherwise. A marriage contract could not sustain the deteriorating relationship between their families. The conflict between the kingdom and Homer forced both of them to stand at the forefront of their families’ competing interests.
On the surface, Prince Hoffman and Princess Lenta’s visit seemed like a simple one, and from their conversations, it seemed they were more interested in the beautiful scenery of the Caucasus. But Komer believed they had deeper motives, merely waiting for the right opportunity to communicate with him, especially given the unrest in the Leon region, which seemed on the verge of getting out of control. Tracy, who stayed by their side constantly, seemed to play a more monitoring role. Perhaps Hoffman and Lenta were aware of this, but as the daughters of the nominal lords of the Caucasus, they couldn’t openly ignore each other and directly approach Komer.
“Your Highness, you flatter me. The conditions in the Caucasus are extremely poor; it’s still in its infancy. Moreover, aside from the new immigrants, the local residents are mostly people of other races from surrounding areas, who differ greatly from the new immigrants who are mostly mortals. There’s still a long way to go before they can live in harmony. However, Komer believes that with the support of His Majesty the King and Your Highness the Grand Duke, the Caucasus will gradually thrive, and it is willing to take on more responsibilities and fulfill its duties for the kingdom.” Komer smiled slightly and politely uttered a bunch of meaningless nonsense.
“Hehe, Lord Baron, you’re too modest. We’re all aware of the original state of the Caucasus. Who could ignore your abilities and talents after such dramatic changes have taken place in such a short time? The kingdom sincerely hopes that the Caucasus will develop rapidly. After all, it’s at the southernmost edge of the kingdom’s territory, with a complex ethnic composition and, inevitably, barbarians who have always been at odds with us mortals. I hope Lord Baron can handle relations with the barbarians properly to avoid conflicts and unnecessary disputes. All these heavy responsibilities rest on your shoulders.” Hoffman also spouted a long string of grandiose diplomatic phrases, but at least some substantive issues were touched upon. Barbarians had always been a threat to the kingdom. Fortunately, they lived far in the south, separated by several natural barriers, so the kingdom wasn’t overly worried about them. It only hoped that the Caucasus could serve as a barrier against potential dangers.
“Your Highness, rest assured. The south has always been a focus of Komer’s attention. He also has some understanding of the barbarians’ temperament. The Cordillera Wasteland has always lacked food, which is the barbarians’ biggest weakness. Once that lifeline is secured, dealing with them isn’t difficult. However, the Caucasus isn’t a grain-producing region, and it’s extremely hard to satisfy its local residents. If we also have to take care of the barbarians, it might be beyond our capacity. In times of disaster, without a source of food, those barbarians could cause trouble, and they’d be hard to deal with. For some reason, the Grand Duke has tripled the tax rate on grain imported from surrounding areas to the south, making it impossible for the people of the Caucasus to afford such high prices, let alone the barbarians. If this continues, trouble is bound to arise. I hope Princess Tracy can convey Komer’s request to the Grand Duke to restore the original tax rate. I would also be extremely grateful if both Your Highnesses could intercede.”
Since the other party mentioned the barbarians, Komer also dragged in that old fellow Philip, making the three of them realize that restricting food supplies wouldn’t cause any harm to the Caucasus. On the contrary, it would make the barbarians restless due to lack of food. Of course, perhaps Philip wanted such an outcome—only the Caucasus would suffer, not other regions of the Province of Homer.
Tracy, Hoffman, and Lenta reacted differently. Tracy, with a smirk, pretended to agree and said she would definitely convey this to her father. Hoffman and Lenta, however, had already sensed the danger. Philip had realized the threat posed by the Caucasus and had begun to systematically restrict and suppress it. But judging from this baron’s behavior, he seemed to have his own plans as well.
Vero’s arrival changed the somewhat dull atmosphere in the living room. Hoffman, Lenta, and Tracy were all extremely surprised by the sudden appearance of Grand Duke Zelin, their beloved figure, at Komer’s residence in the Caucasus. Their reactions were almost identical. All three wondered what intentions Zelin, that old man, had in targeting the Caucasus. The fact that Princess Vero had been secretly in the Caucasus for some time as a princess seemed strange—what exactly was going on? These were things they were eager to find out. The three, who had originally planned to stay in the Caucasus for just a day or two, all suddenly wanted to stay longer to see if there were any secret relationships between Baron Komer and Princess Vero.
An inexplicable sense of sourness and jealousy filled Tracy’s heart. Though she refused to admit that she was jealous of someone because of Komer, her remaining sense of reason told her that she indeed was a bit jealous of this silver-haired girl before her. Her smiling face, her elegant white dress, and her simple yet delicate appearance, along with the innocence in her light purple eyes, pierced Tracy’s heart like needles.
How could she feel jealous of Komer? Was Komer really worth her jealousy? Just because he seemed to be having some success in the Caucasus now? Hadn’t she once discarded him as worthless and even felt disgusted to the point of vomiting? Why did seeing a girl by his side now evoke such feelings? Tracy couldn’t understand what was going on in her heart. These complex emotions kept plaguing her to the point where she almost forgot the purpose of her visit. It was only when she saw Hoffman and Komer chatting happily that Tracy forced herself to pull away from those chaotic thoughts and focus on the conversation at hand.
