The carriage sped along the winding mountain path.
"Uncle Oask, you're going a little too fast. The carriage's going to be too bumpy …" Claude climbed out of the carriage and sat beside Oask.
"Hyah, hyah!"
Oask cracked his whip twice in the air. "It can't be helped. We wasted too much time in the morning. If we don't hurry, we'll have to camp in the Black Forest at night.
There's a wolf pack there. If we don't make it to Hesse by night, we'll be in danger.
After all, we're not a caravan. One carriage, two horses, and two people. If we get caught by the wolf pack, we won't be able to take care of ourselves. "
Claude sweated. It couldn't be helped. It was all his fault. The delay in the morning was due to everyone sending him off.
It was the 20th of August, the day Claude was scheduled to leave for Kafreizit to enlist in the army.
Even though it would only take him five to six days to get there according to the map, he decided to leave today just to be safe.
That way, he would be able to familiarize himself with the new environment even if he reported a few days earlier. Also, he could prevent any accidents from happening during the journey.
Claude hired Oask's long-distance carriage and spent a hefty two crowns to send him all the way to Kafreizit, Gonegada, and Fukby Hill.
He was supposed to leave at nine, but he didn't expect there to be so many people sending him off. It wasn't until eleven before he finally bade farewell to his family and friends and got on the carriage to set off.
Actually, his mother had woken up early in the morning, wiping away her tears as she prepared to prepare a loving breakfast for Claude before he left.
She found Claude hugging Kefnie as they came out of the herbalism lab. When she asked, she found out that Kefnie didn't go home the night before and spent the night with Claude in the lab.
So, his mother's worry turned to joy and she even forgot about Claude's departure. She ran around Kefnie and even asked Claude what he should name the child if Kefnie got pregnant.
Claude didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Kefnie, embarrassed and frustrated, could only stomp on Claude's shoes to vent her anger.
It seemed that her mother had already treated Kefnie as her daughter-in-law and even wanted her to move to the wood to live with her.
It took him quite some time to calm his mother down. After having breakfast, he returned to his study to grab his backpack and prepared to leave.
In the end, his mother came out with a big bag for him to bring over.
He opened it and saw that his mother had prepared everything. Even the winter sweater, coat, gloves, and scarf were neatly folded inside.
He had no choice but to patiently explain to his mother that he was going to enlist in the army, not to travel.
Military uniforms were issued in the army, and they were not allowed to wear other clothes. Regardless of whether it was summer or winter, they could only wear the military uniform. Therefore, he only needed to put a change of outer clothes and two sets of underwear in his backpack. He did not need to bring anything else. He had already asked around and found out that even daily necessities such as towels and soap were issued by the army …
By the time Claude brought his family and Kefnie to the appointed location, it was already half-past nine in the morning.
Before he could say goodbye to his family, Thomas, Rodan, and the others came to see him off as well. They exchanged greetings once more and their departure was delayed just like that.
Osik was also a citizen. Like Welikro's father, Kubrik, he served in the army for fifteen years before becoming a citizen.
Unlike Uncle Kubrik who became a hunter, he became a hired bodyguard and traveled with the caravan.
When he grew older, he used his savings to buy a long-distance carriage and worked as a coachman and guard himself. Although he didn't have much business, he was still able to make ends meet.
Claude paid the high price of two crowns for his carriage. Since it would only take him half a month to go back and forth, he would earn at least one crown, so he agreed without hesitation.
However, he didn't expect so many people to come to see him off and delayed his departure by nearly two hours. Since those who came were all influential figures in Whitestag and Claude was the employer, he couldn't say much about it. He could only speed up the carriage to make up for the delay.
After Claude sat down beside Osik, he asked curiously, "Why are there wolves in the Black Forest?
I haven't heard of them in a long time. "
There was only one mountain path to the east of Whitestag, which was the only land exit from the three southwestern prefectures. After crossing two mountains, they would reach Ambrize.
However, to reach Ambrize, they would have to pass through the primordial Black Forest. Fortunately, the road to Hesse Town was at the edge of the Black Forest, so it would only take them five to six hours to get there. They wouldn't have to pass through the entire heart of the forest.
To reach Kafreizit, Claude would have to pass through five prefectures, namely Ambrize, Kuklia, Chaniaral, Krusag, and Limasosia.
According to Osik, if everything went smoothly, six days would be enough for them to reach Kafreizit.
Apart from Limasosia County, the other four counties were all plains. The transportation facilities were extremely convenient, and the roads were well-maintained, making it convenient for carriages to travel.
"There have always been wolves in the Black Forest, but they don't get too close to populated areas.
"About seven or eight years ago, the garrison of Hessen organized a large-scale wolf hunt. They hired nearly four hundred hunters to hunt wolves in the Black Forest.
At that time, they had killed more than three hundred wild wolves. Almost all the wolves roaming around the edge of the Black Forest had been killed, and the wolves around Hessian Town had been wiped out in one fell swoop.
Even children in their teens didn't run into any danger in picking mushrooms at the edge of the Black Forest.
"However, two months ago, a merchant group said they encountered a wolf pack on their way to Hesse Town. There were about seven or eight of them, but they only watched them from afar and didn't get too close.
