Demon Sword

Chapter 12

The cadets’ breakfast was gruel. The instructors threw all sorts of things into the cauldron and let it boil, including their leftovers.

“Pigs eat better than this.”

The cadets grumbled, but they filled their bowls to the brim. Everyone was busy checking which scraps they got.

Jan stirred the bowl with his spoon. He stared at the meat resting atop his spoon and grinned.

“It’s my lucky day. Pork.”

Jan rolled the meat around in his mouth as if it would melt, and swallowed.

Mealtime didn’t last very long. Some cadets hadn’t even touched their bowl yet, waiting for the gruel to cool, but five instructors slowly stood up and raised their clubs.

“How long are you going to sit and eat, you pigs?”

The instructors rushed between the cadets, kicking bowls out of their hands and swinging clubs.

“What the fuck?!”

“You motherfuckers!”

The cadets cursed as they scarfed down whatever they could. Some of the cadets even ate while being beaten.

“Fuck! I can’t live like this……!”

Blam!

The cadet who tried to stand up was pummeled to the ground with a stick.

“On the count of five! One!”

Musgal began counting down, and the cadets ran to training fields. It was quite cold in the morning wind, as it had been carved into the mountain. The cadets could feel their noses leaking.

“Come on, Jan, let’s go, we’re going to get beat up again.”

Laviris tapped Jan on the shoulder. Jan ate what scraps he could, then got up. The instructors beat laviris and Jan’s backs with sticks for being so slow.

“You bastards, are you full after all that food? A wise man once said, “Better to be a hungry man than a full pig. A day or two of starvation won’t kill you. Yet seeing you squeal, I can see you are pigs!”

Musgal slapped his palm with his club.

“Now, to start, we’re going to …. run.”

The cadets’ faces contorted in horror. They were already exhausted from yesterday’s run. Musgal and his instructors began to run down the mountain.

“They’re going to kill us. This isn’t training, this is execution.”

The cadets ran after them on shaky legs. They felt like they were going to die, but their legs were still able to move.

The mountain paths were well-traveled, but it was still no easy feat. The cadets who had forced down their breakfast, were busy throwing up as they ran.

‘Huh?’

Jan suddenly looked behind him. He had already passed most of the cadets and was running at the front of the pack. Until yesterday, Jan had been in the middle of the pack. It wasn’t that he was running faster, it was that everyone else hadn’t recovered from the other day.

“You must recover pretty fast. I guess you have your resilience to boast?”

Musgal ran towards Jan.

“A good night’s sleep solves most pain, doesn’t it?”

“Boasting about your youth will bite you in the back later.”

“I wasn’t bragging though…”

Jan scratched his head. It looked like he’d earned Musgal’s ire again.

The hike ended with a run back up the entire mountain. Jan had finished early, so he had more time to rest than the others.

“Hah, hah, hah.”

Jan laid down on the top of the mountain and watched the trainees climb up.

Laviris arrived a little later than Jan. Laviris seemed to be able to run decently despite his beating the other day.

“How are you feeling?”

Jan asked Laviris. Laviris caught his breath before answering.

“I’ve trained regularly, so I’m fine. Never thought my old master would become of use.”

“Master?”

“I used to be a se. She made me exercise often, because she liked her men fit.”

Jan started to ask more, but stopped himself. Laviris’s body was quite muscular, despite his delicate face.

The grueling training continued, morning and night. The drills were so intense that they left little room for thought. Pushed to their limits, the trainees swore and cursed. Their hunger kept them up at night.

“It’s not as bad as it seemed.”

laviris said to Jan as they lay in bed.

“Not too bad? I think I’m going to die.”

Jan grumbled, and Laviris laughed.

“You’re holding up well, too. The officers are clever; they’re pushing us to our limits. No one died except that guy on the first day. That was probably to intimate us, considering most of us wouldn’t have listened otherwise.

“Maybe you’re right.”

Jan scratched at his bug-bitten leg.

“The Eighth Legion is always short on hands. I’m sure they don’t want to take unnecessary losses in training.”

Laviris’s words made perfect sense. Jan nodded vigorously.

“…You’re really smart.”

“It’s the only conclusion if you think about it.”

Jan and Laviris yawned and closed their eyes.

The cadets thought they had blinked, but it was already morning when they opened their eyes again

They could hear the footsteps of their instructors running up the stairs. The cadets’ hearts pounded in unison.

“Wake up, you lazy pigs! Livestock being dragged to the slaughterhouse would be faster than you lot!”

Musgal shouted as he entered the building. The cadets that failed their shake themselves out of slumber in time were beaten with their instructors’ clubs.

“Man, Fuck!”

Pain began again immediately after waking.

The torturous physical training was repeated day after day. The only relief was that on Saturdays they had a day off. The instructors took turns going down to Fort Orphiel.

On Saturdays, the instructors didn’t beat up the cadets, or stop them from having some freedom. The cadets heated water and washed themselves thoroughly.

“Aaaaah, I finally feel alive.”

Jan let out a moan as he poured the warm water over his body, the filthy water pooling at his feet. He could feel his fatigue being washed away with the grime.

“This is bliss.”

Jan wandered around naked until he was dry. The cadets had seen enough of each other anyway. In fact, they’d even begun to bond over the rigors of training. But it wasn’t without conflict.

Many of them had bad personalities, so conflict was common. When the instructor wasn’t around, arguments often broke out.

