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He wanted to get as many men tested as possible, but it wasn’t possible with those who didn’t volunteer.

He also recruited ordinary men who didn’t really have the necessary organs to become an Enforcer but were in good shape to replace the soldiers they had lost in the battle with the necromancer.

As the evening was approaching, Killian straightened his back.

Kai looked around and saw how the line had dwindled to a trickle.

The search for the Enforcers had been successful with them finding a few, but they hadn’t found any Mages.

It was quite disappointing after going through all the people and testing if they had the necessary organs. But— it was understandable. Mages were usually rare by the numbers and in a city like this, there might be one or two.

Additionally, the mass migration that has been happening recently could be why they couldn’t find any Mages.

Either way, in the end, he got what he wanted.

He walked towards a man, one of the volunteers, who was seated with his hands on his legs. He was covered with dust and seemed as if he hadn’t had a proper meal in ages. His nervousness was clear as daylight as he fidgeted with his fingers.

Kai kept his palms over his shoulders and started pushing a very small amount of mana through, just enough to see if he had the necessary organs.

In a blink, he realised that the man was another regular volunteer. He didn’t have the necessary organs to become an Enforcer.

He shook his head and took a step back.

Killian walked up from behind and relayed the bad news to the man.

His eyes immediately fell to the floor as he stood up.

"T-thank you," he mumbled disheartedly and walked back from the curtains.

Before the man could leave, Kai called out, "If you are from the nearby settlements around the city, wait till tomorrow and you should get the food when we distribute it."

The man looked at Kai and nodded. "Thank you, Lord Arzan."

Then, he disappeared beyond the curtains. As the curtains opened, Kai saw how there was no one left.

"That’s all of the volunteers who came forward, Lord Arzan," Killian said as if he was reporting it to him.

Kai nodded.

He looked in between the people they had recruited. They stood outside the room, away from the gaze of the volunteers, but he could see them from where he was seated.

There were four Enforcers that they had gotten and all of them seemed like the perfect replacement for the fallen guards. At least in strength.

I expected another Enforcer or two, but there are four.

"Killian, ask them all to come in and see if Francis is free enough to join us too," Kai said and waited for Killian to take action.

With a curt nod to Kai, he walked towards the four people who got selected. They were aimlessly standing by the side, sipping on the tea Kai had ordered to give them.

Kai sat back, while one leg rested over the other.

The men slowly walked inside the room, followed by Killian and Francis. As soon as they walked in, they bowed in respect. They didn’t utter a word until Kai spoke, but he observed them before the latter could speak.

Four men.

An eager-looking young man who was barely a teen, two miners who looked to be in their mid-twenties and one hunter who seemed to be in his late thirties.

All of them looked ordinary with blonde hair and patches of beard on their faces.

Out of all of them, only the young man looked frail. The rest of them had muscles and kept in shape compared to the ordinary man, possibly due to the nature of their jobs.

Kai nodded curtly. "Alright, you lot. Four of you—" he pointed at the men. "From tomorrow, you will be directly training under Knight Killian." The men nodded excitedly. Their confused and nervous faces were no longer there, replaced with hopeful smiles. "Let’s get acquainted. One by one, tell us who you are and why you decided to join. Be honest or there will be repercussions," Kai said, giving a warning in the end.

He didn’t want anyone lying about their reasons to join when it was pretty clear.

A burly miner cleared his throat. He was easily the tallest among them, rivalling Killian. "Bord, Lord Arzan. As the mines shut down, figured this was better than nothing. No other job is willing to pay enough to survive." His voice rumbled, deep and gravelly.

The younger miner, wiping his hand on his trousers, piped up next. "Gareth, Your Lordship. Same as Bord. Just want to feed my family." He offered a shy smile but quickly stepped back.

The hunter, his gaze still flickering around the room, spoke next. "My name is Bran. I lost my hunting partner a few months back and it had been tough since then and the promise of earning good coin brought me here. Also, I was grateful to you."

"Grateful?"

"Yes, my child nearly died out of hunger a month back, but the soup you distributed saved her life. I wanted to repay you in some way and this seemed like a good opportunity."

Kai smiled, finding no deceit in his words. "How’s your child now?"

"She’s healthy by the grace of gods."

"Good."

He turned towards the last man, prompting him to speak.

He was the teen who had been fidgeting nervously all this time. His thick eyebrows knitted together. "I-I’m Nelson. I was an apprentice cook but didn’t like it too much. The pay was bad and I didn’t have enough money to start my own restaurant, so when I heard about the announcement, I decided to try my luck."

Kai nodded at each introduction, making a mental note of their names and demeanours.

"Good. You’ll all find this life… different, but I assure you, it has its rewards. Your families will be moved to the guard quarters, with proper food and Heat stones. It’ll be a far cry from living in your current home and struggling for food. Francis here will settle you all in." He looked towards him and he gave a confident nod.

