The First Magic World War

Charles left the Temple of Glory, with not a single thought spared for any handsome virgin guards; a notion persisted in his mind, ringing incessantly: "There's something off about that ancient painting."

"The Augusladin High Priest said, 'After crossing a vast sea, even under the watchful eyes of Lady Black Moon, the Evil Force of Agmilas no longer has the capability to create Labyrinth Guardians.'"

"But Machu Picchu clearly still can create Labyrinth Guardians."

"The Augusladin High Priest also said, 'Although the power of the labyrinth is mysterious, it cannot trap those whose Extraordinary Ranks are higher than mine.'"

"But it clearly trapped Lord Leo, it had also trapped Vini Yarsaenu and Harriet Alva, and even a few of those Hunchback Red Bear Warriors are of higher Extraordinary Ranks than mine."

"Could it be... that my Extraordinary Rank is actually higher than theirs?"

"First, eliminate an absolutely incorrect answer."

"There must be something off about that ancient painting."

Walking on the streets of Silver Pigeon Fort, Charles noticed that the city's populace had a vitality far surpassing what he'd seen upon his arrival.

Unbeknownst to him, to the people of Silver Pigeon Fort, the South Ceraph Reclamation Army was nothing but invaders. An army able to repel those invaders brought tremendous exhilaration to the locals.

Particularly during Charles's stay, when he abolished all taxes and nearly all debts, many in Silver Pigeon Fort saw their burdens of many years swept clean all at once, resulting in an immediate easing of life's challenges for more than thirty percent of households.

In the Old Continent, many people were indebted to their lords, mainly due to unpaid taxes, along with a myriad of other fees, as numerous as cow's hairs. Even with their hard work, their days remained fraught with hardship.

Charles had simply performed some "basic operations" as a transmigrator, but to the people of Silver Pigeon Fort, he was as if a divine envoy had descended from the heavens.

He showed compassion to the world, his radiance boundless.

Every now and then, Charles could even hear people singing his praises in the streets. Their flattering words made his face redden with embarrassment; the flattery was simply too much.

They really did sound quite nice, though.

Charles also didn't know if he would choose to 'maze-ify' Silver Pigeon Fort again if given another chance.

After all, Machu Picchu and Silver Pigeon Fort were different; one was a deserted ancient orc kingdom fortress with no residents left, while the other was a bustling commercial city - lively, elegant, and had it been placed on Earth, it might even become a trending online city, a coveted tourist destination.

"I will never let the people of Silver Pigeon Fort become like the Labyrinth Guardians that are Red Bear Warriors."

"I will stop the invasion of Agmilas."

Charles silently made up his mind, pondering: "Even though the Augusladin High Priest has revealed some information to me, he doesn't have all the answers either. Maybe I should try to meet that widowed princess and ask her about the ancient painting? Or perhaps I should simply make a trip to the New Continent..."

Charles knew he had no time to do these things.

He crouched down and reached out to touch the ground of Silver Pigeon Fort, knowing he could 'maze-ify' the city a second time right then and there if he wished.

But Charles chose to let go, not because he couldn't stay in Silver Pigeon Fort for a full eighteen days, but because he didn't want to harm its people.

"Are you scared?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Charles didn't look up, asking, "Mama Karen, did you know I 'maze-ified' Silver Pigeon Fort?"

Mama Karen replied with a smile, "Of course, I knew. Did you really think you could pull off a sneaky move in front of two members of the Sacred Order without us knowing?"

"Besides, you initially fell into the corridor of the Evil God alongside Anne."

"The Count personally took action, cleaning Anne of the Power of the Evil God that she had been contaminated with."

"Seeing you enjoy playing with it, I didn't stop you," he said.

"However, don't become too reliant on it."

"After all, Agmilas is the Evil God, and far away on the New Continent, it's not nearly as miraculous." Find exclusive stories on empire

"That lady merely turned the basement at 25 Mignan Street into a Labyrinth," he said.

Charles spoke softly, "I understand."

He now understood that this overseas Labyrinth Evil God, Agmilas, must hold some unknown secrets, even the Augusladin High Priest and Mama Karen did not fully comprehend Him.

What they said was different from what Charles had experienced firsthand.

Mama Karen sighed and said, "Regardless, you need to make a trip to Mostar fortress."

Setting aside these concerns, Charles asked with surprise, "What happened?"

Mama Karen explained, "Grand Duke Joseph has fallen in battle at Interlaken, and the Behemoth Duchy's army is in utter defeat, Lady Southseraph is about to counterattack."

"Your second wave of rewards is already on its way."

"You will join forces with Baron Fabolais to establish a solid defensive line against the South Ceraph Restoration Army."

"The Empire won't commit a single soldier in this direction; the Emperor has decided to battle it out at Ferlanden with Byron."

Charles hadn't expected to hear of Grand Duke Joseph's death in such a mundane atmosphere, and he softly responded, "I'm heading to Mostar fortress at once."

Machu Picchu's third Labyrinth-ification was completed, and the Westwind Knights had also nearly finished their repairs. He wasn't even a keyboard military expert, only able to do so much, and continuing further seemed pointless.

Although Charles was still reluctant to go into battle, after speaking with Cyrus, he understood Lady Southseraph's true intentions. They genuinely loathed the Behemoth Duchy and were indeed intent on slaughtering its people; as a transmigrator, he felt compelled to do something.

Even if it meant saving just one more life.

Without hearing Mama Karen's voice again, Charles bought a few random items on the street before heading back to Machu Picchu.

Even though Mama Karen had spoken lightly, Charles knew that he could ignore the Duke's messenger, make a fool of the Duchess's emissary Belisa, but he couldn't afford to disregard the old nanny's words.

This time, he didn't take all of the Westwind Knights with him.

Even he, a complete novice in military matters, knew that a Knighthood numbering over ten thousand was simply too large a force, imposing an especially huge logistical burden.

Charles only took himself, Dobin, Yellow Bear, Gwen from The Spotted Deer, and The Wind Wolf Bankcroft's direct combat squad along with ten other well-manned combat teams, totaling just over three thousand—half of his transportation carriages.

Charles now had about fifty carriages, more than twenty of which came from Baron Fabolais. All he took were the transportation carriages; the luxurious ones belonging to both Barons were sealed within the Triple Maze.

Besides pack horses, he only took a small cavalry detachment for battlefield reconnaissance; he did not bring any other horses. Firstly, because he couldn't command cavalry, secondly, his team had no expertise in this area, and thirdly, the logistical pressure of bringing military horses was too high.

This time, he left Taoles at Machu Picchu.

Firstly, the remaining few thousand needed someone to manage them, and secondly, Miss Su's family wasn't suited for combat. In the past, Charles hadn't made a selection, but now that he had a choice, he preferred to ensure Sumei's safe return to Strasbourg.