Myjack urged his horse forward a few steps and blocked Claude's path. He gestured with his hands.
Frost had formed on his eyebrows and hair. Apart from his cap and hood, he also wore a thick mask to protect his face from the cold.
It wasn't easy to communicate in such weather, so he could only use simple gestures to express himself.
Claude understood what Myjack was trying to say. "Sir, the snowstorm is too heavy and we can't continue on our way. We need to find a place to rest.
Even if we don't have much time, we can't rush it. It won't be too late to head to the royal capital after we avoid the snowstorm. "
Claude nodded at Myjack to let him know that he understood as well. He pointed to the front and gestured the number seven before pointing his thumb at the ground.
"That means there's a town about seven kilometers away and we can rest there.
Let's hang on for a little longer and find a tavern to rest in. "
It was the ninth of the first month after the new year. Claude, Myjack, and Gum were on their way to the royal capital.
The commander of 1st Ranger Tribe, Skri, had told Claude to report to the royal military academy after the holiday and cancel his leave there.
The deadline was set to be before the fifteenth of the first month of the new year, as that was the official opening day of the academy.
Skri did indeed take good care of Claude. When 1st Ranger Tribe arrived at the royal capital and set up camp, he sent two letters to Claude, both of which were specially delivered to him.
The first one was from August and informed Claude of 1st Ranger Tribe's current location. It also asked if he had returned home to visit his family. It also included a map and address of the Kaleben royal military academy so that he wouldn't be able to find it when he went to the royal capital.
He wrote back to tell Skri that he was fine and that his family was doing well. He also hoped that Skri would come to Whitestag to attend his wedding on the 12th of the ninth month.
However, he didn't receive any reply or news from Major Skri. Even on the day of the wedding, Major Skri didn't make it to Whitestag either, much to Claude's disappointment.
It wasn't until the middle of November that Major Skree sent a reply. He apologized for not being able to attend Claude's wedding.
However, he had no choice but to be sent away by the eldest prince, Hansbach, on a mission out of town. He only returned to the capital at the end of October.
While wishing Claude a happy marriage, he also told Claude that he would be leaving his post as the commander of 1st Ranger Tribe and would be given a new post.
Apart from that, he also used his identity as 1st Ranger Tribe's commander to deliver winter uniforms to Claude and the others as well as the benefits they were entitled to.
Generally speaking, soldiers like Claude who went to visit their families would be given benefits and clothes according to the list.
But since they weren't in camp, they would often become targets of the logistics department.
Skri was well aware of the unspoken rules of the military. He used his authority as a battalion commandant to send someone to deliver it to Claude and the other two.
Apart from that, Major Skri also sent someone to deliver his wedding present to Claude and the other two, a pair of exquisitely carved gold and silver vases depicting a knight slaying a dragon.
Claude knew that they were spoils of war that Major Skri had gotten from the count's manor.
He didn't think that Major Skri would actually give them to him as a wedding present. His mother was quite surprised and delighted that House Ferd had gained another pair of family heirlooms.
Thanks to the map that Major Skri sent him, Claude found out that the royal military academy wasn't located in the royal capital. Instead, it was located in Calleben Village, one of the 56 villages in the capital's jurisdiction.
From the map, it could be seen that Calleben Village was located at the edge of the Ibinister Plains. Half of the village's farming area was in the mountains.
Claude was curious as to why the royal military academy that he was going to receive training at would be set up in a village like that. Even the name of the academy was taken from the village itself.
Regardless, since they received the notice, the three of them had to get to Calleben Village before the 15th of the first month and report to the academy.
The journey from Whitestag to the royal capital would take around seven to eight days if everything went smoothly. Given that it was winter and snow was everywhere, the roads were covered in ice and snow, making it difficult to travel. So, it would take around ten days to get there.
However, Calleben Village was more than 30 kilometers away from the royal capital, so it would still take a day to get there. So, Claude prepared to leave after the new year's eve.
