The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 269 - 10: A Beautiful Lady Comes to the Door

Chapter 269: Chapter 10: A Beautiful Lady Comes to the Door

"Princess Katya, I think we can dispense with the riddles; your visit is probably not just to see an acquaintance like me," Komer weighed his words carefully, thinking it was time to talk business. According to the intelligence he had gathered, not only had the relationship between the Central Kingdom and several Great Lords continued to deteriorate over defense spending against the Beastmen invasion, but the infighting among potential successors within the Kingdom’s Upper Echelons also seemed to be intensifying. Considering that Katya had bested both Prince Hoffman and Princess Renta in coming to Caucasus, this prompted Komer to speculate on her intentions. Was she seeking support, or was she looking to showcase her talents before the king and earn his praise?

The smile that had bewitched thousands of men once again graced Katya’s exquisite face as she saw her opponent finally lose patience and address the matter at hand. Katya could now breathe a sigh of relief, having at last outlasted his patience. Now she could take some initiative. She found herself subconsciously ranking the man before her as her most formidable opponent. For the moment, she could only refer to him as such; perhaps a partner, perhaps an ally, or even a potential enemy, all depending on his performance.

"Your Excellency, I appreciate your forthrightness," Katya expressed her feelings subtly, letting him know the importance of the topics to be discussed, and also conveying her own personal fondness. This approach was likely to secure more understanding and support from him. "Lord Tez and General Mathew are very interested in the Leon rebels’ victory over Homer’s army. They hope to obtain more detailed intelligence; furthermore, they also hope that Leon will play a larger role in the future."

"Your Highness, are these the thoughts of the Central Kingdom? Heh, it seems somewhat naive, doesn’t it? How is Leon supposed to play a larger role? The floating bridge from Bruce Fortress to Leon has been destroyed. Although I’ve heard that the Homer people have started repair work on their side, it would take at least three to five months before even a temporary floating bridge could be built. And considering the state of the Leon rebels now, heh, not to be pessimistic, but I fear they are starting to have trouble simply feeding themselves, let alone pulling off anything new. If Your Highness doesn’t believe me, I would be willing to accompany you to Leon."

Komer actually didn’t care about the issues raised; he had no interest in the Kingdom’s plans and he was well aware of the Kingdom’s aims - to use the chaos in Leon as a means to tie down Homer’s power, facilitating future military action against them. What interested Komer was how to gain more benefits for himself from the upcoming struggle. The Kingdom had been continuously shipping food to Caucasus by sea, entering through Mattdam Port and then flowing into Leon via Muscat. The Leon rebels exchanged the looted wealth of the nobility for it. This trade provided Puber and the others with unimaginable profits for Caucasus and also led to the swift prosperity of Muscat, making it a trading center between Caucasus and Leon. If this transaction continued, Caucasus could keep profiting, but new developments weren’t as promising as anticipated. The wealth taken from the nobility would eventually dwindle with time, and the actual mining operations vital for Leon’s survival had come to a halt. Even if the mines were operational, there was no way to ship out the products for sale. The market in Caucasus alone wasn’t enough to absorb the mineral products from Leon, not to mention that Caucasus needed to export its own mineral goods.

At this moment, Komer dared not harbor ambitions to fully absorb Leon. He hoped Katya’s visit would clarify the Kingdom’s stance towards the Lords, especially the Homer region. The small but valiant navy of Homer had gradually begun to patrol the waters east of Leon, inspecting the ships travelling from the north to the south. Their goal was clear: to blockade Mattdam. Although most of the large merchant fleets had coping strategies, either through upper-level connections or bribes to let them pass, this rang an alarm for Komer. If Homer decided they were ready, they could completely lock down Mattdam, leaving Caucasus as stagnant as Leon, sitting ducks. For now, the Homer Navy was kept at bay by the Gray Skull’s power in the Southern Nether Sea. However, having obtained three Mirror of Thousand Miles from Komer, the Gray Skull had already begun their southward expansion. After all, the south was their foundation and lifeline, and controlling the passage between there and the Continent was the true gold route. Compared to that, the link between the north and the Continent was of much smaller scale.

