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Chapter 168: Without Alarming Allied Nations
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 02:50:17 +0000 UTCCharlot Mecklenburg did indeed bring Julian along.
He didn’t delay on the way, as he had no plans to return to Machubi. Instead, midway through the journey, he instructed Dubin Alger, Yellow Bear, Gwen the Spotted Deer, and Bancroft the Gale Wolf to escort the West Wind Knight Order to Machubi. He also left the four behind at Machubi, summoned Dolores Soumet back, and asked her to bring along a batch of warhorses.
Dolores, as a lady of the Soumet family, was the most suitable candidate for the mission to the Ingrima Empire. Since she was returning, Charlot decided to leave some personnel to guard the fortress. He wasn’t comfortable leaving only Dubin, nor was he reassured by anyone else, so he left all of them behind.
When Dolores saw Charlot, she voiced no complaints. Machubi wasn’t far from Strasbourg, and she often sent people to Strasbourg to buy newspapers. While her information was slightly outdated, she was far from uninformed.
She asked a few questions with great interest, deeply regretting that she hadn’t been able to visit Mostar Castle herself and witness the duchess’s execution.
When she met Anastasia and Belisa, her curiosity grew even more.
Her reaction upon seeing Julian was one of astonishment.
Charlot had been transparent about Julian’s identity from the start, informing his key subordinates in advance to prevent any misunderstandings about Julian being one of their own.
Meanwhile, High Priest Auguslatin had sent several messages urging Charlot to return to Strasbourg as soon as possible. Charlot waited near Machubi for a day, allowing Dubin and his team to deliver the knights, and for Dolores to regroup with them.
As soon as Dolores returned, Charlot resumed his journey.
In this era, covering over two hundred kilometers would typically take several days. Fortunately, without the army in tow, the fifty-strong team, now equipped with the horses Dolores had brought back, made significantly faster progress.
When Charlot saw Strasbourg again, he was filled with a flood of emotions. Upon his departure, he was a Level 34 Fourth-Class Clerk. Now, he had risen to the rank of Level 29 First-Class Administrative Officer. War, indeed, was the fastest path to promotion.
Returning to Strasbourg, Charlot and Dolores first headed to the Central Government Office's Military Knights Division.
The West Wind Knight Order had been assigned to support the Behemoth Principality.
Although Grand Duke Joseph had perished in battle, the duchess had been executed, and even several influential nobles had followed Grand Duke Joseph to their deaths in the small town of Interlaken, the duke’s most trusted confidant, Baron Feller, had also fallen in battle with his entire family. The only survivor was Anastasia, an illegitimate daughter.
In the end, the mission was considered complete.
Hughes had ultimately retreated.
The Military Knights Division, evidently following instructions from higher authorities, approved the West Wind Knight Order's mission report with the highest rating. They submitted the evaluation to an even higher department and issued a new directive. The order instructed the West Wind Knight Order to assist the Ingrima Empire in clearing out the "pirates" hiding in the city of Cappadocia on the island of Gorling—without alarming allied nations.
Though the Ingrima Empire was part of the Old Continent, its territory wasn’t located on the mainland. Instead, it consisted of three massive islands and over a thousand smaller ones, forming an archipelago.
The three main islands were collectively known as the Ingrima Trio, individually named Britannia, Gorling, and Ojibwa.
The capital, Britann, was situated on the smallest of the three islands, Britannia. Despite its small size, Britannia’s flat terrain and abundant resources housed nearly ninety percent of the empire’s population.
Cappadocia City was on Gorling Island, the second-largest of the trio. The island, dominated by mountainous terrain with only small patches of flat land, was sparsely populated and its residents scattered across its expanse.
When pirates occupied Cappadocia years ago, the city’s population once exceeded ten thousand, making it the largest settlement on Gorling Island at the time.
Even now, as a modest town with a population of just a few thousand, it still ranked as Gorling Island’s fifth-largest “city.”
Charlot obtained a document from two centuries ago when the Ingrima Empire requested the Fars Empire’s help to eradicate the pirates of Cappadocia City. He also secured an official troop deployment order from the Fars Empire. From a political legitimacy standpoint, there was hardly a flaw.
However, Charlot was well aware that, should something go wrong, he would become a scapegoat. The empire would inevitably find a reason to shift the blame and pin the responsibility on him.
High Priest Auguslatin, the driving force behind this operation, firmly believed no mishaps would occur. After all, both he and Charlot ensured that the West Wind Knight Order would never step foot on Ingrima soil.
After completing the necessary formalities, Dolores parted ways with Charlot. She returned to Strasbourg to handle some personal matters.
Charlot assigned his team to No. 1 Falcon Street and, after some deliberation, chose to visit Gorgias University first—between High Priest Auguslatin and Annie Bretagne.
Annie had just finished her class when she noticed a black carriage parked outside the teaching building.
Previously, Charlot didn’t have a permanent pass to Gorgias University, only a multiple-entry pass, which normally wouldn’t allow carriage access. However, Dark Luxury was different. Once inside the university, it transformed into a carriage.
Charlot alighted with a smile and asked, “Might I have the honor of inviting Miss Annie to afternoon tea?”
Annie, both surprised and delighted, nearly threw herself into Charlot’s arms, had they not been on campus. Even so, she offered her hand with a radiant smile, letting Charlot escort her into the carriage.
Once inside, Annie embraced Charlot tightly. This was the closest they had ever been, and Charlot could hear her pounding heartbeat. He felt a mixture of pride, sweetness, and a hint of unease.
The greatest threat during his trip to the Behemoth Principality had been Hughes’ attempt to expose his past.
Charlot still believed that, for now, no one knew of his history, thanks to the efforts of Earl Bretagne. But he worried about the day when Annie might learn of Charlot Mecklenburg’s past. How would she react?
He pondered, “Should I make our relationship irreversible first?”
Then he quickly dismissed the thought.
“No, the Earl would kill me.”
“Besides, it wouldn’t be ethical.”
“I’d rather fail than resort to such lowly methods to succeed.”
Charlot shared part of his experiences in the Behemoth Principality with Annie, omitting key details.
Annie, in turn, shared how much she had missed him.
As the carriage left Gorgias University and headed toward their reserved restaurant, Charlot instructed the Redback Bear Tribe warrior driving the carriage to slow down. He then retrieved a carefully prepared gift.
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