Chapter 368: Enough to Rebel

The young feline women from various tribes were all geniuses in their own right, surpassing even Charlot Mecklenburg, who had yet to summon an evil god.

Since Charlot, with the help of two Saint-ranked orc warriors, Black Dragon and Silverback Gorilla Choudrou, swallowed up the entire orc camp and unified the disparate tribes under the Fate Church, his status had skyrocketed.

Charlot had not overthought it; he merely found the fragmented orc tribes too cumbersome to manage and opted for the simplest method. Yet, even he was surprised by how effective it was.

Charlot still hadn’t fully adapted to his newfound position. Declining offers of personal service, he first sought out Black Dragon to discuss how to lodge a protest with Strasbourg.

Charlot’s aim was to seek fairness, not to court disaster.

If he marched on Strasbourg with hundreds of thousands of orcs, the Saint-rank figures there would annihilate him before hearing him out, let alone grant him justice.

Securing fairness required wisdom.

In the real world, outcomes often depended not on principles but on strategies.

Thus, Charlot sought counsel from Black Dragon.

Golden Ram Herolf wasn’t particularly bright, and while Silverback Gorilla Choudrou was intelligent, his resentment kept him from offering much advice to Charlot.

Black Dragon, in his usual human guise, had become an indispensable "military sergeant" to Charlot. The old lizardman exuded the demeanor of a scholar, his extensive knowledge and cultivated manners lending him an air of genuine erudition.

Black Dragon proved to be a reliable advisor, consistently offering sound strategies.

When Charlot approached him, Black Dragon was instructing a group of orcs in the Beast God Transformation technique. The old lizardman understood Charlot’s vision of bridging the divide between humans and orcs. If humans could transform into orcs and orcs into humans, intermarriage would become commonplace, erasing the distinctions between the two races over time.

Particularly with the Fate Church’s founding—something Charlot himself didn’t regard as significant—Black Dragon recognized the terrifying potential it held. If the church and its forty-eight doctrines spread widely, they could foster a powerful sense of identity among its members, transcending their racial backgrounds.

Thus, Black Dragon aimed to teach all transcendent orcs the Beast God Transformation technique, encouraging them to adopt human forms in daily life.

While the task was daunting, Black Dragon considered it one of the most crucial steps to achieving Charlot’s goals.

When Charlot arrived, Black Dragon smiled faintly and dismissed the transcendent orcs to continue their practice. He then addressed Charlot, “Patriarch Mecklenburg, you’ve come to discuss seeking justice from Strasbourg, haven’t you?”

Charlot, troubled, replied honestly, “I want justice, but I’m not looking to get myself killed. If I had hundreds of thousands of human soldiers and a few Saint-ranked allies like you, I’d march on Strasbourg without hesitation. But with an orc army, such a move wouldn’t bring justice—it would bring catastrophe to the orcs.”

“That’s something I absolutely cannot allow.”

“Orc lives matter too. I can’t squander their lives for my personal grievances.”

Having spent considerable time with Charlot, Black Dragon had come to understand his leadership style. Charlot was far from a conventional commander; he prioritized the lives of his subordinates, often sacrificing potential gains to ensure their survival. While orcs had no shortage of competent military leaders, a ruler who genuinely cared for them was far rarer. Smiling, Black Dragon said, “My advice? Do nothing.”

“This time, you’ve claimed eleven cities around the Red Dragon Strait and driven the orc army across the Red Dragon Sea. You’re bound to receive substantial rewards.”

“With your new status, your standing and influence in Fars will naturally increase. That will be the perfect time to demand justice.”

“You’ve mentioned a saying from the New Continent: ‘A small voice carries no weight.’”

“I believe this is a profound truth. When your status rises, so will the weight of your words.”

Charlot pondered this for a long time before sighing. “But it still feels unfair!”

Black Dragon fell silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice. “I suspect the Fars royal family’s indifference toward you isn’t entirely your fault—it’s likely tied to the Bretagne family.”

Charlot was taken aback. “How could I be implicated by the Bretagne family?”

With a faint smile, Black Dragon explained, “Don’t you find the Bretagne family too powerful?”

Charlot had recently learned that Count Bretagne was the strongest figure in the Fars Empire. Now he discovered that the count’s eldest son, Antonio Bretagne, was almost guaranteed to become the next great powerhouse of the empire. Moreover, the count could easily mobilize five Saint-ranked warriors for his daughter’s sake. In terms of sheer power...

“It’s enough to start a rebellion.”

The thought suddenly surfaced in Charlot’s mind, sending cold sweat down his back as a single notion echoed repeatedly: “Enough to start a rebellion…”

If he were Emperor Julius Axel VI of Fars, he would undoubtedly be wary of such a powerful family. Charlot, as a staunch member of the Bretagne faction, was already receiving a degree of leniency. The fact that the emperor hadn’t eliminated him outright was a sign of restraint.

A family’s strength isn’t measured by titles but by raw power. For instance, while Grand Dukes Ferdinand and Joseph held positions higher than the Bretagne family, the Breteagnes wouldn’t even need their knights to challenge the Behemoth Principality; they could let Grandma Saint Karen handle it alone.

When Emperor Julius Axel VI heard about a merchant’s son courting the daughter of Count Bretagne, he likely treated it as a joke, harboring no malice toward Charlot. However, as Charlot quickly rose in prominence and grew closer to Claire Bretagne, the emperor’s caution would inevitably deepen. Failing to be wary would render him unfit to rule.

In other words, the stronger Charlot became and the more achievements he garnered, the more hostility he would provoke from the emperor.

This wasn’t the work of scheming courtiers. It wasn’t some grand conspiracy orchestrated by Duchess Mesu last time or by anyone else this time.

Both events likely stemmed from the emperor’s will.

The Bretagne family was already too strong. The empire couldn’t afford a merchant’s son to rise to power as its influential son-in-law.

This is politics.

Suddenly, Charlot understood why Count Bretagne had suggested he and Annie settle in another country.

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