Having heard the candid opinions of the knights, Van immediately headed to the training grounds to find Dee.
"Sei! Sei! Hn! Ha!"
The wind howled, and the trees in the distance swayed. The sound of Dee’s voice calling out in unison with the wind reached my ears, and I instinctively stopped walking. The training grounds were vast, and Dee was practicing his swordsmanship right in the center. Other knights were training as well, but it seemed like they were completely intimidated by Dee’s movements.
I always think this, but Dee’s practice swings are clearly not normal. Targa and Orto are also amazing when they seriously swing their swords, but Dee takes it to another level. By the way, his stamina is abnormal as well, and if a plague ever spread through the Seato Order and wiped out everyone, Dee might end up taking turns guarding Ceat Village and the fortress city of Murcia by himself. I’m sure Dee would willingly make the round trip every day.
When someone with such extraordinary abilities trains, it might be impossible for ordinary people to keep up.
"Dee!"
I called out, and Dee, in a wind-god-like state, stopped his practice and immediately ran toward me.
"Oh, Van-sama! What brings you here!?"
Dee’s eyes sparkled, and I decided to give him a little preface.
"I’m not here to train, alright?"
"Oh? That’s a shame! But at least, how about doing one hundred practice swings and running as exercise?"
"I’m not doing that!"
"Such a shame! Hahaha!"
We had that exchange, and Dee laughed heartily, showing his teeth. With his usual carefree demeanor, I tried casually bringing up the topic of training.
"By the way, training seems pretty tough lately. Are you alright? Arv and Lou aren’t about to collapse, are they?"
I subtly brought up the two knight candidates, hoping to gauge Dee’s response. Dee crossed his arms and smirked.
"Hoh! Indeed, I’ve been giving them somewhat harsh training to ensure they can handle being knight commanders someday! Could it be that one of them has been complaining?"
"No, strangely enough, neither of them complains, even though they look like they’re about to collapse. But from a distance, I started to worry if they’re alright."
"I see! That’s a good thing! They’re both doing well! I’m sure they’ll try even harder now that they know Van-sama is concerned about them!"
Dee said with a laugh. It seemed that Arv and Lou were being pushed even harder than the others in their training. But since neither of them complained, maybe they’ll manage somehow? No, most of the knights are still rookies who’ve only been knights for about a year. Maybe it’s a mistake to compare them with veterans like Arv and Lou.
"It would be a problem if they collapsed, so maybe we should reduce the training level just a bit? Do you think they’ll be fine as is?"
I asked, and Dee gave a thoughtful look before answering.
"Hmm... Well, the training is currently divided into five levels. There’s the special-class training that I and Targa conduct, the ultra-advanced training for Arv, Lou, and the knight commander candidates, the advanced training for Kamshin and the regular knights, the intermediate training for Van-sama and the rookie knights, and finally, the basic training for those who’ve been in the order for less than six months."
"Wait, I’m in the intermediate training!? It’s that tough!?"
"Since Van-sama has less time for training, your sessions are more condensed, but twice as intense. If you had a full half-day for training, the intensity would be halved, and it would be the regular level of training."
"Wait, you’ve been cramming it in...?"
I was shocked when I heard Dee’s explanation. Originally, I should have been in intermediate training, but if the intensity was increased like this, it was probably more difficult than advanced training. No wonder I was getting close matches even when sparring with the other knights. And it was also shocking for the knights to face me.
"By the way, have you been reviewing the training content?"
"Reviewing the training... Well, I think we do it once a month."
"Oh, that’s impressive."
I knew Dee was passionate about training, but I was impressed that he actually reviewed it regularly. I tried praising him for it, but Dee shook his head seriously.
"Originally, I wanted to divide the stages of training even more, but we don’t have enough personnel. Thanks to Targa coming in, the formation training and tactical basics have become more solid, but there’s still a lot to learn. Well, even so, the knights’ stamina and swordsmanship have improved quite a bit."
"Wow, I see. They’re really growing, huh?"
I nodded repeatedly, like a parent watching over their children. Dee smiled proudly and pointed to the knights training nearby.
"That knight, El, has been with the order for a year. He moved from basic to intermediate training six months ago, and now he practices his swings during free time like this. I think it might be a little early, but I’d consider letting him try the advanced training."
"Wow, that’s amazing!"
I said, and Dee smiled happily, nodding in approval.
"Hahaha! Over there, Eddie, who’s training nearby, has only just started intermediate training, but his stamina has doubled. They say those who run a lot will grow a lot. And there’s Raeri, who’s been with us for two years but still hasn’t moved up to advanced training."
"Really? Is he alright?"
I grew concerned and looked at the young man who seemed to be Raeri, training further in the back. Dee nodded with a laugh.
"He’s a serious one! He seems to struggle with quick decision-making, but people like him will quickly improve once they find their rhythm. Also, those who’ve struggled to improve their skills have spent a lot of time thinking and worrying along the way. He’ll be a great instructor later on. In that sense, Raeri is a knight to look forward to in the long run!"
Dee said, shaking his shoulders and laughing happily. Despite the growing number of knights, Dee still paid attention to each one of them. He was a strict yet kind teacher.
"…I see. Alright, I’ll leave it to you, Dee. But still, the knights’ efforts are incredible. If possible, could you tell me more about the others next time?"
After hearing Dee’s approach to training, I decided I could trust him with it and said that. Dee smiled broadly and nodded deeply.
"Ah! I’m so glad to hear that! Alright, I’ll prepare a report about each knight’s status and their future prospects! It’ll be a good learning experience for Arv and Lou too! Hahaha!"
"Eh? No, I think I’ll pass on the report? If we do that, it’ll just mean more paperwork..."
"Oh, don’t worry! It’ll only be about a thousand sheets or so! Hahaha!"
And so, I ended up increasing my workload yet again.
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