Could It Be Because My Harsh Winter Training Never Stops? (1)
Is this because my harsh winter training just won't stop? (T_T)
“What the hell is this supposed to be?”
“I have no idea. I heard it’s some kind of event hosted by the guy who founded this unit?”
“The founder? You mean that madman from Sternfeldt?”
“I heard he’s the 3rd Prince’s right-hand man.”
“I caught a rumor he’s already reached 5th circle. At his age?”
“And he’s not even a promising talent from the Magic Tower?”
The crowd buzzed with chatter!
Wow, it’s a complete mess even before training starts.
They think I can’t hear them badmouthing me right to my face, but I can hear every word.
I’m definitely sending those guys out first and making them return last.
Bzzz bzzz! Peeep!
“All right, everyone pay attention!”
Oh, the artifact I rigged up to work like a loudspeaker has killer performance.
The people in front looked like they were in pain from the sudden blast of sound, though.
I twisted the attached dial to lower the volume and continued.
“Ahem. Ahem. Is this volume better now? Yeah, seems about right. Pay attention once again!”
Every single person below the platform turned to look at me. Roughly a hundred of them.
Hmm. Compared to the six of us when we first started, this really is remarkable growth.
“We will now begin harsh winter training. I’ll introduce the instructors who will be guiding you through it alongside me, so give them a warm round of applause! Instructors, step forward!”
Clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp!
With crisp, disciplined footsteps, the instructors climbed onto the platform.
“Wait, isn’t that…?”
“They’re the instructors?”
“Hang on, didn’t they say this was some kind of event? Now it’s suddenly training?”
“I refuse! I can’t accept those people instructing me from above!”
“If it were Sir Levenstil, maybe…”
The murmuring swelled!
Damn, it’s noisy. Everyone was bursting with complaints.
The instructors who had taken the stage were, naturally, the existing members of the unit.
They wore the red hats that symbolized their instructor status and shouted from the platform.
“You lot, get your heads on straight!”
“Move it, move it! Twenty people in front of me! Assemble!”
“If you’re late, no meal! Line up without dropping out! Assemble in two columns!”
“Hup! The last person will be used as exercise equipment, so steel yourselves!”
“First twenty, assemble in front of me right now!”
The voices belonged to Bruno, Hans, Sir Levenstil, Helmut, and Elena, in that order.
Bruno’s voice overflowed with crazy excitement at the thought of breaking in the new recruits, while Elena must have bitten her tongue from nerves—her last syllable came out sharp.
And Helmut… was striking another bodybuilding pose on the platform.
What was that one called again? Front something. The pose where you plant your hands on your hips to emphasize your chest muscles. I can’t remember the exact name.
Anyway, forget the pose—what the hell kind of insane thing was he saying? Was he seriously suggesting he’d use a person as a weight?
Uh… the scary part was that it didn’t sound like a joke at all.
If it was Helmut, he could probably bench-press a grown man without breaking a sweat.
Down below the platform, the soldiers slowly shuffled toward the instructors with the attitude of people who were only moving because they’d been told to.
Once twenty people had gathered in front of each instructor and the remaining personnel were glancing around, subtly trying to join in—
Peeep!
A sharp whistle pierced through the entire assembly.
Naturally, the soldiers—who had never heard such a high, piercing sound before—turned toward it with dazed expressions.
And of course, the source was me.
This whistle performs nicely. Steel was expensive and it’s handmade, so it cost a pretty penny, but whatever.
It’s great for drawing attention and even better for giving signals without raising my voice.
If this training succeeds, there won’t be a better cost-effective investment.
Which means it has to succeed.
Otherwise it’d be too wasteful to bear.
‘That tiny thing is ridiculously expensive. This damn medieval fantasy world still sucks, as usual.’
Anyway, I had done what I blew the whistle for.
I planned to punish the late arrivals and use them as an example.
It was the perfect way to fix their completely broken military discipline.
“Those who entered late, assemble in front of me immediately!”
“Can’t a guy be a little slow? Isn’t this too much?”
Heh, look at this bastard.
Whoosh!
“Want to get hit by this, or come nicely while I’m still asking?”
The moment I conjured a Fire Ball in my palm, I saw every person below the platform freeze with tension.
“T-this is outrageous! I-I was hired by His Highness the 1st Prince, not by you! This kind of tyranny——”
“And I’m the one in overall command of the mage unit. Hey, can’t you even recognize your direct superior?”
The atmosphere turned ice-cold in an instant, but I didn’t care.
I had known from the start that these bastards were looking down on me, and that they would make excuses and resist.
I had never planned to go easy anyway.
“Those six over there. Assemble in front of me right now.”
Tremble tremble!
“I-I can’t endure this unfair treatment any longer! I’m leaving——”
Boom!Whoosh!
The Fire Ball I hurled at his left calf struck instantly because of the short distance.
“Kyaaaaack!”
The victim rolled across the ground, screaming horribly from the pain of burning flesh.
Heh. If only you had listened when I was speaking nicely.
“Water Ball.”
Sizzle!
“Ugh, kyaack!”
Thud!
“Hey, pick that up and make him drink it.”
“Huh? What?”
