One of Reiner's favorite things to do was stand on the high terrace atop the main keep and gaze into the distance. After tea and meals, and after practicing with Kord, he would always come here to climb high and look out.
Up here, he felt his heart and mind open wide. Staying cooped up inside the cramped castle all day was suffocating. Here, he could tilt his head toward the azure sky and listen closely to the whispers and murmurs of the spring breeze.
He saw a large group of people hard at work farming in the surrounding fields. A young serf was guiding the heavy plow Reiner had lent him from behind the ox, but he seemed unfamiliar with the animal's habits. The plow swayed wildly in his hands, making a complete mess of the furrows.
Farther away, a flock of thin sheep wandered about like clouds in the sky. Two Hunting Dogs raised by the Moreland Family followed the shepherd, guarding the flock.
These sheep were responsible for supplying the Moreland Family with meat in their daily lives. Of course, so was the game in the forest.
Reiner's final concern had also been resolved. The property he currently possessed was enough to support the soldiers' pay until next year. He would not need to worry about money for the time being.
The fifty armed soldiers were still training, but since Reiner had not been able to provide them with enough protein-rich food during the previous winter, he had not put them through high-intensity training.
At present, they were more or less comparable to ordinary militia, and their combat strength was even inferior to that of the original armed soldiers.
The five blacksmiths Reiner had exchanged for were still working overtime to forge armor, longswords, and spearheads. At