Chapter 38: Chaos in the Training Ground

The Company Commander suddenly came to his senses.

“Oh my, how incredible! Do these muscles really seem alive?”

“What’s your secret? Oh my, they’re so adorable.”

“Look at them twitching! We simply must preserve them.”

For the first time, the Company Commander got goosebumps all over as he pressed and caressed the muscles with his fingers. Who were these madmen? They seemed ready to snap selfies with a selfie stick at any moment.

“Have they all lost their minds?! Everyone, get down—drop and roll now!”

“Hey, look here!”

“Goodness gracious, what is this?”

“They say it’s all muscle, after all.”

“Oh my, I want one too.”

“Just give it a try. It’s really something.”

Thirty-seven male knights rushed forward, all eager to feel the Company Commander’s arm.

The scene was nothing short of hellish, so the Company Commander fought his way past the knights and fled outside. Even as he panted in a corner, the shiver of awe refused to fade.

At that moment, when his normally robust complexion turned deathly pale, a familiar voice reached his ears.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Oh ho, it’s nothing.”

“No, truly—I’m grateful you came. Though I’m only from the sales team and won’t join the training, if you ever need help, just show up, hoho.”

After Lara exchanged a warm greeting with the 96th Youngae and turned to search for the 97th, a chilling hostility suddenly pounced on her from behind.

“Raan… Is that you? The one who brought these newbies here?”

“Eek…”

Lara trembled as a massive fist barreled straight toward her. It stopped just before reaching her nose, but the whooshing blow left her reeling.

On the verge of passing out, Lara’s face turned ashen, yet the Company Commander, oblivious to her plight, glared at her with a snarl, gritting his teeth.

“How dare you turn our sacred training ground into a den for riffraff?!”

“Th-that’s not it.”

“Not it? What else could it possibly be?!”

Lara’s ears screamed with the resounding outburst—as if her very soul was about to detach from her body.

“You bastard! What were you thinking, bringing those fools as new knights?!”

“W-why are they even here…?”

“Can’t you see those arms? Where did they learn to wield a sword? They all look so feeble… damn, it’s absurd!”

Over the barrage of curses, Lara’s shoulders tensed. Just as she tried to interject a calm word, a glob of viscous spit splattered across her left cheek. In that moment, as a spring breeze passed by, an eerie chill spread across the land.

“…?!”

Bound by an overwhelming hostility, the Company Commander shuddered, his jaw trembling. Could it be that he had awakened some tremendous hidden power within his unassuming body?

A mysterious tension pervaded the training ground, and just as a darker aura began emanating from Lara,

“That’s enough.”

The hand gripping the Company Commander’s thick forearm belonged to none other than Mrs. Waron, clad in lace gloves.

“Mrs. Waron?”

Lady Yulbita Youngae called out in surprise, prompting Mrs. Waron to smile kindly as she infused strength into her grip.

The Company Commander struggled to shake off the hand that was bending his left arm, but no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t budge it.

“Ah… ouch.”

A feeble groan escaped him, and instantly the whole training ground fell silent.

Desperate to save face, the Company Commander raised his other hand to free himself, but once again a white-laced hand reached out and clutched his wrist.

“Is this really… trying to stop me?”

“Oh ho ho, as a wife, I had hoped for a quiet life—but clearly not!”

An uncanny force surged through her. Before the Company Commander could even attempt to break free, his body was lifted skyward. With a violent slam against the ground, his lips parted in a startled cry.

“Gulp!”

The knights watching from afar couldn’t believe their eyes. The Company Commander, felled by a rookie knight—it was almost unimaginable.

“Seems I’ve lost my touch too, hohoho.”

Mrs. Waron elegantly raised her hand and laughed. A few knights flinched before drawing their swords in rebellion.

“How dare you! For a rookie to lay a finger on the Company Commander!”

“Right… as your senior, I’ll set you straight!”

“I hereby challenge you to a formal duel!”

