After resting for a night in Emis, Claude continued on his way with Myjack and Gum. They spent a day and a night traversing Odin Mountain Range and another day before they reached the prefectural city of Kafreizit, Gonigada, in the evening.
It could be considered a return trip. Back then, Claude had come to Kafreizit to enlist in the army. It was also the place where he entered the battlefield.
Back then, he was still a member of Bluefeather. Things had changed since then. Bluefeather was destroyed in the Great Plains of Canas and Claude was thrown to the garrison of Emis by Bluefeather before being transferred to the ranger camp by the first prince.
Now that he had been promoted to the rank of captain and received a knighthood medal, who would have expected that?
Claude decided to rest in Gonigada for the next two days. Traversing Odin Mountain Range was indeed tiring. Myjack and Gum didn't get a good rest. The terrain was treacherous and there would be large caravans transporting supplies passing by from time to time. Claude's carriage would have to avoid the caravans from time to time, which slowed down the entire journey.
Claude also decided to pay a visit to the original camp of Bluefeather. It was said that the remnants of Bluefeather had already returned to the main camp in Kafreizit and the kingdom had decided to build a new Bluefeather there.
Through Durioro, Claude found out about Second Ranger Camp and the 11th Battalion of Bluefeather's 1st Line's 1st Line. Second Ranger Camp had suffered heavy losses.
Berklin, however, was fine. He was rather quick-witted and made preparations to escape the moment things went south. Most of the men from his band managed to escape.
As for the 11th Battalion of Bluefeather, it was Claude's old unit. Like the rest of Bluefeather, they perished together with the light cavalry of Canas on the plains.
However, the infirmary of the 11th Battalion was located at the very back of the army. When the situation on the frontlines turned for the worse, some of the injured and medics managed to escape.
Perunt, whom Claude was concerned about, was among them. He and Bell, the medic Claude was acquainted with, were lucky enough to bump into Berklin and were escorted back by him.
He wanted to see Perunt. Back when he joined the army, he had a conflict with a veteran soldier and was sent to the infirmary twice. Perunt had spent quite a bit of effort on him.
Had it not been for Perunt, Claude wouldn't be where he was now.
Even his thigh was injured in the battle to capture Wilfford Hill. It was Perunt's medicine that healed his thigh and prevented his leg from being amputated due to infection.
That was why he had to pay a visit to Doctor Perunt, who was in the army camp nearby.
Unfortunately, he didn't find Perunt when he went to the main camp the next morning. Instead, he ran into First Lieutenant Most, the instructor who favored him a lot during the recruit training. Now, he was First Lieutenant Most.
It was a pleasant surprise. Most didn't think he'd be able to see Claude again. Not to mention, Claude was also a captain like him and had a knighthood on his chest. He had no choice but to bow to Claude.
At noon, he was stopped by Most and the two of them went to a tavern in Gonegada to drink to their hearts' content.
Most said that he didn't go to the Canas Plains with his unit. Due to his injury, he had to stay in the infirmary for half a year before he recovered. It was there that he heard the news of Bluefeather's annihilation. After he recovered, he was ordered to return to the main camp and rebuild Bluefeather. He was now the acting battalion commander of the 11th Battalion.
Claude asked about Perunt and Most told him that the doctor was no longer part of Bluefeather.
It was said that after the defeat, a treatment camp was set up at the eastern border of Askilin to take in the wounded who managed to escape. Perunt and the rest of the medical staff were transferred there.
When the camp was disbanded, Perunt and the medical staff's files were transferred elsewhere. They seemed to have been transferred to a treatment center under frontline command. Most wasn't sure where they went.
Claude was rather disappointed that he couldn't find Perunt.
After parting ways with Most, Claude returned to the tavern to rest. He wasn't interested in strolling around Gournegada anymore.
Early the next morning, he brought Myjack and Gum on the carriage and continued on their journey.
Seven days later, in the prefecture of Ambrize.
