Chapter 10: Seizing the King

Vladkov’s request received strong support from Komer. For Komer, forming a Dark Knight Order under his own control was nothing short of ideal. Although Leclerc’s Allied Knight Order was unlikely to pose any loyalty issues, it was not a force entirely under his control. If Vladkov could gather the dark martial forces from his own territory to form a Dark Knight Order, it would undoubtedly enhance his influence in future wars.

Of course, Komer also understood that forming a knight order was not as easy as one might think. Without the foundation of the Homer Knight Order, Leclerc’s attempt to create a knight order from scratch would be nothing but a fantasy. Vladkov expressed his ideas and intentions to Komer: a small but elite strike force capable of handling various situations—whether it was small-scale group battles or one-on-one fights, or tactical breakthroughs in large-scale wars. Vladkov believed this force he would create would play an unexpected role.

Vladkov did not hide the fact that he was inspired by Leclerc’s victory at Poznan. He felt he could do just as well, if not better, than Leclerc. The south had vast spaces and fertile ground, where reverence and enthusiasm for martial arts far exceeded those in the north. The influence of dark forces meant that many noble warriors there favored dark martial arts or worshipped the dark gods. In the central regions as well, there were many forces dissatisfied with the Light Church. Sorenberg advised Vladkov not to limit his recruits solely to those of the dark faction; anyone hostile to the Light Church could be utilized. Vladkov accepted Sorenberg’s advice.

After leaving, Vladkov also inspired envy in Shatima. When he shared his ideas with this foolishly beautiful dragon, Shatima almost immediately wanted to join the knight order. She longed to perform better in wars, but an individual’s strength was still insignificant in large-scale human conflicts. Even as a true Dragon Knight, facing countless desperate mortal warriors would still fill her with fear and exhaustion.

Komer gave Vladkov a manor in Flanders to use as a training base for his newly established Black Flame Knights. He also granted him special withdrawal rights at the Caucasus Bank, allowing him to access this funds at any time to assemble a elite force. Komer hoped Vladkov could travel across the continent as quickly as possible to find suitable candidates for a knightly order that could rival the Homer Knights in strength yet surpass them in agility. Quality over quantity—this was Vladkov’s goal, and it was also Komer’s minimum requirement for him.

The massive dragon spear generated terrifying winds; the birch bark seemed about to peel off under the force. The spear rose high, its dark blue energy condensing into a semi-transparent, solid-like form due to rapid contraction. With a sharp cry, Shatima made the spear, already covered in thick frost, suddenly twist violently in the air. The space around it became distorted due to the wild surges of ice dragon energy. As the final powerful gust swept by, dozens of birch trees snapped and fell to the ground, with some of the nearest ones shattering into irregular pieces.

Shatima’s full breasts rose and fell rapidly, and two streams of faint white mist emerged from her nostrils. Her entire body seemed to emit heat from the intense exertion, with wisps of white smoke escaping from the gaps in her armor, giving her an ethereal appearance.

As the spinning spear delivered its final strike, Shatima reluctantly pulled back on its tail. The spear spun gracefully in the air before falling straight down and embedding itself deep in the muddy ground, only its tail remaining. Shatima took a deep breath, gripped the tail tightly, and suddenly shouted. Clumps of soil the size of mills erupted into the air, scattering dust everywhere. A fierce gust of wind howled as the soil dispersed.

“Shatima, you seem upset. Do you want to vent? Do you need me to use magic to help you create some momentum?” Komer observed this idle, alluring female knight. Her figure was so full and prominent that her armor could hardly conceal her feminine features, making it difficult for many to associate her with a dragon knight. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage—advantageously, it allowed her to strike first before her opponents could react, while the disadvantage was that she struggled to integrate with others.

Glancing at Komer, Shatima casually drew her dragon spear, the whistling force of energy cutting through the air, causing Komer to feel a severe disturbance in space. This beautiful dragon knight seemed to be going through a tough time lately, often using such destructive actions to vent her frustration. It was unclear what about Vladkov’s departure had angered her so much that she remained in a hysterical state ever since he left.

“Komer, I really dislike this situation. Why do you always dawdle like this? The Poles are like a bunch of castrated men—easily tamed with a little discipline, offering no real challenge at all. I dare say Vladkov left because he realized he wouldn’t be able to progress any further in such an environment; he had to go and seek greater challenges.”

Shatima seemed to be trying hard to make her words sound carefully considered and deeply analytical, but to Komer, they were just absurd guesses.

“Shatima, what exactly are you trying to say?” Komer asked, tilting his head.

“I mean, don’t you dare just attack straight ahead? Whether it’s the Silesians, the Church of Light, or those damned orcs—conquest can only be achieved through war. Even if you fail, it’s at least a clean, decisive defeat. Acting so hesitant and cautious—how is that like a man? Men are born for war, aren’t they?”

Komer was speechless. If war were as simple as a duel—decisive, with honor in victory and dignity in defeat, after all a fair contest within rules—then that would be great. But what about war? Where is fairness on the battlefield? Everything revolves around knocking down the opponent; if things go wrong, one must learn to retreat and endure, otherwise, one only creates trouble for themselves. But he couldn’t explain this to Shatima. Many deep-seated human problems couldn’t be solved just by an ice dragon spending a couple of years in the human world. Even true human warriors might not fully understand them.

“Shatima, I understand how you feel, but please believe me—there will come a time when you’re satisfied. Sometimes, calm hides crises, and crises breed deadly intent. Perhaps we’re all waiting for that day,” Komer said mysteriously.

“Oh? You mean someone will come knocking at our door?” All seriousness and depth were immediately forgotten by Shatima—anything that involved battle could make her set aside everything else.
“Mm, I think so. There are too many enemies surrounding us. I doubt they’d be happy to see us succeed. Stopping us at the beginning is the most effective way, don’t you think?”
Komer also found it amusing. Deceiving such a naive and straightforward female dragon knight was somewhat unfair, but the best way to stop her from nagging him with lessons was to paint a rosy picture for her, making her believe that many battles she desired might arise in this situation.
Zerin’s expression turned grim. The war had reached a stalemate, consuming countless resources without achieving any results. The strange loss of Poznan had filled the Silesians with resentment. They wanted to see a powerful offensive break through the Homers’ lines, but their own army’s performance hadn’t satisfied them—or rather, they hadn’t been determined to fight at all costs. With Poznan lost, the Silesians gained nothing, and he too came away empty-handed. It was a frustrating situation.
But what could be gained by continuing the war? The situation within the Church of Light still hadn’t clarified. Zerin wasn’t interested in the messy infighting within the Church, but it affected the entire northern situation, so he couldn’t ignore it. Disappointingly, there was still no sign of Julius II stepping in—perhaps that old fox was waiting for the perfect moment to act.
How to break this deadlock? Continuing like this wasn’t a solution.
An idea popped into Zerin’s mind: catch the master thief by capturing his king. Emulating Komer’s feat in Marco, what if they launched a long-distance raid while the enemy was still unsteady in Poznan? Zerin was impressed by this sudden idea. With the help of Bohemian magicians, their magic knights and swordsmen, plus his own strength, it didn’t seem impossible to pull this off. Ignoring the stalled front lines and delivering a fatal blow—perhaps this was the best strategy to break the deadlock.