Hoffman expressed sincere congratulations on the opening of Matdan and asked in detail about its shipping volume and the situation in other regions of the Caucasus. Komer answered all his questions thoroughly, but his words were mostly filled with complaints about the Caucasus’s backwardness and poverty. Aside from the already known iron and coal mines, the Caucasus seemed to have nothing else worth paying attention to. However, Hoffman clearly wasn’t very interested in the region’s resources; he was more concerned about the impact of Matdan’s successful opening on neighboring areas.
For the Kingdom of Nicosia, almost the entire east coast was under control of Philip and another major northern lord. Although the fertile coastal areas and seas nominally belonged to the kingdom, history had left the central region with nothing but a nominal title. Whether it was land, cities, or ports, everything here—every resource—was under the control of these unruly lords. Even goods transported from the interior of the kingdom via rivers and canals had to pay high taxes to these lords, which angered the merchants in the interior and brought humiliation to the kingdom. The opening of Matdan broke the monopoly of these two lords over the kingdom’s coastline. Although it didn’t offer much benefit to the kingdom due to its geographical location, the impact of this trend was profound. It served as an inspiration to smaller lords dissatisfied with the rule of the major lords—showing that with the kingdom’s support, even remote places like the Caucasus could thrive.
Lenta and Vero also seemed to be in a very harmonious and intimate conversation. At that moment, Tracy felt like an outsider, unable to join in the talk. This feeling made her both humiliated and angry. Since when could someone like Komer even control her in front of her?
Fortunately, this situation didn’t last long. Komer quickly realized this and actively invited Tracy to join the conversation. Hoffman, on the other hand, wasn’t very interested in Tracy’s presence—power mattered far more than any woman’s charm. He was both envious and worried that Komer had managed to assemble an armed force composed of half-orcs in such a short time. Such a force of foreigners had never existed within the kingdom before; even the private armies of minor nobles rarely employed foreigners, let alone lowly half-orcs. In the eyes of mortals, these half-orcs were only fit to be slaves or to perform menial jobs like mining, logging, or construction—far below even farmers in status. It surprised Hoffman that Komer used them as his lord’s guards.
However, Hoffman could also see that although Komer’s half-orc soldiers were rough, each of them seemed to have received proper military training. Over a distance of over 200 miles from Matdan to Ugru, they carried out such arduous marching tasks solely on foot, accompanied only by their own wagons. Though the wagons were slow, they represented the limit for human legs. Even when extremely tired, the half-orc soldiers still managed to maintain strict formation and dispatch scouts to scout around under combat conditions. Such meticulous discipline certainly didn’t stem from the lazy and impulsive nature of half-orcs themselves; only a regular army of mortals could cultivate such good discipline.
The few half-orc guards standing watch at Komer’s residence left an even deeper impression on Hoffman. Their solemn and composed demeanor resembled that of mortal warriors, and it was clear these men had at least a basic understanding of martial arts. Although they couldn’t compare to skilled warriors, it was hard to imagine how the half-orcs had achieved this. For Hoffman, who had reached a high level in martial arts, it was nothing short of an incredible miracle. Of course, he had no idea that these half-orc soldiers were also top performers trained over two months by two Dark Knights. Half-orcs might lack the agility of mortals, but they generally excelled in endurance. Once taught a move properly, they executed it with precision. Although the two Dark Knights had never taught anyone before, they were quite satisfied with the performance of these groups of half-orcs—perhaps a result of Komer’s generous rewards and pressure.
As a member sent by the kingdom to the Homer region to soothe Grand Duke Philip’s mood, Hoffman also had a more important task: to understand the attitudes of other smaller lords in the Homer region and the forces that might side with the kingdom in future conflicts. Judging from recent developments in the Caucasus, Komer was undoubtedly a crucial figure.
Hoffman had already considered the armed forces under Komer’s control in the Caucasus. From what he had seen and heard in the past two days, he had discovered that this baronial lord commanded over 300 guards, a rather astonishing number for a region as not particularly wealthy as the Caucasus. After all, soldiers do not create wealth but only consume it—ranging from weapons and armor to training costs, all of which represent significant expenses. Many smaller nobles with their own territories didn’t even have private armies, or what were known as lordly guards, either to save costs or because there was no need. Although a large territory like the Caucasus, being a remote borderland, did indeed require a guard force, such a large scale was hard not to make people suspicious.
Although Komer’s forces were far from comparable to those under Philip’s control, it was still just the beginning. As for Hoffman, he was quite hopeful about this development trend. However, he also needed to remind them that while it was good to be cautious of enemies, one must also act according to one’s capabilities. Deep down, Hoffman already regarded this baron as an ally. At this rate of development, the Caucasus’ economic strength simply couldn’t sustain such a large guard force. He didn’t want this force, which could potentially become an important asset for the kingdom to counter major lords, to go bankrupt due to financial issues.
Taking advantage of Tracy’s distracted state, Lenta and Vero quickly pestered her. Of course, Lenta did it on purpose, while Vero was merely a pawn being used.