The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 943: Volume 30: The Dawn of the Empire, - 14: The Iron Troops

Chapter 943: Volume 30: The Dawn of the Empire, Chapter 14: The Iron Troops

The velvet cloak was enough to highlight the nobility of the girl standing before them. A purple ribbon was casually tied into a beautiful bowknot across her chest, and the addition of a cloak over her cloak completely covered the girl who had just emerged from the horse-drawn carriage, with only half of her delicate face and a strand of brown hair falling sideways revealing her freshness and vitality.

Three silent, four-wheeled horse-drawn carriages stopped in front of the post at the border. The group of knights following closely behind remained arrogantly on their horses, waiting for a response from the sentry opposite.

From a distance, today’s post was no longer a mere display piece, as it once was for the local garrison of the Kingdom of Nicosia. In addition to the freshly painted, formerly decrepit flagpole at the front of the post, a new flag bore the snarling visage of a bear’s head, signifying to all who approached that these lands no longer fell under the rule of the Romanov family.

"Uncle Mechetilev, are you saying that from here lies the territory of that guy?" The girl’s crisp and pleasant voice rang out like a silver bell in the wind, bringing a sense of comfort to the old man who had heard her for many years. On the Continent, no one’s voice could compare to hers. Listening to her recite poetry was like receiving a blessing from the gods.

"Your Highness, please be mindful of your speech. You’re correct, from here to the east, all the way to the Nether Sea and the Mediterranean, is the territory of Lord Komer. This land used to be the most fertile in the Kingdom of Nicosia, but now this side still belongs to the Romanov family, while the other has changed hands. Your Highness, soon officials will come. Please pay close attention to your words, for you represent the Duchy of Basarabia, and we must not lose our manners."

The old man could only respond with a wry smile to the girl’s intentionally provocative language. Indeed, Princess Katya had been spoiled by the Duke, yet this time was different. Considering the long-term interests of both parties, the Duke had appointed him to accompany her precisely because he was worried that Princess Furina’s wilfulness would affect their strategic cooperation.

"Lose our manners? Did you not say that land is full of barbarians with horns on their heads and sharp teeth in their mouths? How would they understand our mortal etiquette? Perhaps they won’t even understand our language." The girl, tilting her head, wore a playfully mischievous smile.

"Oh, gods! Princess Your Highness, please do not speak like this, such words will cause a lot of trouble if those people hear them." Mechetilev was shocked. He wondered where Furina had learned such things. While barbarians were undoubtedly wild and untamed, this was, after all, deep within the lands of Nicosia. The barbarians may be savage, but under Komer’s discipline, they should surely understand the rules. Even if there were issues, it was not their place to criticize.

"Uncle Mechetilev, you’re too cautious. We are so far away, how could they possibly hear us? Besides, we are visitors from afar, and even if they were to overhear, what could they do about it? Unless that guy can’t control these barbarians." Furina covered her mouth and laughed, her charming demeanor leaving even old Mechetilev momentarily spellbound. If Komer didn’t know how to cherish her, it would truly be a waste, a lifetime’s regret for anyone.

While Mechetilev and his companions were quietly discussing, there was movement from the post on the other side.

Ragulu approached with some confusion, accompanied by Cido from the Furious Wave Corps. The two imposing and fierce-looking men tried their best to tone down their ferocity, as instructed, but it seemed they weren’t doing it very well.

The post leading to the Cartin region wasn’t heavily staffed with an army. It was just a mid-sized squad from the Rock Corps and another from the Furious Wave Corps, without a fortress or town. Just a post, the soldiers from the two squads, plus a small team accompanied by an Earthwalking Dragon to symbolize power, constituted all the armed forces between Cartin and Godeburg.

Whether Komer or Fran, neither had considered that this post would need to observe formalities for receiving guests. They thought it unlikely that Basarabia or the Northern Alliance would provoke them in the near future and that if war were to break out, even ten times the number of troops would be futile. So, a symbolic military presence there to fulfill obligations was deemed sufficient.

"Uh, may I know what brings you here?" Ragulu tried his best to appear cultured, but his coarse, deep voice and towering stature were still disconcerting to Mechetilev and his companions. The four standing knights had to use the height of their steeds to maintain balance, or else they would feel utterly oppressed by the two men opposing them.

