Chapter Twelve: Penetration

“Your name is Mahagumi?” Komer struggled to pronounce the other’s name. The half-orc’s name was rather difficult for mortals to pronounce, but it didn’t hinder communication between them.
“Yes, my lord,” the half-orc replied respectfully, bending slightly. His eyes darted around quickly, taking in the surroundings—probably as it was his first time in such a place. He grew nervous at first but gradually calmed down when he saw Komer’s gentle demeanor.
“Hmm. I heard you’re very familiar with the situation in the Leon region. Do you mean the geographical conditions there or your fellow tribesmen? You probably know why I’ve summoned you. I’d like to hear your plans,” Komer said, resting his chin on his hand and staring intently at the other’s eyes.
“My lord, I’m well-accustomed to both the terrain and the people of the Leon region. Over the past seven years, I’ve been sold three times and worked in four mines, so I know those places inside and out. Before coming here, the governor already spoke with me. I’m not sure what you need me to do,” the half-orc replied respectfully, not daring to show any dissatisfaction toward Komer’s unusual attitude.
“Oh? Why were you sold three times? What was the reason?” Komer seemed quite interested in this.
“Uh, they thought I wasn’t hardworking enough and liked to cheat,” the half-orc blurted out the truth under Komer’s piercing gaze. “Actually, my physique isn’t as strong as my companions’, which is why the mine owners thought that way. I just wanted to live longer—it’s human instinct to survive; it’s not my fault.”
“Hmm. The governor asked you to gather information in Leon recently. Then tell me about the situation there and share your thoughts as well,” Komer said, his eyes lighting up as he nodded in satisfaction. It seemed this half-orc chosen by Pube was indeed special, different from other half-orcs—perhaps a real talent.

“Lion is mainly divided into three regions, with the northern region being the most important. It contains about half of all the mines in Lion, including coal and iron mines, and is larger in scale compared to the southern and eastern regions. The main towns in the northern region are Murey in the west and Banasha in the east. Murey is the main settlement of mortal nobles who own coal mines, while Banasha is the primary hub for transporting iron ore. The southern region is dominated by coal mines, most of which are smaller than those in the northern region. The main town there is Mando, located about sixty miles north of the Volt Mountains. Not long ago, they defeated the nobles’ army near Mando and seized a manor not far from it, achieving significant victories. This region is currently where the rebels are making the fastest progress. The eastern region is the area along the shores of the Sea of Darkness; it is the smallest in size and mainly features iron mines. Influenced by the southern region, the situation there is also turning in favor of the rebels, who are focusing their efforts there as well. Izmel is the most important town in that area.”

The half-orc gave a brief overview of the entire Lion region, but this did not satisfy Komer. He wanted a more detailed explanation, and it seemed like the man in front of him was trying to play him some trick.

“Mahagumi, is this all you’ve accomplished so far? I could learn this kind of information clearly just by sitting in a tavern in Ugru for half an hour. Do you really need to send someone specifically to gather it? If that’s all the information you have, then you may leave and report to the governor.” Komer’s tone was calm, with no discernible emotion.

“No, no, my lord. I was worried that you might not understand the situation in Lion, so I gave you a brief introduction first. Of course, my achievements go beyond this. Please be patient as I explain everything to you one by one.” As if struck by a whip, the half-orc immediately bent over, becoming even more submissive. “Following the governor’s instructions, I spent some time in each of the three regions and reached out to some of my old friends. Most of the gold shields given to me by the governor was spent on these efforts. As you know, nothing can be done these days without gold shields.”

Hearing signs that the half-orc was trying to divert the conversation again, Komer impatiently interrupted his rambling, “Enough. Go report the funding issues to the governor. I want to hear what I want to know.”

