Howard nodded, emphasizing, "These matters concern the lives of our soldiers and must be handled with utmost care."
He then inquired, "Regarding the fifty iron swords, how many has Smith Schumacher delivered so far?"
Resarite replied, "Schumacher is working tirelessly day and night, but there are still over ten swords pending. Completing the entire order will take about half a month more."
"Alright," Howard acknowledged.
He then asked another question, "How is the task I assigned to Bosiden progressing?"
Howard had sent Bosiden to scout Patch's village and, covertly, to gather the villagers' support by having them sign a 'declaration' of will.
This 'declaration' was a claim to all rights and inheritances of the territory, legitimizing any future annexation of Patch's village.
