Adam spent his winter reflecting on his life so far. He's trained in swordsmanship which he's entered a bottleneck in at the moment. He's done business to help earn money for himself and his family. He's joined the army to help train his Defiance Energy and because it was his calling. he's done so much but in just a few years he felt like he's all drained. He remembered the feeling when he just realized this was a swords-world. He planned to go on adventures, skirt hopping, and enjoy life. It was too bad that life had different plans. He'd been dragged into a war, a fight with mountain folk, business problems, and most importantly, he fell in love. Though he doesn't regret any of it, he just feels tired and needs a rest. So Adam decided to spend his winter resting and recuperating his spirit.

There were days when he just lay in bed. There were times when he went on walks. There were times he pranked the whole family who was assisting the villagers who would be leaving. There were times when he just played with his younger siblings all day. He'd swing his sword every once in a while. He'd go on runs. In short, he shut out all problems in the world and just focused on himself and his wants.

....

"Welcome back, Young Master!" said Doku who is now Adam's personal attendant. Adam returned to his expanded Claus Estate. The Claus estate was under the management of the business. With Suya's share of land, the estate now covered 20 ha of land. Adam then planned to revamp the entire company, which he had already talked about with his family.

"Welcome all! I will now begin explaining the new system I will be implementing for the Claus Estate. With our major products no longer under our jurisdiction, we will rework the company's goals. I want the Claus Company to focus on Processed Food and Beverages products, I will introduce some new ideas. For the Dol Caravan Company, you will focus on logistics. I want your roots to be all over the Kingdom. With the death of the most influential powers, a power vacuum has been formed. I think we can take root in the Kingdom in their place. The Wolfgang Mercenaries will become a guard company. I want your influence to be felt in the Kingdom. I've also decided to open an orphanage in the capital, under Lady Iris. I will explain the details to all branches individually, so please be patient." Adam then went into the details of his plan with his subordinates.

10 ha of the Claus Estate will be turned into vineyards and berry patches. These products will then be turned into alcohols and condiments like jams and sauces. As Suya's land contribution followed the northern stream to the east of the original hill, that place was chosen as the location for the plantations. Half of the remaining land will house the processing workshops and warehouses. The remaining land will be turned into the employee living quarters, essentially a little village. Adam planned to have the entire plantation walled, only allowing entrance to the estate from the southern gate and a secret entrance at the northern gate where one needs to cross the stream. Simon was still the president of the Claus Company as he's the most business-savvy subordinate Adam has.

Adam also needed to invest all his savings into the Dol Caravan so they can buy a lot of carriages and carts. Seline is in charge of the business aspect while Raj is in charge of the intelligence-gathering operations. The couple had already married anyway, so might as well make use of Raj's covert operation experiences.

As Seth will be following Adam to the military, Roz is in charge of the Mercenary Crew. Adam planned to hire the soldiers rejected from the army. As a guard crew in a relatively mild-mannered country, what they need to focus on the most is their defensive capabilities, which a steady commander like Roz will be able to pull off the best.

Lastly, Iris had expressed her passion for helping Adam, which Adam wants to use as a base for their intelligence gathering. From these charity houses, the Dol Caravan will collect the information and collate them before sending it to Adam. As Adam doesn't know how to cheer Iris up, he could only help support her passion, while instructing Bo to take care of her.

Adam also went around, reworking his deals with his partners like Hunter's Josef Company, Nate's (furniture) April Company, Lewis' Plantation, Fred and Sofia's (barrel) Sofia Company, and April's Plantation.

....

After everything was done, Adam finally felt relieved. He's been busy since February, and it was already April. He didn't have too much money so Adam could only relax through dog training. He would bring Mickey on walks and teach him a trick whenever he could. Adam had given his little siblings dogs so they wouldn't be bored when nobody wanted to play with them.

Adam also spent his days training and reviewing the books General Jarl had given him. Ever since that last battle last year, Adam's fascination with this kind of warfare had increased. His inner soldier has been reignited. His military knowledge has been growing at a steady pace. He has no doubt that he can climb up the ranks of the army and reach general before his 40's. That is if he gets to experience another large-scale war. Which is unlikely in the Kingdom. Adam's resolve to travel and see the wars of this world also took root in his heart.

As Adam was daydreaming in his mansion in the highest point of the Claus Estate, Suya walked in. She hugged Adam from behind "Adam, I'm already 19 this year, and you're already 18. Why are we waiting for another year? Could it be that you're not interested in me as a woman?" the last words were whispered into Adam's ear which caused a reaction on him.

Stammering, he answered, "M-my Suya. Why are you in such a hurry? Please don't play with fire like that or you'll be burned. We still need to focus on our careers. We're still young, no rush, right?"