“Yes, yes. The situation in the southern region is the most chaotic at present—over half of the mines have stopped operating, and most coal owners have fled to Bruce. The rebels have seized many residences and estates belonging to noble mine owners, reaping great gains. There are mainly three factions in this area, with the largest led by a half-orc named Woodhardd. However, a mortal named Baufar exerts significant influence over Woodhardd, and Baufar plays a key role in organizing most of the rebels’ actions. The situation in the eastern region is also severe; several rebel groups have emerged around Izmel, gathering from small mines in remote areas. From my latest information, they have already taken over a mine with seven thousand miners, killed the mine owner, and are actively in contact with the rebels in the southern region.”

“The situation in the northern region is relatively better, though there are some noticeable signs. In the forested areas near the Nise River, slave miners from several mines have launched a series of uprisings and succeeded. The noble mine owners are terrified; they send their own troops to suppress the rebels but are also afraid of being surrounded, so most of them have fled to Bruce and are directing operations from there.”

“Hmm.” As Komer listened to the report, he pondered how to turn these situations to his advantage. It seemed those half-orcs weren’t too stupid—his covert guidance had indeed had some effect. But Baufar required attention; he seemed to be the strategist among the rebels, and someone needed to investigate him further.

“Another update: Among those rebel groups in the northern region, it appears a mortal of noble status is leading them. At first, the half-orc rebels didn’t trust him, but his suggestions turned out successful several times, so now they follow his orders. For this reason, although the situation in the northern region isn’t as severe as in the southern and eastern regions, it might develop faster.” Licking his lips, the half-orc’s eyes gleamed with pride—he believed this news would surely catch the lord’s attention.

Sure enough, upon hearing this astonishing news, Komer’s previously lazy posture instantly straightened, his gaze becoming even sharper. “Oh? Are you sure it’s a noble mortal?”

“It should be. He’s not old; reportedly around thirty. He seems to be a noble of knightly status. I heard he’s also skilled with a sword, but he seems more outstanding in command.” As for the specifics of this information, the half-orc was much more cautious. Such news couldn’t be confirmed, so he didn’t dare speak rashly.

When Komer heard this news, his first reaction was that the kingdom had intervened in the rebellion in Leon. But he quickly dismissed that idea. Even if the kingdom wanted to get involved in Leon’s situation, it wouldn’t use such clumsy and obvious methods. The information Mahagumi could gather probably wouldn’t remain secret for long, and it wouldn’t be long before Homer would know. They would only intervene by secretly funding those rebel groups. But who would lead those half-orc slaves in rebellion? And yet he was a knight? It was truly puzzling. Strange things happened every year, but there were especially many this year.

“Hmm, good. Well done. This information is quite interesting,” Komer said thoughtfully, touching the corner of his mouth. “So what do you think these mobs can turn Leon into?”

“Uh, my lord, I wouldn’t dare say. But one thing is certain: if Bruce doesn’t intervene soon, Leon’s situation will change drastically in the short term. The rebels in the south and east are showing signs of uniting, coordinating with each other, and growing in strength. It seems they’ve received a lot of military supplies, allowing them to expand rapidly.” At this point, the half-orc glanced at the expressionless lord. Those military supplies could only enter Leon through the Caucasus route, and Muscat’s prosperity seemed far beyond its development pace. “Although the north hasn’t taken any major action so far, it seems to be stirring up activity now. If all three regions could unite, the entire situation in Leon could become unpredictable. By then, it might be hard to even estimate how much effort it would take to bring things under control.”

This guy’s innate sense and reaction ability were indeed extraordinary, as Puber had said. He could even realize that the rebels’ growth was related to support from their own side in terms of military supplies. Moreover, he could keenly detect the trend of the three regions uniting—perfectly fitting the role of an intelligence agent he was looking for.

Komer nodded slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. His deep gaze settled on the other man, putting immense pressure on the half-orc. “I heard you speak the mountain language and the Bimon language?”

“Uh, yes. Before being sold to Leon, I spent some time in the orc kingdom. As for the mountain language, I learned a bit from living with a barbarian for a while. Recently, the administrative officer asked me to master it. There are many Caucasus barbarians now, and after interacting with them several times, my skills have improved a lot.” His heart pounded wildly. The half-orc seemed to sense that a gap had opened in the door to changing his fate, and instinctively he began licking his lips.