Eight knights glared menacingly, ready to pounce, yet Mrs. Waron remained unruffled. Removing her lace gloves, she affectionately caressed the sword hanging at her waist.

“When I was a reckless seventeen-year-old, I ran away because life as an aristocratic Youngae was suffocating. I craved freedom and strength, so I joined a mercenary band and trained for five long years.”

“…?!”

“Though I’m not in my prime anymore, my body still remembers every lesson.”

The ring on her left finger dug into her skin—a mass of writhing tendons pulsated at each joint.

“Come at me.”

Her resolute stance, sword drawn, filled the air with solemnity. At that moment, a startled Lady Yulbita Youngae slowly bowed her head and knelt on one knee.

“To meet the legendary leader of the mercenaries here…”

“Lady Yulbita Youngae?”

“In truth, I too ran away at fifteen when my father forced an arranged marriage, joining a mercenary band to find strength. It was a brutal journey… but I survived.”

“…No way.”

“And it was you—our former commander—who paved the way for us.”

With a sly smile, Lady Yulbita Youngae rolled up her sleeve, revealing a distinct axe emblem on her left shoulder. Mrs. Waron’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What are those idiots doing?! Knock them down immediately!”

Straining to rise, the Company Commander appeared just as a metallic clang signaled that the knights had raised their swords and charged at Lady Yulbita Youngae and Mrs. Waron.

Clang! Clang! The sound of clashing steel filled the air as fifteen Youngaes unsheathed their swords, stepping in front of the knights. Like Lady Yulbita, they rolled up their left sleeves, displaying a clear axe symbol.

Taken aback by the sudden assault from fifteen rookie knights, the others fell back. As twenty more skilled knights drew their swords in support, a sharp whistling sound announced the flight of something silver.

It wasn’t a weapon at all—it was a tiny teaspoon used for stirring tea.

“We may not be axe-wielders anymore, but we did once roam as such.”

“Though Shulin Youngae looks adorable, she was actually the head of the rogues.”

Petite Youngaes lined up, each sliding a teaspoon between their fingers. Their fierce demeanor resembled warriors wielding nunchakus, not utensils.

“What are these…! What do they do?! They won’t even attack…”

“All talk and no action.”

As the Company Commander bellowed his charge, a sudden cold metallic touch gripped his throat—before he could react, a Youngae pressed a jam-smeared knife against his neck.

“I once learned assassination techniques from the Assassin Guild. And now, I live happily with the husband who was once my target.”

“…You all, were you all disguised as men?!”

“We’re not just women in disguise. We are…”

Before Youngae could finish, a tremendous wave of hostility swept over the training ground. The casually laughing female knights, now with dark expressions, brandished their weapons. Each one proved to be a formidable warrior.

“…Ah.”

But none were more shocked than Lara. In this chaotic melee, she couldn’t adapt. The Youngaes, once mere extras in her eyes, now shone as glamorous protagonists. Their lives could easily fill 98 epic romances.

“Ah… ahhh…”

Lara collapsed, clutching a handful of dirt. Perhaps she, too, had a hidden power—but nothing happened.

Instead, chaos erupted around her as a massive brawl broke out between 100 seasoned knights and 98 rookie male knights.

“Sob…!”

“Aaaah!”

Clang, clang—the clamor of steel echoed everywhere. Injuries mounted, yet the seasoned warriors pressed on. Amid the melee, Lara sat curled up, nervously sucking her fingers, grateful no one dared disturb her.

“Don’t give them an inch—attack relentlessly! Their gender is an advantage!”

“Protect our leader! Let’s show them a taste of defeat!”

“Yes!! Charge!”

“Aaahhh!”

At the forefront, as Mrs. Waron effortlessly subdued three knights, five rookie knights on the other side suffered cuts from the blades, their sword tips gradually stained with blood. At breakneck speed, the Company Commander staggered into view before Mrs. Waron.

Clang! Sparks flew as the two clashed, their swords nearly igniting from the fierce collision.

“…You’re not bad.”

“Right back at you.”