Two weeks had passed since Operation Iron Thrust. During those two weeks, a lot had happened.

  For one thing, the entire fort reeked of alcohol. Soldiers and officers alike had celebrated for a full week, and we were still in the process of cleaning up the mess. In fact, it was too bad to the point that even officers like me have to pitch in to help.

  The reinforcements from the kingdom had finally arrived. More than 30,000 fresh troops flooded into Fort Kespare, filling every corner of the place. Most of them were farmers and miners who had only received a month of training, so they were still in the middle of drills, but they managed somehow.

  Meanwhile, scouts reported that the Imperials had pulled back to Fort Estonal and were digging in. For now, at least, we had a bit of breathing room.

  As for me, I spent most of my time training. First, there really wasn’t anything else to do inside the fort. Second, I didn’t want my body to grow weak just because things had calmed down. After all, there were still wars going on.

  I stood at the training ground, watching Deryk practice his magic. Ever since he had seen Colonel Cameron, the head of the Mage Division, casually firing off Field Spells, Deryk had decided that was the kind of mage he wanted to become.

  “Your magic is getting better,” I called out.

  “Thanks to nearly dying a dozen times.” Deryk smiled despite the sweat on his face. Even exhausted, his blond hair glinted in the sun, his tanned skin making him look annoyingly handsome.

  “You mean me nearly dying a dozen times because of your magic,” I shot back, pointing at him.

  That only earned another handsome grin. After all, all he did was firing some spells in the backline, surrounded by guards to protect him while I was in the very front, killing countless Imperials.

  “Where’re Isabella and Dorothy?” I asked, noticing the two ladies' absence.

  “Three days ago, while we were drinking, they found their boyfriends,” Deryk said with an easy laugh. “Decent guys, too. I’m betting they’re spending time together right now.”

  Wow, so they weren’t into boyfriend-and-girlfriend relationships. That surprised me, though, at the same time, it didn’t. Our trip to Fort Kespare had already made it clear they weren’t interested in Deryk that way. Still, I had been rooting for them. Deryk and both girls were good people, and part of me had hoped things would work out somehow.

  Anyway, my new rank as First Lieutenant hadn’t changed much for the past week. I got better quarters and a bit of paperwork now. Seriously, why paperwork? It wasn’t even a lot, but I still hated every single page of it.

  “Aren’t you going to train?” Deryk asked, sitting beside me as he drained his water.

  “I will,” I replied, picking up my wooden sword and slashing it into a training dummy.

  If someone saw me, they would probably think my sword stance was awful. I fought more like a beast than a work of art. Still, I hadn’t been taught proper swordsmanship during training, and no one could really blame me for sticking to something ugly, but effective.

  A group of soldiers trained nearby, running drills with wooden spears. They were the new recruits who had just arrived at the fort, moving in rough unison as they stabbed, slashed, and blocked.

  “A lot of them were used to working to their bones,” Deryk said. At some point, he had somehow ended up right next to me. “So you don’t have to worry about their strength.”

  “Sure,” I replied, not quite sure how I was supposed to react to that.

  I went back to training, this time grabbing an old wooden spear and practicing thrusts on my own. Before long, the sound of a whistle echoed across the field. It was break time for the recruits

  The recruits immediately collapsed where they stood, dropping to the ground as they caught their breath.

  The nearest group of soldiers, about six of them, headed toward the water barrels. When they noticed me training, they slowed… then deliberately changed direction.

  “Hey,” one of them called out, stopping right in front of me with a crooked grin. “Is this the nursery now?”

  The others snorted with laughter

  “I was wondering why the training ground smelled like milk,” he continued, eyes dragging over me. “Guess it’s because a little girl wandered in. Shouldn’t you be clinging to your mommy instead of holding a weapon that’s bigger than you?”

  Laughter burst out behind him. Deryk’s expression hardened instantly as he stood up.

  “Watch your mouth,” he said, all warmth gone from his voice. “We’re both First Lieutenants while you’re a private.”

  The soldier looked at him, then exaggeratedly widened his eyes.

  “Oh? My apologies, sir,” he said, giving a lazy, mocking salute. “Didn’t realize babysitting duty came with a rank.”

  He turned back to me, smirk deepening.

  “And you,” he added, lowering his voice just enough to sting, “don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll give you a nice medal someday. Maybe a ribbon for bravery. Or a doll.”

  The others laughed again. Deryk looked like he was about to shout, but I beat him to it

  “Aren’t you supposed to respect your superior?” I asked politely. “I guess you didn’t learn any manners because you don’t have your mommy and daddy.”

