The soldiers picked up their pace.
They were not running on a flat surface anymore. This time they had to consider the amount of time they needed to climb the hills and evading the mounds so they could maintain their position in the field.
If one took too much time climbing a hill or stumble on a mound, they could get swept to the end of the field.
The soldiers tried their best to endure the course.
They ran, jumped, climbed, rolled over, anything their physique allowed them to do so they could stay on the field.
Evelyn, of course, had no problem running on the course despite the fact that she was multitasking managing the spell and coordinating her body to run through the obstacles
"(This enormous amount of mana my body now possessed significantly improved my physique!)" thought Evelyn.
She felt huge amount of mana coursing through her veins.
"(I've channeled my mana to strengthen my muscles and heart just like how it is typically done by warriors. Added with the effect of my daily rigorous training, my body has become way stronger than when I first woke up in this body.)"
Evelyn clumped a really strong fist with her hand, feeling the great strength she had acquired so far.
"(I'm now getting closer and closer to my former physique!)"
Half an hour passed since the obstacles showed up. The number of the soldiers began to dwindle.
Three, five. Eight squires fell and got swept off the field.
1 captain, 20 knights, 17 squires left.
One hour passed since the obstacles appeared and six knights and four squires failed.
1 captain, 14 knights, 13 squires left.
One hour and a half passed since the obstacles emergence. Fourteen knights and thirteen squires joined the party on the sideline.
1 captain left.
Seeing Hilda was the only one left aside from her, Evelyn snapped her fingers and disabled the spell.
The hills, mounds, and pillars were reduced to dust and the ground stopped moving.
The training ground returned to normal, except for the Gale of Nightmare spell that was still active.
"THAT'S IT FOR TODAY'S TRAINING. WELL DONE TO THOSE WHO REMAINED ON THE FIELD!" shouted Evelyn.
The knights and squires, who were all out of breath from all of the running, stared in amazement toward Hilda whom managed to outdid all of them despite being a squire, or so they thought.
"ALL SOLDIERS, TO ME!" called Evelyn.
The knights and squires then reentered the field and lined up in front of Evelyn.
They all frowned when they saw Hilda did not join their ranks and remained standing by Evelyn's side.
"(What is she doing standing by Lady Evelyn like that? Didn't she hear the lady's order?)" thought the rest of the soldiers.
Evelyn then began addressing her soldiers post-training.
"More than 300.000 people died in the Bahtterah Kingdom in the year of 410 because Bahtterah's Royal Army couldn't keep up with the speed of the King Scorpion. A C-rank demon in the form of a gigantic scorpion that swims in the sand and devours its prey from below.
"The soldiers of Bahtterah were simply not fast enough and too tired to keep chasing the demon. As a result, the King Scorpion preyed on the people of Bahtterah as if the kingdom just served the creature a nice dinner on a silver platter."
The soldiers gulped as they heard the story. They knew Evelyn was saying that the same outcome would have happened had they were the ones given the responsibility to hunt the King Scorpion.
"I'm sure you all have got a lot to reflect on based on the two exercises we've done. From the Gale of Nightmare and this running exercise, you could see there're rooms for improvement." said Evelyn.
She then pointed to Hilda.
"But from the last two exercises, it is clear that there is one person that performed way better than all of you. And I see no reason for that performance to not be appreciated."
Hilda came forward and looked at the soldiers right in their eyes.
"Everyone, meet your captain, Hilda Reich." introduced Evelyn. "From now on, she will be in charge of training and leading you in battles. She will act as my aide and second-in-command. You better give her the respect she deserves as your superior. Do you understand?"
The soldiers didn't reply Evelyn.
They, especially the knights, were all surprised by this announcement. Because someone new just got promoted way ahead of them.
Of course, Evelyn did not appreciate this response.
"Don't make me repeat myself."
Evelyn's stern voice sent chills down her soldiers' spine. They all quickly straightened their stance and answered.
"YES, MY LADY!"
The knights and squires thought they should just let things play out for the moment and let Hilda prove herself to them.
Evelyn decided to tolerate their attitude, for now. She knew her decision to make Hilda captain was the correct one. And it would only be a matter of time before the soldiers to acknowledge the woman.
"Good. Now go clean yourself and head to the training hall." said Evelyn. "It's almost time for the lecture on Demonic Studies."