The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 781: Volume 23: Rising Winds and Swirling Clouds, - 17: Filth

Chapter 781: Volume 23: Rising Winds and Swirling Clouds, Chapter 17: Filth

If Zellin could provide his own Mage Corps, that would be fantastic. Philip’s face shifted between shades of darkness and light. Perhaps he should personally visit Gutenberg to see what exactly Zellin was thinking, or even pay another visit to Ferdinand to permanently eliminate the nuisance to the south. This thought emerged in Philip’s mind and refused to leave. Even if the cost seemed somewhat high at the moment, it would be worth it; if he allowed that man to continue unchecked, there might come a day when he himself would become the man’s prisoner.

At that thought, Philip couldn’t help but shiver. The idea of becoming someone whom the other party could ridicule at will was unbearable. He would rather make concessions to both Zellin and Ferdinand than accept such a possibility. Just thinking about the greedy face of someone in the Ferdinand family made Philip feel depressed. Did he really have to take that step?

Indecisive, Philip couldn’t make up his mind until the sound of approaching footsteps behind him snapped his thoughts back to reality.

"Father, did you call for me?" The once charming voice now irritated Philip. Without turning around, he responded in a deep voice, "What did Hoffman say?"

"He agreed to help us, but he also spoke of his difficulties. The Church of Light has yet to declare their position clearly, so the remaining power of the Royal Court Magicians seems somewhat weak. The unrest to the southwest keeps simmering, so..." Tracy said timidly. She could tell that her father was in a bad mood. Ever since that secretive pirate had visited, her father’s temper had been on edge, often erupting into inexplicable fury. Several attendants had been whipped, and the Administrative Officers tried to avoid reporting to him as much as possible. This was not a good sign.

"Hmph, what trouble can those in the southwest really cause? People from the Romanov family are all cowardly braggarts with limited ability, and Hoffman is a short-sighted fool. Can’t he see that without our support, he is nothing?!" Philip said thoughtlessly, his disdain evident on his face. "Go to Godeburg immediately and tell Hoffman that he must send the Royal Court Magicians to me. I need those mages! You make sure to tell him clearly that if he can’t do this, he can forget about Homer’s support, and I will choose Katya!"

Tracy was startled. Her father seemed to have lost his composure, using such language to provoke Hoffman, completely devoid of his usual pretense of dignity and arrogance. This would cause trouble. Hoffman was unlikely to agree to such an almost threatening demand. Now, with Katya stirring up trouble to the southwest and the Church of Light overwhelmed with their own issues, how could Hoffman dare to part with the Mage Corps so easily?

"Father, I’m afraid I can’t do it; Hoffman won’t listen to me," Tracy shook her head. Instead of making a meaningless attempt, it was better to accept reality sooner.

"You can’t do it? Hmph, then what can you do, tell me?" Philip, fuming, twisted his spotted face into something almost ferocious. His complexion, already marred by age spots and worn by recent stress, now seemed even more haggard as the anger in his eyes intensified. "When you first got involved with Hoffman, I warned you that he was beyond your control. Didn’t you tell me you could handle him? What now? If it wasn’t for the disaster you brought upon us by meddling with Komer, how could such a predicament have arisen? And now you’re telling me you can’t do it?!"

"Father, I warned you back then that Komer was trouble and that you should have dealt with him decisively. Did you listen to me?" At that, Tracy’s demeanor became calmer, her face showing a trace of sadness. "The situation with Hoffman went over my head, but you never really had any hope for my personal affairs, so you haven’t actually lost anything now, right?"

Philip was left speechless. Hadn’t he harbored a faint hope that Tracy could become the mistress of the Romanov Dynasty, thus ultimately condoning Tracy’s relationship with Hoffman? To now place all the blame on Tracy seemed excessive. However, given his urgent need for external support and not wanting to abandon any effort that could empower him, even a one percent chance was still worth the try.

"Tracy, it’s not that I’m asking too much, but the situation is critical. The Caucasus is amassing a large barbarian army, seemingly to confront our Homer, and my Mage Corps has been nearly destroyed in the last campaign, so I am in desperate need of magical assistance to defeat those barbarians. You must understand my feelings," Philip tried to control his escalating emotions, lowering his voice.

"But Father, you know it’s impossible. The Romanov family is full of selfish people. Do you really think Hoffman would ignore the dangers to Godeburg to support you under these circumstances?" Tracy shook her head in despair. "That possibility is even less than me going to the Caucasus and begging Komer for mercy."

Philip’s expression changed several times, his eyes flashing with venomous intent. "Tracy, I don’t expect you to sway Komer’s resolve, but if you could travel to the Caucasus and buy time by delaying the northward march of the Caucasus Army, that would be enough for me. But, are you confident? That man is now ruthless. Does he still have a soft spot for you?"

Tracy’s face filled with panic. She couldn’t believe her ears. Was this really something her own father would say?

Seeing Tracy’s incredulous expression, Philip flushed with anger and shame, "Tracy, you have to help me. I need to go to Gutenberg and to Ferdinand immediately. I have a feeling that if we don’t address this seriously now, we could really be in trouble. Komer holds too much of a grudge against us. Once he gets his way, he definitely won’t let us off. Rather than begging for mercy later, better to endure humiliation now. Go to the Caucasus, and no matter what means you use, it’s likely hard to persuade Komer to cease his efforts, but hasn’t he always harbored unexpected feelings for you? Fine, use that to ensnare him, dampen his will to fight. Just delay him for some time, and I’m confident I can completely deal with him. After that, we can pay back a hundredfold the pain he has caused you."

Tracy fell silent, unable to express the sorrow in her heart. A father who would offer his daughter’s dignity and humanity as items for an enemy to trample and defile, could such a person still be called a father?

(To be continued. For further developments, please log in to WWW.CMFU.COM, where there are more Chapters, support the author, and support authorized reading!)