“Jan, follow me.”

Laviris gestured to Jan. Jan gathered his clothes and followed laviris to the back of the building.

laviris rummaged through the bushes and held up a basket.

“Berries.”

The basket held a handful of red berries. Jan’s mouth was already watering.

“I picked them when I could.”

“Can I eat them? You picked them.”

Jan hesitated, still drooling.

“You helped me out. Eat it. Just don’t tell the others.”

Jan hesitated, then popped the berry into his mouth. The berries were surprisingly flavorful against his parched tongue. A subtle hint of sweetness rose through the tartness.

“This is amazing. I could eat nothing but these for the rest of my life.”

The juice seemed to seep into his body. When he came to his senses, the basket was empty. Jan’s lips were glistening with juice.

“I’ll pick some more next time.”

Laviris shrugged, feeling satisfied at seeing Jan eat so happily.

Jan wiped the corner of his mouth and checked to make sure no one was around. He spoke to Laviris in a low, whispery voice.

“Don’t tell anyone else… I actually have connections with someone high up in the Eighth Legion. I may be stuck here now, but soon sir will come to get me. If I can, I’ll get you out too.”

“Hah, yeah, I’ll look forward to it.”

Laviris laughed off Jan’s comment.

‘Jan’s a nice guy… but he’s not the brightest. He must be confused about something.’

Laviris stood up and brushed off his pants. He pointed toward the stream.

“Jan, go to the stream and wash your mouth. The juice around your lips will give it away. I’ll go first.”

“Uh, huh? Okay, I’ll go wash up.”

Laviris walked away. Jan stared at his back and laughed.

“Lav’s a good guy.”

Jan was in a good mood. The tartness of the berries still lingered in his mouth, reminding him of Laviris’s kindness

Laviris rounded the corner of the building and stopped. He began taking steps backwards, as if he’d seen someone.

“Huh?”

Jan’s eyes widened as he was about to walk to the stream. Standing before Lav was the man missing his tongue.

A blade glinted in the man’s grip. Jan’s pupils widened like a hawk’s. It seemed to be a broken part of a weapon. Wherever it came from, it would be enough to kill.

‘Laviris is in danger.’

The man had a grudge against Laviris. His eyes burned with sickly hatred.

Pssk!

The man swung the broken blade. Laviris barely raised his hand and grabbed the man’s wrist.

The man shoved Laviris’s hand away and rammed into him. Laviris lost his balance and stumbled. The blade was coming down at Laviris’s neck.

“Lav!”

Jan pushed forcefully against the ground as he sprinted.It was about twenty steps away, but Jan arrived in three strides.

BLAM!

Jan and the man collided. They tangled and rolled onto the ground. Jan observed the man with squinted eyes.

“Kaak! Who… the fuck…!”

The man rolled over and looked at Jan’s face. He stared into Jan’s eyes in disbelief.

Crack!

Jan grabbed the man’s arm and kicked him in the stomach. The man dropped the blade. Jan snatched the blade before it hit the ground. His grip was cool. The blade was sharp.

An arc was drawn, passing through the man’s throat. A red line formed, then droplets of blood soon began to gather.

PSSSST!

Blood squirted out.

The man screeched, foaming blood and clutching at his half-split throat. Blood gushed from the gash in his neck.

The man staggered in pain and collapsed. Blood continued to flow out.

“Ah, he’s dead.”

Jan scratched his head, staring at the bloodied blade. He regretted it a little, but it was inevitable.

“You saved my life.”

Laviris grabbed Jan’s arm and pulled him to his feet. Jan steadied his legs.

“I’ll have to tell the instructor, won’t I?”

Jan sighed and looked down at the body.

“We should. It’ll only lead to more misunderstandings.”

“If Musgal doesn’t already hate me, He really will now.”

“I’ll testify for you.”

Jan and Laviris walked toward the instructors’ quarters. The other cadets were shocked to see them. Jan, covered in blood, was an unsettling sight.

“Jan, you ended up in the Eight Legion for murder, right?”

Laviris asked, before entering the instructor’s quarters.

“How did you know?”

“You seem to be used to it.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m used to it… oh, maybe I am.”

Jan laughed awkwardly, remembering what had happened since he left his hometown. He recollected the people who had lost their heads to him. But he couldn’t remember their faces.

Creak.

Jan pushed open the door to the instructor’s quarters. Musgal was inside.

“What’s going on?”

Musgal stood up, irritated. He was a head taller than Jan. Just standing in front of him was intimidating enough to Jan.

“Well….”

When Jan hesitated, Musgal scowled.

“If you have something to say, spit it out!”

“I killed someone!”

“Yes, that’s why you’re in the Eighth Legion, you dolt. What the hell are you talking about?”

“No, I mean like, just now.”

“What?”

Musgal asked, surprised. The other instructor jumped up from his seat. Laviris cleared his throat and stepped between Jan and Musgal.

“Let me explain, sir.”

Laviris explained what had just happened. He defended Jan, while making himself sound as neutral as possible. Musgal nodded, as he stroked his chin. He listened carefully to Laviris’s words.

“Well, I guess it was inevitable. But we can’t just let you off. Both of you are starving for two days.”

“Two days?”

Jan questioned.

“You just made it three.”

Laviris covered Jan’s mouth before he could say anything else

“Thank you for your understanding, sir.”

“Yeah, now get out.”