Natalie's third son was called Phaedra and worked as a clerk in a small trading house called Wofte.
This merchant house was located in the commercial district of King's City. Most of its products were mountain products and specialties from several villages near Kleiben Village. Due to this reason, Natalie's eldest son, the current village head of Kleiben Village, was able to put his troublesome third brother into this small merchant house.
Claude bade farewell to Manrique early in the morning and found a rental carriage to head to the commercial district. The small trading house called Wofte, however, was a little hard to find.
Fortunately, Auntie Natalie had given him the specific address. It took him more than an hour to find the storefront of this small shop. Then, he waited for about half an hour before he saw Phaedra.
Compared to his sister, Halbena, Phaedra looked more delicate, but he seemed a little crazy.
He didn't really care about the package his mother asked Claude to bring him and didn't think about thanking him.
Had it not been for Claude's reminder, he wouldn't have even thought about writing a letter to his parents.
He grabbed a piece of paper from the counter and scribbled a few words before leaving impatiently.
Claude could only shake his head and stuff the note into his pocket, intending to give it to Natalie when he got back.
He had spent two riyases just to rent the carriage to deliver the package, and he hadn't even gotten a word of thanks from Fedra's mouth. He would never do such a favor again.
It wasn't that Claude was bothered by the cost, but Phaedra's attitude made him feel uncomfortable.
Claude strolled around the commercial district for a while. He wanted to buy some gifts before visiting Madam Maria.
Claude had inherited the mindset of his past life and felt that it would be rude to visit someone empty-handed.
Manrique was right. The commercial district of the royal capital was indeed a place where he could buy all sorts of products from all over Freia.
Claude even found Icemist Sacred Fruit Wine from the northwest of the continent in a wine shop. It was one of the three most famous wines on the continent. It was said that it was produced sparingly, with less than eight thousand bottles produced each year and all of them were reserved by the nobles of the continent. Claude didn't expect to see a bottle in that shop.
Of course, the price was also very impressive. The price tag at the bottom was three digits, and the unit of measurement was in gold crowns.
After some thought, he gave up on the idea of buying it.
After all, it was his first time giving such an expensive gift to her, and it seemed a little inappropriate. It would put Maria in a difficult position. He was only paying a visit, not asking for anything.
So, he spent 11 crowns on the other two bottles of wine as gifts. The price seemed rather reasonable. It wasn't too expensive, nor was it too frivolous. Maria wouldn't feel disrespectful even if she used the two bottles of wine to entertain her noble guests in the future.
He then hailed a rental carriage and headed towards Baron Normanley's mansion in the 18th district of the Kingdom's Second Ring District.
Half an hour later, the carriage was stopped. The coachman apologetically told Claude that he was in the area where the noble manors were and that there were patrols there. Even a rental carriage like his would be inspected if it entered the area.
However, Claude was wearing a military uniform with a Knighthood badge on his chest. He also had his military identification and identification documents on him.
The patrol officer saluted and confirmed that Claude's identity was correct. He apologized and asked for Claude's destination. When he found out that Claude was going to Baron Normanley's mansion, he even sent an officer on horseback to lead the way. He only left after saluting Claude when he reached his destination.
Lady Maria actually had two homes. Since her husband was Viscount Cuttleford, he had another viscount's mansion.
However, Viscount Cutev's mother was still alive and well and she single-handedly handled all the affairs in the mansion. Not to mention, Cutev had a few siblings who didn't have much of a future and lived in the mansion.
That was why Maria rarely went to the viscount's mansion. Even when her husband came back, he would mostly rest in the mansion.
Maria was the one who truly called the shots in the mansion. Baron Normanley was a hereditary noble and it was Stellin X who decided to let Maria inherit the title her father left behind. It was a reward for her years of service as the royal apothecary.
Claude's visit didn't come at a good time. Maria wasn't in the mansion at the time.
The butler who came out to greet him, however, was an old acquaintance. Even though he caused the real estate company to go bankrupt, Maria's trust in him didn't diminish at all. After he returned to the royal capital, she still appointed him as the grand majordomo of the mansion.
