Gunpowder Plate Armor and the Magic Revolution

The sound of horses' hooves, accompanied by the sound of the gate opening and closing, came up from downstairs, instantly waking Noze from his deep sleep.

He suddenly opened his eyes and realized that he had fallen asleep against the side of the wooden barrel without even realizing it.

The hot water in the wooden tub had long since cooled down, and it felt chilly against my skin.

Noze had a bad feeling. He didn't know how long he had been sleeping in a daze. He quickly stood up, holding onto the edge of the wooden tub. The icy water flowed down his body.

He grabbed a linen towel from the shelf and quickly dried himself off.

When he picked up the beige loungewear and put it on, he realized that the pants and sleeves were a little too short, and his wrists and ankles were showing. He guessed that Eileen hadn't expected him to grow up so fast.

Noze looked down and tugged at his sleeve, which was now too short, and smiled helplessly.

This minor flaw is really nothing. Compared to the original blood-stained uniform, this soft and lightweight outfit is a rare find.

It can only be said that the quality of something is determined by comparison.

He pushed open the bathroom door and had just stepped into the second-floor hallway when he heard voices coming from the living room downstairs.

"...You haven't seen little Norze yet? Didn't I hear that his group all went to the Army Ministry to give statements? Didn't you find time to meet him?"

Eileen's tone was somewhat unfriendly as she questioned one of the most powerful people in Orentia without any politeness.

"I'm just too busy... the Foreign Affairs Department, the Navy Department, the Tax Police Department, and the Emerald Palace—I have to meet with everyone. Where would I find the time? Besides, Norzer doesn't really have anything to do. If I actually went, it would only make things worse..."

"Busy, busy, busy! What else can you say besides 'busy' all day? You haven't even seen the patches of blood on Norze's body... I..."

Eileen was fine until she brought it up, because then she remembered the disheveled look on Norze's face when she first saw him, and her eyes welled up with tears. "You're heartless and don't care, but I do! What if something happens to Norze?"

"Officers... it's not uncommon for them to get injured and bleed from slashing people..."

Leopold scratched his already sparse hair awkwardly. "When I was his age, I was already on the battlefield..."

As soon as she finished speaking, Eileen glanced up and saw Noze at the top of the stairs. She immediately rubbed her eyes, put on a smile, and called out, "Come down quickly if you're ready. The food is ready, and we can eat soon."

Leopold followed her gaze and looked up at Nozer on the stairs.

He was still wearing his general's uniform, the gold stars on his epaulets gleaming in the warm yellow light of the living room, and his face still bore the weariness of dealing with various departments.

His gaze swept over Norze's abruptly shortened sleeves and trouser legs. He frowned slightly but said nothing, only nodding to him to signal him to come downstairs.

As Noze came downstairs, before he could even greet him, Leopold took the initiative to ask him about his well-being.

"You've grown taller."

As Leopold spoke, he scanned him from head to toe again, making sure there were no injuries before he was completely relieved. "It's good that you're not hurt."

There was no unnecessary sentimentality or lengthy explanation; just these eight simple words contained the same longing that Eileen had suppressed for a long time.

"Oh dear, why are your clothes so short?"

Eileen walked over quickly, reached out and tugged at his sleeve, then pulled at his trouser leg, her eyes full of apology. "It's my fault. I didn't expect you to have grown so much. I'll have a tailor come over first thing tomorrow morning to refit you properly."

"It's okay, this is fine, it's better than the old clothes."

Norze smiled and comforted the self-reproaching Eileen.

"Let's eat first, we can talk about it after we finish eating."

Eileen patted his arm and led him toward the restaurant. "You've been at sea for so long, you must not have had a decent hot meal yet."

"Cough cough..."

Leopold cleared his throat, gestured with his chin toward Nozer, and pointed to the empty seat next to the head of the table. "Sit here."

Noze responded and walked over, sitting down in the chair next to him.

The long table was laden with dishes, with a large plate of charred and fragrant ribs in the center, and creamy mushroom soup and golden-brown fish fillets on the side.

Stir-fried seasonal vegetables and a basket of freshly baked whole wheat bread, each item steaming hot, looked incredibly appetizing.

Noze wolfed down his food, looking like a starving ghost reincarnated.

You can't blame him for being greedy. After all, he could only eat biscuits every day at sea. He finally got off the ship and then encountered assassins. In the end, he was sent to the Ministry of War in a daze. He didn't have time to eat a proper hot meal.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Eileen felt both sorry for him and amused as she watched him wolf down his food.

Leopold barely touched the food on his plate, clearly not paying any attention to the carefully prepared dinner.

"Nozer, tell the truth."

He tapped the solid wood dining table lightly with his fingertips, his gaze falling on Noze. "Are you upset that I didn't just get you out of there, but instead had you interrogated and investigated along with the officers?"

Nozer looked up at Leopold.

Under the lamplight, he then noticed that the Supreme Commander of the Orentia Army had some gray hair at his temples, and his eyes, which seemed to see through everything, held a hint of helplessness that he himself was unaware of.

Before Nozer could speak, Leopold continued, his tone carrying a hint of weariness from having seen through the infighting in officialdom, and a touch of a soldier's bluntness.

"This matter is not as simple as you think. If this had happened within our army, it would have been resolved in three minutes, and the officer who started it would have been given thirty lashes."

He paused, picked up the cigarette pack on the table, rubbed his fingers together a couple of times, then remembered Eileen's "no smoking" rule, and reluctantly put it back, letting out a heavy snort.

"The problem is that the departments are different and look down on each other. The Army looks down on the Navy, and the Navy looks down on the Army. The tax police are even closer to the Navy and look down on our Army."

"At times like this, the Emerald Palace is keeping an eye on the Army Ministry, and the Navy Ministry is also keeping an eye on the Army Ministry... You should understand what I mean. They can make a big fuss over the slightest mistake."

"If I really do that, then the people in the Navy will have a perfect excuse to cause trouble, and they might even take the opportunity to push this matter to the Supreme Military Council, making things even more complicated."

Leopold analyzed the situation in great detail, clearly explaining the stakes, and looked at Nozer, awaiting his response.

"I understand."

He truly understood Admiral Leopold's situation.

This incident, which may seem like a minor matter of an army officer almost being detained by the navy and tax police, reveals a larger issue: the struggle for face between the army and navy systems.

"I figured it out while I was eating in the meeting room."

"It's good that you understand. I thought you would think I was too... cold-blooded as a father."