The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 751: Volume 22: Revival and Rise - 11: Exhausting All Strategies

Chapter 751: Volume 22: Revival and Rise Chapter 11: Exhausting All Strategies

The Royal City was suffused with an atmosphere of sorrow and tension intertwined. His Majesty the King had passed away yesterday; the great Kasan Romanov, His Majesty the King, had finally reached the end of his glorious life and ascended to heaven. His prolonged coma, however, meant that he left not a word regarding the matters of his succession. Perhaps he thought he could awaken, perhaps he believed he had made adequate arrangements, but the workings of the world often do not comply with people’s wills and desires.

In the Kingdom’s Parliament, a strong sense of confrontation filled the air. No one could have anticipated that selecting a successor from among His Majesty’s heirs could be so difficult, marking the start of an unprecedented complicated situation for the Romanov Dynasty.

According to common sense, the regent should be the undisputed choice for the next king, but what caused the nobles and gentlemen such a headache was that this time around there was a distinct lack of final legal authority; the King had verbally expressed to some noble ministers that His Highness Prince Hoffman should be the regent, but there was no decree in written form to officially proclaim this, sparking legal disputes. The King’s passing without ever awakening only muddled the controversy further, with some even questioning whether His Majesty meant Prince Hoffman as a temporary regent rather than his successor, otherwise, there wouldn’t be an absence of both a public announcement at the nobility’s council and a written decree solidifying it.

Komer sniffed the glacial lily petals in his hand, their faint strange scent rendering them unsuitable for perfume. Komer, however, enjoyed this uniqueness; things too commonplace only served to confuse.

The ongoing debate in the Parliament was expected by Komer. If significant contention arose, then the successor to the throne would need to win over two-thirds of the noble votes. Expecting the support of the Four Great Lords and the vast majority of the Great Aristocracy of the Royal City, Hoffman hadn’t anticipated the need to determine his fate in this manner. To his surprise, the Star Chamber Judges ruled by a vote of five to four that his regency, lacking written proof, was temporary and could not be used as grounds for his direct succession to the throne.

This verdict immediately stirred up a storm in Jazair City. The Middle and Small Aristocracy, already in support of Katya, united against Hoffman’s succession. Even among the Great Aristocracy, who were supporters of Hoffman, cracks began to show. The Star Chamber’s verdict made them aware of the intrusion of unexpected factors and realize that the contest for Royal Successors might not be a simple feud between siblings Katya and Hoffman. The complex web of forces behind them gave noble families, originally opposed to Katya out of sentiment, cause for hesitation, as they wondered about the potential consequences of their staunch opposition.

The fervent actions of merchants and financiers hinted to nobles closely associated with Mathew and Tez, the two influential ministers, about their inner inclinations. Nobles attempting to garner the support of the three great legions were met with firm resistance from Mathew, who clearly stated that the army would never interfere in the internal affairs of the Romanov Royal Family. This made the timid nobles sense the looming clouds of civil war. Some Great Aristocrats began to recruit private soldiers and slaves, menacingly declaring their intent to use blood to cleanse the filthy lands in the kingdom’s central-west, targeting the strongholds of the Middle and Small Aristocracy.

The intense disputes began soon after the burial of Kasan was arranged. Without the support of the Star Chamber, Hoffman was forced to rely on the vote of the nobles to determine if he could ascend directly to the throne. Even up to the last moment before the vote, Hoffman firmly believed he could easily win over the vast majority of the noble votes, for the combined votes of the Middle and Small Aristocracy and the Star Chamber Judges were far from reaching a third of the total votes.

What shattered Hoffman’s confidence, however, was the unthinkable: Five Great Aristocrats who had always supported him cast their votes against him at the last minute. This twist in the voting results, falling just two votes short of two-thirds, immediately sparked fierce arguments in the Parliament upon announcement.

Interesting, this outcome was not beyond Komer’s expectations. The stab in the back from Melkin and Badi would make Hoffman experience agony to his very core. Betrayal could make one lucid or drive one mad, and Komer was uncertain which path Hoffman would take.

Hurried footsteps approached from outside the window, catching Komer by surprise. It seemed unlikely that the bickering in the Parliament would be resolved so swiftly, not matching the arguing nature of the nobility. Could there be some unexpected development? Curious, Komer’s gaze shifted toward the entrance.

Seeing the panic-stricken face of the newcomer, Komer’s heart skipped a beat. The newcomer was an intelligence officer of Maha Gummi, stationed within the borders of the kingdom, having no connection to Komer’s current visit to Jazair. Their sudden appearance at the hiding place arranged for him by Caffrey signaled a major upheaval; without a critical incident, they would not risk coming directly to his safehouse.

