Chapter 8: Intervention
The six of them stood silently on the hill, gazing at the town in the distance. Komer stared thoughtfully ahead, while the blond-haired half-orc following closely behind him had changed significantly since Komer first met him—his neatly combed blond hair now had a slight golden sheen. His rough appearance was softened by a well-fitting merchant’s outfit, giving him a more refined look, resembling that of a successful small businessman, though his gleaming eyes remained unchanged.
Komer’s expression was gloomy. He hadn’t expected Homer’s army to arrive so quickly. Just a few days after his group infiltrated Leon, Homer’s forces had already taken decisive action. Only five hundred soldiers were left to guard Fortress Bruce, while over five thousand soldiers rushed toward Banasha with lightning speed, catching the rebel armed forces in the north off guard. Nearly twenty thousand armed slaves were utterly helpless against the diamond-shaped formation of Homer’s army, whose powerful attacks shattered their main forces. Over four thousand slaves died in this battle, more than six thousand were captured, and over three hundred slave heads were hung throughout Banasha town. The remaining thousands fled south under the leadership of a man known as the Savior Knight, seeking refuge with the local rebel forces in the Izmel region of the east. A small number scattered and fled on their own. As for the captured slaves, aside from those beheaded as a warning, most were turned back into slave miners by the mine owners who followed Homer’s army.
Homer’s army’s fierce strike utterly defeated the once-mighty rebel forces in the north, forcing these rebels, who had always believed they possessed a strong military force and feared no one, to realize they were far inferior to regular armies. The strength of Homer’s army left them panicked, unsure how to deal with this advancing enemy.
It was under such circumstances that Komer’s group arrived in Mando, a major town in southern Leon. Given the poor performance of the rebel forces, Homer’s southernward army split into two groups: one headed south along Banasha toward Izmel, while the other turned southwest, aiming to destroy Mando Town—the most important stronghold of these slave rebels in all of Leon.
“Mahagumi, you say they hope to get our help. Then in what aspects do they hope for our assistance? Haven’t we already provided them with weapons, food, and various supplies as agreed? What more do they need?” Clearly unprepared for the mob forces to be so weak, Komer was also somewhat worried. Although he never expected the mob forces to be able to defeat Homer’s army, it was still extremely disappointing that forces several times larger than Homer’s army collapsed so easily, adding to Komer’s concerns.
“My lord, it’s not about weapons or food now. These armed slaves have never received proper training and are completely unable to break through the dense formations of a regular army. They could only watch helplessly as Homer’s army shattered their loose formations. It is said that magicians from Cyprus cast spells, sending lightning from the sky that instantly crushed the already wavering will of the armed mob, causing their defense lines to collapse. As a result, Homer’s army achieved such great success with no losses at all. So now these mob forces hope that we can directly participate in the battle, preferably by providing them with commanders or even magicians. Uh, they are also aware that the Caucasus has been supporting them, so…” Perhaps feeling that their demands were somewhat unreasonable, Mahagumi’s tone became hesitant, worried that his words might anger the lord.
“Hmph, they only think of us now? Why didn’t they accept our advice back then?” With a dismissive snort, Komer seemed unsurprised by their request; it was expected. Although these armed mobs were numerous and the Caucasus had provided them with a large amount of weapons and supplies, it was still far from enough for an army of up to eighty thousand people. What was most problematic was the lack of proper training, which cannot be achieved in just a day or two. After the mob forces achieved significant victories, Komer suggested through Mahagumi that they slow down their expansion, focus on proper training, and even offered that the Caucasus could secretly provide military instructors if they were willing. But the victorious mob forces, blinded by success, only focused on expanding their gains and did not accept the Caucasus’s advice. Now, they finally faced the consequences.
“My lord, as you are aware, most of these people are of slave origin, lacking insight and long-term planning. They are blinded by superficial victories. Such forces might have a chance against those locally raised nobles’ private armies who are equally untrained, but against Homer’s regular troops, their fate is certain death. If we do not help them now, I can assure you that within at most two weeks, Mando and Izmel will fall back into Homer’s hands, and these mobs might even flee all the way to our Caucasus.” Mahagumi never hid his disappointment in his own people. He had a clear understanding of the armed forces he had organized and never believed they could defeat Homer’s army.
Komer remained silent, stunned by how rapidly the situation was deteriorating. Homer’s army would reach Mando in no more than a week. The number of armed mobs in Mando still exceeded 30,000, ten times that of Homer’s invading forces. Yet these mobs were terrified by Homer’s brutality in Banasha, their morale low. If not for their desperation, they might have resumed their flight. To defeat this invading force, it was first necessary to boost their morale and then use their numerical advantage to overwhelm Homer’s army. Of course, this also required disrupting the enemy’s formation and breaking their morale, which would depend on the help of magicians and dark knights on our side.
“Mahagumi, contact their leader immediately and demand that they hand over all command to me. We will take charge of this battle.” Though he knew this might risk exposing his side, Komer couldn’t afford to hesitate. If he didn’t intervene, these ragtag forces would surely collapse without a fight. Not only might Homer’s army advance toward the Caucasus after stabilizing the situation in Leon, but the influx of fleeing slaves would also provide them with an excellent pretext to march there.
