Chapter 5: Alliances Through Talks
When the three women disappeared from the reception room, only Komer and Hoffman remained. Komer sensed that Hoffman seemed to have some intention and waited for him to bring up the topic.
“Lord Baron, I have a question I’d like to ask boldly. If it involves personal privacy, you’re free to refuse to answer—I won’t mind. What do you think?” Hoffman knew there was some kind of understanding between this enigmatic baron and his half-sister, but he didn’t care. The baron needed food, and Palermo had a close relationship with Kakiya. Hoffman admired Kakiya’s resourcefulness, but he didn’t think the baron could be won over just with this deal. With mutual interests at stake, many relationships could change at any moment.
“Your Highness, you’re too kind. Please ask, and I’ll answer honestly,” Komer replied cautiously. Last time, he had casually caused trouble for this prince in front of Kakiya. He wondered if the prince was aware of it, but Komer wasn’t worried that Kakiya would reveal such information. Even if she did, it would be hard to believe words from an opponent.
“Princess Vero is young, beautiful, and innocent. I can see that Lord Baron has a fondness for her. But what exactly brought Princess Vero to the Caucasus? Did she come on her own, or was it at the Duke Zelin’s orders? Please consider carefully. The empire’s situation is chaotic, and Leon is unstable, but Philip has suppressed reports, likely fearing interference from the kingdom’s central authorities. A few days ago, Duke Zelin and Philip joined forces again to oppose the implementation of the Utrecht Edict in the Homar and Calais regions, worsening relations with the kingdom. That’s why Princess Lenta and I came to Homar. Before coming here, Lord Teyz advised me to visit the Caucasus if I had the chance. I originally admired Lord Baron’s abilities greatly, but Princess Vero’s arrival has worried both me and Princess Lenta. I hope Lord Baron can give us a clear answer to dispel our doubts.”
Hoffman was quite cautious and precise in his choice of words and sentence structure. Although Komer was a low-ranking noble, his current position was quite important to the kingdom. Tracy had become a burden to him; even without the opposition of Tez and Duke Matthew, given the current relationship between Homer and the kingdom’s central authorities, it was unlikely he could take any action. Besides, as Lenta said, he merely wanted to have some fun deep down and had no real intention of achieving anything, unless Tracy proved more useful. He wanted to use this opportunity to resolve the conflicts caused by Tracy and perhaps gain an advantage in future throne struggles with this low-ranking noble.
“Your Highness, I think both you and Princess Lenta are being too sensitive. As you said, Princess Vero is very innocent. Although Duke Zelin is not on our side, Princess Vero isn’t involved in this. She came here at my invitation, and there are some personal reasons as well, but they have nothing to do with the kingdom’s current situation. Please rest assured, Your Highnesses.” In contrast to Hoffman’s courtesy, Komer could sense his intentions. Since both sides needed to cooperate at the moment, he would naturally go along with his wishes.
“If that’s the case, then we can rest assured. Baron, you are well aware of the chaotic situation in the kingdom. The orcs are active frequently in the Mogan Plateau and could move south at any time. The kingdom’s western defenses have collapsed, forcing us to devote more effort to dealing with them. Yet these great lords care nothing about the kingdom’s troubles and only think of themselves. Especially the situations in Homer and Galle are dire, so we have to be cautious.” Hoffman explained his caution before changing the subject. “The situation in Leon is terrible now. Fort Bruce has been sealed, and we have to enter the Caucasus by sea. What are your thoughts on Leon’s current situation?”
“Hehe, Your Highness, the situation in Leon is terrible for Philip, but not for us.” Shrugging, Komer smirked, with a hint of schadenfreude.
“Baron, don’t you think Leon’s chaos could affect the safety of the Caucasus?” He raised his eyebrows in surprise. Could this guy not even see such a simple question?
There are only three routes leading out of Leon to the outside world. One is through the river port at Bruce Fortress; another requires passing through Bruce Fortress and then crossing the Great Greenland Forest to reach the Bosen Plain; the last is via the Dalmann Pass into the Caucasus. Of course, the last route only leads to the Caucasus, as there are no other paths there—on either side are either vast swamps or territories of barbarians. Philip has stationed heavy troops at Bruce Fortress. Although he has not yet sent reinforcements to Leon to suppress the growing uprisings, it is absolutely impossible for these mobs to break through Bruce’s blockade. Their only escape route seems to be the Caucasus.
