The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Komer was surprised that the anticipated challenge by Saint Helena to Uma did not occur, even by the end of the Olympia Championship. He’d always thought that the Spartains, after their prestige was compromised during the Gladiator Competition, would surely want to use this opportunity to regain some ground. But the calmness they showed surprised Komer and made him respect the Spartains even more.

The laurel crown of the Gladiator Competition ultimately went to the Iberian Kingdom. The swordsman from the Great Mysterium Sect of Piraeus, citing severe injuries, forfeited the final match, making history as the first person to do so at this stage in the competition. With the highest honor of the Southern Mediterranean Region’s warriors almost within reach, it seemed no one had ever willingly given up on such a temptation before. This victory finally gave the Iberian people, who had been under fierce attack from the barbarians, something to boost their morale. It was just uncertain whether the barbarians would pay any attention to this sports festival of mortals.

Sitting in front of a window on the Grammy second floor that overlooked the river, Komer enjoyed the breeze that cleared his mind. The waters of the Akmon River flowed gently like a blue ribbon along the lower edge of the hills. Looking into the distance, the divide between black and white on Divine Mount Olympus was stark—the upper part was a silvery white with towering snow-clad peaks reaching into the clouds, while the lower part was a lush green, with the high forest belt extending into the foothills. The bustling city of Athens radiated from the small hills on the outskirts of Divine Mount Olympus, with clusters of tall buildings and bungalows successively surrounding the palace at the highest point and spreading out in three directions. Although Athens’ streets were somewhat scattered, they were artistically arranged. The elegance of the mountain city was particularly rich under the morning sunshine.

Komer carefully read through the letter from Caucasus, which was the second he had received from the Lord’s Mansion. The first letter had not contained much substantial content beyond greetings, whereas this one was a thick stack. Komer could even feel Puber’s eagerness to share everything that had happened within his territory.

The Church of Light’s demeanor in the Caucasus was very calm, as if nothing had happened. Priest Beran and Gustav continued their tireless travels between Ugru and Mattdam, and the matter of establishing a Church of Light in Santiago had also been put on the agenda. Beran had even twice proposed to Puber to hold blessing events in Santiago to fundraise for the church, but Puber had successfully postponed them each time.

The exploration progress in Little Greenland Forest was quite satisfactory, especially upstream along the Nissai River. Multiple expedition teams had already advanced over two hundred kilometers into the forest, continuously expanding along both banks of the river’s main course. The maps that were steadily returned to the Lord’s Mansion now provided a fairly detailed representation of the Nissai River banks, although they were not yet complete. However, the cruel side of Little Greenland Forest had also begun to reveal its fangs, as several exploration teams suffered frenzied attacks from magical beasts. Giant magical beasts never before seen on the Blue Continent started to appear, increasing the pressure on the explorers but also further piquing their interest. After all, every part of these rare magical beasts was valuable, and it was only in their guarded territories that the treasures of the Goddess of Nature, Minto, might be hidden.

Following Komer’s advice, Puber had ordered Fran to start recruiting troops again, besides the three hundred of the Lord’s Guard and the one thousand seven hundred of the Self-defense Army. Fran was commanded to enforce the largest military expansion in the history of Caucasus, recruiting additional one thousand eight hundred men, mainly from half-beastmen in Leon and the rest of Caucasus. This recruitment drive sparked such enthusiasm among the half-beastmen that the ratio of applicants to slots reached an astonishing twenty to one, which gave Dragumo, the one in charge of selecting the soldiers, a tough time.

As per Komer’s orders, Baoling was appointed as the captain of the first thousand-men unit, while Dragumo took command of the second thousand-men unit. Another half-beastman warrior, Farrell, who had stood out in combats and training, was made captain of the third thousand-men unit. The specially formed five hundred-man crossbowman unit was led by the renowned half-elf sharpshooter Ikita. Ilot was appointed as the captain of the Lord’s Guard, working with Havier, Bayezid, Burianos, and Baoling as members of the training group for the officers of the Caucasus Self-Defense Forces. A modest but relatively homogeneous Caucasus Self-Defense Army thus took shape but was still severely lacking in training and experience.

Once he had a clear understanding of his own situation, Komer had already recognized the dangerous environment Caucasus was in. Although it was still uncertain whether the Church would leak news of his disappearance, such a thing could not be kept secret for long. His extended absence from Caucasus was bound to affect public morale and Philip would certainly take the opportunity to cause trouble, it was only a matter of timing. Additionally, the threat from the Religious Court meant he couldn’t show himself publicly. In such a situation, to strengthen internal rule and deter external enemies, his only option was to expand the military, even though it wasn’t the most suitable approach and could bring considerable economic pressure.