Ludan invited Claude to the guest room and personally accompanied him.
He said that Maria had gone to the palace and hadn't returned for two days. The king, Stellin X, had a relapse of his old illness and was bedridden.
His condition seemed to have worsened a while ago, so Maria often went to the palace and it wasn't unusual for her to not return for two to three days.
Since Maria wasn't around, Claude didn't want to stay any longer. After giving Ludan his gift and chatting for a while, he wanted to leave.
However, he was stopped by Ludan. The old butler was still holding a grudge against him for causing the real estate company to go bankrupt. He wanted to ask Claude why Claude succeeded in the same business while he failed.
Claude had no choice but to analyze the reason for his failure with Luther. As they were chatting enthusiastically, a thin, middle-aged soldier walked in.
Ludan hurriedly stood up to greet him. Claude, on the other hand, hurriedly stood up and saluted. There was no helping it. The middle-aged soldier had two golden suns on his epaulets, the official rank of lieutenant general.
This middle-aged soldier with the rank of lieutenant general was Maria's husband, Viscount Carter. He was about fifty years old, probably five or six years older than Maria.
When he returned to the mansion, he found out that Ludan was chatting animatedly with a captain, so he came in to take a look.
After asking around, he found out that the man was the herbalism disciple his wife had taken in in Whitestag, the one who joined the army later on.
So, Claude was asked to stay by Viscount Cutt. Naturally, he wasn't interested in the real estate business. What he was interested in was Claude's five years of war experience and the knighthood medal he wore on his chest.
As a soldier of the kingdom and a general, Viscount Carter's biggest regret was that he didn't have the chance to show off his skills and earn more merits for his family in this war that engulfed the entire eastern region of the continent.
As one of the king's most trusted subordinates, he had to take on the responsibility of guarding the royal capital.
Claude had no choice but to briefly recount his experiences during the war.
As a soldier, Viscount Carter sharply noticed the role the Ranger Battalion played in the war.
Although it wasn't a full-scale attack on the enemy's defensive position, it was very effective in dealing with the enemy's cavalry scouts and suppressing the enemy's defensive firepower.
What Cutt paid the most attention to was how the Ranger Battalion ambushed the enemy scouts and how they took over Wilfford Ridge.
He had read about it in the reports, but didn't pay much attention to it.
Now that Claude, who had experienced it for himself, told him about the true course of the battle, he was even more enthusiastic about the royal guard's decision to switch to the aubass mark 3 muskets.
Claude also shared his thoughts on the aubass mark 3 matchlock muskets that were designed for precise aim. He felt that the traditional firing style of the army would have to be changed if they were to be equipped with such muskets.
The war in the eastern region that had already ended had already shown that when the enemy was unwilling to engage in a field battle with you, using the tactic of marching in formation and firing in unison to attack the enemy's perfect defensive position would only bring about heavy casualties.
For example, in the war between the kingdom and the anti-Auerian alliance, even though the kingdom wiped out more than a million of the enemy's soldiers, it suffered more than 600,000 casualties.
That was why the kingdom couldn't hold on and could only negotiate a truce.
Nobody expected that the war would go on for five years and the wealth the kingdom had accumulated over the past two decades would be used up.
Many places had to go through two or three rounds of forced conscription, and the newly conquered territories had been reduced to rubble. Not only did the kingdom not get the wealth from the newly conquered territories, but they also had to invest more funds to rebuild and develop the new territories …
Cutt and Claude got along well with each other and even thought about transferring Claude to the royal guard.
However, Claude rejected the request. While the royal guard was known as the kingdom's best field army, the royal guards of the Stellin royal family had complicated internal relationships. If he were to be transferred there halfway, he wouldn't be given an important position. It was obvious that he would have a better future in Ranger.
When it was almost noon, Claude was about to leave, but Cutt forced him to stay.
In order to show how much he valued Claude, he even ordered Ludian to bring his eldest son, Hertinger, and second daughter, Christie, over to accompany Claude for a meal.
