At the Barracks

"Understood, sir." He stood up and shouted loudly. At this moment, Sean's expression was serious, his attitude earnest, as if he had already entered the state of a soldier; only then did he take the cloth pouch handed over by Lieutenant Colonel Merkel with both hands.

"Sit, sit... heh... no need to be so formal when no one's around... In the pouch are your Second Lieutenant ID, and I'll have Sergeant Jason take you to the Logistics Office later for your uniform and other gear..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel smiled approvingly at Sean's serious demeanor, his appreciation for him growing even more; after motioning for Sean to sit down with a laugh, he continued, "According to regulations, Sean, you can also bring one Personal Guard and one Servant to take care of your daily needs. Do you have suitable candidates now?"

"Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel. On this return to my family, under my father's arrangements, I have already recruited a Knight Squire. I was just about to ask if you could make arrangements so that he can undergo Military Training alongside me..." Upon hearing Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's words, Sean immediately seized the opportunity to make his request.

"Hmm... that's simple, I'll sign the order right away... In a moment, I'll have Jason handle it with you." With that, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel picked up the bell on his desk and rang it, then quickly pulled out a piece of parchment and wrote swiftly; at that moment, Sergeant Jason pushed open the door and entered the room, and Lieutenant Colonel Merkel handed the freshly signed Appointment Document to Sergeant Jason, whispered a few more instructions, and then had him take Sean to process the relevant procedures.

Before Sean took his leave, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel smiled at him again and said, "You're staying at Baron Horton's villa, right? Give my regards to the Baron when you return. And... remember to come to the Barracks for training starting tomorrow..."

"Understood, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel. Then... I'll take my leave." Sean bowed to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel and withdrew.

Under Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's faint, approving gaze, Sean and Sergeant Jason exited his office together.

"Sergeant Jason, I'm troubling you again..." Once outside, Sean was the first to speak with a smile to Sergeant Jason.

"You're too kind, it's my duty; please, follow me..." Sergeant Jason replied repeatedly with courtesy, lightly waving his arm to guide the way.

As they passed the Lounge, Sean called out to Torr, who was waiting, and the two followed Sergeant Jason to process the formalities, then to collect uniforms and other gear.

Soon, the three arrived at the Logistics Office of the Garrison. Sergeant Jason presented the official document signed by Lieutenant Colonel Merkel to the officer in charge, then smilingly introduced Sean and Torr's identities. The Logistics officer gave Sean a friendly smile, and after Sean smiled back, he immediately directed soldiers to hand the prepared uniforms and cloaks to Torr beside Sean, then took a money pouch from a cabinet and handed it to Sean.

"Second Lieutenant Winchester, I assume you've already prepared your own weapons and armor?" the managing officer asked Sean with a smile.

"Yes, both my squire and I have weapons and armor ready, and even the horses are prepared." Sean nodded with a smile. He knew there was a rule in the military that nobles could provide their own weapons, armor, and horses; in such cases, the Imperial Army would issue some money as a subsidy to the nobles, considering their usage habits.

"Heh... that simplifies things. This money is for maintenance costs... and the cloak is to be worn on the back of the armor, to avoid confusion between friend and foe on the battlefield." After hearing Sean's affirmative answer, the officer smiled and handed the money pouch to Sean, speaking as he did so. Then he continued, "Your squire is granted the rank of Corporal, and he will serve as your Messenger Officer."

Sean nodded with a smile, thanked the officer for his help, chatted with him for a bit, and then left the Logistics Office with Sergeant Jason. With that, all of Sean's procedures for reporting to the Barracks that day were completed.

"Thank you very much for your help, Sergeant Jason." After leaving the Logistics Office, Sean expressed his gratitude to Sergeant Jason.

"You're too kind; it's my honor to serve you. In a few days, I'll personally deliver your squire's ID to you, rest assured." Sergeant Jason said humbly, then made a gesture and said, "Let me see you out."

"Much obliged. Please convey my thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel." Sean nodded, speaking in a gentle tone as he looked at him.

"I'll be sure to pass it along..." Sergeant Jason promised with a smile. After that, they stopped talking and soon arrived at the Barracks gate.

After waving goodbye to Sean and Torr, who were on horseback, Sergeant Jason immediately turned and returned to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's office. He knocked and, after receiving permission, entered.

Once inside, Sergeant Jason respectfully reported to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, "Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, Second Lieutenant Winchester and his squire have left. Do you have any further instructions?"

"Tell me your impression of him..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel looked into Jason's eyes, his tone casual and flat.

