The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 237 - 6: Taking the Initiative_2

Chapter 237: Chapter 6: Taking the Initiative_2

Another matter that Komer had to keep a close eye on was the shifting situation in the Leon Region. Once Maha Gummi obtained sufficient funding, he quickly demonstrated his exceptional talent for intelligence gathering. A steady stream of information began to flow from the Leon Region. With Komer’s support, Maha Gummi even managed to bribe several opportunists within the rebellious armies. The efficiency of the intelligence work was so high that Puber had to acknowledge this Half-beastman Hybrid was truly a rare intelligence prodigy. He could swiftly deduce a person’s personality and weaknesses based on their hobbies and temperament and then exploit those traits to achieve his own goals. Such a gift allowed him to thrive in the realm of intelligence. He even extended his information network into the Bruce Fortress, enabling Caucasus to more swiftly and accurately grasp the various changes occurring in the north.

The situation in Leon had completely deteriorated, with the entire southern region now under the control of mobs. All the mines and fairs had been swept clean by the mobs, and the situation in the eastern region was similar. Several small-scale troops finally came together to form a formidable power. With the support of the southern region’s rebellious forces, they proceeded to seize the eastern region’s mines one by one. The noble private soldiers organized by the nobility suffered defeat after defeat, eventually losing their spirit completely and disintegrating. The east and south merged, with dozens of small-scale troops eventually converging into three larger scale rebellious forces, seizing control of most of the Leon Region. The towns of Izmir and Mandu had fallen into their hands, and all this was accomplished in just one month.

Even in the northern region, there was considerable unrest, influenced by the situations in the south and east. The rebels in the north grew bolder. However, the armed forces of the northern nobility were significantly stronger, and their proximity to the Bruce Fortress was much closer, preventing the northern rebels from achieving any substantial breakthrough. The situation began to change with the arrival of a mortal noble. The rebellious power in the north quickly united under this mysterious mortal’s leadership. They abandoned Murray, which had relatively stronger armed forces and was less than eighty miles from the Bruce Fortress, and concentrated their efforts on attacking the surroundings of Banassia in the east. They swiftly seized the mines around Banassia, and while besieging Banassia, they attracted the noble forces from Murray. They ambushed the nobles’ private soldiers en route and decisively defeated Murray’s reinforcements, which left Banassia completely cut off from outside assistance and eventually fell to the frenzied attacks of the rebel army.

Fortunately, the mine owners around Murray were fairly united from the start and, after learning of the fall of Banassia, joined forces to strengthen Murray’s defenses. They also strongly requested reinforcements from the Homer Army stationed at Bruce Fortress. Although the troops at Bruce Fortress were unable to provide direct reinforcement without orders from Cyprus, they did intensify patrols on the road from Bruce to Murray, ensuring the route between Murray and Bruce Fortress remained open, deterring the rebel army from venturing into that area.

The nobility, including Count Boninski, strongly reacted to the Bruce Fortress Army’s persistent refusal to enter the Leon Region to suppress the rebellion. However, Komer was aware that this was not due to Homer’s decision but because the Duke Philip, wary of significant pressure from the kingdom, dared not easily redeploy troops into the Leon Region. The kingdom’s newly established Blue Dove Corps had officially joined the ranks of the Empire Armed Forces and taken over the original station of the Iron Cross Corps. The Iron Cross Corps withdrew from their original garrison in the west and conducted military exercises around Homer and Galle. This caused the Four Great Lords to simultaneously feel the military threat from the kingdom, especially Philip and Zellin, who had sleepless nights worrying that the kingdom’s army would invade their territories under the guise of exercises. Consequently, they also mobilized their forces accordingly. The troop count at Bruce Fortress plummeted from its peak of 3,500 to just 1,000, even fewer than normal, not to mention that Leon was now in absolute chaos. This gave the rebels in Leon the most relaxed environment to develop in the south, east, and even the north, allowing them to grow and refine their power structure unimpeded during this time.

As Hoffman fulfilled his promise, large quantities of strategic materials such as food and weapons armor continuously entered Caucasus by sea and were then delivered to the Leon Region through the trading center of Muscat. The supply of food and weapons bolstered the rebels in the Leon Region, which was a major reason why they were able to so smoothly capture the towns of Mandu, Izmir, and Banassia.

And now, it seemed that the situation had taken a new turn. The beastmen of the North had started to stir in the border areas once again, causing the upper echelons of the kingdom to grow tense anew. The Blue Dove Corps were, after all, a newly formed unit, and their combat capabilities were not yet on par with those of the main force, the Golden Oak Legion, or the Iron Cross Corps, which had always served as a supporting force. Now that the beastmen showed signs of moving southward, the Iron Cross Corps had to cut their exercises short and start their return journey to the west. Although they had not been reassigned, the deployment in the western region was clearly designed to support the Blue Dove Corps, ensuring they could be committed to combat at a moment’s notice should the situation deteriorate.

The now-recovering Homer region seemed to be able to calmly deal with the trouble to its south. The force at Bruce Fortress had been reinforced to six thousand strong, and it was said that several mages would arrive to help the Army of Homer quickly exterminate those detestable Half-Beastman rioters and restore peace and order to the Leon Region as soon as possible. These updates, without exception, were relayed back to the Caucasus with utmost speed.

Komer sat alone in his spacious study, deep in thought. The situation in Leon had reached a critical juncture. It appeared that Philip had resolved to resolve the Leon issue thoroughly. Six thousand warriors, that was no small number, amounting to one-third of the total public martial strength of the entire Homer region. Even though the number of armed rioters in Leon exceeded 80,000, Komer had no doubt that the Army of Homer could easily crush this rabble. It would be a massacre. Rebel forces might overrun untrained and cowardly Noble private soldiers with just courage and bloodshed, but they stood no chance against a well-trained and fully equipped regular army—especially if mages were involved. That was a foregone conclusion, provided no external factors interfered, of course.

If Philip was merely looking to get the situation in Leon under control, that wouldn’t be enough to raise Komer’s alarm. But with such a significant military force stationed at Bruce Fortress, would they really stop in Leon after dealing with the armed rioters, or would they take the opportunity to enter Caucasus under the guise of pursuing the remaining rioters? The entry of such a formidable armed force into the Caucasus meant Komer would have no chance; they could easily apprehend him and declare him the instigator or mastermind behind the rebellion under any pretense. This kind of precedent was not unfamiliar—Komer could even recall several from memory. He could not just sit idly by and let this happen.

If he didn’t want to sit idly by, he had to strike first. Of course, challenging Homer with his current power would be like throwing an egg against a rock, but there was a mob of armed rioters before him. If he could help this mob defeat the Army of Homer, that would be the best defense for the Caucasus. However, this was a tall order, and bringing such a plan to fruition would require meticulous preparation in many aspects.