Claude only arrived at Whitestag the next afternoon. Their arrival caused quite a stir in the city.
The bandits that had been wreaking havoc in the mountain path and the Black Forest for the past few years were all wiped out by Claude's group. Even their lair was raided.
Not only were all the corpses of the dead bandits transported back, but they also brought back eight captives, three women who had been kidnapped to be used as venting objects, and two hostages, as well as the goods that had been stolen from the three carriages.
Claude's group was rather lucky. The three of them hadn't been able to bring back so much loot from the bandits' lair, but the next morning, they bumped into a caravan heading to Ambrize from Whitestag.
When the manager of the caravan heard that the bandits had been wiped out by the three of them, he asked about the eight captives, the women and the two hostages. When he heard that there were still more than twenty corpses and a large amount of goods that hadn't been brought back, he decided to return to Whitestag first and freed up four carriages to help Claude.
Claude's group didn't think that the bandits would be so weak. When Claude shouted for them to lay down their weapons and surrender, he didn't think that the seven remaining bandits would really drop their weapons and kneel on the ground.
Perhaps the seven survivors knew very well that they wouldn't be able to outrun Claude's four-legged pursuers no matter how hard they tried, so they might as well save their energy.
Another thing was that Claude's group slaughtered them like they were chopping vegetables and scared them out of their wits.
Originally, Claude's group had only wanted to clean up the bandits' corpses and bring the seven captives back to Whitestag.
However, when McGick was about to tie the corpses of the dead bandits to them, he heard a few of the bandits whispering. They were saying that if they had known earlier, they would not have come out to rob in the afternoon. Now, all the things in their lair had been taken away by Bick and his gang …
When he put his musket to their heads and interrogated them, the ruffians immediately confessed everything with perfect clarity.
It turned out that their lair was only half a day's journey away from here. It was in a cave on the edge of the forest. There were three bandits guarding the place, three kidnapped women and two hostages. There was also a large amount of looted goods stored in the cave.
The moment Claude heard that, he decided to turn around and raid the bandits' lair.
So the three of them drove the carriage, escorted the captives, and dragged the raft with the corpses.
The funny thing was that when the three bandits guarding the cave saw the team from afar, they thought that they had successfully robbed and brought back a large amount of resources, so they happily came up to them.
Two of them were shot down, and the remaining one was so scared that he wet his pants and joined the group of captives.
In fact, most of the goods stored in the bandits' lair were not worth much, such as pottery and small goods sold by peddlers. More than half of the more valuable cloth and fur had been ruined by the bandits, who used them to keep out the cold and spread them on the ground as beds.
There wasn't much food either, but there were two donkeys that were probably taken from some unlucky peddler.
There was also a pouch made of deerskin that contained more than 170 crowns worth of gold and silver coins. That was the reward of the dead bandit leader One-Eyed Lambach's hard work over the past few years.
As for the copper coins, One-eyed Lampard generously rewarded them to his subordinates. They had nowhere to spend them anyway. Most of the bandits used copper coins as capital for gambling. Myjack found half a sack of copper coins on the bandits and in the cave.
It was already late and Claude and the others had no choice but to spend the night in the bandit's lair.
The next day, they set off with the three rescued women, two hostages, and the eight captives.
Fortunately, they bumped into a caravan from Whitestag when they reached the mountain path.
When the manager of the caravan heard that the bandits had been wiped out, he was extremely enthusiastic and volunteered to send four carriages to transport the corpses and goods.
Just like that, they only reached Whitestag in the afternoon. The townsfolk who heard the news flocked to the city gates to watch the commotion. Claude and the other two were treated as heroes. From time to time, beautiful young women would throw flower garlands at them. Perhaps in their eyes, the three handsome young soldiers in military uniform were the ideal lovers for them.
But for Claude, Whitestag was completely different from the hometown he remembered. It had changed so much that even the merchant caravan that had helped him so much seemed unfamiliar to him.
He had never heard of the merchant caravan or the merchant company. Only when he chatted with them on the way did he find out that they were established four years ago and had a strong backing.
Their bosses were even some nobles from the royal capital and they were in the business of trading between the two continents.
It was no wonder that the manager didn't seem to notice Claude's name at all. The people in the caravan weren't old residents of Whitestag and didn't know Claude or even hear his name. They were only curious about how he managed to become an official captain of the kingdom at such a young age.
