It was morning, and a full week since Kuklo and Cardina’s arrival in the factory city.
For Kuklo, who’d lived in wretched conditions for so long, the seven days passed in what felt like the blink of an eye. His fatigue, however, vanished thanks to the calm and tranquil days, his body feeling so light he felt like he’d undergone an exorcism.
In their Training Corps uniforms, Kuklo and Cardina waited in front of the factory for the carriage that would take them to the academy for new recruit training. Only Sharle was there to see them off. Jorge had returned to the training academy ahead of them, while Xenophon was not the type for proper goodbyes.
“You know, my plan was to lead a life of debauchery,” Cardina muttered with regret. Apparently the possibility of going back to the training academy hadn’t occurred in his wildest dreams.
“It’s not like you can go home anymore.”
“Right, I wouldn’t want people thinking I’m going to take over the family business…” If Cardina returned to Wall Sheena, he’d be noticed by political enemies. They believed he had died outside the walls, and it was best to let them think so. “I don’t have any cash right now, either.”
He must have decided that at least he wouldn’t go hungry as a recruit. His politician father’s blood ran through him, and he could become a merchant if he exercised his natural gift for speech, but it was nearly impossible to imagine Cardina hard at work. He was the sort who hoped for a life of debauchery after all.
“Trying to get into the Military Police Brigade wouldn’t be bad, though. It was what my father wanted me to do, anyway.”
“For revenge?”
“His enemies did plot his death, and I might clear my family’s name with a proper investigation.” Becoming an MP would allow him to do that, but Cardina’s expression didn’t hint at any resolve, and his tone was flat. The idea didn’t seem to speak to him.
“He wasn’t a hard person to dig up dirt on,” Cardina added as if to explain, “but enough about me.”
With a smile laden with meaning, Cardina nudged Kuklo in the side with his elbow, and Kuklo followed his gaze. There he found Sharle, looking uneasy. It was clear that while in no way happy about his joining the Training Corps, she understood and was trying not to protest.
Sharle had decided to stay at the workshop as Xenophon’s assistant. She couldn’t depend on family, so she had no choice but to acquire some skills. Although life in the male-dominated world of the workshop would be difficult for someone of her refined upbringing, she was confident she’d make it. The reason was simple. Angel Aaltonen, the creator of the Equipment and one of the developers of the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, had had a girl as his assistant, too.
“I guess I won’t meet her again until I graduate.”
“We’ll be entering during the rush of the second half of training, so about three months from now. I’m sure it’ll go by before we know it.”
“That’s assuming I graduate.” Kuklo had no idea what the Training Corps curriculum was like but it couldn’t be a breeze, especially if it involved mastering the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.
“You’ll be fine. You have both the Survey Corps commander and the instructor’s seal of approval. I believe in you, too.”
“I wonder…” Kuklo cast a dubious look at Cardina.
As the two chatted away, they noticed a carriage approaching them that appeared to be their ride. Its driver was not Jorge, but a different male soldier who must have been assigned to the Training Corps.
“Looks like it’s here,” Cardina said. “To be honest, I don’t feel like doing this.”
“You don’t know when to give up, do you?” Kuklo pushed him into the carriage, which had pulled up next to them, then got in himself.
“Um… Please don’t do anything crazy,” Sharle pleaded, unable to silence her worries.
Kuklo nodded and asked her, “Is there something I should say to Xavi?”
Sharle just shook her head.
Of course not… Sharle’s brother might try to use her if he learned that she was still alive. It seemed best to leave her whereabouts unknown to him.
Judging that they had put an end to their goodbyes, the driver whipped his horse. It reacted by trotting off with a sure gait.
“I guess I’m off.”
“Be safe.”
As Sharle waved and saw them off with a smile, the carriage gradually picked up speed.
✦ ✦ ✦
The training academy that stood between Trost District and Wall Sheena was a sizable facility encompassing a square kilometer. Surrounded by rich, green foliage, the location itself was entirely unremarkable. On the premises were a school building, where lectures primarily took place, a dormitory where the recruits slept, and nothing else. The majority of the land was taken up by fields for practical training. It would be safe to say that the facility was dedicated solely to turning recruits into soldiers. The idea of amusement seemed foreign to it.
The military did not rely on conscription, but rather on volunteers. Anyone over the age of twelve with a sound body and mind could apply. There was no set maximum enrollment, but about a thousand individuals volunteered every year, and half dropped out before making it to graduation. While the number seemed small, it was not a problem as their ranks never suffered from extreme drops in size. The Titan invasion fifteen years ago had been a unique case.
There were no recruits anywhere on the grounds, and the place was eerily still.
“They don’t seem to be in the middle of classes, either. Maybe they’re off on a run?”
Kuklo was unable to answer Cardina’s question, but someone who could was waiting for them in front of the school building. The stalwart figure straddling a warhorse was none other than their instructor, Jorge.
“You’re late. Everyone else has already left.” Jorge pointed to the east, but only thick woods were visible in that direction.
“Left?” “To where?!” Kuklo and Cardina got off the carriage and immediately began questioning Jorge.
He tossed two knapsacks off his mount, directly onto the ground, and headed off with a simple: “Just go and you’ll see.”
“Okay. Straight to training, huh…” Cardina shouldered the knapsack, sighed, and began to chase after Jorge.
Kuklo grabbed his own knapsack and prepared to follow him, but it was far heavier than it looked. He thought his shoulder might give.
What is in this? It weighed a shocking amount as though it were full of stones. As Kuklo stood there puzzled, Cardina and Jorge trekked off.
This might be harder than I thought… Though Kuklo felt a tinge of unease, he’d experienced the hellish world outside of the wall and returned, surviving by the skin of his teeth. When he considered that, he realized there was no need to fear any training devised by humans. Slinging his knapsack, Kuklo chased after Cardina and Jorge.
Catching up to the two wasn’t difficult, but matching a horse’s pace was. What was a mere trot for the fleet-footed mount forced Kuklo and Cardina to run to keep up.
“What kind of training is this?” Kuklo asked Cardina.
“Logistics.”
“What’s that?”
“You could call it service support. Assisting soldiers working on the front line.”
The duties would be wide-ranging. While transporting supplies was a given, it also entailed other obviously important tasks such as maintaining weapons and warhorses, constructing and quartering camps, and more. Without soldiers to provide rear support, no force could hold out on the front lines. One day, humanity would push out beyond the walls to retake lands that had been ceded to the Titans. Even Kuklo saw how crucial logistics training was.
“There’s food to eat all over the place. Grass, bugs,” he remarked nonetheless.
“You’re just about the only person who’d be satisfied with that kind of a diet…” Cardina shrugged in resignation.
“Are these full of food supplies?”
“They’re heavy in order to simulate that. They’re full of sand.”
“It’s dead weight?”
“Just pretend that they’re packed full of essences that soldiering requires.”
That passed over Kuklo’s head, but he supposed he simply needed to run to his destination with the knapsack on his back. “Where do I need to go?” he asked.
“Wherever the instructor says to go. Sometimes we march for a full day.”
“That’s ridiculous…”
“I wouldn’t say so,” Jorge interrupted, apparently having overheard their conversation. “I don’t want to say it’s all about willpower, but we’re up against enemies that are beyond the pale. There’s no point in a lukewarm regimen.”
Even if a recruit could overcome the absurdly strenuous training, taking on a Titan was an even wilder challenge. It followed that a soldier unable to endure this much wasn’t qualified to stand against a Titan.
Jorge began to lead the two into a woodland path. It was time for logistics training.