The first day…
We decided to initially do our services to the nearest place that we are standing right now and that is, the Guild. Today, we look like we are not even the bona fide Myrmidons of the city because instead of carrying our own personal swords, we are handling large and heavy brooms in order to sweep the ceramic-paved roads that are encircling the premises of the Guildia lot. We started at an early hour so there are no bystanders at that moment, but the horizons of the area changed when the sun kissed the atmosphere aloft, as well as the ground of the city…
"Eh? Lady Tori? Sir Malthur and Sir Roy? What are you doing first thing in the morning?"
"Quit doing that! The cleaning part is the sole role of the Land Curators under the Infantry branch!"
"So… you guys are not Myrmidons or what?"
…Argh, this is bothersome!
Various swordsfolk came up to us while they are trying to make us listen on their own personal opinions about our sanitation duties. We can boldly tell to them that all of these are just part of a punishment, but none of us even dared to bring that up. While sweeping the roads, we took all of the guilt and embarrassment from our punishment as some of the Guildsmen knew the exact reason why we are doing these roles out of nowhere.
I admit, this is rather tiring… not to mention, perplexing too!
"Argh! For how long are we going to sweep this entire area?!"
The three of us kept our sweeping motion when out of his impatience, Malthur shouted his anger.
"Really? You already forgot our schedule? We agreed that our day-to-day sweeping tasks will only last for four hours! I already discussed about this with Father and he seemed to agree on our schedule so let us stick with that. Afterwards, the three of us will have their respective lunch and then meet in the plaza for our next activity!" Roy said earnestly while explaining the details to the exhausted Malthur.
Indeed. For every day, we have other things to attend to other than just cleaning duties.
Since we cleared our first-ever quest to the village of Mantleta by saving them from the ferocious attacks of Bintii, the boss of the village offered us his expertise into the ways of the sword. There are no other rewards on our completion so we have to take this opportunity to broaden our horizons towards these infernal sticks!
In other words, after the sanitation duties, the half portion of our day will be allocated for the Boss' teachings to us.
I already coordinated our schedule to the Boss by giving him a message through the use of a raven and he seemed to have no issues with it. According to him, from the hour that we will meet to the gate (specifically at the first hour of the afternoon), the Boss will send his subordinate, Cardamon, to pick us up with the use of his wagon for quick travelling.
We already spent our last three hours on cleaning the premises of the Guildia and we are about to head out for our lunch, when a voice talked to us from our backs:
"Hmmm... Could it be that you are bringing shame into us? Are we certain that you three are indeed Myrmidons?"
A familiar man clad in black uniform of the Guild appeared in front of us while facing us with a displeased expression.
Hold on! This is the same man that tried to chase Mr. Cardamon away when he came to the Guild!
To think that he can say that into us when he felt sorry for his actions the last time we encountered him…
"HAH? What are you trying to say, you ignorant prick?!"
When he heard those words of disgust, Malthur stopped in sweeping the road and attempted to reach out for the man.
Wait. Prick? That is rather odd in order to compare a person in that way. Really, the vocabulary of this git is questionable!
Before reaching to him, Roy grabbed his lanky shoulder and prevented him from coming any closer. He just pulled him effortlessly due to him slim build (much to his anger and shock) and prompted me to walk away.
However, before completely walking towards us, Roy said to him:
"I am sorry if we are a disappointment for you…" and left.
We took our lunch, readied ourselves for the trip, and eventually, we quickly reached the village.
Boss welcomed us warmly and we decided to locate our "training" into an empty lot near the big river of the village.
He cautioned us that our training will be rigorous so we need to steel ourselves and in the end… we have no choice but to comply.
Our training lasted for four-long hours and at the end of his instruction, we can barely lift our swords due to the intensity of his ways.
No kidding… we will have a hard time from this training!
Though I have to admit, he is gifted in teaching.
We already reached the gate of Estocia by dusk and decided to call it a day since tomorrow will be much busy as today. Roy and Malthur were practically devastated by the end result of our first training, so they decided to go home and get some rest.
However, not for my part.
It is already half-dark outside but I can still see clearly so I took a quick stroll into the small grotto of the plains, then tried to retrieve a common yet dependable ore in order to add it to my creation.