Mechetilev frowned, as he had already sent someone with a letter. Could it be that none of these men knew how to read?

Seeing the puzzled looks from the other side, both Ragulu and Cido scratched their heads in embarrassment, "Sorry, we can’t read your mortals’ script."

Mechetilev sighed. It seemed he had no choice but to deal orally with these simpletons, hoping their heads weren’t as hard as granite.

"We are Special Envoys from the Duchy of Basarabia. We have come at the invitation of Lord Komer to visit Ugru. We request your necessary protection and care along the way. Have you understood my meaning?"

Ragulu muttered discontentedly, his words implying they were being treated as fools. Even a statement so simple should be understandable, even to Cido.

"You want us to report and escort you, right? We can only inform Godeburg. Beyond that, we can’t help. We have our duties, and we’re ordered not to leave this place."

Princess Katya’s eyebrows rose, and her teasing gaze fell upon the two large men, "Hey, do you not know etiquette? We are distinguished guests, and you must ensure our safety. To escort us is an honor for you."

"Sorry, we are soldiers, we only follow orders, and nothing else is our responsibility," Cido shook his head, "The command we received is to guard this place and to prevent any foreign armies from entering."

"Hmph, can this small number of people really defend this place? If the enemy really does attack, can you hold?" A knight sneered coldly.

Ragulu glanced at the other party and calmly said, "Whether we can hold or not is not for us to decide, but if you want to get through, you’ll have to step over our corpses."

"Presumptuous!"

"Arrogant!"

The knights shouted angrily, their swords already drawn from their sheaths.

Ragulu and Cido, as if they saw nothing, coldly scrutinized the group for a moment, then turned and left with a parting shot, "Sorry, I will report to Godeburg, the rest is up to you."

It wasn’t until Mechetilev and his party finally passed through the post, without much fuss from the other side—just cold looks that followed them until they were two miles away from the post—that Mechetilev couldn’t help but look back at those soldiers still standing motionless in front of the post.

"Tumoka, what do you think of this army?" After a while, Mechetilev turned his head back with a complex expression and asked the knight who had been following by his side.

"We might be able to defeat or even kill them, but we can’t break them. Ferocity, bravery, cruelty, and violence are traits we might find in other armies, but loyalty, toughness, and resilience are undoubtedly the qualities of the most outstanding soldiers, and these are what I’ve seen in these men. If Komer’s troops all have such qualities, I can hardly imagine any other army that could contend with these barbarian troops already physically superior to mortals."

The knight fell silent for a moment before slowly adding, "It makes sense that the Galleians and Silesians were defeated by this army. I’ve watched Galle Army’s drills; although they are well-equipped, they couldn’t withstand such an army. Komer’s emergence from a minor lord of Nicosia to prominence cannot be separated from this army, but I find it hard to understand, according to what we know, Komer was always a prodigal son obsessed with wine and women before going to Caucasus, or more accurately, he was trash. Why then did he perform so well in the Caucasus?"

"Tumoka, you seem to have forgotten that before he went to Caucasus, he had been exiled for three years," Mechetilev said softly.

"Mr. Mechetilev, to be precise, it was two and a half years. But is that enough to completely transform a person?" the knight countered, "I don’t think so."

"Then what do you think is the reason, Tumoka?" Mechetilev asked with a placid expression.

"I don’t know, and that’s exactly what we’ve come to find out," Tumoka shrugged.

Furina listened with interest to the conversation between Mechetilev, the man her father trusted most, and Tumoka, the knight thought to be the most promising leader in Basarabia. Just a few dumb barbarian soldiers had left the two deep in thought. It seemed this fellow who might become her fiancé was quite intriguing. It was said that some other women were also vying for the position beside this newly risen lord. When had the stars of Basarabia fallen to competing with other women for a man? Furina felt a surge of frustration at the thought.

"Tumoka, do you think the armies of the Northern Alliance could compete with this army?" Mechetilev asked pointedly.

Tumoka stared at Mechetilev for a moment, "Ants can kill an elephant, the Northern Alliance’s armies outnumber Komer’s and have the same potential for war. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless he’s given time and allies."

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