Once Axion returned to his room, he put on his gray home clothes.
His entire body was wracked with pain thanks to six hours of head-planting.
But since this was a feeling he had become accustomed to over decades, it would not have aroused any special feeling in him.
His father had been subjecting him to more severe training since his childhood.
“Shall I do it today too?”
He did some light stretching, then approached the bed and, instead of throwing himself on it, opened the suitcase that was lying next to him.
Two small black stones appeared in the corner of the bag.
At first glance, they looked like any two ordinary stones scattered on the ground.
He sighed, then squatted down and grabbed the two small stones with both hands.
“Hoop!”
He gritted his teeth and lifted the two stones, and the muscles in his entire body automatically contracted.
Lift the stones and place them on the bed.
Book!
The hard mattress sank deeply, as if it had swallowed small stones, which were only two.
In fact, these stones were not ordinary stones, but rather mana stones coated with mysterious mana energy, and he used them as a training tool to strengthen his body.
Although they were smaller than the palm of a hand, each one weighed as much as an entire bag of rice.
Axion now held a mana stone in each hand, stood up straight, and then began to slowly raise and bend his arms.
The muscles in his powerful forearms immediately stood out.
This was the strength training he did daily.
Repeat the movement slowly.
How much time has passed?
“Hah… huh…!”
His breathing became ragged, and transparent sweat began to trickle down his face.
His heart was beating like crazy, and his arms hurt so much that they almost fell off, but he didn't stop.
“Hoop!”
He gritted his teeth and continued to move his arms, imagining himself as a machine that couldn't feel pain.
Although it was painful now, his body would become stronger later.
With this strong body, he will become the best soldier protecting this empire.
“This is the fate of the Rubelt-born.”
He remembered the words that his father had tirelessly repeated every time he subjected him to harsh training since he was young.
In his early childhood, when his strict father who devoted his life to serving the imperial army seemed to him like an absolute ruler, he believed those words to be true.
But now it's different.
He didn't care about the Ruppelt family at all.
He had another reason to become strong and become the best soldier in the empire.
drip. drip.
The sweat pouring from his body like rain formed a puddle on the floor of the room.
Axion kept gritting his teeth as he looked at his arms that held the mana stones.
His arms were shaking violently, as if they had suffered a convulsion.
He no longer felt any sensation in them.
Is this the end?
I can't stop here.
A little later...
Axion closed his eyes quietly.
The moment he remembered her voice: “Promise me that you will become strong enough to protect this empire and me as well, and become a great soldier.
I am sure you will.”, Axion’s heart trembled violently.
He knew very well that this wasn't just because his heartbeat was racing from the exercise.
"brother!"
His trembling arms slowly rose, their muscles swelling as if they were going to explode.
After a few more lifts, he threw the mana stones onto the ground.
Kwwong!
There was a heavy sound, and the ground was slightly dented, but he didn't care.
“Huh, huh…”
His heartbeat was echoing through his whole body, and he felt dizzy.
Normally he would have been proud of the higher number of reps than last time, but it was different now.
Axion went to the sink to wash his face, then frowned slightly and muttered:
“It's not enough.”
So that he could catch up with that bastard, Erhan Trengen.
The position of deputy commander that Erhan obtained did not matter much to him.
But being appointed deputy commander meant recognition of his abilities.
And not from anyone, but from Kesha himself.
Axion had known Keisha well for a long time.
He is currently the most powerful soldier in the Empire, and had a reputation for being an extremely competent trainer during his time in the Imperial Army.
But he suddenly left the Imperial Army and joined the Duke of Vonberg, then led the Demon War to the Duke's victory.
More than half of the current Duke's influence was thanks to Keisha.
Keisha had a reputation for judging his subordinates based solely on their ability.
This meant that Keşa considered Erhan a much better soldier than him.
And…
He himself lost humiliatingly in his duel with Erhan.
Axion clenched his teeth involuntarily.
Even now, he couldn't understand what happened that day he dueled with Erhan.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself in the infirmary bed, and was unable to move his body for some time.
He was used to all kinds of pain after the harsh training he had received since his childhood, but this was a completely new feeling for him.
