Chapter 7: Showing Goodwill
Komer didn’t have much fondness for the kingdom—neither Duke Tez nor KingYour Majesty, nor Kakiya and Hoffman were anyone who truly valued him; they all used him for their own gain. Komer had never thought the kingdom would truly appreciate him, nor that his performance would ever satisfy them. Even gaining temporary control over the Leon region had required him to spend a fortune on lobbying. But now, the kingdom was at stake for the survival of the Caucasus and Leon. He had already broken completely with Homer, with no room for reconciliation. Philip would eventually turn on him. He had narrowly survived two challenges, but good luck wouldn’t last forever. To buy himself more time to catch his breath, he needed to rely on the kingdom. If the kingdom fell, his own foundation would waver as well.
To keep the kingdom supporting him, even morally, he had to ensure its survival. Even a weak central government could greatly ease the awkward position of the Caucasus and Leon. Komer saw this clearly, but he wasn’t sure what to do next. Such matters were somewhat complicated for someone with limited experience like Komer. The complex factional struggles within the kingdom’s central government and their respective power bases wouldn’t disappear just because of the crisis—it might even intensify under certain circumstances.
Perhaps it was time for him to do something for the kingdom, not for the kingdom itself, but for himself. Komer nodded instinctively, but figuring out what to do and where to start required careful consideration. The Caucasus didn’t have much money. Providing a small sum might be possible, but more would be beyond his means. Sending troops to help defend the kingdom? That was even more unrealistic. Not to mention he was still under Homer’s threat, and he only had three thousand self-defense forces—giving them all to the kingdom would be a drop in the ocean, utterly ineffective.
“Mahagumi, what do you think we should do now?” Komer didn’t expect Mahagumi to offer a clear solution; he just asked out of habit.
“Uh, my lord, my subordinates dare not speak rashly on this matter. The laws and traditions followed in your mortal kingdoms are somewhat different from those of us half-orcs, orcs, mountain folk, and other races. You place more emphasis on lineage, history, and so-called morality, while we value strength more—those who are strong become rulers, while the weak become prey. This rule isn’t fully followed in your world. However, in our Caucasus, we’ve always relied on the central kingdom; we rise and fall together. Our relationship with Homer has completely broken down. Though the kingdom is now in decline, its legitimacy remains unshaken, so for now, we may still have to rely heavily on it.”
While carefully observing Komer’s expression, Mahagumi could only offer vague, general principles. After all, this lord often acted irrationally, and he wasn’t sure of Komer’s true intentions. But Mahagumi knew that an intelligence officer didn’t need to worry too much about his lord.
“Hmm, I understand,” Komer said. These words, lacking any real novelty, somehow cleared the fog in his mind. This guy’s analysis of mortal society from the perspective of their half-orc race did make sense—mortals adhered more to history and tradition, holding onto them tightly. Although the Romanov dynasty had suffered heavy losses, no one dared question its legitimacy in the Kingdom of Nicosia. That alone was enough to clarify what he should do.
By the time Hoffman and Lenta returned to Matdan, it had been a month since Komer returned to Ugru. A lot could happen in a month. The lord of Caucasus-Leon had provided 200,000 gold shields, along with 1,000 battle swords and 1,000 shields, to support the reconstruction of the Golden Oak and Iron Cross regiments. This act caused a strong reaction in Jazair and sparked a huge uproar throughout the kingdom. Komer even called on the lords of the kingdom to unite and use every means possible to support the kingdom’s war against foreign enemies. From any perspective, Caucasus and Leon still didn’t hold much weight among these lords. Aside from the four great lords, there were many places richer than Caucasus and Leon. Aside from those in the know, no one understood who this Baron Komer was—how he dared to raise his voice so loudly when the kingdom was on the verge of collapse.
