Chapter 423: Don’t Let Her Get in My Way

The Black Dragon blinked, his smile calm and self-assured.

Although he hadn’t done much, he had done it right, and that was crucial.

The Evil Gods of the Old Continent had been unusually quiet, rarely causing any major disturbances. This was no coincidence. The Nine Radiant Gods had waged countless crusades against the Evil Gods thousands of years ago. Each crusade left behind relics from the Evil Gods, transformed into treasures.

These treasures were often bestowed upon loyal followers.

Take Charlot, for example.

However!

The thought processes of deities differed greatly from humans.

They would leave behind treasures and let humans distribute them amongst themselves.

Since ancient times, stories born of these treasures were as varied as they were dramatic—some moving, others exposing the stark darkness of human nature.

Then, there were individuals like the Black Dragon. He had tossed the Blood Rhinoceros into Gareth’s stomach, ensuring that when the Lady of the Black Moon transformed the Evil God’s remnants into treasures, the Blood Rhinoceros would naturally serve as the foundation—just as she had turned the dragon-slaying club into a black knight’s lance.

What a coincidence!

The Blood Rhinoceros belonged to Charlot.

Thus, the new Blood Rhinoceros still belonged to Charlot.

This was beyond dispute.

Antonio wouldn’t raise any objections. He and Charlot were relatives—genuine relatives—and wouldn’t quarrel over interests.

As for the other Saint-ranked figures...

While nominally subordinate to Charlot, the Black Dragon didn’t believe Charlot could control individuals like Cresto.

After all, treasures left by deities were extraordinary. If others had ulterior motives, Charlot might not be able to secure the treasure unchallenged. Furthermore, any conflict over treasures would inevitably sow discord, regardless of the outcome. At the very least, seeds of dissatisfaction would be planted.

Charlot could lose the allegiance of several Saint-ranked subordinates.

Thus, the Black Dragon had devised this subtle strategy to smooth over all potential conflicts before they could arise.

The role of an advisor wasn’t to solve problems as they occurred, but to prevent problems from ever arising for their master.

Charlot wordlessly absorbed the Blood Rhinoceros into his Blood Vortex, but his heart was shaken, unable to calm for a long time. He truly hadn’t expected this lizard-headed strategist, the Black Dragon, to prove so useful. At the time, he hadn’t considered such a convoluted solution—just as he hadn’t thought of being the first to swear loyalty to his father-in-law last time.

Charlot re-deployed the Radiant Holy Kingdom, allowing those hiding aboard to disembark. Despite his best efforts, the Bretagne Knight Order and the West Wind Knight Order had suffered heavy losses. It was truly impossible to avoid casualties entirely. Antonio offered Charlot a few words of comfort, having long noticed that his “brother-in-law” didn’t like needless deaths.

Though still unable to let go, Charlot knew he couldn’t dwell on such emotions forever. Pursuing the avatar of the Flame Evil God Anururu had taken them hundreds of kilometers away. Now, they needed to return to the Mossred Duchy, a journey requiring some time.

After some discussion, it was decided that Charlot would use the Radiant Holy Kingdom to ferry everyone back to their original camp.

When Charlot and Antonio returned to the battlefield from the previous day, an entire day had passed. The scale of the battle had been immense, and the lingering fires on the ground were evidence of its intensity. The path Anururu had fled along left a trail of ash stretching toward the Black Phoenix Dynasty, as though carving a road through the land.

After the “War of Deicide,” everyone was utterly exhausted. With the knight orders heavily depleted, Charlot and Antonio decided to rest and recuperate for a while.

They withdrew to a nearby small city named Rachma.

Once they had settled in Rachma, Charlot left to fetch Annie and the Axel sisters, Renee and Sarah. However, when he found Annie, the two Axel sisters were nowhere to be seen.

These two young ladies had been well-behaved throughout the journey, so Charlot hadn’t expected such a significant incident to occur so suddenly. Having brought them out with Antonio, he now had a responsibility to return them safely; otherwise, there would be no explaining it to Prince Alfrey Axel.

Charlot first escorted Annie to Rachma, then hurried back to where the Axel sisters had gone missing, taking the Black Dragon and Viggo with him.

In his haste, Charlot hadn’t taken Annie far, merely dropping her off at a nearby town not far from Rachma called Sunnysands.

Ever since Charlot mastered the Infinite Mirror World, he created small mirror spaces in every city he passed through. Though these spaces were interconnected, they were tiny for now. However, Charlot believed that with persistence, he could eventually spread the Infinite Mirror World across the entire Old Continent.

Charlot didn’t bring the Golden Ram Herolf or the Silverback Gorilla Choudrou along. While both subordinates were powerful, their intellect was lacking. Moreover, the grand commander and two vice commanders of the Royal Knights were unsuitable for casual errands; they deserved due respect.

Only the sharp-witted Black Dragon and the increasingly reliable Viggo were fit to accompany him in searching for the missing individuals.

Charlot questioned Annie. Upon reaching Sunnysands, she claimed not to have left her carriage. She had heard the Axel sisters mention finding more comfortable accommodations but had merely sent escorts with them rather than accompanying them herself.

After the sisters left, they never returned.

Charlot had stationed elite Maze Guards with Annie, and while there were only a dozen, all of them were extraordinary. Four Maze Guards, known as Redback Bear Warriors, had accompanied the Axel sisters. Among them was even a mid-level extraordinary warrior.

Charlot found it hard to believe that anyone could have taken down four Redback Bear Warriors. The Old Continent wasn’t exactly teeming with extraordinary individuals!

Even the four prestigious universities of Fars produced only a handful of extraordinary graduates each year. In an ordinary town, a single low-level extraordinary figure was rare, let alone someone capable of defeating four Maze Guards and kidnapping two women.

Unless outsiders were involved...

Charlot returned to Sunnysands and went directly to the city’s lord. He seized authority and immediately issued a decree: each household was to provide one individual for a makeshift militia. Within a single day, he organized a massive local force comprising ten percent of the town’s population.

This was the most efficient approach. Charlot quickly uncovered the truth: an adventurer team had arrived in Sunnysands a day before Annie’s group and left shortly afterward.

Several townsfolk confirmed seeing the adventurers engage in combat with the Redback Bear Warriors. Some even testified that the adventurers’ convoy had gained several new members when they departed.

Without hesitation, Charlot relinquished his temporary authority over the town, taking the Black Dragon and Viggo with him to pursue the trail described by the witnesses.

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