That is correct. I will now make the requested sword of Nada!
Once I was done in the collection, I quickly went to the smithy and carefully planned the image of the sword that he tried to envision for me. Since it is already night, all I can do for today is to cast the ores and form the metal of my desired shape.
The process took three hours.
I was barely done and I noticed that it is already midnight so I decided to take a rain check and go straight to my bed.
Wah! What a busy day!
I sighed in exhaustion with my feelings of anticipation for the incoming days and while I was lying in my bed, I reflected all of my activities for this day.
Then, I slept.
The second day…
The three of us went in the vicinity of the Academy in order to resume our cleaning duties. In Estocia, the Academy is an esteemed institution responsible in honing and nurturing the gifts of children not only in their combative potential, but also in their holistic development. The grounds of the prestigious academy are quite large as it needs to be, because of the huge population of the students who are coming to and fro on its gates. We planned to clean the vicinity of the grounds on an early hour so that we can cover the entirety of the school, as Roy demanded and much to our dismay…
That is why, we came and faced each other even though the surroundings of the place are still dark.
Right now, it is the fifth hour of the morning.
"*Yawn* Alright, let us give it our all today!"
In order to boost our morale, Roy tried to encourage us with his words, but even he cannot hide the fact that he was also sleep-deprived.
"Sheesh. It is only an academy! There was no need in planning to go here in an early hour! It is not like this school is big or anything, right?"
Malthur asked us while grumbling.
Oh… is he…
Of course. That makes sense… he is new in Estocia, after all.
From his words, it seemed that Malthur is misjudging the overall size of this place.
"Hey…right? Are you two listening???"
Not hearing any replies from us, Malthur repeated his query while wearing the face of slight worry.
It was as if, he was scared of hearing our answer.
Roy stepped closer in front of him and with an expression of pity, he explained that the school is actually enormous regarding its size.
When he heard his saddening statement, Malthur went completely pale and weak.
…or is he trying to???
"I am sorry! It seems like… my body is not feeling it today… Can I go home for this day?"
Hoi. Poorly-constructed lies will not save you for our duties!!!
We were sweeping and cleaning the academy grounds for two hours already…
We can already see our surroundings with the aid of the morning sunlight and while Malthur was agonizing about the fact how gargantuan the academy ground is, various students came up to us.
Huh, it is already time for classes, it seems.
"Good morning… uh, and also, thank you for your service…?"
"Wahhhh!!! Sir Roy and Sir Malthur!!! So cooool!!!"
"H-Hey! Can I request you to be our tutor for our combat lessons?"
Hmmmm… this feels familiar.
Swarming students of young and pubescent ages came up to us and while it might seem okay for them to do that, it definitely defeats our main purpose today…
That is, to clean their school premises.
How are we supposed to continue our duties with efficiency and effectivity if we are being blocked by this?!
Ugh. If the people of the main city are like this, I guess their children in the academy are not that far different than them!
I was dreading the problem at hand that was happening in front of me, when Malthur dropped his own broom and came closer to the children.
"Listen, kids… If you want some small tips and tricks about swordsmanship, I will be your man!"
Oh… hey…!
Before I can even react to this, all of the students, especially girls, shrieked in joy.
"Kyaaa!!! Really, Sir Malthur? You would do this to us? This is a miracle that descended just for us!!! Plus, I heard that our combat professor will not come in our first hour for today due to her illness, so this is a perfect opportunity! What a great timing!" one of the students said in sheer happiness.
Huh, I do concur! What a great timing indeed!
Specifically speaking, what a great scheme and timing, Mal-git! He must've thought of a clever plan in order to escape from our exhausting duty and when he saw his chance together with these children, he shamelessly grabbed it!
Hmph. I must say… he is surprisingly clever for times like these…
I would have done the same, but… it seems that he is the perfect fit to do this kind of act for us.
"Alright, children! Guide me to your school grounds, the biggest one that you know! When you find one, all of you must go there so that my instruction will commence! How does that sound?" Malthur proudly stated.
It was as if, his grumbling and exhausted attitude that was voicing out rampantly earlier had been completely decapitated and all that remains now was his calm, relaxed, and compassionate side.