“No problem. They have already lost their will to fight and are hoping we will take over. I’ll go and negotiate with them right away.” With excitement shining on his face, Mahagumi clearly also wanted the Caucasus to take control. He would never tolerate those detestable noble mine owners dominating this land once again.
When Komer and his group appeared before the leaders of the mob, these so-called mob leaders immediately felt the pressure exerted by them—a pressure so intense that it left them almost breathless. Staring in horror at the group, the mob members willingly stepped forward and paid their guests the highest respects, any lingering doubts they had vanished instantly.
The mob forces stationed in the Mando region numbered over 36,000, making them the largest such force in the entire Leon region. Most of them were half-orcs and hybrids with half-orc blood, though there were also a considerable number of mortals.
Komer’s gaze slowly swept over the faces of those standing before him. Several half-orcs and mortals felt a chill in their hearts. The aura emanating from this man, whose face was covered by a scarf leaving only his eyes visible, clearly indicated that he was a born noble. This made the mob leaders, who were used to being treated as inferior by mortal nobles, feel an urge to kneel. Yet the guests behind him, also fully covered by scarves, paid no attention to the people before them at all; their contemptuous looks were even more unbearable than those of the clearly noble guest.
“Mr. Woodhard, Mr. Bofar, Mr. Sora, Mr. Mizali—these are the noble guests from the Caucasus you’ve been waiting for,” Mahagumi wisely refrained from revealing their identities. With everything still unclear, Komer also wanted to maintain secrecy to avoid any future problems that might require denial.
“Noble guests, thank you for coming. We need your help. Your presence will bring us good fortune. Please, come this way.” Seeing the half-orcs seem awkward under the strong pressure, the only mortal among the four stepped forward and expressed their goodwill in the most respectful tone possible.
This was likely the estate of a noble miner on the outskirts of Mando Town. The reception room was spacious, with peachwood furniture that looked new but lacked character. The antique shelf was empty—perhaps the urgency of the war had left everyone too preoccupied to think of anything else, forcing the mob forces to use this place as a venue to entertain guests.
“Gentlemen, I believe we all share the same goal—how to defeat Homer’s army is our common desire. But I’m afraid everyone is aware of the situation on Banasha’s side. It would be foolish to undermine our own strength and boost the enemy’s morale. Our armed forces lack training. Although we have over 30,000 troops, far outnumbering the enemy, in reality, the vast majority of these 30,000 people don’t even have complete weapons or armor, and none of them have received proper military training. With such forces, there’s no chance of defeating Homer’s army, which has been trained for years. In fact, we might suffer an even worse defeat than in Banasha’s battle.” Comer had no desire for further pleasantries. With Homer’s massive army approaching, it was urgent to reorganize these civilian militias. It was already a maximum to select 10,000 troops from the 30,000, and these 10,000 would be the decisive force in this defense of Mando.
“Sir, you’re probably exaggerating. We heard that Homer’s army preparing to invade Mando this time has only 3,000 men. Do you mean we can’t even defeat them despite being ten times their number?” The half-orc leader named Mizali was clearly upset by Comer’s harsh assessment of his forces and retorted angrily.
“Mr. Mizali, I’m not exaggerating. In the battle of Banasha, 20,000 armed men collapsed in less than an hour. You must be aware of this. You should also understand your soldiers—they lack weapons and armor, haven’t received proper training, and have never encountered magical attacks. A few simple spells from magicians will send them into panic. Add to that the assault from the enemy’s professional army—how long do you think your 30,000 men can hold out?” A mocking smirk appeared on Comer’s lips as he struck at the other man’s weaknesses.
As soon as the word “magicians” was spoken, all the mob leaders, including Baffar, fell silent—this was their greatest weakness, one they themselves had to admit. Orcs were naturally afraid of forces from nature, believing them to be divine punishments. Magicians, on the other hand, could freely unleash these natural forces; they were messengers of the gods. The psychological impact of such magical attacks far exceeded the actual damage inflicted, especially in large-scale battles. They were also well aware of their own weaknesses. It was clear that during the Battle of Barnasha, Homer’s army had used magical attacks. From the fleeing defeated soldiers, they learned that countless bolts of lightning had descended even before any formal attack could be launched, and giants formed from mud had devoured the orc soldiers. Such intense visual stimuli led to the collapse of their own army—they fled in panic without even the enemy charging, with Homer’s forces merely acting as battlefield cleaners.
Seeing all the orc leaders bow their heads, Komer knew he had struck a nerve and seized the opportunity: “Gentlemen, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but this battle is of utmost importance, and we cannot afford any negligence. If we fail, we might be able to escape back to the Caucasus, but what about you? And what about the tens of thousands of slaves who have just been freed? So, we must win this battle at all costs! The men behind me will help you and your soldiers experience what true war is like and what true warriors are like over the next few days. They will also expose your soldiers to magic, so they won’t be thrown into chaos in the upcoming battles.”