"Hessen is up ahead. We'll rest there for the night and set off tomorrow morning. After we pass the Black Forest, we'll be able to reach Whitestag by nightfall.
It's been five years and I'm finally home, "Claude exclaimed to Myjack.
"Sir, I'm not sure if it'll be too abrupt for Gum and me to go to your place. Is there even room for the two of us?" Myjack asked.
The two of them traveled on horseback while Gum drove the carriage. The carriage was filled to the brim with the goods Claude bought from the black market. That was why the two of them could only ride beside the carriage.
"Haha, it's fine. You two have been with me for so long and are like brothers to me.
I'm sure my family will welcome you with open arms.
As for a place to stay, you don't have to worry. My family might not have much, but we do have a lot of real estate. I left three buildings for my family before I left. The rent alone would be dozens of crowns a year. Are you worried about not having a place to stay? "Claude laughed heartily.
They soon arrived at Hesse. The only thing that surprised Claude and the other two was that the security at the entrance seemed rather tight.
It was something they hadn't seen on the way. There weren't even any identity checks in other places.
That was inevitable. Most of the town guards had been moved to the newly conquered territory and hadn't returned from the frontlines yet.
So, most of the guards were retired veterans in their forties or fifties. They were rather sloppy when it came to checking passersby's IDs. Most of them didn't want to look for trouble.
But Hessen was an exception. Claude stopped at the Hound Tavern that Oakes brought him to and asked for a guest room and a warehouse.
That was how it was arranged along the way. The guest room was for the three of them to bathe and wash their clothes, while the warehouse was for the carriage. Myjack and Gum also stayed in the warehouse to look after the carriage.
After all, the carriage was filled with goods worth close to 500 crowns. They couldn't afford to be careless.
But the moment the food was served, the guards of Hessen arrived. Their leader was an old man in his fifties. He had the rank of second lieutenant on his uniform and was probably a retired veteran. His military salute was very accurate.
"Greetings, Sir Claude."
The second lieutenant checked the three's IDs and passes and asked, "Can I ask something?
Are you returning to Whitestag? "
Claude nodded. "Of course. I'm on home leave. I haven't been home for five years."
The second lieutenant hesitantly said, "Pardon my rudeness, Sir Claude. If possible, I think it would be best for you to stay in town for a few more days. It'll be safer to travel with more people. It'll be much safer if there's a merchant caravan with you."
"Huh?"
Claude was taken aback. What did that mean? "You're saying that the Black Forest and Mountain Path aren't safe and the wolves haven't been eradicated?"
"Oh, no, it's not the wolves. Four to five years ago, our town hired hunters to eradicate the wolves in the Black Forest.
That time, I also participated in the wolf hunt and killed two big gray wolves.
We mobilized close to a hundred hunters and wiped out four wolf packs, killing 145 black and grey wolves. The howls of wolves have long since disappeared from the Black Forest and the Black Forest. "
The second lieutenant explained, "The Black Forest and Mountain Path aren't very safe now because there's a group of bandits in the area.
Their leader is called One-Eyed Lambach. It's said that he escaped from Whitestag's slave camp and gathered around 40 bandits to hide in the Black Forest. From time to time, they come out to rob houses and ambush merchants.
Even though their weapons aren't that good, they have the numbers and are willing to risk their lives.
So, if the three of you rush to Whitestag, you'll easily be ambushed by them in the Black Forest and Mountain Path. "
"Won't the bandits come out just because we have more people?" Myjack asked, "Hasn't Hessen organized any guards to wipe them out?"
The second lieutenant shook his head. "Our original guard was expanded into a garrison after the war broke out. They were sent to the frontlines and haven't returned yet.
Later, the town gathered the older veterans and formed a new guard squad, which was barely enough to protect the town and prevent the bandits from getting any advantage over us.
"However, these bandits are all originally escaped from Whitestag's slave camp. Some of them are also criminals from the three southwestern prefectures. Their area of activity is around the Black Forest and Mountain Path, which isn't under Hessen's jurisdiction.
