The First Magic World War

All major countries on the Old Continent have gun control laws!

Only military personnel, detectives, nobility, and some individuals with special status have firearm permits and can openly possess firearms.

This is why the adventurers Charlotte recruited to besiege the Liemar Detective Agency's seven detectives were all using cold weapons, as lower-level adventurers cannot obtain firearm permits, making it very difficult for them to obtain firearms.

Charlotte had only been the head of the Lucavaro District Patrolling Army for a few days and hadn't had time to apply for equipment from the Central Government Office's Military Logistics Department. The hundred-plus old Patrolling Army members who came with Dobin were all equipped with rapiers and handguns, but the adventurers did not have firearms.

Fortunately, the firearm permit isn't a separate document, it's an attachment issued along with the Patrolling Army's papers. If one's a detective, it will be issued together with the detective's papers. So the adventurers who had recently joined his ranks could all legally possess weapons.

Charlotte led his team to the Victory Bridge by the Lucavaro River.

This bridge also serves as a connector between the Upper Seven Districts and the Outer Fifteen Districts.

The Victory Bridge itself is a small fortress and can be closed off during wartime to prevent entry.

After waiting for several hours and almost reaching the afternoon, a convoy finally came from the opposite Picardy District.

As part of the Patrolling Army, they naturally split into two groups to protect both sides of the convoy.

Charlotte walked behind the procession. He hadn't brought his alchemical wand or alchemical handgun and Magnum Hand Shuttle when he left home last night. The Vampiric Hand Axe was hidden under his coat, and with empty hands, he felt quite free and at ease.

The core of the convoy, naturally, was Archduke Ferdinand's hearse, but more eye-catching than that was a young noble in his thirties at the front of the convoy. He was Archduke Ferdinand's nephew and the new Duke of Behemoth Duchy, Franz Joseph, who had declared war on South Serif.

Following behind the convoy was a carriage containing the South Serif "warrior" who had assassinated Archduke Ferdinand. He had used a Transcendent Level handgun, hitting Archduke Ferdinand's chest with all three shots, killing the Imperial Duke on the spot.

It was said that at the time, the Duke, lost in grief and holding his wife, didn't use his Fighting Spirit to protect himself, which is why he was shot dead.

Regardless, it was a tragedy.

Charlotte silently sighed in his heart. After escorting the convoy for two hours and about to leave his jurisdiction, the protection duty was coming to an end, and he couldn't help but let out a slight sigh of relief.

Just as he was planning to go on a date with Anne after completing the escort, his Insight suddenly activated. A beautiful girl with azure eyes was poised to strike on the rooftop of a street nearby.

Charlotte was startled and slowed down, breaking away from the main group. He activated the Quickness Technique, leapt onto the roof with a bound, and approached Philedrica within a few moments.

The Leopard People girl didn't flee, nor did she take a combat stance; instead, she asked with a light chuckle, "Are you going to stop me?"

Charlotte sighed and said, "Can you do it outside of my district?"

He really wanted to kill this female assassin, but it absolutely could not be at a time like this.

Starting a battle now could lead to a major incident. Enjoy new stories from empire

As soon as Archduke Ferdinand's hearse left the Lucavaro District, if they didn't make a move, he would take the initiative.

Philedrica's pretty face revealed a teasing smile as she countered, "What price are you willing to pay?"

Charlotte spread his hands and said, "What do you need?"

Philedrica quickly said, "I heard you are the head of the Lucavaro District Patrolling Army. If we moved our detective agency to the Lucavaro District, what kind of policy perks would we receive?"

Charles sneered coldly and said, "You're still trying to assassinate me and now you want policy favors from me?"

Philedrica replied, "The Orc Assassin Alliance has many rules, but as long as there are rules, there's always a way around them. For example, I can have Algenon announce the failure of the mission three months from now."

Assassins operate in the shadows, unlike detective agencies that can openly do business. They can't expose themselves to the light of day.

Charles caused a major disturbance last night, even setting fire to the Chelsea Detective Agency. The Orc Assassin Alliance could no longer stay in the Alcatraz area and had to move out of 5 Dragon Fortress Street and rebuild a new base.

Algenon concluded that assassinating Charles was too difficult. He was a paid assassin, not a sell-sword willing to lay down his life. There was no need to stake everything on one deal. He chose to abandon the task and left Strasbourg that very night, fleeing far away.

As the person in charge of the Orc Assassin Alliance in Strasbourg, Philedrica couldn't just walk away with such ease—she had to clean up this mess.

As the head of the Patrolling Army for a large district, Charles might not have many experts under his command, but as the army in charge of a city's "public security," what they had in abundance were personnel. Once targeted by Philedrica, her situation would be quite uncomfortable, which is why she needed Algenon's commitment to make a deal with Charles.

Charles himself was still unaware that he held a pivotal position in Strasbourg, and many things required his consent to proceed quietly.

With just a word from him, he held not insignificant power in the Lucavaro District.

On Earth, the head of the Patrolling Army, in the absence of a long-term Chief Inspector, would be equivalent to the head of a police station plus the captain of the local criminal police and the commander of the armed police detachment, especially one without any direct superiors...

Against an "international" assassin organization, this level of influence might be somewhat lacking, but it was more than enough to deal with the local branches of the organization.

Charles asked, "Is there no way to completely erase the assassination task?"

The Leopard People girl replied, "I don't know if there's a way to completely erase the task, but so far, nobody has succeeded. The Orc Assassin Alliance has never broken this rule."

"However, the Orc Assassin Alliance does have many tasks that have existed for over a hundred years."

"So..."

Philedrica shrugged her shoulders and said, "You don't need to care about this rule. An organization that doesn't know how to adapt would have already disappeared in the long river of history."

"I need to rebuild our Strasbourg branch, and you need to deal with the duel tomorrow."

"There will be a third assassin coming in three months; you can start the battle anew with them!"

Charles sighed and said, "Then let's fight again in three months."

Having received the promise, Philedrica quietly left.

Charles watched the convoy leave the Lucavaro District. His subordinates were also retreating gradually, and he let out a slight sigh of relief.

Obviously, the Leopard People girl hadn't come to assassinate anyone; she was just here to negotiate.

Charles was a bit overwhelmed by the current issues, so a temporary ceasefire was good. He could handle the duel first, then deal with the Orc Assassin Alliance afterward.

While he was on the rooftop, contemplating various matters, a loud boom traveled from afar, and a black-grey cloud of fire shot into the sky.

Charles stared dumbfounded in that direction.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

That was where the convoy transporting Archduke Ferdinand's reliquary should have been.