Axel

Chapter 380: The Countess Is Zimourman’s Aunt!

Added 2025-04-13 15:10:01 +0000 UTC

Princess Axo remained silent for a long time before sighing softly and saying, "I must admit, I envy you two young people."

Annie gently leaned into Grandma Saint Karen's embrace, her shoulders trembling slightly. She was deeply moved, tears flowing down her delicate cheeks like a stream as she softly murmured, "My Charlot Mecklenburg."

Grandma Saint Karen tenderly stroked Annie's back, sharing her heartfelt emotions.

After a moment, Princess Axo Axel declared, "As a princess of the Fars Empire, I grant Lord Mecklenburg the title of special envoy to the Lionheart Empire and appoint him as the cultural emissary of the Fars Empire."

"Your primary duty is to protect Miss Annie Bretagne!"

Charlot was neither ecstatic nor indifferent; he felt a sense of quiet satisfaction. Although he had no particular need for an official diplomatic identity, having the role of openly protecting Annie seemed like a good arrangement.

He expressed his gratitude for Princess Axo's decree, and she waved dismissively, adding, "The Byron people's endless ambushes are despicable. Along the way, everyone must take care to protect themselves. Our mission depends on all of you reaching the Lionheart Empire alive."

The princess dismissed the other attendants but kept Charlot and Annie behind.

Charlot felt somewhat uneasy until he saw Annie affectionately climb into Princess Axo's carriage. She whispered, "Aunt Axo, why are you scaring Charlot like this? He’s not very brave!"

Grandma Saint Karen approached Charlot and whispered, "The Countess is actually the Grand Princess. Annie has been close to Princess Axo since childhood. Her Highness was merely teasing you."

Charlot blinked in surprise before piecing it together. In terms of family ties, Princess Axo was indeed Annie’s aunt.

So, the Countess was Zimourman’s aunt!

The web of relationships among the nobility was indeed intricate. Charlot had always been aware of the interconnectedness of noble families, but this was the first time he had directly encountered such a tangled web of familial ties.

For the first time, Charlot also learned that the Count of Bretagne was married to Julius Axel VI’s daughter.

Previously, Charlot hadn't given much thought to his lineage. But at this moment, he truly realized the "advantages" of noble connections, an insurmountable edge for someone from an ordinary background.

He also understood why His Majesty the Emperor, despite harboring some wariness toward the Count of Bretagne, still granted him considerable power.

After all, they were family.

Princess Axo and Annie shared the warm dynamic of a kind elder indulging an adorable, lovable junior. They exchanged casual, lighthearted words, with Princess Axo even dismissing Charlot while keeping Annie and Grandma Saint Karen behind.

Although Charlot was sent away, it was clear the princess's primary focus was Annie.

As he left the princess’s carriage, Charlot had a sudden thought:

"Could Princess Axo have realized that the Black Dragon, Choudrou the Silverback Gorilla, and Herolf are all under my command?"

With a smirk, he mused, "This mission to the Lionheart Empire is turning out to be quite interesting!"

"If even a princess is willing to cover for me, who could stand against me?"

The delegation traveled for over a month before leaving the borders of the Fars Empire and entering the territory of Saint Mabiga.

The Lionheart Empire lay at the far northern edge of the continent, bordering Byron and six smaller nations, but it did not share a border with the Fars Empire. Thus, the delegation had to avoid Byron’s domain, instead traversing Saint Mabiga and Moldova to reach the Lionheart Empire.

These two neutral countries maintained a friendly attitude toward the delegation, with Saint Mabiga hosting them with the full honors due to state guests. A knightly escort was assigned to accompany the delegation under the pretense of safeguarding their journey—though it was clearly a precaution to prevent any incidents within their borders.

For Charlot, it was difficult to interact with Annie during the journey. He spent most of his time quietly cultivating in the Dark Luxury, occasionally entering a dream environment set up by Grandma Saint Karen to spar with his three Saint-rank subordinates.

Herolf, the Golden Ram, was the most enthusiastic participant, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to defeat Charlot in combat.

The Black Dragon, however, was more serious, offering Charlot earnest guidance in his training.

Choudrou, the Silverback Gorilla, was the least engaged, defeating Charlot instantly with a single move every time.

Saint Mabiga was a small country, and crossing its territory took only seven or eight days. The delegation quickly entered Moldova.

Unlike the calm journey through Saint Mabiga, Moldova proved far more chaotic.

On their first day in Moldova, the delegation encountered a band of mountain bandits.

Banditry was rampant on the Old Continent, though Charlot had rarely encountered such trouble in Strasbourg. During his diplomatic mission to Ingrima, he had witnessed the might of sea pirates, including the most formidable pirate, now serving as his housekeeper.

Unexpectedly, despite the delegation being accompanied by a 500-strong Royal Knights contingent, 50 elite knights from the Bretagne family, and a 200-man escort from the High Priest Tromso, Princess Axo specifically ordered Charlot to deal with the bandits.

Left with no choice, Charlot took his three Saint-rank subordinates to the front lines.

He had not brought any members of the West Wind Knight Order on this trip. Large-scale combat was unnecessary when three Saint-rank experts were more than enough.

After all, if even these three couldn’t handle a problem, no number of knights could resolve it.

In this world, the strong were revered, and battles were determined primarily by the actions of the powerful. Ordinary soldiers could only play a minor supporting role.

The Moldovan bandits numbered over two thousand, emboldened by their numbers to block such a large delegation. Their display was particularly audacious—they had even captured the Moldovan officials sent to welcome the delegation, suspending more than ten of them on poles like flags.

Of course, the officials themselves were too heavy to be lifted; only their robes fluttered in the wind.

Charlot shook his head at the sight of such a spectacle and turned to his subordinates. "We don’t have many people with us, so go easy on them."

The Black Dragon and Choudrou were still unfamiliar with Charlot’s methods, but Herolf, having followed him for some time, understood well that the master of the Mecklenburg family was adept at "recruiting troops."

Time and again, Charlot had absorbed surrendered forces into his ranks, swiftly consolidating their loyalty.