Chapter 824: Volume 25 Beating the Current - 11 The Madness Vow
Just as Palermo had feared, at this moment, Komer had not even considered letting Katya ascend to her position smoothly. On this point, Komer and several other lords unanimously agreed that maintaining an evenly matched standoff between the two contenders of the Romanov family was the most pleasing outcome for the lords, of course, this was only under the current circumstances.
Komer knew that once his blades pointed toward those two guys in the North, the situation in the Kingdom of Nicosia would begin to stir up once again. Whether it was Galle, Poznan, or Silesia, they would all react in the shortest possible time, and by then, the two heirs of the Romanov family would probably once again be pursued by the people. After all, the influence of the Romanov family might have more convincing power to deal with his own threats.
However, Komer had no such plans at the moment. Before realizing his next goal, he needed to amass power more actively. Homer needed to be completely stabilized, and the Homer Knight Order also needed a period of time for training and tempering. A more important task was dealing with the Barbarians. After conquering Homer, the Sanjia Tribe had, openly or covertly, proposed to take back command of their tribal warriors. To Komer, this undoubtedly meant severing his own arm. From the very beginning, Komer had never considered returning this army to the Sanjia Tribe. On the contrary, he hoped to establish this army’s image as a foundation for his next step in the plan and to firmly control this army in his own hands—a point that was unshakeable.
The suggestion to reassemble the Storm Infantry Corps was rejected by Komer, at least for now he had no such intentions. Komer did not want to be overly restricted by Homer’s local forces. A fast-moving Homer Knight Order was already sufficient for the moment. It, along with the Light Infantry composed mainly of Half-beast Men, the Heavy Infantry primarily consisting of submissive Barbarians, and the Crossbowmen who were mostly Half-Elves, constituted the current armed forces of Homer and Caucasus. Of course, there was also another important force serving a balancing role—the Caucasian Mage Corps. It was this balance that Komer currently needed.
Of course, this was only temporary. Komer also knew that to realize his next, rather grand, plan, the forces in his hands would far from suffice. It was imperative to expand the armed forces of Half-beasts and Mortals, especially after gaining control over an increasing number of Barbarian armies. To achieve better balance, the only way was to find a solution among the Half-Beasts and Mortals. To Komer, the naive Half-Beasts were more to his liking, and if pushed, Komer would prefer to form a force of Mortal infantry or Crossbowmen from Flanders.
Looking at the Half-beast Men eagerly enlisting before him, Komer couldn’t help but sigh. He had to admit that compared to working in the mines, these Half-beasts were indeed more suited for the army. Their courage in disregarding life and death, their determination to obey orders, and their absolute loyalty made it impossible for Komer not to consider this force, along with the Caucasian Mage Corps, as a fundamental power. In contrast to the common interests of the Mage Corps, the Half-Beasts offered more of a pure trust in Komer—a complete trust born from the promise of a better life, and this absolute simplicity was precisely what made Komer feel at ease.
Expansion of the military seemed to be an unavoidable topic for Homer and Caucasus. Although Fran always advocated for quality over quantity, a necessary number was still fundamental. When Komer discreetly revealed his target to Fran, the man nearly turned to stone. He knew his lord was an ambitious one, but he had not realized that his Great Lord had such an enormous appetite. The diverse and scattered territories of Homer, Caucasus, and that exclave Flanders, even the isolated Quke Valley in Livonia, were enough to keep an energetic lord busy and flustered. And in the mind of this Great Lord, this was merely a beginning?!
"Uh, Sir, I can’t comprehend your true intentions. Are you saying that you plan, uh, that you plan to—" Fran hesitated to blurt out those somewhat presumptuous words, but the other party’s intentions had been unmistakably expressed, and there was nothing wrong with his own ears. This man still had the same unstartled and rather bland expression on his face. Was he treating this like a game on a map, casually dabbing with a charcoal pencil and then discarding it without a second thought? Fran could not detect a joking expression on Komer’s face. The other should know that he was not someone who joked around, especially in such a setting, and Fran found it even harder to accept.
"That’s right, what you’re hesitant to say is precisely my goal. Nicosia, the Romanov family seems to have completed their historical mission. Perhaps it’s time for someone else to take over that responsibility, and it might be more appropriate. Hmm, maybe also some surrounding regions, the Northern Alliance, those who only know how to echo the Church of Light’s garbage should disappear as they’re supposed to. If they can’t do it themselves, letting me help them finish would be a fine choice, and then there are the beastmen. Although I’m not averse to them, as a Mortal, I still think it’s more appropriate for them to stay in the Mogan Wilderness, drinking in the breeze, unless they can prove themselves worthy of affirmation. Of course, if there are suitable ports in the Southern Mediterranean, I won’t ignore them either. How about it, Fran, you don’t think I’m delusional, do you?"