  The six of them stopped laughing, and the one who mocked me snorted as he stood in front of me, towering me over with his tall frame.

  "Listen here, careful, girl." The man said, his voice threatening. "It looks like you came here for a little picnic with your butler, but let me tell you, we soldiers are doing all the works while noble girls like you are just—"

  "I am here because I have the right to do so." I cut him off, glaring as I held my wooden spear. "My name is Aria, First Lieutenant Aria of the 9th Corps."

  The man’s face reddened as he laughed. "You're just going to keep up that act, right?"

  “Act?” I kept my voice level, even as something hot coiled in my chest.

  Sure, this tall guy probably didn’t know me. To him, I just looked like some noble brat. First, I was a girl, already enough for people to doubt I was a real officer. Second, Deryk and I didn’t exactly look like we belonged on the front lines.

  Not to brag, but my looks were beautiful thanks to regeneration. Scars, wrinkles, anything ugly were gone. And Deryk… he was a mage. His power didn’t come from training his body so yeah, that explained itself

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  Still, that didn’t give him the right to keep running his mouth.

  The way he talked, it was obvious. He hated nobles. And worse, he didn’t care who he was insulting.

  He clicked his tongue and looked us up and down again, eyes full of disdain. “Figures. You two wouldn’t last a minute where real fighting happens.”

  Deryk stepped in beside me, his smile gone. “You really don’t want to—”

  "Stay out of this, servant," one of the recruits snapped. "This is between us and the princess here."

  I felt my grip tighten on the wooden spear. Calm. Stay calm. They didn't know. They were just new recruits, arrogant and stupid like most fresh soldiers. I could walk away. But I didn't want to.

  "Tell you what," I said, my voice eerily calm. "Since you seem to think I'm just playing soldier, how about a demonstration?"

  The tall one raised an eyebrow. "A demonstration?"

  "A duel." I pointed my spear at all six of them. "All of you. Against me. Right now."

  The training ground fell silent. The break had just ended, and the soldiers were about to resume their drills, then everything stopped mid-motion. Wooden spears froze in the air. One by one, soldiers turned to look, sensing trouble, and began to gather around us. A loose circle formed, excitement buzzing through the air.

  The drill instructor walked over. Instead of stepping in, he crossed his arms and nodded.

  “This will make a fine demonstration,” he said calmly. “Watch carefully boys and girls.”

  That sealed it. There was no backing out now. The six of them looked quite troubled by the crowd, but decided to go straight forward.

  "You're joking," one of the recruits muttered.

  "Do I look like I'm joking?"

  The tall one exchanged glances with his friends, then grinned. "Alright, princess. We'll play along. Don't cry when you get hurt, though."

  "Aria—" Deryk started.

  "I'm fine," I said softly. Then louder, to the crowd gathering: "Someone call the start."

  The six recruits spread out, grabbing training weapons, swords mostly, one with a spear like mine. They were smirking, confident. Six against one seemed like easy odds.

  The drill instructor stepped forward. "Combatants ready?"

  I nodded.

  "Ready," the tall one said.

  "Begin!"

  They rushed me immediately but they had no coordination, just pure aggressive confidence. The first one swung his sword in a wide arc, slashing it from a mile away.

  I sidestepped, letting him stumble past, and cracked the butt of my spear against the back of his knee. He went down hard.

  The second came in fast, trying to stab on my opening. I spun at an impossible speed, deflecting his blade with the shaft of my spear, then swept his legs. He hit the dirt face-first.

  "Two down," I said calmly.

  The remaining four hesitated, their confidence slightly waving at the sight of their two friends falling so easily. The tall one, sensing trouble, tried to barked orders, trying to organize them. Smart, but it was too late, though.

  They came at me together, trying to surround me. I moved backward in response, keeping them in front of me, my spear dancing between their attacks. Block, parry, redirect. Their strikes were strong but clumsy, fueled by anger now instead of technique.

  Then, I saw my opening at the tall guy who had just swung his spear.

  I drove forward, thrusting my spear toward the tall one's chest. He barely blocked it, but the force drove him back. I used his momentum against him, hooking his ankle with the spear and yanking. He crashed down.

  Three left.

  One of them swung wildly, afraid. I ducked under it, came up inside his guard, and jabbed the spear into his stomach, gently, but enough to knock the wind out of him. He collapsed, gasping.

  The last two looked at each other, then at their fallen companions. Fear replaced arrogance.

  "Come on!" one shouted, charging with desperate attempts.