A flicker of relief crossed Bord and Gareth’s faces. Nelson seemed more contemplative, while Bran remained stoic.

"Now," Kai leaned forward, his voice dropping low, "There’s more. We have plans for you all. Plans to give you abilities beyond the ken of ordinary men. The same power as Mages," he said, watching their eyes widen in surprise and wonder.

A murmur of questions rippled through the group. "Mages?" Bord rumbled, his brow furrowed. "But those are…"

"Rare," Bran finished for him, his voice laced with a hint of awe.

Kai held up a hand, silencing their questions. "I understand your confusion. Killian will brief you on the details later. But before we get to that, there’s a crucial step. Enforcers, as you’ll be called, typically undergo months of gruelling physical training before even attempting to awaken their vaults."

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "It’s a delicate process. The human body can only withstand so much pressure. Many… don’t survive the awakening."

A collective gasp escaped the recruits. The color drained from Gareth’s face, while Bran’s hand tightened around his other hand— knuckles whitening in the process. Even Nelson’s eyes flickered with nervous energy.

"But don’t be scared," Kai continued; his voice firm yet reassuring. "That’s where I come in. My methods are… different. With my help, you’ll be ready to attempt the awakening in a month. A fraction of the usual time."

Kai saw how they were trying to grasp the situation. It was a given that they mostly didn’t understand what he was trying to explain. Especially knowing how Killian took time until the awakening to truly figure out what an Enforcer is.

He shot a pointed look at Killian, who simply shrugged. "Knight Killian here is already a walking testament to peak physical conditioning. You lot, however," his gaze swept across their faces, "have some work to do."

Bord and Gareth visibly gulped, while Nelson straightened his shoulder. Bran remained impassive, but a glint of something akin to hope flickered in his eyes.

"Enforcers? I have never heard the term before," Bran asked.

Kai could tell they were still thinking about all the information that he lay in front of them. But well— it wasn’t time to go into depth.

"Yes, Enforcers. Once again, Knight Killian will be the one to explain who you truly are, and what your true potential is. So, be patient."

Bran nodded, taking a small step back.

Bord cleared his throat. "So, when does this… training begin, Lord Arzan?"

Killian stepped forward. "Sunrise tomorrow," he announced. "The Lord himself will be joining us for the first session."

All the four faces flashed one look— surprised. Nelson faintly nodded, while Gareth’s frown deepened.

Kai smiled at them and gave a curt nod.

"Hope to see you all tomorrow. Get settled for the evening," he said and walked out of the small room.

***

Killian bellowed, "Get ready!"

This was the first round they were about to run. Killian, who had already finished his morning workouts, urged the newly recruited guards. Kai also stood next to them.

"In three… Two… Run! Hurry!"

His commanding voice boomed throughout the ground.

Kai surged forward alongside Bord, Gareth, Nelson and Bran. They were right behind the guards who were normally training at this hour.

The morning cold wind hit Kai’s face. His feet fastened in an attempt to match the pace of the guards who were right in front of them— but the initial burst of enthusiasm quickly gave way to burning lungs and pounding in his heart.

His muscles started screaming in protest, and all the while the legs threatened to give up. But Kai didn’t want to be the first to falter. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself harder with each stride.

The run around the perimeter of the grounds was just the appetiser.

Kai’s muscle memory almost made him cast a spell, to ease the pain and accelerate the process. But he barely stopped himself from doing it.

His mind served him with more spells like [Soothe] and [Invigorate] but spells could be a double-edged sword in the long term, often leaving the user too reliant on them. Training his body naturally, however gruelling, was the safer, more sustainable option.

Arzan’s body needs to be more in shape and that’s what he should do.

And that’s what I will be doing… A little more.

As he successfully finished the third round, he looked at the trainees. The four men mirrored his expression.

For his enthusiasm, even they were going on for their reasons.

"Halt!" The fourth round came to a halt when they all jogged down and eased up their speed. Killian’s voice gathered all their attention. "Now, let’s get onto drills! Lord Arzan, you can begin the training regime we discussed yesterday!"

Kai nodded and started jogging to the side of the ground. He was panting, his heartbeat ready to thrum out of his body.

"Four of you! I will give you a drill to practise for seven sundowns! Get over here! Guards, you know what to do!"

Kai heard Killian’s voice from behind. He was hasting the process so that the exhaustion would take time to catch up after all the running.

Kai got to a place where he wouldn’t be disturbed by the guards’ training but also wasn’t too far from Killian. He started with the push-ups, pull-ups, lunges and a series of core exercises Killian had given him.

In a way, every workout was a struggle for him. His body wasn’t accustomed to such exertion, it started rebelling against his own will.

He continued his workout with heavy breaths but was conscious of his every move.

