Episode22(S1-17)：TRAINING TOWER
The next day, Grullius visits the training tower at The Royal Castle. Rubbing his sleepy eyes and scratching his disheveled hair, he exudes no dignity. Who would have guessed that he was a piece of ordinary people, the first of The Four Knights of the kingdom?
Morning birds dance in the cloud-colored sky. People begin to open their eyes to the sunrise and the beginning of their activities.
However, there are some brave men who begin their activities earlier than that. Among them are the soldiers under the command of Grullius, who begin their activities early in the morning. It is not done by someone's decree, but by their own will. The Four Knights are the first in the line of command, a position that every soldier in the nation looks up to with envy and admiration. It was an effort to fulfill the role under the command of the superior officer standing there.
And Grullius, too, is determined to reward his commanders for their dedication and devotion. Just to see them at a glance and praise their efforts is a prize for them.
Grullius knocks on the door of the training tower. A heavy, low thud sounds, and he puts his hand on the doorknob. He turns it, feeling the cold inorganic texture with his whole palm. From the end of the door, there is a high pitched clash of metal against metal, and the heat generated by the violent movement lingers, then the open door releases it all at once. Grullius looks around the room, frowning at the ear-splitting sound and the sweaty heat.
“As usual, you guys seem to be working hard early in the morning.”
The soldiers, recognizing his voice, each stopped moving and turned to face him on the spot. They then salute him in the royal style and wait for his response. Grullius takes one look at him and urges him to relax.
His troops, who are his tigers, are all dignified and look at him with a steady gaze. The fact that they are united under him in this way is a result of his character and personality, and a true manifestation of his selflessness.
Standing among them is a woman who works under his faithful command. Luna Sweatwalt stands one step ahead of him as the second-in-command of the unit.
“We are able to engage in training like this thanks to you, Sir Zernon. So, what in the world can we do for you this early in the morning?”
“As Grimwalde probably informed you yesterday, this is an expeditionary mission to Cars Amra. I have received permission from His Majesty the King. Therefore, we will set out five hours from now. Gentlemen. Make your preparations.”
“Awe. By the way, is the purpose of the mission solely about the poisonous swamps of Cars Amra?”
The question implies that "Are you going to scorn the investigation of the recent increase in damage caused by Hexenbiests? Although she had no intention of doing so, he could not ignore what she said. Therefore, Grullius scratched his head and let out a sigh.
“That's the plan, in a manner of speaking. In the case of Hexenbiests, it would be foolish to chase two hares and get nothing but one hare. However, if we happen to run into them, that will not be the case.”
His commanders are all very hot-blooded. They are belligerent, and a survey mission is not enough for them. Grullius, who knows them well, tells them that they have a strong offensive intention against the Hexenbiests. He also knew their strong desire to go on the offensive against the Hexenbiests, and he was a little arrogant in wanting to solve the problem of the Hexenbiests if at all possible.
“Yes, sir. However, Cars Amra is also an area controlled by The Dragonutes. I can think of a possible futile conflict with them: ......”
The Dragonutes are in a special position, living within The Kingdom of Prerahar, but with a certain right to independence. There is no particular problem for merchants and tourists to visit, but if an armed group were to enter, it is essential to make a special prior declaration. Failure to do so would result in unnecessary fighting and the resulting loss of labor and time. Knowing the danger, Luna asks Grullius.
“I have already sent them a letter yesterday regarding this. I would like to add that what is needed is not an application but a notification. In other words, once you have sent them a message, you don't have to wait for their reply. If we enter before they see it, we will have a good cause.”
Grullius turns on his heel and says, "I'm looking forward to working with you. He asked them to take care of the rest. They saluted him and he disappeared. Only his tiger soldiers remained.
Luna, who had just released her salute, looked back and smiled. It is a simple expression of her state of mind and at the same time sprinkles a goddess-like peacefulness.
“Well, it looks like we have some time before we leave, so let's keep working out for a while.”
Luna pulls out her sword, the blade of which has been smashed for training purposes, and walks to the center of the room. The almost murderous high spirits emanating from her body made both men and women shrivel up, and made cold sweat run down their backs. Some of them are intimidated by it, as if they want to complain about whether this is really a training exercise, while others are determined to make it this time. She laughs coldly as she watches them.
“Okay, come on, take it from whoever you want. I'll beat them all up.”
Back at The Royal Castle, Grullius walks silently down a long corridor. The sound of his shoes pounding on the stone floor reverberates high in the air, and the morning sun pours in through the huge windows on the sides.
We have some time before we leave. In the meantime, let's have a little chat.
Grullius laughs at himself for being so pressed for time, letting out a tired sigh in his mind. He encourages himself that it is much better than wasting time in his spare time, and proceeds on his way. He taps four times on the towering double swinging door, then opens it and peeks in. There, he finds all the members of The Four Knights, including himself, standing in front of him. The gesture of reaching for the prepared teacups is graceful and bold, and even Galianot, a genuine warrior, looks good.
“What, you're here too, Maxwell?”
“I don't feel good about leaving me out of the group. Besides, it's better to share the Hexenbiests thing as much as possible.”
He beckons Grullius to sit down. At his prompting, he sits down on the sofa. Immediately, a teacup with a hint of steam rising from it is placed in front of him, and the waiter leaves the room. Only The Four Knights are left alone in the large room.
Grullius holds the teacup in his hand, and gradually brings it up to his lips. The aroma of the steam and the fragrance that rises from the cup is slightly sweet and warms the body that has been exposed to the early morning breeze, which is still chilly due to the season. There were no baked sweets prepared, but if there had been, it would have been a perfect setting for a long, quiet tea ceremony.
With a slight feeling of regret, he opens his mouth, but he is determined not to neglect the main topic of the meeting.
“Sorry to have you all here so early in the morning.”
“Don't worry about it. You have to be out of here before noon, right?”
“It is said that freshness of information is vital, so it is not something you should be particularly concerned about.”
Aela and Ephemera deny his words, which begin with an apology at the outset. They are the ones who have been at the center of the investigation of the explosion on the plain and the resulting damage to the Hexenbiests, which is currently on the chopping block. If he was told to do so by these women, who were probably devoting the most time and effort to the project, Grullius had no choice but to follow their advice.
“So, how did it go? You went to see the remains of the explosion on the plain, right?”
“Yeah, It was pretty bad. It's probably going to take Maxwell 10 days to get there.”
“Well, that's quite something, isn't it?”
The grinning, toothy smile in Galianot's eyes was not a smile at all. Rather, it was a look of the utmost caution, as if he had taken the gravity and danger of the situation to heart.