Charlot merely wanted to establish an image for himself.

  And win Annie's favor in passing.

  However, he hadn’t anticipated that after burning the will at the Temple of the Radiant Lord, his “luck” would truly peak. That very day, the West Wind Knights received orders to depart. Charlot barely had time to say farewell to Annie before the Overseer Squad urged them on, forcing him to leave Strasbourg in haste.

  Before departure, the Military Logistics Department of the Central Government Office delivered five military wagons and supplies to this temporarily reorganized local force, including rations and weapons. However, out of the reinforcements meant to join him, only about 30%—just over a hundred people—arrived under various pressures. Charlot quickly dispersed them into different combat squads.

  Once Charlot left the city, the local gangs of Lukavaro District finally realized that many of their members had been coerced into following him, effectively slipping out of their control. While most gangs cursed Charlot, a few individuals made a different choice.

  Doll Sister caught up with Charlot alone outside the city, requesting to join the West Wind Knights.

  Charlot was surprised and had just agreed when Yellow Bear, the second-in-command of the Dark Night Beasts, also arrived with a group of men, demanding to join as well.

  Originally, Charlot’s patrol guards were all ordinary people; he alone possessed Extraordinary abilities.

  Madam Mavis didn’t count—she rarely even showed up for patrol guard duties.

  This was the key reason Charlot could so easily take control of the patrol guards: he alone possessed overwhelming combat strength.

  Later, after Dolores Soumet repced Madam Mavis as Chief Overseer, the patrol guards gained a second Transcendent. With Doll Sister and Yellow Bear joining, this newly converted West Wind Knights now boasted four Transcendents, making them unexpectedly “strong and formidable.”

  The Fierce Horse Detective Agency, a well-established agency with over a hundred detectives and several hundred assistants and trainees, ranked among the top five detective agencies in the Fars Empire, yet even they had only a dozen or so Transcendents among their formal ranks.

  Once the Overseer Squad escorted the West Wind Knights beyond the borders of Strasbourg, they promptly withdrew to the capital. They were an Overseer Squad, not “combat transport officers.”

  The moment the Overseer Squad left, Charlot gave the order to set up camp. It was time to unify the thoughts of his newly deployed West Wind Knights.

  Charlot cleaved a rge tree with a single sword strike, leapt onto the stump, and loudly announced, “Before we set out, I received official orders from the Empire: the Lukavaro District Patrol Guards have been reorganized into the Free Knights Order. I have already obtained the official registration documents for our new knightly order. From today, we are the West Wind Knights!”

  Charlot didn’t show anyone the reorganization documents issued by the Central Government Office. Madam Mavis rarely appeared anyway, and no one dared to question why a noblewoman like Dolores had joined the patrol guards. As a result, the former patrol guards still didn’t realize that they were no longer “simply” patrol guards—they were now also knights, and their Chief Overseer had been repced.

  When the Overseer Squad suddenly arrived today and forced the “patrol guards” to leave Strasbourg, everyone was bewildered. Yet with Charlot remaining so composed, the others could only follow orders silently.

  The Overseer Squad belonged to the Royal Knights and was an elite, special force. Every member was highly skilled in combat and from noble families; no commoner could join their ranks. Every squad leader and above was a Transcendent.

  No one dared oppose the Overseer Squad—resistance would mean being sughtered on the spot.

  When the “patrol guards of mixed origins” heard that they were now members of a knightly order, uproar broke out. Not only did the formal patrol guards scramble to find ways to transfer out, but even the gang members and prisoners resisted going to war.

  Charlot unleashed Blood Glory and shouted, “There’s no need to worry. We’re simply changing locations to stand guard, not going to the battlefield.”

  “Our Vice Commander, Miss Dolores Soumet, is from the Soumet family. Do you think a noble dy like her would ever set foot on a battlefield?”

  This powerful example, along with the efforts of seasoned patrol guards like Dubin, temporarily silenced both the prisoners and gang members, who reluctantly continued listening to Charlot’s speech.

  In his previous life, Charlot had been a math teacher. While not a professional “storyteller,” he was no stranger to spinning tales to inspire students to study hard.

  He said loudly, “The destination of our West Wind Knights is the Behemoth Principality! As you all know, Grand Duke Ferdinand was assassinated by the South Seraph restorationists. The local army has gone to seek revenge, and we’re merely taking their pce to defend Behemoth. We’re still doing the same patrol work as before.”

  “All we have to do is nothing. Once the war ends, everyone will gain one or two promotions just by sitting back and waiting, earning merits to secure a peaceful retirement.”

  “This is a rare opportunity…”

  Charlot pulled out all the stops, speaking so convincingly that even he began to “believe” it. For the time being, he successfully pacified the West Wind Knights.

  He then announced a few personnel appointments. Dolores had already been appointed Vice Commander when the order was registered. A force of three thousand knights couldn’t possibly be managed by just two people, so Charlot promoted Dubin Alger to Logistics Officer and gave him a newly obtained Bronay horse. Charlot had no use for it, but it was perfect for Dubin.

  He also reorganized several combat squads into two Whirlwind Teams, led by Doll Sister and Yellow Bear.

  Charlot exerted every ounce of his energy in personnel arrangements to prevent the knightly order from falling apart before they even reached their destination.

  He deliberately deyed until evening, when everyone was both tired and hungry, before announcing dinner. Once the three thousand men had eaten their fill, much of their discontent dissipated.

  After dinner, Charlot called over his “old subordinates,” along with Dolores, Doll Sister, and Yellow Bear—the two newly joined Transcendents—to eat with him. He took the opportunity to ask why they had caught up to join him.

  Doll Sister’s reason was simple: she wanted to become an Imperial noble.

  Yellow Bear’s reason was simir—he hoped for a stable and respectable job. With a family and children to care for, he no longer wanted to live a gang member’s life.

  Charlot said nothing, finishing his meal and sending everyone back to their tasks. He then personally patrolled the camp one more time.

  Rather than resting in his wagon, Charlot left the camp entirely. After walking a few hundred meters, he stopped in a deserted spot and called softly, “Frederica! Come out.”

  A faint ugh echoed as Doll Sister leapt down from a nearby treetop. “How did you know it was me?” she asked, removing her mask to reveal eyes full of vitality and passion.

  Charlot shrugged. “You brought a short gun.”

  The leopard-girl’s rge, round ears twitched dejectedly. “I forgot—you looted a batch of short guns from No. 5 Dragon Fort Street in Alcatras District. I thought everyone used these now because they’re easier to hide.”