The Black Iron Glory
The Choice for the Future

Chapter 46

The Choice for the Future

"Is ... is this for me?" Claude stretched out his hand to look for the black matches and slowly took them out.

It was a big surprise and something he never expected. He had told his father that he wanted to have his own weapon, but it was just something he thought to raise. He thought that there was no way Morssen would agree to let him buy a gun even if he used his own money and bought one on his father's behalf. Claude recalls that his father was not very fond of guns and was someone who believed that one's intelligence was much more important than any weapon.

Why did you buy me a gun as a gift? claude thought anxiously as he examined the gun in his hand lovingly, Is this something he did to redeem me? If hitting the Arbeit comes with a gift, I've got mine. Beating him alone was quite a reward. Maybe my parents had to spend ten gold cronies to cover up the Arbeit scandal with Miss Christina and want to make it fair to me and buy me this weapon? Maybe they thought that this would make me hate that fool even more?

Claude is going through one of his paranoid phases again. The black gun in his hand was not used. Given how it was packaged and freshly oiled, it was a fresh product from the factory and cost almost five to six cronies of gold. Why did her stingy father spend so much money to buy a gun for her? Is there a rope attached to it?

If Morssen knew what Claude was thinking, he might have thrown a new gun into the oven and smashed it in anger.

Morssen's reason for buying the gun was rather simple. After all, Claude was his second son and he did not realize that the person living inside Claude's body was actually a transmigrator from another world. He has laid out two paths for his two sons, Arbeit and Claude. Arbeit will advance through life as a bureaucrat while Claude must enlist in the military.

He was aware that life in the military was not entirely smooth. Welikro's father served for fifteen years and was fortunate enough not to be placed in any battles. But usually, the chances of actually surviving a battle were rather grim.

Morssen values his sons like a father and certainly hopes Claude will stay as long as he can. So, he planned to send Claude to the Tyrrsim area of the Nubissia continent after graduating high school where Claude's godfather was leading. Enrolling in a unit will be relatively safer than being randomly assigned to another region.

When Claude asked for his own weapon, Morssen was reminded of the military path he had chosen for him and believed that it was good for him to familiarize himself with the previous use of the weapon. He may have a much higher chance of survival if he can shoot well. So, he decided to spend some money to get a new weapon for Claude.

Morssen smiled as he added a bit of tobacco into his beloved pipe, lit it, and let out a big puff. The expensive tobacco he smoked came from Nubissia and was one of the specialties produced by the royal colonies.

Smoking was Morssen's only favorite pastime. Regardless of the price of tobacco, Morssen would always allow himself to enjoy his hobby. He believed that smoking was perfectly suited to his position as head secretary. Not only could he stay alert and wake up when he smokes, he could also hide how closely he observed someone when he lit his pipe to smoke. He could use that small window of time to deduce the intentions of others and he considered it important.

"Do you like the gift?" Morssen was quite satisfied with how much his second son seemed to like the gun.

"Yes, much. I'm really happy. Thank you, Dad," Claude said with a delighted expression mixed with doubt and fear, "But, I don't understand why you bought me a new match "I remember you hate guns, don't you?"

Morssen's expression turned serious. He had not expected Claude to ask such a question. "That's right, I do hate guns, and so does your brother. That is because we are bureaucrats and we are more used to solving problems with our brains and intelligence. We will not threaten the safety of others' lives like being rude with guns.

"But you're different. You're a physical school student and you'll be 17 when you graduate next year. Whether you want to or not, according to royal law, the Bill of Rights for Four Castes specifically, you have to make a choice when you are 18. Either you seek a job in the city and remain a farmer for life or fight for status as a dignified person.

"Given your grades, it is impossible for you to be a bureaucrat given your grades, unless you can get first place in the entire class and beat all the other academic students. That way, you will get a recommendation from the school to join the city hall. It will also depend on your luck and whether there are vacancies there.

"Another path you can choose is to enlist in the military and try to achieve achievements on the battlefield. You can also be a marine and serve the royal navy. But for the sake of your safety, I would recommend not joining the navy as going to the sea is a rather risky affair.If you go to the battlefield, there is still a chance for survivors regardless of how terrible the victims were.But the victims at sea are usually taken into account in the number of lost ships, not people.

Claude looked dumbfounded. He did not think that his father would discuss his future with him so seriously.

As a transmigrator, he did not care about the Bill at all. Being a dignified person or a farmer didn't make much of a difference to him. As a free transmigrator, he could always find a new place to have if the current one was not suitable for him. The worst that could happen was that he went to the end of the world. He never cared about royal laws. The four-caste system that the kingdom used seemed like a joke to him. He had decided not to let those useless rules determine his life.

