Chapter Thirteen: Perfect Deception
“Is there anything else you need my help with?” Eve raised her beautiful eyebrows, her calm and clear eyes flowing like a gentle stream through Komer’s heart. This girl truly had a talent for being a missionary—her innate peace and serenity could bring a sense of tranquility to those who were lost.
“Eve, people live in this world, facing all sorts of complexities and striving for a living. Some things are inevitable; it seems we’re all fighting for our own goals. But what exactly are we striving for? Unparalleled power? Endless wealth? Beautiful women? Or magical skills that surpass everything else? What good does it do to have all that? Sometimes I ask myself what I’m really pursuing.”
With a soft sigh, Komer wore a thoughtful expression. “Human desires are sometimes hard to describe. Without desires, it seems we lose the drive to strive, but pursuing them excessively can lead to obsessive tendencies. More importantly, sometimes we’re not sure what we really need or what outcome we desire. The noise around us can’t hide the loneliness inside us. What do we truly need, Eve? Can you tell me?”
A series of confessional-like words burst forth from Komer’s heart like molten rock. He had originally wanted to find an excuse to win her sympathy and make her stay, but as the conversation unfolded, he realized he was actually expressing his own deep confusion. Since coming here from Holma, the endless humiliations inflicted by Philip and Tracy, the joys and sorrows of two years in exile—almost every time he woke from sleep, he had to heal the wounds in his heart. Now, it seemed he had overcome those shadows, but why could he still struggle to fall asleep at night? Could it be, as Eve had once mentioned casually, that believing in something isn’t scary—what’s truly scary is having no faith at all?
With a self-mocking smile, he realized he had intended to move her, but his words instead moved him first. It was quite ridiculous. Komer didn’t know what effect his nonsensical words would have. At this point, he could only pretend to be a lost lamb to earn her sympathy. Thankfully, acting was something he was good at, so putting on a show wasn’t difficult.
Eve was stunned by Komer’s emotionally charged confession; it could be said that Komer’s heartfelt outburst revealed the depths of his emotions. Eve had no idea that the usually composed and indifferent Komer actually harbored such deep loneliness and uncertainty. His outward appearance concealed his inner confusion, and she seemed to increasingly fail to understand this man. Perhaps this is what happens to those who have lost their faith—no matter how successful they appear, they cannot escape the emptiness and solitude within. What could she do for him?
Seeing that Eve remained calm but fell silent, clearly pondering the impact of his words, Komer dared not relax at all. He had to strive to present a desolate and pitiful image, using this sense of helplessness to evoke sympathy and pity in her heart.
Perhaps the entire Caucasus was like Komer—seeming prosperous on the surface, but behind that prosperity lay a decline in faith, with spiritual emptiness and faithlessness spreading throughout the Caucasus and Leon. As a priest, one should not only save people’s bodies but also strive to save their faith. Eve had thought about this, but it seemed like an unattainable ideal for the entire Caucasus and Leon.
Whether it was the immigrants from Mellen, Main, or Sussor or the local natives, they all harbored varying degrees of hostility and distrust toward the Church of Light. Perhaps the tragic conditions in those regions had made these immigrants lose faith in the Church of Light. The local natives had always been on the fringes of exile and abandonment, and the Church of Light had never paid them any attention. This sense of neglect and disdain also made the predominantly mixed-heritage natives hold no goodwill toward the Church of Light. As for the half-orcs of Leon, they simply despised the beliefs of mortals. Eve had no idea how she could change their attitudes.
And now, Komer’s striking words once again sent shivers through Eve’s heart. If even this lord was lost in such confusion, it seemed that no one else in the entire Caucasus and Leon could bring about change. Eve was well aware of Komer’s indifference and hostility toward outsiders; aside from those who were useful to him, he almost instinctively exhibited xenophobia. It was extremely unlikely for ordinary people to gain his approval and support, especially when it came to matters of faith in the region. He could use various methods to send the Inquisition members away or stubbornly refuse other faith groups, keeping them at bay. Eve truly found it hard to understand this seemingly astute lord who occasionally revealed weaknesses.
Eve did not answer Komer’s question, but she, who had originally planned to leave, stayed instead. This relieved Grace, Javier, and the others who had been anxious because of her insistence on leaving.
Bayezid and Briarnos had become senior instructors in Komer’s lordly guard. Bayezid’s fierce and brutal storm axe techniques and spinning axes were the most practical combat weapons for the half-orcs. Nearly a quarter of the newly recruited militia fighters were influenced by Bayezid and chose double-edged great axes as their weapons, while the agile small axes became their most effective medium-range attack weapons. Under Bayezid’s strict demands, the physically strong orcs focused more on improving the accuracy of throwing their spinning axes—requiring them to hit the target within half a meter within 50 meters, the minimum standard set by Bayezid for his orc soldiers.
Briarnos, on the other hand, seemed to have a heavier burden. Giants possessed physical strength that was no less than that of the half-orcs, and their endurance was far beyond what the half-orcs could match. In addition to teaching some half-orcs who wished to learn his staff combat techniques, Briarnos was also responsible for the physical training of the entire newly formed militia. While the half-orcs were undoubtedly strong, their strength lay more in explosive power and endurance capacity, not in sustained endurance, which still fell short of ordinary humans. This seemed quite far from Komer’s expectations. As the head physical trainer, Briarnos aimed to completely overcome their weaknesses and turn them into truly versatile warriors.
Komer calmly inspected the rows of self-defense soldiers undergoing tests before him. This was the quarterly comprehensive competition of martial skills and physical fitness. A row of burly half-orc warriors stood at the starting line, chests puffed out and eager to go, clearly excited by the presence of their lord in person.
As the whistle blew, the half-orc warriors immediately started sprinting. They had to complete three short sprints, each covering 30 meters through a bushy area within five seconds, followed by an obstacle course—running a kilometer through obstacles within three minutes. After that, they entered the attack zone, where they had to break twelve wooden stakes of various sizes and shapes in the shortest time possible by chopping, cutting, or striking them, then use their throwing weapons to attack three targets 50 meters away. With three types of long-range weapons—swinging axes, throwing spears, and iron meteorites—they could choose one to destroy or hit the targets to succeed.
The team of twelve soldiers quickly completed all their tasks within ten minutes and returned to their starting points, out of breath. The record-keeper immediately noted their scores, while the second team, already prepared, started immediately following the same procedure.
Seeing Komer’s satisfied expression, Bao Ling, Bayezid, and Briarnos all showed pride. “Lord, the basic physical training for the first phase of these warriors is complete. The next phase will be the more difficult drill and formation training. Of course, their individual skills are still not satisfactory and need further improvement. We can integrate individual martial skill training during drill and formation training. At the same time, we can selectively select some warriors with preliminary leadership skills to serve as junior officers, which will greatly accelerate the development of these soldiers into a full army.”
“Bao Ling, Fran and the others will be back soon. There’s not much left to deal with in Jazair. The orcs have retreated. Although all the fortresses in the north have been destroyed, the orcs seem quite subdued after being warned by the Church of Light. I’m not sure if it’s just on the surface or something more, but at least the kingdom won’t face trouble for now. We still need to strengthen our own forces. Homer won’t maintain this situation for us forever; we need to be aware of the crisis,” Cohmer said thoughtfully. “Once Fran and the others return, let’s reorganize these two armies. I don’t want to see one army stronger than the other. Our army lacks depth, and it’s impossible to build a satisfactory, strong army in a short time. But fortunately, we still have other secret weapons, don’t we?”