Chapter 5: Teasing
After seeing Carrera off, Komer was filled with deep emotions. The knightly code lingered in his mind, refusing to fade. People like Carrera, who belonged to the Order of Mercy, were true paragons of knighthood. Though they often suffered setbacks in a cruel and opportunistic world, they never abandoned their beliefs or pursuits—such perseverance was the true essence of knighthood. As for himself, though he wore the guise of a noble gentleman, his actions were constrained by duty. As a local lord, he had to prioritize the survival and well-being of his people before considering anything else. This was probably the fundamental difference between nobles and knights, although many saw it merely as an excuse to comfort themselves.
Carrera’s arrival along with the Order of Mercy brought Komer an unexpected surprise. Murey’s surrender was within expectations and not worth celebrating, but the emergence of the Order of Mercy meant the possibility of cooperation between the two sides. Komer held great respect for these kind-hearted men. Many of them had a high level of education. If he could get their help in his domain, many of the problems plaguing him would be solved easily. It seemed the Order of Mercy also wanted to find new ways to fulfill their mission, and Leon had become their testing ground—a development Komer was happy to see.
Before Carrera and his fellow members of the Order of Mercy returned to Leon, Komer still had much to do. Although Mando was on the right track, Murey, Barnasha, and Izmel posed serious challenges. As Carrera said, the situation in those three areas no longer allowed for further delay. The mob forces that once controlled those regions had completely lost their organizational discipline and even became a hindrance. Many bandits originated from these mob forces. If decisive action wasn’t taken, the entire of Leon would turn into a haven of chaos and slaughter.
What troubled Komer was determining how to quell the chaos in these areas and restore normal production and living order there. Komer believed that a steady supply of food would greatly alleviate the situation, but those half-orc bandits accustomed to using violence to solve problems likely wouldn’t simply lay down their weapons and return to normal life through such measures alone. A combination of kindness and force was needed—after showing generosity, necessary toughness and violence had to follow to deter these mobs. He believed he could implement this strategy with the support of the former leaders of those half-orc slaves. To gain their willing support, however, he also had to make some necessary promises.
The thousand self-defense troops initially assembled by Dragoemo, with 300 remaining in Mando and 200 stationed at the Fort of Muscat, all headed to Izmir. Izmir had been the first to pledge loyalty to Komer, and its situation was better than that of Murey and Banasha, who held out until the end. The 500 fully armed half-orc self-defense troops marched into Izmir and quickly began to restore order in the region.
Ilot took command of this operation, while Dragoemo stayed in Mando. Ilot had already established his authority by helping train this self-defense force. Even Dragoemo admitted that this companion of the lord was on a completely different level from him, both in martial skills and daily training. Dragoemo was even willing to humbly seek advice from this former high-ranking warrior who had resisted orc invasions on the Mogan Plateau in the north on how to make half-orc soldiers more obedient and responsive to commands. Ilot told Dragoemo there was no other way but strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments.
The cleanup operation in Izmir was straightforward. Although these half-orc self-defense troops had only received training for a couple of months, it was enough to transform them completely. Coupled with brand-new armor and weapons, the sight of these 500-strong force appearing on Izmir’s streets was utterly shocking to the local population. With the full support of Mizar, who had been appointed to lead another group of about 100 self-defense troops, Ilot swept through Izmir with remarkable speed. A number of extremely wicked half-orc bandits were captured during the cleanup operation and hanged under the Star and Moon Scaffold in the center of Izmir town, instantly clearing the situation there.
The successful execution of Operation Izmir laid a solid foundation for Murray and Banasha to restore order. When Fran and Baoling led the Caucasus Self-Defense Forces and Komer’s Lord’s Guard to Murray and Banasha respectively, the once-turbulent riots vanished instantly. Especially when Vladkov and Sorenberg, who were performing for show, demonstrated their unparalleled martial skills in the heart of Murray and Banasha’s streets to the gathered half-orcs, all of their eyes shifted from defiance to fear and admiration. They could not imagine how a person’s strength could become so invincible. Seeing massive basalt rocks turn to dust under Vladkov’s knightly spear and flagpoles hundreds of meters away snapped under Sorenberg’s Sky-Piercing Spear, the half-orcs fell silent. Their reverence for the strong made this display of power exceptionally effective.
A fair, plump body reappeared before Komer. Standing in the training room, Komer quietly observed this ice dragon that had returned to its normal humanoid form. Clearly, the ice dragon was unbothered by being naked; it seemed unashamed to reveal its body in front of a human.
Previously, Komer had cast on her the most powerful mental magic spell he could—Soul Binding. This was a mutated magic spell usable only on beings with great magical power, inspired by an example from the memory vault left by King Canifer III after Komer captured this ice dragon and spent days pondering over it.
During that battle, King Canifer III had successfully used this mutated magic to seal the enemy’s magical power against the ultimate ruler among magical beasts—the Tailless Demon Ape. The Demon Ape race was already the most intelligent among magical beasts, on par with humans and dragons. It was their intelligence that set them apart from other magical beasts: not only did they possess the magic power and physical strength typical of magical beasts, but they also had a mental magic that no other magical beast could match. This allowed them to often gain the upper hand in conflicts with other races. These magical beasts were extremely cunning, and with their mental magic, they could even cast simple mental spells, making them unique among all magical beasts. In that battle, King Canifer III used his original mental magic spell—Soul Binding—for the first time, preventing the enemy from launching attacks using magic power and ultimately sealing them beneath the abyss.
