Lady Nancy had been waiting outside the Machubi fortress. Just as Charlotte was about to board the carriage, he noticed Aubrey Tilton Atwood stepping out of his own carriage. The head of the Fierce Horse Detective Agency had apparently not left.
Charlotte shrugged and said, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't retrieve Mr. Harriet's body. There are some peculiar things in the ruins of this fortress."
Aubrey Tilton Atwood looked deeply at Charlotte and asked, "Did you choose this place because you made a pact with some kind of creature?"
It was the most plausible explanation.
Charlotte didn't deny it, nor did he confirm it. He simply bowed slightly and handed Harriet's military saber to Aubrey Tilton Atwood, saying, "This is Mr. Harriet's keepsake. Please return it to his family."
"Although I wish this tragedy hadn't happened, there was nothing I could do."
With those words, Charlotte boarded the carriage. Once the two ladies were seated, he opened the communication tube and said, "Lady Nancy, back to Strasbourg."
Aubrey Tilton Atwood stood before the ruins of the Machubi fortress, watching Charlotte's carriage disappear into the distance. He pondered for a long time before finally returning to his own carriage.
He was increasingly unable to see through Charlotte Mecklenburg.
If he could turn back time, Aubrey Tilton Atwood would never have accepted Maglu Tiller's order. For the sake of a few Egus in profit, he had lost eight detectives, including three transcendent beings, and had also severed his military connections with someone like Harriet, who had ascended to a high level of transcendence at such a young age. Harriet would undoubtedly have become a powerful ally for the Fierce Horse Detective Agency in the future.
Beyond that, he now had to face questions from the Orc Assassin Alliance. While the Orc Assassin Alliance does continually send assassins after targets, if they lose personnel on a job, they demand additional fees. If the employer cannot pay these extra fees, they too end up on the hit list.
Orcs are never benevolent.
The troubles were endless.
When they returned to Strasbourg, Charlotte first dropped off Vinnie Arsenault and Sylvie Martin at 22 Madrill Street in the Alcatraz District. Only then did he direct Lady Nancy to drive back to 58 Elysian Garden Street.
As he stepped out of the carriage, Charlotte sensed something amiss. The house, usually occupied by just him, at most adding Lady Nancy and the three clever cats, now had three carriages parked in front of it. Two of them bore the Brittany family crest, and the third was a military vehicle.
Charlotte instructed Lady Nancy to take the carriage to the stables, then he stepped into the first-floor hall, where three people were waiting.
One was, of course, Annie. Another was her cousin, Claire Brittany. The last person was none other than Saint Karen Mama.
Suppressing his shock, Charlotte smiled slightly and said, "I never expected to have so many guests. My humble home is truly honored."
Claire smiled and said, "I have military duties to attend to and can't stay long, so I'll be brief."
"The first matter is that I must apologize for being unable to duel on your behalf."
"Although the deployment orders were beyond my control, I should have arranged for another friend to assist you. That was my oversight."
"I'm relieved to see you return safely."
"I, Claire Brittany, am willing to be Charlotte Mecklenburg's friend for life, standing by him in any matter."
Claire raised a hand to stop Charlotte from speaking and continued, "The second matter is that I need to ask you, Mr. Charlotte, if you truly wish to marry my cousin, Annie Brittany, and are willing to work for it?"
Annie looked anxious, her small hands tightly gripping her dress, but she dared not speak, her face filled with worry.
Charlotte placed a hand on his chest, smiled, and said, "As one of my professors at Sheffield University once said, 'Life is precious, but love is even more valuable.'"
"I am willing to do anything for Annie, to go through fire and water without hesitation."
Claire smiled, and Annie visibly relaxed.
The elite of the Imperial Army then said, "Mr. Charlotte, forgive me for being blunt, but a fourth-level transcendent isn't qualified to marry a lady of the Brittany family."
"You are practicing the Blood Glory, a secret technique that, in times of peace, gives you no chance of advancing to a high level."
"To cultivate Blood Glory, one must slaughter life, and not just any life, but higher-level beings. Yet in the Empire, killing is illegal. To slay transcendent beings and harvest their life force is even more against the law and the rules of noble families."
"But now you have an opportunity."
"Bayron has already declared war on your homeland, the Behemoth Principality."
"Within a week at most, Fars will also declare war on those vampires of Bayron."
"Though I cannot speak for the Brittany family, I am personally willing to help you in this matter and stand by your side."
"However, this means you must go to the battlefield."
Charlotte took a deep breath and said, "But I am a civilian officer."
He roughly understood Claire's intentions. This cousin was genuinely supportive of his relationship with Annie, so much so that he was encouraging him to go to the front lines.
Only on the front lines would there be high-level transcendents with rich life energy, who could allow Charlotte's Blood Glory to grow rapidly. Only by becoming a high-level transcendent would Charlotte have a chance to be with Annie, and the battlefield was also the easiest place to earn military merits, allowing him to rise quickly.
Of course, mere merits might not ensure promotion, but with Claire's help, no one would dare steal Charlotte's credit.
Claire replied calmly, "Even civilian officers can go to the battlefield. Transferring to a military position isn't much of a hassle."
Charlotte glanced at Annie and resolutely said, "I am willing, for Miss Annie, for the Empire, and for the peace of humanity, to go to the battlefield."
Claire nodded and said, "I have said my piece. I returned to Strasbourg to expedite a batch of supplies and can only stay for two hours. If you'd returned half an hour later, we wouldn't have had this chance to meet."
"Now, Mr. Charlotte, it's time for you to strive for military glory."
He quickly took his leave.
With one less person in the room, Charlotte's pressure didn't lessen but instead increased. If he had a choice, he truly didn't want to face Saint Karen Mama!
Karen Mama smiled and said, "I came here just to say one thing: you can borrow the Silver Rhino indefinitely, and you don't need to worry about damage or loss."
The lady pointed to a small red box on the floor and said gently, "Inside are one hundred and twenty armor-piercing explosive rounds!"
After saying that, Saint Karen Mama turned to Annie and said, "Please make sure you don't stay out too late." Then, like Claire, she gracefully departed.