Baron Feller had been plagued with nightmares daily over the past few days.
First, some of his prized paintings vanished. In their place, where the artwork had hung, the signature of Hughes the Phantom Thief was left behind. However, Charlot Mecklenburg hadn’t taken the paintings; he merely hid them. These fragile masterpieces, if removed to Machubi Fortress Labyrinth, would quickly be destroyed by the harsh environment. Thus, Charlot concealed them so that Baron Feller could never find them.
Baron Feller refused to believe that this so-called Hughes could possess such extraordinary capabilities.
When all his gold écus and paper currency went missing, he could still dismiss it as a testament to Hughes’ skill as a thief. After all, coins and banknotes were easy to hide. But when his security was heightened to unprecedented levels, with layers of guards patrolling rigorously, yet items like paintings—difficult to transport—were still stolen, the baron grew paranoid. He began suspecting there was a traitor within Silver Dove Castle.
After several rounds of investigations among the original castle staff turned up nothing, Baron Feller dismissed all his old servants and replaced them with people he had personally brought from Strasbourg.
Then, items from his daily life began to vanish—utensils, precious jewelry, and more.
This time, the signature left behind read: Hughes, the Handsome Virgin.
At first, it was small objects, but soon larger items began to disappear. Furniture. Even his favorite carriage mysteriously vanished.
When the carriage was stolen, the signature left in the stable read: Hughes, the Fresh and Tender Handsome Virgin.
The audacious thief who began as the South Seraph Restorationists’ Interim Leader, then became Hughes the Phantom Thief, followed by Hughes, the Handsome Virgin, and now Hughes, the Fresh and Tender, seemed to spiral further into moral depravity with each theft.
Baron Feller was livid. He paid no attention to the evolving signatures, dismissing them as clownish provocations. Instead, he was convinced the traitor was someone within his knightly retinue or among the servants brought from Strasbourg. He personally interrogated several suspects, even beating a few to death, but the thefts continued.
In a matter of days, every carriage in Silver Dove Castle had disappeared. Along with them went a cache of supplies and weapons. Each theft was accompanied by Hughes’ signature, driving the baron into such fear that he fled Silver Dove Castle under cover of night to stay with High Priest Auguslatin.
The archpriest begrudgingly allowed Baron Feller to stay for a single night. However, deeming him neither young nor handsome, much less a fresh and tender virgin, the archpriest unceremoniously evicted him the following morning.
Fortunately for Baron Feller, as his belongings were gradually stolen, Silver Dove Castle fell into relative calm. He decided to stay until the second tax collection day, after which he planned to return to Strasbourg with the funds and plead with his elder sister for another loan.
Leading his knightly retinue into a decisive battle against the South Seraph Restorationists outside Silver Dove Castle to recover his wealth was never among the baron’s options.
...
Charlot Mecklenburg, however, did not spend all his time transporting wealth. His days were devoted to training, training, and more training as he awaited Machubi Fortress Labyrinth’s third labyrinthification. Apart from the voracious appetites of the Redback Bear Warriors, his days were peaceful.
The third labyrinthification of Machubi proceeded without incident, following its course meticulously. On the eighteenth day, the morning passed without any activity. But by dusk, a message emerged from the diary:
Machubi has completed its third labyrinthification. It has reached its upper limit and can now transform up to one hundred labyrinth guards.
Charlot had never encountered this situation before and hesitated for a long time.
He was puzzled. If there were already NPCs, why did the labyrinth need guards? In truth, Charlot was unaware that as a person from Earth, the labyrinth manifested elements based on his imagination, resulting in the creation of NPCs. Ordinarily, labyrinths would form labyrinth guards—beings that were part of the labyrinth itself. They roamed its depths, defending it and eliminating all intruders.
The Labyrinth God Agmirlas, a foreign god of chaos, not only specialized in crafting labyrinths but also excelled in creating labyrinth guards.
Although Charlot didn’t fully understand what labyrinth guards were, he had no intention of transforming members of the West Wind Knight Order into them.
After some thought, he pressed his hand to the ground, relying on his connection to the labyrinth to sense the eighteen Redback Bears. In a low voice, he said, “Convert them into labyrinth guards.”
Charlot had considered two possible fates for the Redback Bear Warriors. The first was to kill them, thereby enhancing his Blood Glory. However, he was currently attempting to condense a blood core, and this method, which relied on absorbing life essence, would make the blood core impure, hindering its future development. The second option was to send them off to claim credit, which he had nearly persuaded Hundred Bears and Big Bear to do by heading to Mostar Castle. But no amount of glory compared to the value of eighteen Redback Bear Warriors transformed into labyrinth guards.
After all, they were enemies.
There was no need for mercy.
The squad of Redback Bear Warriors included three Transcendent Orcs: Hundred Bears, Big Bear, and an elder named Honey Bear, the eldest among them. This elder had loved honey in his youth and whimsically named himself something absurdly soft.
Remarkably, these three Transcendent Orcs were all mid-tier, ranking at the tenth level or higher. Their massive bodies, immense strength, and skill with heavy weaponry made them as formidable on the battlefield as ordinary high-tier Transcendents.
Hundred Bears, Big Bear, and the other warriors had lived comfortably in Machubi for several days. With full bellies and ample time to train, they had long since abandoned the notion of investigating the death of Grand Duke Ferdinand.
Initially cautious, they grew increasingly relaxed after ten days of fine treatment and began to trust Charlot. They barely thought about returning to the southern continent, finding life in Machubi quite agreeable.
When Charlot initiated their transformation into labyrinth guards, a voice echoed in Hundred Bears mind: Would you like to remain in Machubi forever?
Without hesitation, he replied, “If I can eat my fill every day and train with my brothers, I’d gladly stay here forever.”
His response seemed to trigger something. A weight settled on him, and suddenly, he was clad in a suit of armor—imposing and majestic.
Hundred Bears noticed that his comrades had undergone the same transformation. Each of them now wore brilliantly polished, perfectly fitting armor.
If Baron Feller had seen it, he would have recognized these eighteen suits of armor as his own—once destined for his personal guards to wear while escorting him, ensuring his grandeur.
Charlot, after transforming the eighteen Redback Bear Warriors into labyrinth guards, noticed no immediate changes. Curious, he went to see them in person. However, when he laid eyes on Hundred Bears, Big Bear, Honey Bear, and the rest, a chill ran through his heart…