Chapter 23: In Silence

The withdrawal of the Calais army marked the complete collapse of the Allied forces. The Calaisians’ sudden retreat created a huge gap in the defenses facing the Homer army. While the Earth Dragon Squad had only managed to create minor breaches in the Allied lines, the Calaisians’ withdrawal was undoubtedly the beginning of a catastrophic collapse.

The newly formed Golden Oak Regiment failed to carry on its excellent traditions. Lacking officers and veterans, this army collapsed the moment it saw the Calaisians fleeing, pulling the Blue Dove Regiment, which was still managing to hold its ground, into the tide of retreat as well.

The saying “defeat comes swiftly” was never more fitting than in the battlefield at that moment. The bold advance that had characterized their earlier advantage was gone, and the only thought among the commanders was how to preserve their forces as much as possible. Yet they also knew that chaotic retreats would only lead to utter destruction—only that by now they could no longer control their own armies.

Even Komer hadn’t expected victory to come so suddenly. Before contacting Denebi, he had even prepared himself for failure due to his own misjudgments. Especially after seeing the overwhelming advantage brought by the full deployment of the Rema Knights and the Sky Eagle Knights, Komer regretted not having considered their involvement earlier.

Denebi’s arrival suddenly turned the tide for the Homer army, which was on the verge of disaster. Before that, Komer had even prepared to take extreme measures—having Umma unleash all her necrotic powers while he helped Shatima transform back into her dragon form to reverse the unfavorable situation.

However, Umma’s control over Elena’s body wasn’t entirely stable. Unleashing excessive necrotic power could cause Elena’s sacred energy to backfire, while Shatima’s transformation into a dragon would also inflict severe damage on her. Each transformation required a huge amount of dragon energy, and Komer was reluctant to take such a step unless absolutely necessary.

Now, all of that was unnecessary. The Rema Knights’ withdrawal was like cutting off the roots of the problem, rendering the Allied forces’ attacks ineffective. The Homer army had paid a heavy price to survive the toughest moments, and now it was time to reap the rewards.

Komer no longer needed to worry about the army’s pursuit. Fran would handle it better than he could have imagined.

Now, he needed to consider Denebi’s demands—what exactly was that scroll that warranted her turning against them at such a critical moment?

Komer couldn’t imagine what could justify Denebi’s actions. He carefully analyzed various factors—the strained relationship between the Church of Pericles, St. Basil’s Church, and the Inquisition was likely one reason. The Church of Pericles probably wasn’t very pleased with St. Basil’s Church’s alliance with the Inquisition to fully support the Gallicans. Although the Church of Pericles had sent a strong force, Komer guessed that their main goal might be targeting him personally; otherwise, they wouldn’t have given up so easily.

Komer weighed these factors carefully. The items on the Great Bear might be very important to the Church of Pericles. Besides that, he also had to consider the Lome factor. He wasn’t sure whether the Church of Pericles was aware of the Lome situation, but from Denebi’s attitude, it seemed they still didn’t have any information on it. As for Malon’s death, Malon belonged to St. Basil’s Church’s faction, so the Church of Pericles likely wasn’t very interested in it.

The split within the Church of Light seemed inevitable. It was just unclear whether the enigmatic Pope’s return could reverse this situation. Komer wasn’t optimistic. The collapse of a great institution couldn’t be sustained by one person, even if that person possessed infinite power—he couldn’t bridge the rifts in the hearts of all believers.

The Battle of Plovdiv began with a promising start but ended in a outcome neither side had anticipated. The ever-changing battlefield situation was truly unpredictable. The allied forces, having almost reached the goddess of victory, suddenly found they were one step short. The retreat of the Rema Knights was like a leg breaking suddenly as the allied forces took a step forward, leading to their complete collapse.

Onia and Lorenzo’s sorrow, Kent and Trajan’s despair, and Denebi and Komer’s telepathic connection—all these formed the main theme of the Battle of Plovdiv. A war that could have determined the fate of entire Nicomedia ended in this way, marking the rise of the Homerian forces.

The news of the complete defeat of the allied forces in the Battle of Plovdiv spread like a hurricane across the entire land of Nicosia. The Golden Oak Regiment collapsed entirely, the Blue Dove Regiment suffered heavy losses, and the noble private armies were utterly defeated. Gothenburg fell into chaos. Hoffman announced his retirement from politics, suggesting that Kakiya take charge of the kingdom’s affairs. However, the nobles of Gothenburg seemed to have completely forgotten that there was still an heir to the Romanov family in Katyn. They rushed to Plovdiv, vowing loyalty to Komer, who had yet to make any further moves.

In Silesia, panic reigned. Nisa Ferdinand was already considering a dignified surrender. He had lost everything he could offer in this battle. Faced with Homer’s strength, the Ferdinand family’s council concluded after two days of discussion that Silesia was utterly unable to resist Homer unless it received full support from the orcs. Yet, cooperating openly with the orcs would mean cutting itself off from the entire mortal society—a notion unimaginable even for a Nicosian noble.

Gale remained strangely silent. Under Susinov’s leadership, Gale’s army withdrew from the battlefield first, minimizing its losses. But this did not mean Gale still had the strength to resist Homer. Without a will to fight, Gale’s army was more like a group of puppets, passively and aimlessly guarding the borderlines, waiting for the moment that would decide their fate.

A thick gloom enveloped the western part of Nicosia. With Homer’s army standing still, many turned their attention to Plovdiv.

What on earth was Lord Komer thinking?