Over the next few days, there have been merchants reporting hearing wolf howls from time to time. Even though there haven't been any reports of wolves harming them, Hesse Town has sent out a notice to all merchants and travelers heading to Whitestag to pass through the Black Forest instead of going alone to avoid any mishaps. "
"That's strange. Then why didn't Whitestag send out a notice?"
"It's simple. Only large caravans travel from Whitestag to Ambrize. Even if you're a lone traveler, you'll either team up with a caravan or board a ship heading to Port Neru. It's rare to rent a carriage for a long journey like you," Osk replied.
"Then what if we run into a wolf pack? I would've brought a crossbow if I'd known."
"It's fine. I brought a crossbow, a longbow, a shotgun, a shortsword, and a hand axe.
We don't have to worry about a wolf pack with only six or seven of them.
It's hard to say if we're camping in the Black Forest at night. It'll be hard for two people to protect the carriage and horses. "
Claude was shocked. "Uncle Osik, you have so many weapons hidden in the carriage. Why don't I see them?"
"They're all under my seat. They're my safety during a long journey. I have to make sure they're well kept," Osik said calmly.
"Why do you have to bring so many weapons on a long journey? Is the security of our kingdom that bad?"
"It's not that the security is bad. Towns and villages are actually quite safe, but the checks are pretty strict. You don't have to worry about anything since you have a conscription permit and a pass.
"The main problem is that we might run into fugitives and bandits on the way. They can't enter towns and villages for supplies, so they set their sights on traveling merchants and travelers. They set up ambushes in remote areas to force the merchants to provide them with supplies or rob the travelers.
Like the last time I sent my family to the town of Mariec, in the county of Tamolous, it was because there was a gang of bandits in Tamolous, who had escaped from the penal camps and had fled to the mountains to pillage and pillage.
The local garrison and the Tamolous garrison tried many times to clear them out, but to no avail. So, the merchants and travelers there have to hire guards to ensure their safety.
But when I came back, I saw a tribe of Gryphon heading towards the forest where the bandits are. I believe it won't be long before they're wiped out, "said Oask.
Gryphon was one of the four trump card corps of Aueras and was particularly skilled in fighting in the forests.
I didn't think I'd heard of such a thing in Aueras that requires a trump card corps to wipe out bandits.
Claude's jaw dropped. "Uncle Osik, does that mean there are a lot of bandits like the ones in Tamolous in the kingdom?"
Uncle Osk shook his head. "Not many. Very few.
The bandits in Tamolous are able to cause trouble there mainly because of the forests and hills. There are too many places for them to hide, so there aren't enough people to hunt them down. That's why they're able to take advantage of the situation.
We'll be passing through five prefectures on the way. Limasoya is a mining prefecture, so it's a little chaotic there.
You just have to be careful and avoid conflict with the hot-tempered miners. The people there like to reason things out with their fists. Even if you win, you'll still be in the right.
As for your destination, Kafreizit, to be honest, I've never been there before. It's my first time sending you there.
Back when I was a soldier, Kafreizit was still part of Nasri territory.
I've been a soldier for 15 years and been on the battlefield three times, but I've never set foot on enemy territory. It's quite embarrassing. "
The worst thing the two of them feared during a long journey was having no one to talk to.
Since Claude climbed out of the carriage and sat in front to chat with him, Osik excitedly talked about his experiences as a soldier, as well as his experiences as a merchant guard. Claude listened with great interest.
When they reached the bottom of the mountain, Osik stopped the carriage beside a small stream and told Claude to rest for half an hour and eat something. He had to feed the horses and let them rest and get some salt and water.
At the same time, he picked up the long cushion and asked Claude what weapons he needed.
Claude took a closer look and realized that it was true. He didn't think that the seat he had been sitting on for so long would be a weapon chest. The weapons that Osik mentioned really did have everything he needed.
"I'll take the ballista and a shortsword. It's a pity that you don't have a two-handed sword. I'm better with that.
But this double-barreled hunting rifle of yours is rather unique. It must be quite troublesome to load and reload it, right? "Claude took the ballista from the chest and fitted it to the crossbow's arm and body before nocking it to test its strength.
Osik took out the double-barreled hunting rifle. "This gun is custom-made. It fires buckshot and doesn't have a long range. It's only around 70 to 80 meters and can hit a large area without needing much aim.
It was most suitable, as I had done, to strike back with this gun, while driving the carriage at a high speed.
But like you said, it's a little troublesome to load. I have to load two barrels at once, but I can fire twice when I need to. The first shot as a warning shot and the second as a threat. That should be more than enough for me and the carriage to escape unscathed.
"We've already entered Ambrize Prefectural territory and the national highway through the Black Forest is just ahead.
It'll take us another five to six hours to reach Hesse. Apart from stopping at a few campsites along the way to let the horses rest for about ten minutes, we still have to be on high alert and make preparations.
If nothing happens along the way, I think we should be able to reach Hesse around eight at night. That way, we'll be able to check into an inn and get some rest. "
Claude nodded. It was best to listen to the advice of an experienced traveler like Oask when he was out. He couldn't just do whatever he wanted just because he paid for it. That would only bring trouble upon himself.