Chapter 1034: Volume 33, Where to Go, - 22, The Battle that Sways the City (5)
"Has it come?" Komer opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and sat motionless on the chair.
Maha Gummi’s face was slightly pale, a rare sight for this Half-beastman Hybrid. He was equally aware of his fate; once Komer was done for, he would be reverted to his original form. No mortal held any affection for him, except for Komer. He knew that his fate could only be fully tied to Komer; without Komer, he was nothing.
"They have come. They didn’t hide anything and left directly from Marco. By now, they must have passed through the Beastman Control Zone and entered our territory." Maha Gummi tried his best to appear calm and composed in front of his master, but he found it impossible. The overwhelming prospect of loss almost crushed him, and he knew that his master faced the same pressure. However, Komer’s calm demeanor gave him a bit of confidence.
"Hmm, they’ve arrived quite quickly, which is just as well. I was worried they’d dally and make it difficult to explain things to the Basarabians and the Jellyfish People. It seems that it’s just the right time for a perfect battle." Komer spoke indifferently, "Maha Gummi, are you afraid?"
"Afraid?" Maha Gummi was stunned. Was he afraid?
It seemed that during his struggle for survival in the mines of Leon, he had never known fear, even when his comrades died silently in accidents of mine collapses, or perished from overwork amid groans. At that time, he didn’t have any concept of fear, but what about now? Now, it seemed that he was beginning to feel something. It wasn’t a fear of death, but a fear of losing everything he now possessed.
If he truly lost his life, there would be no regrets. But being stripped of all he had gained and sent back to his original living conditions was something Maha Gummi believed might drive him insane. He couldn’t lose everything; if all was to be taken from him, it might as well include his life.
Komer noticed that Maha Gummi seemed distracted, probably due to the question that had touched a hidden secret in Maha Gummi’s heart. It had been a long while since he had communicated with this Half-beastman Hybrid, whom he considered his most trusted confidant. This seemingly coarse individual, in fact, had an inner delicacy not inferior to any mortal.
"Lord, Half-beastmen have never understood what fear means. Losing life is not that big a deal, as long as it is worth the sacrifice. You have given Maha Gummi so much, and I am very satisfied. If the Church of Light truly wants to take all that belongs to us Half-beastmen, I believe even if Half-beastmen fight to the last man, they will never compromise, and I trust that the Barbarians feel the same way." Maha Gummi said each word deliberately, "This is not an empty claim, but the heartfelt sentiment of us Half-beastmen and Barbarians."
Komer was somewhat surprised to hear such words from Maha Gummi, as if giving an oath of allegiance on behalf of Half-beastmen and Barbarians. However, Maha Gummi seemed not to understand that this battle was not a true war but more like a duel between knights, where the number of those eligible to fight was limited, yet the outcome affected the fate of the entire Nicosia.