"Hey, isn’t that Clay! What’s up? You joining this suburban training too?"

"Well, yeah. Something like that."

"Oh, that look on your face—it’s the same as when you get dragged off out of nowhere!"

"You figured that out pretty easily..."

The knights' garrison was starting to feel oddly familiar. The usually desolate area in front of the entrance was buzzing with activity today. Soldiers loaded supplies onto wagons, and knights meticulously checked their equipment. Everyone looked unusually focused, their expressions dead serious.

"Well, after training together for three months, you pick up on these things. Lord Feid hasn’t changed a bit, huh?"

"Seriously... one day, I’m gonna take that old geezer down..."

"Haha! I’d love to see that day come!"

Among this crowd, I blended in, chatting casually with some soldiers I’d befriended during training.

As you might have guessed from my surroundings and the knights around me, I’d been roped into this suburban training exercise with the knights’ order at the last minute.

"This is the knights’ garrison... it’s my first time here..."

"I’m so excited, brother!"

For some reason, Alice and Freesia had come along too.

That damn geezer had casually asked if they wanted to tag along, and both of them immediately agreed. I could understand Alice coming, but Freesia was a duke’s daughter. When I asked whether it was okay for her to join on such short notice, the old man smugly said, "I got permission from the higher-ups early this morning."

It suddenly made sense why the usually idle geezer had been bustling about, and I was dumbfounded by his inexplicable enthusiasm.

While I appreciated his dedication to his apprentice’s education, mixing work and personal matters seemed a bit much. Not that I should be surprised at this point. The lax discipline around here apparently allowed such antics, which could also be seen as a testament to how much trust they placed in one knight: Feid Granger. But admitting that would feel like a loss, so I kept it to myself—a small act of defiance.

"Attention!"

Lost in my complaints and dissatisfaction with reality, I was snapped back by a sharp command that tightened the atmosphere. Turning toward the voice, I saw the self-important old man standing with the knight serving as the commander of this operation.

"Well, I suppose he really is important..."

Even so, his stance—arms crossed and standing like a statue—got on my nerves. Feid then explained the details of the suburban training exercise directly to the knights.

"This training will last four days, including travel. It’s been a while since we’ve been out in the field, so don’t get too carried away."

"Yes, sir!"

The knights responded earnestly to his teasing tone. Their discipline was impressive, to say the least.

Suburban training, huh?

The destination for this exercise was Bayralell Forest, located northwest of the capital. The plan was to conduct a two-day survival training camp there. For something I’d been dragged into on a whim, the training was surprisingly intense. That old man was clearly out of his mind.

Even so, Alice and Freesia were visibly excited.

"My first time in the forest... I can’t wait, brother!"

"The forest... training... monsters... That’s it, Clay! This time, let’s make it a competition to see who can defeat the most monsters during training!"

Seriously?

Alice’s excitement was understandable, but I wished Freesia would approach this with a bit more caution—or at least pretend to. This wasn’t a game; the risks were real.

"Alice, it’ll probably be safe since the old man and I are here, but there are plenty of dangers outside. Always stay alert."

"Okay! Got it!"

"And Freesia, you really need to take this seriously. This isn’t the usual safe training. There’s no absolute guarantee of safety this time."

"Fine, fine... I was just joking a little."

No way. That face wasn’t joking.

I’d said my piece, but who knew how effective it would be? She looked genuinely regretful, so I decided to let it go and refocused on Feid’s briefing.

"Form up! Let’s get moving! Prepare yourselves!"

"Yes, sir!"

At Feid’s command, the knights sprang into action. Just as I was taking in their intense energy, his voice called out to me.

"Clay! You’re joining Gordon’s squad!"

"Fine, but what about Alice and Freesia?"

I raised my voice slightly to be heard over the distance, and Feid’s reply boomed back twice as loud.

"They’ll be with me! Move it!"

"Why is Clay with another squad? I want to be in the same group as him!"

"I want to stay with my brother too!"

The two protested, but Feid shouted them down.

"Stop being selfish! It’s already risky enough taking you two into the forest. If you can’t follow orders, I’ll leave you behind!"

"...!"

For once, the old man’s stern handling of them highlighted the seriousness of this training. As the two reluctantly went to join him, he shouted one last thing to me.

"Clay! You know why I put you with the others, right? It’s your first training like this. You might feel lost or unsure, but handle it well. The mission is to come back alive, got it?"

"Yeah, I get it!"

With that, the old man stepped down and disappeared, likely heading to the front of the line. Following his instructions, I moved to join my squad, though they found me first.

"Hey, Clay! Looks like we’re together this time. Let’s get along."

"Sure. Looking forward to working with you, Gordon, Luid, Rill."

The greeting came from the two male knights I’d been chatting with earlier and a female knight I’d seen a few times during training.

Gordon, a middle-aged knight with a scruffy beard; Luid, a tall and gentle-looking young man; and Rill, a woman with long, tied-back, dark brown hair.

The suburban training exercise consisted of 59 knights, with me making an even 60. We were split into 15 squads for this survival exercise. The scale of this operation was impressive. Thanks to their rigorous daily training, the squads formed within minutes of receiving orders.

After exchanging quick pleasantries, we set off as the squads ahead of us began moving. And so, the suburban training began.