Overwhelming Firepower

While Lucen and Vardon were finally having their long-overdue father-son conversation, the members of Thornefang were enduring a different kind of trial on the frozen training grounds.

Snow crunched beneath their palms as they did push-ups in tight rows, breath misting in the frigid air. The cold bit into their fingers and faces, but Sir Thalos showed no mercy.

Those with Aura managed to endure longer, gritting their teeth, muscles straining. The rest? Arms shaking, lips blue, bodies shivering as they struggled to keep form.

Sir Thalos stood nearby, cloak fluttering in the northern wind, arms crossed and unimpressed. He slowly shook his head.

”Pathetic,” he muttered.

Then, loud and clear, his voice boomed through the training ground.

”As I told the young master, I will mold you all into real warriors. You may freeze, break, or collapse trying... but you will become strong. That much, I promise.”

The members of Thornefang continued doing push-ups, afraid to stop as Sir Thalos had warned that the first one to stop or fail to complete two hundred push-ups would receive the punishment.

They also needed to do all the training without the use of aura or mana, so only their pure physical skills were allowed.

”This is harder than I thought.”

Harlik, who was doing the best among them, felt his arm already shaking. It had been a long time since he had done such a strenuous thing without using his aura.

”You think you have it hard, boss? I’m a mage, the only exercise I have ever done was firing an arquebus and running a little. Without mana, I’m no stronger than a common girl.” Sarah replied, her arms feeling like they would break.

”Really, you calling yourself a girl now? Aren’t you too old to be called a girl?” Greg chimed in. Even though he was already sweating profusely, he felt like he needed to get a jab in.

”If I weren’t doing this, I would have scorched you already with a fireball spell.” Sarah barked back.

”If I didn’t make that oath with the little leader, I would have already left,” Mark commented.

”You guys, I think I want to escape again.” Niel, who already had a track record of trying to flee from hardship, spoke up.

”Enough complaining, at least you guys have aura and mana. What about us? We’re just regular folk.” Elias grumpily spoke.

”Why do... You guys... Have so much energy to talk?...” Miya, the healer of the group, was already panting.

Even though almost all who could still talk were complaining while continuing to do push-ups, Milos, the new recruit, was truly focused on the task at hand.

He wanted to improve as quickly as possible, and seeing that a knight like Sir Thalos was training them, he didn’t want to let go of this chance.

***

Thalos watched as the group of former mercenaries turned soldiers had difficulty doing mere push-ups and sighed.

He could not help but compare them to Lucen. When Lucen started doing his training, he wasn’t as trained as these people.

In fact, his body was so lanky that it felt like the wind could blow him away. Still, Lucen persisted and showed results faster than even Thalos expected.

’I guess the young master truly is something else. Still, this group he had formed seems like they might have potential.’

Thalos then appeared behind the members of Thornefang who were talking amongst themselves.

”Oh? Still have the strength to joke? Then I suppose two hundred wasn’t enough.”

A chorus of groans and muffled curses followed. Sarah let her forehead drop to the snow. ”I didn’t say any joke. I was being serious!”

”Is that so... I thought you lot would have wanted to add a few more push-ups.”

”No, sir!” Almost all of them responded in sync.

”Are you lot that weak, can’t even do simple push-ups?... Fine, finish the two hundred first.” Thalos sighed as he started doing one finger push-ups. Without aura, his arms barely trembled. That was a body honed to the limit.

Seeing how easily Thalos was doing push-ups with one finger, without aura, and doing it even faster than they did, made some of Thornefang feel ashamed. The group realized that this training was going to be harder than they imagined.

’Is this the level of a true knight of Stellhart?’ It was what most of them thought.

They then thought of their little leader, the heir of the Iron Duke. He was someone who could have these kinds of people as his subordinates, but he chose them.

’How can I see the little leader’s grand dream, if I can’t even do a simple push-up?’ Harlik was once again motivated as he continued doing push-ups.

’I already made an oath that I wouldn’t leave and would follow the little leader, until I see that unknown grand dream of his. How can I see that sight if I can’t even keep up?!’

Even now, Mark wasn’t fully sure what Lucen’s grand dream was. He had heard Lucen speak of a place full of warmth and joy, but it was so vague that he could not grasp what it was.

But it was something he could only see if he stood beside Lucen. Mark pushed himself onward to finish the two hundred push-ups under the snow.

The other members of Thornefang were also having their own revelations as they remembered Lucen’s words. They had already sworn their loyalty to the little leader, to Lucen Thornehart. They wanted to follow him to the end of his dream.

To be able to do that, they need to be able to keep up with Lucen. So with renewed vigor, they started finishing the push-ups.

A few of them nearly dropped to the ground, arms trembling from exhaustion—but they kept going. They couldn’t stop here.

***

Thalos noticed the change in the men and women of Thornefang and couldn’t help but grin widely.

’As expected of the people chosen by the young master, their competitive spirit was set ablaze! I knew that doing push-ups in front of them would motivate them greatly.’

Unaware of the true thoughts of the members of Thornefang, Thalos was convinced that his demonstration had spurred them forward.

***

After a few more minutes, all of the members of Thornefang had finished two hundred push-ups.

”Not as hopeless as I feared,” Thalos said, clapping his hands once. ”Now that you lot have finally warmed up. Time for a march around Ironhold.”

Unlike before, where they would have groaned in frustration at what Thalos said, they instead showed a determined face. Seeing the look in their eyes made Thalos happy.

’It would seem that I can push them further beyond their limit.’

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