No one could have imagined the tremendous impact Kommer’s actions would have. The smaller lords united around the kingdom, inspired by Kommer’s example, ceased to remain silent and began to show their support through actions—providing funds, weapons, armor, soldiers, and knights. Their collective efforts pushed the four great lords to the brink. Even the allies in the Northern Alliance, watching in fear as the kingdom’s defenses crumbled, were observing the four great lords closely. If they wanted to prove they were not colluding with the orcs, they had to take concrete action.
News of Homer’s army’s another failed southern campaign was tightly suppressed. This news was devastating for Homer; if it became known to outsiders, it would be fatal to his authority. The Storm Infantry could not return to Cyprus and were forced to stay south of the Bosen Plain. Without further orders, they could not return to Cyprus, otherwise the massive losses suffered by the Mage Corps and the Knight Corps would be equivalent to triggering an earthquake in the city of Cyprus. Although some people had already guessed that Homer’s southern campaign had failed again, few knew the exact details. However, it was an undeniable fact that Homer’s most important gateway to the south—the Bruce Fortress—had fallen. This could not be concealed, and many merchants still needed to use the Bruce Fortress to trade with Leon and the Caucasus. That extravagant baron proved through his actions that he could fully control those fierce half-orcs, promising to steadfastly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Homer’s merchants in Bruce, as well as in Leon and the Caucasus.
Driven by economic interests and inspired by their counterparts in the Caucasus, Homer’s merchants quickly gave in. The Greenland Forest Trail soon flourished once again, and the Bruce Fortress rapidly returned to its pre-war state. Apart from the river port on the Nise River, which remained depressed due to Homer’s navy blocking its mouth, everything else seemed to have returned to normal. Of course, the fortress walls now bore the bear heads and half-orc sentinels representing the new masters, along with elven archers.
Although the Storm Infantry Regiment was stationed in the southern part of the Bosen Plain, they did not receive orders to block the northern entrance of the Greenland Forest Trail. In fact, Homer knew that it was no longer meaningful to blockade the Caucasus. Once the waterway on the Catania River was cleared by the Caucasus through some unknown means, all such blockades became pointless. The countries and cities upstream and midstream of the Catania River now urgently hoped to transport their surplus food and goods to the Caucasus continuously. Continuing the blockade would only harm the interests of Homer’s merchants. The merchants had already persuaded Duke Philip to open the mouth of the Nise River so that merchant ships could reach the outskirts of Fortress Bruce via the Nise River, but they still had not received a response. At least for now, they still had to rely on the Greenland Forest Trail for trade, though this satisfied them greatly.
Although he had moved his residence to Fort Damonsk, Komer still retained his original lord’s manor out of a desire to stay closer to the people. He even expanded and renovated it to better fulfill its role as a lord’s residence.
Hoffman and Lenta observed the interior garden of the lord’s manor thoughtfully. It was simple and unadorned, with few fancy decorations. Aside from its sufficient size, everything else surprised Hoffman and Lenta, who were accustomed to the ostentatious mansions of wealthy lords. It seemed unchanged from a year ago, except that it was neater and the plants were more lush. Could this really be the same wastrel who had contributed 200,000 gold shields and a large amount of weapons to the kingdom?
“Well, Your Highnesses, it seems you’re interested in my lord’s manor?” Komer asked with a smile as he walked with them along the shaded path.
“Oh, Baron—no, I should now address you as Viscount. I bring you an imperial decree from His Majesty the King, granting you the honor of being appointed Viscount,” Hoffman said sincerely, carefully observing Komer. “Princess and I are surprised that your residence remains so simple. Personally, I also prefer magnificent villas, but given the current situation, I must admit you have done better than anyone else in this regard.”
“Oh, Your Highness, you flatter me too much. I don’t think what I’ve done deserves such praise. To be honest, although I did it for the kingdom, I also did it for myself—something I’m not willing to hide. Without a kingdom, there would be no Caucasus or Leon, and I’m well aware of that. So, I did what was within my power, hoping to be of some help to the kingdom.” Komer spoke in a typical, proper manner, in the standard noble dialogue style, which made Hoffman and Lenta, who were used to such ways of speaking, feel very at ease.