Claude had originally wanted to travel by sea from Whitestag to Port Neru and then the royal capital. That would reduce the journey by two days.
But his mother didn't agree to it. Traveling by sea during the winter was much more risky and there wouldn't be any place for them to run to in case of danger.
The slow start of the new year was also a huge problem. There wasn't a single ship in Whitestag that was willing to set sail at the start of the new year unless Claude spent a large sum of money to rent one, but that wasn't worth it.
So, Claude decided to travel by land, which meant that the three of them had to leave on the 3rd of the first month.
After bidding farewell to his mother and siblings and kissing Kefnie, who was less than two months pregnant, Claude set off on horseback with Myjack and Gum.
The weather was good at first. The three of them rode day and night and managed to save a day's worth of travel time in five days.
But they didn't think that they would only need seven days to reach the royal capital after praising the weather.
In the blink of an eye, a night passed and a blizzard started. The three of them trudged through the blizzard for half a day and didn't even make it a quarter of the journey.
However, Claude remembered that there was a town not far away from them on the map he saw before they set off. The three of them traveled for another half a day in the blizzard before they finally reached it.
They found a tavern and knocked on the door. The three of them collapsed at the table.
The town was called Solin and it wasn't much bigger than Whitestag.
The name of the tavern was the Tusk Tavern. There was a huge animal tooth hanging on the wall. It was said that it was dug out from the foundation when the house was built. The first tavern owner hung this huge animal tooth on the wall, hence the name of the tavern.
When the three of them entered the tavern, there weren't many customers inside. There were only three tables in the hall. Apart from one table filled with local patrons who came to the tavern to kill time, the other two tables were filled with four patrons dressed like merchants.
It was obvious that they were unable to travel due to the blizzard and could only stay in the tavern to avoid the snow.
The tavern only had an old man and a lame young man in charge of business. The lame young man seemed to be the old man's son and was sent by the old man to take care of the three's mounts.
The old man poured three cups of steaming black ale for the three of them and said with a smile, "Have some to warm up. It must've been hard on you to travel in this weather. Don't worry, this is for you."
There were four braziers in the corner of the hall and it was much warmer than outside.
After drinking a cup of steaming black ale, the three of them finally felt a little better.
They stood up and took off their black goatskin robes, black fur coats and black leather gloves, revealing the kingdom's red on top and black on the bottom.
It was only then that the tavern owner and the customers realized that the three of them were soldiers of the kingdom.
"Boss, give them another cup of black ale. It's on me," a boorish merchant said as he raised his cup.
A rough-looking merchant raised his cup to Claude and the others. "You're welcome, lads. I retired from the army due to an injury. This cup is for the invincible warriors of our kingdom!"
The other customers raised their cups as well. "To the invincible army and brave soldiers of our kingdom!"
The innkeeper filled the cups with steaming rye wine once more. Claude didn't hold back and downed it in one gulp. He then took out a thale from his pocket and tossed it on the table. "Innkeeper, give everyone here a cup of rye wine. It's my treat. Let's just hope that this damned blizzard didn't delay our journey and allowed us to meet here. It can be considered fate!
The rest of you, get us some hot food to fill our stomachs. We're starving. "
The boorish merchant slammed the table in agreement. "Well said. This blizzard is indeed damned. Otherwise, I would've been home by now.
My poor wife will think too much. Did some woman steal me away? She'll get paranoid if I don't come home on time. I don't know how much I'll have to say to comfort her. "
His friend laughed. "Who told you to be afraid of your wife? Serves you right."
The atmosphere in the tavern suddenly became lively.
The tavern owner took the thale Claude gave him with a smile and poured a glass of rye for all the customers. "Wait a moment, the food will be served soon."
Myjack and Gum stretched their bodies after finishing two mugs of rye ale. They unrolled the tarpaulin and took out the three muskets and started servicing them.
