After returning from the potions room, Serlon had gotten straight into bed and slept. Which was surprising, as I had expected him to at least curse at me.

Truth be told, it wasn’t awful sharing a room with him. At least, he didn’t snore like Trent did. Still, this didn’t mean I enjoyed his forced company. Plus, I spent the entirety of the night debating on killing him. When I heard him stir, I didn’t bother to look back. Instead, I sat on the ledge ignoring him.

“Eran and I are leaving soon,” He yawned, buttoning his undershirt before throwing on his armor, “You and the others should go watch the trainee practice.”

“What’s the use, if they’ll die anyway?” I sighed, hopping down from the ledge, and flopping on the bed, “Humans are too optimistic.”

“And lizards have too much attitude,” He snapped, picking up his sword, and placing it in his holder, “I’m serious. It wasn’t a question, but an order.”

I scoffed, waving him off, “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Don’t get your trousers in a twist. I’ll be there.”

He raised his eyebrow, “I mean it. Don’t be late. I’ll find out about it.”

“And do what? Kill me? I’d like the see you try,” I mocked, smirking at his disgruntled face.

“I’d find a way,” He commented, before opening the door to find Eran waiting outside.

“Good morning, Sir!” He cheered, poking his head inside to smile at me, “Asta, you’re up early. I heard they’re gathering the trainees in the courtyards if you want something to do. The others won’t be up for a while.”

“Do you think I’m that bored?” I questioned, getting up from the bed, “Why would I be interested in trainees?”

“Asta,” Serlon warned, “Remember our deal.”

“Is this an order?” I asked, sighing, “Or will we need to wager again?”

How many more mana potions could I leech from him?

“Considering it gives me peace of mind, then yes. It is. I’m ordering you,” Serlon decided, “Keeping you busy, keeps you out of trouble.”

I could make trouble wherever I wanted. Being busy didn’t change that. But I’ll let him believe what he wants to.

I stood up from the bed, throwing on a new shirt, “Fine. You don’t need to escort me there. I’m capable of that, myself.”

Eran chuckled nervously, “Hah… Well. We should get going then,” He motioned to Serlon, who marched past him, “The others will join you later.” He smiled, before shutting the door.

I didn’t bother to throw on any official garments. The ones that were packed needed to be saved for important matters anyway. I’d just show up and sit in a corner till the others came. If all went to plan, we’d stay there for a little while then head back up to wait till the others arrived back. It was as simple as that.

Once I heard Serlon and Eran’s steps disappear from the hallway, I made my way outside the room. The door opened to guards, who looked stoic as ever. Honestly, if their eyes didn’t follow you around, you’d think they were statues. Leton may lack a lot of things. But this was admittedly impressive.

I walked towards the end of the hallway, taking the staircase at the end to the opening for the courtyards. Even before I approached the courtyard entrance, chattering could be heard from it.

“Did you actually do the exercises after the last practice?” a younger voice asked.

“Were we supposed to?” Another voice answered, “I could barely move from all the running we did.”

A slap was heard from the distance, “You fools!” A voice barked, “You idiots are going to drag the whole group down!”

Most of the conversations were variations of this. Did I really have to observe them? Based on their conversations alone, they shouldn’t be impressive.

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I stopped in my tracks, inches away from the opening, and groaned. If I headed back now, Serlon would complain, right? We shouldn’t be in Leton for much longer. Still, he didn’t hold back when it came to scolding.

He was worse than Dagon when Abdeel pissed him off. And that was saying something.

“E-excuse me?” A hand tapped my shoulder. I peered down, behind me, to find the same boy from sparring.

A small bruise covered his left eye, as his hand shook. I couldn’t help but notice the markings covering his arms. He quickly stepped back, creating a small distance between us.

“…I need to get through,” His hand shook, as he pointed to the entrance, then back at his cart of wooden swords, “I’m sorry…”

Talk about problems? It seems that I was reminded of another reason why Leton was in terrible shape.

“Who’d you piss off?” I asked, abruptly. This caught him off-guard.

“Pardon?” He blurted.

I pointed to his eye, “You must have said something to the wrong person. They threw a nice punch.”

“…Ah. It’s nothing like that,” He hesitated, trying to advance forward with his cart, “It was because I was clumsy.”

“Right. Well,” I walked through the entrance, stepping aside to let the cart through, “If you’re feeling clumsy again, make sure to block your face.”

The boy gulped, letting go of the cart to grip his sleeve.

I sighed, “Look,” I held my arms up to my face, “Theoretically, you’d hold your arms up like this,” I bent my knees slightly, “To keep your footing, bend your knees like this. It’ll help absorb some of the shock.”

He remained silent, looking around wearily. This human was just cautious of anyone, huh? I mean, I was the same way. Except, I wasn’t weak.

“I’m not trying to incinerate anything. But, if you’re going to call yourself a soldier, you’ll need to at least be able to block a punch,” I exhaled, “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care what happens to you. It just pisses me off to see liabilities.”