Really, what a master pretender!
However, this might be beneficial for us too.
I know your play here. You are a sly one, you know that?
"H-hey! Do not frolic around different task while you are yet to finish on your current one! Come on, we should do our very best in order to complete this task for the academy!"
When Malthur watched the children go away in unison in order to find for a place for his "supposedly-good" instruction, Roy complained to him with a face of annoyance.
In response, Malthur stared back at him and said:
"But I am doing my part, Redhead…"
Really, you.
All that I managed to do is to drag Roy back to our cleaning space and explain to him my own realizations.
When he realized it, Roy just silently agreed on the plan and continued in his sweeping.
After all, Malthur drove those children away and right now, we can finalize our services!
We finished our cleaning duties at the exact hour of the noon.
It is only expected… there were just two cleaners after all while the other one was relaxing for his own delight.
Roy and I were terribly exhausted from our duties as we took our break in the shade of a tree. We can hardly stand up at this point due to our excessive sweeping and kneeling, not to mention our distressed bodies from picking out unusable grass in the botanic garden. The both of us sighed heavily as our hands trembled into the sheer pressure of our work.
T-This is bad… it is only the second day, right?
"OH? Are you two finished already? Hmmm. That is somehow impressive! Bravo, you two!"
I was about to collapse from the said exhaustion when I heard the condescending voice of Malthur.
Hoi. Quit sounding like you own this place and we are your vassals! You are lucky that I am worn-out right now!
"Bravo??? What do you mean by that, Malthur…? Argh. I guess that is not important right now. So? What did you teach for the children?" Roy asked Malthur tiredly.
Yes, I am also curious on what did he impart to the students of the Academy.
"Oh, that… It is nothing, really. I just taught them on how to do fierce grunts when they are attacking with their swords!" he said while smiling triumphantly.
…what?
"While we are at it, I also taught them on how to do a simple but effective battle cry! When locked on a battle, kids these days should learn on how to utter an intimidating battle cry!" he added distastefully.
A-Are you serious?
"Ehhh… also, I taught them some small drills about basic formations of swordplay that we received from Boss yesterday, but what I taught them were far more impactful than this!"
Hold on, my body! Let me smack him first before you collapse!
We headed swiftly to the bar after that small respite and we ate our lunch. We cannot afford to be lethargic for all of these since it might be beneficial for us in the future. Even if I felt that my body was unnaturally heavy from the fatigue, I still forced my body to move and attend the sword training.
Now, at the village of Mantleta.
Boss' focus for today in our training is how to build up our Essence inside of us. Contrasted from yesterday where he forced us to do laborious drills, today's training was rather odd that it left a bizarre impression on me.
He ordered us to breathe deeply in a progressive way.
What is up with that?
"Now, in order to strengthen your bond with your respective swords while also accentuating your inner Essence, I will teach you to meditate within yourselves! Just make sure that you have good breath while doing this okay? Ho-ho!" Boss said while smiling jokingly.
Ah, so meditation, huh?
I have seen that methodology countless times when I am watching various swordmasters on their Beckoning styles.
So this is the first step in calling them, I presume?
But… is it really that necessary to call whatever is inside from this sword? Are you even calling someone in the first place?!
Argh. This is puzzling!
However, since my body was heavily exhausted from the cleaning duties earlier, I cannot just complain. I need this well-deserved rest right now!
"Ah! Before we begin, do not make an assumption that this is as way to rest! If you think that way, you are badly mistaken! Ha-ha! This is training, not a resting session!"
Boss added something from his statement when I was musing on how to make this day a painless one.
Can you read minds, Boss???
…
…
We were training on our meditation for five hours- non-stop…
"I-I cannot breathe properly!!!" I said while gasping for air.
"Hmmm… it seems that I still have a lot of ways to go in order to achieve a state where I can meditate instantly." Roy, who also seems to be tired as I am, said stoically.
When he saw our suffering, Boss gave us a goblet of water and ordered us to drink it slowly.
"Hmmm… that is rather unfortunate. I was watching you from afar and I noticed that you two are overdoing your meditation! Do you overthink things while you are meditating? That is a no-no!" Boss informed us seriously.
