Chapter 133: Everyday life of demons, (4)
The training of the demons was relentless, starting after breakfast and continuing without breaks until sunset. The training was intense, and it was commonplace for screams and shouts of anger to fill the air, sometimes even leading to spitting out foams of blood.
However, the endurance of the demons was high; if bones were broken, a short rest would usually suffice for them to recover. Even from severe injuries, as long as death was avoided, they would be healed by the next day. Moreover, due to the fierce nature of Karelvo’s demons, the training inevitably turned into something akin to a fierce battle to death.
“The bell has rung. That’s it for today.”
“Damn it! I still couldn’t beat the boss today!”
“You’re as strong as ever.”
With the tolling of the bell signaling sunset, today’s training came to an end. The demons finished their training, received their rations, and then made their way back to their tents one by one.
After defeating all the Karelvo demons, I would engage in battles with the members of the Special Operations unit. However, it wasn’t as easy as Linardo and Tuhru made it sound. My squad comrades had grown considerably stronger, to the point that if I didn’t have my sturdy exoskeletons, I would have been on the receiving end of their blows to the point of defeat.
If this were a battle to the death, I would most likely have been killed. Of course, I wouldn’t go down without a fight. Armed with my dual swords and the poisonous stinger on my tail, the skills I had mastered over the past four years, coupled with my spiritual arts, I could take down more than half of them. I had grown strong enough to assert that.
After receiving our allocated rations, we would retreat to our own tents. However, there was a distinct difference between us and the other demons. We had Mika with us, who skillfully prepared the distributed rations into delicious meals for us.
“I’m counting on you again today.”
“Leave it to me.”
I handed over the rations other than the tough bread, and Mika, accompanied by several assistants, including Sharl, who was unable to participate in training due to pregnancy, would take charge of cooking.
Lately, Sharl, who couldn’t engage in training due to her pregnancy, has actively assisted in other matters. While I heard that typical humans would be more cautious during pregnancy, it seemed that for us demons, as long as it wasn’t overly strenuous exercise like combat, there were no adverse effects on the fetus. It was one of the benefits of being more robust compared to humans.
“Hmm, Ariel too,” Lappy said
“Um, is that really okay?” Ariel asked.
“Yes, I’ll take care of it,” Mika said.
After completing their training, Lappy led Ariel over to Mika to receive their allocated rations. Ariel seemed hesitant, but under the pressure and influence of Lappy’s assertiveness, she obediently handed over the rations to Mika.
Even while I was exchanging blows with the demons, I kept an eye on the three newcomers through my compound eyes. Ariel was engaging in one-on-one training with Lappy. I had overheard their conversation, so I had also learned that she was a bee demon. I didn’t want to appear as though I had eavesdropped, so I decided to feign ignorance until she chose to reveal it herself.
Whether due to her earnest nature or just being a diligent learner, it seemed Ariel had heeded Lappy’s advice and diligently committed herself to the training. She had grasped the transformation between her demon and human forms within half a day. However, there hadn’t been much progress beyond that. It wasn’t that Ariel lacked talent; rather, the issue lay in Lappy’s teaching method.
Lappy was a genius in martial arts. She could instantly assess the most effective moves to execute in any situation. This intuition could only be described as an innate gift. However, precisely because she was the owner of such talent, Lappy struggled with teaching others.
Alright, tomorrow, I would have Farl or Tuhru oversee their training. It looked like that Lappy had taken a liking to Ariel, but there was no helping it. Given that Lappy wasn’t adept at spiritual arts, I could justify it as an attempt to assess her proficiency in that area, and Lappy would likely accept that explanation.
However, it seemed that Lappy had taken quite a liking to Ariel, as they had been inseparable since her return. Lappy was even now playfully toying with her hair. Separating them might sour her mood. If that were to happen, we might have no choice but to have them train as a group of four.
“Julius, Bolts, hand your rations to Mika, except for the bread. He’ll cook it for you like he did this morning.”
“Ooh.”
“Got…it.”
Following that, Leo, Julius, and Boltz returned. They had become familiar enough to converse naturally. The camaraderie between Leo and Julius, in particular, had grown significantly, reaching a level of friendship. Ariel, who had returned earlier, was wide-eyed in astonishment at Julius’s transformation.
I observed the three of them closely as well. After Leo had initially knocked Julius down, he encouraged him to engage in training by spurring his determination. It appeared that Julius had always harbored a desire to become stronger. Leo had skillfully drawn out that emotion.
For the whole day, he had immersed themselves in intense training. While grasping the sensation of transforming into a demon faster than Ariel, Julius learned the basics of hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship from Leo. He showed a decent amount of talent, and if he continued training at this pace, he might become a warrior comparable to Leo. I hoped that through their mutual efforts, they would all grow stronger.
