The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 764: Volume 23: Rising Winds and Swirling Clouds, - 2: As You Please

Chapter 764: Volume 23: Rising Winds and Swirling Clouds, Chapter 2: As You Please

Hoffman’s face turned exceptionally ugly—this damned guy had once assured him with utmost certainty that he would fully support him, yet now, he was shirking his responsibility with such an excuse. All that nonsense about the beastmen threat, did he think Hoffman was unaware? The reappearance of the Salvation Society made the upper echelons of the Church of Light tremble with fear, even the members of the Religious Court were in a state of panic, all rushing towards Marco to discuss countermeasures. But with the departure of the Light Mages now, the power of the Royal Court Magicians was halved, and how many cards Katya still had up her sleeve and hadn’t played, Hoffman had no clue, making the matter of the campaign in the Southwest impossible to even raise.

"Lord Onia, I can understand the difficult situation your Church of Light is in right now. The appearance of shamanic power among the beastmen is something we mortals had never anticipated, but whether their shamanic power is truly equivalent to that of our mortal mages, I have my doubts. Just look at the beastmen’s current actions; after occupying Jazair, they’ve done nothing but put on a show of creating a so-called Beamon Kingdom and have hardly made any other moves. If their power was truly as tremendous as that, why didn’t they seize the opportunity to push south?"

"Our kingdom’s armed forces have already been greatly diminished. The beastmen are more aware of this than we are. If they had the support of shamanic power, they could have easily pushed south all the way to Basarabia! But they didn’t do so, which only means there are still weak links in their power; it is not as strong as we have imagined. Therefore, I believe that our most urgent task is to first deal with the problem of secession in the Southwest Region. To repel outsiders, we must first stabilise internally. As long as the Southwest issue is resolved, with the support of the Four Great Lords and the help of your Church of Light, I believe the beastmen’s stay in the Kingdom of Nicosia will be short-lived."

Onia listened politely to the other party’s opinion. It was clear that Hoffman was not satisfied with his attitude, but there wasn’t much he could do. He had to follow the orders from Marco, and besides, the current predicament of the Church of Light indeed was not good. It was most urgent to consolidate their power to face the challenge from the Cooperation Society rather than helping these secular nobles fight for power and profit. Once the Cooperation Society was suppressed, no matter which side obtained secular power, they could not do without the support of the Bright Holy Teaching. This is what Onia firmly believed.

"Your Highness Prince Hoffman, I will immediately relay your opinions to the Pope and the two Archbishops after I return to Marco. Please be patient, the current situation in the Southwest may seem fierce, but they haven’t made any substantive moves. The Half-beast Army is just for show and not worth mentioning. You only need to remain calm and restrained, and such a situation, created solely for sensationalism, will soon dissipate. Once Marco accepts your suggestion, we will immediately help you reclaim what belongs to you."

"Oh, I sincerely hope that, Lord Onia, you can get precise instructions from Marco as soon as possible. I have waited too long, and the Kingdom of Nicosia cannot go on like this anymore, or else it will be a disaster that cannot be undone. Please be sure to convey my requests to His Holiness the Pope and the two Archbishops," Hoffman said.

A comforting smile hung on Onia’s face, which only added to Hoffman’s frustration when he saw it. This guy always brushed him off so indifferently, speaking as if everything was very easy, but the situation changed rapidly every day. Once the mages of the Church of Light from the Royal Court Magicians returned to Marco, it was unclear what moves would be made by the Southwest knowing this news. By then, what impact could Marco, thousands of miles away, have? Perhaps they had already decided to only cooperate with the final victor.

Fear gripped Hoffman at the thought: Losing the support of the Church of Light, and the Great Lords each harboring thoughts of changing their stance at any moment—perhaps they were also expecting Katya to overthrow him so they could seize the opportunity to declare independence. This was the last scenario Hoffman wanted to see, but he was powerless to change the current tide—all due to the damned Komer! Who would have thought that this insignificant lord could cause him such trouble at this time? The best way to solve the current problem was to cut off Katya’s reliance, which was to target Komer.

So, did he truly only have to maintain a low profile and restraint now? Hoffman thought unwillingly. With Katya’s current momentum and her public declarations that the Star Chamber Court had revoked his right of succession, stating that only she had the qualifications to inherit the Romanov Dynasty, taking advantage of this deceptive trend, the middle and small aristocracy and merchants of the entire Southwest region were stirring restlessly, ready for a change of times. Even the silent small aristocrats of the Central Region seemed somewhat swayed. If Hoffman did not take countermeasures in time, he might indeed be overturned by the other party.

