Although Charlot Mecklenburg had forced back the leopard girl, Frederica, he was deeply shocked. This beautiful girl with emerald-green eyes was even faster than Algernon, the brown-haired, gray-eyed foe. If not for his Eye of Insight, which allowed his vision to cover all of No. 5 Dragon Fort Street in the Alcatras District, he would likely have been kicked to the point of spitting blood in just one exchange.
“The one who tried to assassinate me earlier wasn’t a leopard beastman. This leopard girl’s technique is the real Leopard Hunt!”
“The explosive speed is just too fast.”
Charlot had just rushed up to the third floor when he saw Algernon standing there, his brown hair tousled. Algernon flashed a sunny, warm smile and said, “Good morning!”
Unable to contain his annoyance, Algernon retorted, “Are you insane? It’s night!”
Charlot flicked out Blood Rose, his vampiric rapier, and instantly struck twelve cold stars that enveloped Algernon entirely. Yet, he didn’t forget to explain: “I was just afraid you wouldn’t see tomorrow’s sunrise and thought it would be a pity to leave without a greeting. So, good morning!”
Charlot unleashed Fire of Dawn to its fullest, forcing Algernon back with a single move. Leaping high into the air, he didn’t even bother to look for a window—Frederica would catch up at any moment. If the two enemies joined forces, his defeat would be inevitable. Breaking through the roof, Charlot escaped onto the street.
Just as he inhaled the fresh night air, two murderous intents locked onto him. Without a moment’s hesitation, Charlot withdrew Blood Rose and transformed into a sleek young cat using Cat Spirit Magic. His small, nimble form darted into a nearby chimney.
In the next instant, Algernon and Frederica crashed through the neighbor’s window. They immediately pinpointed the furnace’s location and teamed up to “catch the cat”!
Relying on his Eye of Insight and Swiftstep Technique, Charlot narrowly evaded the attacks. Slipping through the house, the chase began again—two people and one cat engaged in a frenzied pursuit.
Charlot flipped onto a rooftop, dispelled his feline transformation, and pulled out his Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, assuming a shooting stance.
Sensing danger, Algernon and Frederica immediately sprang in opposite directions. The Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Round tore through the night sky, bursting into a radiant firework above.
Having missed, Charlot quickly stored the rifle into his spatial collar, re-transformed into a cat, and darted into a nearby alley.
Algernon and Frederica pursued again, only to lose Charlot’s trace once more.
“He must have other extraordinary abilities,” Frederica muttered angrily. “Otherwise, he couldn’t escape so easily every time.”
Algernon agreed. The fact that two top assassins of the Orc Assassin Alliance had spent half the night pursuing Charlot and still failed to catch him was unbelievable. Apart from Bloodflame Aura and Angel’s Thorn, Charlot clearly possessed other abilities. After a moment’s thought, Algernon said, “It’ll be hard to catch him tonight.”
Frederica, as a professional assassin, understood well that their best option was to withdraw and find another opportunity. Assassins should always remain in the shadows, never engaging in frontal battles.
She nodded. “Let’s leave Strasbourg for now.”
Algernon agreed. The two simultaneously activated Leopard Hunt, sprinting several hundred meters in an instant.
Charlot reverted to his human form and felt a fleeting impulse during the moment when their speed slightly faltered. However, he shook his head and didn’t bother taking out his Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle again.
In non-combat states, their recovery speed was incredibly fast. Before long, the pair accelerated again and covered another few hundred meters. Shooting at such fast-moving targets from this distance would be a waste of precious Anti-Magic Armor-Piercing Rounds, especially given Charlot’s merely “above-average” marksmanship.
Charlot trailed them unhurriedly, watching as they disappeared into the night before turning back toward No. 5 Dragon Fort Street in the Alcatras District.
Since he had already made a move, it wouldn’t make sense to leave empty-handed.
Re-entering the Chelsea Detective Agency, Charlot conducted a thorough search. He found neither cash, letters, nor contracts—only a stash of weapons, including dozens of short pistols.
This made sense; assassins needed concealed weapons, and short pistols were the most suitable.
However, what surprised Charlot was that there wasn’t a third person at the agency. He had expected at least seven or eight staff members.
Charlot packed up anything of value, hauled it over to No. 1 Falcon Street, and then set fire to the detective agency.
He wasn’t sure if the two assassins would return, but although the patrol guards in Lukavaro District lacked extraordinary abilities, their sheer numbers could still pose a threat during combat.
Charlot hadn’t shown up for work in several days, so his sudden late-night arrival startled his subordinates. The patrol guards weren’t particularly impressive, but they retained basic military discipline, with colleagues patrolling the area.
Charlot told the night patrols not to alert the others and carried his spoils into his office.
He didn’t place much importance on this haul. After all, anything truly valuable wouldn’t have been left behind by Algernon and Frederica.
Dumping the stash into a corner of his office, Charlot flopped onto the soft bed there. He was actually quite tired.
Though the bed wasn’t particularly comfortable, he managed to sleep soundly through the night. When Charlot woke up the next morning, he felt refreshed. After washing up in his office, he decided to handle a few administrative tasks since he was already there.
To his surprise, the patrol guards in Lukavaro District had a significant task that day. The body of Grand Duke Ferdinand was to be transported back to the Behemoth Principality for burial, and the coffin would pass through Lukavaro District. The court had issued orders for the patrol guards along the route to provide “security.”
Charlot mused, “Grand Duke Ferdinand is already dead. There’s no one left to assassinate him. This job must be incredibly safe.”
“Should I join the fun?”
“I haven’t attended a proper banquet since I transmigrated here!”
Although Dubin had arranged most of the details and Charlot’s presence wasn’t strictly necessary, he still decided to lead the team personally to escort Grand Duke Ferdinand’s coffin. It would also serve as a final farewell to his “former lord,” given that Charlot hailed from the Behemoth Principality.
Gathering his subordinates, Charlot was surprised to find that absenteeism was unusually low that day—more than 180 patrol guards had shown up. The main reason was the funds allocated for the operation by the higher-ups.
Charlot sent a few men out to buy drinks, though they avoided ale since they had an escort mission to complete.
Before setting out, Charlot ensured that all 180 patrol guards were well-fed and handed out the short pistols from the previous night’s loot as rewards.
Dubin was deeply moved. His satisfaction with Charlot as a commander grew. Charlot rarely caused trouble and often treated his subordinates to hearty meals. On Earth, such bosses—who avoided bonuses and instead placated employees with cheap feasts—would have been labeled exploitative. But on the Old Continent, such a superior was considered remarkably benevolent and virtuous.