The First Magic World War-Chapter 359 - : 341, This is the responsibility of His Majesty the Emperor, not us humble commoners.

Chapter 359: 341, This is the responsibility of His Majesty the Emperor, not us humble commoners.

Charles was just preparing to step out when he saw a gaunt young man waiting outside the door, slightly uneasy but with a determined look in his eyes.

Yang Meilianye, an old acquaintance from Seagull City.

Charles greeted him with an indifferent expression, “Yang, what brings you here?” his tone as casual as if he were inquiring about the weather of an old friend.

Yang Meilianye spoke softly, “I’ve enlisted, but we haven’t been issued any weapons. You know this isn’t right, so I wanted to ask if I could borrow some from you.”

Charles raised an eyebrow and asked, “Enlisted? Which unit?”

Yang Meilianye spoke quietly, “The Evil Dragon Knights.”

Charles said, “Never heard of them.”

Yang Meilianye murmured, “They were recently formed, previously a local security group. The commander is a legitimate Knight.”

Charles’s mood became complex, and finally, he said lightly, “I’ll have you transferred. Don’t stay in that knighthood. They are nothing but cannon fodder. Going there is akin to marching to your death.”

Charles, having fought many battles, was intimately familiar with the Empire’s military system. These temporarily converted local unit knighthoods typically had very low combat effectiveness and were only used to fill gaps in the lines. The soldiers were there purely to die for their comrades, achieving only trifling strategic goals with their lives.

Yang Meilianye bowed his head and said, “We have already agreed, it’s not good to go back on our word now, besides…”

“It’s already hard to find work in Strasbourg, there’s nothing to eat, we would starve soon—enlisting at least offers a way to survive.”

Charles grew slightly agitated and said, “You’ve all been transferred to the Westwind Knights. The paperwork will be dealt with later; I will handle the matter with the Evil Dragon side.”

“Now go immediately to report at No. 1 Sparrowhawk Street!”

As Yang Meilianye attempted to say something else, Charles, growing angry, said, “Do not anger me. Even your so-called Evil Dragon Knights wouldn’t dare to provoke me. Follow my orders, and report to No. 1 Sparrowhawk Street immediately.”

Yang Meilianye bowed his head, saluted, and ran off.

Charles, whose mood had been fairly good, saw it completely soured now. Ever since his arrival in this era, he had been constantly cleaning up after “Charles Mecklen”, always treading on thin ice, fearing the day his past might be revealed. Yang Meilianye represented a part of his “past” he least wished to confront, but he could not just watch the boy march to his death.

Charles sighed deeply and had Madam Nancy notify Anne that he would be tied up with urgent matters; he then headed to Sparrowhawk Street.

Charles didn’t go to the Patrolling Army; instead, he went to the administrative office to sort out Yang Meilianye’s situation. With his “influence”, transferring a group from a newly formed knighthood was a piece of cake; a mere Evil Dragon Knights couldn’t possibly defy his will.

Besides dealing with Yang Meilianye’s situation, what disturbed Charles was the current state of Strasbourg. The Empire had issued a wartime decree: all civil servants’ weekly salaries were halved—meaning, not only the ordinary civilians, even the Empire’s civil servants were being swept over by the aftershocks of the war.

Madam Nancy had even failed to purchase food the day before, forcing Charles to have a batch delivered.

Yet, if he could manage his own sustenance, how could he possibly save all the people in Strasbourg?

Charles dearly hoped that the war would end soon. Apart from the motionless Lionheart Dynasty, the Four Great Empires had opened up at least six or seven battlefronts, each pouring in immense forces. Most of the news was not good, and it no longer made the newspapers. Thankfully, Anne could access the battle reports; otherwise, Charles wouldn’t even know how dire the situation at the front was, with the daily death toll being shockingly high.

Soon after, Yang Meilianye and his friends were brought to the administrative office. The Patrolling Army’s office was virtually deserted now, staffed only by some disabled veterans. Charles continued paying them, while they also looked after his house.

When the young man saw Charles, he no longer possessed his initial arrogance. Clearly, the dual blows of life and society had given him a deeper understanding of reality.

Charles didn’t offer much comfort, instead he said, “I will assemble fifty people for you. For now, you lead a small combat team and take charge of the security in the Lucavaro District.”

Yang couldn’t help but say, “The Lucavaro District no longer has any security to speak of. It’s in complete chaos everywhere. Everyone is short of food, lacking the most basic necessities. Without enough food, security is impossible!”

Charles gave him a profound look and asked indifferently, “Can you solve this problem?”

Yang Meilianye quickly shook his head.

Charles said, “Don’t worry about things you can’t handle.”

Yang Meilianye whispered, “But you should be able to, I know the Badger Company is very wealthy.”

Charles countered, “So I should distribute Badger Company’s money to everyone?”

Yang Meilianye said bravely, “Why not?”

After thinking for a moment, Charles had someone fetch a bag of Sheng Ding and handed it to Yang Meilianye, saying, “Go to the streets and distribute these Sheng Ding to everyone, one piece per person.”

“When you come back, I will tell you why.”

Although Yang Meilianye didn’t understand Charles’s words, he still went off in a hurry, and did not return for the entire afternoon.

Charles still went to pick up Anne from work. The two of them were already unable to dine out anymore. Although Val de Vaz District wasn’t like Elysian Pastoral Avenue, where shops were starting to close, most of the restaurants were short on supplies and the food was no longer tasty.

Charles had special channels for supplies and wasn’t lacking, so Anne arranged for a cook to come from her home. The cook’s cuisine was in the classic Fars style. Although her table manners far exceeded those of Mrs. Plum Sauce, Charles still preferred the food prepared by Mrs. Plum Sauce. It wasn’t a matter of cooking skills, just a difference in taste.

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The next day, as soon as Charles opened the door, he saw Yang Meilianye. The young man was extremely disheveled and said in a low voice, “Those people are terrifying. I told everyone they get a share, but they didn’t listen at all. They pounced and grabbed, with a ferocious look in their eyes, as if they wanted to devour me alive. I threw away the bag of money, scattered the Sheng Ding on the ground, but they still lunged at me, trying to search my body for other things.”

“Mister Mecklen, why did this happen?”

Charles said indifferently, “I don’t know why it happened, I just knew it was bound to happen.”

“The Badger Company can only save itself; it can’t save Strasbourg.”

“Only His Majesty the Emperor can save the people of Strasbourg.”

“It is His Majesty the Emperor’s responsibility, not ours who are but ordinary people.”

There was another thing Charles didn’t say because he knew Yang Meilianye wouldn’t understand—the Badger Company declaring it was rescuing people would be akin to announcing it had vast supplies, and why wouldn’t the Emperor and the great nobles seize them?

Yang Meilianye asked with some indignation, “Are we really unable to do anything?”

Charles gave a faint smile and replied, “You could try starting a rebellion.”

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