That evening, the boys returned to their rooms, completely exhausted.
"What a horrible day..." Daniel sighed, leaning on Leon.
"Gruesome training sessions and an entire castle that hates us... could it have started any worse?" Alexandre added.
"I don't understand why they hate us so much," Michael said. "We just want to help."
Andrea approached Enea. "Your speech today, in the dining room..."
"You think nothing will change, do you?" Enea interrupted.
"No. I just think the others will see it as arrogance."
"Perhaps. But that speech wasn't just for them, it was for us."
The others turned to him, confused.
"Now we have expectations to live up to," Enea explained. "The ones the soldiers have imposed on us. As long as they're watching us, we can't afford to give up. That's our motivation."
"I understand," Andrea replied, "but it makes things even harder for us."
"Things got tough the moment we decided to stay and fight. Or did you think courage alone would make us heroes?"
Andrea fell silent.
"Enea's right," Alexandre said. "It'll be tougher from here on out, but at least we know what's coming."
"Yes," Leon added. "And the next time someone tries to provoke me, I won't fall for it. I've learned my lesson."
Alexandre turned to Hector and Daniel. "And you two, try not to make us late again."
"Understood!" Daniel replied.
"Y-yes!" Hector stammered.
The group continued to talk about their mistakes and how to improve, while Enea watched them in silence. A faint smile crossed his face.
...
At dawn, the maids returned with breakfast trays, placing them in front of each room.
The kids immediately opened their doors, even Hector, still half asleep. Only Ginevra remained outside Daniel's door.
"Here we go again..." she sighed.
Suddenly, the door swung open, startling her.
"Good morning!" Daniel said cheerfully, his hair completely disheveled. Ginevra burst into laughter as soon as she saw him, making Daniel blush. "Hey, I'm doing my best!"
Ginevra tried to stop laughing. "I know, and I appreciate it, but I can't help it."
"Sure..."
"Come on, the general's waiting for you!" she said with a bright smile as she entered the room. "Eat breakfast while I fix your hair."
Daniel stared at her, stunned. "Um... thanks."
At the training camp, General Howard was already waiting and was pleasantly surprised to see the boys arrive early.
"Excellent! You're even early today. Have you finally realized how serious the situation is?" he asked sarcastically.
"Something like that..." Andrea replied.
Howard smiled smugly. "Then let's not waste any more time. Let's get started!"
...
After several rounds of drills, the boys took a short break to catch their breath.
"Good morning, General!" shouted a group of soldiers entering the camp.
"Good morning!"
The boys turned their heads, noticing that among the soldiers was Princess Alexia, wearing a training uniform.
"What's Princess Alexia doing here?" Michael asked.
"She was also wearing armor yesterday..." Hector added.
"If I remember correctly, she's the captain of the First Unit, right, General?" Aeneas asked.
"Exactly," the general replied. "Even though she's the first heir to the throne, she chose to pursue a military career. Thanks to her strength, we've managed to repel many of the Demon King's attacks. And most likely, one day she'll take my place as general."
The boys were surprised by his words.
"Is she really that strong?" Andrea asked.
"Trust me, she is," the general said before clapping his hands. "But you all have the potential to turn this war around, so give it your all!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
By midday, the sun was high and the boys were exhausted.
"All right, go get something to eat. I'll wait for you for the second half of today's training," the general said, satisfied.
The group began to walk away, except for Enea and Leon, who stayed behind to watch the soldiers practicing mock duels. Their eyes were particularly drawn to the princess.
The general noticed and approached them. "She has a unique sword technique: she's so fast it's hard to keep up with her."
On the field, his opponent was already struggling, barely managing to block her blows.
"She doesn't give him a single chance to counterattack..." Leon said, impressed.
The princess feinted a slash toward her right shoulder. The soldier raised his blade to defend himself, but she twisted her wrist, ducked, and struck his ankle, forcing him to kneel. She then aimed her neck, but stopped her sword just short.
"I won," the princess said calmly, straightening her posture.
The soldier let out a deep sigh. Luckily, she didn't actually hit me...
The princess smiled and held out her hand. "Good match. You defended yourself well."
The soldier blinked in surprise, then accepted her hand. "Th-thank you..."
After the match, the general looked at Enea and Leon again. "Sure, it was just practice; she was holding back a lot. But I think you have a good idea of how good she is."
Howard noticed the fire in their eyes. There was no need to motivate them; they were already doing it.
He turned toward the entrance and saw the others looking at him, too. They're no different.