Chapter 323: Commander of the South Seraph War Zone

Charlot had a foreboding sense of unease, and as expected, his name soon came out of Earl Bretagne’s mouth.

"The new commander of the South Seraph War Zone is you—Charlot Mecklenburg!"

Charlot couldn’t help but exclaim, “With so many Saint ranks, how could it possibly fall to me?”

Earl Bretagne smiled faintly and said, “There will soon be no Saint ranks left here.”

Charlot was taken aback, but he quickly understood. The South Seraph had been utterly devastated. Its population was nearly gone—not because of the war, but mostly because Charlot had relocated them elsewhere.

From the Empire’s perspective, a war zone that required constant material transport without the ability to resupply locally held no strategic value for further troop investment.

Especially when this direction offered no significant advantage to the overall war effort. Initially, the campaign had been launched as a misunderstanding. Both sides mistakenly believed the other was planning a major offensive in the South Seraph. Once the truth was revealed, neither wanted to invest further troops, leaving the region to a less important leader.

Charlot was the most logical choice—there was no other.

After all, he was already the administrative officer of the South Seraph’s five cities and had been stationed there long enough. To the higher-ups, his familiarity with the region made him the ideal candidate to stabilize the situation.

Yes, he was a natural "patch repairer."

Charlot took a deep breath. He didn’t want to take on this burden, but he also knew that only he was suitable. If anyone else were assigned, they would undoubtedly lack any goodwill toward the South Seraph. Even something as simple as requisitioning supplies would exacerbate the region’s suffering. Only Charlot could provide some degree of care for its people.

He muttered under his breath, “There must be some benefit to this, right?”

Earl Bretagne showed no surprise. He had investigated Charlot thoroughly, knowing more about him than even Annie. Charlot’s relentless ambition and upward climb amused him.

This was precisely why Earl Bretagne, who had contemplated killing Charlot numerous times, had ultimately refrained.

Earl Bretagne gazed at Charlot and couldn’t help but ponder silently, “I don’t believe in the so-called power of love. But this boy, ever since meeting Annie, has completely transformed—not only working tirelessly but also abandoning his former indulgent lifestyle.”

“Even when faced with the Empire’s First Rose, he kept it strictly at a mentor-mentee level. Even with Princess May Guillaume, there was no overstepping. And despite his acquaintance with Sophia Gallanord, he never maintained any private contact afterward.”

“Even I am curious now—is there really such a thing as the power of love?”

“Of course, if it ever endangers Annie, I will stop it without hesitation.”

Earl Bretagne remained deep in thought for a long moment before breaking into a light smile. “Didn’t I already tell you? You will be the commander of the South Seraph War Zone!”

Previously, Clair Bretagne’s official role was the temporary military regent of the Behemoth Principality, the highest administrative authority in the autonomous region.

Clair had once remarked that Charlot’s position was too low to qualify for such a role.

However, within the Fars Empire's system, there existed a lower form of temporary administrative division known as a “war zone.” Typically, this designation was applied to newly conquered territories, remaining so until governance stabilized enough to decide whether the area would become an overseas territory or colony.

By downgrading the South Seraph District to a war zone, appointing a commander no longer faced any bureaucratic obstacles.

Charlot had no doubt that if he survived the war, the South Seraph would eventually be restored to a district, and his position would be upgraded to regent—perhaps even without the “temporary” or “military” prefixes.

This was much like Clair Bretagne’s current role as temporary military regent of the Behemoth Principality. Once the war ended, Clair was guaranteed to shed those prefixes and become the district regent of Behemoth outright. Behemoth would no longer have a grand duke or retain its princely title.

Charlot saw no downside to this arrangement.

As expected, events unfolded just as Earl Bretagne had said. Both Earl Bretagne and Viscount Constantine gradually withdrew their forces. The Saint ranks also retreated one by one, and even the dozens of knightly orders that had been deployed withdrew from the South Seraph District.

Soon after, the South Seraph District was officially downgraded to a war zone, and Charlot was appointed its commander. The region returned to the old standoff between the West Wind Knight Order and Chloe Hadrian’s forces—two long-time rivals.

Charlot barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before being summoned back to Strasbourg, where the Central Government Office’s Military Enforcement Department initiated its fourth investigation into him.

In Charlot’s absence, Dolores Soumet temporarily assumed command of the West Wind Knight Order.

Dolores, having followed Charlot Mecklenburg through numerous battles, had accumulated terrifying military merits. Without realizing it, she had risen to an “unreachable class” rank as a first-level councillor, easily surpassing what was once considered an insurmountable barrier.

Interestingly, Charlot’s current rank was now equivalent to that of his deputy.

Returning to Strasbourg, Charlot made several trips to the Central Government Office, only to be told that the investigation team had yet to be formed. With no progress, he was advised to return home and wait patiently.

The absurdity of the situation left Charlot at a loss.

With little else to do, he resorted to daily dates with Annie to pass the time.

Annie, nearing graduation, often accompanied Charlot to the Central Government Office during her free moments, also inquiring about her post-graduation assignment.

During this return to Strasbourg, Charlot keenly felt the war’s impact on the city. Many goods were becoming scarce, and certain items and foods were legally restricted from sale.

On Charlot’s fourth day back, he faced the unusual predicament of being unable to buy coffee. Nearby shops had stopped supplying it, citing the inability to transport coffee beans.

Many Strasbourg residents began secretly hoarding food, spurred by rumors of impending grain rationing with daily limits.

Although Charlot had some insider information, even he couldn’t confirm whether this would come to pass.

Fortunately, he had started stockpiling supplies long ago—initially intended for Menielman Soumet. Now that Menielman commanded three magical alchemical warships, an island, and a port, he was no longer short of resources. Instead, with a large fleet and control of maritime trade routes, Menielman could funnel supplies into the interior.

Through connections like Louis Simy and Ross Bard, as well as merchants who had defected to him, Charlot not only avoided material shortages but also made substantial profits.

On Charlot’s fifth day back in Strasbourg, Sophia Gallanord paid him an unexpected visit.

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