Chapter 397: The Future Statesman of the Empire

Antonio immediately agreed when Morgan explained his intention to leave the Old Continent and travel to the New Continent. “Leave it to me!” he exclaimed.
“I’ll arrange a ship for you!”

Charlot quietly stepped aside, not intending to interfere in this matter.
He didn’t even visit the Earl of Bretagne.

These days, the Earl had stayed close to his wife, never leaving her side.

It was Charlot’s second visit to 58 Sixth Avenue in Val-de-Vas and his first time entering the residence. Yet, he felt no attachment to the place. Morgan’s matter was too sensitive—Antonio could handle it, but Charlot dared not get involved.

In the following days, Charlot began organizing the orderly withdrawal of the West Wind Knight Order. They retreated to South Seraph, Behemoth Principality, and cities along the Red Dragon Strait.

Strasbourg was now under the control of the Bretagne family, and in theory, it should be managed by the Bretagne Knight Order. Previously, the Earl had arrived in a hurry, bringing only nine Saint-rank knights. Most of the personnel available were from the West Wind Knight Order. However, Bretagne knights had gradually arrived, and Charlot’s group had too many orcs, whose presence evoked unpleasant memories among the people of Strasbourg. To avoid conflict, Charlot decided to withdraw his troops in advance.

While Charlot was withdrawing the West Wind Knight Order in stages, several significant events occurred in the Fars Empire.

First, Midaphis retreated to the territory of Prince Redmir and declared independence from Fars, establishing the Second Fars Kingdom. Almost simultaneously, Mossred declared independence in his ducal domain, allied with seven noble territories, and founded the Kingdom of Oslo, proclaiming himself the first king!

Next, Count D’Artagnan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Count Gallanord, the Minister of War, announced their recognition of the legitimacy of the Earl of Bretagne.

Finally, a temporary ceasefire was reached on the Ferranden front.

Charlot could understand the first two events, but the third baffled him. Why hadn’t Byron taken advantage of the situation? There were undoubtedly countless undercurrents and backdoor dealings at play. Although Charlot had become a rising political figure close to the Earl of Bretagne through this coup, he was not yet qualified to involve himself in such grand matters. These affairs remained firmly in the hands of the old bureaucratic elite of the Fars Empire, and even the Earl of Bretagne had yet to intervene directly.

Just as Charlot completed the withdrawal of the orcs and was about to pull back the remaining knights, the Earl of Bretagne finally made his first public appearance after the coup!

The Earl first visited Count D’Artagnan, then sent his son Antonio to the Ferranden front, and subsequently held a series of meetings with Strasbourg’s nobility.

Every day, countless messengers left Strasbourg, rushing to various destinations, while envoys arrived from all directions to negotiate with the Earl of Bretagne. Despite the strength of the Bretagne family, the effort to “reunify” Fars would take considerable time.

As a loyal subordinate, Charlot frequently accompanied the Earl of Bretagne during these hectic days. However, unfamiliar with politics, he chose to remain silent and focus on fulfilling his role as a reliable assistant.

Charlot was unaware that he had already become a prominent figure in Fars’ political landscape, with many eyes watching his every move.

After all, he now commanded seven Saint-rank knights, controlled three major territories, and led tens of thousands of elite troops. Outside the Bretagne Knight Order, Charlot was one of the top five powerholders in the Fars Empire.

Finally, after many busy days, Charlot had a rare day off. He gathered all his subordinates for a banquet at 58 Elysée Avenue.

Previously, Charlot’s gatherings had been dominated by female attendees. This time, several men joined, including the seven Saint-rank knights—Black Dragon, Silverback Gorilla Choudrou, Golden Ram Herolf, Viggo, Cresto, Aspuros, and Regulus—as well as Dubin, Yellow Bear, Dolores, Anastasia, and Belisa.

Two new members also joined the group: Italio Calvino, the fast-handed scribe and ghostwriter of Charlot’s memoirs, and Sebald of the South Seraph, who had mastered the complete transformation into an Overback Red Bear and begun training in Bloodfire Combat Energy.

Additionally, Charlot’s few close friends attended, including Venie Arsenault, the head of the Cat Detective Agency, and his former fiancée, Sylvie Martin.

Charlot’s gathering was a testament to his abundant talent pool.

Lady Nancella, freshly released, brought a few temporary maids to serve the guests, while Madam Umeboshi nearly worked herself to exhaustion, though she seemed quite pleased.

Three grown Clever Cats darted through the crowd, preferring to stay close to Charlot or Venie Arsenault. The former was their familiar master, and the latter’s proficiency in Cat Spirit Magic naturally won their favor.

As Charlot mingled with his guests, he suddenly felt someone tugging at his sleeve. Turning, he saw it was Black Dragon, who led him to a secluded corner.

Black Dragon whispered, “Master Mecklenburg, it’s time for you to take action.”

“What action?” Charlot asked.

“Announce that the South Seraph warzone, Behemoth Principality, and Red Dragon warzone pledge their allegiance to His Lordship of Bretagne,” Black Dragon stated firmly.

Charlot realized what he had overlooked. “I’m not well-versed in politics and forgot to make this public declaration.”

Though Charlot assumed his unwavering support for the Earl of Bretagne was evident, Black Dragon’s reminder made him understand the importance of explicitly stating his loyalty. Without a public announcement, others might perceive him as ambiguous.

Charlot immediately sought advice from Cresto, Aspuros, and Regulus.

These three former captains of the Royal Knight Order were in an awkward position. They had pledged loyalty to Charlot on the condition that Axel’s bloodline would regain the throne. Since the Earl of Bretagne lacked Axel blood, they now owed allegiance to Charlot. Leaving wasn’t an option—they had no other place to go. Following Charlot, the Earl’s recognized future son-in-law and a rising power, was their best choice.

Moreover, they couldn’t accuse Charlot of deception. While the Earl of Bretagne himself lacked Axel blood, his wife, the eldest daughter of Emperor Julius VI, passed the bloodline to their children, Antonio and Annie. The throne would inevitably return to Axel’s lineage.

Charlot approached them because they were familiar with the protocols of pledging allegiance and could provide guidance.

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