"We'll start with improving your strength and fleshly body then." Decus smiled, waving at one of his men behind. After a while, the knight dropped a barrel in front of them, making a loud thud in the process.
"You'll carry that from here till the helm," Decus said, pointing at the barrel.
Although it seemed as if the barrel was lightweight from how carefree the knight looked carrying it, Spes gulped, recalling the sound it made when the knight dropped it.
"Good luck! Don't worry, I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines!" Liber laughed as his other self tried picking up the barrel.
"What's in this!" he grunted, managing to pull it off the ground with great effort and starting to head towards the ship's helm.
"You better not drop it too hard. Some of my men's swords are in there!" Decus went on and said another thing that would add to Spes's troubles. Not only had he to carry the heavy barrel up to the helm, but now he also had to be extra careful with it.
Each step he took was slow and heavy. The worst part was when he had to walk up the wooden stairs to get to the helm. He had to endure the pain in all his muscles as, step by step, he got closer to the helm.
After exerting himself to his limits, he finally got there and carefully dropped the barrel, then immediately slumped to the floor.
"Hehe, that's all you got, lad?! In me younger days I could carry that small box with me finger!" The old captain, Oblitus, laughed hysterically at Spes, who was just a few steps next to him.
Spes ignored him and stood up, taking out a flask of water from his spatial ring.
"I'm done, Decus!" he shouted below, taking a few sips from it.
"Oh no, you're not," Decus smiled.
"You'll have to bring it down here again," he said, pointing a finger at where he stood.
The young man then smiled wryly, recalling how hard it was for him to reach the helm. Now he had to do it again, but in reverse. Taking a deep breath, Spes stretched his back before going on to pick the barrel up again, his entire body shaking in the process.
And again, step by step, he went down the stairs, making an ugly face as all his muscles were tensing. It took him way longer to get down, bringing the barrel to Decus and then dropping dead on the floor.
This time, he stayed motionless, face down, not moving an inch. His entire body felt sore. Were he to move just a small bit, he would immediately get assaulted by intense muscle ache.
"Rest well," Decus chuckled, seeing the state the young man was in.
"You better, since you'll have to go back at it again by the time I finish eating this banana." He smiled, taking out a banana, slowly peeling it.
"Again?!" Spes shouted internally, not wanting to waste a single breath.
The young man then accepted his fate, doing his best to control his breathing and recuperate as much as possible before Decus could finish his banana. Thankfully for Spes, his trainer took his time, walking around the deck while humming a happy tune, banana in hand.
After a while, Decus took the last bite, then threw the banana peel overboard. He then walked towards Spes, who was still completely slumped down, and lightly kicked him twice.
"Get up, we're continuing."
"A-Already?" Spes weakly grunted.
"Boys! Our lil' friend here seems demotivated! How about a small song?!" Captain Oblitus shouted as Decus was about to pull Spes up to his feet.
Upon hearing the old man's calls, the dwarves' tiny ears slightly trembled and they all smiled widely. Never stopping the tasks they were assigned to do, the tiny green-skinned dwarves then started singing sea chanties, their high-pitched voices echoing throughout the entire ship.
Their melodies would go through the young man's ears, a wry smile forming on his face. It was unknown whether he was truly motivated by their choir or he was reinvigorated, but with a small grunt, Spes stood up, tired but ready to go on another round of barrel transportation.
"Finally..." Spes immediately dropped down again as he placed the barrel beneath Decus's feet. He had just brought the barrel back and forth from where he stood to the helm. His exhaustion was way worse than the previous one. The young man immediately shut his eyes, feeling like he could fall asleep were it not for the pain in his muscles.
"You'll go back after I finish eating this apple," Decus smiled again, this time taking out a red apple.
Spes sighed deeply. Training with Crystal felt more like paradise compared to what he was enduring right now. Still, he never thought of giving up, gritting his teeth and focusing on recovering. This was the path he chose. There was no backing away from it.
So, as the salty ocean wind blew, the dwarves' sea chanties followed, the Captain singing loudly along, moving his body left and right with the song's rhythm. The Inquisitor Knights, as always, went with their daily training, completely unbothered by the exotic tunes. And in a corner, a young man was completely drenched in sweat, carrying a wooden barrel, looking as if he were about to faint at any moment.