Chapter Twelve: The Threat Approaches

As soon as he woke up in the morning, Komer removed the restrictions first. Although these restrictions were merely invisible chains in space, they still gave the person who imposed them a sense of bondage. Komer would not have used such measures unless for safety reasons. Mahagumi had already issued an alarm—seemingly, “guests” from the west had arrived in Poznan. It was not yet clear which side they belonged to, but with Poznan’s situation just settling, the sudden arrival of so many “guests” clearly could not be for good intentions.

However, Komer wasn’t too concerned. He couldn’t imagine anyone coming to cause him trouble at this time. The Church of Light certainly had the strength, but they seemed preoccupied with their own internal issues. As for the Silesians, they should be grateful if Komer didn’t bother them. And the Galicians? If they didn’t want to ignite full-scale war, it was best for them not to take such risks. Komer didn’t think Zelin would be that foolish. Although they were in a state of semi-war, there was still Vero involved, so Zelin should know he didn’t want to confront her yet. Who would dare provoke him under these circumstances?

As the morning light faded, Komer instinctively stepped into the back garden.

The back garden of the Haine family was uniquely designed. A central axis divided the oval garden into two halves, with tiered fountains and sculptures arranged in a stepped pattern, harmoniously integrated with the surrounding plants. A canal ran beneath them, extending far into the river. The simply shaped sculptures complemented the green trees, while stone benches and chairs were scattered throughout, adding a warm and romantic atmosphere to the entire garden.

Komer loved walking alone in the back garden. Strolling here when his mind was clearest in the morning would set a positive mood for the whole day. Of all places in Poznan, this was the only one he still had some fondness for.

In two days, Komer planned to leave Poznan. Lenta had gradually integrated into local life, and Komer enjoyed his leisure time. He left most of the ceremonial duties with Lenta and Puber. Although the nobles and merchants didn’t particularly like this foreign conqueror, they knew they had no choice due to reality. Lenta’s presence had at least reduced much of the unnecessary hostility.

Leclerc had already asked when his knights could leave Poznan and return to Homer. After all, this wasn’t their homeland. The knights weren’t afraid of going out to fight, but when the war was far away, they preferred to stay in their own homes. Fortunately, the adaptable half-orcs and barbarians didn’t exhibit such feelings for now—especially the half-orcs, who, as long as they had sufficient logistical support, had no problem staying here for ten or eight years.

But Komer also wanted to leave. Although the summers here were quite cool, Komer would rather return to the Caucasus and endure its scorching heat. It was only in Ugru that he felt at home. Whether it was Cyprus or Flanders, it was difficult to find such a feeling. Komer knew this wasn’t a good sign.

The defense of Hasselt Fortress was temporarily taken over by the Rock Legion, but Komer believed this was only temporary. He didn’t think the orcs would attack Poznan through this route. With vulnerabilities everywhere at the moment, if the orcs really wanted to invade the interior, Hasselt Fortress would undoubtedly be the least convenient route. Using the Rock Legion there was a waste of their talents—armies were meant for offense, not defense, and Komer always believed in this. Being passive in battle wasn’t his style.

The main force of the Rock Legion on the western front was still locked in a stalemate with the Gallics. The Gallics neither retreated nor launched new attacks. Komer couldn’t figure out what Zelin was planning. Did he really think the Silesians would wholeheartedly join forces with him to fight against him? If that was the case, his wisdom was truly limited.

It seemed as if some spatial trap had been triggered unintentionally. Komer suddenly noticed that the entire backyard was eerily quiet. His alertness surged instantly, and his senses spread out around him. He wanted to find the source of this strangeness, but there was no time left—the opponent didn’t seem willing to give him such a chance.

The continuous ringing of metal strings sounded so clear in Komer’s ears, but he knew it was just an illusion. His senses quickly located the source of the threat. Magic arrows from three directions flew at different times and in different spaces. Right after those magic arrows came several swift black shadows, arriving almost as quickly as the arrows.

A strong aura of demon metal instantly enveloped the space within a few dozen feet around Komer. He realized that this time the enemy was determined to kill him, leaving no room for error at all. These were magic arrows fired from magic crossbows—equipment typically wielded only by top assassins and killers. Both the crossbows and the arrows were single-use, crafted from large amounts of demon metal, capable of covering every gap in the space. To survive here, there was no other choice but to rely entirely on one’s own strength.

In just an instant, from different angles, directions, and distances, three magic arrows struck, seemingly guided by some mysterious spatial hand. The three shuttle-shaped magic arrows exploded.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The three pitch-black magic arrows shattered into countless tiny arrows, bursting out randomly throughout the space and instantly filling it entirely. These were demon metal arrows imbued with massive lightning power, detonated under the operator’s special magical forces. The intense lightning energy created a strange spatial vortex in the air, with the swirling airflow generating crackling electric sparks due to intense air friction.

A low metallic humming filled the air. Komer remained motionless. Even with his most advanced flight skills, he couldn’t dodge the magic arrows that covered the entire area around him. At this moment, his mind was calm. He needed to use his sharpest judgment to determine whether there might be other additional forces lurking among these magic arrows, beyond the lightning power already evident.