NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2: The Knights are hell
“Hey Zero, let’s run away. If we don’t, we’re definitely going to die.”
Two months had passed since our hellish training began, and just when we were supposed to be getting used to our new lives… sadly, we hadn’t adjusted at all. The reason why is perfectly summed up by the words of my brown-haired roommate, Fei, who was sitting right in front of me.
It’s just too much.
What’s too much? Of course, the daily training. That kind of stuff isn’t something humans should be doing.
Our training was designed by our one-eyed instructor, Lowe, who apparently thought we weren’t ready for anything too complicated yet and decided to focus on building our foundations.
Specifically, we had to:
1.Run for five hours with 50 kilos of weights attached to our limbs while another instructor chased us. If we got caught, it was 50 push-ups and sit-ups as punishment.
2.Swing a sword 10,000 times, also with the weights on.
3.Engage in mock battles for five hours with various instructors, again with the weights on, which felt more like torture.
4.Practice enhancement magic, which was a bit easier, for three hours.
That’s basically what we had to do.
The rest of the time was spent eating, bathing, and sleeping with the weights still on. Needless to say, there was no room for entertainment.
Yeah, we’re gonna die.
Just living with weights equivalent to a full-grown woman attached to you is hard enough, but add training on top of that? It’s insane. And the amount of time dedicated to my primary focus, magic training, was way too little.
“Hey, Zero, are you listening?”
“I’m listening. You’re saying something incredibly reckless. Do you really think you can escape from the instructors?”
“Guh… But we’re really gonna die…”
Fei started to cry pitifully, so I decided to show him reality.
“…Actually, three guys tried to escape from here the day before yesterday.”
“What!? So, what happened to them!?”
Fei’s eyes lit up with a tiny bit of hope, but I looked at him with dead eyes and said:
“They’re still out there, getting worked to the bone.”
“Eeeeeeeek!!”
I laughed dryly and turned my gaze to the window. At the same time, the instructors’ shouts could be heard, and Fei screamed in terror.
“See?”
“…I’ll try my best. Even if it kills me.”
“Yeah… let’s both do our best.”
And so, we encouraged each other.
“Now then…”
A few hours after that pep talked with Fei.
It was already past midnight, and I was changing into my exercise clothes, glancing at Fei, who was fast asleep on the top bunk.
I was about to head somewhere.
Even though the weights were still on, I had been training desperately for years, so it wasn’t that much of a burden. Still, the training was tough, though.
“Alright…”
I jumped out of my second-story window. After two months, I had gotten good enough to land almost silently.
I used to break bones all the time when I started… haha.
Remembering how I used to be, I let out a dry laugh, then without stopping, I climbed over the dormitory fence and looked up at the massive wall surrounding the facility. Being trapped in a place like this and going through hellish training made me feel like a prisoner during the day, which was kind of depressing.
“Alright… no one’s around?”
I looked around carefully in front of the door leading into the wall… and, seeing that no one was there, opened the door and slipped inside. The inside was dimly lit by torches, but unlike outside, it was cool thanks to the stone structure. I thought that maybe sleeping here in the summer would help me sleep better… as I ran up the stone stairs.
After climbing several hundred steps… I reached the door that led to the top of the wall. I placed my hand on the door and turned it.
With the sound of stone grinding against stone, the heavy door opened, and I stepped onto the top of the wall, which was well over 50 metres high. There was nothing to obstruct the wind, so it blew freely, and the moon seemed a bit closer.
“Phew… alright.”
Not wanting to waste time, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Closing my eyes made it easier to sense the magic inside me… though it was still a sign of my inexperience.
But anyway.
As I became aware of the magic within me, I recited a spell, modifying it a bit to suit myself.
“Harden my body stronger than steel, make me swifter than a falcon, and grant me the supernatural strength of a demon—Body Enhancement!”
At that moment—a feeling of indescribable exhilaration and omnipotence filled my body. A faint silver aura enveloped me, contrasting sharply with my jet-black hair.
This was the most basic yet most widely used enhancement magic—Body Enhancement. At this level, it made my body as hard as iron, increased my speed to about 5 seconds per 100 metres, and gave me enough strength to easily crush a rock about 5 metres in size.
This might sound impressive, but this world is full of unfairness. At this level, advanced magic could still reduce you to little more than scraps of flesh. I’ve seen the real thing once, so I know.
It really messes with your head… realising that humans can’t beat magic.
But I have no intention of giving up—
“What are you doing here?”
A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat broke out all over my body.
Moving like a malfunctioning robot, I slowly turned around to see…
“Well, well… if it isn’t the only ‘Knight Trainee’ this term, E-Elesdia-Sama… What brings you here?”
“Soldiers are forbidden from going out at night, and using magic without an instructor is also prohibited… So, what exactly are you doing?”
The red-haired, red-eyed girl looked suspicious, and knowing there was only one thing to do, I steeled myself.
And—
“I’m so, so sorry!!”
I threw myself into a deep bow, putting my heart and soul into it, even though it was mostly just for show.