Claude and his three companions climbed over the wall behind the school once more, but this time, they only came out after lunch.
Just as Borkal had said, everyone had money now, but they couldn't spend it recklessly. First, they would spend it quickly if they went out to eat good food every day. Claude's treat last time cost him three Doriasos.
Second, if they got used to eating good food, they wouldn't be able to eat school lunch anymore. What would they do when they ran out of money?
Everyone had to admit that Borkal's words made sense. Even Eriksson, who had been clamoring about going to town to get some good food, was convinced and went to the cafeteria to eat the horrible lunch with everyone else. Only after they were done did they go over the wall.
This time, the destination of the four was still Old Monk's Fishing Gear and Boat Supplies Store at the slums.
Even though the current owner, Wakri, had changed the shop's signboard, he hadn't given up on the business.
It was from him that Claude and Borkal would have to buy the powder and bolts for their new muskets.
His father had a long talk with Claude the night before and told him about his plans for Claude's future. Claude realized that his father's plan for his life was extremely thorough and meticulous, so he had no choice but to accept it.
It couldn't be helped. This wasn't a society where one could just leave and work as they pleased in his previous world.
The social structure of this world was completely different. The restrictions on personal freedom were extremely strict. As a commoner, if he went out without a proper reason, he would be subjected to endless questioning and interrogation.
If he went out during wartime, he would be suspected of evading military service. It wasn't just limited to Aueras. Every other country on Freia considered it a serious crime and would be sentenced to at least ten years of labor. If he was unlucky, he might even be sentenced to indefinite labor.
In Aueras, one could only enjoy personal freedom after becoming a citizen of the kingdom. That was because one had contributed to the kingdom and gained citizenship.
So, one could walk freely in the kingdom's territory, be it for business or tourism. Even carrying a firearm was within one's rights. Of course, one couldn't break the kingdom's laws just because one was a citizen.
Nubissia was vast and sparsely populated. Even though there had been constant wars in recent years, it was mostly the kingdom's army that suppressed and eliminated the native rebels.
Even though the indigenous armed forces had received help from other kingdoms, and they had changed their weapons from stone axes and wooden spears to more advanced muskets, they still couldn't withstand a single blow from the kingdom's army. Their casualty ratio was in the tens or even more than a hundred for a single royal soldier to die.
As the godson of the viceroy of Tyrrsim, Viscount Jerryhausen van Cruz, even if it was only in name, Claude would definitely be taken care of if he joined the army there. At the very least, he wouldn't be sent to dangerous, war-torn areas.
The biggest possibility was that he would be assigned to the governor's guard. In the Tyrrsim region, was there a safer place than by the governor's side?
That was how Morssen analyzed the situation. He believed that if Claude was smart enough to gain Viscount Jerryhausen van Cruz's trust and make use of his status as the viscount's godson, he would be viewed as a trusted aide by the viceroy in three to four years if nothing unexpected happened and would receive his full support.
That way, he wouldn't even need 15 years. It would only take him seven or eight years at most to gain citizenship. After all, it was easy to make contributions on the battlefield. Even if he stayed in the rear, he would still be able to get some of the support he could get.
In terms of safety, Morssen believed that even if the kingdom went to war with the five anti-Aueras alliance in a few years, the situation in the seven colonies on Nubissia wouldn't be affected at all.
The kingdom had deployed close to a hundred thousand soldiers there, enough to wipe out the alliance's colonies on Nubissia. Not to mention, they didn't even have thirty thousand soldiers in total. They weren't a match for the kingdom's army at all.
Wherever the kingdom's army went, the enemies would most likely lay down their weapons and go to the captive camps.
So, the most tragic battle could only happen in the eastern part of Freia. It would likely result in hundreds of thousands or even millions of casualties.
The five anti-Aueras alliance wanted to suppress the rise of Aueras, while the kingdom had to ensure the safety of the sea passage to Nubissia. The biggest battlefield for both sides would be the few excellent port cities in the eastern part of the continent. The kingdom would have to occupy at least two of them to provide enough space for its expanding fleet.
Morssen didn't have any objections to the kingdom's victory, but the kingdom would have to pay a heavy price in order to defeat the five anti-Aueras alliance.
The war would probably last three to four years. Only after both sides had exhausted all their military might would they consider sitting down to negotiate for the restoration of peace in the eastern part of Freia.
However, Morssen believed that the war would be followed by another two to three decades of peace. Be it the victors or the losers, they would need time to lick their wounds.
They would have to build up their military might once more and wait for the next war to break out.
