Charlot Mecklenburg nearly tumbled off the wall when she heard the excuse. She shouted furiously, "Don’t you read the newspapers from within the Fars Empire?"
The Crimson-Backed Bear Warrior wielding twin meteor hammers grumbled, "We can’t even recognize the script of the Fars Empire! Why bother reading those newspapers?"
"Human! Prepare to die!"
With a swift motion, he doubled the speed of his meteor hammers. The twin hammers streaked through the air, interweaving in dazzling arcs, the shockwaves of their strikes bursting like thunderclaps.
Charlot inhaled deeply and bellowed, "Grand Duke Ferdinand has already been assassinated!"
"The Behemoth Principality has declared war on the South Seraph restorationists. Byron has also declared war on Behemoth. The major empires have already plunged into war. Why are you only showing up now?"
The Crimson-Backed Bear Warrior’s face shifted to one of astonishment. He yanked back his meteor hammers and growled, "Human, are you lying to us?"
Charlot, who hadn’t expected the situation to escalate into a full-blown fight, pressed on. "The Fars Empire, Byron, and the Black Phoenix Dynasty—these three empires have all declared their involvement.
"Byron, the Black Phoenix Dynasty, the southern beastman tribes, and the South Seraph restorationists have already signed the New Order International Alliance pact. And yet, assassins are still arriving late to the scene!"
Charlot spread her hands in exasperation and added, "Duke Joseph has already succeeded to the title. He’s leading Behemoth’s forces against the South Seraph restoration army as we speak."
"What orders were you acting on that made you so late to Machubi?"
"Grand Duke Ferdinand has been buried for quite some time!"
The dozen Crimson-Backed Bear Warriors erupted into a noisy uproar. "The funeral is over? We actually arrived too late? How did Ferdinand die without us taking action? I don’t believe it! This human is lying!"
Charlot noticed their disappointment seemed less about missing their mission and more about missing the banquet. After explaining further, she continued, "Grand Duke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated by South Seraph restorationist agents using extraordinary firearms. Yes, killed on the spot. Afterwards, even their coffins were attacked by other assassins. If you don’t believe me, I can take you to Ferdinand’s Mostar Castle, or even to Strasbourg..."
As Charlot said this, she felt a cold sweat trickling down her back. These were the assassins tasked with killing Grand Duke Ferdinand. If she managed to deliver them to Strasbourg or Mostar Castle, it would be a major achievement.
Although this accomplishment wouldn’t surpass her success in defeating the Byron riders and "recapturing" Silver Dove Castle, it would be enough to earn her a promotion.
The Crimson-Backed Bear Warrior who had fought Charlot earlier stepped forward and declared, "I, Big Bear, don’t believe you. We’ll verify the truth ourselves."
Charlot picked at her ear and said nonchalantly, "You can trust me. We’re allies."
"I’m not human; I’m a Byron."
Though ninety-nine percent of Byron people were human, Charlot was confident these bear warriors wouldn’t pick apart her words like web novel readers scouring for typos and inconsistencies.
As she had expected, the bear warriors’ attitude softened when they heard she was from Byron. Big Bear, the warrior with the meteor hammers, nodded and said, "Prove it to us!"
Charlot activated her Stardust Battle Energy. With a casual wave of her hand, a stone on the wall split cleanly in two, the polished surface gleaming like a mirror—proof of the Arsilo Swordsmanship’s secret technique, the Blade of Emptiness.
Big Bear gave a slight nod. Blood Glory could even deceive true vampires, so tricking these beastmen was child’s play. He quickly accepted Charlot’s words and exclaimed, "I believe you. However, I only believe that you are a Byron. As for Grand Duke Ferdinand, we will confirm that ourselves."
Charlot immediately offered, "I can guide you there!"
Big Bear nodded slightly and replied, "Very well. I still don’t know your name, Byron."
Without hesitation, Charlot answered, "Kainan. My name is Kainan."
"My ancestors also had beastman blood, but it’s too diluted to cultivate beastman combat energy."
This statement earned her the bear warriors’ favor. A middle-aged, towering warrior over three and a half pimi tall, clad in beast hide armor, stepped forward and said, "I’m their captain. You can call me Hundred Bears. When I was born, my mother dreamed of the Eternal and Illusory Dragon, so I was destined to lead a hundred bears. That’s how I got my name."
Charlot thought to herself, "Your bear mom probably wasn’t great at math. If she dreamed of one of the Nine True Gods like the Eternal and Illusory Dragon, shouldn’t you be called ‘Ten thousand bears’ instead of ‘Hundred Bears’?"
Hundred Bears let out a low growl and declared, "Strasbourg is too dangerous and unwelcoming to beastmen. We won’t go there. Take us to Mostar Castle. I want to see Ferdinand’s body with my own eyes."
Charlot mused silently, "Are you planning to dig up his grave or what?"
"The corpses of Grand Duke Ferdinand and his wife have already been buried."
Normally, verifying Ferdinand’s assassination would only require grabbing a few newspapers. But these Crimson-Backed Bear Warriors couldn’t read and were single-minded to a fault. If even one among the dozen had half a brain, they wouldn’t have arrived at Machubi so late.
Charlot didn’t bother convincing them otherwise. Guiding them to Mostar Castle would definitely earn her merit, regardless of how nonsensical their reasoning was.
Of course, Charlot couldn’t leave immediately—she still had to complete the Machubi Fortress Labyrinth mission.
To stall, she offered the bear warriors a plausible excuse. "The Behemoth Principality is currently at war with the South Seraph restorationists. Reaching Mostar Castle might mean crossing the battlefront. While I know you fear no war, there’s no need to risk meaningless combat."
"Moreover, you are far too conspicuous as bear warriors. I’ll need to arrange a batch of disguises for you so you can pass as demon hunters."
"This way, you’ll be able to move freely within Fars territory."
Both Hundred Bears and Big Bear found her reasoning convincing. Having traveled all the way from the southern continent, they’d endured countless hardships. They weren’t afraid of battle, but constantly losing their way and surviving on scraps was wearing them down. Having a Byron take charge of their “logistics” seemed ideal.
Charlot briefly considered killing the bear warriors but dismissed the thought. Her cultivation had recently hit a bottleneck.
After facing the spirituality gained from confronting an evil god two or three times, her progress had slowed since advancing to the seventh tier as a mid-rank Transcendent. Her training speed had normalized to that of an ordinary “genius.”