The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 480: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, - 15: Harvest Season

Chapter 480: Volume 10: Thunderous Movements and Winds Rising, Chapter 15: Harvest Season

Torres furrowed his brows slightly, the death of Malone had always been a subject of controversy within the Church of Light. Although his assassination had been confirmed, the question of who took his life and for what reason remained an unsolvable mystery.

Many tended to believe that it was the Kingdom Court of Nicosia that designed the conspiracy rather than so-called Dark Mages assassinating him.

Because Malone was always unpopular at the Kingdom Court, he not only openly criticized the kingdom for overindulging in other religions beside the Church of Light within its proselytizing policies, but also directly made some threatening remarks, such as if the kingdom did not adjust its religious policies, the mages of the Church of Light should withdraw from the Kingdom Court Mage Corps in protest.

Although he could not represent the official stance of the Church of Light on this matter, his words nonetheless incited great indignation within the Kingdom of Nicosia, which believed that the Church of Light had violated the initial agreement reached with the kingdom and blatantly interfered with the kingdom’s domestic policies. They strongly demanded Malone’s replacement. Even though the Church, after taking various factors into consideration, publicly denied that Malone’s views represented the official stance of the Church of Light, during private discussions they also expressed the Church’s concerns on the matter. Yet, Malone did not adjust his position and continued to hold a stable position within the Kingdom Court Mage Corps.

The main reason was that, at the time, Versailles not only hosted several mages from the Church of Light but also possessed strong defensive forces. Many knights of the Kingdom Court were also present in Versailles; it was simply inconceivable for a Dark Mage to choose such a place and time to assassinate a mage like Malone, whose rank and status were not particularly significant, as a provocation against the Church of Light. There was no motive, and this point also left those who believed in the Dark Mage assassination theory unable to reconcile their argument.

Even to someone like Torres who knew some of the inside story, it was equally unthinkable that the despicable baron and mage possessed such capability. In his eyes, comparing a cultivator who had mastered mere scraps of magic with a combative and experienced mage like Malone was utter nonsense.

In such circumstances, perhaps it was indeed a knight from the Nicosia Court who was the actual murderer. The arrowhead made of Myles Silver was the clear evidence; no mage, Dark Mage included, would use such a weapon. Although it might seem far-fetched to say that the knights from the Nicosia Court would use weapons, when compared to mages who never use weapons, the knights were far more suspect.

"What is it, Torres? It seems you have a different opinion?" Frenster keenly noticed something unusual about his capable subordinate.

"Archbishop, Galian’s last mission was to cooperate with those lunatics from the Church Tribunal in enforcing an execution order. Given that the region fell under the Archbishop’s jurisdiction and considering that the Tribunal feared resistance, they requested our assistance. Therefore, I dispatched Galian to aid in the execution, but she never returned. Before this, Galian had no history of disobeying orders or any other accidents, which leads me to wonder... could it be someone from the Tribunal...?"

The First Archbishop of the Church, Protector of the Faith’s words trailed off, causing a frown to form on Frenster’s face. Although his relations with those people from the Church Tribunal were strained, almost no one in the Church of Light got along with them, besides the Pope and the Tribunal’s own insiders. Vazinsky’s relation with them seemed even worse, having already caused disputes in front of His Holiness the Pope on several occasions.

Frenster had long suspected that a major reason why His Holiness the Pope restrained the Tribunal’s jurisdiction in external enforcement but tolerated their arrogance internally, was to use the Tribunal’s power to balance the internal factional struggles within the Holy Teaching. In which case, the Tribunal seemed like the perfect double-edged sword.

"Enough, Torres. Don’t speak of such things again. The people from the Church Tribunal are excessively deranged but not truly mad. What significance would targeting Galian have for them? Besides, the Jade Ring has already indicated that Galian’s plight is likely connected to those affiliated with the Dark Forces. It’s simply that at present, we are unable to ascertain the specifics."

Frenster decisively interrupted his subordinate’s words. Such talk would only create confusion if spread and would not help in resolving the issue. Although Frenster himself harbored some suspicion that the Tribunal’s people might be involved, like using his people as pawns and stepping in when matters worsened to exploit the opportunity to extend their influence and simultaneously undermine his own authority. If that were the case, Noyola was terrifyingly cunning.

Perhaps it was time for him to be more proactive in his own actions. Since His Holiness the Pope had already pointed out the growth of Dark Forces, did it imply that the Church of Light should also adopt a more assertive attitude to confront the possible calamities to come?

