Chapter 55
Episode 55
The elite soldiers supporting the knight order—regular soldiers—were also referred to as knight trainees.
These individuals balanced the rigorous training required to become knights with the duties of maintaining territorial security.
Not just in MacLaine, but in most territories, boys on the cusp of adulthood were tested for physical endurance. Only those who surpassed a certain threshold—those with exceptional stamina—were accepted as soldiers and put through training.
This wasn't just ordinary training; it was an intense regimen designed to push human limits, all for the purpose of cultivating Force users.
Among those selected as soldiers, those with talent awakened their Force during this process and became knights.
Of course, most gave up and remained ordinary soldiers, but even so, they still became a fighting force that far surpassed the average conscript in combat ability.
'People think endurance is essential to withstand the grueling training required to become a knight. That's why they select them this way.'
In reality, the majority of knights were chosen this way—enduring over a decade of brutal training before dramatically awakening their Force.
Of course, there were also those from knightly or noble families who awakened their Force through disciplined training from a young age, without going through the soldier route.
Though they received systematic training from childhood, unless they had access to special secret techniques, their chances of awakening Force weren't significantly higher.
This fact alone was proof that the conventional wisdom was flawed, but most people still didn't recognize it at this time.
However, even now, the Empire was already experimenting with new theories and approaches.
—Physical endurance and Force awakening are separate matters. Sensitivity is far more important.
'Right now, there's still strong opposition even within the Empire, but...'
After over a decade of research conducted by the Imperial Magic Tower, they had uncovered a crucial fact.
By collecting data on those who excelled in training yet failed to awaken Force, they formulated a new theory.
The Empire officially adopted this perspective and completely overhauled its soldier recruitment process.
As a result, they began selecting regular troops primarily based on sensitivity and reflexes.
A decade—no, nine years later—when war broke out, the Empire would deploy an overwhelming force of 50,000 knights to crush neighboring nations.
And naturally, after that, the Empire's selection criteria would become the standard across the world.
'Honestly, just looking at Ronian or Victor, it's obvious that selecting soldiers based solely on endurance is idiotic.'
But at this point, no one paid attention to such details.
They simply assumed geniuses were different by nature.
The memory of the Empire's knight legions blotting out the horizon still made Logan's stomach churn.
'Then I'll just do the same. At least within the territories under my family's control. Nine years should be enough for talented individuals to become knights.'
That was why he was purchasing weapons in seemingly excessive quantities and focusing on expanding the regular forces.
And to properly utilize them, he had to establish the right criteria from the start.
"What's the current status of the regular soldiers?"
"Out of the 502 survivors from the last war, 402 have been dispatched to Tesron Castle under the command of Chief Administrator Vector to maintain public order. The remaining 100 are still here."
"......And all the knights are in MacLaine?"
"You previously stated that the main fighting force—the knights—could not be separated, so..."
Logan barely suppressed a scoff.
'It's because of the defected knights, isn't it? What a pointless excuse...'
There were a staggering 32 defected knights from Tesron—nearly matching MacLaine's surviving force of 41 knights.
No matter how strong Patrick MacLaine was—now a Supreme Knight—he couldn't afford to let them operate independently yet.
'Well, it's for the best.'
There wasn't enough space in MacLaine to accommodate the lodging and provisions for over a thousand regular soldiers anyway.
That was why he had imposed recruitment limits in the first place.
"We'll take the new recruits from MacLaine Castle to Tesron. From now on, Tesron will serve as the primary training base for soldiers. Only fifty of the highest-ranking soldiers will remain in MacLaine Castle. Inform all troops."
"......Excuse me?"
"We already have over seventy knights here. We don't need that many soldiers."
"B-But then, the knights will have to handle guard duties..."
It was a foreseeable issue—having more knights than soldiers.
But Logan dismissed it.
"The knights will continue training under my father. The remaining soldiers will just have to work a little harder. The highest-ranking ones have had it easy until now, haven't they?"
After all, MacLaine Castle's only boast was its stable security.
Losing a few soldiers wouldn't cause any real problems.
As if in response to his thoughts, a booming voice echoed from the training grounds inside the inner fortress.
"Your stance is wrong! Start over from the beginning!"
"You bastard...!"
"Who told you to open your mouth during training?! Double the reps!"
"Aaaargh!"
'Not sure if the knights will be the ones with problems, though.'
Listening to the indistinguishable mix of shouts and screams, Logan allowed himself a faint smile.
"Well, it can't hurt."
"Where are you from?"
"What about you?"
"How old are you to speak so casually?"
"You—!"
"What did you say?!"
Chaos.
The soldier recruitment site set up in MacLaine Castle was packed to the brim with applicants.
"Line up properly!"
"No more chatter! The Grand Prince is arriving!"
"Shut up! Ugh, these damn brats...!"
The soldiers struggled to maintain order, but controlling nearly a thousand rowdy teenagers was no easy task.
At the very least, the crowd began to settle slightly when Logan entered the testing grounds—though the commotion didn't die down completely.
The sight made him sigh, but this was a necessary task. He steeled himself.
"How was recruitment handled before?"
"We just had them all run at once and cut off the slowest."
A brute-force method—selecting purely based on endurance.
Moreover, to maintain troop numbers, they only recruited a small number of newly minted adults whenever a retiring soldier reached forty.
It was anything but efficient.
'Wrong method, insufficient numbers. No wonder the knight count never increased.'
In the past, MacLaine faced the unavoidable issue of financial strain as knight numbers grew—but circumstances were different now.
'We need to recruit every kid with even a slightly higher chance of becoming a knight and train them.'
The immediate goal was expanding the soldier count, but the fundamental purpose was selecting knight trainees for the distant future.
That didn't mean he planned to recklessly inflate the regular forces.
