Charlot was startled. He had never expected Lady Nancel to be so ruthless.

  He strained his eyes to look into the distance, even using the Eye of Insight. The three piles of severed heads held no familiar faces, yet his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "I must pretend. If he truly finds Charlot Mecklenburg's family, it would be disastrous."

  Though Charlot wished to sever ties with his past identity, he could not bear for it to happen in such a tragic manner.

  After all, Charlot’s older brother had treated him fairly. While he hadn’t wanted Charlot involved in the family business, he had been generous during the division of inheritance, ensuring fairness.

  Recalling this, Charlot let out a loud wail, pretending to leap off the city wall to confront Hughes in a fit of rage. In a low voice, he murmured, "Stop me!"

  Dubin Alger and Yellow Bear, who were closest to Charlot, heard his command. Though puzzled, they didn’t hesitate to grab him.

  Charlot struggled furiously while shouting, "Let me go! I’ll kill that bastard! I’ll make him pay with blood!"

  Hughes, witnessing Charlot’s reaction, felt a hint of satisfaction, a shred of vindication. He thought, "Indeed, I made the right decision. Killing his entire family was effective."

  The West Wind Knight Order and the Silver Dove Castle militia atop the walls were utterly unaware of Charlot’s ruse. To them, it seemed Hughes had truly massacred Charlot’s family. A surge of shared rage and determination to fight together erupted, spurring angry roars. Thousands of voices cursed Lady Nancel’s despicable actions.

  Hughes, uninterested in exchanging words with the defenders, signaled his troops forward. The South Seraph restorationists swarmed in, unching the "Third Siege."

  Charlot instructed Dubin Alger and Yellow Bear to release him and joined the battle.

  The defense began with the cssic tactics of coordinated rifle volleys, short-range firearms, and bow-and-arrow barrages. Then, Extraordinary individuals led their combat squads to defend sections of the wall while commanding the rest of the squads and Silver Dove Castle militia.

  The battle raged for over two hours. Hughes, unable to breach the castle walls, ordered a retreat, leaving behind hundreds of corpses.

  This siege had not been particurly intense, and the defenders had found it retively manageable. Moreover, the byrinthification progress of Silver Dove Castle had reached 3/18.

  Charlot secretly hoped Hughes would attack a few more times. However, Hughes had come merely to "deliver heads," ensuring no Mecklenburg family members had been killed. The siege was merely incidental, with no intent for prolonged combat.

  As Hughes withdrew, Charlot grew uneasy, pondering, "At this rate, when will Silver Dove Castle’s byrinthification be complete?"

  "Only once the castle is fully byrinthified can I transport Baron Feller’s wealth, gain better control of the city, and delve deeper into the mysteries of Agmirs’s Labyrinth to thwart the descent of the Evil Gods."

  The looming threat of two Evil Gods descending hung over Charlot like a Damocles sword, ready to obliterate him at any moment.

  Charlot, not being a military strategist and having limited knowledge of this world, could only focus on Silver Dove Castle. He was unaware that war machines across major empires were already in motion. Even within the South Seraph region, Byron had dispatched two imperial armies.

  Grand Duke Joseph, now besieged and out of resources, had no reinforcements. His messengers had been "killed by Lady Nancel," leaving him in despair. He constantly wrote letters to his wife, professing his deep love for her, likening it to Grand Duke Ferdinand’s affection for his aunt. He repeatedly sent envoys to Strasbourg, pleading for a military force to rescue him.

  Yet the Fars Empire, beyond dispatching the West Wind Knight Order, remained silent. No second army was sent to aid the Behemoth Principality.

  Recently, three Fars Empire Knight Orders invaded Byron’s Ferndan region. Ferndan held far greater strategic value to Byron than the Behemoth Principality did to Fars. Emperor Julius VI of Fars clearly intended to abandon the Behemoth Principality, using Duke Joseph to pin Byron’s forces while his main army aimed for Byron’s heart like a dagger.

  The day after the Fars Empire’s knights struck Ferndan, the Bck Phoenix Dynasty decred war. As a mortal enemy of Fars, the dynasty naturally sided with Byron.

  The southern tribes of the continent soon decred support for Byron, leaving the Fars Empire in an increasingly perilous position, encircled by a three-way alliance.

  The world’s future was uncertain, but for now, the situation was dire for Fars.

  ...

  The day after Hughes’s retreat, Duchess Josephine sent a messenger to Silver Dove Castle. The messenger, a nineteen-year-old maid named Belinna, was accompanied by three guards.

  Charlot, recalling his prior unpleasant encounter with a messenger from the Grand Duke, decided to treat this one more favorably. After all, he was also a Behemoth native.

  Belinna, youthful and petite, was undeniably a beauty. Upon entering Silver Dove Castle, she requested a private audience with Charlot.

  Charlot received her on a terrace of the castle. Belinna took several deep breaths to steady herself before addressing him, "Mr. Mecklenburg, you are now the only knight order left in the Behemoth Principality."

  Charlot, surprised, asked, "Did Grand Duke Joseph take all the troops with him?"

  Belinna nodded and replied, "Originally, there was also Baron Feller’s Yahoo Knights. Unfortunately, they were ambushed by Lady Nancel, leaving no survivors. There are no other organized military forces left in the principality."

  "But the Grand Duke requires aid. I have been sent by the Duchess to request that you travel to Interken and join forces with his troops. Please depart today."

  Charlot thought, "I still need to wait for Silver Dove Castle to complete its byrinthification!"

  "Besides, what does the Grand Duke’s fate have to do with me? While the West Wind Knight Order has improved through several battles, they’re still a disorganized mob. Even if I go to Interken, it would be a death sentence."

  Shaking his head, Charlot replied, "Silver Dove Castle is also in grave danger. Lady Nancel’s forces have attacked multiple times. I must defend this pce."

  Belinna took another deep breath and, in a softer voice, said, "I apologize, Mr. Mecklenburg. The Duchess anticipated that you might face difficulties. She has already invited your father, your brother, and your entire family to her estate."

  While Hughes, acting on behalf of Lady Nancel, hadn’t uncovered Charlot’s real family, the Duchess had long since identified the leader of the West Wind Knight Order. The documents from Strasbourg detailed everything about Charlot’s background with absolute crity.