“Just by looking at it, the muscles in his lower body are severely damaged.
How much running have you made them do since day one, I wonder?”
Theo asked Keisha after glancing at Elijah lying on the clinic bed.
Keisha replied indifferently, his arms crossed:
“9 hours.”
شك ثيو في أذنيه.
9 hours?
Is it possible that they have been running since the morning call until now?
And even with those useless young gentlemen?
“Of course, most of these scum fell before even an hour had passed.”
Keisha replied as if reading his thoughts, then added with a smile:
“Only Erhan, this young man, has survived to this extent.
Even Derek Robelt’s spoiled son fell in the last moments.”
Theo looked with a shocked face at the boy lying on the bed.
He couldn't believe that this lean, feminine-looking young man had run for 9 hours.
Such a matter was not easy even for the soldiers of the notoriously cruel Imperial Army Training Camp, where he had previously served.
Moreover, he had surpassed even Axion Ruppelt.
But there was something else that was even more chilling.
'He must run without giving up until he reaches this state.'
The condition of this boy, Erhan, was miserable.
Even when he examined Axion, who had fallen in the last moments, his muscles were not damaged to this extent.
In fact, when this level is reached, it becomes physically impossible to even stand still, let alone run.
This was an area that had nothing to do with willpower.
Losing consciousness, fainting or falling when one cannot take it anymore, is a strong survival instinct given to living beings by nature.
But this boy, it seemed, had pushed his body to its limits to the point where it seemed like he defied that instinct.
What drove this child to this point?
There was something that could not be explained by mere willpower.
And as Theo knew, there was only one crazy person in this world who pushed his body beyond its limits, disdaining death itself, except for that man right in front of him.
Keisha Belgat.
But to have such a stubborn madman again, what a shame!
Theo wondered to himself as he carefully studied the red-haired boy's lying face.
On his smooth face, there was no trace of terrifying ferocity, rather he looked extremely calm.
His gaze moved from the boy's face to his slender legs clad in training uniforms.
It was clear that he had suffered serious muscle damage, but fortunately, his life was not in danger.
His condition could only be known in detail after a comprehensive examination, but at this level, even if he woke up and took recovery medicine, he would not be able to walk properly for several days.
Therefore, training had to be temporarily halted.
'But such talk will not work with the Colonel.'
Theo remembered Keisha from when he was an instructor in the Imperial Army previously.
Even those who claimed that they could not move at all due to the hard training, would suddenly get up and rush to the training arena as if they had received healing magic as soon as Kesha burst in.
Because not going out meant waiting for more cruel and horrific pain.
The problem is that a fair number of soldiers have been medically discharged, having become disabled due to permanent muscle damage caused by this type of non-stop excessive training.
Of course, Keisha didn't care at all whether they became disabled or not.
Because he firmly believed that only the strong, who could handle it all, should be in the army, and he treated those who fell behind as absolute trash.
In return, he openly favored those who had persevered in training, cherishing them as much as he cherished himself, even more.
Theo himself was one of them.
Theo now moved his gaze to Keisha.
Keisha was looking at the boy on the bed with a very satisfied smile.
This was the first time since “that incident” that Keisha had openly shown this much admiration towards a subordinate.
Keisha clearly intends to raise this boy to be his most proud subordinate.
His appointment to the position of unit commander was evidence of this.
The problem is that this boy, Erhan, will never be able to withstand Kesha's extremely harsh training.
His mental strength had reached an insane level comparable to Keisha's, but with this emaciated body, he would never be able to keep up with the training.
This was a conclusion reached by a veteran military doctor with over ten years of experience.
If Erhan does not meet expectations, Kesha will eventually abandon him mercilessly.
Just as he has done for over ten years now.
Although this was extremely inhumane and cruel, Theo couldn't object to it.
Because he knew very well why Keisha was so obsessed with power, like a crazy person.
“Theo, if you don’t become strong, you won’t be able to protect what’s precious.”
