Elia was lying on her bed in her room in the annex.
The room was tidy and clean, equipped with all facilities, and did not give the impression that it was part of a military camp.
It was much better than a poor baron's room.
Men were allocated single rooms here, as there was no need for group housing.
Perhaps this was a tribute to the Grand Duke for keeping the candidates' speech private.
‘Of course, thanks to that, Lavinia was able to meet the main protagonists every night without any restrictions.’
It's a single room, aren't the conditions perfect to do anything without disturbance?
Anyway, this was a very lucky thing for Elijah, who no one should have discovered that she was a woman.
“Plus, how good are these everyday clothes?”
The daily clothes she received as supplies were of extremely high quality.
It was a badge bearing the name “Erhan T.” Pinned to the left side of her chest.
It was a dull grey, but it was comfortable and breathable, and also provided warmth in cold weather!
'It must be made of magic fibres.'
The price of magic fiber was many times that of ordinary fiber.
This was unthinkable in the Baron's house, where she could barely wear worn-out dresses after being repaired several times.
“The official enlistment ceremony, Keisha said, is in five days.”
The fifty men who had passed the medical examination and gathered here, would gather in the vast training ground of the palace to conduct the official recruitment ceremony.
Grand Duke Vonberg and Lavinia will also attend the event.
From then on, real life begins in this huge reverse harem.
Will you spend your time here quietly until then?
'Impossible, of course.'
During these five days, a lot of things will happen in this palace annex.
Perhaps because of the gathering of energetic men, hierarchies and factions, almost a structure of power, would quickly form.
So much so that it reminds me of my first day in a boys' high school.
'The main heroes, including Axion, will begin to appear in earnest.'
If she spends her time quietly and laxly, she will automatically be classified as a vulnerable person.
When she is classified as a weak person, she will be involved in stressful matters regardless of her will.
‘In the original novel, my brother Erhan was as well.’
Erhan, who was just a little smart, small person, and came from a poor rural baron family, was labeled as weak and exploited by a faction here and there.
He was even falsely accused of bad things and was punished in their place.
That faction immediately abandoned Erhan, who was punished in their place, and after that, Erhan was turned into a worthless secondary character.
‘I want to live quietly as a secondary character, but I absolutely refuse to suffer in this way.’
She had to at least have a strength that these boys wouldn't dare ignore her.
Aren't there such children in schools too?
Children who appear calm and inconspicuous on the outside, but they have a mysterious power that makes bullies not dare approach them.
Elijah had to become this kind of being here.
But how could she, when she had nothing, obtain this mysterious power?
'There is a way to everything.'
But before that, there is something that needs to be done first.
“I'm hungry!”
She was unable to eat her meals properly due to her rush coming here from the Baron's house.
Since it's dinner time now, let's fill her belly first and then think.
•
The dining hall was located on the first floor of the annex.
There were already about twenty people who had completed their identity verification procedures gathered there.
But Elia was the only one wearing gray everyday clothes.
Everyone was wearing luxurious silk underwear that they had brought with them.
“Guys, did you see those clothes that were distributed?”
“How could anyone wear something so rustic?
It would be better to walk around naked than to wear them.”
“Look at this, he's wearing those country clothes!
Ha ha ha!”
They pointed at Elia and mocked her.
But she didn't care.
Yes, these clothes can be aesthetically ugly.
Even in the original novel, there were many complaints from members of the unit at first.
But their complaints would disappear like magic five days after the recruitment ceremony.
“Are you saying that you would rather walk around naked than wear these everyday clothes?
Well, I will do that for you.”
And with a sharp tearing sound!
Because Keisha will take out a knife and rip off all the silky underwear the complainers are wearing, and then he'll put them through crazy training while naked, wearing only one piece of underwear.
“What do you think, are you satisfied now that you are walking around naked?
Isn’t it refreshing and comfortable?”
"No sir!
We'll make this right!"
Eventually, they will cry and sob and wear everyday clothes.
So, enjoy your silk clothes as much as you want now!
At that moment, a voice full of dissatisfaction was heard.
“What is this food that is worse than dog food?”
