Chapter 224: The Last Legacy of Grand Duke Joseph

Dubin Alger did not get his promotion.

Not long ago, this could not have been blamed on Charlot Mecklenburg. After all, Dubin had submitted the necessary paperwork, but the higher authorities simply never approved it.

But now, it was undeniably Charlot's fault.

With his steady rise in rank, Charlot had gained authority over many personnel approvals, including those of Dubin Alger and others. Although the process was somewhat circuitous, he held the ability to promote subordinates indirectly.

Thus, Charlot had promptly arranged a forty-first-grade civil servant position for Anastasia and elevated Belisa to a forty-fifth-grade assistant clerk.

Poor Dubin.

Charlot could swear to the heavens he wasn't deliberately suppressing this loyal subordinate. He had merely forgotten about it entirely.

By now, Clair Bretagne commanded four knight orders: the Purple Finch Knight Order under his direct leadership, the Maple Leaf Knight Order founded with Ebner Soumet, and two others—the West Wind Knight Order led by Charlot and the Silver Dove Militia handed over to Anastasia. The latter had been renamed recently by Baron Febollet, who had taken the liberty to change its original name.

Clair Bretagne stayed at Silver Dove Castle for only three days, resupplying before pressing onward.

He had diverted nearly all his resources to Menielman Soumet, leaving his main forces short on supplies. It wasn't until he replenished them at Silver Dove Castle that the knight orders regained full combat readiness.

Clair's method of resupplying involved imposing an additional levy under the Imperial War Provisions.

Feeling guilty for Silver Dove Castle's inhabitants, Charlot led a contingent of the West Wind Knight Order back to the castle after Clair's departure, distributing compensation to those taxed.

Though the compensation was meager, it earned Charlot immense admiration from the residents of Silver Dove Castle.

Those Silver Dove Castle folk who had moved to Machubi occasionally returned to purchase goods and shared news from Machubi, such as the lack of taxes and nearly free housing. However, as Machubi was a derelict fortress with a poorer living environment than Silver Dove Castle, few people were inclined to relocate there.

This time, Charlot’s return with compensation funds sparked an unexpected trend among the locals—a small wave of enthusiasm for relocating to Machubi.

What Charlot did not anticipate was that this compensation money came from Baron Febollet, who would never have spent it on his own people. Yet, the residents firmly believed Charlot had paid out of his own pocket, igniting their fervor.

...

After Duke Joseph’s death, his knight order fled back to the Behemoth Principality, gathering at Mostar Castle without a formal leader.

Once Clair Bretagne left Silver Dove Castle, he headed straight for Mostar Castle to claim Duke Joseph’s "last legacy."

If Clair could secure control over this knight order, there would be no force left in the Behemoth Principality capable of opposing him.

With Grand Duke Ferdinand assassinated and without heirs, the Empire had entrusted the Behemoth Principality to his nephew. However, after Duke Joseph and his wife passed away, the Empire had no intention of returning the principality to local control.

Although the principality’s nobles resisted annexation, their lack of unity and desire for personal gain made them powerless to prevent it.

Mostar Castle was now in utter chaos.

...

A few days later, Clair Bretagne led his forces into Mostar Castle. Charlot Mecklenburg was among them, with the West Wind Knight Order as a key component.

It was Charlot's first time entering Mostar Castle. On a previous visit, he had stayed outside the city.

Now stepping into the Behemoth Principality’s capital, Charlot felt a wave of emotions—he was, after all, a Behemoth native.

Not long after entering the city, Charlot witnessed swarms of nobles embroiled in power struggles. They had already fought several rounds of "civil wars," resulting in dozens of deaths.

Hearing these nobles bicker and jockey for Clair Bretagne’s support, Charlot couldn't help but feel relieved for Belisa.

Had Belisa not decisively fled Mostar Castle, her status alone would have subjected her to torment and likely death at the hands of these nobles.

While Belisa could be naive, she was not foolish. Her decisiveness was commendable, even if her experience, shaped by her time with Duchess Josephine, left her lacking in some respects and overly sophisticated in others.

Clair Bretagne had no patience for the bickering local nobles. He ordered his soldiers to drive these parasites away and tasked Charlot with summoning the key leaders of Duke Joseph’s former knight order to the ducal palace for a meeting.

Charlot accepted the order and brought only Anastasia to Mostar Castle's military camp.

By now, Anastasia had shed her identity as Baron Feller’s illegitimate daughter, distancing herself from her Behemoth roots and Lady Nancella's affairs. She was a settled resident of Strasbourg and an imperial civil servant—still a first-class, forty-first-grade official, just as when she had first crossed paths with Charlot.

The gates of Mostar Castle’s military camp were tightly shut. Over this period, countless nobles had tried to woo the knight order, but most could not promise a viable future. These local nobles lacked even their own security.

This led to a high level of vigilance within the camp.

When Charlot arrived, he immediately announced himself: "I am Charlot Mecklenburg, Head Overseer of the Lukavaro District Patrol, Commander of the West Wind Knight Order, Chief of the Lukavaro Administrative Bureau, Special Envoy of the Fars Empire to the Ingrima Empire, and twenty-seventh-grade Senior Administrator!”

“I request the three captains of the Mostar Castle Knight Order to open the gates and accompany me to meet Behemoth’s Military Governor, Clair Bretagne.”

Charlot repeated his announcement three times, but the camp remained silent.

Without hesitation, Charlot retrieved his anti-space long-range rifle from his coat—a weapon he had reclaimed from Machubi.

Raising Blood Glory, Charlot declared, "If you refuse to open the gates, I’ll blast them apart and enter myself."

His threat was again met with silence.

Unflinching, Charlot pulled the trigger. A single anti-magic armor-piercing round obliterated the gate.

The display of violence was extreme, but effective.

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