Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 338: Chapter 22 “Roast” and “Test” _3

Tyrants and the wealthy also have a similar talent, but Mrs. Mitchell did not rely on intimidation or bribery, the respect she garnered from those around her was entirely out of respect.

Not only did the Dusacks respect her, but so did the farmers, and even the Protestants held the same respect for her.

And respect for Mrs. Mitchell stemmed from her impeccable manners and abilities. Since moving into Mitchell’s estate, Winters had never seen Mrs. Mitchell display a lack of manners.

Mrs. Mitchell always kept sewing by her side, even when looking at account books; her back was forever straight, as if she had never bent it since birth; her demeanor always calm and indifferent, even when hearing the worst of news, she remained as usual.

Winters could feel that beneath Mrs. Mitchell’s gentle exterior lay a will of steel. Though a lady, Mrs. Mitchell commanded an involuntary awe.

So much so, that Winters occasionally entertained a highly offensive thought against Gerard: how did a Dusack manage to marry a lady of Mrs. Mitchell’s nobility?

“Lieutenant,” Mrs. Mitchell nodded to Winters in greeting.

Winters hastily returned the gesture, “Madam.”

“Father Reed is also here,” Mrs. Mitchell greeted the old monk with gentle grace. “My husband and I have a troubling matter and hope to benefit from your wisdom.”

Monk Reed straightened up, saying solemnly, “Please speak.”

Mrs. Mitchell looked at Gerard, nodded slightly, and then began to speak.

The affliction of Mrs. Mitchell’s heart was none other than Pierre Gerardnovich Mitchell, the sole child of the Mitchell couple.

Before Pierre, the Mitchell family had lost two boys and a girl — not unusual for the times.

So when Pierre was born, he almost received all of the Mitchell couple’s love. The solemn and serene Mrs. Mitchell treated her son with full tenderness and love, and Gerard spoiled him even more.

In front of Pierre, the couple could not take on the strict parent demeanor, and this caused Pierre to grow up almost uncontrollably.

Mrs. Mitchell certainly did not expect her son to be just a Dusack, but Pierre seemed to have inherited more of his father’s rough, savage, and irritable Dusack nature.

This became apparent when Pierre was very young, causing Mrs. Mitchell much distress. But Gerard was unconcerned, always laughing as he lifted his son, praising him for having Dusack blood.

When Pierre was ten, Mrs. Mitchell wanted to send her son to the grammar school in the capital of the Republic of Palatu, Kingsfort.

Naturally, the young Dusack would rather die than comply, and this time Mrs. Mitchell took on a parental attitude, forcibly sending Pierre to Kingsfort.

But unexpectedly, in just two months, the grammar school sent Pierre back, stating “We can neither control nor teach this child.”

Because he was called a “Tartar,” young Pierre had injured several classmates, broken an arm, and eventually even burned down a barn.

Mrs. Mitchell scolded her son thoroughly, yet Gerard secretly told his son he did well.

Thus, over the next few years, Pierre shuffled through each and every grammar school within the territory of Palatu, and even attended seminaries and law schools.

But whether three or four months at most or one or two at least, the young Dusack would be expelled and sent home. Eventually, in the entire Republic of Palatu, there was no school that Pierre could attend.@@novelbin@@

For Gerard, having a son who rode well, was courageous, danced lightly, and drank like a man made for an excellent young fellow, and he had no excessive expectations for his son. But Mrs. Mitchell did not wish for her son to become a Dusack who only knew how to wield a saber.

As Pierre grew older, Gerard gradually came to understand his wife’s worries.

Dusan men are bound to a lifetime of service from birth, and Gerard was well aware of the dangers of a military life, as well as the pain of serving Dusacks unable to return home.

But the Dusacks’ lifelong military service had nothing to do with wealth; no matter how much land one owned at home, even if one had no need to be granted land, a man would still be conscripted when of age.

The only way to avoid conscription was to obtain a civil or church office, but Pierre had nowhere left to pursue his education.

In a few more years, when Pierre reached twenty, he would have no choice but to leave Mitchell’s estate to serve a six-year term.

Having explained the situation, Mrs. Mitchell hesitated before asking, “Lieutenant Montaigne, forgive my boldness… Do you think Pierre could attend a military academy?”

Mrs. Mitchell’s attitude toward education and culture confirmed Winters intuition: Ellen Mitchell was not a Dusan. Pierre was not a Dusan name, and neither was Ellen.

However, although he bore a non-Dusan name, Pierre was a Dusack through and through.

Winters sighed and answered sincerely, “Madam, it might be a bit late for Pierre to apply for the military academy now. Because the vast majority of cadets enter the military preparatory school at nine years old.”

Winters then shared everything he knew candidly, elaborating in detail about the military’s educational system and the difficulty of external admissions.

These were no secrets to those in the know, but to those unaware, it was as if locked in an iron safe.

Listening to Winter’s explanation, Mrs. Mitchell’s expression grew increasingly somber.

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