Anyway, Erhan is the strongest here.
He hated to admit it, but he had to admit it.
Although Erhan fell first in the six-hour training a little while ago, he must never be complacent.
He is a naturally cunning boy, and it is clear that he has not deliberately shown his true abilities.
Didn't he pretend to be weak in his duel with him first, then run away, and after he relented and rushed towards him, knocked him unconscious with one blow?
His early fall in today's training was definitely a ploy to loosen his resolve and make him slack off.
“But that will never do now.”
He will work several times harder than Erhan to get past him.
In this way, he would become the strongest and best soldier in this Duke of Vonberg's anti-demon unit, which had much greater influence than the current Imperial Army.
This is to fulfill his promise to her.
Even though it was a woman whose name and face he did not know, he was determined to keep that promise.
If it had not been her, he would have given up everything and died “that day” for sure.
He would tremble with fear in the darkness where he could not see an inch in front of him.
Even for the sake of the woman who saved his life, he had to surpass that bastard, Erhan, no matter what it took.
*M- It is not possible that the heroine Elijah is the woman who saved him a long time ago*
After making this strong determination, he leaned his upper body towards the porcelain basin filled with water above the sink, and began to wash his face.
It was very difficult to use his arms, so he gave a quick, casual wash (like washing a cat), then with difficulty took off his sweat-soaked shirt, and approached the bed.
On the bed was an old, worn-out doll the size of a small child.
It was torn in places, and its eyes, made of buttons, were about to fall off.
This was Baby, his favorite doll.
It was a precious doll she had given him ten years ago, before she passed away.
Axion lay down on the bed and embraced Pepi, just as he had done every day for ten years without interruption.
As his arms were filled with the soft cotton of the doll, his memory recalled a warm, sweet, fragrant scent.
It was the scent of her body that he had smelled ten years ago when she held him.
That was the only trace of her he remembered.
Just when he was about to close his eyes, he lost himself in thought for a moment.
He's definitely smelled this nostalgic scent lately.
When was that?
He couldn't remember.
Maybe it was just an illusion.
With this thought, Axion slowly closed his eyes.
He no longer felt pain in his arms.
•
BAM-BAM-BAM-BAM-!!!
At the sound of the huge wake-up horn that shook the entire palace annex, Elijah's eyes opened wide.
She woke up from her sleep on the bed and folded the cover neatly and carefully.
Then she rushed to the sink to quickly wash her face, and changed into a military uniform in no time.
This entire process took no more than three minutes.
“Oh my God, what a cruel custom indeed.”
Her entire body remembered the waking up routine she had become accustomed to during her military service in her previous life.
“Anyway, I feel like I'm going to die...”
Thanks to Kesha's insane six-hour "head down" punishment yesterday, every muscle in her body was screaming in pain.
“I have completely and utterly tired every muscle in my body.
Ah…”
She let out a soft moan as she began to slowly stretch.
With every movement of her body, involuntary screams came out of her.
After she finished stretching, she left the room.
“I have to hurry up and prepare the wake-up check.”
As the unit leader, it was her responsibility to finish all preparations perfectly before Keisha showed up for her wake-up check.
The first thing to do is to count the individuals!
Illya headed to the training ground, located in the backyard of the annex.
In the training ground, where the threads of dawn were just beginning to make their way, there was only one person: Axion.
She sighed as she looked at the annex building where the rest of the unit was located.
These young gentlemen are not expected to move so agilely and energetically.
In fact, Axion being out this early was an exceptional case.
'Is this also from the training he received from a young age?'
Also in the original novel, Axion, who had taken over as unit commander, was the first on the training ground.
Accion then began stretching.
Unlike Illya, who let out cries of pain with every stretch, his face was extremely calm.
'Doesn't he feel muscle pain?'
“Good morning.”
Elia greeted him, but Axion remained immersed in stretching, with his head turned away from her.
'Is he ignoring me?'
Elia felt a little embarrassed, so she turned her gaze towards the annex palace.
'More importantly, why haven't they come out yet?'
‘But there are still thirty minutes until Keisha arrives…’