Chapter Twelve: Escape

Komer immediately warned Kakiya to leave quickly. The large-scale invasion by the orcs was an irreversible reality, and the departure of the court mages from Nicomedia had effectively signaled that Jazair was powerless to resist the orc army’s assault. Staying in Jazair at this point was tantamount to waiting for death.

The next five hours witnessed the most chaotic scenes of Jazair’s great escape. Nobles poured out through the eastern and southern gates of the capital city. Carriages lined up in long queues, filled with various boxes and packages. The nobles no longer had much time to consider where to go, but fleeing Jazair first seemed like the wise choice. No one believed that the newly formed Golden Oak Regiment and the Royal Guard could hold off the overwhelming orc forces.

“Where shall we go now?” Kakiya leaned tiredly against the carriage window. The roads on both sides were already jammed with carriages of nobles and merchants rushing south. If just one carriage stopped, it would immediately turn the entire convoy into a stagnant line. Shouts and noise filled the air. With the protection of private soldiers and household servants, leaving this hellhole as soon as possible was the only hope for the nobles.

“Your Highness, it depends on you. Hoffman has already gone to Gothenburg in the east, where the Gallic and Homer armies can arrive in the shortest time. The court mages are likely to return to Gothenburg quickly as well. It is said that if Jazair falls, they plan to use Gothenburg as a base to retake the capital. But I think you probably don’t want to be involved in all this chaos, so I decided to retreat south on my own. If you don’t mind, you can come to my place for shelter,” Komer said carefully, trying not to provoke her at this moment.

“No, I won’t consider going to the Caucasus for now,” Kakiya firmly rejected Komer’s suggestion. But this was within Komer’s expectations. Even at this point, her ambition hadn’t completely faded. Perhaps she still hoped to return to the capital soon and continue her unfinished rivalry with Hoffman. But Komer knew it was unlikely such a scenario would ever happen again. This invasion by the orcs seemed far from simple.

“Well, now isn’t the best time to go to the Caucasus. There are still many places in the southwest and central regions for you to choose from. The local lords are all looking forward to your arrival, such as Le Mans and Katin,” Komer suggested with a shrug.

“I don’t know if leaving the capital was a mistake. Perhaps I should have stayed to face this disaster with the city’s residents and soldiers. Leaving quietly is like being a coward.” Kakiya’s attitude became increasingly unpredictable.
“Your Highness, there are Lord Matthew and Lord Taze in the city, along with the Golden Oak Regiment and the Royal Guard. There’s no point in staying. If the orcs truly break through Jazair, everything will have to start over. What you need to do is establish a solid rear base. And if General Matthew and his men manage to hold off the orcs, you’ll still need sufficient funds to rebuild the north, so as to gain more support.” Komer was pleased to have quickly found a suitable excuse.
“Vice Count Komer, your eloquence is truly remarkable. It seems no matter what choice I make, you can always find a good reason for me.” Kakiya also realized this. “Then I’d like to ask—do you think General Matthew can hold Jazair?”
After a brief silence, Komer asked softly, “Your Highness Kakiya, do you want to hear the truth?”
“Of course,” Kakiya replied, feeling uneasy.
“In my opinion, the chances are very slim. The orcs are well-prepared this time; they’ve even deployed their auxiliary troops, which they’ve never used before. The biggest problem is that the kingdom’s court mages have left Jazair, which will greatly weaken the capital’s defenses. As you know, the Golden Oak Regiment is no longer what it used to be—it has turned into a training camp for new recruits. Relying on it to resist the orc coalition, which has long fought against our kingdom’s army, is far too difficult.”
Komer lowered his eyelids, his voice turning somber. No one wanted to see this happen. He had invested so much effort to bring Hoffman down, only for the orcs to interfere, forcing him to reconsider many of his plans. The orcs’ involvement would also bring many unexpected changes to the kingdom’s politics. It was unclear what role the Light Church would play in these upheavals, but Komer believed it would not remain indifferent.
Kakiya also felt conflicted. Whatever the outcome of the orc invasion, it would force her to change her plans for ascending to the throne. She had hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to overthrow Hoffman and seize power, but now it seemed less realistic.

