CH 48

Beginning of Training

The headquarters of the Patrol Corps was located next to the gate separating the noble and commoner districts. It was less than a quarter of an hour by carriage from the academy.

It consisted of a staff room where many people worked, dormitories, and a training area that wasn’t as large as the academy’s training hall but was spacious enough to accommodate a large number of people.

Unlike the academy, there was little to no decoration inside the headquarters, as the emphasis was on practicality. The simple white plaster building gave a strong masculine and rugged impression.

“I was a little nervous, but I was relieved to see some of the seniors who graduated last year.”

Cody secretly patted his chest as he walked behind the corps members who were leading the way.

There were 35 students from the academy who came to the Patrol Corps. Sheila and Cody were at the tail end of the group due to their status.

“There were seniors you knew?”

“Well, Sheila enrolled this year, so you don’t know a lot of people. For example, see that guy over there?”

As Sheila listened back, Cody indicated to one of the soldiers leading the way.

Ahead of her was a young man with short blond hair, charming sky-blue eyes, and a face with fine lines, but with a rugged physique that was exquisitely out of proportion.

“That’s Isaac Breitlia-senpai. He was last year’s dormitory leader.”

The word “dormitory leader” reminded Sheila of Axe.

Perhaps because Isaac was tall, he didn’t seem very muscular. However, upon closer inspection, his chest was much firmer than Axe’s. The smile on his face was also very similar, although the impression one got from him was different.

“Somehow, it feels like the completed form of the dormitory leader….”

“You noticed, didn’t you? Isaac-sama is the second older brother of the dormitory leader.”

Sheila’s eyes widened at Cody’s affirmation.

That refreshing Isaac was a brother to the stuffy-looking Axe.

“――Eh. The dormitory leader is definitely from a Count family, right? Why is Isaac-sama in the Patrol Corps instead of the Imperial Knights?”

He didn’t have to go out of his way to join the Patrol Corps. When Sheila raised her eyebrows and wondered, Cody gave her a troubled smile.

“The story is a bit more complicated than that… There is a family tradition that any boy born into the Breitlia family spends five years of their life, from the ages of five to ten, in the commoner’s district.”

It was said that there had always been many youths who wanted to join the Patrol Corps because they spent time in the downtown area and got to know more people.

Since Axe had four male siblings, it didn’t matter who took over the reins of the family.

“I see… The dormitory leader lived downtown once, too.”

Putting aside the wild family precepts of the Breitlia family, it became clear why Axe was so fluent in the downtown dialect.

“Cody seems to know a lot about the family traditions of other families.”

Come to think of it, he was always friendly with Axe. She wondered if the families were close to each other.

While they were talking, they arrived at a large space. From the array of tables, she guessed it was the cafeteria.

At the end of the hall, a row of strong soldiers lined up. In the center of the line stood a middle-aged man who looked incredibly intimidating.

He had brown, almost black, hair and eyes of the same color, as sharp as a hawk’s. His well-groomed mustache exuded dignity and authority.

“I am Matt Keenan, commander of the Patrol Corps. I will be your mentor for the next month. It’s a lot of work, and the discipline is much stricter than at the academy. However, I hope that you will gain a lot of practical experience here and return to the academy having grown as a person. It is up to you whether you will have a fruitful time or not.”

At Matt’s greeting, the tension among the students of the academy increased. Some of the students, who had been excited by the extraordinary situation, suddenly straightened their posture, as if their feelings had been compressed.

After the greetings, the students were led to the dormitory to drop off their luggage.

Walking ahead of Sheila and the others was a man named Zola. He was short and a little overweight, but he had a rock-solid presence.

The room they were shown was for four people. Other than a private toilet and bathroom, it was a drab and narrow room with only two bunk beds.

Sheila’s eyes lit up as she rushed to the bed.

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen bunk beds.”

The sheets were clean, but the mattress was so uncomfortable that it was likely to hurt her back. When she touched the ladder to get up to the top bunk, she heard a creaking sound.

“――Something like this isn’t all that uncommon.”

