After the fortress of the invading army had fallen, the coalition army worked diligently to rebuild its functions. This was because the invading army had caused extensive damage inside the fortress as they fled, leaving only the outer walls intact and rendering the rest unusable.
Debris was cleared away, and buildings such as barracks and warehouses were constructed. The bodies of the enemy were dealt with swiftly, while the bodies of our fallen comrades were honored with reverence. The work, which had been carried out in a hurry, finally came to an end after several days of effort.
I had been observing this all from inside the cage. The soldiers had all worked hard, but I believe the efforts of the spiritualists were particularly noteworthy. They had sorted through the rubble to select usable materials and used their spiritual arts to produce the materials that were lacking in order to construct the buildings. It was thanks to their dedication that the fortress took shape in just a few days.
However, the fortress was still too small to accommodate all the soldiers present. Therefore, the forces of the coalition army deverged to expand and enhance the invading army's fortress while utilizing it.
They built makeshift earthworks around the sturdy walls constructed by the invading army and constructed facilities such as barracks inside. These earthworks were planned to be gradually strengthened in the future, making the fortress a formidable stronghold, surpassing that of the invading army's.
When I had grown tired of observing the surroundings from within the cage, Alexander approached with a brisk walk. Unlike when we first met, he was not wearing armor but instead was dressed in functional clothing that allowed for easy movement, and his face was smeared with dirt instead of blood.
While the other soldiers were busy maintaining the interior of the fortress, the spiritualists included, Alexander had been working on the construction of the earthwork ramparts just moments ago. It was only natural for the leader of the "Dragonblood Knights" to be covered in grime.
"Hey, I'm here to give you another lesson! Gahaha!" He laughed boisterously as he unlocked the cage with a key and removed the shackles from my limbs with the same key. I opened my three eyelids and stood up, following Alexander outside the fortress.
Since my conversation with Orvo, Alexander had been taking me out of the cage every day to participate in their training. It seemed that it had become a habit for him to never miss his daily training, even while engaged in civil engineering work. It was this unwavering commitment to training, even during their free time, that kept him and his subordinates as elite soldiers.
"Alright! Come at me from wherever you like!"
After learning the basic movements of swordsmanship and unarmed combat, Alexander handed me a sword and proceeded to engage me in simulated battles. It seemed that intense combat in a realistic setting was the training style of the "Dragonblood Knights." Around me, other knights were earnestly clashing their swords in practice as well.
I swung the sword as I had learned from Alexander. At first, I was clearly lacking, but now I could hold my own against Alexander to some extent. It appeared that there was no better training than actual combat.
"Gahaha! Good job! Nice strikes! However, you're still relying too much on your arm strength!"
It seemed like Alexander had forgotten that it had only been a few days since I started learning how to handle weapons, as he laughed loudly while easily deflecting my sword strikes and relentlessly counterattacking. Currently, we were training in swordsmanship, and the use of my exoskeleton and tail was prohibited. I had to either avoid or deflect Alexander's heavy strikes, or block them if necessary.
I still couldn't deflect Alexander's sword strikes, so I could only receive them with the flat of my sword. Just one strike was enough to make both of my arms go numb, and I struggled to maintain my balance. Although the use of fighting spirit and spiritual power was also prohibited in training, Alexander's attacks felt much heavier than what I would expect under these conditions.
"Your reactions are still good! However, try to avoid them as much as possible! Otherwise, deflect them or block them! Blocking should be the last resort! Keep going!"
As expected, Alexander swung his sword without holding back. I bent my body and used sliding steps to barely keep up with his attacks. I never jumped, as I had learned from the first day that it would result in an unavoidable strike.
I kept a close eye on Alexander's movements with my compound eyes as I tried to keep up with him. As instructed, I focused on avoiding his attacks as much as possible, and if that wasn't possible, I would deflect them or block them.
Despite my efforts, I found myself unable to mount a counterattack against Alexander. The only successful strike I managed was the one deliberately given to me by Alexander at the beginning of our duel. We were under the same conditions, so the discrepancy in skill was solely due to our differing swordsmanship abilities.
The difference in experience between us was insurmountable. Despite being outmatched, my main focus now was on studying Alexander's movements and techniques as much as possible, in hopes of improving my chances of survival. Given the pressure of my mission, it was only natural for me to feel desperate.
"Hahaha! You're definitely getting stronger! It's worth putting effort into training! Let's give it our all in our practice!" Alexander laughed, acknowledging my progress.
As Alexander's attacks grew more intense with increasing speed, my efforts to parry them became increasingly strained. However, I finally reached my limit. My sword was knocked from my hand, and the other party's blade came perilously close to my neck.
Reflexively, I tried to block with my forearm. But without using any fighting spirit, I couldn't endure the blow and ended up rolling on the ground. Once again, I had lost unfairly. Hmm… While I might have a chance in a real fight, in a training scenario like this, I had no hope of winning. Will there ever be a day when I can score a point against Alexander?
