"Are you crazy? Don't you know how sharp the sword's blades are?" Marco glared at the out-of-breath Amishta. She was performing the last step, in which she needed to twist her body with a kick and sway the sword back to her, but since she was exhausted, she lost control of the sword and nearly wounded herself.
She can't help herself but lie on the floor. She doesn't mind anything but just trying to regain her strength. She knew for sure that her speed was not that bad, but since she never wanted to be just a soldier, her pace was so slow. She needs to push herself more.
"Are you even listening to me?" Amishta just closed her eyes and breathed. Marco, pull her and try to make her stand or, more likely, sit. Marco grabbed a water and offered it to Amishta. Since Amishta was deep in thought, Marco just sprinkled water on Amishta's face. Marco was annoyed, but at the same time he felt bad for Amishta.
"Thank you." Amishta got a hold of the water jug and chugged it. She can't get enough of the water, and she even pours it on her face. She just needs refreshment as the sun is scorching hot.
"Amishta, why do I feel like you're getting whiter?" Marco pointed his finger at Amishta's face. Amishta's eyes widened, and she mentally cursed herself. She was in the middle of a disguise. Even if my sweat can't affect it, water surely does, especially since she pours lots of water on her face.
She was sure that her disguise would not be seen, but her action without thinking would make her a little bit different. Though it was just a skin color, it was part of the disguise, so Amishta bowed her head and made her hair cover her face. She can't be seen, or else her disguise will be figured out even sooner. She knew that she couldn't hide herself until the end, but she wanted first to become stronger before she revealed herself.
She ran out of the training grounds, and most soldiers looked at her weirdly. She doesn't care, but she needs to go back to the inner mansion to put back on her disguise. In the midst of running, she bumped the captain. The impact was not that bad, but it already caused Amishta to fall down.
Amishta's face was seen by the captain, though her princess look was still nothing compared to the disguise she had. The captain still sees her beauty, but not all out. The captain sensed the abnormality of her identity, but since he saw that she was using a disguise, it just confirmed that she is not a normal girl who intends to join the army.
"Who are you?" Captain asked, which stunned Amishta. She looked at the middle-aged man in front of her and agreed to his bearing; thus, she smiled.
"Captain, do you think it is not your place to ask? Since you are intelligent, then probably you doubt my identity, but no worries. I just wanted to learn martial arts. You can still treat me the same, and I won't become a nuisance to you." Amishta smirked and got up. She fixed herself a little bit and walked away.
"What is your affinity to the General?" He whispered to himself but was scared when he saw the General beside him.
"You don't need to know. You just need to train her in the meanest way possible."
"But she can't seem to take it. What if she dies from---"
"She won't die. She just can't."
Captain Luke stopped questioning and just nodded to the general. Since he trusted the general with his life, he will just forget about it and do his job. Even if he is older than the General, when it comes to the battlefield, the General saved his life countless times; thus, the respect he has for the General is more than just the novel blood and seniority of ranks.
Amishta quickly finished her disguise and went back to the training ground. Marco was impatiently waiting for her. The break seems to end, and the soldiers are lining up.
"Where the heck did you go? Do you know that you will be punished with 10 laps run with weights if you dare to be late while training? You are not yet an official soldier, but you act as if you are, Princess. Amishta, even if you are the only girl here, you are not an exception to the rules here, especially since they have their eyes on you. If you commit further mistakes, they will push you out of here."
Marco was very knowledgeable but quite innocent in his surroundings. He actually forgot that he discovered Amishta's disguise and was even worried about Amishta's punishment if ever she was late. Amishta missed her two older brothers; thus, the presence of Marco lessened it.
"Yes, sir!" Amishta straightened herself and looked at Marco respectfully, but they both knew that Amishta was just acting, so Marco couldn't do anything but scratch his head and forcefully smile.
"You win." Marco sighed, and Amishta giggled.
"Soldiers, formation!" The captain shouted, and the soldiers quickly fixed themselves. The captain is the trainer of the beginners; thus, all the soldiers except the officers are just new because the veterans are in the barracks, which is quite far from them but not too far. The general only visited the training grounds because of Amishta, but without her, the general will probably only visit it if needed.
"We will have a friendly swordplay today as scheduled. The winner shall receive a prize, and the loser shall receive a punishment. It will be your choice who will be your partner, but I don't want a scripted play but rather a good one because you will suffer if you try to fool me. The vice captain will explain further and will facilitate the play, but I will be watching all of you. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Captain!"
"As the captain said, I will give the rules. Since you are just a beginner, you are to choose someone to play with. Play with all your heart and strength; the game will only be done if someone surrenders or someone nearly gets killed. Only killing is not allowed, but some wounds should be fine."
"Lastly, if you win, then you're safe, but if you lose, you will be given a second chance to fight with a different person, and if you still lose, then you shall be punished. The punishment is something everyone wouldn't want." The vice captain smirked at all the soldiers.
"Now, I will give you a minute to choose your pair, or if you won't, then I choose for you." All soldiers agreed and found their pair. They tend to choose someone that can match their skill.
"As much as I wanted to pair with you, the circumstances won't allow it. Your level of swordsmanship probably can't match mine. I am sorry," Marco stated regretfully. Amishta smiled and assured him. She knew that she was still learning basics, especially swordsmanship, as the modern world prevented her from learning so.
"Go. Find someone who is your match, and I'll just support you anyway." Marco hesitantly looked for a pair, leaving Amishta. At the time's end, Amishta was not able to find someone she could play with because they always underestimated her.
"Since you and that girl don't have a pair, then you pair with her." The vice captain pointed at Amishta while looking at the skinny man beside him. The skinny man is also just a new recruit that happened to enter just this morning. He seemed to be deprived of food but didn't act hungry. Maybe he ate something after entering the training grounds.
Everyone was quite amused and mocking at their team as they both looked like someone who can't fight, but with the presence of their captain, they just spoke to themselves and didn't dare voice out their opinion. Even the vice captain was quite irritated at seeing them. They were practically training the best soldiers in the country, and they all thought that the pair was not up to the title.
The pair was halved into two. The first batch easily fights and determines who the winners and the losers are. The second batch was most soldiers are quite excited for, as Amishta and her pair will fight. The soldiers wanted to see something that they wanted to laugh at.
Amishta tried to observe the skinny man, and she actually got goosebumps as she felt a certain aura of the man. She knew that he was not her match and that he was a proficient martial artist. She can't help but sigh at her bad luck. Though she knew that she would not have a chance, she would have the opportunity to learn something.
"I am sorry in advance," the man shyly stated, but Amishta smiled.
"It is fine. Don't show mercy on me. Give me something that I can learn." The skinny man was stunned and stared at Amishta for a second and nodded.
Amishta concentrated her mind on the fight. She knew that her peer was being considerate with her, as she would lose already if he went all out. She manages to display the knowledge she just gained regarding swordsmanship. The onlookers were quite amazed at how they saw the two fight in sync, but only the captain knew that the skinny man was practicing Amishta's skill. Amishta's skills were not bad, though.