Charlot Mecklenburg rose early in the morning. After paying his respects to Earl Bretagne, he ensured his subordinates delivered the earl’s breakfast and prepared his favorite tea. Only then did Charlot immerse himself in his work.
Though constrained by his status, which limited his access to luxury goods, Charlot managed to make everything appear impeccable. Earl Bretagne, though sparing in praise, had ceased displaying his killing intent of late—a small but notable improvement.
During this period, the West Wind Knight Order had regained activity, establishing camps across nearly every region of South Seraph. These camps avoided combat, focusing instead on medical relief efforts. Not only did they treat the wounded of South Seraph but also those of the Fars Empire, Ingrima Empire, and even the Black Phoenix Dynasty. Many injured Black Phoenix soldiers abandoned by their armies were found and brought back to these camps for treatment. The knights had essentially transformed into a Battlefield Hospital Knight Order, earning widespread praise not just in Fars, but also in Ingrima and Black Phoenix.
Charlot even distributed novels to injured soldiers free of charge, providing them a way to pass the time.
The envoy of the Lionheart Empire had sought amnesty from various empires on Charlot's behalf. In return, Charlot decisively "changed professions," pivoting from combat to humanitarian efforts.
Charlot arrived at a nearby camp, built strictly according to modern medical principles. While Charlot himself was not a professional, he applied basic emergency medical knowledge from Earth, which, though not universally known, was common enough to be effective. For instance, boiling water for sterilization and using clean white cloth for bandages. Alcohol was unavailable; the Old Continent lacked affordable spirits. Expensive champagne was beyond Charlot’s means, and weaker fruit wines or beers were unsuitable for disinfection and instead risked promoting bacterial growth. Despite these limitations, many injured soldiers survived, their odds significantly improved.
As Charlot inspected the camp, he sighed. Though he was doing his utmost to save lives, the number of injured arriving daily showed no signs of decreasing.
The South Seraph battlefield resembled a snowball rolling downhill—its scale and intensity growing relentlessly. The more troops each side committed, the larger the battles became, creating a vicious cycle.
Charlot felt a pang of sorrow but understood his limits. After completing a tour of the camp, he composed himself and departed for another camp.
Even at full effort, Charlot could visit only two or three camps in a single day.
That evening, unable to return to his headquarters, Charlot decided to rest at one of the camps.
...
In the middle of the night, Charlot was roused by a commotion. Rising quickly, he discovered a unit of Ingrima soldiers entering the camp. Charlot raised his voice, commanding, “I am Charlot Mecklenburg. Which allied unit is this?”
A polite officer stepped forward and replied, “So, it’s the Red Dragon Palace Archivist and Obsidian Spring Palace Literary Advisor, Mr. Mecklenburg! We are the Firefly Knight Order. We’ve just fought a skirmish with a Black Phoenix unit, leaving us with numerous wounded. We cannot transport them all. Could you care for these brothers?”
Charlot’s status in the Ingrima Empire was far higher than in the Fars Empire. He held the rank of a twenty-second-grade third-level councillor, surpassing even the insurmountable noble class. Furthermore, he was favored by Emperor Alfred Guillaume, the fifteenth emperor of Ingrima. Thus, the officer treated him with the utmost respect.
“Bring them in immediately!” Charlot said urgently. “Did you evacuate everyone from the battlefield? Were there any left behind? Whether there were or not, please provide the location. The West Wind Knight Order will help clear the battlefield.”
The officer, visibly relieved, replied, “I’ve heard of your kindness, Mr. Mecklenburg. Our battle took place about fifteen kilometers southwest, in a forest. We won, and the Black Phoenix forces retreated hastily, leaving many of their wounded behind.”
Charlot nodded. “Understood.” He ordered his team to bring in the Firefly knights and their injured, conducting thorough checks on the wounded.
As an Earth native, Charlot was aware of unscrupulous tactics employed by some armies, such as infiltrating field hospitals to massacre medical personnel. Thus, he ensured that all injured soldiers were verified as genuine and unarmed, imposing strict security measures on the transporting units as well.
After admitting the wounded, Charlot organized the camp’s defenses and immediately led a team to the battlefield. They found over a hundred corpses and several dozen injured Black Phoenix soldiers. The Ingrima officer had shown some compassion by providing this information.
Charlot buried the bodies of soldiers from both sides on-site, marking the graves and documenting them so that families could recover their relatives’ remains in the future. He then returned to the camp with the wounded.
Unbeknownst to Charlot, his actions were observed from high above by Andreas, the youngest Saint-rank of the Black Phoenix Dynasty. Andreas sighed and murmured, “Charlot Mecklenburg, you should stick to writing novels and practicing medicine, not wandering the battlefield.”
“Because of your aid to our soldiers, I’ll let you go this time. But next time, don’t expect to be so lucky. I’ll definitely capture you.”
Andreas understood that taking the injured back personally would only burden his army further. The ongoing conflict was too intense, and caring for the wounded had become increasingly challenging.
The West Wind Knight Order’s transformation into a Battlefield Hospital Knight Order earned even the Black Phoenix army’s admiration. Many Black Phoenix soldiers chose to avoid confrontation when encountering the West Wind knights.
...
Charlot, unaware of his narrow escape from capture, returned to camp with the injured Black Phoenix soldiers. He organized treatment for them before finally seeing to the previous group. By the time he finished, daylight had already broken.
Just as Charlot was preparing to rest, a disturbance erupted. A knight order had surrounded the camp, and a loud voice called out, “Surrender immediately, or we will attack!”
Charlot, who had been away from combat for some time, was taken aback. Leading a group of Labyrinth Guards, he exited the camp and saw the uniforms of the Fars Empire knights. Relieved, he announced, “I am Charlot Mecklenburg, twenty-fifth-grade fifth-level Chief Clerk of the empire, stationed in Lukavaro District...”
Before he could finish introducing his credentials, a voice from the opposing side interrupted, “Silence! We’re here to investigate reports of someone harboring Black Phoenix soldiers. We’ve already raided three camps and found numerous injured Black Phoenix soldiers. Are you Charlot Mecklenburg?”
“That’s who we’re looking for.”
Hearing about the raided camps, Charlot’s anger surged. Still, he refrained from arguing and instead asked coldly, “What department do you represent?”
“You don’t deserve to know,” the voice retorted.
Charlot raised his hand and shouted, “Black Phoenix forces, attack!”