“…Thank you,” The boy rushed past, pulling his cart into the courtyard. His figure disappeared into the large crowd before a voice spoke above the trainees.

“Drills will start soon! All trainees must line up! I repeat! Please get in line!” The instructor from the middle announced, joining alongside two others.

The chattering ceased before the herds of trainees rushed towards the inner courtyards. They filed alongside each other with wooden swords clenched at their sides. I found a corner to spectate in, leaning against the wall of the castle. I could only hope it was far enough from their view. The last thing I needed was to be dragged into unnecessary issues.

The instructor marched alongside the line of trainees, “It goes without saying, we are at the brink of war. Going forward, Leton will depend on your bravery to protect our kingdom.”

I scoffed. Even the King knows that they won’t hold for long. What were these fools saying?

“Warm-ups! You must be conditioned to run till I say stop! Go!” He yelled.

Despite looking hesitant, some of the trainees took off. The majority followed suit. They ran along the outskirts of the courtyard, doom written on their faces.

It seemed similar to the exams for Trane. We had been forced to run for hours on end. Of course, I had no trouble with this type of drill. I could run for days on end without breaking a sweat.

However, this type of drill caused a lot of humans to be eliminated. I wondered how that worked in this case. Would they be trainees for longer? More importantly, did they have the luxury of affording to wait?

If Leton issued marital law, I assume these trainees could patrol the city. But that left both the current trainees and the drafts untrained. You’d get complaints from experienced soldiers because of that. The instructor peered over in my direction, squinting his eyes before recognition caused him to bow.

Please don’t come here.

He waved to his other officers, before walking over to my corner. A smile plastered his face, as he approached.

“Aren’t you part of Prince Edwin’s guards?” He questioned, already knowing the answer.

I could lie. I wanted to lie. But I wasn’t dumb. My face should be associated with Edwin, considering my escorts with him. Plus, military personnel would have been briefed about our arrival.

In other words, I was fucked either way.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt the training,” I commented.

I was forced to be here.

The instructor chuckled, “No worries. You didn’t. I heard that Trane would be observing, but I expected a group.”

“They’re sleeping. I just came early,” I admitted.

He nodded, “I see. Since you’re here, what do you think of the trainees so far?” Despite his hearty laugh, I couldn’t help but notice the glint in his eyes. It was serious.

I peered around at the trainees. Despite my low expectations, they ran without slowing down. However, it wasn’t a frantic run. The majority of them ran at a decent pace, matching the speed of the others. Of course, there were the typical slackers. But that was unavoidable. Still, I hadn’t seen enough to give him the answer he wanted. I’m sure he knew that too.

“Well, none of them are throwing up yet,” I shrugged, “You have that going for you.”

“It was a premature question, huh?” He exhaled, “I figured. I must say that you’re quite young for your position, aren’t you?”

“You have a problem with it?” I raised my eyebrow.

He waved his hands, “No! Of course not! I’m just saying it’s impressive, that’s all. I have a son that’s your age. But he’s well…”

The man paused, leaning in closer, “He’s extra baggage to our family. His mother was a lowly escort. So, he’s from dirty blood,” He admitted, rubbing his temples, “I tried enlisting him to make up for his dirtiness but… The boy just isn’t advancing in the army. Now, my reputation is starting to get affected.”

Father of the Year award. Still, I could understand what he meant to an extent. After all, strength was the only thing that mattered in Hellion. The citizens who lived in my father’s main territory belonged to great warrior families.

Reputation was everything, no matter where you went. Even if the concept was fucked to its core. It really mattered. Still, it was awkward. I didn’t ask to hear about this. And frankly, I wanted to be left alone.

“…Ah. So, your son’s in the army?” I blabbed on, hoping he’d walk away after small talk.

“Yes, that’s correct,” The instructor sighed, pointing to the sword cart. He pointed to the same boy from earlier, crossing his arms, “I enlisted him, but he’s never shown any progress. He’s a disappointment.”

Suddenly, everything made sense. It was like the grim reality revealed itself. I found myself more annoyed.

At this point… fuck it. Serlon could be angry all he wanted, but I didn’t have the patience for this anymore.

“I’m going to punch you, instructor,” I forewarned him, before bringing my fist back.

“Excuse me?” He stuttered, before yelping. His arms moved in time, and he stumbled backward, cursing.

My fist stopped inches from his arms. I peered down at him, clicking my tongue, “You did it.”

“Did what? What was that about?!” He glared, running over to grab my collar.

I raised my hands, “Just a joke, Sir.”

“A joke?” He leered, “You must have a sick sense of humor.”

“Blocking a punch can be learned,” I pulled his hands off, dusting off where he touched, “Most combat lessons can be learned.”

I paused, leaning closer, “That is… if you actually teach them,” I walked towards the exit, “You wanted my opinion, right? If you don’t train everyone here, you’ll all die faster than you’d like.”

The instructor was silent. This was my cue to leave. Finally.

“That’s my last piece of advice that I’m giving you Leton soldiers. Ditch the hierarchy. You’re all on death’s doors anyway.”

So. Use it well.