Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

The hunting dogs recognized a familiar face and ran excitedly "huffing" towards Vashka's horse, eager to bite into the dead rabbit hanging from the saddle.

"Good morning, Sergei Novich!" Gerard plunged his saber into the ground, and from a distance shouted at Vashka, "How is your father doing? Are you here looking for Pierre?"

"He's doing well! He even went horseback riding this morning!" Vashka tied up his horse and, holding the rabbit, said with a smile, "I came to bring this to you! My dad asked me to give you this rabbit!"

"Such a fat rabbit! Thank your father for me! Wait here for a moment." Gerard took the game and strode quickly back to the house.

Outside the house, only Vashka and the unfamiliar military officer were left.

The strange officer smiled kindly at Vashka, and it was only then that Vashka had the chance to take a good look at the man. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

Unlike those stern military officers with beards who rarely cracked a smile, Vashka noted that the man before him was quite young, even younger looking than himself, hardly resembling a military officer at all.

Yet he was dressed in a genuine military uniform—although it looked a bit strange, it was undoubtedly a military uniform. Any Dusack would instantly recognize the garb of a military officer.

Gerard came striding out of the house and handed Vashka a bag of sugar and tea leaves, "Take this home for the women to use in cooking."

"We haven't even finished what you gave us last time," Vashka said with a chuckle, "You should give me some tobacco leaves instead."

"Alright, I'll get them for you." Gerard hustled up the steps and back into the house.

Though Vashka had grown up listening to his father's war stories and had been commanded time and again to respect Praninovich,

in the eyes of most Dusack children, Gerard was nothing more than a kindhearted old fellow who was generous with his hands.

To the Dusacks of Wolf Town, everyone in the Mitchell Family—except for Gerard's wife—were true Dusacks, they just didn't live in the Dusack village.

"This is for both you and your old man to smoke," Gerard said, running out with a large packet of tobacco leaves for Vashka. He laughed and said, "Share some with your father, don't smoke it all yourself."

"Of course." Vashka replied with a grin, but then he remembered there was something serious he had to mention, and he quickly told Gerard, "Uncle, when my dad and I were in the mountains today, we encountered something strange. My dad told me to let you know."

"What kind of strange thing?"

Vashka spoke for a while but didn't get to the point, "...Ah, I'm not good with words, I can't explain it clearly. My dad just wanted me to mention it, he'll discuss it with you in detail later at church."

After speaking, Vashka, impatient to get back home for breakfast, bid farewell to Gerard and rode back home.

Halfway through, it occurred to him, "I still don't know who that military officer is!"

...

Sunday is the biggest day of the week in Wolf Town.

After breakfast, villagers from nearby villages, those who lived close came on foot, those from afar drove carts or rode horses, all heading towards the central church in town.

Everyone wanted to arrive early, as arriving early meant securing a seat, while being late meant standing for the mass.

For the villagers, it wasn't that the church was built at the center of the town, but rather that the town hall was built beside the church. Wolfton Church's history predates the "combination of villages into a town" history of Wolf Town.

The Sunday mass was not just a religious activity; it was also the main assembly occasion for residents of the villages.

Before the ceremony began, Vashka finally learned who the mysterious officer was—he was the new Garrison Officer of the town, Winters Montagne, a young lieutenant.

Gerard took advantage of the congregation of villagers from three villages to step up to the pulpit and publicly read Winters' commission, introducing the new Garrison Officer to everyone.

This was Winters' first official appearance in front of the townsfolk of Wolf Town, and he conducted himself with decorum. After saluting the congregation from the pulpit, he stepped down.

To the townspeople, having an additional officer in town had little to do with them, but it was a rare novelty in their mundane lives.

The crowd inside the church jostled forward to catch a glimpse of the new Garrison Officer, chattering about his uniform, appearance, and age.

Some unmarried girls didn't know what they were thinking, but they blushed and sneakily sized up the new lieutenant.

After all, a uniform lends an air of dignity even to the plainest person, and Winters himself was quite presentable.

After the introduction of the new Garrison Officer, the official Sunday mass began. The two priests of the church, holding holy icons, slowly made their way onto the pulpit from outside the church.

Winters awkwardly realized that he was "trapped" in the church.

As a Spellcaster, Winters naturally had no interest in participating in religious activities. However, he felt it would be impolite to leave during the service, and as one of only two public officials in Wolf Town, his seat was at the very front of the church alongside Gerard's.

Winters thought to himself, "If I leave now, it would be as if I've offended all of Wolf Town's believers at once."

In a spirit of pragmatism, Winters decided, "Better to avoid making waves." He remained seated until the sermon was over, gazing at the image of Anna in the medallion, lost in thought.

The townspeople oblivious to the truth thought the new Garrison Officer was fervently praying.

After the sermon, Winters discreetly skipped the communion process.

It all went very smoothly; the elderly chief priest did not notice Winters' small maneuver, and no one else in the church did either.