"Ow, you’re hurting me," Katya snapped with a hint of anger between her brows as she gently twisted her body free from Komer’s magical grip. She silently dressed herself and sat at the dressing table opposite the bed, tidying her exquisite hairstyle. Perhaps it was just after their intimate enjoyment that the faint blush on her cheeks made her complexion even more enchantingly alluring, with a pair of deep eyes always carrying an elusive charm—a charm that only Komer could detect upon close observation. He wondered if she was the same with other men.

Although Katya was appealing in taste, Komer always felt a sense of loss compared to Tracy. Perhaps this was the scar from his first love, which would forever remain in his heart, ready to bleed at the slightest provocation.

"Oh, my apologies, I got carried away," Komer said, his words devoid of any semblance of an apology. This bitch thought that by hooking up with that count from the Blue Dove Corps, she was invincible. Hmph, Komer thought maliciously, wondering what would happen if, one of these days, Katya carelessly ended up with a bastard in her belly. It would be interesting to see how she would settle that foolish account.

Katya tensed inwardly. The man she was joyfully entangled with in bed was not a kindred spirit; this small noble had successfully spread his wings, and she had to be careful using him, calculating not to be bitten back by him. This man, always on the lookout, was already acting like a king of the mountain. Even as she used him, he was cunningly calculating his own advantages.

"Komer, what is Renta doing here? Could it be that Hoffman sent her to mediate?" Katya casually asked.

Komer was equally startled; he had not expected that his covert reception would still not escape Katya’s notice. In Livonia, he knew he was far less established than his counterpart.

"Heh, perhaps, take a look," Komer said, his thoughts racing. He casually pulled a letter from the inner pocket of the robe hanging by the bed and tossed it over.

At that moment, Katya did not stand on ceremony either. Since the other party had made their position clear, there was no need for her to be courteous. She quickly scanned the letter and was utterly shocked. She had not thought that Hoffman would make such a grand promise—to give Livonia to Komer and even hint at concessions in the Black Forest region. Damn Hoffman, he was clearly betraying the interests of the entire Romanov family for his own personal gain!

"You think this promise can be fulfilled? Why doesn’t he just give you the whole Southwest Region and enfeoff you as Duke Komer while he’s at it? Wouldn’t that be even better? What a huge joke!" Katya suppressed the anger in her heart, refolded the letter, and said indifferently.

"Is that so? I don’t think this is just an empty promise. However, he seems to have taken me for a greedy beastman. I have no interest in any duke title or great lord status. I only need the Quke Valley because the Caucasus needs a passage to the heart of the Continent, but the surrounding Barbarian Territories and the Great Swamp Area leave me no choice but to open a passage here. That’s all there is to it; I have no other intentions," Komer shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Then, you have no interest in Renta at all? You should know that in the Northern League Countries, her suitors are many," Katya said, her gaze fixed on him. "Don’t you want to form a marital alliance with the Romanov family?"

"An alliance through marriage? If it’s necessary for me to pledge my service to the Romanov family, it doesn’t need to be done in this manner. There are many other ways to bribe me. I like beautiful women, but not through such methods. These often mean I’ll be strapped to a runaway carriage that I can’t get off, perhaps with an abyss waiting right in front of me," Komer said with a laugh.

Katya breathed a slight sigh of relief internally. It seemed that this fellow had not accepted the conditions of the other party, or maybe he felt the other party was not qualified to fulfill the promises. Katya never considered Komer a content man; more accurately, he resembled a cautious hunter, focusing only on the prey within his reach.

"Komer, Hoffman must be desperate, don’t you think it’s time to end this game? The Royal Court Magicians have assured me that they will not intervene in these matters, and I believe the time is ripe," Katya said, her graceful smile exuding confidence. "If you think it’s feasible, we can end this tedious charade very quickly. Hmm, if you have a good appetite, I don’t mind Renta becoming a spoil of war, uh, exclusively yours, to do with as you wish."

Giving Katya a penetrating look, Komer couldn’t discern whether her words were in jest or earnest. To offer a princess as a spoil of war, even in jest, was enough to show just how much Katya detested her half-sister. With a soft sigh, Komer got out of bed and dressed, "Hmm, as you will."

(To be continued. For more information, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM where Chapters are updated frequently, to support the author, and to support authorized reading!)