“Aren’t you a pure half-orc?” Komer suddenly asked such a question.

“Yes, my lord. I have a quarter elven and human blood, and half half-orc blood,” the half-orc replied, his expression changing slightly as if struggling with something, his gaze turning somber. It was said that half-orcs were born from the union of orcs and humans, but neither group recognized this. The half-orcs themselves denied such legends, believing they were a separate race. For this reason, both humans and orcs rarely married half-orcs. As for the proud elves, aside from marrying within their own race or humans, they refused to marry anyone else. This guy was clearly an abandoned bastard, what people commonly call a hybrid.

“Hmm, there’s no need to feel inferior about your origins. One cannot choose their birth, but they can use their mind, hands, and effort to change their fate.” Seemingly understanding what the other person was thinking, Komer shook his head. “Are you interested in working for me?”

His somberness turned into ecstasy. His eyes shone with a mix of gratitude and joy. Without saying another word, he knelt on one knee and, with a choked voice, declared, “Mahagumi swears by the name of the god of war, Mars! Mahagumi will serve you wholeheartedly for life!”

His gentle gaze seemed to penetrate the half-orc’s heart. Mahagumi felt completely awestruck by this noble and kind lord before him; he thought that even if the lord demanded he die for him right now, he would never hesitate. Having endured discrimination from everyone, no one had ever understood the pain and loneliness in his heart. Sometimes he thought he might have to spend his life in obscurity in the mines or the wilderness, but he refused to accept that. After witnessing the extravagant lives of mortal nobles and the opulence of big cities, he became filled with longing for the good things in this world. This was why he risked everything to escape from the mines and head to the Caucasus. He didn’t believe his companions could overthrow all the oppression weighing on them with their own strength. The vibrant scenes in the Caucasus made him think that perhaps it was there he could fulfill his desire for a better life.

Newman’s magical materials finally arrived, and he, who had been waiting impatiently, quickly threw himself into his work. While Komer was still worried whether someone in his condition could endure working day and night for several days, Newman’s painstakingly crafted “Light Ball Flame Cannon” finally succeeded. It was a light-based magical device that required many high-grade light-flame stones and was mainly used to trigger hidden dark ambush spells in the shadows. This “Light Ball Flame Cannon” was extremely effective against dark magic and prohibitions due to its strong attraction power, as well as its considerable magical neutralization ability, making it highly destructive against dark magic. Another device was a magical absorption shield made of Bohemian brass, designed to counter physical attacks from metal-based mechanisms. By raising the magical absorption shield over a suspected mechanism, the attracted mechanical devices would attack the shield, thereby neutralizing any potential harm to the user and achieving a destructive effect.

Another magician had joined the exploration of Fort Damalsk, to Komer’s surprise, this magician was a woman. Of course, this was just his intuition, as he couldn’t determine her gender or age from her appearance or name. Even her brief words carried a nasal tone, clearly indicating the use of voice alteration magic. Aside from her eyes, which revealed a charming gaze, the rest of her body was covered by an overly elaborate magician’s robe. Mihajic hadn’t explained the origin of this friend of his. From Komer’s observations, it seemed Mihajic himself didn’t know this new magician either. It was only the letter this magician had delivered that seemed to facilitate communication, and Mihajic introduced her to Komer in the name of his friend without further explanation.

The expedition now consisted of four magicians and two dark knights, plus Komer himself, making a total of seven people. In Komer’s view, the group seemed a bit too large, but no one wanted to miss such an adventure opportunity. Even the two dark knights had abandoned the tasks Komer had assigned them early on to wait in the fort for the expedition to begin. To them, this was their proper job, while Komer’s task of training the lord’s guards seemed like endless labor. If it weren’t for Komer’s guidance, which indeed improved their combat skills, they would have long abandoned those foolish half-orcs and gone their own way.