Chapter 345: The Southern Continent and the Orc Tribes

Even with Annie Mecklenburg stationed in a critical role, Charlot Mecklenburg found himself forced to return to the front lines.

However, this time, he wasn’t deployed back to the Principality of Behemoth, the South Seraph war zone, or even the meat grinder that was Ferranden. Instead, he was assigned to open an entirely new battlefield.

This offensive was dubbed the Southern Offensive.

The empire committed five knight orders to this effort, supported by three Saint-ranked individuals.

Not included in this count were Herolf, the Golden Ram of the West Wind Knight Order, and Tumisan, the Leopard God, as neither belonged to the empire’s regular combat ranks.

The Old Continent was divided into two parts by a vast and exceptionally long strait known as the Red Dragon Sea. Stretching over 5,000 kilometers, its width ranged from hundreds of kilometers at its broadest to merely twenty or thirty kilometers at its narrowest. The strait was exceedingly deep, with towering mountains dominating the northern shore and sprawling plains defining the southern shore—a landscape unmatched on Earth.

The five great empires resided on the northern continent. In ancient times, the Orc Kingdom was also based there. However, after the kingdom’s downfall, it was driven south by the Sherlock Dynasty, forced to retreat to the southern continent, where it fragmented into countless tribes.

Due to geographical challenges, the orcs, though they thrived and multiplied on the southern continent, could no longer mount any counterattacks.

The last major attempt by the Orc Tribal Alliance, bolstered by extraordinary powers, involved infiltrating the area near Strasbourg. Yet they were decisively crushed, with their elites annihilated. A few remnants managed to escape back toward the Red Dragon Sea. Busy with battles on multiple fronts, the Fars Empire temporarily ignored the orc remnants, who, under the leadership of several Saint-ranked individuals, established a foothold on the northern continent.

Over the past half-year, the orcs expanded their occupied territory, recruiting more tribes from the southern continent. Now, they had established a camp housing tens of thousands of orcs.

The Fars Empire, unable to invade the southern continent, had one goal for this so-called Southern Offensive: to drive the orcs back across the Red Dragon Sea.

The southern orc tribes were a perennial headache for the Fars Empire.

Being the southernmost of the five great empires, only Fars faced the threat of the southern continent’s orc tribes.

...

Charlot bid farewell to Annie and departed Strasbourg, gathering the scattered forces of the West Wind Knight Order. However, he did not recall all members. Dolores Soumet was left to hold Machubi Fortress Labyrinth, with Belisa assigned to support her. Lacking sufficient talent under his command, Charlot had to station Belisa in the Principality of Behemoth. Meanwhile, Dubin Alger and Yellow Bear were dispatched to guard the South Seraph war zone.

Charlot took with him Anastasia, the entirety of the Labyrinth Guards, over 5,000 troops, Herolf, and Tumisan, setting off for the southernmost reaches of the Fars Empire.

...

The march lasted more than ten days, after which bustling cities became a thing of the past.

After passing through a small town called Positano, every village and settlement they encountered lay in ruin, devoid of any living soul. Wherever the orcs had passed, they left nothing but devastation, consuming all life.

Though Charlot had a few orc friends and knew not all orcs were cannibals, he couldn’t suppress his rage and ached to slay more orcs.

...

After over a month of marching, the West Wind Knight Order finally reached the Red Dragon Sea. Originally, there had been over a dozen cities along its northern coast, fortified to defend against orcs. But now, these cities were abandoned. Most residents had fled, while those who remained had become orc food.

Upon arrival, Charlot discovered a grim reality...

Only the West Wind Knight Order had arrived!

The defeated remnants of the Orc Tribal Alliance included at least five Saint-ranked individuals. Now, they had recruited tens of thousands of orcs. How could the West Wind Knight Order alone hope to prevail?

Charlot immediately contemplated a temporary retreat.

At the very least, he needed to wait for the other knight orders and allied forces to arrive before re-engaging.

While reorganizing his troops, a courier arrived from Strasbourg with updated orders and intelligence. The message revealed that Strasbourg had initially dispatched five knight orders under the command of three Saint-ranked individuals. However, an emergency in the Ferranden front forced the recall of four orders, leaving only Charlot’s West Wind Knight Order to hold their ground and repel any orc attacks if necessary.

Charlot’s face darkened as he read the report. It was clear to him that he had been set up.

Whoever orchestrated this maneuver was cunning and ruthless, ensuring no interference from any higher authority. Count Gallanord had remained in Ferranden and was unlikely to take notice of the new southern front. Meanwhile, Menielman Soumet’s fleet operated on the high seas, often experiencing delays in intelligence. Even Count Bretagne, should he wish to intervene, had been diverted to Ferranden as well.

After delivering the orders and intelligence, the courier prepared to leave.

Charlot didn’t hesitate. He drew a knight’s lance and hurled it, pinning the imperial courier to the ground.

By eliminating the courier, Charlot could feign ignorance of the empire’s orders, buying himself some leeway.

Though the courier might have been innocent, Charlot had no choice. Sparing the courier would have endangered the lives of everyone in the West Wind Knight Order.

After executing the courier, Charlot ordered, “Attack Dubrovnik!”

The orc camp lay at the center of the Red Dragon Sea, while Dubrovnik was situated on its far eastern edge. A port city, it provided a direct sea route to the city of Zermatt on Goring Island, requiring only a few hundred kilometers of sailing.

Charlot didn’t intend to return through conventional long marches. He planned to transform Dubrovnik into a labyrinth, creating a passage to retreat to Machubi Fortress Labyrinth.

Once the West Wind Knight Order withdrew, he would hunt down whoever had conspired against him. The spectacle of dispatching five knight orders only to have one remain while the rest were recalled was a masterpiece of treachery.

When Charlot found the culprit, he would stop at nothing to eliminate them.

The old goat Herolf maintained his aloof and silent demeanor. Tumisan, however, couldn’t hold back and said, “Sending you here alone... isn’t this a death sentence?”

Charlot replied calmly, “It’s not that easy to kill me.”

Inwardly, he thought, “If worse comes to worst, I’ll summon the Labyrinth God and escalate matters!”

Tumisan sighed and offered, “Want me to act as an envoy? I’m not too close with those old guys, but I’ve had dealings with them.”

Charlot shook his head. “This is war. This is a battlefield. Personal connections are meaningless.”

“In fact, leveraging such connections could be exploited, turning them into traps against us.”

Though not a qualified strategist or a seasoned tactician, Charlot had encountered countless so-called armchair generals. He knew that under such circumstances, negotiating with the enemy was a fool’s errand.

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