* * *

‘When Lydon said there were a lot of humans, I didn’t think much of it……. What is this situation?’

The subordinates were training in a vacant lot on the outskirts of the village. It was a relatively secluded spot, far from the marketplace and residential neighborhoods, but now there were quite a few people wandering around.

As he approached, wondering if there was some sort of event going on nearby, Cadel realized what was causing this.

“Oh my, how is he in such good shape? He can easily carry five kegs!”

“Heavens, look at that guy over there, how classy he looks. Is he a knight? Or a mercenary?”

“What does it matter? I’m starting to get scared to see my husband’s face at home right now. Wow, he’s really tall.”

Somehow the word had gotten out, and the women of the village seemed to have come out in droves, cheering on the handsome men who had appeared in the village and spying on their training as discreetly as possible. The problem was that there were women everywhere who ‘pretended to be natural’ like that.

‘What else can I say? Anyway, what’s the point of Lydon hiding on purpose? Those guys would have to cover their faces to keep everyone from paying attention.’

The reality of being the center of attention quickly became uncomfortable and he contemplated leaving, but he couldn’t even attempt to run away.

“Ah, Commander!”

Cadel didn’t know how Van found him in this large crowd, but he even waved his arms to welcome the commander’s appearance. The women’s gaze, which had been focused on his subordinates, shifted all at once. Curious eyes quickly swept over Cadel and Lydon.

As Cadel sulked at the excessive attention, Lydon took his hand and walked him to his comrades.

“I stopped by on my date with Cadel.”

Van’s curses flew as if he’d been waiting for the brazen lie. Beside the two men, who had begun to bicker, Cadel tried to remain oblivious to his surroundings. If he was going to survive among such handsome men, he had to recognize that none of the attention was his.

Of course, the reality was quite different.

“Where are all these men coming from? Is there some kind of handsome burrow in my village? Are they coming out of hibernation one by one?”

“Who cares, just enjoy it. You never know when it will come again.”

Cadel denied that their eyes were on him and looked at Lumen and Garuel, who were standing a short distance away. As feared, Garuel was sparring with Lumen, who he said needed rest, rather than keeping him from training.

“Your movements are better than before, Sir Lumen. That battle with the demon must have had a good effect on you.”

“Certainly, it wasn’t all bad.”

They did not use sword energy or demonic energy against each other, for fear of giving away their identities. It was purely a sword-for-sword contest, but their unflappable posture and flowing, fluid technique were enough to make them stand out.

Cadel watched their duel with a slight sense of disbelief, and just before their swords clashed again, a tiny spark of fire flew through the gap, causing the two men, who had reflexively stopped moving, to turn their attention back to Cadel.

“Leader? When did you get here?”

“Your face looks dazzling this morning, Knight Commander.”

They were so focused that they didn’t even seem to hear Van’s voice calling out to him. Cadel walked over to the two who greeted him warmly and glanced at Garuel.

“Why is a patient who should be in bed wielding a sword here? Tell me why, Mr. Healer.”

“Haha, he’s doing better than I thought he would, so as long as he doesn’t push himself, he’ll be fine.”

Garuel smiled slyly at Cadel, who had a shocked expression, and slightly averted his gaze. Cadel sighed aloud, and Lumen, who was beside him, opened his mouth to apologize.

“I figured if I didn’t move now, the sense I had acquired back then would disappear. Don’t worry, I don’t go down as easily as Leader.”

“Is this something a guy who was down until yesterday would say? What is this sense that you learned back then?”

“I have a technique that worked just before I killed that High Demon. It was a bit of a struggle, but with a few more tries, I think I can make it mine.”

The desire for growth was overflowing in Lumen’s eyes as he spoke. It was not that Cadel couldn’t understand that desire. But that didn’t mean it looked good for someone who had only regained consciousness for a day to be swinging a sword.

“Do whatever you feel like. Instead, I will be training alongside you, so when I go back, you have to go back too.”

“Training? You want to practice magic in this small village?”

“Do you want me to burn down another village? I’m going to do exercise, not magic. I promised on the mountain. As soon as I get out of the Mountains of Silence, I will try to improve my stamina.”

Cadel spoke confidently, and Garuel, who had been staring at him, smiled oddly.

“There may be about 10 minutes left in your training, Sir Lumen.”

“……What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure I can concentrate on my training with such a cute Knight Commander by my side, so I’m going to try my best to last 10 minutes.”

I don’t think so. Garuel, who evaded Cadel’s suspicious look, tapped Lumen’s sword with his own sword. It meant starting the sparring again.