On Kesha's smiling face as he looked at Erhan, the face of a young boy with dark blue hair appeared, gritting his teeth and almost holding back tears.
A boy whose entire family had been slaughtered by the rebels, Keisha's beautiful eyes were red and filled with tears.
"I will become strong at any cost.
I will build the strongest unit in this empire to protect everything that is precious."
The boy's voice was trembling, but at the same time it was ice cold.
“And whoever tries to snatch valuables, I will eliminate them.”
About 20 years ago, the boy Keisha, a simple imperial soldier, who had hardly swallowed his resolve, then imbibed his grudge and rapidly grew stronger, becoming the overall officer in charge of the most powerful unit in the empire, thus achieving his goal.
But achieving his goal did not last long, in the end, he lost something valuable again because of “that incident.”
He lost his loyal subordinate who he cherished more than anything.
Even now, he has not been able to break free from that pain and sense of loss.
How long will this man continue his quest for power?
Theo, who had observed him since childhood, knew very well that Keisha was obsessed with power to the point of lacking morality, so as to hide his soft side.
Therefore, he felt distressed even over his cruel and inhuman appearance.
But there was nothing he could do.
Theo sighed with a sad face and said:
“I will first do a thorough medical examination.
But at this level, it will be difficult to train for several days.”
Even though he wouldn't listen, as a military doctor he had to say it.
To perform the examination, he had to remove the training uniform from the patient first.
While Theo was thinking that the collarbone that appeared above the collar of the training uniform was too thin and not masculine, at the moment he was about to unbutton the Erhan training uniform.
“Stop.
No need to check.”
"What?"
Keisha held out a small bag to Theo, who had stopped pacing.
“Take this.”
"What is this?"
When he asked in confusion, Keisha replied:
"Feed it to him.
One piece is enough for him.
Well, you're a doctor, so you know better than me."
Theo opened the bag Keisha had given him.
Inside the bag, small pieces of red appeared.
His eyes widened.
"this…!"
A fragment of the healing ball.
The Healing Ball was a magical elixir said to have been created by the elves residing in the distant lands beyond the Empire.
It was a ball-shaped medicine that could heal any injury instantly.
Inside the bag, only fragments of the medicine that was originally in the shape of a ball remained.
But even those fragments had an enormous impact.
Theo stared at Keisha with his mouth wide open.
It was never conceivable that Keisha would feed this precious elixir to a subordinate who was injured during training.
Even he knew very well what this elixir meant for Keisha.
This was the material that Keisha had desperately sought several years ago, to save the subordinate he cherished so much.
“Are you really serious?
This, this little…?”
Then Keisha interrupted him and answered in an indifferent voice:
"What's so serious?
Anyway, isn't this a useless medicine now?"
“But...”
“Theodore, this is an order.”
Keisha gave him a sharp look, and Theo finally lowered his head.
“…Okay.
I’ll feed him.”
After Keisha heard Theo's answer, he took out a medicine box from his pocket and put the medicine in his mouth.
Since the death of his subordinate, Keisha has been suffering from depression and has been secretly taking medication for years.
This fact was known only to Keisha himself and Theo, who prescribed the medicine to him.
Theo noticed that the medicine box was almost empty, so he asked:
“Shall I get you more?”
"decent."
Keisha closed the almost empty medicine box with a soft clack and said:
“I'm trying to reduce the dose gradually now.”
Theo noticed that, after he finished speaking, Keisha's gaze, albeit very fleeting, turned towards the bed on which Erhan was lying.
“This is a good decision.
However, if you need it, let me know anytime.”
Keisha nodded in agreement, then was about to leave the clinic, but he stopped and called him.
“Theo.”
"What is there?"
“…I am always thankful for you.”
Above Kesha's grateful face, the image of the boy Keisha from 20 years ago faintly overlapped again.
"You're welcome.
Take care.
Sincerity!"
After Theo saluted, he looked back as he left, then closed the clinic door.