As he got to the core workouts, sweat started dripping from his eyes as if he was crying, stinging his vision. His muscles trembled and his lungs burned with every breath. But he had some more to go.

Two… Three… Four touchdowns.

The core workouts got harder every day as he increased the amount of each workout.

Nine… Ten… Done!

Kai sprawled on the ground as he finished his last exercise. He gasped for air, the sweat dripping from his face like a leaky faucet.

He got to his knees while his hands were on his thighs, trying to catch his breath. His eyes went across the field.

The enticing aroma filled the air. The maids handed over bowls of soup to all the guards. It was the soup that Kai had written the recipe for.

A soup made of herbs that would provide energy and warmth after exercise. A fairly common thing in his past life.

He saw Killian, his face etched with a rare seriousness, strode up to him. "Not bad, Lord Arzan," he rumbled, a hint of grudging respect in his voice. "I have to admit, I was surprised you kept up."

Kai managed a chuckle, though it came out more like a wheeze. "Just... building character, Killian. Nothing to it."

"Character, eh?" Killian snorted. "Well, you’ll need plenty more of it in the coming weeks. But better than the first day," he conceded, "you did well."

Kai nodded, knowing he was telling the truth. "Now, about weapons training," Kai began, his voice surprisingly firm. "I’d like to start as soon as possible."

Killian studied him for a moment. Then, a slow smile spread across his face. "Alright, Lord Arzan," he said, his voice tinged with a hint of satisfaction. "Looks like I’ll have the pleasure of personally training you with weapons."

It was visible that Killian was in a good mood after all the training. His energy was radiating after the awakening.

***

Kai was in his room.

Seated in his usual position on the ground, his eyes were closed.

He inhaled a good amount of mana, and let it flow inside his body. Intentionally, he let it circle his Mana Heart to a rhythm.

He counted the circles and started all over again, thinking of increasing the count gradually.

His thoughts started shifting from his Mana Heart to the problems that were in front of him.

It would take a few months before he could reach the next circle. With his physical training, he would be stronger. But it felt like an eternity, especially when there was Mage Actra.

For a few reasons, he wanted to deal with Actra faster. He didn’t like the feeling of someone who could be dangerous to him living in the same place. But it isn’t possible. Kai mused and let out a frustrated sigh.

He needed more information to confirm his thoughts about Mage Actra. He needed proof of his wrongdoings. Most importantly, he needed to understand the extent of his power and the potential backing he might have.

Mages, as Kai knew, had a considerable amount of authority.

They were treated as chickens who lay golden eggs, and he was sure that Actra had backings that went far beyond the Duke. Even if he assumed he had tried to kill him due to his brother, an investigation would happen and he won’t be able to get away.

So it made perfect sense for him to have more than one card to help him. But who?

Kai squeezed his eyes shut.

These questions would be unanswered for quite some time. The exhaustion of the day finally started catching up, a dull ache in his muscles, but his mind had restless energy.

He couldn’t do anything physically now, but—

He saw the worn leather-bound book— The Book on Golems.

Pulling it up again, he skimmed through the pages. He had already finished reading the book the night before. He had been reading it before bed every day while making his notes. It hasn’t been difficult as his interest in golems started increasing with every read.

His eyes fell on the notes that were inside the book.

Three parts. That’s what he understood.

The golem creation was divided into three parts. First came the vessel: sculpting a form from clay, stone, iron— any material capable of channelling mana. Next, shaping: meticulously crafting the wanted size and form, imbuing the vessel with the basic functions of movement. Finally, the most crucial step—the core.

The core was the golem’s lifeblood, a receptacle for channelled mana mixed with monster parts, a miniature replica of a Mana Heart in some ways.

Just like potion brewing, it was an intricate art form, a dance between raw materials and the caster’s intent. Higher-level golems, the book alluded to, could even be imbued with sentience, a feat far beyond Kai’s current capabilities.

But well, I don’t want to give up. Maybe I could hunt monsters to find a few cores, later.

He reached for a small pouch that was tucked beneath his cot. It was the clay that he asked Claire to collect before.

He pulled it out from the pouch and kept it on the table.

The text’s descriptions were in his mind as if written in clear stone. He moulded the clay, imbuing it with basic principles of movement.

That’s what was mentioned.

His hands twisted and his palms grabbed the clay at different angles.

The next hour blurred.

At first, the clay was pliable, but with each try, the clay turned into something completely else. He used mana to hold it together, but his shaping skills were bad and the knight he was trying to make would instead look like a hybrid between a dog and a frog.

His magic wasn’t flowing the way he wanted, and even the notes he gathered started getting jumbled in the process of creating the mould.

Kai sighed.

Maybe if I just… The clay started melting into a pulp of nothingness. He was using the force of magic a bit stronger than he intended. Ugh. Why is it so hard?