Argh. It seems that I do overthink after all… but why?
While I was agonizing about this, I saw the smiling face of Malthur, brimming with unadulterated smugness. He noticed that both of us were staring at him so he said:
"Fu-fu… I fail to see why the both of you are having a hard time in doing this simple task. Both of you, are you guys still cut out for this? Hahaha!!! Do not disappoint me, alright?"
So… is he implying that he did his meditation flawlessly?
"I have to admit boy, you did this effortlessly! Why, you made the meditation a walk in the park! Impressive!" Boss happily shouted while congratulating Malthur.
Hey, Boss! Do not encourage this git!
Hold on-
"How did you know that he was doing fine in his meditation than both of us?" I asked Boss desperately.
You cannot just sense it with just looking at us, right? What, are you just making this up?
Boss laughed merrily when he heard my childish query and said:
"Well, besides from the fact that your form and breathing are consistently wavering throughout the passage of the hour, I also sensed that there was no elevation from your Essence! Whereas, this pale kid managed to maintain his focus and as a reward from his efforts, his Essence deepened in his internal self!"
"H-Hey Boss! Who are you calling pale kid, huh?" Malthur bursted angrily.
"HOHOHOHO! Why, who else would it be, kid? I am… referring… to you of course!" Boss said while stepping forward to the direction of Malthur.
"Wahhh!!! I am sorry! I apologize, Boss! Please, do not hurt me and get away from me!!!"
While watching the two of them hilariously bicker with one another, my failure earlier made me contemplate on how can I improve my meditation for the future. I guess I need to stop overthink as the first step. Afterwards, if I can do that effortlessly, I have to avoid on dwelling to much in the past…
I know, that one is a bad habit.
But in any case, if I cannot find a way in order to do it successfully, I will fail to master my own sword for as long as forever!
I know, there are other sword techniques and arts that do not utilize the core of the sword, but since my own houses one, I have to use it! I love doing things in an effortless and efficient manner after all.
"Aww… hey! You two! It is alright! Do not be down if you cannot grasp the meditation method right away! The said method varies from each person so do not be upset if you did not get it this time!"
Boss called us when he saw us fall in a trance-like thought.
Hm…I guess he is right. We are training so if I cannot grasp it today, I might do it some day!
Right?
"But Boss, how can you tell if a person managed to tap into their meditation and increase their Essence? Surely, you cannot just rely on your sense of sight, correct?" Roy asked curiously.
Boss grinned when he faced Roy and said:
"My boy, you are correct! I do not use my eyes in order to see the Essence, I feel it."
Hmmmm… that is interesting.
He faced the three of us and while stretching his 'well-endowed' body, he continued:
"We will talk about that matter for tomorrow. For now, the three of you should rest!"
Oh, great. Right on this exact time where our curiosity was piqued by his instruction, now is the perfect time to pause it! Really, Boss!
Though, I cannot manage to complain. I need a rest, like he said.
We took a break for that hour and decided to go back home in the city.
Alike what to happened yesterday, the three of us parted ways and decided to go home to rest for tomorrow.
But again, not for me.
I swiftly went to the smith and proceeded to break the casted metal that I created with the use of the mineral ore I have collected yesterday. I crushed it into small and manageable pieces in order to go to my next step in my sword-making for Nada. Now that I have broken casted pieces, I placed it in the heater yet again in order to complement it with the guided sword model that I planned.
Indeed, I will make a sword-breaker for Nada!
I did the forging for a lot of trials as I need to ensure that the blades of the sword will be strong. The process lasted for almost two hours.
I was still not satisfied for the constitution so I decided to pause for the process for the fear of breaking the metal. I counted that I did the forging process for four times and the blades are not that sturdy yet, so I concluded that I just have to resume this for tomorrow.
Can you see now why our swords take time to finish?
I went to my bed in order to sleep and while still wondering how will the sword turn out, I realized how my body can still keep up with the exhaustion. Yesterday, I felt that my body might break from all of the pressure and fatigue but right now… I feel that my body was used to the exhaustion somehow.