This time, after careful preparation, Komer also cast this mutated magic on the ice dragon. Only by firmly restraining the dragon’s magical power could Komer dare to face it so boldly. Komer had once asked Rebril that after dragons transform into human form, their innate strength is greatly limited. In fact, they only transform into human form after suffering severe injuries. Although they still retain considerable physical strength in human form, it is nowhere near as great as their original strength. It was for this reason that Komer could appear so calm in front of the dragon after ensuring its magical power had been completely restrained.
The ice dragon slowly woke up from its slumber and moved its body. Even in front of a young man like Komer, this naked woman showed no sign of shyness—probably accustomed to being naked, she had little concern even in human form. Her round, bright eyes, like soaked purple grapes, scanned the surroundings with curiosity but no fear.
This was the first time she had awakened since fading into a coma after transforming into human form in her memories. The situation before her was somewhat strange, but it didn’t matter—no one could stop her.
Komer frowned slightly. This creature seemed unaccustomed to moving in human form, as it casually waved its arms in two chest-expanding movements right in front of him. The pair of plump, fair breasts rose and fell with her large movements, their peaks slightly reddened and glistening, enough to make anyone’s blood boil. Moreover, the ice dragon even kicked and lifted its hips without any restraint in front of Komer, revealing every detail of its bright, rosy folds. Its full, firm buttocks trembled, exuding a mesmerizing wild beauty that was almost enough to drive anyone crazy.
“Uh,” Komer racked his brains for a moment, unsure of how to address her. Dragons are naturally gifted with language skills, able to understand the languages of any race on the vast continent, so Komer wasn’t worried she wouldn’t understand him. “Miss, could you please refrain from making such indecent gestures in front of a man? It’s disrespectful to yourself and a sign of poor manners.”
At that moment, it seemed as if the Ice Dragon finally realized there was another human in its line of sight. A strange smile curled at its lips, and a rosy blush on its luminous face appeared particularly enchanting. Its voice, like silver bells, was quite pleasant, yet its words were infuriating: “What are you? How dare you give orders in front of me? Wretched mortal, I don’t want to get angry because you’re not worth it, but don’t test my patience—or I’ll reduce you to pieces in an instant.”
“Is that so? I’m so scared. Please don’t do this; you’ll scare me to death.” A strange smile appeared on Komer’s lips as well, and he trembled exaggeratedly. “Please, spare me! I’ll never speak such offensive words to you again. I’m willing to pledge my loyalty to you.”
Although the Ice Dragon wasn’t familiar with human manners, its keen intuition allowed it to instantly detect the mocking tone in the other’s words. Its purple pupils widened, and its breathing became heavier. “Damn you! You’ve truly offended me! I’ll make you pay for your ignorance and rudeness!”
“Enough, Ice Dragon! I don’t want to play games with you anymore. If you really have such a hobby, I’ll give you plenty of opportunities to perform—including in bed!” Komer rudely interrupted her, feeling that if things continued like this, he might lose control of his emotions. The other’s rapidly rising and falling chest due to fury made it impossible for him to concentrate. It was unbearable. Komer could clearly sense the drastic changes in his own physical reactions. “But now, listen carefully: you are my captive. I can make you live or die as I wish!”
“Ice Dragon? Captive?” The girl’s eyes widened in shock and anger as she couldn’t help but laugh loudly. “Humans, you’re truly arrogant! How dare you insult the dragons, who are far above you wretched creatures?”
“Is that so? Then I’ve insulted your dragons. What can you do about it?” Komer crossed his arms and said coldly.
The furious girl suddenly tried to attack with her hands, but then she realized in horror that the magical power within her body seemed to be tightly restrained by an invisible chain, preventing her from using it at all. As she waved her hands and stamped her feet, her breasts and hips moved up and down, igniting Komer’s desire. If it weren’t for concern that the dragon’s body might harm his own, he would have rushed forward without hesitation to enjoy her thoroughly.
After several attempts to use her powers without success, the girl finally realized why the other party dared to stand so arrogantly in front of her. Though her body was in human form, her magical powers hadn’t disappeared—the only explanation was that this guy was behind it. Although she couldn’t use her magic, the strength of her physical body was enough to send this guy to hell. With a leap, she rushed forward, but was stopped by Komer’s cold gaze. A few chilling words made her freeze in place: “Have you forgotten the story from the Great Swamp again? You forget the pain once the wound heals—are you dragons really that forgetful? Do you need me to make you experience again what it’s like for lightning magic to wash over your body?”
“You? You’re a magician?” The girl screamed in shock and anger. “It was you who used elemental magic?! You, you…”
“What’s wrong with me? Have you remembered? How can the noble and proud dragons flee in shame in front of humble mortals, and now end up like this?” Komer’s gaze still couldn’t move away from her chest and lower abdomen—it was simply too difficult to do so.