"So, wiping them out is Whitestag's responsibility. We have no right to enter the Black Forest or the mountains to hunt them down.
"Also, with our current strength, there's nothing we can do about it.
"Based on our experience, as long as there are more than a hundred people in the group and they're equipped with self-defense weapons, the bandits won't dare to attack the group.
Most of them are wanted by Whitestag and the head of every bandit carries a decent bounty. Even the cheapest one is worth five crowns.
"That's why many caravans that pass by are eager for the bandits to attack them. That way, they might be able to earn some extra income.
"About a year ago, the bandits attacked a large caravan. There were 60 of them at the time.
"In the end, they were beaten to a pulp by the guards of the caravan and left 20 corpses behind.
The caravan sent the corpses back to Whitestag and received a bounty of 200 crowns, causing a huge commotion in the city.
"From then on, the bandits didn't dare to attack large groups of people anymore. They only dared to rob a small number of carriages and occasionally rob farms in the outskirts of Whitestag for supplies.
Whitestag sent out the guards to hunt them down, but they escaped deep into the Black Forest and the guards returned empty-handed. "
Those bandits seemed a little too useless. Usually, a large caravan would only have 40 to 50 four-wheeled carriages and 200 people. Among them, there would only be 30 to 40 guards.
Sixty or so vicious bandits couldn't even rob a large caravan. Instead, they only got 20 heads. It didn't sound threatening at all.
"What kind of equipment do the bandits have?" Claude asked.
"I'm not too sure myself. But according to the merchants who encountered them, they were mostly equipped with ballistae and bows that they made themselves.
There should be two flintlocks that they took from a farm. They're very old-fashioned ones. The rest are mostly spears, daggers and axes, "the second lieutenant said.
"How many people are still going to Whitestag?" Claude asked.
"Regrettably," the lieutenant replied, "You're a step too late. The group heading for Whitestag just left this morning.
You three are the only ones heading to Whitestag right now. But if you can wait for four to five days, you'll be able to gather a group of 50 or more heading to Whitestag. "
Claude shook his head. "There's no need for that. We won't wait for the group to be formed. We'll set off tomorrow morning.
As soldiers of the kingdom, the three of us aren't afraid of these bandits. We're also armed with flintlocks. If they dare to attack us, we'll be more than happy to. Perhaps we'll even be able to get a large bounty from them. "
"Sir Claude, I hope you'll reconsider."
The second lieutenant wanted to continue persuading them, but seeing how firm Claude and the other two were, he had no choice but to bow and leave.
Early the next morning, Claude and the other two rode their carriages out of the town and headed for the Black Forest despite the town guard's attempts to dissuade them.
Before he left, he told the kind-hearted second lieutenant that if they really ran into the bandits and couldn't beat them, they could just abandon the carriage and ride back. However, he believed that they would make the bandits pay a heavy price for their actions.
The carriages were pulled by two draft horses. Myjack and Gum sat on the driver's seat with their own flintlocks by their sides.
The reins of the two healthy horses were tied to the back of the carriage. If necessary, Myjack and Gum could abandon the carriage and ride away on the healthy horses.
As for Claude, he followed them on horseback with two flintlocks strapped to his side. One was his aubass mark 3 matchlock and the other was a shotgun he bought from the black market in Efenasburg.
The shotgun was probably passed down from a noble family in a duchy, or perhaps it was stolen by a soldier and sold on the black market.
It was a specially-made shotgun that was said to be able to kill ferocious wild boars within a range of 20 metres. Apart from its short range, it had a huge recoil, but that wasn't a problem for Claude.
The reason Claude bought the shotgun at such a high price wasn't because of the gold and silver engravings on the gun, but because of the name engraved on it: Librede Miloski.
That was the name of Baroness Sonia Vakusili's father, the one Claude met in Squirrel Village. She was a famed gunsmith in the eastern part of the continent.
The shotgun was the baroness's father's handiwork. Claude bought it as a souvenir for the baroness.
However, he didn't think that the souvenir would actually be put to good use.
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