“Your Highness, you overestimate the Caucasus. What is there there that would make the mobs take such great risks to attack? At least Leon itself is much richer than the Caucasus. As for your concern that the mobs might attack the Caucasus due to survival issues, I don’t think they will do so in the short term. To be honest, many of the half-orc soldiers in my guard were once slave miners for the nobles in Leon. They fled after being unable to bear the harsh working and living conditions there and eventually settled in the Vot Mountains. It was only after I arrived in the Caucasus and granted them citizenship that they truly became part of the Caucasus. I believe they can communicate well with their former companions and will not cause much negative impact on our Caucasus.”
Komer was very open before Hoffman, revealing outright his act of recruiting escaped slaves as guards, which blatantly violated the kingdom’s laws. Although Hoffman did not approve of this behavior, thinking about how no one would care in such a remote place as the Caucasus, he came to terms with it. To be honest, he preferred Komer’s military strength to be even greater so that it could play a greater restraining role against Homer and Galia in the future. Of course, this was a long-term vision, and given the current situation in the Caucasus, it was not very realistic at the moment.
However, Hoffman was more concerned about where Leon’s current situation would lead. After all, Leon was indeed an important region in the entire Province of Homer. Apart from the Bosen Plains, the Jaffa area northwest of Cyprus, and the Vuchek region to the west, Leon’s taxes to Cyprus ranked fourth among all the territories in the Province of Homer. Hoffman and the entire kingdom would prefer if Leon’s chaos could continue as long as possible without affecting the situation in the Caucasus. Poninsky had never paid a single penny to the kingdom; all the taxes there went into Homer Philip’s treasury. So, the more chaotic Leon became and the longer it stayed that way, the better for the kingdom, as it could also distract Philip and force him to deploy troops to defend or suppress the rebellion there.
“Lord Baron, how long do you think this situation in Leon will continue? Can Poninsky and the private armies controlled by the nobles and coal owners in Leon keep the situation under control?” Hoffman finally shifted the topic to the issue that Tez and Duke Matthew were most concerned about. Before coming to Homer, both Tez and Matthew had separately discussed this matter with Hoffman. Besides their trip to the Caucasus, their most important task was to understand the developments in Leon so that the kingdom could use this information.
Komer was undoubtedly the person most concerned about the changes in Leon’s situation. Even during the time when Vero was there, Komer never stopped monitoring the developments in Leon. Several guards who had long lived in Leon were sent there after short training in Fran to assess the situation. Meanwhile, the growing mob organizations in Leon also began to contact Komer actively, hoping he could provide them with more weapons and food, in exchange for the wealth and assets they obtained from killing and confiscating the property of those nobles and coal owners.
With Komer’s tacit approval, Pupper agreed without hesitation to this highly profitable deal. The treasures brought by those rebel groups were often valued at only 10% to 30% of their actual worth in exchange for food and weapons, and this huge price difference became the cost of doing business in the Caucasus. The pass at Darman was renamed Mascat, and it quickly became a trading center between Leon and the Caucasus. Due to the blockade of Fortress Bruce, not only did those rebel groups have to secretly bring the treasures looted from coal owners and nobles here to exchange for weapons and food, but even those coal owners who continued operating unaffected had to come here to purchase necessities for daily life and production. Within just two months, Mascat’s population soared from less than 500 to over 4,000. In addition to locally produced wood and stone, large quantities of food and other necessities for life and production were also brought in from Middelburg for sale, leading to a sharp increase in the number of merchants.
Komer also established an intelligence station here. After training by Fran, specialists were stationed there to gather intelligence from the Leon region, reporting their findings to Ugru every three days.
“Your Highness, based on what I know and my own deductions, if Homer continues to adopt this policy of blockade without intervention, Leon’s current chaos will not only fail to be resolved but may even spread further. Count Poninsky only has about a thousand private soldiers, whose combat effectiveness is doubtful. Even the private soldiers of those nobles and coal owners total only a few thousand, and they lack proper training, making it difficult for them to handle the frequent riots. Count Poninsky has even stationed his soldiers in a town less than twenty miles from Fortress Bruce, clearly intending to flee first if things go wrong. It’s impossible for him to suppress these slave uprisings in such a situation. If even one person with leadership skills among these slaves and mobs were to unite the rebels from various places, I believe Leon would soon lose complete control.”
