Chapter 401: The Missing Captain Huntington

Charlot Mecklenburg had recently grown increasingly busy.

After securing a promise from his "future father-in-law," he and Antonio decided to hand over control of the eleven cities surrounding the Red Dragon Strait. These strategically critical cities, which were both a commercial hub and a defensive front against the Southern Orc Tribes, were to be managed by Antonio’s personnel. Entrusting them to someone else would likely make His Majesty of Britannia uneasy, so Antonio was the best choice.

Charlot removed everyone from the eleven cities he controlled at the Red Dragon Strait—be they Orcs or the humans who had recently defected to him. They were all relocated.

The South Seraph frontlines couldn’t absorb this influx. After all, South Seraph would not officially become an Earldom until the Earl of Britannia’s ascension. Charlot had also transferred a portion of Behemoth Principality’s population to Cappadocia.

Before the transition, Charlot made sure to transform the eleven cities into labyrinthine fortresses. Though there was still some time before his planned departure to challenge the Labyrinth God Agmirlas at the Aggras Sea, Charlot wanted to be well-prepared. Even though he didn’t fully understand how voluntarily challenging the Labyrinth God differed from being forcibly dragged into the god’s arena, he decided to go on his own terms.

Charlot planned to sail to the Aggras Sea aboard the Radiant Holy Kingdom if it could be repaired. If not, he would use the Queen Bee.

Sophia Gallanord seemed qualified enough to captain a ship now and could become a valuable new addition to his adventures.

Alternatively, his senior, Menielman Soumet, could also fill the role—Charlot wasn’t particularly choosy.

While reorganizing the West Wind Knight Order, Charlot stumbled upon an unexpected development. Following the siege of Strasbourg, instead of suffering losses, his forces had grown by an additional 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers.

Charlot had absorbed the private knight orders of Prince Redmir Axel and Duke Mossred, along with consolidating the local factions of Strasbourg. This expansion caused the West Wind Knight Order to swell with strength once again.

The private knight orders, in particular, consisted of elite forces, many of whom possessed extraordinary abilities.

With Prince Redmir Axel dead and both Midaphis Axel and Duke Mossred fleeing, they had abandoned their knight orders. This turn of events gifted Charlot a wealth of talent. These new subordinates were all careful and respectful, their demeanor tinged with fear—clearly anxious about being mistaken for rebels and executed.

Charlot concentrated his labyrinth guardians and most elite troops at Sedona City on the South Seraph front. Although he hadn’t yet returned, he found himself missing his old adversary, Chloe Hadrian.

Once the war began, Charlot planned to have the "Old Goat" personally capture Chloe alive.

Perhaps Chloe could be persuaded to switch sides. Even if that failed, Charlot intended to show mercy and spare him. After all, the two had fought a tacit war for so long that some form of mutual respect had formed between them.

While tirelessly managing his knight orders and territories, Charlot didn’t neglect a thorough restructuring of the Central Government Office. Although the office was relatively low in the administrative hierarchy of the Fars Empire—beneath the ministers—and its director was merely a fifth-grade civil servant, it was the core administrative body of the empire.

Now an Imperial Count, Charlot was also the emperor’s son-in-law, a trusted ally, and a leading figure in the empire’s inner circle. His intervention in the affairs of the Central Government Office, or even the entire bureaucratic system, was unchallenged.

A few days after the Countess’s funeral, Charlot discovered documents declaring the loyalty of the Imperial Rose Fleet and the East Wind Fleet while sorting through paperwork.

Charlot immediately sent copies of these documents to the Royal Office.

The empire’s central administrative system comprised three main offices: the Central Government Office, the Royal Office, and the Empress’s Office. The Royal Office was currently managed by Antonio, while the Empress’s Office was temporarily overseen by Grandmother Saint Karen, as there was no empress in Fars.

After forwarding the documents, Charlot drafted commendations for Menielman Soumet and Sophia Gallanord.

While writing, a wave of nostalgia hit him.

Charlot Mecklenburg could now dictate the promotions and dismissals of numerous imperial officials. Many of his commands didn’t even require approval; he was the ultimate decision-maker.

However, after dealing with official business for a while, Charlot felt mentally fatigued. He set the work aside and began browsing old archives.

The Central Government Office housed many classified records that Charlot hadn’t had access to in the past. Now, they were at his disposal. These documents contained secrets about ancient times, imperial affairs, and even the gods—knowledge Charlot desperately needed.

As he skimmed through the files, one from Kilmainham Prison caught his eye. Dated three months prior, its classification as "top secret" piqued Charlot’s curiosity.

Having once worked at Kilmainham Prison, Charlot couldn’t resist opening it.

Prisons rarely held any surprises, and top-secret files from three months ago were likely outdated.

But one glance made Charlot’s hair stand on end.

The document revealed that a riot had occurred in the semi-dimensional plane beneath Kilmainham Prison, resulting in the disappearance of over a dozen individuals.

The prison’s semi-dimensional plane was one of the empire’s deepest secrets, known only to a select few high-ranking individuals. Even many nobles were unaware of its existence.

Every year, the empire transported prisoners there, erasing their memories and forging new identities so they could inhabit the plane. Their purpose was to explore ruins and extract wealth for the empire.

The plane was a one-way passage—no one had ever returned.

This secret could never be exposed to the public—or even most imperial bureaucrats.

But none of this mattered as much as one key detail:

Among the missing was Captain Huntington!

Not even the current warden knew Huntington’s true identity.

The only people aware that Captain Huntington was, in fact, Zimourman Axel Robin, were Charlot and Menielman Soumet. Previously, there had been others, such as the late Emperor Julius VI, who had ordered Zimourman’s exile after erasing his memories.

The reason? Zimourman was the old emperor’s grandson.

Charlot now understood why Julius VI hadn’t executed Zimourman outright.

But now, with Julius VI gone, the knowledge of Zimourman’s identity was all but extinct.

Charlot felt a deep unease.

“How could Zimourman have gone missing?”

“Hadn’t his memories been completely erased?”

“Or could this just be an ordinary disappearance? After all, the semi-dimensional plane beneath Kilmainham Prison is a forsaken place, once home to a brilliant civilization abandoned by the gods.”

“Yet...”

Charlot couldn’t shake the feeling that the matter was far more complicated.

• Please take a moment to rate this novel at Novelupdate.

Next Chapter >>>