Chapter 159: Do You Dare Not Know My Name?

Charlot Mecklenburg had worked for two years in the Central Government Office of the Fars Empire, so he was well-acquainted with the empire's various administrative processes. Utilizing his experience, he craftily prepared three identical "legally binding" duel documents and sent one copy to Mostar Castle, requesting Duke Joseph's wife and High Priest Auguslatin to serve as witnesses for the duel.

The Duchess and the High Priest readily signed their names and returned the document. Only then did Charlot deliver the duel document to Hughes’ camp.

Hughes made slight alterations, proposing Saint Viggo of South Seraph as a third witness. Charlot, unconcerned, agreed to the modifications and the addition of a third witness. Once all parties had received their copies, the formalities for the duel were complete.

The next morning, the Duchess, the High Priest, and even Baron Febollet ascended the city walls to watch the duel, ready to cheer for Charlot.

Although Baron Febollet harbored some resentment for not being invited as a witness, he was nevertheless excited and muttered incessantly:
"Kill those South Seraph restorationists! They stole my money, my paintings, and my furniture..."
"Hughes, you’ll die a miserable death."
"No one can steal from me and go unpunished. I curse you to die under Charlot's blade."
"Charlot, do your best! If you kill that thief who took my treasures, I’ll speak to my sister and get you another promotion."

Charlot had already broken through three encampments, forcing Hughes to abandon the siege of Mostar Castle and regroup his forces. However, for the people inside the castle, the situation hadn’t changed—they dared not leave the city to flee.

By noon, Charlot arrived beneath the walls of Mostar Castle with his personal troops, along with Dubin Alger, Yellow Bear, Anastasia, Gwen, Bancroft the Wind Wolf, and eighteen warriors from the Redback Bear Tribe. He was fully prepared to kill Hughes on this battlefield.

Hughes also arrived with the South Seraph restorationist leaders, assembling beneath the castle walls.

Both sides harbored deep-seated hatred, and neither had any intention of wasting words. From the castle walls, the Duchess’s delicate voice rang out:
"Today, Charlot Mecklenburg and..."

A rough voice interrupted her, shouting, "Not Hughes! It’s me who will duel this murderer Charlot."

"I am Zolman of the South Seraph restorationists, and I shall be the one to bury the Behemoth Principality!"

"Charlot Mecklenburg, do you have any last words?"

Zolman’s declaration invigorated the South Seraph forces, who erupted in cheers. Many of them were familiar with Zolman’s prowess and were confident he would kill Charlot and avenge Jonan.

Charlot’s killing of Jonan was an unforgivable act to the South Seraph people. Every one of them wanted to kill Charlot to avenge their fallen leader.

This was Charlot’s second official duel, and he had no idea his opponent had been switched. Confronted with Zolman, a South Seraph restorationist leader in his fifties but still vigorous as a youth, Charlot couldn’t help but quip:
"Who are you?"

Zolman flew into a rage, shouting, "Do you dare not know my name?"

Zolman was indeed a famous figure in South Seraph and even throughout the empire. As the second-in-command of the restorationists, he was second only to Jonan. If not for his age, Jonan might not have handed the leadership to Hughes.

Charlot, utterly confused, hadn’t even heard of Jonan, let alone Zolman. He couldn’t comprehend why Zolman was so furious at his ignorance and made an exasperated remark that added fuel to the fire:
"Well, you don’t know my name either."

Zolman was livid—absolutely livid.

Charlot, with complete sincerity, wasn’t lying; he truly didn’t know Zolman’s name. However, Zolman knew Charlot Mecklenburg very well. The South Seraph restorationist leaders had practically memorized Charlot’s dossier.

This fact only enraged Zolman further. He roared, "I am your duel opponent! Let us settle this with blood!"

Charlot had prepared extensively for Hughes. These preparations could only be used once, and he was deeply irritated by this unexpected switch. Reluctant to fight Zolman publicly, he waved for his men to bring the duel document. After reviewing it carefully, he discovered Hughes had made slight wording changes, turning the duel opponent into a vague "South Seraph leader."

Cursing inwardly, Charlot thought, These locals have actually learned to manipulate documents.

What Charlot didn’t know was that internal conflicts within the South Seraph restorationists had led to this switch. Some factions didn’t want Hughes to gain too much prestige. If Hughes lost the duel, his rising reputation would be curbed.

On the walls of Mostar Castle, the three prominent nobles—the Duchess and Baron Febollet—exchanged confused glances, unsure of what the South Seraph people were plotting.

High Priest Auguslatin, however, watched with interest. Initially indifferent to the duel, he had dismissed Charlot as merely a mid-tier Transcendent. Few knew this secret, with only Hughes among the South Seraph restorationists aware. But Hughes deemed this detail irrelevant, so he hadn’t warned Zolman.

Zolman stepped forward, shouting insults and calling Charlot a coward for not stepping onto the battlefield.

After waiting over ten minutes, Charlot finally entered the duel arena and remarked,
"I always thought my duel opponent was Hughes. Is your internal infighting so severe?"

"Hughes actually sent you to die on purpose?"

Zolman, already furious, was further enraged. Initially wary of Charlot’s impressive battle record, Zolman’s confidence had grown upon learning that Charlot was merely a low-tier Transcendent. Reading about Charlot’s youthful embarrassment of streaking through the streets only deepened his disdain.

"I’ll beat you until you streak again!" Zolman bellowed, thinking this was a potent insult.

Charlot’s face darkened as he glanced at Hughes, who shrugged indifferently. To Hughes, exposing Charlot’s past was a necessary sacrifice for unity among the South Seraph people, and he felt no guilt.

Taking a deep breath, Charlot reassured himself:
"Maybe these old stories will cost me a marriage with Annie, but with my current position, I might not need to live off a woman anyway."

"Today, every single one of these bastards must die."

"Even if I have to summon an Evil God, I won’t let them live."

In an instant, Charlot adjusted his mindset. Drawing the Blood Rose, his battle intent burned as fiercely as fire.

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