The manager, on the other hand, recognized the insignia on Claude's chest and became even more attentive to him.
Under the manager's lead, Claude and the others arrived at the new police headquarters in Whitestag. The police were in charge of handing over the captives and identifying the bandits' corpses.
There was a sea of people watching from the side. When the officer who came to identify the corpses announced that Lambach and the other bandits were dead, the crowd cheered excitedly.
For the citizens of Whitestag, the bandits on the mountain path were a huge threat to the merchants and commoners. It wasn't that Whitestag didn't send out guards to deal with them, but the bandits never fought them head-on. They would escape to the Black Forest and play hide-and-seek with the cleaners. When the cleaners returned empty-handed, they would harass the commoners and farmers of Whitestag even more. They were like disgusting flies that circled the city.
Claude had to give a statement at the police headquarters about how he wiped out the bandits.
The goods seized from the bandits' lair had to be handed over to the police as well. Those that were recorded had to be returned to the owners and those that weren't recorded would be auctioned off at a later date. Two-thirds of the proceeds would be given to Claude and one-third to the police. That was how they were handled.
As for how the owners would thank Claude after getting their goods back, that had nothing to do with the police.
The rescued women and hostages would be dealt with the same way. Those who had a home to return to would be taken back by their families, while the homeless would be taken care of by Whitestag's public administration.
However, it would take a few days before Claude and the other two's bounty would be given out. The bounty this time was rather large, amounting to more than 400 crowns. Just the bounty for Lambach and the other bandits alone was more than half of that.
Claude was puzzled by the fact that there weren't many familiar faces in the police headquarters. He remembered that he knew most of the old members of the town's patrol force, but the ones in the headquarters were all unfamiliar to him.
He asked the officer who received him and was told that most of the old members of the patrol force had been assigned to Whitestag's garrison and hadn't returned from the frontlines.
Now, most of the people in the headquarters were transferred from the royal capital and other places. As a city under the direct jurisdiction of the royal capital, the management and civil servants were all like that.
It wasn't until Claude finished all the paperwork and left the headquarters that he was stopped by a familiar person.
After a long while, he remembered that the person was the manager of Borkal's trading company and a trusted aide of Borkal's father, the merchant Rubwill.
"Young Master Claude, our master has been waiting for you in the carriage over there. He would like to treat you to a meal," said the manager with a bow.
Claude gestured for Myjack and Gum to follow behind him while he went to the carriage where Borkal's father was with the manager.
"Uncle Rubwill, I didn't think you would be the first relative I saw after my return," said Claude after a formal military salute before getting on the carriage.
Borkal's father laughed heartily, clearly pleased with how Claude addressed him as a relative.
He patted Claude on the shoulder. "Good lad, you've grown up well.
Not only did you become an official captain of the kingdom, you even wiped out the Single-eyed Lambach's gang that Whitestag was helpless against. I believe your name will spread throughout the city in the next two days. Everyone who knows you will be proud of you.
Let's drink till we're drunk tonight. "
"I'm sorry, Uncle Rubwill. It's been five years since I joined the army and I haven't even set foot home yet.
I appreciate your kind intentions, but I would like to go home first, "said Claude sincerely.
Borkal's father slapped himself on the head. "That's right, you should go home first.
I was just too happy to hear that you're back and forgot about that.
I'll send you home then. I'll treat you to a meal in a few days. "
Send me home?
My house is at the wood. It'd be embarrassing to ask you to send me all the way here. Claude hurriedly declined. "There's no need for that, Uncle Rubwill. My house is at the wood and you're too kind to send me out of town. I'll go there myself.
Look, I have a carriage and a mount too. "
Borkal's father was taken aback. "Wood?
Claude, didn't your mother and sister write to you about it?
They couldn't stand it anymore and moved back to the big red brick house your father left behind three years ago. "
Moved back to the big red brick house?
What do you mean? Not living in the wood? What happened?
Claude was confused. "No, I haven't received a letter from home for more than a year. The letter I received last year was sent two years ago.
Due to the constant mobilization of troops, we rarely receive letters from home. The efficiency of the postal service isn't that great and we've always been hated by the soldiers there.
The postal service, on the other hand, is always trying to shirk their responsibilities, saying that they're too busy due to the lack of manpower.