The weather had suddenly turned cold, and the maintenance of the gun had to be taken very seriously. For example, the matchlock handle on the gun body, the lid of the medicine box, and the trigger were all easily frozen and stiff. It was necessary to clean them from time to time in order to maintain their flexibility.
On the other hand, the rough-looking merchant felt a little strange. He stood up and walked over to take a look at the guns. He asked, "What mission are you on?"
Claude shook his head. "We're just going back to check in after our family leave."
"That's not right!"
The merchant said, "Soldiers of the Kingdom's army are not allowed to bring weapons home to visit their families."
Claude chuckled. Many people had asked him the same question back at home. "We're not soldiers of those corps. We're from 1st Ranger Tribe. Our requirement is for every soldier to carry their gun at all times to develop a sense for it.
Our guns are precisely aimed and only require a soldier to raise his gun and fire to hit the target within range. That's why every soldier has to be very familiar with the gun they use. That's the most basic requirement. "
"I see."
The merchant nodded. "I think I've heard of 1st Ranger Tribe before. By the way, are you stationed at Castle Christophe near the royal capital?
I just came back from making some deliveries there. I heard they're preparing to form a Ranger corps. "
Castle Christophe was one of the four major citadels of the royal capital. Skriti's first letter to Claude mentioned that 1st to 4th Ranger Tribes were stationed there. Ranger corps was also being formed there.
Claude nodded. "You came from there as well?"
"Yes, I went to make some deliveries. They placed an order for Greatwood Town at the end of last year and it took us a lot of effort to make the deliveries before the deadline.
Fortunately, this snowstorm happened on our way back from delivering the goods. Otherwise, we would have lost a lot of money if we didn't make the deadline. "The rough-looking peddler had a friendly personality.
Fortunately, the owner of the tavern came over with a large plate of food. Otherwise, Claude would've suspected that the merchant would continue chattering away.
The food in the tavern couldn't be considered delicious. It consisted of common white bread, honey wine, stewed beef with potatoes, roasted turkey and pan-fried steak, but it was enough to fill their stomachs. After the meal, Claude went out to check the sky. Dark clouds hung heavily in the sky, indicating that the blizzard would last for two to three days.
That meant that the three of them might not make it to the academy in time for the start of the semester. It wouldn't be a problem for them to stay in the tavern for two to three days. The problem was that the blizzard would make the journey even more difficult.
Today was the 9th, and after two days, it would be the 11th.
If the royal military academy was in the royal capital, the remaining three days would be more than enough for the three of them to reach the royal capital.
However, Kaleben Village was in the other direction. Even if they reached the royal capital, they would still have to continue on their way. That would make their time rather tight.
"You're going to Kaleben Village?"
Just as Claude and the other two were fretting over the map, the rough-looking merchant came to their table again and seemed to have been listening to their discussion for quite some time.
"Yes, we're going there for training," Claude replied.
"Is it the royal military major of Kaleben Village?" the merchant asked.
"Huh?
How did you know? "Claude asked warily.
"Hehe, there's no place in the four cities, nine towns and 56 villages under the jurisdiction of the royal capital that I'm not familiar with. These are all my business territories.
Brother, you might not know that the wooden furniture produced by Jumblewood Village sells well across the entire Ibinister Plains. Apart from the nobles and the rich in the royal capital, all the other villages love our wooden furniture. "
The merchant, who called himself Donoby, bragged about the products of Jumblewood Village before telling Claude, "Actually, I just sent a batch of wooden office furniture to Kaleben Village last November. The recipient was the royal military academy of Kaleben Village. Back then, I was wondering why a military academy would be built in a village like this. Turns out there really are people going there.
Only now do I understand that this academy is used to train officers like you. "
The merchant seemed to be an understanding person. Claude asked without much hope, "The blizzard has delayed our journey. I'm afraid we won't be able to make it to Kaleben Village before the 15th.
Mister Donoby, do you know of any shortcuts that would allow us to reach Kaleben Village in the shortest time possible? "
Donoby grinned. "Yes, you'll be able to reach Kaleben Village in two days."