The Vastness of Magical Destiny-Chapter 201 - Four Burning with Jealousy_2

Chapter 201: Chapter Four: Burning with Jealousy_2

Chapter 201 -Four: Burning with Jealousy_2

Philip had already recognized the threat of the Caucasus and began to systematically restrict and suppress it, but judging from the performance of His Excellency, the Baron, he seemed to have his own countermeasures.

The arrival of Vero changed the somewhat somber atmosphere in the living room. Whether it was Hoffman and Renta or Tracy, all were extremely surprised by the sudden appearance of Duke Zellin’s treasured daughter in Baron Komer of Caucasus’s residence. They all reacted almost identically, raising the question of what the old fox Zellin intended by reaching his hands towards the Caucasus.

Given Princess Vero’s status, it was quite surprising that she had already been in the Caucasus for some time without notice. What strangeness lay beneath this fact was an urgent question in all three of their minds.

While all three had only planned to stay in the Caucasus for a day or two, they concurrently decided to linger a while longer, to observe whether there might be any untold secrets between Baron Komer and Princess Vero.

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A mix of inexplicable sourness and jealousy filled Tracy’s heart. Although she was absolutely unwilling to admit that she could be jealous of someone because of Komer, her remaining rationality told her that she indeed felt a twinge of jealousy towards the silver-haired girl before her.

The girl’s smile was full of charm, and she wore a simple yet elegant white dress that carried a hint of ethereal grace. The purity in her light purple eyes was like needles in Tracy’s heart, pricking painfully.

How could she be jealous because of Komer? Was Komer even worth her jealousy?

Was it because he seemed to be having quite a time in the Caucasus now?

Hadn’t she discarded him like an old shoe in the past, even to the point of feeling disgusted to the verge of vomiting? Why did she now feel this way when she saw a girl by his side? Tracy couldn’t understand her own feelings.

The complex emotions entwined around Tracy so much that she almost forgot the mission she had come for. It was only when she saw Hoffman chatting happily with Komer that Tracy forced herself out of her confused stupor and refocused on the conversation at hand.

Hoffman sincerely congratulated Komer on the opening of Mattdam’s port, and inquired in detail about the throughput of Mattdam and the situations in other areas of Caucasus Territory. Komer was forthcoming with his knowledge, but his words mostly contained complaints about the backwardness and desolation of the Caucasus, suggesting that aside from the now-exposed iron and coal mines, there seemed little else in the region to merit attention.

However, Hoffman was clearly not very interested in the natural resources of the Caucasus. He was more concerned about the impact that the successful port opening would have on the surrounding neighboring areas.

For the Kingdom of Nicosia, practically the entire east coast was dominated by Philip and another Great Lord from the North. Although the rich regions and sea areas along the Mediterranean coast were nominally under the kingdom, history had left the Central Kingdom with little but a nominal title.

Whether it was land, cities, or ports, everything here was under the tight control of those defiant Great Lords, who even demanded high taxes from goods transported from the Kingdom Inland via rivers and canals.

This not only angered the traders of the Kingdom Inland but also humiliated the kingdom.

The opening of the port in Mattdam broke the monopoly of the two Great Lords over the kingdom’s coastline. While this did not help the kingdom much due to geographical reasons, the trend’s impact was profound. It signaled to the dissatisfied middle and small lords that with the kingdom’s support, even a remote place like the Caucasus could prosper.

Meanwhile, Renta and Vero seemed to enter a state of harmonious and intimate conversation. At this moment, Tracy found herself feeling more like an outsider, unable to join their conversation. She felt both humiliated and angry. When had even Komer become someone who could act so confidently in front of her?

Fortunately, this situation did not last long. Komer quickly realized this and actively called Tracy into the conversation. However, Hoffman was not particularly interested in Tracy’s participation.

For those in pursuit of power, the allure of women paled in comparison. He envied Komer for his ability to quickly amass an armed force composed of Half-beastmen in such a short span of time, yet he also felt some concern.

This kind of armed force composed of foreign races had never before existed within the boundaries of the kingdom; even the private soldiers of the minor nobility rarely consisted of foreigners, especially the lowly Half-beastmen.

In the eyes of Mortals, the Half-beastmen were nothing more than slaves, fit only for menial tasks such as mining, lumbering, construction work, and even Farmers were considered superior to them. The fact that Komer had employed them as his Lord’s Guard was astonishing to Hoffman.

However, Hoffman could also see that Komer’s Half-beast soldiers, though rough, seemed to have undergone formal military training.

From Mattdam to Ugru spanned over two hundred miles, a burdensome marching task which the Half-beast soldiers endured solely on foot, accompanied by the horse-drawn carriage Hoffman rode in.

Although the carriage traveled slowly, it was already pushing the limits for those on foot; even in a state of extreme fatigue, the Half-beast soldiers were still able to maintain a neat formation and dispatch Scout teams to survey the area as if in battle.

This meticulousness was definitely not characteristic of the lazy and impulsive Half-beastmen; only the Regular army among Mortals could possibly cultivate such good discipline.

In particular, the impression left by the few Half-beastman Guards standing watch at Komer’s mansion was profound for Hoffman.

Their heavy and restrained aura bore a resemblance to that of Mortal warriors. It was clear at a glance that these fellows had some grasp of martial arts; although they couldn’t compare to warriors proficient in martial techniques, it was unimaginable how these Half-beastmen achieved even this much, a veritable miracle to Hoffman who had entered the Martial Arts Realm.

Of course, he was unaware that these few Half-beast soldiers were the cream of the crop, painstakingly trained over two months by two Dark Knights. Although Half-beastmen might lack the agility of Mortals, they generally surpassed them in persistence and stamina. As long as the instructions were precise, their execution was meticulous. The two Dark Knights, although previously inexperienced in teaching others, were nonetheless satisfied with the performance of several batches of Half-beast soldiers. This too could be considered a gain from Komer’s generous rewards and strict discipline.

As a member sent by the kingdom to appease Grand Duke Philip and pacify the Homer region, Hoffman had an even more important task: to gauge the attitudes of other middle and small nobility in the Homer region and the forces that might side with the kingdom in potential future conflicts. From the recent actions in the Caucasus, Komer undoubtedly played a crucial role.

Hoffman had already been tallying up the armed forces under Komer’s control within the Caucasus Territory. From his observations in the past two days, he had discovered that the Baron Lord controlled more than three hundred guard soldiers, an alarming figure for a territory like the Caucasus, which wasn’t particularly rich.

After all, soldiers did not generate wealth but consumed it, from the cost of weapons and armor to training expenses; these represented significant expenses. Many of the small aristocracy with lands did not even maintain private soldiers or the so-called Lord’s Guard, firstly to save expenses, and secondly because there was no need.

Indeed, in a vast territory like the Caucasus, especially a frontier land, there was a need for a Guard, but such a large scale would inevitably raise suspicions.

Although compared to the armed forces controlled by Grand Duke Philip, the power in Komer’s hands was still not enough to contend, it was, after all, just a beginning. As Hoffman saw it, he was very much in favor of seeing this development trend, but he also needed to remind the other party that while it’s good to guard against enemies, it was necessary to act within one’s capabilities.

Hoffman had already internally regarded the Baron before him as an ally. Considering the current scale of development, the economic strength of the Caucasus was simply unable to support such a sizable Guard force, and he did not wish for this potential significant power to counter the Great Lords of the kingdom to fall into bankruptcy due to financial problems.

Taking advantage of Tracy’s distracted state, Renta and Vero quickly clung to Tracy. Of course, Renta did it deliberately, while Vero was merely a pawn being used.