Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Sharpened Senses
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His senses were sharp as a honed blade.
They were in no way inferior to his senses from before.
Constantly countering Helot's ferocious attacks seemed to have awakened his latent potential.
‘With senses this sharp...’
Helot, seeing Arthur smile while barely dodging, wondered if the boy had lost his mind from fear.
“You’ll really get hurt at this rate.”
“If you can, then do it.”
Arthur charged in, thrusting out his fist.
Helot didn’t even try to dodge. Instead, he raised both arms to solidly guard his face. He had confirmed that Arthur’s attacks couldn’t harm him.
“No matter how much you attack, it won’t work on me.”
“Is that so?”
Arthur struck at Helot’s side.
Thud!
Helot grinned and swung his fist.
Arthur swiftly dodged and planted another fist into his side.
Thud!
“It’s useless!”
Helot thrust out his fist again.
But it only cut through empty air.
For some reason, Arthur’s movements seemed faster.
Meanwhile, Arthur targeted the same spot once more.
Faster and harder.
Boom!
Finally, a heavy impact rang out.
“...!”
Helot’s face stiffened slightly.
“It must sting.”
Arthur curled his lip and unleashed another barrage.
Boom!
Helot grimaced.
“Dodge this!”
He slammed down the fist raised above his head with full force.
It shot toward Arthur like lightning.
But to Arthur, who had awakened his senses, it posed no threat at all.
He dodged the fist and fired one back at Helot’s side.
Of course, faster and harder.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
For the first time, a dull thud accompanied Helot’s grunt.
“Damn it...”
“You’re not even giving this your all, are you?”
“Not yet!”
Helot rammed his shoulder into Arthur.
Arthur twisted his body aside, tripping Helot’s leg and sending him crashing down.
Thud.
“Damn!”
As Helot pounded the ground with his fist and rose,
Arthur swiftly mounted his back, wrapping both arms around his neck.
Then he whispered into his ear.
“Keep your word.”
With that, he mercilessly choked.
“Th-this is ridiculous...”
As Helot grabbed for Arthur’s head, his airway clamped shut, and his vision blurred.
In the end, Helot collapsed sideways against his will.
Thud!
“H-Hellot...”
“H-how did this happen...”
“You expect us to believe this?”
The onlookers gasped in shock.
As everyone reeled in disbelief, a smile spread across Millerph’s face.
“What do you think?”
“The expected result.”
“Such a straightforward answer.”
“Only today did I realize how hot my blood runs.”
Skevin strode toward the fallen Helot, radiating fierce determination.
***
‘What’s he doing?’
‘Damn! How many hours has it been?’
Discontent filled the trainees’ faces.
They had assembled in the training grounds after lunch and stood at attention ever since.
Just standing still made their knotted muscles ache even more.
Their legs and backs had gone numb, hardening like stone—it was torture.
Arthur silently watched them from the platform.
‘What’s he thinking?’
Millerph couldn’t read Arthur’s intentions. He could only watch curiously in silence.
Arthur finally spoke gravely.
“Trainee Number One.”
Skevin immediately responded to being called.
“Yes!”
“Even standing still is too much for you?”
Arthur spoke coldly, then shifted his gaze to Helot.
Helot, who had briefly fainted and rejoined the ranks upon waking, trembled while sweating profusely.
“Trainee Number Two.”
“Yes!”
“Didn’t I say not to move?”
“I’m sorry!”
He tried to suppress the trembling, but it wasn’t easy.
His mind and body moved separately, leaving him bewildered.
“Isn’t this what you wanted? If you can’t even rest properly, what use are you!”
“I have no excuses!”
“Has your duel changed your thinking?”
“I was wrong!”
Helot bellowed.
“So what will you do from now on?”
“I’ll give it my all!”
“Remember this. I’m forgiving you this once because it’s the first time.”
“Yes!”
Arthur addressed the trainees.
“As the knights have realized through night training, becoming strong requires not just physical training, but mental growth as well.”
Yes!
“Physical prowess means nothing if your mind breaks.”
Yes!
“And war can’t be fought alone. You must unite with your comrades to defeat the enemy, protect your life, and safeguard your precious family. Anyone trying to survive alone has no place here. Trainee Number One!”
Skevin responded instantly.
“Yes!”
“While training, have you ever once thought of your fellow trainees?”
“...”
“The other knights are the same. They never cared for their comrades, only their own survival.”
The training grounds fell into heavy silence.
Arthur shouted firmly, like a reprimand.
“You can’t win a war by abandoning your comrades!”
Yes!
Skevin, the knights, and trainees shouted in unison.
“Treat your comrades like your own life! If a comrade falls, it’s as if you’ve died!”
Yes!
The trainees echoed fervently.
Arthur’s distrust had vanished after the duel with Helot. No one could underestimate someone who had felled the vice captain.
They obeyed their superior’s orders unquestioningly.
At the same time, seeing the strengthened Arthur instilled faith in the training.
‘I can get stronger too!’
Arthur clearly sensed the shift in their attitudes.
‘Time to move to the next phase.’
Arthur transitioned to the next exercise, teaching them PT gymnastics.
They memorized the movements diligently, and any mistakes meant touching the east wall.
By the end of the afternoon session,
The clear sky glowed with golden sunset.
The training grounds boiled like a furnace with heat, spirit shouts echoing nonstop.
