Chapter 18: Training Results
( Seven Days Later )
In front of the massive castle, around eighty recruits stood in organized rows. They placed their right hands over their chests while holding their weapons or rectangular wooden shields in their left hands. Heads held high, they looked upward with pride.
These were the same scrawny, filthy young men and women Arthur had conscripted seven days ago, but now they appeared entirely different—transformed a full one hundred and eighty degrees. Their previously pale, grimy bodies had become clean and remarkably healthy. Their cheeks were flushed red, proof of a nutritious diet, their muscles slightly swollen, and their stances more stable.
Over the course of those seven days, they had followed a strict daily regimen.
At precisely four in the morning, they were forced to wake up—anyone who failed to rise on time was kicked out of bed. Afterward, they bathed in cold water using soap, washed their hair with shampoo, and brushed their teeth with toothpaste. Then they got dressed, and at the first light of dawn, they would run seven miles around the city—passing through the main alleys and farmlands under the watchful gaze of the public. It had been embarrassing at first, but after a few repetitions, they grew used to it.
Upon completing their run, they devoured a hearty breakfast prepared by the castle's finest cooks under Arthur's strict instructions. They then had one hour of rest before resuming training, which consisted of both group and individual physical drills, followed by weapons training and one-on-one sparring matches.
At noon, they were served a lunch rich in energy made from magic beast meat. Afterward came literacy lessons, as most of them were illiterate.
Then they were taught theoretical combat, military tactics, and battlefield formations to enhance their fighting effectiveness. This was followed by practical exercises. Before day's end, they performed chores such as cleaning the baths and hauling water. Then came another three-mile run, another bath, dinner, and finally, one hour of personal time before bedtime.
The routine wasn't always the same. Occasionally, they were sent to the forest outskirts to gather herbs, which they mixed with water to create nourishing, body-enhancing elixirs. Sometimes they engaged in team-building activities like wrestling or chasing chickens—crude entertainment, given the lack of actual games in such a backward society.