Komer had repeatedly requested that Gray Skull ensure Mattdam’s safety, but aside from verbal promises, Gray Skull had done little to react substantially. Instead, Gray Skull demanded that Komer quickly produce the promised samples of the magic-armed gun, or else not only would they refuse to protect Mattdam, but they would even threaten to blockade it for breaking the promise. This gave Komer quite a headache. Owing to recent busyness, Komer had only managed to spare time to make two Mirror of Thousand Miles, but had made little progress in the development of the magic-armed gun. Although obtaining the manufacturing principles of the magic-armed gun from parchment scrolls should not be a big issue, turning theory into actual production would still require considerable effort. Fortunately, after receiving three well-crafted Mirror of Thousand Miles, Gray Skull seemed to have tasted the sweetness from these mirrors, at least enabling the previously disadvantaged Gray Skull to revitalize and counter Katrina Red-haired Witch’s pirate fleet in the Mediterranean southward. This greatly excited Gote, who then agreed to Komer’s request for more time to develop the magic-armed gun.

However, regarding the protection of Mattdam from Homer Navy’s encroachment, Gote tactfully refused, citing that the original agreement between them did not include such a clause. He claimed he could only mediate as an outsider, without deploying Gray Skull’s armed forces to ensure the safety of Mattdam Port. Komer was uncertain of the other party’s reasons—whether they were truly preoccupied with the struggle for supremacy in the Mediterranean south or unwilling to sever ties completely with Homer. Regardless, the other party was unwilling to address this issue directly, which made Komer doubtful about whether he could produce the magic-armed gun on schedule. If a power too strong to control might even threaten one’s own safety, it was not a good sign. To further fuel this situation seemed unwise. Perhaps there should be a measure of restriction to hold them in check. Only balance could be seen as reasonable and appropriate.

"Your Baron, the situation in Leon is of great importance to the Continent’s overall situation; I trust you are clear about this. As to how we can at least maintain Leon’s current state, I’m sure Your Excellency has a good strategy. If there’s anything else you need, Princess Katya is willing to convey the matter back to both Lord Parker and Lord Tez. I believe the two Lords will be able to meet your reasonable demands."

Princess Katya was of course aware of the hidden implications in the other party’s words. Hoffman and the other party seemed to be cooperating well in this respect. The kingdom was very satisfied with the previous status quo. The purpose of sending her on this mission was singular—to ensure that Leon and Caucasus could more effectively distract Homer’s attention and efforts, preparing for the next steps of the kingdom. Although Princess Katya could not be certain what form the kingdom’s imminent actions might take, she understood the gravity of the situation from the sternness fleeting across her father’s eyes, indicating that this was not merely a squabble or rash action as before. Her father had never regarded a mission of such importance with this level of concern before. Princess Katya had a premonition that the kingdom would soon make significant moves, which would likely begin in the Homer region.

The kingdom valued the potential in Caucasus more than Leon; at least Princess Katya was certain of one thing—the strength hidden behind this young Baron was definitely not as modest as he had so far presented. One point alone could prove this—the magicians residing in Damarlinsk Castle.

The transformation of Damarlinsk Castle from a dreaded Magic Castle to a residence for the Great Lord and his friends was difficult to keep secret. Both the kingdom and Homer learned of this quite soon. Even though Komer’s identity as a mage was not a secret in the kingdom and Homer, it was obvious that he alone could not conquer Damarlinsk Castle. Consequently, the stature of those friends behind him suddenly seemed to grow taller. Rebry, Mihailovich, and Newman, who stayed out of the limelight, didn’t attract much attention, but the two Dark Knights, because of being entrusted by Komer with important tasks, had to frequently appear in front of the soldiers to instruct their Martial Arts Training as instructors for the Self-defense Army and Lord’s Guard. Although observers in Caucasus could not predict the extent of skill of the two reserved Martial Arts Instructors, the degree of admiration and obsession shown by the Half-beast soldiers and Half-Elf Archers towards them was enough to suggest that these two were not ordinary strength comparables.