By then, Claude, who had managed to avoid the war in Nubissia, should have been granted citizenship and could choose his own path in life again. He could choose to continue serving in the army, retire to Whitestag and live a peaceful life, or enter politics and become a local official, such as a patrol captain or something.
Mister Morssen's plan was perfect and he did his best to ensure Claude's safety.
However, whether or not it would come true would depend on Claude's luck and hard work.
As a father, Morssen fulfilled his duty and obligation. He spent a huge sum of money to buy the latest aubass mark 2 matchlock as a gift for Claude, a rare sight to behold.
"This gun cost me six crowns," Morssen said with a pained expression.
"I asked Rubivier to buy it from the gunsmiths in the county town of Bartholomew," said Morssen, his heart aching. "He bought it too.
He wanted to buy a cheap, old-fashioned gun for Boa to practice with, but I advised him that since he wanted to practice and familiarize himself with it, why not spend a bit more money to buy a standard gun like the ones used by the kingdom's army?
That way, if they were to join the army in the future, they wouldn't have to familiarize themselves with those guns anymore.
Rubyll thought I was right and bought Boa one like yours … "
Rubier was Borkal's father, a famous merchant in Whitestag. The Boardman Merchant Guild, which had a reputation in the three southwestern prefectures, was his family's business.
"You're saying that Boa's father bought him a musket too?" Claude asked in surprise.
Morssen nodded. "Yes. Boa is the same as you. He'll have to join the army when he turns eighteen.
Although his father had considered paying the levy for him, if a war broke out between the kingdom and the Anti-Austrian Alliance, even if he had already paid the levy, he would still be conscripted into the army.
That's why his father wants to use his connections to get him into the logistics department. That way, he won't end up as cannon fodder on the battlefield. "
Hmm, this was really a case of snakes having their own paths and mice having their own paths. Everyone had their own arrangements.
"Claude, I've already given you your present.
However, I have a few requests for you as well, "Morssen said solemnly.
His father had three requests in total. First, Claude had to practice with the gun outside of town.
Second, he had to buy all the gunpowder and firearms himself. His family wouldn't be able to pay for that. It seemed that Morssen understood that Claude had a lot of money on him at the moment.
The last request was that Claude could use the gun to hunt or something. His family wouldn't object to it.
However, it was strictly forbidden for Claude to use the gun in town and threaten the lives of others.
If that happened, Morssen wouldn't hesitate to confiscate the gun.
Claude agreed to all three of his father's requests without hesitation.
The next morning, when he saw Borkal, he happily told Eriksson and Wilorick that he and Claude both had the newest model of the kingdom's gun.
Eriksson and Veronica were both envious. Eriksson decided to have a talk with his father at night and ask him to buy him a new musket as well.
Claude asked Welikro how to grasp the accuracy of a gun.
Welikro replied that there was no other way but to keep shooting. The more he shot, the more he would understand the characteristics of the gun. Naturally, he would understand how accurate the gun was and how much of an error there was. As long as he grasped that, he would be able to subtract the error in his mind and improve his accuracy.
That didn't make sense at all. According to Welikro, shooting with a gun mainly relied on luck. The more he fired, the more he would understand the error in aiming and shooting. That way, the next time he aimed, he would automatically adjust the error to ensure that he could shoot with better accuracy.
What Welikro said was the truth. That was how he felt when he fired the gun.
It was the same feeling Welikro felt when he shot the deer in the head by the creek in Egret.
Sixty meters away, it was still dark and there was only a bit of moonlight shining on the surface of the water.
However, Welikro's aim was calm and unruffled. If he were to aim the two firing points of the gun at the deer, there was no telling where the musket would end up once it was fired.
However, Welikro knew that there was a difference in the distance between his aim and the target. So, he aimed at the top left of the deer's head, about a finger's length away.
He ignited the gun and fired. The deer was shot in the head and couldn't even run away. Soon, it twitched and died.
Aiming and shooting were just that simple.
Claude knew that Welikro wasn't lying to him. It was just a result of shooting the gun too many times. It was just like the story of the oil seller he read in his textbooks in his past life. There was no other reason than that he was familiar with the gun.
The more he practiced, the more proficient he would become. Even though he knew that, it was hard to explain it to others. Only with enough practice would he develop a strange intuition and know whether his shot would hit the target or not. Only then would he be able to say that he had truly grasped the characteristics of the gun.
But that was far too slow. Claude thought about it for an entire morning before coming up with an idea.
However, he still had to familiarize himself with the operation and firing process of the gun. Shooting practice was a must. So, after lunch, he brought his friends to the slums' docks to buy gunpowder and guns from Wakri.