Shade had no idea what the Baroness was thinking, but he knew that Mrs. Bennett was enthusiastically introducing a young man in military uniform to her two unmarried daughters, her second daughter Phyllis and third daughter Linda.
Shade narrowed his eyes at the man's uniform and identified his rank from the epaulets:
"Second Lieutenant?"
This was the lowest rank in the officer corps, but for a young man aspiring to a long military career, second lieutenant was also the most important starting point. The young man did not look very old, so being only a second lieutenant was not considered particularly low-ranking. After all, a second lieutenant had left the ranks of ordinary soldiers and become a genuine officer.
But compared to the Bennett Family's prominent local status, Mrs. Bennett's enthusiastic attitude was clearly unusual.
Shade guessed that the man had some other background, so he asked the two ladies beside him. However, neither of them was local, so they could not possibly know everything about the area.
Only Miss Bell mentioned:
"Vesta Woodland is considered a transportation hub in northeastern Wilundell, but because Huntington farther north guards the capital, there are not many troops stationed here despite its fairly important location. Wilundell can be reached in a day by boat downstream, so rather than stationing troops here, it would be better to place them directly in Wilundell's outer suburbs.
Vesta Woodland currently has roughly three military camps, managed by one Colonel and two majors. All the soldiers here belong to the First Legion's Second Division of the Kasonlik Army, and most of the officers are young Wilundell nobles who came here to polish their credentials."
Shade nodded in understanding. Since it was inconvenient to keep turning his head to stare at someone else, he turned back and said:
"I