Cadel snorted and walked away, then called Van over. Van had offered to help him with his workouts, so Cadel figured he’d take advantage of his help to get fit.

* * *

“One million twenty-one, one million twenty-two, one million twenty-three……!”

“What are you doing so loudly next to me, fairy?”

“Building my darling self-esteem.”

He could hear them muttering in something beside him, but he couldn’t make out a word of what they were saying. Cadel pushed desperately at his trembling limbs, and with a snap of wind, he fell flat on his back. The rock he’d been carrying with his lowered arm hit the ground with a light thud. What a light sound. It was so heavy that it should have made a deafening thud when it fell.

“You’ve succeeded ten times in a row this time, Commander! That’s a lot of growth!”

“Re, really?”

“Ahaha! What ‘Really’, darling?! You’ve only lifted a rock as big as rabbit poop 10 times?”

“……You can shut up and get lost.”

Seeing Cadel’s frustration, Van tried to shoo Lydon away, but Lydon didn’t budge. Instead, he walked over to the sobbing Cadel and pulled his hand. Cadel’s palms were red, a testament to the desperation of the brief exercise.

“Darling, why don’t you just admit you’re not good at exercises and practice your magic with me?”

“Do you think there are areas where Commander lacks talent? Commander just…… hiding his power for a moment.”

“Hmm, Van. Isn’t it ridiculous to even say that?”

Cadel pouted his lips at Van, who couldn’t argue back in the end. It was a bit shocking, to be sure. It was a simple exercise, just picking up a rock that didn’t seem that heavy ー Van handled it like a ball with one hand ー and holding it for a few seconds. It even started out as a test of his fitness level.

He lifted it ten times, not a million and twenty-one. That was the end of his physical strength. He had been fighting for a while now, and even though he thought it was a ridiculous amount of physical strength, when he thought about it, most of his battles had been fought with mental strength. He endured the pain or forced himself to endure it, and drew his mana from the place.

He rarely saw the kind of combat that would tax his muscles like the rest of his subordinates. That was probably why he’d been living while draining his little stamina.

“But…….”

Cadel removed his hand from Lydon’s grasp and massaged his tingling palm. His eyes turned to Van, who was pushing Lydon away, anxious to see if his motivation had been lost.

“But if I keep doing it like this, I will eventually improve, right? I am satisfied as long as I can climb to the top of the mountain alone.”

“Of course, Commander. Still, if you’re having a hard time, I can carry you on my back at any time, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

Despite Van’s kind smile, Cadel shook his head resolutely. It was good to rely on his comrades, but being carried on their backs shouldn’t be the norm. Anything less than an old man’s physical strength would surely be a disadvantage in the battles ahead.

With no stamina but plenty of motivation, Cadel immediately asked Van to do the next exercise.

* * *

By the time the exercise was over, most of the crowds that had gathered in the vacant lot had disappeared. They left to do their own business or household chores. It was fortunate. If that many people saw what he was like now, they might have bitten their tongues out of shame.

“Oh, no, Knight Commander. Isn’t it a little dangerous to be lying out in the open like this, soaking wet? Well, I’m getting a little dangerous, at least.”

Cadel took a deep breath, looking helplessly at Garuel who was looking down at him. He didn’t do any intense exercise at all, and even when he did, he moved slowly, resting for as long as he exercised. His weak body was screaming from the unusual stimulation.

As Lumen helped Cadel to his feet after his duel with Garuel, he held out the bottle of water that Van had brought with him from the distance. Cadel hurriedly quenched his thirst, but his hands were shaking so badly that half of it ran down his chin. Cadel emptied the bottle in a flash, rubbing his chilled body and frowning.

“How can you guys move for hours on end without stopping? I’m exhausted after just an hour or two of exercise.”

“Because I have the stamina that I have developed so far.”

Lumen replied simply and brushed Cadel’s dusty hair out of his face. Despite traveling for the same amount of time, the other subordinates’ faces showed no signs of fatigue. On the contrary, their faces were cheerful.

Even Lydon, a fellow magician, was bored enough to train with Van in swordsmanship, and Van’s rigorous demands had been, and still were, unyielding. Cadel, who had assumed they were similarly fit, was surprised and even admitted defeat.

“Ugh, I feel uncomfortable. Let’s go to the restaurant after washing up.”

Cadel staggered along, his sweaty, clinging clothes flapping. He felt like he’d used up a week’s worth of stamina, but he hoped he’d grown.