Four months had passed since Raid and Eluria’s group settled their talks with the Altanian imperial family and powers that be.
The couple had personally escorted the assenting nobles to their new home, then brought the original residents of Paradise back to the capital. All power and authority had been passed to Raid and Eluria, ushering in an unprecedented period of change to Altane’s system of governance. With this, the front lines established on the eastern region of Etrulia were temporarily dismantled, allowing Hero Ariel Verminant and her troops to return to the capital as well.
Needless to say, the First World was changing rapidly—as was Ariel Verminant’s standing within it.
“Mm... Ariel,” called Eluria.
Ariel swiftly straightened her back. “Y-Yes! What is it, Lady Eluria?!”
“Do you remember what I asked you to do while we were away?”
“To...train the soldiers of the capital.”
“Mm-hmm. There’s no need to station too many soldiers here in the capital given its distance from the western continent. They’re better off serving on the front lines, hence my instructions.”
“Yes...”
“But this is no good at all.” From atop the city’s outer walls, Eluria looked down on the soldiers with a petulant frown. “They took thirty minutes to get into formation. That’s enough time for a cup of milk tea to grow cold.”
“I’m afraid I fail to comprehend the standard of measure...”
“What I’m saying is that their time management is horrendous. It’s unthinkable for soldiers to take thirty minutes to get into formation,” Eluria explained with a furrowed brow.
Ariel, however, had certainly not been slacking off. “But unlike my troops, the soldiers here have only been handling security and public order. They lack on-field experience—in fact, I’m certain they’re hardly interested in that sort of work at all. And I doubt that will improve anytime soon, given the huge changes the city has been undergoing in recent—”
“No excuses,” Eluria chastised, puffing up her cheeks. “Punishment, now.”
Ariel meekly bowed her head, allowing Eluria to land a few chops. Were they painful? Absolutely not. But somehow, Ariel still felt a sad little sting in her chest with each blow.
In any case, despite her “excuses,” Ariel was not entirely free of fault. After all, she was one of the reasons why the capital troops were not motivated for their training. In the former Altanian empire, Ariel Verminant had been known for becoming a Hero through betrayal. This had spread from the young noblemen who’d entered the army down to the ordinary soldiers in the capital. Because of this, not many applied for the front lines under her command, and she’d often needed to borrow some men from Dian’s troops.
“My apologies,” Ariel mumbled. “This is all because of my poor reputation in— Owww!”
“Another excuse,” said Eluria, this time flicking Ariel’s forehead before folding her arms. “Ariel, reputation is irrelevant when it comes to training soldiers. I didn’t start out with a good reputation either.”
“R-Really...?”
“Mm-hmm. I was an elf before I was reincarnated. The other soldiers always kept their distance from me. The first time I was entrusted with my own troops, I could count the number of applicants on both hands.” A small smile formed on Eluria’s lips as she looked back on her past. “But by the end of my past life, I was leading a battalion of over five hundred soldiers. If you count those who’d retired, I’d had over a thousand people under me in my time in command.”
The number was certainly on the smaller side for an army, but it was an astounding record considering magic had been a new and upcoming art in which Eluria had trained all her soldiers from scratch.
“Yes, reputation is important, but it shouldn’t come from others,” Eluria continued. “You should own it, build it up yourself—make it a show of what you’re truly capable of. Besides, reputation may be important when leading troops and increasing an operation’s chance of success, but it isn’t needed at the training stage.”
“Then...what is needed for training?” Ariel asked.
“It’s simple—so simple, in fact, that you can do it too.” Eluria took her magic gear in hand and turned her gaze down to the soldiers. “Show them overwhelming power and give them a taste of fear and pain.”
Suddenly, ice began to form over the soldiers’ feet.
“Wh-What?!”
“I-Ice is crawling up our legs—from the ground!”
Eluria watched as the soldiers began yelling in panic, all while ice continued to make its way up their bodies. She took up a magic megaphone and said, “You took thirty minutes to get into formation. Seeing as you lack awareness as soldiers, we must first rectify your mentality.”
“S-Stop messing with us! I am the eldest son of a noble lineage in Altane—” The moment one soldier raised his voice in retaliation, the speed of the ice crawling up his feet increased, swiftly covering his thigh. “Ack! M-My legs...!”
“I did not permit you to speak,” said Eluria. “No decent soldier interrupts their superior, yet you don’t seem to understand such basic protocol. Truly unacceptable.” Her cold gaze bore down on the soldiers, as frosty as the ice encasing their limbs. “I don’t know what kind of people you are, but I do know that every single one of you is a sorry excuse for a soldier. Until we rectify this, the ice stays. First, you must internalize what it means to be a soldier.” Eluria narrowed her eyes into an icy glare. “Repeat after me: ‘We are not soldiers. We are trash.’”
“Why should we— Aaaagh!”
“When I order you to repeat, you repeat. Noncompliance will be met with a jolt of lightning through the ice. If you don’t want to obey, then you have two options: Get electrocuted until you’re reduced to smithereens, or live the rest of your life as an ice sculpture.”
The soldier convulsed and spasmed as the ice over his lower body kept him mostly upright. The others paled at the sight and desperately straightened their posture.
After a short pause, Eluria continued, “Now, repeat. Loud enough for me to hear from here.”
“W-We are not soldiers! We are trash!!!” yelled the troops.
“You’re not in sync, and your voices are trembling. No soldier trembles before the enemy. Again.”
“What’s the point in— Aaaaagh!”
“I have not permitted commentary.” Eluria’s sharp gaze pierced through the soldiers far below. “Currently, I have only one order for you: Repeat after me. This doesn’t end until you fulfill my command.”
The soldiers could see it in her eyes—she was serious. None of them were leaving until they accomplished her orders, no matter if the ice slowly but surely froze over their bodies and rendered them completely immobile. It was only then that the situation finally sank in for the soldiers.
“All together now. Repeat,” Eluria prompted.
“We are not soldiers! We are trash!!!”
“Still not in sync. Nor was it loud enough. Again.”
“We are not soldiers! We are trash!!!”
“Don’t look down. Fulfill your orders while facing your superior. Again.”
“We are not soldiers! We are trash!!!”
“I did not order you to be angry. Again.”