Bolts, the last remaining member, had indeed participated in the training, albeit with evident reluctance. It was clear that he was doing so against his will. Perhaps he believed that Leo’s strength exceeded his expectations and thought it dangerous not to comply. Unlike the other two, he seemed to have somewhat grasped the sensation of transforming into a demon, but that alone marked the conclusion of his day’s efforts.
Since his life or death is at stake, if he didn’t take his training more seriously, he could die in his first battle. Although I wished to minimize casualties among my comrades, this was solely dependent on one’s own level of motivation, which was beyond my control. It might be better to consult with Tigar and Zald on this.
By the way, Julius was synthesized with a dog, while Bolts with a pig. Bolts likely hesitated to voice the fact that he had been synthesized with livestock, feeling ashamed of such a thing. While no one held him in contempt for such a reason, it seemed to trouble him, so I decided not to bring it up. One day, he would likely overcome this concern.
“Hey…”
“Hmm?”
While I was lost in thought about the future of the three, Julius approached Linardo and Tuhru. Due to the incident yesterday, where their son Lawqum was intentionally made to cry, the couple harbored resentment towards Julius. As a result, Linardo glared at him with obvious hostility, and Tuhru silently hugged her son in a protective embrace.
Julius, who was being stared down by Linardo, who was clearly several notches stronger than himself, had his body stiffen with fear. However, while facing that intimidation head-on, he turned toward the trio and offered his apology.
“Yesterday, I… well, I did something really foolish. I won’t make excuses… I won’t. I’m truly sorry.”
With words that clearly weren’t part of his usual vocabulary, Julius lowered his head to the ground, and almost everyone, including myself, couldn’t hide our surprise at his actions. Simultaneously, the sense of his deep remorse was conveyed.
I couldn’t discern what changed in his mindset following his exchange with Leo. Nonetheless, this change seemed to be a very positive one. Let’s continue to watch how things unfold.
“Linardo, I haven’t heard the full story yet, but I think this guy here has been through quite a tough time. He seems genuinely repentant, so could you consider forgiving him?”
“Um! Please, from me too!”
Leo, kneeling beside Julius, directed his pleading eyes toward Linardo. On the opposite side, Ariel hurriedly joined them, also in a kneeling position, mirroring Julius’s posture. Meanwhile, Lappy left to her own devices, puffed her cheeks in apparent disapproval.
“Sigh, seriously. I was thinking about giving him a real thrashing, almost beating him half to death. But considering Leo’s reputation and all, if I lay a hand on him now, we’d end up being the villains, wouldn’t we? Damn, that hurts!!”
“Come on, enough with the embarrassed act. Julius, right? I’ll accept your apology. Just remember, no more of that kind of stuff, got it? Now, lift your head.”
While scratching his head and grumbling, Linardo was swiftly smacked on the back by Tuhru, leaving him writhing in pain. Despite her calm demeanor, her slap, though not at full strength, must have stung quite a bit, given her upper-tier strength even among the special operations unit.
After silencing her husband, Tuhru accepted Julius’s apology. She helped both Julius and Ariel, who were still in a kneeling position, to stand up and then guided them to take a seat in the square. She remained an ever-compassionate woman.
“Hey, hey, did my son suddenly learn mind control or something? That cocky brat has gone all docile.” Tigar said.
“He hasn’t done anything strange. Leo simply taught him the pecking order and gave him a goal to strive for in training.”
Tigar wore a concerned expression and approached me abruptly as he inquired. It seemed he was wondering if his son Leo had delved into some peculiar techniques. Even though he may look like this, Tigar was quite the doting parent. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his son; rather, he was simply overly worried about him.
To alleviate Tigar’s concerns, I proceeded to explain what Leo had done. He had taken two actions. First, he had demonstrated the disparity in their abilities, and then he had advised that if one wished to confront such an unjust situation, they should strengthen themselves.
To become a demon was to step out of the realm of ordinary individuals, and one could argue it was the epitome of injustice. Anyone subjected to it would inevitably feel the weight of unfairness to varying degrees. Julius likely held such emotions strongly. Leo merely appealed to those very sentiments.
“He didn’t do anything strange. I have seen everything.”
“Well, if that’s the case, then that’s a relief.”
Tigar let out a sigh of relief as he patted his chest. He usually had a resolute personality, but whenever Leo was involved, he would suddenly become indecisive or overly anxious. This tendency often earned him scoldings from his wife, Sharl.
In any case, the three new members were now participating in the training. If my intuition was correct, the next battle was drawing near. I hope that by then, they would be able to use their powers as demons. With these thoughts in mind, I waited for Mika and the others to finish preparing our meal.
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