Chapter 262: Only the West Wind Knight Order Remains

The residents of Oia Town, after their homeland was occupied by the forces of the Fars Empire, quickly learned the harsh reality of exorbitant taxes.

Administrative officer Naiman, a conscientious official, initially tried to negotiate with the invaders, aiming to raise funds to persuade them to leave. Meanwhile, he sent letters to nearby cities, requesting military aid to expel these “invaders.”

However, Naiman never anticipated the actions of this Fars knight order. Upon entering Oia Town, they captured a group of young men, announcing that these individuals would be taken back to the Fars Empire.

Left with no choice, Naiman braced himself to negotiate. Surprisingly, the leader of the knight order appeared reasonable, stating that the townspeople could ransom the young men by paying a head tax.

The tax was not exorbitant—just one drachma per person.

The Black Phoenix Dynasty's currency, drachma, differed from those of Fars, Byron, and Ingrima. It was a hybrid coin made of gold and silver, with its denomination determined by the ratio of the metals. Roughly 3.2 drachmas equaled one flor.

Although the dynasty also issued paper currency equivalent to gold and silver coins, Charlot Mecklenburg refused to accept paper money, demanding only gold and silver drachmas.

The residents of Oia Town, unwilling to see their sons, fathers, brothers, and husbands taken away by the Fars soldiers, paid the ransom enthusiastically, reclaiming the young men.

Having collected his first round of taxes, Charlot launched a new sweep, this time targeting children. Naiman, who had already dealt with Charlot once, understood that the man was not inherently cruel. He once again approached Charlot to plead for the children's release. Charlot, consistent as before, set the child tax at one drachma each.

Once the children were ransomed, Charlot turned his attention to women, the elderly, livestock, and even furniture. Over the next seven or eight days, he transformed Oia Town into a labyrinthine structure without the residents noticing.

When the regional forces from nearby cities arrived to provide aid, Charlot decisively retreated. Shortly after his departure, the nobles, wealthy merchants, and farmstead owners of Oia Town found their properties mysteriously vanished. Additionally, 70% of the town's grain stores were gone.

Charlot sent the plundered wealth and food to Machubi Fortress but soon sensed that the labyrinthine connections of Oia Town and other maze-like towns had been severed.

He understood that labyrinthine transformation was not omnipotent. Cities with extraordinary individuals or powerful defenders were immune to such manipulations. This was his first encounter with someone breaking the labyrinthine effect, restoring Oia Town to its normal state.

Though surprised, Charlot did not linger. With adequate supplies in hand and a clear sense of direction, he swiftly headed toward Interlaken City.

This leg of his march proceeded smoothly, and Charlot soon returned to the front lines.

Ten days after Charlot’s departure, Chloe Hadrian arrived in Oia Town. Everywhere he went, he was met with weeping residents. Rumors of Charlot levying taxes hundreds of times a day and stripping the city of all its wealth spread like wildfire.

As a member of the imperial family, Chloe primarily interacted with nobles during his journey. Coupled with Charlot’s scorched-earth tactics, Chloe gained an extremely poor impression of him and believed the rumors wholeheartedly.

Enraged, Chloe immediately led his troops in pursuit. This time, however, he failed to catch Charlot.

Charlot had slipped through a gap in the front-line skirmishes and returned to Interlaken City after months of absence.

The small city was just as Charlot had left it. Thanks to his diversionary tactics drawing attention elsewhere, the front lines remained a chaotic battleground, with both sides locked in intense combat. Miraculously, Interlaken City had been spared further conflict, and a few hundred residents had even returned.

These returning residents, naturally, could not find their old homes. Italio Calvino, temporarily appointed by Charlot as chief clerk, was not versed in warfare but excelled at administrative tasks. He distributed housing to the residents using a lottery system he devised.

When Charlot returned, Interlaken City was running smoothly.

After two days of rest, Clair Bretagne and Ebner Soumet arrived together. Charlot, surprised by their visit, promptly welcomed them into the city and asked, “What brings Mr. Bretagne and Mr. Soumet here? Has the war on the front lines ended?”

Clair Bretagne sighed and replied, “The war on the front lines continues, but the Bretagne offensive has concluded.”

Ebner added, “Byron has not retreated. Instead, they’ve continued reinforcing their troops, forcing the Empire to increase its presence in Ferranden. Our original strategy of feigning an attack on South Seraph to divert Byron’s forces has completely failed. As a result, the Purple Finch Knight Order and the Maple Leaf Knight Order are being redeployed to Ferranden.”

Charlot was taken aback by the news. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, “What about South Seraph?”

Clair Bretagne replied, “It must be abandoned.”

Seeing Charlot’s dissatisfaction, Ebner said, “This is strategic! We’ll reclaim South Seraph sooner or later.”

Charlot longed to ask about the fate of the Behemoth Principality but restrained himself, knowing that this was beyond Clair Bretagne’s and Ebner Soumet’s purview. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “May I request to stay in South Seraph?”

Clair Bretagne shook his head. “Your rank is too low. You cannot assume the position of military governor. Even I lack the authority to become a lord there, so it’s out of the question for you.”

Ebner understood Charlot’s desire to remain in South Seraph. He knew Charlot wished to keep the flames of war away from the Behemoth Principality—Charlot’s homeland. It was only natural for him to protect it.

With a faint smile, Ebner suggested, “However, there’s another option.”

“For instance, as we did in Behemoth, Clair Bretagne and I could appoint you as an administrative officer for several key cities in South Seraph.”

Charlot felt slightly less frustrated. He was not solely motivated by the Behemoth Principality; he also wished to spare South Seraph from further destruction. Although he didn’t know how much he could achieve, doing something was better than doing nothing.

Clair Bretagne patted Charlot’s shoulder and said, “Before we leave, we’ll need supplies. Someone will come to Silver Dove Castle to collect them. I’ll always remember this act of friendship. There’s no need for further words.”

Charlot nodded. “I’ll prepare the supplies.”

Neither man mentioned the recipient of the supplies, but all three, including Ebner, were well aware of their destination.

Clair Bretagne smiled lightly. “Don’t be so disheartened. While we didn’t achieve our strategic objectives, we weren’t defeated in battle.”

“Furthermore, all the other knight orders have had their formations shattered during the war…”

Clair Bretagne winked and added with a sly grin, “From now on, in the Behemoth Principality and South Seraph, only the West Wind Knight Order remains.”

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