Komer’s previously good mood was utterly destroyed by an offhand remark made by Katya. The Church Tribunal’s interest in the Caucasus—what did that mean? Had his actions already attracted the attention of the Church of Light? Was it his corpse and spirit refinement or the movements of Rebry and Mihailovich that were to blame?

Komer pondered this question carefully on his way back to Ugru from Mattdam.

The practice of refining corpses had been going on for a long time. If the Church of Light had any suspicions, they would have acted long ago. At the very least, the two lightning horse knights wouldn’t still be idling around here. If it was because he had just made a breakthrough in refining the faith of the Light Mage, then by the knight’s creed, the two lightning horse knights would not hesitate to challenge him, even at the cost of their own lives. They certainly wouldn’t wait for someone from the Court of the Church of Light to arrive. The only possibility left was the whereabouts of Rebry and Mihailovich.

After all, the conquest of Damarlinsk Castle had spread throughout the kingdom. A castle once considered a demon’s lair had now legitimately become his own. Such great achievements seemed improbable for him to have accomplished alone, and the identities of his few assisting friends seemed to be of great interest to many.

After the peak of summer, the Caucasus had entered the season of harvest. Although most of the Caucasus was newly reclaimed land, for those immigrants who had avoided the threat of the beastmen, it was a season worth celebrating. As they watched the golden waves of wheat dance in the fields with the wind, the joy of harvest was not something everyone could understand.

The area from Mattdam to Ugru had become a settlement dominated by immigrants from the Former Myron Duchy. The hardworking and honest Myron farmers had finally received their reward. The yield of the newly cultivated land could not compare to that of the fertile land, but the vast expanse more than compensated for this shortcoming. The supply was virtually unlimited; as long as one had the ability to cultivate the land—of course, with a slight additional land tax—the farmers considered it negligible compared to the taxes they had to pay back in their own countries. This was a blessing for the farmers who now had to carefully divide their Copper Shields to make ends meet.

This prosperity was said to continue for another three years. As long as one was willing to put in the effort, the next harvest season would bring even more wealth. It was said that the Lord’s Mansion had even issued a decree to reward the major grain producers. Any family that exceeded a certain limit would receive subsidies and awards, news unheard of anywhere else on the Continent.

The farmers dared not dream of rewards, but they understood the simple truth that the more grain they produced, the more Gold Shields they could sell. It was well known that the Caucasus had always been importing food. As long as the grain was grown, there was no worry that it wouldn’t sell for a good price. What could be better for the farmers than all this?

These sights along the way greatly soothed Komer’s initially anxious mood. Looking at all this beauty in front of him, just a year ago, this place was an uninhabited wilderness with narrow, rugged paths that not even a horse-drawn carriage could pass through smoothly. But who could now say that this prosperous sight was the so-called "Caucasus," where even rabbits refused to defecate?

Puber and Neptune certainly worked efficiently. It’s no wonder that in the past year, Puber had become as thin as a skeleton, yet his energy remained as vigorous as ever.

Neptune, too, had adopted Puber’s work style, bustling about every day. From the construction of the dock by the Bahomon Iron Mine to the road repairs from Santiago to Mattdam, from the mining and marketing of Muscat Stone Mine to the expansion plan of the Ugru Commercial District, Neptune’s figure could be seen in almost every project.

Hesse felt a pang of heartache for his son’s fervent dedication to the grand construction projects in the Caucasus. Yet, Neptune’s performance allowed Hesse to proudly boast in front of Komer.

The road from Mattdam to Ugru was the best in the Caucasus Region. The horse-drawn carriage ran smoothly on the road, and the curtains, lifted by the wind, revealed successive beautiful scenes. Komer could hardly bear to look away, realizing that all this was created by himself, his companions, and millions of people through their intelligence and hard work. No one could take this away from him, no matter who they were, Komer silently declared in his heart.

Let what is coming come. The Court? Hmph, I want to see who can judge whom on this land of the Caucasus. I’ve heard that these guys are all fanatical madmen whose understanding of the teachings of the Church of Light seems to have surpassed that of normal people. They can be seen everywhere on the Continent, but what will they face in the Caucasus?

Komer’s gaze outside the window gradually grew cold. And the lightning horse knights—were they still lingering here because his identity was truly worth their persistent wait?

In Leon, the mobs seemed to be struggling to sustain themselves. The problem was more than just the food. Even if they were foolish, they understood the simple truth that one can’t live off the land forever. All of this seemed likely to be resolved in this season of harvest.