The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 243 - Nine: Competition

Chapter 243: Chapter Nine: Competition

Seeing everyone’s attention turned toward him, Komer took the opportunity to introduce Rebry and his entourage. When Rebry and Mihailovich casually demonstrated some beginner-level Star Magic and earth-based Magic, the so-called rebel chiefs were already prostrating themselves in admiration. The Half-Beastmen warriors, who prided themselves on their superior combat skills, could not believe their eyes after witnessing the acrobatic performance of the two Dark Knights. Whether it was the Knight Spear cutting gaping fissures into the ground, or the long sword severing giant trees effortlessly, all these feats made the Half-Beastmen warriors realize that their prized martial arts seemed like child’s play in comparison.

Persuasion is most effective when based on strength. After witnessing the performance of their guests, the beastmen willingly handed over the leadership of their armed forces. With the help of the two Dark Knights, Komer also conducted a major purge of the more than 30,000 armed slaves, dissolving over 20,000 and keeping only a combat troop of 9,000. These troops were then put through some basic military training in a crash course and were also allowed to experience magic attacks first hand. In this way, a week went by in the blink of an eye.

Actually, since the rebellion in Leon began to escalate, Balmore had a bad feeling. He did not know if his intuition was correct, but he was certain of it as the rebellion in Leon became more rampant, even defeating the private soldiers of the local aristocratic mine owners repeatedly. The speed at which the rebel armed forces swelled was astounding, and information from various sources indicated that the rebels had received substantial support in terms of weapons and food. Meanwhile, in Bruce, the blockade against these supplies to Leon had been in place for quite some time. The fact that the rebels had come this far indicated the backing of certain powers. Apart from Caucasus, no one else could provide such extensive support to the rebels. Without the support from Caucasus, coupled with the closed Bruce Fortress, it would not be long before the rebels would start killing each other due to lack of food, or be annihilated one by one by the noble private soldiers due to a lack of weapons. However, with the strong support from Caucasus, everything had changed.

Although the Army easily wiped out the rebels in the North at Banassia, Balmore’s heart never ceased to be anxious. This time, to solve the problem in Leon, the Duke dispatched an additional 4,000 soldiers, increasing the garrison of Bruce Fortress to a record-breaking 6,000 troops. Moreover, a Baron was appointed as the Commander, and to everyone’s surprise, the Duke also arranged for three Mages and two Magicians to accompany them, demonstrating his determination. Balmore suspected that the Duke might be planning to take the opportunity to invade the Caucasus after dealing with the problem in Leon, especially since the entire kingdom’s attention was now focused on the Beastmen starting to stir in the North. It was the perfect time to deal with this underlying menace.

But Balmore’s concern was that ever since the beginning of the rebellion in Leon, it had been shadowed by the Caucasus. Now with Homer’s army entering Leon in force, would the Lord of the Caucasus simply quit and ignore the situation? He would not fail to see the hidden intentions behind Homer’s dispatch of such a large force; so, what kind of reaction would he have in response?

Luckily, the new Commander this time was Baron Haranto. Balmore’s task was solely to assist Baron Haranto in commanding the troops. As for other strategic and tactical arrangements, it was all up to Baron Haranto, who was somewhat stubborn, to decide. Balmore had no choice but to obey. Balmore had no prejudice against Baron Haranto, who could be said to be a standard military man known to have a good reputation in the Knights regiment. However, Haranto was too fond of head-on confrontations, and the battle of Banassia had inflated his confidence to a point where no one’s advice could reach him. In his eyes, the unruly slaves were nothing but a rabble; the deployment of such a large army to suppress them was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Those country bumpkins even broke into a panic and scattered in the face of a few simple spells from the Mages, depriving the troops of an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. But would the same scene play out in the assault on Mandu?

Balmore had his doubts. One should not stumble in the same place twice. Although the Half-Beastman slaves were foolish, they were unlikely to be unprepared and repeat a failure. However, current intelligence indicated that the Half-Beastmen were already waiting in full battle array near Mandu, seemingly ready for a decisive battle with Homer’s army. Was there some kind of conspiracy at play? An image of the Baron Lord of the Caucasus, with his face always bearing an inscrutable smile, involuntarily surfaced in Balmore’s mind.

From the first glance when he saw the army before him, Baron Haranto sensed that something was wrong. This army was far smaller in number than the rebel army in the previous battle of Banassia. According to intelligence, the number of rebels in Mandu should have exceeded that at Banassia, but the situation before him was somewhat inconsistent. Although this army numbered fewer than in the battle of Banassia, the fervent zeal emanating from the fully armed Half-Beastmen soldiers revealed that this was not the demoralized and low-spirited army reported by the intelligence. The outcome of Banassia should have already reached the ears of these foolish creatures. They ought to know what kind of onslaught they would face, but the current situation appeared entirely different. What could have brought about such a drastic change in them?