Chapter 16: A Great Plan

Vladkov watched Shatima leave before taking a deep breath. Her fierce attack had nearly exhausted all his strength, and her extraordinary power forced him to admit that Shatima indeed had the capability to challenge him in certain aspects. Although he still had a few hidden tricks up his sleeve, it was uncertain whether Shatima also had untapped strengths. It was hard to say who would win.
Noticing the mocking looks from the men around him, Vladkov felt embarrassed. He had thought he could easily teach this rough-looking woman a lesson, but she caught him off guard and nearly put him at a disadvantage, allowing the members of the Black Flame Knights to laugh at him.
“Jacques, what? Do you guys find this funny?”
“Mr. Vladkov, it seems Miss Shatima is fully qualified to be a member of our Black Flame Knights. Why not invite her to join us?” Before Jacques could answer, Pete interjected, “That woman has a strong tendency toward violence. I think she’d be perfect for our group. If only we had sent her to Misty Flower Hills earlier—she could have taught those damned dark elves and Assyrian warriors what it’s like to be tortured by a woman.”
“Hmph, Miss Shatima has an extraordinary temper. If she went to Misty Flower Hills, who knows—war might have spread throughout the Red Tree Forest and Iris Basin by now.” Vladkov laughed self-mockingly. “By then, the lord would definitely cause us trouble, forcing us to stay there until things improved.”
“Vladkov, we haven’t got any other tasks now that we’re back. Does Lord Komer plan to lay down arms and rest for a while? No other missions? Like heading north to Jazair to test the waters?”
It was then that Jacques spoke. The battle at Misty Flower Hills had allowed the Fallen Knights to fully experience the thrill of conquest—fighting against those dark elf swordsmen and skilled Assyrian knights. Though the journey was full of ups and downs, the satisfaction of self-challenge and self-stimulation was something they hadn’t felt in ages. Jacques was increasingly accustomed to life in the Black Flame Knights. He no longer cared about why they were fighting; as long as war brought him pleasure, that was enough.

“Yes, I’ve heard that there are many skilled warriors among those orcs, especially in their tiger and wolf clans. Those carefully selected fighters are no less formidable than the knights in our Human Knights Order,” Morson added.
“Not only that, the orcs also have their own spell priests. It’s said that though their arcane magic isn’t as profound as ours, its strangeness and unpredictability far exceed it. They can cast spells to empower their orc warriors and launch attacks directly,” Jacques said, his eyes gleaming. “Fighting against those guys would be truly interesting.”
“Mr. Vladkov, why don’t you go talk to the lord and ask if we, the Black Flame Knights Order, can head north to explore the area? Given the current situation, a war between Lord Komer and the orcs is only a matter of time. If the capital of Nicomia falls to the orcs, even if Lord Komer has other plans, he won’t be able to act on them. Everything can only be discussed after capturing Jazair. It shouldn’t be too much to stir things up a bit first.”
Pete clearly became interested and urged Vladkov to ask for permission to go.
“Hmm, we do need to worry about disrupting Lord Komer’s plans. But if we go north as the Black Flame Knights Order alone, it should be much easier,” Morson agreed.
“Hmph, do you think the orcs are fools? The serpent clan’s intelligence network is said to be no less skilled than that of those half-orc hybrids. Otherwise, how would Jazair and even the Duchy of Mellen have fallen into their hands? Although the Black Flame Knights Order hasn’t officially fought in battle yet, it’s impossible to hide from the orcs’ spies. If we head north, it means war has begun. Instead, we should gather the elite forces of the other three knight orders to catch the orcs off guard. If we fight, we must do it thoroughly—knock them out so they can’t recover for a while,” Vladkov said in a low voice. “Otherwise, it’s better not to act at all.”
“Well said. If we’re going to do it, we must do it thoroughly. If we strike first and still can’t leave the enemy defenseless, it means our strategic plan has failed. What we’re fighting is a war, not a contest of martial skills.”
Komer emerged silently from the darkness. His concealment magic hid him perfectly. He had been watching since Shatima and Vladkov started fighting, and it wasn’t until Vladkov’s words that he stepped forward.

“So what the lord means is that the Black Flame Knights and other knight orders can join forces to head north first and take on the challenge?” Vladkov seemed utterly unaware that Komer was eavesdropping nearby, focusing intently on the topic Komer had brought up. “I have that idea, but it’s just a rough outline. We still need to figure out the specifics. The orcs are not in Silesia or Poznan; their military strength is immense. And once we provoke them this time, it might lead to a never-ending conflict. I’m not sure if we’re fully prepared for such a battle.” Komer casually cast a restoration spell on Vladkov to help him regain his energy, then pondered for a moment before speaking. He had some concerns. As Uma had said, his foundation in Nicomedia wasn’t yet solid. There was nothing wrong with the knight orders themselves, but the classes they represented had always harbored doubts about his taking over the Romanov dynasty’s rule in Nicomedia. On one hand, he needed to win them over, and on the other, he needed to prove himself through victories in foreign wars, especially against the orcs, to show he could do better than the Romanov dynasty. Before that, he needed a thoroughly meticulous plan—one that targeted the orcs while preventing interference from the Church of Light.