Chapter 8: Enticement

“Hmm, it’s nothing much. They probably want to build a church in Ugru to facilitate missionary work for the Light Church. Just like those half-orcs and elves who worship the God of War and the Goddess of Nature—didn’t they build idols there? The Light Church probably wants to do the same.” Komer shrugged, appearing indifferent.
“Lord, I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Why would the Light Church place so much importance on this remote place like Caucasus? Why send a special envoy? These folks really have their fingers in every corner. What do you plan to do, Lord?” The thin mage finally spoke up.
“Well, if I refuse the Light Church’s attempt to spread their faith here, I’m likely to be declared heretic by those madmen from the Inquisition right away. It would be hard for me to escape their so-called punishment. After all, this place still belongs to the Kingdom of Nicossia. I suppose I have no choice but to agree. But I’ll reiterate my stance: Caucasus is a newly developed secular territory with diverse races and cultures. We should adopt a policy of tolerance toward all cultural and religious elements—as long as they register with the lord’s palace, abide by the kingdom’s laws, submit to my rule, and accept the lord’s jurisdiction, they can live here. We oppose both racial discrimination and religious persecution.” Komer’s calm words carried an unshakable tone. He had to dispel these people’s doubts; otherwise, losing such strong support would be a huge loss for him. “Of course, I must admit the Light Church is powerful. In many cases, I still have to play along with them. Please understand.”
“Hehe, Lord, I really appreciate your perspective and honesty. Mihajic has made you his friend. We’re just ordinary people who don’t want trouble. We just want to peacefully pursue the path of magic and won’t engage in conflicts casually. Please rest assured, Lord. The Light Church does indeed hold great power on the Azure Continent, but they’re too domineering and arrogant. There are also significant forces opposing them. Caucasus is a border region between the north and south. Especially with the opening up of Matdan and the development of inland areas, many problems will arise. Please be careful, Lord.” The thin mage’s indifferent expression resembled that of a hermit, but the worldly wisdom in his words made Komer realize this man was far from as simple as he seemed. He needed to find an opportunity to ask Rebril more about him.

“Mr. Mihajic, rest assured. Over these past days, you all have come to know Comer’s character—he always keeps his word and acts with determination. That has always been Comer’s guiding principle. As the old saying goes, the Caucasus is always open to everyone. No force, no matter how powerful, can change the rules I’ve set. Please focus on what truly matters. Let Comer deal with these trivial matters.” Comer ended the conversation with a remark that was half humorous and half teasing.

Regarding the arrival of the envoy from the Archbishop of Tula, Comer maintained a balanced attitude, showing proper respect and enthusiasm while also reflecting the impartial stance shaped by the unique customs of this land. As the envoy, Priest Belan and his deputy, Pastor Kustav, had initially been quite reluctant to come to such a remote place. The Caucasus had a notorious reputation, and its proximity to fierce barbarians and mysterious jellyfish people made no one want to suffer there. Though faith could make one give up everything, under equal circumstances, everyone preferred a better life—priests and pastors no exception.

However, everything they saw upon arriving in Matdan left them astonished. The prosperity of Ugru was especially surprising. Such a thriving place was the perfect location for the Light Church to expand its influence. The simple and honest people, the burgeoning economy, and the nascent pursuit of faith—all indicated great potential. Although they had already seen temples and idols built by worshippers of other natural deities in Matdan and Ugru, they still believed that if the Light Church could establish a firm foothold in the Caucasus, it could turn it into another blessed land devoted to the Holy Light.

The baron’s cool attitude did not dampen their enthusiasm. They had already heard some about this lord’s actions before coming to the Caucasus. They had thought that a pampered son who had received the favor of the God of Light should be overjoyed, but they never expected this lord to bring about such dramatic changes in such a short time. His arrogance was thus understandable—those with outstanding abilities indeed deserve to be proud.

The warnings from the two Rema knights did not sober up the two power-hungry priests. In their eyes, those knights were simply acting out of jealousy, resenting their chance to obtain such an opportunity. As for their suspicion that the baron had dark tendencies, it seemed utterly absurd to them—a baron from an hereditary noble family would have such tendencies? There was no way they could believe this. Although the baron’s behavior in Cyprus had been somewhat striking, youthful recklessness was after all a privilege of nobles. It was just that his recklessness seemed to have taken a wrong turn, targeting Princess Tracy, which led to his exile. Now, after several years in exile, the baron seemed much more mature, and his talent in governing his lands was impressive enough to draw attention. If he could keep up with the development of this land and expand the church’s influence there, the two priests even saw a bright future for themselves.

For those who craved power, Puber was undoubtedly the most suitable person to deal with. Puber’s generous promises and promising prospects convinced the two priests to quickly side with the lord’s household. Although they were somewhat dissatisfied with Komer’s policy of religious freedom, they also showed some understanding for the special situation of the various ethnic groups in the Caucasus. After Puber boasted that the Light Church had the ability to enlighten all people, they readily accepted the policy of religious freedom in the Caucasus and actively participated in fundraising for the construction of the first church there. They even wrote to the Archbishop of Tula, asking him to bring back the two troublesome Rema knights to Marco, so as not to hinder their missionary efforts in that land, as the local people clearly showed a hostile attitude toward those sneaky Rema knights.

