Chapter 56 - Test

Zaos kept his neutral expression after hearing that, no. In fact, he was showing a slightly bored expression. Meanwhile, Drannor was showing a forced smile.

"We will depart in half an hour, so stay nearby and don't do anything foolish," Elius said. "All of you will lead this sorry excuse of a battalion with me. I have to make an example out of you if you don't follow the rules. There is nothing better than making rich kids endure some punishment to make the new recruits on the line."

"Yes, sir," Zaos said.

When Elius began to look at the entrance gate while waiting from late dumbasses, Zaos took a good look around. It was the first time he left the capital, and much to his surprise, he couldn't see anything aside from a land full of life. The grass was so green and full of life, and that was a sign that these lands haven't been bathed by blood in centuries. There were some trees here and there, but there was no real obstacle insight in several kilometers. While the city guards knew nothing but peace, they still made sure to keep their surroundings open and as large as possible.

"Maybe I made the wrong choice, I won't be able to see much green up North, thus my encyclopedia will be close to useless," Zaos thought.

Since he was going on a journey that would start outside the capital, Zaos thought that he would be making the most use of his time by studying some plants. That was why he brought an alchemist's encyclopedia. By doing so, he would be able to learn a few more tricks. After all, the travel itself would already be a very decent physical training.

Zaos thought that things would quiet down after a while. However, the other kids from the other noble houses were still looking and whispering about Zaos and Drannor. Now that Zaos thought about it, neither Laiex nor Drian tried to make their kids interact with other people that lived outside the central part of the capital, at least not nobles. That seemed odd, given that their families probably had to work with several others to keep things under control. It would be in their best interest to make the future heads of the houses get along with the same generation of heads.

"Kids sure are troublesome as always…" Zaos shrugged.

Although Elius waited for some newcomers, there was no way that people who actually wanted to join the army would miss the time of such an important and yearly event. So, not a single kid appeared after half an hour. That being said, some soldiers bringing horses and carts appeared, and Zaos noticed that they were only bringing food.

"Listen to me, weaklings!" Elius raised his voice. "The kingdom itself would be paying for your food from now on, but these carts don't have a single use. Those who are surpassed by them, will be disqualified for the army. We will March from dawn to dusk, only stopping for the meals. Also, the carts are going to get lighter as we progress, so the task of staying ahead of the horses will only become more difficult each day. I hope you all have fun."

Zaos had read that some officers really take a liking to bullying recruits, but that was on a whole new level. If the start was already that insane, none of the kids there could imagine what would be waiting for them in the Northern military base.

"We are departing!" Elius raised his voice again. "All of you, stay close. I already memorized your face and names, so if any of you is surpassed by the recruits behind you, you will be disqualified."

Elius began to march at a slightly accelerated pace, and the kids of noble houses followed him. Meanwhile, the new recruits stayed fifty meters away from them. At first, they were a really disorganized group. Still, then they eventually divided themselves into groups of thirty members because the carts were pretty behind them. Fortunately, the horses were just walking, so they could use the first day to get used to marching with armor on, but things will get complicated later on.

"Hey, Zaos, look at that," Drannor said. "It is a rabbit."

"Hey, Zaos, look at that," Drannor said. "It is a deer."

"Hey, Zaos, look at that," Drannor said. "It is a wild boar."

While Zaos was trying to keep his focus on the vegetation in order to look for some unusual plants, Drannor was losing his focus thanks to every single thing that moved along the way. Regardless, Zaos decided to scold the idiot since his voice was getting too loud.

"We are not in a picnic, dumbass," Zaos said. "That guy already said that he doesn't like us and won't go easy on us. Don't give him any more reasons for him to try to make our life harder."

"My bad," Drannor smiled. "It is just… I feel so free right now and everything seems so fresh and new."

While Zaos could understand that feeling, it wasn't the time nor the place to think that. At least for the time being, they should focus and get used to the task ahead. After all, not even Zaos, who trained every day for six hours, was used to spending so much time with his armor on.

"Mmm? That is…" Zaos frowned when he saw a weird brown plant a few meters away from the first group.

Zaos hesitated at first, but in the end, he dashed toward the plant and dug it from the ground before returning to the first group. Elius heard the sound of a set of armor moving away, but when he looked to his back, Zaos had already returned.

"You sure can dig fast…" Drannor frowned.

"I have studied the techniques to dig plants like this properly and in the last weeks, practiced in the garden of my home," Zaos replied.

It looked like Zaos had taken a liking to something weird again. While Drannor couldn't understand what Zaos was doing, he soon would be thankful for his weird hobbies.