  I stepped aside at the last moment, extended my leg, and let him trip over it. He went sprawling. The final recruit, the one with the spear, stood alone, trembling. He looked at me, then at his weapon, then back at me.

  "I... I yield," he whispered.

  I lowered my spear. The entire exchange had taken maybe twenty seconds.

  The training ground erupted in cheers as they all clapped. I looked down at the five recruits, all groaning on the ground, and felt the anger drain away. Now I just feel tired.

  "Get up," I said quietly.

  The tall one pushed himself to his knees, staring at me with wide eyes. "You... how did you...?"

  "Operation Iron Thrust," someone in the crowd called out. "She was there. Killed more Imperials in one night than anyone else."

  "Heard she went through their camp like a demon," another voice added.

  "They're calling her the Silver Demon."

  I reached down and offered my hand to the tall recruit. He stared at it for a long moment before taking it. I pulled him to his feet.

  "My name is Aria," I said, looking each of them in the eye. "First Lieutenant Aria of the 9th Corps. I earned this rank with blood and bodies. Don't forget it."

  The tall one swallowed hard. "I... we apologize, First Lieutenant."

  "Apology accepted." I handed him his training sword. “Now get back to your-”

  “And what, exactly, are you all doing during training?” The voice was cold enough to freeze the air. I felt a shiver run through me before I could stop it.

  Right behind the crowd stood a man glaring murderously at us. His arms were clasped behind his back, his expression sour enough to freeze a fire, his brow twitching ever so slightly.

  “S-s-s-s-s-s-s-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-r-r-r-r-r-r—!” The drill instructor visibly shook as he snapped into a salute, moving so fast I could barely follow it. “Colonel Devon, sir! We were um… just having a sparring match to impro—”

  “And all I see,” Devon cut in coldly, “is an officer, First Lieutenant, no less, beating down foolish soldiers who have already violated multiple regulations.”

  His glare alone shut the instructor up. The six recruits who had been grinning just minutes ago were now shaking visibly, their faces drained of color. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a dark stain spreading at the crotch of one of them. …Yikes.

  “Tell me, First Lieutenant Aria.” Devon turned to me, his expression serious. “What exactly happened here?”

  “Um…” I hesitated, glancing at the tall recruit. His eyes were filled with tears now. Seriously, what was wrong with these guys? Why were they tearing up against Devon? However, seeing these expressions, I felt kind of guilty for some eason…Fine. I would take it.

  “I am sorry, sir,” I said, saluting. “I was bored out of my mind after being discharged, so I challenged them to a duel.”

  “You challenged them to a duel?” Devon repeated, his gaze sharpening.

  “Yes, sir,” I replied.

  We stared at each other for several long seconds. I didn’t look away. The tall recruit seemed to realize what I was doing. His trembling eased a little as he looked at me, then back at Devon, fear giving way to hesitant relief.

  Devon’s face remained unreadable, but something stirred behind his eyes. That did nothing to ease the cold sweat forming down my back.

  “Then,” Devon finally said, “First Lieutenant Aria, you have violated multiple regulations.”

  “What?!”

  “Firstly,” he continued, raising one finger, “you disrupted an active training session without authorization.”

  A second finger rose.

  “Secondly, you initiated a duel on a training ground, ignoring the permission from the drill instructor."

  A third.

  “Thirdly, you abused your authority as an officer by coercing enlisted soldiers into a duel they could not reasonably refuse.”

  The air grew heavier with each word.

  “Fourth,” Devon continued, utterly unmoved, “you used combat capability far exceeding standard training parameters against new recruits, endangering lives.”

  The tall recruit flinched, rubbing the spot where I had struck him with my wooden spear as he stared at me. …Seriously? I hadn’t even put that much strength into it. I was annoyed but I wasn't trying to kill him.

  “And lastly,” Devon said, lowering his hand, “you failed to obtain permission to use the training ground.”

  I slowly turned to Deryk. He was wearing an apologetic smile, mouthing I’m sorry. This couldn’t be happening.

  I had only been walking around Fort Kespare when I ran into him. He had asked if I wanted to train, and I had followed along. Not once, not even in my wildest imagination, had it occurred to me that using a training ground required formal permission.

  “And that,” Devon added sharply, “includes ignoring your superior while I am addressing you.” I swallowed as his presence seemed to loom larger behind me. “We will discuss your punishment later.”

  Then he turned and began walking back toward the fort.

  “Hurry up,” he said over his shoulder. “The meeting is about to begin. General Cedric has personally requested your attendance.”