The letter slipped silently through the gaps between Komer’s fingers. He shook his head subconsciously, chiding himself for his impatience. Bending down to pick up the letter, Komer closed his eyes briefly to calm himself. What had happened had already happened, and all previous considerations were now meaningless. The pressing matter was how to deal with the current situation.

"How large is the scale of this beastmen invasion?" After a long while, Komer managed to control his emotions, as he needed to ascertain the real intent behind the beastmen’s actions. Was it orchestrated by the Church of Light, or was it a spontaneous action by the beastmen themselves?

"Quite massive, unprecedented. Not only have all the major beastmen military types been mobilized, but it is said that the Cow Tribe infantry alone number over fifty thousand. Moreover, this time they have also deployed a vast number of servant armies. Armies such as the Sheep Infantry, Mouse engineers, and Deer fast cavalry, which have never appeared before, are now in the fray. According to the information we have, the Iron Cross Corps has completely collapsed. By the time our intelligence was sent, out of the twelve fortresses in the Northwest, nine have been captured, and the remaining three are in grave danger. We believe that these three must have fallen by now. The beastmen’s Wolf riders and Deer Cavalry are incredibly fast; we estimate that they are now within three hundred miles of Jazair City."

"Three hundred miles?!" Komer was shocked once again. Despite some mental preparation, he had not expected such an unprecedented and fierce onslaught by the beastmen, which clearly was not a spur-of-the-moment action. It was impossible without long-term, comprehensive preparations, and the large-scale deployment of servant armies certainly couldn’t be accomplished merely by the incitement of the Church of Light. The beastmen have never truly trusted mortals, so for them to deploy even the servant armies that have always defended the Mogan Wilderness indicates a unanimous internal decision and they were coming with a purpose.

These damned beastmen had seized the timing so perfectly; everyone inside Jazair City was still vying fiercely for that brocaded chair, oblivious to the fact that the beastmen’s blades were already piercing the heart of the kingdom.

The atmosphere in the room was stifling and tense; Komer felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It seemed there was little room for maneuver. Damn Hoffman, taking advantage of his regent status, had transfered the Court Mage Corps to Homer. They had set off three days ago and must have passed Galle and entered Homer’s territory by now. His deal with Philip was going to cost him dearly, and the whole Kingdom of Nicosia would pay a painful price!

Without the support of the mages, solely relying on the newly reformed Golden Oak Legion and the Royal Guards was not enough, especially with the appearance of the Mouse engineers which proved the beastmen had come prepared. Jazair City was simply not capable of withstanding the tidal wave of the oncoming Beastman Army, and it seemed the beastmen had long realized this.

Komer let out a self-mocking cold laugh. The Church of Light was getting burned by its own fire, lifting a rock only to drop it on its own feet. Hoffman was making his own bed of thorns, and what about Katya, and himself? His gaze drifted past the flower stand outside the window. The warm sunshine seemed suddenly to lose its heat, becoming somewhat chill. Overly clever for one’s own good, sometimes leads to one’s downfall.

"Alright, I know. Go and do what you need to do. By the way, have those fellows in the Royal City been informed yet?" Eventually, he waved his hand, signaling that it was okay for the other party to leave. Komer now had to consider how to deal with this predicament.

"They should find out very soon; the defeated soldiers at the front will likely be fleeing back before long."

"You may go." Komer waved feebly, slumping into the chair. The Glacier lilies were crushed into petal shreds scattered feebly on the ground. Now was not the time to hesitate or be indecisive; there were only a few hours left or else once the beastmen’s Wolf riders and Deer Cavalry arrived, it would be too late to escape.

When the terrifying news of the beastmen’s invasion reached the Parliament, the initial silence in the Grand Hall was instantly engulfed by a soaring uproar. There were those who asked each other in disbelief, those who stood dumbfounded and were unable to react, and those who trembled and went limp. The struggle for the throne suddenly became an afterthought.

Both Katya and Hoffman instinctively looked up at the supreme seat and sighed. The once-coveted position suddenly seemed not so desirable anymore. Underneath the gleaming brocade chair, there seemed to be fierce flames scorching anyone who wished to take that seat. Both Katya and Hoffman felt an overwhelming weariness at that moment. After all the struggles and the clever schemes, this was the situation they were left with – what was the point?

(To be continued. For further developments, please log on to WWW.CMFU.COM. More Chapters available, support the author, support authorized reading!)