Komer’s honest words shocked Hoffman. Although the situation in Leon was chaotic, he didn’t think it had reached such a critical level. Was this guy exaggerating? But what was the point of doing so?
“You mean the situation in Leon could worsen further, even to the point of complete loss of control?” Hoffman had to repeat his question with emphasis.
“That’s right, if Homer doesn’t intervene militarily,” Komer replied briefly.
“Well, is there any help from the Caucasus in this?” After pondering for a moment, Hoffman seemed to understand and nodded, asking.
“Oh, Your Highness, we in the Caucasus will never interfere in Leon’s affairs. Of course, it is said that Muscat, located near Leon’s border, has now become a trade center for goods, with a high demand for weapons and food. It’s possible that those slaves and mobs get supplies from there. As you know, we in the Caucasus have very few people, and it’s difficult for us to take care of remote areas; I’m powerless about that.” A sly smile appeared on his lips as he winked at the other party, Kommer speaking in a very casual tone.
“I see. It’s not your fault. The Lordship of the Caucasus was established less than half a year ago, and these problems should have been resolved by the Lord of Leon himself.” Hoffman nodded in understanding. “But what do you think if Homer’s army enters Leon? Can those mobs hold their ground?”
“Your Highness, your expectations of them are too high. They’re just a group of untrained slaves, lacking weapons and food. How could they possibly compete with Homer’s professional army?” Shaking his head, Kommer showed a dismissive expression. “Do you really expect them to do something extraordinary?”
“No, no, Baron, I’m not that naive. But if these wretches can delay Homer by even one day, it buys us more time to distract and exhaust Philip’s attention. Isn’t that exactly what we hope for?” Hoffman’s pale face lit up with a bright smile.
“But they might disappoint Your Highness.” Kommer remained indifferent.
“What if we could provide them with more weapons and food? Do you think things would improve?” Hoffman finally revealed his hand.
“Oh? Your Highness, the Caucasus has always been short of food, and as for weapons, it’s impossible for the Caucasus to produce them. Even my own guard needs weapons imported from outside, and there are various restrictions. Of course, if Your Highness can solve this problem, I think those mobs might perform better than they do now.” They exchanged happy smiles as Kommer nodded. It seemed this time the other party would bring him some unexpected gains. Being a lord was really nice under certain circumstances. “Oh, by the way, Your Highness, it seems you’ve forgotten another of your identities—you’re also the fiancé of Grand Duke Philip. Don’t you think that’s a bit inappropriate?”
“Hehe, Baron, the interests of the kingdom come first. The Romanov family has never lacked women to lead them—what does an engagement mean? I can’t see any significance in it.” With a casual shrug, Hoffman took this opportunity to dismiss the issue. “Princess Tracy is far too self-righteous. Besides, given the current relationship between the kingdom and Homer, do you really think there’s any chance between her and me?”
Komer felt an indescribable relief. Though he had long suspected that Hoffman’s engagement to Tracy was merely a political game, hearing him outright deny such a possibility still brought him a sense of relief. He couldn’t even explain why he felt this way—was there still some unfulfilled sentiment in his heart for her? Komer pondered the lingering feelings in his heart, wondering if it was the jealousy of wanting to possess her alone. The thought of that man indulging himself on Tracy filled him with indescribable anger. He had sincerely pursued her only to be rejected heartlessly, while this man could treat her as mere plaything and discard her as if she meant nothing. Perhaps this was just the trickery of fate and destiny.
Noticing the strange expression on the other man’s face, as if he were deep in thought, Hoffman quickly brought the conversation back to business. “Baron, the past is behind us. Tracy isn’t suitable for me, nor for you. What must be discarded should be done with resolve. I think this is my sincere advice as a friend. As for weapons and food, I believe I can offer some help to the Caucasus. Since Mardan has opened its ports, I’ve seen fleets from families like the Flemings and Montagues anchored there. There’s more than just Palermo as a grain merchant in the kingdom. Although weapons are prohibited from being traded here, with a permit from the Interior Ministry, I think that shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. But please consider the price for food and weapons. Those commoners don’t have the means to pay. If the prices are too high, they’ll hardly be able to afford them.” Taking a deep breath, Komer forced himself to focus back on the matter at hand.
“Hehe, Baron, rest assured. The changes in the situation in Leon are relevant to our interests. The people I’ve arranged will surely satisfy you.” Hearing faint footsteps outside, Hoffman picked up his coffee cup, signaling that the conversation was over.