The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 477: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, - 12: Valuable Treasure

Chapter 477: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, Chapter 12: Valuable Treasure

"Princess Katya, it seems we now have a common goal, which should make things much easier. I can understand your thoughts. Perhaps Lord Tez and Marshal Mathew placed great hope in you before your arrival, and His Majesty the King may also wish for you to bring back a satisfactory result. I, too, would like you to arrive with enthusiasm and leave satisfied, but I must remind you that the situation may not be as simple as you imagine,"

He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.

"You may also be aware that my relationship with Duke Philip was never harmonious. Being sent to Caucasus was merely one of his schemes to do away with me. But fortunately, I was tough to kill, and with a bit of divine favor, I survived several calamities. With the kingdom’s support, I have reached this point. As for the victory in Mandu, I won’t hide it from you, my friends and I played a part in it. Without our blocking the southward advance of Homer’s army, I suppose neither of us would be sitting here so leisurely now,"

"You’ve touched upon the crux of the problem. How can Caucasus possibly assist Leon, and even include itself, in ensuring Homer’s troops are neither fully committed against the kingdom nor driven by rage to attack with full force. After all, our power is too fragile. If Philip were to be ruthless, I fear we would have no choice but to submit."

"So, my personal view is, could you please convey to the kingdom, on behalf of this humble baron, a request for ennoblement? That is to grant Caucasus the status of a directly governed territory, henceforth no longer under Homer’s rule. This would allow Caucasus to openly oppose Homer. And as for Leon, such a region—even turning into a haven for slaves and the rabble—is nonetheless hard for the esteemed gentlemen and nobles to accept. Since the Homer people cannot manage this land well, failing even to fulfill a lord’s responsibilities or exercise their power, shouldn’t the kingdom strip the feudal ties between Homer and Leon?"

Gasp for breath, Katya stared blankly at the young man before her, whose expression seemed to not have changed much—as if he wasn’t the one who spoke those audacious words.

A mere baron, the most inconspicuous among nobles. In Jazair, you could kick over any low-grade tavern or coffee house and hit several barons, and just a year ago, Caucasus was but a desolate area with fewer than ten thousand people, its status not even comparable to a farm around Jazair.

Even with its rapid development, it was still leagues behind other territories. And its master, a recently ennobled baron, was aspiring wildly to have this land granted direct governance by the kingdom, craving to become a royal vassal himself. His ambition was far too great!

Confronted with Katya’s bewildered, shocked, and even somewhat perplexed and eccentric expression, Komer knew his words were too shocking for her to digest. Yet, he didn’t feel any sense of overstepping.

The kingdom’s military movements seemed to be closing in, and their hopes for restricting Homer through Caucasus and Leon seemed to be high; otherwise, they would not send someone as notable among the Royal Successors as Katya to Caucasus. Their rare position must be leveraged; if he did not blackmail the kingdom now, there would be no other chance later.

After all, becoming a territory directly governed by the kingdom would only bring benefits to the kingdom. Not only would taxes be paid directly without passing through Homer, but planting such a thorn in Homer’s back was exactly what the kingdom aimed to achieve, wasn’t it?

If Komer’s initial request to be a territory directly governed by the kingdom seemed arrogant to Katya, his second insinuation of ambition for the anarchic state of Leon was downright extortion.

Even though the actual control over Leon was never in the hands of the Central Kingdom, here was a petty baron, struggling to secure his own and his territory’s existence, yet unabashedly revealing his ambition for the nearby regions. Katya even wondered if there was something wrong with his intelligence.

Even those with hidden ambitions wouldn’t reveal them at such a time. Did he truly believe that she was so taken by his words that she had become his confidante and would never betray him? This thought alone made Katya find the situation both amusing and ridiculous.

"Your Excellency, don’t you think your requests are a bit too much?" The golden waves of curly hair unintentionally spilled down, covering half of Katya’s face. Katya did not directly respond to the proposal but went straight to question the very foundation of his demands.

