In the Old Continent, the major countries all enforce strict gun control laws.
Only soldiers, detectives, nobles, and certain individuals with special status are permitted to hold gun licenses and publicly own firearms.
This is why the adventurers Charlotte recruited had to resort to using melee weapons when they besieged the seven detectives of the Wild Horse Detective Agency. It's incredibly difficult for low-level adventurers to obtain gun licenses, making access to firearms nearly impossible.
Charlotte had only been the Chief of the Lucavaro District Patrol for a few days and hadn't yet had the time to apply for official equipment from the central government's Military Logistics Office. The hundred-plus veteran patrol members who had followed Dubin were all equipped with rapiers and short guns, but the adventurers under Charlotte's command had no firearms.
Fortunately, the gun license isn't a standalone document; it comes as an attachment to the patrol paperwork. For detectives, it's issued alongside their official documents, which means the newly employed adventurers under Charlotte's command could legally possess firearms.
Charlotte led his team to Victory Bridge by the Lucavaro River.
This bridge connects the upper seven districts with the outer fifteen districts.
Victory Bridge itself is a small fortress that can block access during wartime.
After waiting for several hours, it was almost afternoon when a convoy arrived from the Picardy District on the other side.
As patrolmen, they spontaneously formed two lines, guarding the convoy on both sides.
Charlotte walked at the rear of the team. He had gone out the night before without bringing his alchemical staff, alchemical pistol, or Magnum revolver. The vampiric hand axe was hidden under his coat, leaving his hands free, which allowed him to move at ease.
The core of this convoy was, of course, Grand Duke Ferdinand's coffin. However, a young nobleman in his thirties at the front of the convoy drew even more attention. He was the nephew of Grand Duke Ferdinand and the new Duke of the Behemoth Principality, Franz Joseph, who had declared war on South Seraph.
At the rear of the convoy was a carriage holding the "warrior" from South Seraph who had assassinated Grand Duke Ferdinand. He had used a supernaturally powerful short gun, hitting the Grand Duke three times in the chest and killing him on the spot.
It was said that the Grand Duke, distracted while holding his wife, hadn't activated his protective aura, which was why he was shot dead.
Regardless, it was a tragedy.
Charlotte sighed inwardly as he accompanied the convoy for two hours. As they neared the edge of his jurisdiction and the escort mission was almost over, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He was just thinking about finishing the escort and going to meet Annie when his Insight suddenly activated, revealing a beautiful girl with emerald green eyes poised on a nearby rooftop, ready to strike.
Startled, Charlotte paused, separated from the main group, and activated his Agility. With a few leaps, he was on the roof and quickly approached Friedrika.
The leopard-girl, however, didn't flee or take a combat stance. Instead, she chuckled lightly and asked, "Are you going to stop me?"
Charlotte sighed and said, "Could you wait until we're out of my jurisdiction?"
He really wanted to kill this female assassin, but this wasn't the time for a fight.
Starting a battle now would be disastrous.
Once Grand Duke Ferdinand's coffin left the Lucavaro District, if she didn't make a move, he'd be the one to strike first.
Friedrika's pretty face curled into a mocking smile as she asked, "What are you willing to offer in return?"
Charlotte spread his hands and asked, "What do you want?"
Friedrika quickly replied, "I hear you're the Chief of the Lucavaro District Patrol. If we move our detective agency to the Lucavaro District, what policy incentives can you offer?"
Charlotte sneered and said, "You're still trying to kill me, and you're asking for policy incentives?"
Friedrika responded, "The Beastman Assassin Guild has many rules, but there are ways around any rule. For example, I can make Algernon delay declaring the mission a failure for three months."
Assassins operate in the underground, unlike detective agencies, which can conduct business openly. They cannot be exposed to the light of day.
After Charlotte's rampage and the subsequent fire at Chelsea Detective Agency, the Beastman Assassin Guild could no longer stay in the Alcatraz District and had to move out of Dragon Castle Street No. 5 and establish a new base.
Algernon had decided that assassinating Charlotte was too difficult. As a hired assassin, not a death-defying soldier, there was no reason to risk his life for a single job. He chose to abandon the mission and left Strasbourg that very night, fleeing far away.
Friedrika, as the head of the Beastman Assassin Guild in Strasbourg, couldn't be so carefree. She had to clean up the mess.
Charlotte, as the Chief of a major district's patrol, might not command any extraordinary individuals, but as the head of the force responsible for the city's "security," he had plenty of manpower at his disposal. If she were targeted, Friedrika would be in serious trouble. So she secured Algernon's promise and came to negotiate with Charlotte.
What Charlotte didn't realize was that he had already become a significant figure in Strasbourg. Many things couldn't proceed quietly without his approval.
A single word from him carried considerable weight in the Lucavaro District.
On Earth, a police chief combined with a local paramilitary leader without direct superiors is a comparable position to the Chief of the Lucavaro District Patrol in the Old Continent...
Dealing with an "international" assassin organization would still be a challenge, but handling the local branch of that organization was well within his capabilities.
Charlotte asked, "Is there no way to completely erase the assassination mission?"
The leopard-girl replied, "I don't know if there's a way to completely erase a mission, but no one has ever succeeded before. The Beastman Assassin Guild has never broken that rule."
"However, the Beastman Assassin Guild has many old missions that have been pending for over a hundred years."
"So…"
Friedrika shrugged and said, "You don't have to worry too much about this rule. Organizations that don't adapt to change disappear into the river of history."
"I need to rebuild our branch in Strasbourg, and you have a duel to prepare for tomorrow."
"The third assassin will come in three months. You can have a rematch then."
Charlotte sighed and said, "Let's fight again in three months."
With his promise secured, Friedrika quietly left.
Charlotte watched as the convoy left the Lucavaro District and his men gradually withdrew, feeling slightly relieved.
It was clear the leopard-girl hadn't come to assassinate anyone but to negotiate terms.
Charlotte was currently overwhelmed, so a temporary truce was welcome. He could deal with the duel first and then handle the Beastman Assassin Guild.
As he was mulling over various matters on the rooftop, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from the distance, and a dark gray fireball shot up into the sky.
Charlotte stared in shock at the direction from which it came.
That should have been where the convoy carrying Grand Duke Ferdinand's coffin was...