“Memorize today’s movements.”
“Yes!”
At Arthur’s words, the trainees roared back fiercely.
Yes!
“That’s all for today.”
Leaving the grounds with Millerph, Arthur climbed the east wall.
As he surveyed the surroundings,
Yes!
The trainees’ resounding response echoed from the grounds.
Millerph glanced back and smiled.
“They’re doing extra training.”
“Preparation for tomorrow.”
“Thanks to you, Young Master, their cohesion will improve greatly.”
“It had better.”
Arthur grinned and looked toward the western mountains.
If an orc habitat lay there, they could attack the village at any moment.
Preparing for the territorial war with Yarve Count was important, but dealing with the orcs came first.
“Hmm...”
“Thinking of the orcs?”
“You never know when they’ll come.”
“As long as we don’t provoke them first, they won’t raid the village.”
“True, but what if stronger ones appear?”
“Well...”
Millerph’s face hardened.
Indeed, with vanished monsters returning, others might too.
The western mountains had long been known as a monster habitat.
If orcs were pushed toward the village like the goblins...
They needed countermeasures.
“Do you have something in mind?”
“First, a question.”
Arthur met Millerph’s eyes.
“Could you handle orcs alone?”
“No problem unless dozens rush at once.”
“Then I’ll need your help. I plan to set up outposts at every path connecting to the western mountains. Go to the site and protect the workers from monsters.”
“Will you be all right without me?”
Arthur smiled meaningfully and turned toward the training grounds.
“A whistle will suffice from now on.”
***
One week later.
“Forward cheer, five seconds!”
Aaahhh!
The trainees shouted with all their might.
Arthur spoke in a voice devoid of emotion.
“Today’s training is mountain run.”
“...!”
It came out of nowhere.
Their puzzled expressions soon broke into smiles.
After a week of PT gymnastics, it felt like rain in a drought.
“We’ll start with warm-ups before the run. PT One, prepare! Light, ten reps. How many?”
Ten!
“Skip the final cadence. Execute ten!”
Tweet-tweet! Tweet!
One!
Tweet-tweet! Tweet!
Two!
Arthur blew the whistle Millerph had made, keeping perfect rhythm.
The trainees synced their movements precisely to the whistle.
Andrew and Lesanna watched from afar in awe.
“Cool, right?”
“Yeah. How do they move in such perfect sync?”
“I meant Young Master Arthur.”
Andrew eyed Lesanna.
“Oh...”
Lesanna flushed slightly and looked at Arthur.
He wore the hat she’d made, pulled low, blowing the whistle nonstop.
He exuded a rugged aura, utterly transformed from before.
“He’s definitely changed.”
As Lesanna nodded,
“Ten!”
One trainee bellowed the final cadence.
“Tch.”
Andrew grimaced and shook his head.
“There’s always one.”
“Yeah. They just need to focus.”
They watched the trainees pityingly before heading into the castle.
Meanwhile, heavy silence blanketed the grounds.
‘Damn it!’
‘Who the hell!’
‘Idiot! How do you mess that up!’
They burned inside but stayed silent.
Arthur stared piercingly at the offender.
“Can’t get it together? One hundred reps.”
One hundred!
Arthur blew the whistle.
Tweet-tweet! Tweet!
Final cadences kept slipping, so they did PT One through Eight, one hundred each, before warm-ups ended.
Arthur led the sweat-soaked group into the mountain run.
Heading west from the castle,
The trainees were stunned, faces clouding with doubt.
‘The western mountains?’
‘Why there?’
‘Unarmed, if we run into orcs...’
Worry mounted.
Even Skevin, trailing close, was curious—he’d received no notice.
‘What’s he planning now...’
Doubts filled their minds, but soon they were too busy chasing Arthur.
After about thirty minutes,
Arthur halted.
The trainees stopped and looked at him.
Skevin, right behind, sidled up.
“Why the sudden stop?”
“Look over there.”
Arthur pointed to a massive tree with a small watchtower atop it.
“Huh? When did that go up?”
“I ordered Millerph to build it.”
“Ah, so that’s why he’s been absent.”
“Today’s run doubles as checking the outposts. Tell the trainees to memorize their locations.”
“Yes.”
As Skevin relayed the order,
‘This!’
Sensing killing intent, a goblin burst from the forest.
“Gasp! Monster!”
“A goblin!”
Trainees’ eyes widened; knights froze in shock.
Only Skevin, detecting the intent, charged the goblin.
It lunged at the nearest target—Arthur—swinging a small knife.
Arthur, sensing it, calmly dodged.
From the cleared space behind, another goblin emerged, swinging an axe with full force.
The blade arced toward Arthur’s head.
A desperate moment!
No!
As faces twisted in horror,
Arthur’s hyper senses activated.
An alarm blared in his mind; his body moved instinctively, dodging the axe by a hair’s breadth.
“Scram!”
He drew a dagger from his back and stabbed the goblin’s nape.
Kek!
It shrieked and flopped dead.
“You okay?”
As Skevin approached to check,
The alarm rang again.
‘Something else is coming!’
Skevin felt it too and dove aside with Arthur.
Thwack!
An arrowhead-like projectile flew from the goblin’s spot, embedding in a tree.
“These bastards!”
Helot roared in fury and plunged into the forest.