"Hahaha! Don't be so disheartened! The path of martial arts is long and treacherous! You're already this strong just at the beginning! After twenty years of wielding a sword, you'll surpass my skill and be even stronger!" Alexander spoke loudly, patting my back with enthusiasm.
Disheartened? Did I really look that way? That wasn't my intention… Hm, perhaps it's my expression. Even with my lower jaw encased in an exoskeleton and my cheeks opening up to reveal small claws, plus some compound eyes that don't move, I still have expressions. That's a new discovery for me.
I grasped Alexander's outstretched hand and stood up from my sitting position on the ground. After brushing off the dirt from my only garment, a loincloth, a rider approached from the direction of the fortress. They must have come to call the "Dragon Blood Knights" for a military conference or something.
"Lord Renkvinst, the time for the military conference is approaching! Please return!"
"Alright, understood! You all, training ends here! Let's return to the fortress!"
"Ha!" His subordinates all shouted.
I returned to the fortress accompanied by the "Dragonbood Knights." As we entered, I made my way to my designated cage and took a seat on a chair. I pretended to sleep, deliberately closing my eyelids. My cage was placed in an inconspicuous corner of the fortress, yet most soldiers passing by would be intimidated if they saw my compound eyes open.
I could still perceive my surroundings with my other small compound eyes, even when my three big eyelids were shut, but it was prudent to feign sleep to avoid any unnecessary complications. Such calculated considerations were within my capabilities.
While training to control my fighting spirit and spiritual power in that state, I recalled Alexander's movements from the previous training as faithfully as possible. Through thorough image training, it became easier to reproduce his movements. Although there may be individual differences, at least that's how it worked for me.
At the same time, I remembered the movements of the Holy Knight, who had tried to kill me. While not as powerful as Alexander's, the elegance and sharpness of his blade strikes were unforgettable. If I could successfully replicate the movements of the two strongest human species I had ever encountred, I would become stronger. I was confident in that.
"Ah! There you are! Here, take these!"
After a while of intense concentration during my training, Orvo, who had been away from the battlefield for a long time, approached me and pulled out something long and slender wrapped in cloth from the hem of his robe. When Orvo unwrapped the cloth, two swords were revealed.
I carefully observed the swords with my compound eyes. The swords were quite different in length and design. One of them was a straight sword, likely a modification of the Holy Knight's sword. The scabbard was made of black-stained wood with ornate plant carvings on the surface. The handle was wrapped in multiple layers of cloth for a non-slip grip, making it unlikely to slip out during combat.
The other sword was a single-edged, wide blade. Could this one have been made using my claws? The scabbard was made of brown leather, with leather wrapping on the handle. There was a scorpion engraving on the scabbard, which made my heart flutter a little.
"Grandpa's weapons are finished. I actually wanted to give them to you on the same day, but I got caught up in organizing my thoughts, and before I knew it, the days went by."
Hey, so he put me on hold. I wouldn't say he should prioritize me above everything else, but if he finds out the two swords were put on hold, that old man might get angry.
"Oh, I heard in the military conference earlier that the invading army seems to be heading south to retake this fortress. It seems they're planning to counterattack them in the field, so use these swords in the upcoming battle. I'll leave them here for you,"
Orvo said as he placed the two swords at my feet before leaving, saying something I couldn't ignore. It seems another invasion is looming. What will I be forced to do this time? I felt anxious already.
Grrrr…
As my stomach growled, I realized that hunger was a sensation I couldn't ignore, regardless of whether I was in my scorpion body or my current humanoid hybrid form. While I could try to suppress the feeling, the truth remained that I needed to eat to sustain my body. However, unlike in my scorpion form, the human body's stomach growls were more pronounced, making the hunger even more noticeable.
"Um, I brought you some food."
After some time had passed, a soldier brought me my food. The soldier had nondescript features and black hair and seemed to have been assigned the task of delivering my meals. Perhaps they were given this unpleasant duty due to their meek demeanor. I felt sorry for them.
The soldier timidly approached the cage and offered me bread. It wasn't the soft, delicious bread that Mika used to give me, but rather plain and tasteless. However, I had never been very interested in taste, so it wasn't a problem. I used my small pincers to accept the bread, tore it into small pieces, and chewed on it with a crunching sound.
"Wow, you're always so skillful," the timid soldier commented every time they brought me food, watching me eat with amazement. I wondered if it was really that interesting to watch me eat, even though they saw me do it every day. I continued to eat without caring about being watched, moving my mouth rhythmically.
Then the soldier took out something else from their pocket and brought it close to my mouth. It was a wrinkled, round object with a faintly sweet aroma. What could this be?
"Here, it's dried fruit. It's delicious," the soldier said.
"!"
I obediently put the dried fruit in my mouth as instructed. As I chewed on it, it felt like an electric current surged through my head. It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted…! I never thought something like this could exist in the world.
I became completely absorbed in chewing the dried fruit. The soldier watched me with an amused expression. And so, in the midst of battles and wars, the fleeting moments of respite passed by.
********
TN: Whenever a character's gender hasn't been mentioned, I use them, they, etc. I still don't know if there could be female soldiers or not, and that's why.