Chapter 120 - Baptism by Fire (Part 1)

They reached the military camp in a few hours. They used the carriage of the Anisens to get there. Renaria made them bring so many things to make sure that Vaughn would be comfortable while he was staying in the military camp.

Ovid recalled the conversation he had with his wife earlier.

"I don't want to lose this son-in-law. He is someone hard to come by. Zenzen will never find another man like him."

"My little Zenzen can always live with us for the rest of her life. We don't need a son-in-law to take care of her."

"Then, I should just go back to my maternal home. My family can support me just fine, and they don't need a son-in-law like you either."

"My wife, I will follow your arrangement. I will train and treat our son-in-law very well."

Ovid looked at Vaughn with scrutiny. Based on his recent duel with Zenia, he had a strong foundation, but he lacked certain skills that could help him advance.

"Since when have you been wielding a sword?" Ovid asked out of curiosity.

Vaughn was startled by the sudden question, but he still answered politely.

"I started when I was seven, sir."

"Hmm, it's quite late. Zenzen started when she was five, and Zander when he was three."

Vaughn was shocked when he learned that the Anisen siblings started so early. It was no wonder that the big ape was so strong.

"And your martial arts?"

Vaughn was confused. They had always been practicing swordsmanship and martial arts at the same time in Tissuria.

"It's at the same time that I started wielding my sword, sir."

"Now I know where to start. I need to strengthen your martial arts. In Ishelon, we need to strengthen our martial arts first before we wield a weapon. Although we usually use swords of different lengths, we also have other weapons that you may never see anywhere else."

"Zenzen also designed some weapons for us."

"She got those ideas from the different kingdoms that we visited before. She always had a talent in designing weapons even when she was still very young."

"I have seen it, sir. She is someone who puts her heart and mind in everything that she does."

"I hope that you will never disappoint my daughter. If you are no longer interested to have her around, you can quickly tell us so we can take her…"

"That will never happen, father-in-law. I promise to love her forever and keep her safe from harm."

Ovid liked his son-in-law's response. He smiled.

"I believe your words, but I doubt that you can keep her safe from harm with your current abilities. I surmise that my Zenzen will be the one who will protect you instead."

Vaughn bowed his head and kept quiet.

'Mother-in-law, can I tell you later that father-in-law is bullying me? No wonder that big ape is like that. Like father like son.'

The carriage stopped and Ovid got down, "Come let me introduce you to my men."

They walked to the camp where some of the men were taking a break. They continued to keep their bodies in shape and in tough condition even though Ishelon was not under any threat.

Not far from them, Zander was currently discussing something with the messenger. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand and pointing at something. The appearance of the messenger looked familiar to Vaughn.

"Men this is my son-in-law, Vaughn. In two days, he will be joining you for his training. We need to strengthen him and get him ready."

"Welcome to the camp lad, we will take good care of you." 

Everyone sneered while looking at Vaughn. Somehow, he got a bad feeling about it.

Someone gave Ovid a sort of uniform. He checked it and nodded his head in approval.  

"Change into this." Ovid threw the uniform to Vaughn and added, "This is more comfortable to wear during training. It does not limit your movement and the material won't cling to your body even if you are sweating a lot."

"Thank you, sir." Vaughn excused himself to get changed into the uniform.

"Master, is that Junior Commander's wife ?" One of the men could no longer contain his curiosity and asked immediately when Vaughn left.

Ovid shook his head and hoped that Vaughn did not hear how he was addressed. They were all men and were used to the term  wife  when they talked about their spouse.

"Yes, he is Zenia's better half. But, I need you to go harsh on him to push him to his limits. A husband should protect his wife and not the other way around."

Everyone nodded in unison. They should work together to turn this "Vaughn" into someone worthy of their Junior Commander.

When Vaughn returned, everyone looked at him and grinned. Vaughn shivered and hoped that he would be able to survive the ordeal.

* * * * *

Zenia did not waste anymore time and trained her body. It had been a while since she was able to train her body in such a way. Staying in Tissuria made her slack off. She just realized that they still had no idea who their enemies were. She was torn between staying and getting back with Vaughn. Regardless, she should still give it her all in their rematch. 

Renaria was observing her daughter who had her full attention on her training. Zenia failed to detect the presence of her mother. She knew that she could let her guard down at her maternal home. Renaria sighed when she saw that Zenia was working hard.

'Does she really want to stay here for a long time?'

Renaria put the tray of snacks and refreshments on the table without disturbing Zenia. She took one last look at her daughter before heading out of the Anisen Manor with some servants to buy their supplies. She was confident that Vaughn would be able to defeat Zenia in their rematch. He would do everything that he could to bring his wife back with him.

* * * * *

Vaughn had never thought that the training in Ishelon was worlds apart with Tissuria. He felt like his entire body was tearing apart, but he couldn't give up. He also felt that his strength had increased even though they just started a few hours ago. 

Ovid wanted to ask Vaughn if he wanted to take a break, but he saw the determination in Vaughn's face. Ovid knew that Vaughn was already tired, and he was trying his best not to let it show on his face. 

Vaughn was pressing for time, and he wanted to know what was going on with the group of people that they left in the villa. He also wanted to know what was going on in his palace. He knew that the King and the Left Minister were scheming something, but he could not think of anything.

"Son-in-law, you must focus. Don't think of anything else while you are on training. No one will harm you here in the training ground. Our defense barrier is excellent. Not even a fly could pass through." Ovid's voice reverberated in the air, and Vaughn regained his focus.

When he finished the course for the day, he only got a day left to join the other men. Judging from their abilities, he still needed a few weeks to catch up. He had no other choice but to learn everything within the limited time that he had. He knew that the next day would be more strenuous and demanding. He could only persevere until the end. Quitting was far from his mind.