"What is the reason this time?" Komer and Puber asked in unison.
"I don't know. It's said that the Beastmen attacked without any apparent reason, not even a hint of a warning. News only came through after two castles had fallen and all the soldiers were killed. As of now, the kingdom of Jazair in the Royal City has the Fire Shadow Knights and the Royal Oak Infantry ready for battle. I've heard that His Majesty the King has also issued a recruitment order for a large Mercenary Corps and commanded forces from various regions to station in the North, preparing to confront the provocation of the Beastmen."
Excitement flickered in Ilot's eyes, clearly attracted to the war that involved the whole kingdom.
War, while fraught with danger, was the best stage for a warrior to showcase his abilities. Who would willingly abandon all honor and shrink back? Even with a vast disparity in strength, one should struggle valiantly in order to fulfill one's mission.
"Those Beastmen finally could not stand the loneliness, it seems. This is the kingdom's Achilles' heel; mere castles can never withstand the frenzied attacks of the Beastmen. The North is doomed." Komer said coldly.
During the more than three years of exile, he had visited the Mogan Plateau in the North. Although he had never ventured deep into it, he had dealings with the Beastmen. The Beastmen's astonishing physique, their strong bodies, and agility akin to jungle beasts highlighted the immense gap between the physical abilities of Beast Warriors and mortal warriors. This was not a problem that could be solved with training. With the Beastmen's aggressive assault, the kingdom could only adopt a passive defense, which seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the Beastmen's relentless provocation.
"It's said that the Beastmen even used a battering ram this time, how did they start using such advanced weapons? And who could have supplied them?" Ilot whispered cautiously, his eyes darting around. The surroundings were filled with drunken patrons, none of whom seemed to notice the three of them. He clearly understood the explosive impact this news would have.
"What?!" Both Komer and Puber were stunned by Ilot's words. The Beastmen using a battering ram? How could they possibly have one? And how could they know how to operate such machinery?
"Hmm, not many people know about this. A guy let it slip when he was drunk, advising me not to join the Royal Army. He said the second Infantry Division—the Iron Cross Infantry—is being reformed and recruiting again. He thought I was about to become of age with no other options and wanted to join," Ilot said with a hint of pride.
"I'm not that foolish. I'll have to wait and see how things go. The Beastmen were already ferocious enough, and now they have a battering ram. Going without any countermeasures would be tantamount to going to my death," Ilot continued.
"The kingdom is in trouble. If the Beastmen really could develop and produce these things that were originally exclusive to us Mortals, then the kingdom really needs to consider relocating its capital. Once the Beastmen break through the defense line and head south, that would truly be an enormous disaster," Puber said, his face filled with worry.
"No, it's highly unlikely. In the past thousand years, the Beastmen have never been known to produce any kind of machinery. Even the simplest weapons and basic tools were smuggled from Dwarf Territory. If they really had this capability, they would have used it long ago; there would be no need to wait until now," Komer firmly denied.
"But that's not necessarily the case. What if the Beastmen have only just developed it recently?" Puber retorted, not agreeing with Komer's perspective.
"It's still unlikely. If the Beastmen really developed it on their own, they wouldn't just use one in battle, but could have produced countless in these past few years!" Komer signaled the bartender to refill their drinks, shaking his head confidently as he spoke.
"Nature creates all beings, who then compete for survival. Each possessing its own characteristics and weaknesses, which is why this world is so rich and colorful. This applies to the natural world as much as to human society. If any one species were to dominate, the Continent might long since have lost the space for other races to exist. One could argue that we mortals possess the most balanced of abilities and traits, yet we are the weakest when it comes to vitality. Beastmen possess a natural ability to survive, physically and in terms of vitality, they are several times stronger than mortals. But why then have they been confined by kingdoms to the Mogan Plateau in the North for hundreds of years? What's the reason for that?"
"Because they naturally lack discipline and do not possess the wisdom of mortals in the development of research capabilities, which is their inherent flaw. Moreover, we mortals can use magic, which they dread the most, to strike them. Warfare is not an individual act. It requires the comprehensive strength of various aspects, and they don't stand much chance."
"Then could that battering ram have been provided to them by the dwarfs?" Ilot chipped in.
The appearance of a battering ram among the beastmen was a huge shock to him as well. If the beastmen began to use battering rams on a large scale, those castles deployed along the kingdom's northern border would face total destruction, and that would indeed mean the end of the kingdom. Ilot had personally witnessed the power of the beastmen in combat. Even as he felt quite confident in his own prowess, the memory of those brutal fights sent shivers down his spine.
"Unlikely," Komer replied with some uncertainty after the bartender left, clearly he was also perplexed. But the impossible had indeed happened, "Although dwarfs are deft and skilled, they seldom take interest in and thus don't study much about large engineering instruments. Their interests and pursuits lie in weapons and craftworks; I don't believe they have the capability to create such things. Only we mortals, or more precisely, the mortal countries and powers on the Continent would be interested in such things. Producing a qualified battering ram requires highly complex craft and technology, not to mention that even the materials would be quite expensive."
"Boss is right, even if the dwarfs were able to make it, they probably wouldn't dare to provide it to the beastmen, risking angering every mortal on the whole Continent. They would certainly take this potential outcome into account," Puber agreed.
"Dwarfs are always timid and wary of trouble. While some in this world might sell anything for profit, dwarfs seem unlikely to do that. They are both cautious and stubborn, unlikely to easily change their cherished rules. Thus, if they truly were to break this taboo, it could lead to unrest across the whole Continent. I always feel the Continent is too calm right now; too much calm is often the harbinger of a great storm to come. But perhaps a bigger storm might be more beneficial to us inconsequential folk."
Komer lifted his mug of beer and sipped slowly, savoring the faint bitterness. The slightly bitter beer that refreshed his palate always seemed to sharpen his thoughts.
Ilot and Proton couldn't help but exchange a glance, their eyes filled with surprise.
They both noticed that Komer seemed like a changed man after more than three years of exile. They could occasionally glimpse the original untamed spirit in his words, but what they now perceived of him was more somber and steady. His transformation over the past three years had been so profound that both Ilot and Puber found it difficult to understand what their boss was now thinking.
Seeing the surprised looks directed at him from his companions, Komer knew his statements had once again caught their attention.
Perhaps it was that he had been exposed to too many new things over the past three years, influencing him in subtle ways, such that even he felt completely different from the old Komer, who spent his days in wild and wanton indulgence, the Reese Family's Second young master. Whether these changes were good or bad, Komer didn't know.
All he knew was that he was no longer the same person he used to be, nor could he return to his former way of life. From the day he left Cyprus City with a heart full of grief and anger, he was no longer the Komer he once was.