According to Viscount Carter, young people like you should have a common language. You can make friends and let my two good-for-nothing children learn from you … '
That was probably because Cutt didn't know about the grudge between his two children and Claude.
One of them teased Claude's sister, Angelina, and was almost beaten to a pulp.
The other, on the other hand, was full of herself and forcefully took back the wooden hut and three hundred acres of woodland that Maria gifted to Claude, causing her mother's plan to fall through.
It was also the first time Claude met Maria and Viscount Cutef's children.
Outwardly, the eldest son, Heltinger, was about the same age as Claude. It could be said that he had inherited all the good traits of his parents. He was a very handsome man, albeit a little feminine. He had a slender figure and was even taller than Claude. The first impression he gave off was that he was a well-mannered and well-mannered young man. His manner of speaking was also very appropriate.
The elder brother was handsome, and the younger sister, Christy, wasn't too shabby either. She had an enchanting figure and curvaceous curves, making her look very sexy and eye-catching when she walked. Yet, she had a cold and unapproachable expression on her face. She was indeed an arrogant beauty.
Claude only took a few glances to realize that Angelina was right. No matter how polite she was, she couldn't shake off her arrogant and condescending aura.
However, Cutt didn't notice that. That was a common problem for fathers.
They only saw their children's good points in front of them and tended to overlook their shortcomings. Not to mention, Cutt was busy most of the time and didn't understand his children as well as Ludhian, who was a bystander.
Of course, Heltinger and Christy behaved perfectly in front of their father.
Even if they didn't understand why their father, a lieutenant general, would care so much about the ordinary captain in front of them, it didn't stop them from showing their hospitality and politeness.
But when Cutt introduced Claude, Claude was pleased to see Heltinger's face turn ashen and his eyes flicker. It seemed that he hadn't forgotten the beating Angelina gave him.
Christy, on the other hand, behaved like an aggressive rooster that met its opponent. Her hair stood on end and she looked at Claude with a wary gaze.
However, Cutt didn't notice any of that. On the contrary, he told Heltinger and Christy to talk to Claude more during the meal and not hang out with those scoundrels outside.
Cutt praised Claude as the most outstanding young soldier of the kingdom and said that he had a bright future ahead of him. It was only a matter of time before he became a pillar of the kingdom.
When he heard that Claude got married and started a family the previous September, Cutt felt that it was quite a pity.
In other words, if Claude was still single, he would rather his daughter, Christy, spend more time with him.
However, Cutt didn't notice that his two children were fidgeting uneasily during the meal. Heltinger was a yes-man and only wanted to get through lunch.
Christy, on the other hand, was like an enraged cat. Her expression was ice cold and her eyes seemed to be spitting fire.
When they finally finished their meal, the viscount dragged Claude to his study. He wanted to hear Claude's account of the battle at Squirrel Village and how he managed to defeat more than five thousand enemies with less than a full brigade of soldiers.
Unfortunately, halfway through Claude's account, Cutt received a notice to head to the royal guard for a meeting.
He wanted to keep Claude in the manor until he returned at night to continue the conversation, but Claude refused.
Manrique had already arranged for him to host a banquet that night and he might have to return to the military academy the next day.
In the end, Claude agreed to stay in his study and write down the details of the battle. That way, the viscount would be able to draw a map of the battle based on his report when he returned at night. Only then did the viscount feel much happier. He called Luan over and ordered him to take good care of Claude before leaving in a hurry.
After that, Claude wrote down the battle report with great speed and took almost an hour to finish.
Just as he was about to bid farewell to Ludian, he didn't expect Christy to be waiting for him angrily.
She asked him what he wanted the moment they met and told him to stop trying to confuse his parents and take back the wooden hut and 300 acres of wood. That was her inheritance and she definitely wouldn't let Claude have his way.
Claude had wanted to argue with her, but when he heard that the arrogant young lady thought he was there to take back the hut and the wood, he couldn't help but chuckle and give up on bickering with her. Ignoring the arrogant young lady, he bade farewell to Luan and left the mansion.