Hoffman, surrounded by the powerful nobles, headed east. Gothenburg would soon become a new political center—both in terms of economic strength in the central region and the influence of these nobles. The smaller nobles and merchants surrounding them could not compare to Hoffman’s supporters. Moreover, Hoffman had the backing of several major lords in the kingdom. This development would render all the efforts spent by the Star Chamber judges worthless. With the support of these lords, Hoffman could prove himself the true ruler of the kingdom not through law but through force, even war.

“Perhaps it would be a good idea to have General Matthew and the others retreat for now…” Kakiya suggested tentatively, but was immediately interrupted rudely by Komer: “Your Highness, do you really think General Matthew would accept such a suggestion? To abandon the people of the capital without resistance and let the orcs ravage the capital of the Kingdom of Nicotia? If that happens, it means the Kingdom of Nicotia no longer has any meaning. The entire population will turn against the kingdom. Once public support is lost, foreign enemies will invade, and the four major lords might even take the opportunity to declare independence!”

Kakiya lowered her head, her expression dark. She certainly understood this logic. But now that the Iron Cross Army had been completely destroyed, and the Golden Oak Army defeated as well, only the Blue Dove Army remained. If Jazair fell, the Blue Dove Army would be trapped between enemies, with nowhere to go—no supplies, no reinforcements, no goal. Such an army couldn’t last long. And the four major lords might even allow this to happen, meaning the Romanov family would become mere puppets while the four lords truly ruled the kingdom.

“What should we do now?” Kakiya finally lost patience. She didn’t want to be a vassal of anyone, and she realized now that if she continued to follow this man’s commands, that possibility might become reality.

“Didn’t Your Highness Kakiya reject my suggestion? Then you have only the southwest to go to. Katyn and Le Mans are good choices. The people there are looking forward to your arrival. You can stay there temporarily while waiting for news from Jazair. If the orcs just plan to take what they can and leave, things might not be as bad as we think.”

Komer also sensed the other party’s intentions, but for now he had no intention of keeping them under strict control. With Hoffman around, Kakiya would eventually have to rely on herself. There was no need for him to create a rift between them—didn’t she want to be independent? Then let her give it a try and experience the true harshness of reality. But before that, he should consider how to secure the reward from the Zuck Valley for himself. It was an agreement between him and Kakiya; if she couldn’t even fulfill this, then cooperation would no longer be guaranteed.

Katin had become a transit hub after the evacuation from Jazair. It was Komer’s first time here, and it seemed quite passable. It was the capital of the Hessen region, which, along with the neighboring Pomerania and Livonia regions, had always been direct territories of the kingdom. Dozens of smaller noble fiefs and large royal estates made up these three regions. It had also been a stronghold for Kakiya’s supporters. From here, one could travel southwest to Bessarabia and eventually reach Bohemia. It was said that the king himself had arrived in Bohemia incognito from here, met Kakiya’s mother, and brought her back to Versailles.

The Zuck Valley was located at the southernmost tip of the Livonia region in the south and belonged to the king.

Komer knew that his greedy ambitions on his own lands had raised Kakiya’s suspicions. But the Zuck Valley wasn’t large—300 square kilometers certainly couldn’t cause much harm to the kingdom. Any of the small lords in those three regions had lands much larger than the Zuck Valley. If the Zuck Valley could win Komer’s loyalty, Kakiya had no objection to it.

Perhaps, as Komer himself said, granting a piece of land from the kingdom’s direct territories to this border lord would strengthen the people in that border region’s loyalty to the kingdom. After all, the Caucasus was too far from the kingdom’s heartland and had long been outside the kingdom’s political and cultural influence. The large population of half-orcs and other races had greatly diminished the local people’s loyalty to the Romanov dynasty. If this reward could serve that purpose, it would still be a gain.