How can that happen for the span of just two days? They say that a person's body can cope up with the pain, but the process takes a lot of time specifically for a week or two…not in a couple of days!
Hmmm… how strange.
While still asking those questions that cannot be answered by pacing in my own bed, I fell asleep.
The third day.
I do not even know… somehow, I just grew numb in waking up in an early hour that my body was ready in standing up the moment I opened my eyes. Contrasted from past few days where I take an awful time in recomposing myself the second I wake up, now, it is just a matter of seconds to make my own body ready for all of these incoming tasks. I should say that my body was able to adopt properly from all of these happenings.
I should treat myself in a good relaxation once this week is over…
I walked outside of the house and right now, few birds twittered around my path while they are flying energetically in the waking atmosphere that was tinged in gray. The soft winds caressed my whole body as it flew in front of me and while seeing the other trees in my directions- dancing in the commandments of the morning movements of the air, my senses saw my vanishing shadow when the newly awakened sun kissed everything around me. A peak of light touched the small mountains that were standing outside the city as if to signify their primal purpose to give color for these pale land formations. After a while, everything around me was also enveloped by the same color as the roofs, the buildings, the lots, the gardens, and the very grounds around my neighborhood were shifted in a new tinge- a combination of amber, yellow, and orange.
Haaa… what a fascinating sunrise.
It is as if, the universe is telling my fate, my purpose, and my goal as a person…
"Hoi, smitha! Quit spacing-out like a koala that ate too much leaves and let us go! Seriously, what are you even staring at in the sky while smiling like that?"
While admiring the beauty of the illuminating sunrise, of course there should be someone who is about to ruin it for me.
Argh… do not dare to tempt me in destroying this spirited mood, Mal-git! The nature gave it to me so I have to take care of it!
For this day, our designated place to clean is the front gate of the city.
Hmmm… seems to be odd, but okay. We will manage.
We already talked to the Head Gatekeeper regarding our cleaning duties and after a lot of explanation, he finally gave us his permission to do it. He was confused about it in the first place, but after the utterance of Roy about our punishment, he immediately understood everything.
Though, I would have preferred if he did not mention about that…
Because while I am sweeping the establishments of the gates, few sentries were watching me, holding their uncontrollable laughter on their posture. I could drive them away with my heavy broom in order to stop their relentless laughter, but I just have to let it slide. After all, they are part of the Infantry branch and since we are not affiliated with them, I would create another trouble if I were to make a scene here so I'd rather not do that.
For now, let me just try to finish my place and ignore these buffoons.
It is a good thing that Malthur was not here at the moment… because if he heard these sentries, he would have done the same thing in my imaginations.
Right now, both Roy and Malthur are at the top corner of the walls and it is their goal to clean the insides of the gates, up to the watchtowers.
In this city, the swordsfolk are proud of their average-looking walls that are made up specialized combinations of ores and minerals. The wall itself was deemed to be indestructible as the minerals and rocks that were constituting it were tested to be strong and sturdy enough to withstand the weather and time. Various scholars and historians of the city believed that the castle-like walls of Estocia stood for centuries and up to now, it is still towering and standing strong. Some even postulates that the minerals that are embedded to each angles of the walls can self-sustain themselves and harden as the time passes, thereby making it impenetrable. Personally, I find the reports questionable so someday, I should make an observation about this.
The castle walls tower in a rough estimate of thirty-nine feet and is ten-feet thick on its construction. The walls themselves are connected by twin watchtowers from its sides and the said walls can reach the towers for ninety-four feet. It might seem average for the others, but for the dwellers of this city, it is quite large for their own preferences. The walls of the gates themselves are also connected to the wide city walls that reaches the entirety of the overall size of the land. Situated in center of the walls are the gargantuan twin gates that are made up of pure metal and it is coated in black paint. The said gate stands in a height of nineteen feet and reaches far in a wideness of seventy-two feet.
Hmmm…now that I think about it, our city houses a fairly impressive defense structure!
"Hey! Do not pester the smith in doing her duties! We have our duties in this morning and so is she! So stop being a nuisance and do your jobs!!!"
Out of nowhere, while still marveling at the walls of my city amidst the small laughter of the sentries, a deep voice rang on our backs.
