Carlotta's Daily Report
Chapter 59: Time Will Tell

Chapter 59: Time Will Tell

On Amelia’s wrist, a string of silver-white pearls appeared, which were her Ten Heart pearls, possessing spatial effects.

Earlier, when Carlotta had sought a spar with Amelia, Amelia had once taken out a weapon from the Ten Heart pearls, so it wasn’t the first time she had seen them.

"Next, you will accompany me to the battlefield, so there are some things I need to tell you to give you an understanding. This time, I am leading the Fenwick family’s knight order, the Carnation Knights."

As Amelia spoke, her eyes couldn’t help but show a hint of complexity. The meaning of carnations symbolizes flower which means maternal love, embodying her longing for her deceased mother.

After a moment of silence, Amelia continued to explain the situation of the Carnation Knights to increase Carlotta’s understanding.

Under normal circumstances, the Empire does not allow nobles to have too many private troops. Even if they are granted the right to establish a knight order, the Empire still decides how many members it can have.

A noble knight order typically ranges in size from a handful of members to several hundred. These limits are generally maintained, except during times of war when they may be expanded.

Now, the Carnation Knights have expanded to three thousand members, and in recent days, the Fenwick family has used various means to fill the vacancies in the Carnation Knights.

The Fenwick family is located in the capital, so it is naturally difficult to recruit enough members suddenly, as it’s not just the Fenwick family that is recruiting at the same time.

Therefore, apart from those who originally belonged to the Carnation Knights, only a small portion were recruited through normal means. Additionally, half of the members were actually prisoners from the prison, whom the Viscount Fenwick had managed to extract and place in the knight order.

Even finding people from the prison wasn’t easy, as other nobles would also think of this method, and there had been some contention among the nobles in this regard.

These people are not easy to manage, but fortunately, Amelia is not alone. The Viscount Fenwick naturally arranged her necessary assistants, and there are professionals to manage them.

Amelia also informed Carlotta about some trusted and important personnel.

She herself is just going to gain experience, while Carlotta only needs to stay with her and doesn’t need to get involved in too many things.

Among them, Carlotta heard a familiar name.

"Camella Ackerman? Is Ackerman coming too?"

Carlotta couldn’t help but ask.

Regarding Camella, she always feels a strange sensation because the other person is currently in a bizarre state of shipping, specifically shipping her and Amelia.

Amelia explained, "Even though Camella’s family knight order is allowed to expand, it has only increased by 100 members, which is not enough to go to the battlefield independently. Therefore, they are joining our family to go together."

"I see."

Carlotta understood. Although the Ackerman family is noble, it is still relatively small.

She thought about it and couldn’t remember whether Camella’s father was a baronet or a knight, only that he had crossed the threshold of nobility. However, because they are relatives of the Fenwick family, their status isn’t bad.

"Miss White, what do you think about her coming along?"

Amelia asked.

"Nothing... it’s just that she has some misunderstandings about us and doesn’t believe our explanations."

Carlotta shrugged.

Amelia naturally knew what Camella’s misunderstandings were, and thinking about it, she felt both helpless and embarrassed.

She suddenly remembered that this time, she was going to the battlefield, and Carlotta, who didn’t need to go, was coming along. Wouldn’t this further solidify the rumors about her and Carlotta?

Not just Camella, but other students will probably become even more convinced of this rumor. After she and Carlotta left, the Caerwyn Academy might circulate stories about her and Carlotta for a long time.

Blushing slightly, Amelia still said, "Often, misunderstandings cannot be resolved. The more you explain, the more suspicious people become. It’s better to say nothing, and time will naturally prove everything."

"True, time will tell."

Carlotta nodded in agreement.

Amelia then continued to introduce the situation of the Carnation Knights, including some general information about their ranks.

...

Unknowingly, night fell.

The hustle and bustle of the day gradually faded away, and those who should sleep entered their dreams. However, Carlotta waited until midnight, wanting to check the intel.

Tomorrow, she would follow Amelia to the Francis Duchy, and she couldn’t help but feel some hesitation. So, she decided to check the intel, probably the last time she would do so in the capital, Kestholm.

In the silence of the night, Carlotta silently called up the panel and looked at it.

[ 1: Amelia Fenwick has officially taken over the family’s Carnation Knights and will soon lead the knights to the Francis front, participating in the war between the two empires.]

[ 2: After being captured, Danica Schmidt refused to reveal any information about the Sunset Rose, no matter the interrogation. She understood that only by saying nothing could she have a chance to survive, as revealing anything would only put her in greater danger. Moreover, she didn’t possess much information.]

[ 3: The current temporary base of the Sunset Rose is located in Casper Village outside the capital, occupying the best houses. When returning to the village, they disguise themselves as villagers using illusion masks. These assassins’ current surface identities are... their ranks are...]

[ 4: Julia Polk had her period this afternoon and felt a bit down.]

[ 5: The list of noble children going to the Francis Duchy to participate in the war is as follows: Amelia Fenwick, Camella Ackerman, Doris O’Connor, Beatrice Morholt...]

Carlotta read through the five pieces of intel.

The third and fifth pieces of intel particularly caught her attention.

The fifth intel provided a long list. Carlotta scanned through it and found many familiar names. Upon closer reflection, her expression couldn’t help but become subtle, as many of them were currently students at Caerwyn Academy!

There were also some who were probably from other academies.

Clearly, during this period, many noble children were heading to the battlefield, and Amelia was just one of them.

In comparison, the third piece of intel made Carlotta’s thoughts more active.

The temporary base of the Sunset Rose had been revealed, which was undoubtedly very important information.

If Carlotta remembered correctly, the Carnation Knights would pass through Casper Village on their way to the Francis Duchy.

