She looked at him blankly, then her expression hardened.
“If it caused you to sweat so much, was it a nightmare?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t even remember what the dream was about.”
Ash responded in a strange tone.
It was a dream he often had. Always the same dream. He couldn’t remember the contents, but knew it was never pleasant. Rather it was closer to a nightmare.
“But if you’re breaking out into a cold sweat, it probably wasn’t a good dream.”
“Maybe. Its something I’m used to anyways, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Used to it… Do you have dreams like this often? When did they begin?”
“…”
He couldn’t remember exactly when the dreams began. They had been reoccurring since he was very young, so he was used to it.
However, on the days when he had the dream, he was always in a bad mood. But today, that didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps because something so absurd happened, it blew away the normal feeling.
“Anyway, lets end this conversation and move on. Shouldn’t you be unpacking into your new room?”
He waved his hand lightly as if done with the topic and told her to move on with what she was doing. Elaine who was still looking at him in concern, appeared dissatisfied for a moment, but then sighed softly and turned around.
She was deep in thought as she walked down the hallway.
He didn’t specify, but if he was already used to it by now, he’s likely been having the same dream for a very long time. She didn’t know exactly what kind of dream it was, but if it’s a dream that bothers Ash, she hoped it didn’t happen anymore. She didn’t know if it would help with the nightmares, but she would have to look for an herb that would help him get a good night’s sleep.
Then, the rest of the day passed as usual. If there was anything unusual, it would just be that the day started off slightly louder than normal.
***
The assassin and the maid that had been captured alive during the attack were released from the prison the next day, as cold, stiff corpses. Even after being interrogated, they had chosen to commit suicide without revealing who was behind the attack.
February 22nd, a few days later. The Knights of Philres left for training camp. It would last 3 days and 2 nights. A schedule that was neither short, nor long.
***
The training camp location was an unnamed, remote mountain some distance away from the territory. The Knights of Philres departed in the morning and arrived there around noon.
“Wow…”
The knights exclaimed in admiration as they looked at the scene before them.
Sheer cliffs filled their line of sight. In the middle of it all was a large waterfall that was pouring down into a rushing stream. The knights settled down into the field below the cliff and had lunch. Lunch consisted of a meal that had been pre-packaged from the estate. The clear skies and crisp sound of the waterfall made the meal even more enjoyable.
Elaine asked Ash, who was sitting next to her.
“How did you find this place?”
“Its somewhere I discovered by chance during a mission. I thought it would be a good place to hold camp this time.”
After finishing his meal, Ash stood up. The other knights had also all finished and were tidying up their space.
After a while, Ash spoke up while looking over all the knights who were gathered in one place.
“Has everyone had enough to eat?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Well, now that we have filled our stomachs, it’s time to begin our warmup.”
“…?”
As he spoke with a meaningful tone, the knights looked at him in confusion. He then gestured to the top of the mountain and continued.
“Our final destination is over there.”
On the top of the cliff, there was a field surrounded by a forest. That seemed to be the best place to make camp, but what did it have to do with warming up?
While the new members looked puzzled, the expressions of the other members began to change as if they had already guessed what would come out of his mouth next.
“From here on, we will be making our way up to that the cliff. You can use any method you would like to get there and…”
The corner of Ash’s mouth rose. He pointed to the waterfall as if delivering a final verdict.
“The last seven to arrive will be punished.”
The faces of the new knights were filled with dread. Whether they liked it or not, they were forced to accept the situation, as Ash had already given the signal to begin.
As soon as the signal was given, the knights began to rush forward, one by one. Some ran toward the forest leading up the cliff, while others began to climb directly up the cliff. He said that you could take any means to get to the destination, all you had to do was get there fast.
The cliff had a unique shape. The sections were divided into levels, like stairs, making it easier to climb up. In terms of simple, straight line distance, climbing the cliff was the fastest. On the other hand, the forest path was farther to travel.
However, you could run faster on the forest path, so it was hard to say which method would be more advantageous.
All of the knights did their best to avoid becoming a victim. After a while, seven people were chosen to enter the waterfall.
