11 Hunting (1)

After the noble's arrival and the news of the punishment spread, the entire town was in shock. The town mayor even went over to rebuke the knights in charge of the garrison since they had cost the town and its citizens so much money.

The knights could do nothing but silently take it. Even though the mayor knew what was going on, they were still in charge of the garrison and had to take responsibility for what happened.

Almost immediately, the intensity of the training increase. Whether the knights were truly trying to improve or just did not want the servants of the noble to catch them with their pants down, only they knew.

But Nathan did enjoy seeing the suffering of trainees. The forces went from numbering over 5,000 in total for their militia to still numbering over 5,000. As much as most of them wanted to quit, they were unable. Almost none of them could afford to pay the salary they owed while the rest had to pay the salary for the next year before they would be considered debt-free and even be able to negotiate to leave the militia.

This meant that Phil got much busier as well. Since he was one of the few qualified soldiers there and had a decent rank, he was made an instructor. He not only had to help with the normal daily training but also had to take large numbers of men and women on training or hunting expeditions that lasted days.

And on one of these expeditions, Nathan was lucky enough to take part after he snuck aboard one of the supply wagons. This was during a time that his mother had to leave the town on some important matters and left him with a baby sitter since she knew how busy her husband had gotten.

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Outskirts of the Carran Forest

Over 100 militia members were gathered. All of them were wearing the standard militia equipment which consisted of leather armor and helmet with a few of them being able to afford a metal helmet. Each was armed with a spear, a short sword, and a shield. There were 10 members who had a bow on their back instead of a spear in order to deal with enemies at range.

The group was currently taking a break since they had just done a 3-hour long march to get to the edge of the Carran forest. Most were sitting around with their friends and chatting with their friends while a few looked like they were preparing to enter the forest.

The latter group was checking over their weapons, making sure the horses were fed, ensuring their armor was properly attached, and making sure the supply wagons had no leaks or intruders.

It was one of these who 'found' Nathan. Although Nathan could have hidden and tried to explore the forest by himself, he was not sure of what was in there. So in order to ensure his safety, he decided to be 'found out' and accompany some of the militia.

Even if he knew that their techniques were lacking compared to his, he could not unleash his techniques' full power in his childish body. The boy had just reached a meter in height the previous week.

So after he was found, he was immediately brought before his father. And when his father saw him, one could see the vein on his head ready to blow.

"What! Are! You! Doing! Here!" he asked in a way that did not seem like he was truly asking. More like he was angry and did not care about the answer but still felt the need to ask the question.

Opposite of the furious father, the son looked calm and unafraid. To the militia watching, this seemed unusual. Especially when the child was only 4. But after remembering the rumors about the 'ice-faced' child, everyone did not find it strange.

Nathan looked into his father's eyes and responded

"I wanted to join the hunt. I knew Mother and you would say no, so the only way I could join is if I snuck along."

All those who were eavesdropping were surprised by the child's bold declaration. Most children would find an excuse like 'I would have missed you' or 'someone dared me'. Few would be able to simply say 'I knew you would say no so I didn't ask and did it anyway'.

His answer only caused Phil to become more frustrated as a normal person would expect. But instead of having Phil ask, his right-hand man did it for him to save his boss some frustration.

"But did you not think that irresponsible of you? Or that you broke your parent's trust by doing so?"

Nathan looked at the bald djinn and felt confused by his question.

'Why would I feel irresponsible or like I was breaking their trust?'

Even though he had such thoughts, he still answered the man.

"I don't think I am being irresponsible. I brought my own food which is enough to last 3 days, my father's old hunting dagger to use for protection, and a water bag which I'm sure I can refill in a river or lake. I am not taking any of your supplies which will not disturb your logistics.

As for breaking my parents' trust, I don't believe I have done that either. They did not tell me no or set any rules against it. The only reason I snuck on board and did not ride openly was that I am currently unable to pay for a fare."

These were all Nathan's honest thoughts. He did not believe that if something was not asked of him and he did it, then no one could find fault with him. This was conditioned into him due to his previous life.

Due to... whatever was holding back the Espers' mind of the Salian Republic, the Espers would have to follow all the rules given to them. But even if that was so, they longed for free will as they saw the other soldiers have.

So even though they obeyed every rule, they did what they wanted when they did not have to or followed the rules to the bare minimum. This was not about being lazy but their own silent form of rebellion.

This rebellion has been etched not just into Nathan's very bones but into his soul. He would always be against following the rules or expectations of others if they did not align with his own.