Just like his three friends, he wants to become an adventurer who will unravel the mysteries of this alien world. He will travel the world of magic and experience various cultures. It was the most meaningful way to spend his transmigrated life. Naturally, it would be best if he could really learn magic.

However, his father was seriously thinking about sending him to the military and he did not know how to react at this moment. "Umm .. Dad .. If I don't enlist in the military, can I remain a farmer and remain inside the Whitestag?"

Only a fool would leave the Whitestag before growing up. Given that Father was the chief secretary of the city, he was also a powerful existence, not one who hid in the shadows of the underworld but one who was sanctioned by the authorities. Even if I chose to become a farmer, I would be able to enjoy the quasi-dignified lifestyle in the city given my father's position.

I don't want to be cannon fodder for Aueras. The survival of this kingdom is none of my business, Claude thought.

"Huh .." Morssen shook his head. "I have to tell you something, Claude. You're a physical student. In some ways, all the students of the physical stream were actually reserve soldiers. Even if you become a farmer, when war breaks out, you will be among the first to be forced into conscription. This is no longer an option for you. So, joining the military of your own accord would be much better than being forced to join. After all, even if you manage to become a small officer in the ranks, you will have a much better chance of survival than the lowest common denominator cannon fodder army. "

Whahuh? So the physical stream students were actually reserve soldiers! Claude was shocked with consciousness. It was no wonder the physical flow classes included sword fighting, wrestling, boxing, long-distance running, shooting, and sticks. There was also horseback riding and all students were required to practice with weapons during the third year. No wonder he felt that he was attending a military recruitment training camp.

This is too ridiculous and exaggerated, thought the transmigrator. He initially thought that the royal education system was doing quite well because it allowed students to choose their own path, academic or physical path. He did not think that despite paying the fee, he was actually trained as a reserve army for the kingdom and saved the kingdom the cost of having to train a new one.

"Actually, enrolling in the military is not as scary as you might think" Morssen said after inhaling smoke again, "Claude, you're 16 years old and you've been more mature since you fell seriously ill that time you started paying more attention to your siblings, helping your mom, and improving your grades. You even like to read. As your father, I admire how much you have changed for the better. Although your relationship with your older brother is not good … "

When he said that, the morssen suddenly stopped, probably thinking of the scene when Claude beat up Arbeit horribly. "So, I want to discuss your future with you today. As parents, it goes without saying that we do not want our children to leave our side when they grow up. Even if you form your own family and build your career, we hope we can still live together and not have to part ways.

"But as your father, I have to consider your future. After all, it was my hope that you could obtain a dignified status for yourself. During peacetime, I can still look after you at the Whitestag. You will definitely be able to live a good life as a farmer. But at the moment, the geopolitical situation of the kingdom does not seem to be good. The Nasri Kingdom had formed an alliance with several other countries to the east of the continent. I predict that in a few more years, the kingdom will go to war again with the allied nations.

"If you were still a farmer at that time, you would soon be conscripted and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. That's why I decided to join the military after graduation. I'll send you to Tyrrsim county in Nubissia where your godfather, Viscount Jerrihausen Van Cruz served as governor. I'm sure you'll be safe and sound on his side and will also get a chance to be promoted. "

Oh, so I've made plans for me, Claude thought relieved. Claude agrees with his father that Aueras will go to war with the allied nations soon. In recent days, the Dawn Whitestag Edition echoes reports in the daily newspapers of the prefectural capital showing signs such a thing is happening. One example is how the newspapers did not raise grudges among those countries during the honeymoon period after the signing of the peace treaty signed with Nasri.

Claude was rather curious about the sudden mention of his godfather. He never knew of his existence. Moreover, his father did not seem like someone whose status was a match for a viscount. Viscounts were one rank above barons and governors of the entire colony no less.

Apparently after reading Claude's mind, Morssen recounted, "It was when I was young and had not gained dignified status, just a peasant scribe serving the town hall, he said, I got my fourth compliment after submitting a good proposal to the administration. The one who gave it to me was none other than Viscount Jerrihausen Van Cruz himself.

"The day he came to the Whitestag happened to be the day you were born. Viscount gladly agreed to mention your name when I offered it. Your name, Claude, came from a good friend of him who was sacrificed on the battlefield. When he lives in the three Southwest Prefectures, he will visit you often, but I'm sure you won't remember him much because you were young just yet. We just stopped having sex as often as when he came back to Nubissia but even so, we still write each other a few letters a year. "

I see, Claude thought, maybe going to Nubissia is not a bad idea at all.