Chapter 51
"Building basic physical strength is part of the fundamental training even after becoming a soldier. Ah, fundamental training includes combat skills, etiquette such as greeting superiors, and physical training. Separately, there's also early morning training. For newcomers, it involves flexibility exercises and about two hours of running. From the second year onward, they also have to carry full gear and march endlessly. They explained that running can hurt your hips or legs, but even just walking is tough enough."
"......Huff......Huff......"
"I heard that physical strength is crucial to quickly adapt to an unfamiliar lifestyle and endure the mental strain caused by combat."
"......Ugh......Hah......Tch......"
"It seems that no matter what rank a soldier reaches, they constantly undergo tests of specialized skills and physical endurance. They hone themselves daily without arrogance. Isn't that admirable, Billy Hewton?"
"......Ugh......Haah, haah......Tch"
"I was talking about soldiers to make good use of our time, but were you listening?"
"......Tch, fine......"
"I couldn't hear you, so could you say it again? Clearly this time."
"Shut up......Tch......!"
Unable to muster strength in his legs, Billy Hewton, with his chestnut hair, tripped over the grass and rolled onto the ground with a loud thud.
Billy struggled to get off the ground, but lacking the strength to even lift his upper body, he groaned in humiliation, his face contorted.
Incidentally, his two followers couldn't even run properly and were slumped over exhausted at the edge of the Training Ground.
"If you've got the energy to yell, you can still run, right?"
Her smile was so beautiful it was mesmerizing, yet it sent shivers down the spine, making one want to flee the scene.
The classmates who had been watching their exchange while running turned their eyes away in fear from Celestia, who looked down at Billy with a gaze as cold as if she were staring at an inanimate object.
"......Tch, huff......"
"Could it be that you can't run anymore? After all that barking you did."
Billy, desperately gasping for air with his mouth open, couldn't respond, and Celestia continued to speak to him without mercy.
"......Wow, she's ruthless."
"That's because he picked a fight without any chance of winning......"
"Where did......that confidence of his......come from......?"
"He picked the wrong opponent. She's the heir of the Rotish family......Tch"
"No, no, that alone doesn't explain it......Her physical ability is unreal!"
The students from the mixed class, running slowly, nodded as they overheard Silvio and Severi talking while out of breath, and their shoulders slumped as they saw Harrison cheerfully call out, "Fifteen minutes left!"
This impromptu running drill.
It all started with Celestia's words, "Let's do basic physical training right now......"
A normal instructor would have dismissed it as nonsense, but the instructor in charge of the mixed class was far from normal and gave permission simply because it sounded interesting.
The Training Ground Harrison led them to was much larger than expected, with grassy terrain to prevent injuries even if someone fell dramatically.
Harrison laughed, saying that for the first few years after enrollment, scrapes and bruises would be constant, and demonstrated flexibility exercises as an example. The students, seeing such exercises for the first time, fumbled to imitate him desperately, but even here, Billy messed up.
"What are you misunderstanding? There's no way a woman can train with us. You dare call yourself a military noble without even understanding that? Why don't you switch classes before embarrassing yourself?"
Billy, laughing loudly with his followers, spoke condescendingly to the daughter of a Count family, hailed as one of the two great military nobles and holding a status equivalent to a Marquis family.
"Unlike my family, which governs a territory near the Royal Capital, rural nobles from the frontier know nothing. I'll teach you the difference in status!"
He proudly boasted that his territory was close to the Royal Capital, though it wasn't much to speak of. Everyone's faces paled, wondering what this mere second son of a baron family was even saying, while Celestia silently and calmly continued her flexibility exercises.
Despite his deliberately loud insults and provocations, Celestia showed no reaction, not even a change in expression. Billy and his followers grew irritated and kept ranting, but their composure only lasted until then.
"Since it's the first day......let's go for an hour."
Those who tilted their heads at Harrison's cryptic words, "An hour?" were, after a few dozen minutes, left sloppily gasping for air, with no energy even to wipe the sweat streaming down their cheeks.
A training session of running endlessly for an hour......Is this really training?
For noble young masters who rarely ran even in their spacious mansions or gardens, this was nothing short of hell.
"Anyone who stops will have extra time added."
Lamenting the merciless words, they still consoled themselves that they were better off than Billy.
"Aren't you slow......? Is that your limit?"
"......Tch, no way......!"
"Mind if I go ahead? You're too slow—it's boring......"
"I'm just......about to get serious! Keep up!"
Running alongside Billy, Celestia kept talking to him and subtly provoking him. Gradually increasing her pace, she steadily drained Billy's stamina.
Every time Billy looked like he was about to stop, Celestia kicked him in the butt, not allowing any breaks.
Everyone, running far behind, watched the bizarre scene in stunned silence. Billy's two followers had already dropped out early on, and just now, Billy himself had also pathetically collapsed to the ground.
"......What was that about a woman?"
Billy flinched at the flat, emotionless voice. He glared fiercely at Celestia, who was looking down at him, trying not to let her realize he had felt fear even for a moment.