The major nations of the Old Continent all enforce a firearms ban!
Only military personnel, detectives, nobles, and individuals with special status can acquire a firearms permit and openly own guns.
This was why the adventurers recruited by Charlot had to use cold weapons when attacking the seven detectives of the Fierce Horse Detective Agency—low-level adventurers simply couldn't secure a firearms permit, and obtaining guns was exceedingly difficult.
Charlot had only been Head Overseer of the Lukavaro District City Patrol Guards for a few days, and he hadn’t had time to request official equipment from the Central Government Office’s Military Logistics Department. The one hundred or so veteran city patrol guards who had followed Dubin Alger were all equipped with short guns and rapiers, but the adventurers had no firearms.
Fortunately, the firearms permit wasn’t issued as an independent document but as an attachment to the patrol guard’s paperwork. For detectives, it came with their official paperwork as well, which meant Charlot’s newly recruited adventurers could legally acquire guns.
Charlot led his team to Victory Bridge by the Lukavaro River.
This bridge connected the Upper Seven Districts with the Outer Fifteen Districts.
Victory Bridge itself was a small fortress that could be locked down during wartime.
After waiting for hours, nearly into the afternoon, a convoy finally appeared from the Picardy District.
As city patrol guards, they naturally split into two teams, securing both sides of the convoy.
Charlot walked at the rear of the procession. Having gone out the previous night, he hadn’t brought his Battlefield Cane, Alchemical Pistol, or Magnum Mauler. His Vampiric Axe was tucked under his coat, leaving his hands free. It gave him an oddly carefree appearance.
At the center of the convoy was, of course, the Grand Duke Ferdinand's coffin. However, a more eye-catching figure was the thirty-something noble at the front—a man who was none other than Ferdinand’s nephew, Franz Joseph, the new Duke of Behemoth, who had declared war on the South Seraph restorationists.
At the rear of the convoy was another carriage carrying the South Seraph “warrior” who had assassinated Ferdinand. The assassin had used a Transcendent-level short gun, and all three shots had hit Ferdinand’s chest, killing the Imperial Duke on the spot.
It was said that at the time, the Grand Duke was so distraught as he held his wife that he hadn’t used his combat energy for protection, which led to his death.
Regardless of the details, it was a tragedy.
Charlot sighed inwardly. He had been escorting the convoy for two hours, and seeing that they were about to leave his jurisdiction, he couldn’t help but relax slightly.
He was already thinking about how to meet up with Annie Bretagne for a date after this escort mission. But just as that thought crossed his mind, Insight suddenly activated, revealing a green-eyed girl perched on the rooftop of a nearby street, ready to strike.
Charlot’s heart skipped a beat. He paused briefly, stepped away from the main force, and activated the Swiftstep Technique, leaping onto the rooftops. A few quick bounds brought him face-to-face with Frederica, the leopard-woman girl.
To his surprise, Frederica didn’t flee or adopt a combat stance. Instead, she let out a light laugh and asked, “Are you here to stop me?”
Charlot sighed and replied, “Could you at least wait until we’re out of my jurisdiction?”
He really wanted to kill this assassin, but he absolutely couldn’t let a fight break out here.
Any conflict now would escalate into a major disaster.
Once Grand Duke Ferdinand’s coffin left the Lukavaro District, Charlot intended to strike first, assuming the other party didn’t make a move.
Frederica’s charming face broke into a mischievous smile. “What price are you willing to pay?” she asked teasingly.
Charlot spread his hands. “What do you need?”
Frederica answered quickly, “I heard you’re the Head Overseer of the Lukavaro District. If we move the Detective Agency to Lukavaro, what policy incentives can you offer?”
Charlot sneered. “You’re still trying to assassinate me, and now you’re asking for policy incentives?”
Frederica replied, “The Orc Assassin Alliance has plenty of rules, but every rule can be circumvented. For instance, I can delay the mission failure report for three months.”
Assassins, unlike detective agencies that could operate publicly, belonged to the shadows. The Orc Assassin Alliance couldn’t expose themselves to the light. After Charlot’s destructive actions the previous night—including setting fire to the Chelsea Detective Agency—the Orc Assassin Alliance could no longer stay in Dragon Fort Street and urgently needed to relocate.
Algernon, deeming Charlot too difficult to kill, had already abandoned the mission and fled Strasbourg entirely, unwilling to risk his life for this job.
As the Orc Assassin Alliance’s representative in Strasbourg, Frederica couldn’t walk away as easily. She needed to clean up the mess.
Charlot still didn’t realize how significant his position had become. As Head Overseer of an entire district’s city patrol guards, many things in Strasbourg now required his approval to proceed quietly.
In a place like Earth, Charlot’s position would be equivalent to a police chief, chief detective, and military unit commander rolled into one—without a direct superior.
Against international assassin organizations, this position lacked authority, but for local branches, it was more than sufficient.
Charlot asked, “Is there no way to cancel the assassination contract entirely?”
The leopard-woman girl replied, “I’m not sure there’s a way to cancel a contract, but no one has succeeded in breaking the rule before. The Orc Assassin Alliance has unfinished contracts dating back centuries.”
“So...”
Frederica shrugged and said, “You don’t have to take these rules too seriously. Organizations that refuse to adapt vanish into history.”
“I need to rebuild our branch in Strasbourg, and you need to prepare for your duel tomorrow.”
“Three months later, a third assassin will come for you. You can fight him then.”
Charlot sighed and said, “Fine. Let’s pick this up in three months.”
Having secured Charlot’s agreement, Frederica quietly disappeared.
Charlot watched the convoy leave the Lukavaro District, and his subordinates began to withdraw. He exhaled softly.
Clearly, the leopard-woman girl hadn’t come to assassinate anyone; she had come to negotiate.
Charlot was feeling overwhelmed, and a temporary truce suited him just fine. It gave him time to deal with the duel before addressing the Orc Assassin Alliance problem.
As he stood on the rooftop, lost in thought about all these troubles, a sudden thunderous explosion echoed from the distance.
A black-gray fire cloud rose high into the sky.
Charlot stared in shock toward that direction.
That was where Grand Duke Ferdinand’s coffin convoy had been.