The silk lingerie group was now complaining about the food they were served.
"I can't eat this at all.
I have to eat the food I brought from home."
They threw the distributed food into the trash and left the dining hall.
For your information, these complaints at the dinner table will be completely corrected after five days.
Because Kesha would shove their heads in the trash without hesitation.
But Elia couldn't understand those complainers at all.
'Everyday clothes may be acceptable, but isn't the food just as good?'
Her plate contained soup, bread, and a piece of pork.
'The soup is warm!
The bread has no mold!
It’s real pork!’ *M - Sorry, my heroine, they don’t know how to appreciate grace*
After the conditions of the Baron's house became difficult due to monster attacks, even this kind of ordinary meal was considered a luxury.
She was very hungry anyway, so she took her fork and ate her meal greedily.
•
Keisha left the backyard with a satisfied face.
Tea time with Lavinia was a happy time today too.
“Wow, Uncle Keisha!
This is my favorite Soul Juice Tea, isn’t it?
It must have been very difficult to find it where you were, Uncle.”
“Heh heh, difficult?
Nothing difficult for tea time with Mademoiselle.”
He didn't mention that he spent nights and days searching for dozens of spirit trees with his unit members at the front, collecting the sap from them one by one to make this tea.
“It's so great!
Because I can stay here with my Uncle Keisha all the time now.”
Lavinia's bright smile seemed to remove all of Keisha's fatigue.
“Are you saying you will lead a new unit here?
Father said they will be my bodyguards who will protect me.”
"… Yes."
“I'm excited to see what they'll be like.”
He couldn't tell her, as her innocent eyes sparkled, that they were just insects.
“…I will do my best to train them hard.”
He reached for the plate of chocolate, and as he ate, he began to map out a hellish training schedule in his mind.
After he separated from Lavinia, he passed by the annex where the unit was located.
The recruitment ceremony had not yet taken place, but he wanted to understand the movements of these young men.
After tea time was over, as he was entering the annex and eating one of the chocolates that Lavinia had given him to take with him, he heard a noise coming from the direction of the dining hall.
'Is it meal time?'
He moved quietly and looked into the dining hall through the window.
His face quickly frowned frighteningly.
'Those pity insects!'
Not only did they not wear the daily clothes that were distributed to them, but they complained about the food and threw it in the trash.
They don't eat because it doesn't taste good?
This is something that cannot be tolerated at all in the military, not in the outside community.
In the army, food is not eaten for taste, but to replenish the energy needed for physical training and fighting enemies.
On the real battlefields against demons, he had put things into his mouth that humans couldn't eat, just to survive at any cost.
'Just let the recruitment ceremony end.
I will discipline them properly.'
As he gritted his teeth angrily, his eyes fell on someone.
Amidst the luxurious, brightly colored silk underwear, there was one person wearing a dull gray daily uniform, eating diligently and diligently.
'This boy...!'
It was Erhan, the beautiful red-haired man he saw today.
When he saw his seemingly gentle and delicate face, eating so greedily, a smile spread across Keisha's face.
•
“You eat well.”
At a sudden sound, Illya jerked and raised her head.
When her eyes met Keisha's, she put down the fork she was holding and suddenly stood up.
“What's the matter sir!”
“Nothing at all.
Finish your food.”
Keisha motioned with his hand, making Elia sit up.
But she felt like the food would get stuck in her throat.
'This guy, why did he suddenly appear?'
I didn't make any mistakes.
Moreover, this man only talks to Axion!
She narrowed her eyes and looked at him.
But was his strangely satisfied expression just a figment of her imagination?
'Go quickly please.' So I can eat properly.'
While she was secretly complaining, Keisha gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said:
“Continue to eat well in the future.
This is to replenish your energy stronger to fight against the enemies.”
'What else is this nonsense?'
Elia looked at him with a puzzled face, but he didn't care at all, and added as if he suddenly remembered something:
“Oh right, there's nothing better than this to replace energy.”
“…?”
He took something out of his pocket and held it out to Elijah.
"this."
It was a cute little piece of chocolate.
“Eat it as dessert.”