“I said make him drink it. Can’t you hear? Want the same treatment?”
“N-no sir! I’ll feed it to him immediately!”
Pop! Glug glug glug!
The mage who had been threatened simply for standing nearby quickly uncorked the potion bottle and forced it down the burned man’s throat.
“Gulp, gulp. Krrgh!”
He even kindly smeared the remaining potion on the wound without being told.
Hmm. I thought he had no sense, but he’s got decent situational awareness.
Step. Step.
I slowly descended the platform stairs and walked over to the man who had been hit by the fireball.
Ssss.
The burn marks on his exposed skin were already being pushed out as new flesh sprouted. The regeneration was so fast you could see it with the naked eye.
It was one of the few expensive potions I had squeezed out of the 3rd Prince. It was a waste, but I had created exactly the impactful scene I wanted.
As intended, the atmosphere in the entire venue was now completely under my control.
Tap tap!
“Hey, get up, you bastard. Since you drank such an expensive potion, you should stand up quickly.”
“Krrgh!”
The victim still seemed unable to regain his senses, overwhelmed by the shock of the fireball.
Heh. On the battlefield you might suffer far worse. If you’re already like this, what are you going to do?
Stomp!
“Urk!”
I planted my foot firmly on the dazed man’s chest.
The shock of having his breath cut off finally seemed to wake him. His eyes started to focus.
But why does this guy’s face look familiar? Wait…
…Aha. He was one of the bastards openly badmouthing me from the front earlier, wasn’t he?
Then I don’t have to feel even a shred of guilt while I roll him.
I slowly lifted my foot and spoke.
“Stand up.”
“Kuhuk, huk. Yes?”
Whoosh!
I cast the Fire Ball again, holding it right before launch.
Only then did the guy scramble upright in front of me.
“Get down.”
“Huh?”
Good grief, he really doesn’t understand words.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
I poured more mana into the Fire Ball, enlarging the flames until they roared fiercely.
The instant he saw it, the guy slammed himself flat on the ground.
“Stand up.”
He shot upright!
“Get down.”
Thud!
“Stand up.”
He shot upright!
“Get down.”
Thud!
How many times did I repeat it? About thirty minutes?
“Huk… huk… hiek… huk…”
He was gasping, unable to breathe properly. But——
“Stand up.” I had no intention of stopping easily.
The guy tried desperately to rise at my command, but he was already at his limit and couldn’t control his body. “Grrk… huk… huork…”
Plop!
In the end, he collapsed, completely spent, and fainted. Well, even so, he’d be fine. The potion he drank earlier wasn’t cheap.
It was the kind royalty carried as an extra life to drink right before they truly died. No matter how much I overworked him, he wouldn’t die. Let me repeat: it’s not that he won’t die. He can’t die.
……
A heavy silence fell over the entire area.
When I looked around, the eyes watching me had changed completely.
‘Looks like they’ve finally grown some wariness and fear. Tsk, maybe I went a little too hard.’
I hope this doesn’t lead to fragging later from accumulated resentment.
‘Well, I’ll think about that when the time comes. For now, it seems I’ve given everyone a proper chance for some intense mental re-education.’
After watching me mercilessly roll someone like that, if anyone still acts out during training?
Then I’d have to acknowledge it.
That level of courage would be a realm impossible for ordinary people.
I’d make them pack their bags and expel them immediately.
Anyway, a guy like that is exactly the type who would stab you in the back on the battlefield. Taking him would only mean carrying a blue enemy.
‘If he had resisted an unfair order, that would be different. But this was just him acting out because he had a personal problem with me and getting beaten for it. He has nothing to say.’
It seems he was simply annoyed that someone younger than him had better magic than them and appeared to have the trust of both the 1st and 3rd Princes.
Rather than having the courage to act out against me, wouldn’t it be more constructive to prove his own ability directly to the princes?
Why act out against a superior to his face for no reason?
“Helmut, take this bastard to the medical barracks and assign a few soldiers to watch him. Tell the soldiers the training location and have them drag him over once he wakes up.”
“Yes sir!”
With a grunt, Helmut lifted the man with both hands.
…As expected, he carried him without the slightest sign of strain, proving that what he had said on the platform wasn’t empty talk.
The guy had to weigh at least seventy or eighty kilograms, yet he carried him so easily.
“All right. Those who were standing in front of Helmut will stick with me for the time being. The rest of you listen carefully. We will now begin the mage unit’s harsh winter training.”
Since I had left the loudspeaker on the platform, I had to speak with my own voice, but in the dead silence, everyone seemed to hear me clearly.
“Instructors, lead your groups! We’re moving to the training ground!”
“Yes sir!”
The mage unit advanced, each instructor leading twenty men.
Hmm. It’s finally starting.
There was a bit of noise at the very beginning, but this is still within the expected range.
‘Winter mountain training. In my previous life it was so damn cold that even living with hot packs was miserable.’
Just remembering that cursed cold harsh winter training from my past life made my bones ache.
But this time, I’m not the one suffering, am I?
Ehehehehe. Just thinking about the plans to transform those rotten mage mentalities into a proper soldier’s mindset already filled me with joy.
Look forward to it, rookies.