There are close to a million soldiers on the frontlines, and a letter from each of their families is enough to paralyze the entire postal service. Not to mention, there's also the so-called sorting system. "
That was true. All letters and replies had to be checked by the postal service's officers.
During times of peace, that job could be handed to the officers in charge of the independent combat units, such as the military police or the military discipline office.
But during times of war, the independent combat units didn't have that kind of free time. Letters would always be piled up at the postal service. Sometimes, there would be close to ten thousand letters a day.
Relying on a dozen or so officers to check and sort the letters, it was only natural that the entire postal service would be paralyzed.
That was why countless letters from family members would be stamped 'Not Found' and returned. The postal service couldn't be blamed for that. Many combat units accepted classified missions and the officers in charge of the postal service wouldn't know where they were deployed.
Family members also knew that the stamped 'Not Found' on the returned letters didn't mean that something had happened to them, but that they couldn't be contacted for the time being.
At the very least, it was much better than sending a notice of the deceased.
Borkal's father nodded in understanding and poked the coachman in front of him with his cane.
The coachman turned around and asked, "Master, is there anything you need?"
"Head to Madam Ferd's," said Borkal's father.
"Yes, Master." The coachman shook the reins and the carriage started to make a turn.
Claude poked his head out of the carriage as well and waved for Gum and Myjack to follow.
"By the way, Uncle Rubiwill, how's Boa doing?" asked Claude.
Borkal's father smiled. "He's doing well. He's already a second lieutenant.
Currently, the Bangilia Garrison was stationed in the port city of Carmontolle in the Rimodra Principality. Last year, the garrison had repelled a pirate fleet that had plundered the port of Carmontolle. It was said that this kid had performed well and was promoted to Second Lieutenant.
He even sent me a letter last month telling me that they'll be returning at the end of the year. "
Claude was a little envious. "Boa's doing well. Now that he's a second lieutenant, he'll be able to help you manage the trade five years earlier."
One had to serve for 15 years in a garrison before they could be granted citizenship. But Borkal's promotion to second lieutenant reduced his service by five years. That meant that he'd already served 10 years of service. After another five years, he'd be able to take off his uniform and return home to start his own business.
Claude knew that Borkal's position as a second lieutenant wasn't very impressive, but he'd be free once he was granted citizenship.
Even though Claude was an official second lieutenant of the kingdom, he didn't have a choice. He didn't have the freedom to retire and had to follow the arrangements of his superiors.
They soon arrived at the red-bricked house. What Claude wasn't used to was that there was now a three-meter-tall wall surrounding the house. It surrounded the previously wide front, back, and two empty spaces on both sides, leaving only a three-meter-wide gate open.
It seemed like there was even a gatehouse built beside the gate.
Borkal's father's carriage didn't go in and stopped at the gate.
Just as Claude was about to leave, Borkal's father said sternly, "Claude, your sister is in charge of your family now. Your mother, sister, and brother are still living in the house on the left.
I had many things I wanted to talk to you about today, but I think it's not a bad idea for you to go home and understand the situation.
Whitestag has changed a lot over the past few years. Your mother and sister had no choice but to make the choice they had.
But with the situation as it is, we elders of Whitestag can't help them. If your father was still here, things wouldn't be so bad. "
There seemed to be a hidden meaning to his words, but Lubiwill didn't want to continue. He waved goodbye to Claude and left.
Even though Claude was a little confused, he couldn't suppress the joy of returning home. He gestured for Myjack and Gamma to follow him to the gate.
"Hey, may I know who you're looking for, Mister?"
Mister, "a familiar voice called out to Claude from the door.
Claude turned around and saw a familiar face. "Hmm?
Uncle Pegg, why are you here? "
It was the lame Pegg who used to watch over the Altronis' private jetty back then. He had even helped Altronis build a small fishing boat that carried the pure friendship of the four of them.
However, Altronis had a falling out with Claude because his missing father blamed Claude's family for it.
Not long after, he heard that his family's private jetty was bought by someone else. Claude didn't hear anything about Pegg's whereabouts, so he left to join the army.
He didn't expect to see Pegg at his doorstep. It had been five years since he last saw him and he seemed to have aged quite a bit. Half of his hair had turned white.
However, he still recognized Claude. "Y-You're Claude. Great, you're finally back."