They didn't have to remain a small elite unit, but quality was still the priority.
"We'll do this properly."
"Of course."
"Focus on kids with sharp eyesight, keen hearing, and fast reflexes."
Those with heightened senses had a higher chance of awakening as Force users.
Common knowledge in the future—but in the Kingdom at this time...
"......Excuse me?"
The response was nothing but blank stares.
"Did you not hear me?"
"W-Well, we could have them run first, and then—"
"Forget that! Most of these kids grew up malnourished. We have to account for cases where hunger affects their performance."
"But Lord Logan, we've always recruited soldiers this way. Why change now...?"
Dwain stepped in for the flustered Pellan, but Logan shook his head.
"This is the new standard from now on. What are you waiting for? Get moving."
"......Understood."
That day.
Applicants expecting endurance-based tests were instead subjected to baffling trials.
First Test: Long-Distance Vision.
An examiner held up a sheet of paper with written characters. The applicant approached from a distance and stopped when they could read the text.
The farther the distance, the higher the ranking.
"Oh? How innovative! Truly worthy of the Grand Prince!"
Dwain was impressed, but problems arose immediately.
"I can't read!"
Thus, characters were replaced with drawings.
"Is that a bird? A pig? The drawing is too weird!"
Thanks to the examiners' terrible artistic skills, simple symbols were eventually used instead.
"I can't see the lines clearly!"
"Just say how many you see!"
"The Grand Prince is so handsome!"
Too many absurd responses.
"We don't need bootlickers. Cut that one."
But then—
"Three and a half. One's a bit short. Does that count as four?"
Some freaks could see the number and length of finger-sized lines from 200 meters away—without any supernatural abilities.
Second Test: Long-Distance Hearing.
Dwain and Rugel repeated predetermined words while applicants stopped the moment they heard them.
Like before, greater distance meant higher ranking—but again, not without issues.
"The volume keeps changing!"
A problem with the examiners' vocal control.
"Your pronunciation is weird! Is it 'world' or 'bastard'?!"
"What did you say, you little—?!"
A problem with innate oral structure.
"The answer is 'sparrow.' But, um..."
"What? Spit it out."
"Just now, that person called the Grand Prince a 'son of a—' Is this part of the test?"
And lastly, human error.
"Dwain! I'll smash your head in!"
"Huh? My lord, I can't hear you!"
"I. Said. Smash. Your. Head! Should I do it myself?!"
Despite delays caused by these issues, they still unearthed monsters who could hear whispered curses from 100 meters away.
By the end of the two tests, Logan couldn't help but whistle in amazement.
'Even though we only tested eyesight and hearing, there are this many who far exceed the standards in at least one category?'
Out of over a thousand applicants, more than 250 displayed exceptional sensory talent.
Some had genuinely monstrous eyes or ears, but that didn't guarantee they'd become knights.
After all, sensory-based criteria weren't flawless.
As evidenced by the fact that even under the old, irrational standards, some still became knights, no method—not even in the future—could perfectly predict Force awakening.
'Still, we need to combine these with Tesron's applicants to hit at least a thousand.'
Using rankings from both tests, they selected 500 recruits.
Feeling somewhat satisfied, Logan looked up at the accepted candidates—many of whom appeared notably scrawny.
Due to malnutrition, most looked much younger and smaller than their actual ages, but proper food and training would fix that.
'Like Victor... Well, reaching his level would be impossible, but still.'
He had done his best with the knowledge he possessed.
He could only hope these efforts would accumulate into the strength needed to avert the impending catastrophe.
'Speaking of Victor, I should go check on him soon.'
It was about time to start actively deploying him outside.
Swish.
The sword cutting through the air carried just the right amount of force—neither excessive nor lacking.
Perfect posture, honed over a year of repeating the Kingdom's basic swordsmanship hundreds of times daily, had finally taken shape.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could flawlessly execute a thousand repetitions, just as Lord Logan had said.
Yet Victor's expression remained grim.
'But that alone won't make me a knight.'
Lord Logan had given him a visible goal when he knew nothing—but Victor now understood that wasn't the core issue.
To become a knight, he needed to awaken Force—not just swing a sword a thousand times.
But how?
The answer still eluded him.
The sense of progress he once felt had vanished, replaced by endless stagnation—as if shackled by invisible chains.
Yet he couldn't give up.
'I must become a knight. No matter what!'
If not for himself, then for his little sister waiting at the edge of the training grounds with a water bucket and towel.
He knew all too well the scornful looks the mansion's servants gave them.
Of course they would resent slaves who did no work and only trained in swordsmanship.
That was why he couldn't afford to stop here.
'I don't know how long Lord Logan will give me.'
He had received help without any conditions.
Though Logan claimed to believe in his future as a knight, what reason did he have to extend such kindness to a slave?
Gratitude warred with suspicion—hardened by years of suffering that made it impossible to fully trust even a benefactor.
'He might be raising me for some scheme.'
Like... a gladiator slave, perhaps.
The worst memories resurfaced, darkening his expression.
During his enslavement, he had seen nobles who forced slaves to fight to the death—using their families as leverage.
'All for entertainment.'
A glance to the side revealed his sister watching him with a bright smile.
His precious sibling—the one he had to protect no matter what.
No matter what his benefactor demanded, he had to survive and return to her.
'But I can't stay like this.'
The longer he felt stuck, the more impatient he grew.
"Raaah!"
Crash!
Abandoning proper form, he swung his sword with all his might.
A recent habit—discarding technique to vent frustration through sheer force.
At least the raw exertion brought fleeting relief.
But then—
"What exactly are you doing?"
A quiet voice snapped him back to reality.
His wild, uncontrolled swings halted—and before he knew it, his sword slipped from his grasp.