The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 845: Volume 26: Accumulating Strength, - 9: The Looming Storm

Chapter 845: Volume 26: Accumulating Strength, Chapter 9: The Looming Storm

"If that Komer is simply looking for a respite to obtain a legitimate name in Homer, that would indeed be good. What I fear is that he may have other ideas in mind, intending to use us. And now, we are having such a hard time that even maintaining our position is extremely difficult. We are truly caught between a rock and a hard place," Hoffman said in anguish.

"Your Highness, do you think it’s necessary to take some tough measures against those Great Aristocrats?" Tez knew his suggestion would certainly be rejected by Hoffman, but given the current dire situation, if no action was taken, things would likely get worse. The olive branch extended by Homer was nothing but a mirage, hardly something to count on. Even if it were to materialize, it would be a baited hook that once swallowed, would be hard to spit out.

"Lord Tez, I understand what you mean, but our only reliance right now is on them. If we push them too hard, they might turn to Katya. Katya has been frequently casting flirty glances at them, trying to woo them. I can’t afford to provoke them now," Hoffman also had unspeakable difficulties.

"Your Highness, since the situation has come to this point, we might as well lay our cards on the table with Homer. Whatever he wants, we’ll give him, as long as it doesn’t exceed our bottom line! We just need Komer to pull his Half-beast Army out of the Southwest, or have his forces remain neutral in the Quke Valley. We focus our power to settle the Southwest problem once and for all, and deal with Komer’s issue later. Doesn’t he want the entirety of Livonia? Why not just enfeoff it to him, Your Highness? After all, we don’t control it right now. Enfeoff it to him openly, give him that status, and let Princess Katya worry about it," Mathew couldn’t help but share his opinion, believing that dragging things out would only become more disadvantageous. Once Katya managed to build a decent army, solving them would be much harder.

Tez’s gaze stirred; Mathew’s suggestion indeed had merit. Livonia fell under the Southwest, which had always been the stronghold operated by Katya. Komer had painstakingly secured a promise of ownership in Quke Valley from Katya, who was probably already wary of him. That glutton Komer certainly wanted the whole of Livonia. If they openly enfeoffed the entire Livonia to him, it would be a grand gesture at someone else’s expense, with no loss on their part. Katya would be caught in a dilemma—disagreeing would surely displease Komer, potentially causing a rift in their alliance, and agreeing would mean a massive loss. Plus, it would open a door to Katya’s stronghold from behind and would be a passive endorsement of their action, leaving them in a position of advantage—a triple win, indeed.

"Your Highness, General Mathew’s opinion is worth considering. Although Livonia is a territory directly under the kingdom, it has always been tightly controlled by Princess Katya. Boldly enfeoffing it to Komer would only spark conflict between them, to our great benefit. As for how to deal with the aftermath, that’s something we can only resolve in time. Right now, our priority is to address the urgent matter at hand. However, offering Komer such a significant incentive would definitely require Homer to pay a price. We could bring up some of our demands, like Funds, as well as explicit promises of support from him," Tez slowly suggested.

Hoffman’s eyes also brightened. The opinions of both Mathew and Tez were valuable. The Southwest Region had always been Katya’s main operation area, dominated by a large number of Small Aristocrats who mostly favored supporting Katya. His own influence had always struggled to penetrate that area. With Katya already opening up the possibility of giving Quke Valley to Komer, why not smoothly offer the whole of Livonia to Komer? It would be a way to upset Katya, making a goodwill gesture towards Komer without spending any of his own resources. As for future issues, he couldn’t consider that far ahead right now; everything would wait until he could claim the throne of the kingdom.

"Tez, Funds are certainly important. Parker has been avoiding me, and I know it’s because the treasury is running low. Right now, not only does Komer control the entirety of Homer and Caucasus, but the industrial and commercial development of Leon and the Caucasus Region is also remarkably fast. I’ve heard that almost all northbound ships in the Southern Mediterranean Region head to Caucasus or up the Nissai River, carrying whole ships of coal, Iron ore, and crude iron to the Southern Mediterranean, while food and all sorts of daily necessities are continuously imported. The unceasing merchant fleet on the Catania River also brings endless business opportunities to Caucasus, and I think their tax revenue will catch up with Homer’s within two years." Mathew sighed, "Who could have imagined this fellow would come to such fortune today? But, what’s the point of him explicitly supporting Your Highness?"

"Hmph, how is it meaningless?" Tez said sternly, "Aren’t those Great Aristocracy in Godeburg indecisive because they think Your Highness is in a bad position, possibly to be suppressed by Princess Katya? And Komer’s support for Katya is also an important factor; his two thousand Half-Beastmen might not amount to much in combat strength, but the influence they bring is not small. Now with Poznan, Silesia, and Galle unusually silent, Komer’s influence becomes even more prominent. If we can keep Komer neutral, it would greatly alleviate the pressure on us from this aspect."