"Oh? It seems that there is a discrepancy between the Princess and myself on this matter, and it’s not a small one at that," Komer’s attitude did not change despite the confrontational tone of the other side. He continued to articulate his views in his calm and gentle tone, "I wonder if Your Highness thinks it’s too much for me to hope to become a direct vassal to His Majesty the King or if you find it excessive that I think the subjugation of Homer to Leon should be stripped away? If it’s the former, I find that very strange. Doesn’t His Majesty the King prefer a vassal who is willing to be forever loyal to him, rather than wishing this vassal to first belong to a willful Great Lord?"

"As for the second point, I am willing to dispel Princess Katya’s doubts. To speak frankly about the current situation in Leon, there are no true nobles or gentlemen left on that land; most of them have been reduced to rotten flesh and skeletons under the chain hammers and wolf tooth clubs of the half-beastman slaves. Moreover, no one is more suitable to manage this land. If this land truly reverts back to the hands of Homer, it will not only add to Homer’s momentum against the kingdom but will also pose a great threat to our Caucasus."

"I never deny that Homer could easily destroy the Caucasus without external obstacles, so both Caucasus and I need a barrier, a barrier that can ensure the safety of the Caucasus. It’s not that I, Komer, have designs on Leon, but for survival, I am afraid that I have no choice but to strive in that direction, even if in name I cannot be recognized by the kingdom, but in fact, I have to work toward it."

Although Komer’s blunt honesty was initially hard for Katya to adapt to, once she calmed down and considered the undertones of his words, she realized that this Baron, of dissolute origin, seemed to possess a natural political grace.

Confident without arrogance, steady without rigidity, witty yet affable. Though his youth prevented him from being as cunning as some veteran politicians, it was this fresh air that made Katya feel a closer affinity to him.

"Your Excellency, if you suggest that the system sustaining the rule over the kingdom and even the entire Continent is merely symbolic and can be disregarded, then I must tell you, such thinking is a serious fallacy."

Katya did not intend to yield to his attitude. As a popular contender for the kingdom’s throne, debate was always her forte, and she also held the initiative.

"You seem to believe that stripping a lord of ownership over his territory and the enfeoffment of a noble as a lord are very casual affairs, let me tell you, it’s not as simple as you think. This system is the foundation of mortal rule across the Continent. If even this is ignored, I think there truly is a problem with the kingdom’s rule."

"Hehe, Your Highness, the times are changing, and rulers should adapt to the changing times by amending policies and systems that no longer make sense, to better fit the development of history. Moreover, I remember there is a law in the kingdom that states, if a territory has been illegally occupied by another lord and the original lord cannot restore his lordship, he has a right to it for twenty years. But if he fails to appeal to the Kingdom Star Chamber Court within the prescribed procedures, the period shortens to three years. After three years, the kingdom can re-evaluate the lordship rights of that territory. And if the territory is not occupied by another lord but is in another state that prevents the original lord from restoring his lordship, the time is only one year. Is my memory correct, Your Highness?" Komer asked with a grin.

Katya could only assume that Komer had already been considering this aspect, rather than thinking of him as broadly knowledgeable; no one would go back and memorize those ancient and complicated legal provisions, except for the judges of the Star Chamber Court. She believed Komer would not have such excess energy.

"It seems Your Excellency has indeed put some effort into this matter. Perhaps your legal basis does exist, but have you ever put yourself in the shoes of the kingdom? If the kingdom accepts Caucasus as a direct territory under these circumstances, what would Homer think? As for Leon, as you said, until now, the Kingdom Star Chamber Court has not received an appeal from Homer, whether the lordship rights to this land will lapse in a year, I’m sorry, but I cannot give you a precise answer now," Katya began using delaying tactics in the face of his assertiveness.

"If that’s the case, I’m very sorry. I had thought that our Caucasus could be loyal to His Majesty the King, and yet the kingdom remains so rigidly traditional and even fearful of Homer, this surprises and shames me. Why can Homer always ignore the thoughts of the kingdom while the kingdom needs to consider the face of Homer? Who is the master and who is the servant, or is my intelligence compromised?" Shrugging his shoulders with an easy smile, Komer’s exaggerated style made his words even sharper and more piercing.