Hoffman’s mission to the Caucasus once again made Komer feel the pressure on him. During this time, Princess Lenta also had a chance to speak with Komer alone. On behalf of her brother, Lenta revealed to Komer that Philip was currently pursuing an ambitious plan to expand his army. In addition to the Knights and a infantry regiment from the Homer territory, Philip was secretly forming a second infantry regiment—a move that clearly exceeded the authority of a local lord. Without authorization from the kingdom’s central government, such unauthorized recruitment of more than one infantry regiment was undoubtedly a precursor to rebellion. When the kingdom’s central government sternly criticized the Homer region, Philip retorted by claiming that the central government was unable to protect the borders, leading to the destruction of allied forces, and that he had to take preemptive measures—triggering a massive exchange of insults between the two sides. It was this deteriorating relationship that forced Hoffman and Lenta to send a mission to Homer to ease tensions between the local region and the kingdom’s central government.

The implications in Lenta’s words seemed to suggest that Philip’s large-scale military expansion was aimed at confronting the kingdom, and Komer, as a loyal servant of the kingdom, seemed to be Philip’s primary target. Although Komer didn’t believe that Homer’s army would cross the Greenland Forest and Leon to attack him, the growing strength of Bruce Fortress also worried him. He doubted that those half-orc mobs could withstand Homer’s regular army. In his view, if Homer decided to intervene in Leon, those half-orc mobs would likely be defeated in just a few days—of course, assuming no external forces intervened.

And once those mobs in Leon were defeated, it was hard to say whether Philip wouldn’t seize the opportunity to take away his territory. Although legally, without the king’s approval, a great lord had no right to seize the territory of a lesser lord, in practice, such laws were often based on strength. It was unlikely that the kingdom would engage in a direct conflict with a great lord over the territory of a lesser lord—such things happened in almost every dynasty and were nothing unusual. Of course, if one had the strength, they could refuse to accept the great lord’s illegal seizure, but then they would likely face the swords and guns of the great lord’s soldiers. At that point, force would be the only standard to determine truth.

And now, the only way to change this situation, aside from helping the orc slave mobs as much as possible as Hoffman suggested, might be to strengthen one’s own strength. Philip had over a dozen magicians at his disposal, including those of great magical prowess. With such terrifying strength applied in direct combat, it would be a disaster for those orc slaves who only knew how to fight with weapons—especially since these orcs had no experience dealing with magical attacks. Their only option would be to flee and hide in the Volt Mountains, but that would completely undermine the purpose of their rebellion.

Although the skies over the Caucasus seemed clear and everything appeared to be going smoothly, Komer knew this was all an illusion, like houses built on sand. If Homer really decided to attack him, everything he had could vanish in an instant. To truly eliminate Homer’s threat, he couldn’t let the shield of the Leon orc mobs break easily, and he also needed to strengthen his own power as soon as possible.

Two Dark Knights and four magicians were the only reinforcements he had besides those under his own control. Yet Komer was unsure whether these six outsiders would stand by him in a real battle or give their all at a critical moment. Perhaps, in a last resort, cooperating with the Great Secret Sect could be an option, but Komer wasn’t ready to take that path yet. He hoped Rebrí and Mihajović could help him recruit more allies, which would be a huge help. In fact, Komer had other motives hidden deep in his heart—thoughts that no one could know.

He still lacked money. The shortage of funds had plagued him since he arrived in the Caucasus. A significant portion of the people from the Meine City-State were descendants of elves, numbering around four to five thousand, belonging to the Grassland Elves. These elves were naturally born as excellent archers. If he had enough funds, he could recruit hundreds of them. With good instructors and some time for training, they could become capable archers for his guard. But right now, he was short of money. Although he had the Caucasus United Bank, as Puber said, the bank wasn’t a lord’s treasury but a hen that laid golden eggs. He couldn’t rely on the bank for everything.

Fortunately, Hoffman has now agreed to let the Kingdom bear part of the cost of supporting those orcish mobs, allowing him to profit from it as well. The treasures and antiques he has accumulated from those mobs can be sold through Kafli’s friends in other countries of the Northern Alliance to obtain some funds. The Feller family is also a good partner; they have close ties with slave traders everywhere and can sell items that are difficult to dispose of in the South. It is believed this should bring some good news for him.

Viro was finally leaving. Not long after Hoffman departed the Caucasus, knights from Calais arrived there with a letter from Zelin. No one knew what was in the letter, but whatever the reason, Viro couldn’t stay in the Caucasus forever. Although Komer hoped this situation would continue, both Viro and Komer knew it was impossible. On the night before seeing Viro off, Komer suffered from insomnia again—a rare occurrence after many years. Komer realized that Viro had firmly taken a place in his heart; whenever he felt unhappy, spending time with this silver-haired girl always helped him return to normal quickly. This made Komer suspect that the girl seemed to possess an innate ability to lift people’s spirits.

Without giving any verbal promises, both sides understood everything through their glances. When Viro, with tears in her eyes, finally disappeared at the bow of the ship departing from Matdan, Komer felt as though the scar deep in his heart was once again stained with blood.