Valeria turned to Arla and said firmly,
"But before that, Arla—you'll have to train with me. Just the two of us."
Arla blinked in confusion.
"Just the two of us? Why? Wouldn't it be better to train with everyone else?"
Before Valeria could answer, Mane, who had been nearby, joined in.
"Commander Valeria wants to train with you alone to make sure you're ready for what's waiting at the border. You need to understand—out there, you won't be fighting simple monsters anymore. You'll be facing weird goblins... and half-monster men."
Arla froze for a moment, nodding even though she already knew deep down.
"Hehe, yeah… sorry. Then, what exactly will I be learning from training with Commander Valeria?"
Valeria smirked.
"You'll find out once we step into the training grounds. Now come with me."
They walked together to the training area near the Aegis base.
When they arrived, Arla stopped, staring in disbelief.
"Wait… this is it? It's just a huge empty field! Where's the equipment? The targets? The—"
Before she could finish, Valeria suddenly attacked.
Her movements weren't human—too fast, too sharp. Arla barely managed to block, but her defense failed, leaving a deep scratch across her chest.
"Ugh!" Arla groaned in pain.
Valeria crossed her arms.
"That was nothing, Arla. What you just saw was a common attack style used by half-monster men. And now… I'll show you how goblins fight."
Arla, unprepared, stumbled back, trying to catch her breath and think of a counter.
"Fine then… TAKE THIS!"
She lunged forward with a swing.
Valeria dodged effortlessly.
"Amateur! SHIYAAA!"
Arla nearly fainted from exhaustion.
"Oof…"
Valeria's eyes sharpened.
"Now—take my final strike!"
"SSWUSHHHHH!"
Right before the blow landed, Valeria stopped, lowering her weapon.
"Alright, that's enough. Arla, there's still so much you need to improve—from defense to attack control."
Arla collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
"Y-Yeah… that was… amazing…"
A few days later
After countless sparring sessions with Valeria, Arla's body ached, but her movements were sharper than ever. Valeria finally decided to give her a real chance—to join a mission with the others. But before that, she wanted to test her one last time.
The next morning
Arla, excited and sore, smiled brightly.
"Whew… training's finally done! Thank you, Commander Valeria—I learned so much today!"
Valeria nodded, her tone suddenly serious but encouraging.
"Good. Now, come with me to the border area."
"Just us?" Arla asked, surprised.
"Not exactly," Valeria replied. "You'll be fighting alone. I'll just be observing."
"Wait—what?! Alone?!"
Valeria smiled faintly.
"You'll be fine. Take my hand. We'll teleport there."
Arla gulped, but nodded.
"Alright…"
Border ZoneThey arrived in a misty swamp. Valeria pointed ahead.
"You'll be fighting that one—a low-class water goblin. Don't worry, in this area, even the monsters are weak. The terrain's damp, but manageable. You've trained enough to handle this. I'll be watching from a distance. Go."
Arla nodded nervously.
"Got it…"
She stepped into the fog.
The air was thick and wet, the scent of moss and stagnant water heavy in her lungs. Every step she took made a soft, sticky squelch. The sky above was gray, light filtering through like faint silver mist.
And there it was—the goblin.
Smaller than the usual kind, its green skin shimmered like wet moss. Its body was thin, almost skeletal, coated in a layer of slime. But its eyes—its eyes reflected the color of water, cold and sharp as glass.
Arla clenched her sword tightly.
"All this time I've trained to be a knight—defending, attacking… but I never thought I'd fight a real goblin. Not a slime, not a human… This is my first real battle."
She took a deep breath.
"Father, my love… wait for me. I'll save you both."
Then she charged forward.
"TAKE THIS!!!"
The goblin shrieked, chanting something incomprehensible, summoning a stream of water that twisted like a serpent. Arla blocked, her blade clashing against the spell—but the goblin was fast. It dashed forward, slashing with claws slick with slime.
"Damn—too fast!"
Arla retreated, but a splash of mud hit her face, blinding her. The goblin saw its chance, gathering mana into a lethal sphere of water.
Arla could barely see. She relied on instinct, swinging blindly in all directions. The goblin hesitated, canceling its spell to get closer—too close.
Arla heard the squelch of its feet approaching. She wiped her eyes just in time—
"Got you."
With a grin, she countered.
"Hehe… TAKE THIS!!!"
Instead of stabbing, she threw her sword with Using his body enhancement power—
SWINGGGG!!!
The blade spun through the fog and—SHUNK!—decapitated the goblin cleanly.
Arla panted, then laughed weakly.
"Ha… finally. Got it."
From afar, Valeria clapped.
"Well done, Arla. That was clever—pretending to be vulnerable, then countering at the last second. Very Aegis-like. But… throwing your weapon like that was risky. Try to avoid moves that leave you defenseless."
Arla scratched her head, grinning.
"Hehe, sorry, Commander Valeria…"
Valeria smiled proudly.
"I think you're ready to join the others on real missions."
Arla's eyes lit up.
"Wait—will I be starting in Team B first before moving to the main team?"
Valeria looked confused.
"Team B? There's no Team B. You were chosen because you have potential. Each squad only has five active members. A new one can only join when someone resigns. You're one of them now."
Arla froze in surprise, then laughed.
"Whoa… really?! I—I didn't know! I'm so grateful, Commander. I didn't think I'd make it this far."
Valeria nodded.
"Alright then. Let's head back to the base. Oh, and before we go—I'll teach you how to summon an Aegis vehicle. You'll need it someday."
Arla listened closely as Valeria raised her hand.
"Watch carefully. You can summon it anytime, in or out of missions. Just say the word—LLIGNAP!"
A broom instantly appeared—but sleeker and more refined than Arla's.
"Your turn," Valeria said.
Arla grinned and shouted,
"LLIGNAP!!!"
Her broom appeared—the same one she had ridden before.
Valeria chuckled and explained,
"These brooms can transform automatically into whatever vehicle suits your comfort. For example—mine turns into a flying sports car. The shape depends on your mana and preference."
Arla's eyes widened.
"Ohhh, that explains it! Last time it turned into a flying bike!"
"Go ahead, try it again," Valeria encouraged.
Arla summoned it again, smiling proudly.
"Yep—still the same flying bike!"
Valeria laughed.
"A bike, huh? Must be exhausting to pedal that far—our base isn't exactly close, you know."
Arla smirked.
"Nah, it's perfect! It's like leg-day training in the sky!"
Valeria burst out laughing as they both soared off together—returning to Aegis headquarters, the wind carrying their laughter across the quiet horizon.