Hey, I heard that voice before.
The particular sentryman that I am acquainted with defended me against all of these needless ridicule done by his colleagues and tried to silence them. When they followed, he then approached me carefully and said not to mind their rudeness.
"I apologize for the rudeness of these new recruits, Lady Astoria. They like to throw jokes into each other while they are doing their shifts but from these recent days, they seemed to be bored now together so when they saw you, they found a new topic to laugh at… at least, that is what I think." he further added while bowing.
Oh? Is that so?
It is a good idea that you stopped me from this moment because if you did not, I might have committed a physical damage to all of your colleagues!
"…Thanks, I do not mind their rudeness towards me. But I appreciate the gesture." I said restrainedly.
The white-armored sentryman laughed when he heard my reply and decided to give me yet another strong and swift salute while saying:
"Good morning, my fellow swordsfolk! It is now the seventh hour of the morning and I welcome you to the main gates! Tis I, your humble sentry, at your service! As of now, there are no current or major events that are happening around the city… except uh, the three Myrmidons of Estocia that are cleaning the premises of the Gates! I mean, can you imagine that? Ha-ha-ha-ha… he-hey? Lady Astoria? Why are you looking at me like that?"
His charismatic opening remarks were lively halfway through when he mentioned our duties and at that point, I felt a feeling of slight disgust so I faced him with a face of annoyance.
"Leave me alone for a moment, Sir sentry… I have to finish my duties here." I said in further disgust.
"H-Hey! Wait a moment! I apologize okay?! I just wanted to tease you a bit that is all! H-hey!"
When I tried to move away from him, he blocked my path by spreading his arms wide-open in front of me. The nerve! Hoi, cut it out, I am trying to work here!
"I apologize but please, let me finish my work here. I cannot do my duties if you will get in my way!" I said sternly.
"O-Okay! I was in the wrong, so I apologize! Believe me, I just wanted to talk to you regarding that agreement we had a few days ago!" he rebutted nervously.
"Really? That was your purpose here? You should have asked me that sooner! Yes! I still remember it and once this week finishes, let us go to your requested place!" I said in a hurry while still trying to sweep the road.
Upon hearing my words, the sentry clonked his armor by smacking his left hand to his chest and laughed heartily while saying:
"HA-HA-HA! That is a relief! I was wondering whether you forgot about it or attempting to bail out for me! Whew! Okay… it is kind of a shame that it will extend for a couple of days but…heh, I guess it cannot be helped!"
"…Yeah. I apologize about that."
The sentryman laughed at me continuously as he still watches me from my side. I tried to make a distance in front of him but for every step that I make, he just keeps walking forward in front of me while still laughing. I was about to hit him with my broom due to my uncontainable annoyance, when he suddenly said:
"Hey, would you like us to assist you in your duties?"
Our cleaning duties ended in an early hour thanks to the help of the sentries and other staffs that were manning the twin gates. Due to their assistance, the job became efficient and satisfying to finish as a lot of sentrymen aided me in the gate grounds while the two boys were also aided with help upward in both of the watchtowers.
After a lot of finishing touches, we cleared the area in the eleventh hour of the morning.
Heh… we might have cheated our way in this one.
We offered our gratitude to the staff and also thanked every sentry that aided us in cleaning the twin gates and called it a day. The Head Gatekeeper reminded us that he will only aide us in this instance and that is the last and for that, we cannot complain. Furthermore, I personally thanked the friendly sentry that offered the aid in the first place and told him that I will fulfill the agreement once all of our cleaning duties are over.
Haah. Such a bliss. So this is the feeling of accomplishment in a task when everyone helps you and no one ruins it in the end!
Since we ended in an early hour, dawdling around would be useless so the three of us decided to eat our lunch and head to the village immediately.
After the swift trip, we were about to go in the Boss' headquarters when a figure of a woman stood in front of us and blocked our way.
It was a familiar image of a woman clothed in a linen of pure white dress and contrasted to her image when I met her for the first time, she is appearing to be fine now.
It was Maria Luna…
She stood still in front of us and when she saw our images, she slowly came closer into us and spoke gently:
"Lady Astoria…?"