Could they deal with these assassins?

---------

Kestholm.

A chilly wind lifted the newspaper carrying news of war, sweeping it across the streets in the morning light, until it finally stuck to a street lamp that had dimmed but still retained some warmth, rustling incessantly.

A carriage passed quickly through the streets, bearing the emblem of the Fenwick family, a white flower.

This was a lily, symbolizing purity and flawlessness, a belief that the Fenwick family had always upheld. The former Carnation Knights, also known as the Lily Knights, were renamed in memory of Amelia’s late mother, Diana Fenwick.

Inside the carriage, Carlotta sat by a small table, unable to suppress a yawn.

She had forgotten to ask what time they would depart today. Having stayed up until the early hours of the morning reading intelligence before going to bed, she hadn’t expected to be roused at six. She felt a bit sleep-deprived.

"Miss White, if you’re still tired, you can sleep now," Amelia said considerately.

"No, no, I can manage," Carlotta waved her hand.

She still wanted to find a way to cause some trouble for the Sunset Rose when the carriage arrived at Caspar Village. If she fell asleep and didn’t wake up at the critical moment, wouldn’t she miss the opportunity?

Caspar Village wasn’t too far from the capital.

"Are you sure you don’t need to rest? You look very tired," Amelia touched at Carlotta’s dark circles.

"For a long time, I won’t be able to see the scenery of Kestholm again. I want to take it all in," Carlotta said casually.

As she spoke, she felt a bit awkward.

In fact, Amelia also felt a bit awkward while speaking.

Because the carriage wasn’t just occupied by the two of them, Camella was also there.

The blue-haired girl had been staring at Carlotta and Amelia since she entered the carriage, her blue eyes darting around meaningfully, making those being watched feel uneasy.

Seeing the two of them glance at her as they spoke, Camella couldn’t help but smile.

"One of you is going to the battlefield to participate in the war, and the other is braving the dangers ahead, following without hesitation. This feeling of sharing life and death is just like the emotional climax between two protagonists in a novel."

Carlotta waved her hand, "You’re mistaken. Our situation isn’t like the kind of novel you’re imagining."

Camella smiled, "How is it different?"

Carlotta said, "In the kind of novel you’re talking about, when such life-and-death situations occur, usually only the two protagonists are present, with no third person, right? Unless it’s a pet. Pets can be by their side."

Camella didn’t understand Carlotta’s meaning at first, blinking and thinking for a moment before she got it.

She shouted angrily, "Carlotta White, who are you calling a pet? Even if you and Amelia are dating, you can’t talk about me like that!"

"We’re not dating," Amelia couldn’t help but refuse.

At this, Camella rolled her eyes. At this point, she was still trying to fool her? If they weren’t dating, would there be such a scene where one goes to the battlefield and the other follows without hesitation?

Amelia said no more. She had long felt that explaining such things were unnecessary. Camella wasn’t someone who would listen. It was better to let time provide the answer. Just now, she had merely retorted out of reflex.

Carlotta pursed her lips and smiled. She had teased Camella a bit, and her spirits had lifted considerably.

Before long, the carriage left the capital and encountered the Carnation Knights and the Swan Knights, who were camped not far outside the capital. The latter was the 100-man knight order following Camella.

These two knight orders had already arrived outside the capital yesterday to set up camp. Now, as they joined the carriage, a group of over three thousand people marched northward in a grand procession.

Camella leaned out of the carriage and looked back, asking curiously, "Amelia, where did you get so many people? These days, nobles everywhere are scrambling to recruit people like crazy. I heard that many noble knight orders can’t even fill their ranks."

She knew even less about the situation of the Carnation Knights than Carlotta.

Amelia explained, "Half of them were recruited from prisons. These people aren’t very reliable, so don’t get too close to them."

In fact, the newly recruited people had little loyalty to speak of. The truly dependent ones were the 500 members who originally belonged to the Carnation Knights. These 500 were now serving as squad leaders, managing the newly recruited 2500.

Camella frowned slightly, "People from prisons? That’s indeed unreliable. If something happens, they’re the most likely to collapse. To unite these people, they must go through some battles, and these battles must be won to increase their sense of cohesion."

As a noble lady, Camella wasn’t a mere figurehead. She knew some essential knowledge.

Amelia understood this too, but she couldn’t help but smile wryly. Before reaching the Duchy of Francis, where would there be battles to temper their knight order?

To match everyone’s pace, the carriage slowed down considerably. By the time the outline of Caspar Village appeared ahead, it was already noon.

This makes Carlotta regret it a bit. If she had known it would take so long, she would have taken a nap. She had never led a military operation before, hence the miscalculation, and she could only silently remember this.

Looking at the increasingly close Caspar Village, Carlotta recalled the intelligence in her mind.

The intelligence not only indicates that the Sunset Rose’s temporary base was in Caspar Village but also mentioned the ranks of each assassin here.

As for their side, Carlotta had learned about everyone’s ranks yesterday when Amelia introduced the Carnation Knights. Carlotta was well aware that, in terms of combat power, their side had an absolute advantage over the assassins!

The only question was, how to identify the villagers as impostors from the Sunset Rose?

Carlotta thought and thought but couldn’t come up with a brilliant plan. She wasn’t particularly skilled in strategy. Moreover, compared to any plan, many times, simple and direct actions could be especially effective.

She had already thought of a method. Although it wasn’t sophisticated, with their side’s absolute advantage in combat power, a simple approach was sufficient.

Thus, the carriage led the two knight orders into Caspar Village, causing the villagers to come out one by one, watching the large group with suspicion and uncertainty.

Naturally, someone from the Carnation Knights stepped forward to negotiate, stating that they would rest in Caspar Village for the afternoon before continuing their journey.