After Charlot Mecklenburg’s reassuring words, Anastasia felt a slight relief from her overwhelming emotions. Since her mother’s betrayal and brutal death at the hands of Lady Nancella, followed by her father’s ambush and the destruction of her entire army, she had known no peace or happiness.
Each day, she was consumed by regret, sorrow, despair, and helplessness. There had been countless moments when she contemplated ending her life, but the fierce hatred for those who had killed her mother kept her going.
Whenever Anastasia thought of giving up, the haunting image of her mother’s suffering would resurface, and she would swear revenge against her enemies. This singular drive for vengeance was the only thing keeping her alive.
Seeing an opportunity, Charlot extended an invitation: “With the battle drawing near, it’s far too dangerous for Miss Anastasia to be alone here. I invite you to join the West Wind Knight Order. Let’s fight together.”
Charlot felt confident after learning of Anastasia’s tragic past. She harbored such intense hatred for Lady Nancella, one that surpassed even the fiercest loyalty of a Behemoth national.
Anastasia hesitated for a moment, then accepted. The remnants of her army, now composed of defeated Behemoth soldiers and servants left by her mother, were in disarray and lacked proper logistics. They were in no position to continue without assistance.
Charlot’s trustworthiness was another compelling factor for her decision.
Especially since he had retaken Silver Dove Castle—the city where she had spent her childhood, a place filled with cherished memories.
During this time, Anastasia had heard much about Charlot Mecklenburg. Among the South Seraph restorationists, he had become infamous for killing Jonan and driving back a Saint-ranked warrior who was considered a divine figure by the South Seraph people. They painted Charlot as a demonic tyrant, a monstrous butcher.
But among the Behemoth people, Charlot’s reputation was entirely different.
Charlot had become a symbol of hope. Nearly every noble of the Behemoth Principality had suffered catastrophic defeats or perished in battle, yet Charlot emerged as a savior in their eyes.
Even Charlot himself noticed how much easier it was to rally defeated soldiers compared to his previous efforts.
Charlot took Anastasia to the West Wind Knight Order’s camp, where he handpicked about five hundred of the best soldiers and reinforced Anastasia’s forces.
Anastasia was astonished by Charlot’s generosity in providing her with such substantial reinforcements. Her admiration for the young and legendary Mr. Mecklenburg grew even further.
In truth, Charlot found it frustrating that the rallied soldiers couldn’t form an effective fighting force immediately.
On the other hand, Anastasia clearly had experience in leading troops. The fact that she had been able to command over a hundred soldiers to launch surprise attacks in such dire circumstances proved her capability.
Charlot also took steps to strengthen his own forces. He bolstered his units—Dubin Alger, Yellow Bear, Gwen the Spotted Deer, and Bancroft the Gale Wolf—with new recruits. His combat squads grew from fifty men to more than twenty teams.
Charlot believed this would be a routine battle.
What he didn’t realize was that by killing Karon and the South Seraph third-rank Transcendent knight, he had already stirred up a great deal of unrest among the South Seraph restorationists.
Several South Seraph generals jointly proposed to Hughes that a Saint-ranked warrior should be sent to eliminate Charlot.
Though Hughes wanted Charlot dead, after the failed ambush attempt, the vampire Saint had left to join the decisive battle at Ferranden. The remaining South Seraph Saint was not strong enough to face Grandma Saint Karen.
Hughes was reluctant to reveal that Charlot had a Saint-ranked protector, as it would shatter their morale.
To make matters worse, Byron had been demanding that the South Seraph Saint be deployed to Ferranden, applying immense pressure on Hughes.
With no Saint to defend their position, Hughes was left in a difficult situation.
Hughes refused to send the Saint, a decision that infuriated the South Seraph generals. None of them wanted to face Charlot in battle.
Though they all craved vengeance for Jonan’s death, when the time came to confront Charlot, they all found reasons to avoid the fight.
Charlot’s victory over Jonan amid thousands of troops had shocked them all.
Especially since the South Seraph people held Hughes in high regard. They believed he was a future Saint, having mastered powerful techniques like the Blood Furnace and the Golden Requiem—top-tier knightly inheritances. Yet, even he had failed to defeat Charlot.
This only deepened their fear and awe of the young Behemoth commander.
Unaware of the South Seraph’s internal strife, Charlot reorganized his forces and sent messengers to Mostar Castle. He also feigned condolences to the Grand Duchess.
He made no mention of his inactivity at Machubi Fortress, instead claiming he had been striving to break through to Interlaken but was constantly thwarted by Hughes and the South Seraph restorationists. He told them he had witnessed the fall of Interlaken and the death of Duke Joseph, fighting valiantly to the end.
Whether the Grand Duchess believed him was irrelevant.
Charlot also wrote letters to his father and brother. To avoid suspicion, the letters were brief and written by different subordinates, making it impossible to identify the handwriting.
Each letter contained the following lines:
“The battle is imminent. The South Seraph people have returned. I cannot write much.”
And:
“Busy with the fight. This letter was dictated to a soldier and may lack personal sincerity. I deeply regret this.”
Unfortunately, just as he sent the letters, the South Seraph forces surrounded them, leaving no opportunity for communication. Mostar Castle never responded, and Charlot was left unaware of the Grand Duchess’s stance or his family’s situation.
The South Seraph forces soon began their assault on Mostar Castle. However, with the West Wind Knight Order “watching like a tiger stalking its prey,” they couldn’t commit all their forces and had to keep some units guarding against Charlot’s potential attacks.
The siege dragged on for several days, during which Charlot refrained from engaging.
But two arrivals forced him into action.
The first was a small detachment from Strasbourg, fewer than a hundred strong, bearing Charlot’s new commission.
The second was Baron Febollet’s knightly force, more than three thousand strong. This time, Baron Febollet had no servants or caravans, appearing unusually “frugal.”
Baron Febollet ordered Charlot to regroup with him and follow his command. Charlot immediately clashed with a nearby South Seraph restorationist force, requesting reinforcements from Baron Febollet, claiming he could barely hold his position.
Such was Charlot.