Chapter 18: Shock
Nodding slightly, Komer knew the other person’s words must be quite valid. The orc army and the mortal nations had been engaged in battles of varying scales along the northern border for decades. To break through human castles and fortresses, they had to pay a heavy price, but this had also forged a large and extremely formidable army for them.
When the northern defenses of Nicomia were breached, the Nicomian army had actually lost the ability to compete with the orc army. Without their fortresses for support, coupled with a military that had been repeatedly defeated and thus lost its fighting spirit and experience, the orcs dared to invade the human settlements in the north of Nicomia, knowing that Nicomia no longer had the strength to drive them away. It was clear that the other nations of the Northern Alliance were not yet prepared to engage in a full-scale war with the Kingdom of Bimon, and such a possibility seemed quite slim. Among humans, the desire to see others suffer outweighed concerns about shared threats—a fact the astute orcs were well aware of.
Seeing that Komer remained silent for a while, Dragumo cautiously asked, “Lord, do you mean that the Caucasus-Lion Self-Defense Force will also fight against the orc army? But we are just the Caucasus-Lion Self-Defense Force. We have no obligation to fight for the entire Kingdom of Nicomia. Our task is to defend your territory. And since you’re not a king, our enemies should be the Homers.”
“Dragumo, the affairs of human society are not as simple as you think. Although I am only the lord of Caucasus-Lion, I am still a subject of the Kingdom of Nicomia. When the kingdom faces crisis, every subject should without hesitation throw themselves into this war,” Komer explained with a bitter smile.
“Then why, as Mr. Fran said, can the four great lords of the kingdom remain indifferent? Aren’t they also subjects of the kingdom? Their military strength, along with that of their mage corps and knight orders, far exceeds ours as the Caucasus-Lion Self-Defense Force. Why must we bear this responsibility?” Dragumo clearly couldn’t understand the underlying reasons.
Komer was at a loss for words in response to this question. If he told Dragumo that the four great lords were now de facto independent kingdoms, Dragumo would surely ask why Caucasus and Lion couldn’t do the same. This was a question that was difficult to explain at the moment.
With a long sigh, Komer could only vaguely tell him, “Dragumo, the whole situation is complicated and hard to explain in just a few words. But one thing you need to understand is that our self-defense forces in the Caucasus and Leon must be strengthened, not weakened. We are surrounded by enemies, and no one else can help us—only we can save ourselves. The reason we’ve come all this way to Livonia is so that the Caucasus and Leon can survive better.” Dragumo had no doubts about this. Orcs have never feared death, let alone battle. For them, the grueling labor in the mines and harsh living conditions had already pushed them to the brink, so life in the self-defense forces was nothing short of paradise. Even if they died in battle, their families could receive generous compensation as stipulated by the lords. Just that was enough to motivate them to fight bravely. Moreover, through training, Fran had deliberately strengthened their sense of warrior honor, making them proud to die in battle. Fran had fully unleashed the orcs’ fierce spirit by fostering a sense of military honor. Now, the living conditions for the orcs in the Caucasus and Leon were many times better than when Poninsky ruled Leon. The constant blockades and invasions by the Homers kept the orcs aware of the danger of being pushed back to their former miserable lives. That’s why Komer’s calls for more troops always attracted countless orcs—because they feared that if the northern Homer nobles truly defeated the Caucasus and restored their rule, the orcs would fall back into those miserable conditions. It was better to fight to the death on the battlefield than to live like that. “Please rest assured, my lord. Our Leon Self-Defense Forces will never disappoint you,” Dragumo said. He felt his blood surge to his face. Komer’s earnest gaze was like an exhilarating drug, making Dragumo instinctively want to dedicate everything to this lord. Perhaps dying in battle was the best way to repay him.
Komer knew that his spiritual imprint had once again left a deep mark on Dragumo’s heart. He did not wish for the other man to die in battle, but most of the army under his control now consisted of half-orc soldiers. Although, for now, the half-orcs’ admiration and reverence for him had not diminished their loyalty at all, Komer could not afford to be careless. Cultivating a group of officers who were utterly loyal to him was the best guarantee to keep this army under his control.
When Dragumo led an army of two thousand half-orcs into Livonia City with great fanfare, almost the entire southwestern region fell into inexplicable panic. These fierce and terrifying half-orcs had entered the heart of their kingdom, a place they had never reached before, fully armed. Where did they come from, and what did they want here?
Although some nobles had already been informed in advance that an army led by Viscount Komer from the Caucasus would arrive in the southwestern region to help Princess Kakiya defend against external military threats—whether from Gothenburg in the east or orc forces in the north—this army would fulfill its duty. In their communications, Kakiya and Palermo also vaguely informed the nobles of the southwestern region that, since Viscount Komer’s territory was located in a remote area, his army might include soldiers of other races. There had already been such precedents when Viscount Komer had led troops to help the kingdom defend against orc invasions, so they hoped the nobles of the southwestern region would remain calm and restrained.
In the eyes of these nobles, having some half-orcs, dwarves, or half-elves among an army was nothing new. Such phenomena existed in the kingdom’s own army, and various races were present among the servants and slaves of the nobles everywhere. Thus, no one saw anything unusual. But when an army of two thousand pure half-orcs marched through Livonia City, the visual and psychological impact immediately plunged the entire city into panic.
No one could have imagined that an army supposed to protect their safety and interests would turn out like this!
The fully armed orc soldiers, each with their faces concealed by beast masks, held their thick, iron-long spears like a sea of weapons pointing skyward. Their snow-white blades and tower shields adorned with carved animal heads added to their imposing presence. Their heavy armor, clearly custom-made, covered their entire bodies tightly. Aside from their unusually tall and robust builds, only the fierce expressions on their faces indicated that they were by no means ordinary people. With shouts in strong local accents, everyone’s first thought was that the orc army had invaded Livonia!
The overwhelming presence made everyone feel suffocated. The violent and wild aura pressed through layers of armor toward the Livonian residents gathered on both sides of the streets. Their ferocity, strength, and bravery, like crashing waves, left the people on both sides of the street in a state of shock, fear, and awe. Their faces, filled with various emotions of terror and dread, appeared before the orc soldiers.
Komer watched the terrified people from behind the crowd, satisfied.
The synchronized footsteps on Livonia’s streets were extremely harsh. All those who came to greet them were now in shock and panic. They hardly dared speak, nor leave or make any moves. They could only force stiff smiles onto their faces to face this unacceptable reality, fearing that even the slightest sound might bring disaster. They couldn’t imagine how such an army could appear out of nowhere in Livonia’s streets, yet they had foolishly come to welcome it!
This was exactly the situation Komer wanted to create. Faced with unfavorable news from Gothenburg, the small and medium-sized nobles and merchants in the southwest region were growing anxious. Some of those with unstable loyalties had already begun considering switching sides, which left Kakiya extremely worried.
Faced with Hoffman’s Blood Lion Corps, composed of over ten thousand noble private soldiers, the small and medium-sized nobles and merchants in the southwest were utterly helpless. An army of over ten thousand was a devastating threat to them; it was not something they could withstand by merely raising some funds through merchants, gathering slaves from nobles, or organizing farmers. Once they were overwhelmed, and with the Blue Dove Corps having clearly stated it would not intervene in the kingdom’s internal conflicts, the small and medium-sized nobles and merchants in the southwest had no choice but to surrender. Already desperate, they were thinking about how to surrender gracefully in order to earn forgiveness from Gothenburg. At this moment, the only way to boost their morale was through a scene that would fill them with fear and awe!