"This... sir, I... I don't know..." Jason had no idea what Lieutenant Colonel Merkel was getting at, and he stammered, caught off guard.

"I'm asking for your first impression of him... Don't worry, I won't blame you." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel looked at the flustered Sergeant Jason, his gaze stern as he continued.

Under Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's harsh stare, Jason lowered his head, trying to guess his superior's intent but failing. Growing increasingly uneasy, he ventured tentatively, "Second Lieutenant Winchester... he seems a bit too young..."

"It seems you've developed some inappropriate thoughts about him..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel sneered at Jason, and as Jason's eyes filled with fear, he continued in a tone that was both speculative and certain, "Is it jealousy... You need to understand, he's of noble birth—that alone is something you can never match... In a few years, with his ability and background, once he truly enters the military, he'll immediately receive the Captain Rank, and perhaps in less than ten years, he'll reach my current position."

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's eyes were icy as he looked at Sergeant Jason and continued, "So... put away your petty schemes and don't cause me trouble." After saying this, his tone softened, "You've been with me for several years now. Don't provoke people of unequal status, understand?"

"Y-yes, I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel." Jason said, his face pale.

Lieutenant Colonel Merkel nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand to dismiss Sergeant Jason from the room.

Sean, of course, knew nothing of Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's reprimand of Sergeant Jason. He had just returned to Baron Horton's noble Villa with Torr when his uncle, Baron Horton, gave him another piece of good news: the house near the Barracks he wanted had been found.

Through Vincent the Butler of the Baron's Mansion, it was a two-story building covering over 200 square meters, with an independent yard. Besides the main hall, it had eight bedrooms; other facilities like the kitchen and bathroom were all complete. The price was quite reasonable—less than 30 gold coins to buy outright.

After hearing this, Sean immediately decided to fund the purchase. The price was easily within his means. Not to mention the 500 gold coins he'd brought from his family, he'd saved nearly a hundred gold coins over the past few years. He promptly asked Vincent the Butler to handle the transaction with the original owner and planned to have Torr move in as soon as it was done.

Time quickly passed to Tuesday, January 33rd, also the last day of the month. That morning, after breakfast, Sean dressed neatly in his Second Lieutenant uniform, with his Knight sword hanging at his waist. He looked very spirited, bid farewell to his uncle's family, mounted his Warhorse, and headed to the Barracks.

Sean rode his Warhorse to the Barracks gate, met Torr, who had been waiting, and entered the Barracks. Torr was also wearing his new Corporal uniform. As soon as they entered, they saw Sergeant Jason, who had been waiting for some time.

"Good morning, Second Lieutenant Winchester." Sergeant Jason greeted Sean with unusual respect, then nodded to Torr. He continued, "Please follow me, sir. Lieutenant Colonel Merkel has assigned you an experienced Adjutant."

"Good morning, Sergeant Jason. I'm troubling you again." Sean replied with a smile. He was a bit puzzled by Sergeant Jason's overly respectful attitude but soon dismissed it.

"Not at all... It's my honor to serve you, sir. Please, follow me." Sergeant Jason said humbly and respectfully, then gestured and added, "Lieutenant Colonel Merkel has arranged for Sergeant Donnie. He's a veteran very familiar with the Garrison's operations; originally from the Main Force... but due to an injury, he transferred to the Local Forces six years ago. I hope he meets your expectations."

"Please convey my thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Merkel for his kindness. I'm sure Sergeant Donnie is an excellent soldier. I have great confidence in that." Sean said with a faint smile, his tone quite calm.

"If there's anything you're not satisfied with, please let me know. I'll find a way to resolve it immediately..." Sergeant Jason leaned in close to Sean, speaking in a low, cautious tone, and then put on a fawning, ingratiating expression.

Sean said nothing, just looked seriously into Sergeant Jason's eyes and slowly nodded.

Before long, the three arrived at a small drill ground beside the soldier dormitories. Sergeant Jason nodded apologetically to Sean, then called out loudly to a burly middle-aged man standing alone at the edge of the drill ground, "Sergeant Donnie, come report to your commanding officer."

Sergeant Donnie had a strong physique, wearing a somewhat faded Corporal uniform. A thick stubble couldn't hide the faint scar on his face, and his sharp eyes gave Sean an impression of a distinct, rugged military bearing.

He strode over to Sean in a few steps, raised his right fist to his chest, and said loudly, "Sir, greetings. Corporal Donnie reporting." As he spoke, his sharp eyes scrutinized Sean's youthful, unseasoned face.