The one who entered the room while saying that was Hyderion, who was in the same grade.

“Hey, Hyderion. Are you by any chance sharing a room with me?”

“Is that bad?”

“No, not at all! I’ll be counting on you for the month.”

When she smiled at him, Hyderion averted his gaze.

“I’d like to sleep on the top bunk. Is that okay?”

“You’re on a training program, not on a trip. Don’t be so excited over a bed.”

His light-colored eyes were filled with dismay.

Sheila’s lips pouted a little as she reflected on the inappropriateness of the situation.

“In the village where I grew up, we didn’t have beds. Everyone slept on the ground.”

Hyderion was stunned to hear that she slept on the ground.

“What a poor environment….”

“It was just the culture. We weren’t that poor, you know.”

As they were chatting with each other, the last person entered the room.

“Dilliam-senpai.”

Dilliam stood in the doorway, arms crossed and flustered. Sheila leaned over and called out to him.

“Senpai, do you want the top or the bottom bed? First come, first served, okay?”

“Who’s going to fight for the top bunk at this age? And anyway, it’s dangerous, so don’t get on it, you idiot!”

Dilliam shouted irritably. Sheila’s tea-colored eyes were staring straight at him, and her eyes softened even though she was being yelled at.

Unlike when he had been harassing her for a time, his words didn’t show even the slightest hint of hostility or malice. He must’ve disliked her, but it was strange that he didn’t feel gloomy.

‘I’ll do my best to get approval from Dilliam-senpai during this training period!’

Sheila secretly resolved in her mind.

Dilliam wrinkled his eyebrows as he strode forward and placed his luggage on the vacant upper bunk.

“――I knew it. I knew Dilliam-senpai would somehow choose the top bunk.”

When Sheila said that with a smile, he raised his eyebrows to hide his embarrassment.

“It’s because no one seemed to choose it, and I’m not particular about the beds!”

“I’m not sure how to say it, but somehow Dilliam-senpai seems to be more like me.”

“That’s a very unfavorable assessment!”

As they were fussing, they were urged by the members of the corps to hurry up and put down their luggage, so Sheila and the others hurriedly put down their bags.

They immediately gathered at the cafeteria where they just left and were first briefed on the work of the Patrol Corps.

The total number of personnel belonging to the Patrol Corps was about 100, and they were divided into the first and second units.

Only one unit was on duty at a time.

Ten people would watch over the city from a predetermined position, then ten others would go on several established patrol routes. They would rotate between the day and night shifts. The remaining ten were supposed to prepare for emergencies while doing paperwork at the headquarters, and after two days of this, the unit would be replaced.

However, even on those two days when they weren’t on duty, they weren’t always idle. One of those days was used for training at the training camp, which means that they actually had only one or two days off per week.

When patrolling the royal capital, they had to ensure they didn’t miss even the smallest problem. From things like pickpockets and robbers to even mediating marital quarrels, it was an important job. They said it was done in consideration of the possibility that a minor dispute in daily life might turn into a major incident.

“At all times, you must keep in mind that the four of you must always be in the same room together. When patrolling, you should follow the two soldiers and listen carefully to what your seniors say.”

“Yes, sir!”

The energetic replies from all the academy students brought a satisfied smile to the soldier who was explaining the situation.

After lunch, there was time for some light exercise in the training ground, and here, too, Sheila received individual instruction.

Sheila was given individual instruction, as she was the only one who couldn’t ride the horse that everyone else was supposed to be able to ride. Apparently, there were times when riding was necessary for an emergency.

“I’ve ridden a deer before….”

“That seems difficult. How do you do that?”

Isaac, who was in charge of her training, reacted with interest to Sheila’s muttering. Up close, he looked a lot like Axe.

Thanks to her familiarity with deer, she was able to quickly get into shape. She still had difficulty with running and galloping, but she was able to manage a fast walk.

Although she disrupted the group training, she was able to get to know Isaac quite well after they talked a lot about the difference in riding comfort between deer and a horse.

As was the case with Axe, Sheila wondered why she could talk so well with the meathead of the group.