After a couple of hours of running through the forest trail, a gaggle of what looked like recruits came into sight. A small group of about six running in double-file formation, they appeared to have fallen about ten meters behind the rest. Perhaps they’d slipped to the tail end unable to keep up thanks to their below-average stamina, as they showed no signs of shrinking the distance.
Stragglers? wondered Kuklo. The recruits ran dispassionately and showed no signs of fatigue, to judge from behind. Their knapsacks did look heftier than the ones carried by the recruits ahead, but the impression must have been due to differences in build. The lagging runners were about Kuklo’s size if not smaller, putting them on the low end among troops. They didn’t conform to the line of thinking holding sway that soldiers ought to be large and impressively muscled.
But running at the tail end didn’t necessarily make them inferior. Kuklo, who was built like them, didn’t slow down. His breathing was audible and his body hot, but he was not at his physical limits.
I’m not sure if I could do this all day… Yet if he paced himself well, it wasn’t impossible.
Cardina, running beside Kuklo, also seemed to have energy to spare. As a former recruit, he no doubt knew how to ration his strength.
The distance between them and the stragglers continued to shrink.
Ahead of the two, Jorge pointed a finger at the tail end group and said, “They’re receiving special Vertical Maneuvering Equipment training.”
Them? Even though they’re at the very back?! Kuklo tilted his head, unable to understand Jorge’s selection criteria.
“It’s not recognized as part of the official curriculum, so it’s had to take the form of remedial lessons…”
“The other recruits who don’t know call them flunkers,” Cardina said in a rather self-mocking tone.
“As you can see, they lack somewhat in stamina compared to the rest, but they’re far more nimble, and they know how to persevere. In other words, they have the perfect bodies for learning how to master the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment.”
So that’s why… Utilizing it was the major premise for the next generation of soldiers as Jorge imagined them. A large frame or a bulging armor-like musculature would only be a hindrance.
The muscles required were vastly different ones, anyway. Controlling the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment also called for dexterity, in order to properly operate machinery. Furthermore, superhuman balance and spatial recognition were required to move with ease in three dimensions.
So the old ways won’t do. Kuklo had tried to aim for the back of the Titan dummy many times while in the factory city, but all he had to show for it were bruises that covered his body. The only thing he felt more confidence in after his practice was his ability to move vertically.
A revolutionary change… Xenophon had compared it to a revolution, and in fact, one seemed likely to come. Kuklo had no idea when or how, but he felt that training would take him there, whether gradually or in some flash akin to a divine revelation. If a revolution was needed, Kuklo felt he could start one, and he knew what it would feel like.
I’ve experienced one. That revolution had been acquiring language, something that turned his world upside down. Sharle gave me the opportunity then.
He felt he could master the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment once he got the knack of it. This time, the practice equipment might be my opportunity.
Having caught up to the group, Kuklo and Cardina joined the end of the line. The remedial students turned to look with surprised expressions, not expecting anyone to show up from behind them.
What truly shocked them, though, seemed to be Cardina.
And why not… The guy was supposed to have quit the corps, yet here he was in a soldier’s uniform. They couldn’t be blamed for doubting their eyes. After all, Cardina himself hadn’t expected to return to the Training Corps. He wore an expression of embarrassed resignation right there beside Kuklo.
What surprised Kuklo were the faces of the recruits running at the back of the group. He sensed strong willpower in their sharp eyes. While he’d wondered if they were straggling, they’d endured their training thus far and evidently had what it took to become soldiers. Jorge had handpicked them, too, so they had to have some spine.
Are the other recruits the same way? Unlike the ones he was now among, the recruits who ran slightly ahead were burly. That was the current standard for soldiers, indicative of the doctrine that the Titans should be met with brawn.
Even though that’s pointless. For Kuklo, who was familiar with the Titans, large muscles were like fat, worthless.
Jorge’s efforts to introduce the Vertical Maneuvering Equipment derived from his understanding that the Titans could not be defeated as things stood. The man responsible for a Titan falling to the Equipment had to know that truth well. It explained his impatience with the status quo.
Kuklo stared closely at the main group ahead of him.
Xavi is in there, too. He was Kuklo’s natural enemy, so to speak. Unlike when Kuklo was shackled, he wouldn’t let Xavi beat him mercilessly, but he still wanted to avoid dealing with the guy. If Kuklo could choose never to meet him again, he would, but now that he was a recruit, they’d come face to face sooner or later.
He can shoot for MP, huh. Jorge evaluated him highly as a soldier, but Xavi seemed far from praiseworthy in light of the hardship he’d inflicted on Kuklo. Xavi was what he was now only because he’d built his confidence by tormenting a Titan’s son. Giving such a person any credit was unthinkable.
As soon as Kuklo thought of Xavi, he began to wonder what the guy might be like now.
Half a year has passed… It felt like ages since he’d parted ways with Xavi on that stormy night, but it wasn’t long enough for any dramatic transformation. Regardless of outward appearances, it was doubtful that any change had overtaken him.
Kuklo’s right eye began to ache and throb as if in response to his enemy’s presence.
To get rid of these feelings… He increased his pitch, surprising Cardina.
“Where’re you going? We’re in the middle of training!”
“To meet Xavi.”
“Excuse me?’ Cardina’s voice cracked in surprise, but Kuklo continued ahead, paying no heed.
He wasn’t out to clear his years of pent-up resentment. Nor did he mean to so much as call out to the guy. What Kuklo wanted was to see what Xavi looked like now.
My goal is to kill Ogre. Compared to that, his grudge against Xavi was trivial. It did upset him, but he could turn a blind eye. What did trouble him was Xavi possibly standing in his way. Kuklo knew the guy’s personality well, so it was an all-too-plausible scenario. He had to know what Xavi was like now to predict what was to come.
Cardina needn’t worry.
Of course, it would be a different story if Xavi came at him.