Alfonse POV
Why did I join the army?
It was the worst decision I ever made in my life.
I originally joined at the urging of my father, who retired after losing a leg fighting a demon. Or so he says, but a demon? Really? No demon has been seen for thousands of years.
But my father is not a liar, so I have to force myself to believe it.
I didn't see why not, the pay is good, I can help people, get stronger, get a good salary, fight monsters and bandits, get good money...
Well, the money is very good, I love it. One and a half million carions a year, if you ask for it in paper money, or its equivalent in gold, 750 coins.
Much more than my father and brothers together earn in the blacksmith.
But I was a fool to think I would be some kind of hero...
"HURRY UP, PIG! DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS ALL NIGHT?”
I hear one of the commander’s yells at me from above, I dare a glance before forcing my exhausted body to speed up even more.
"NO INSTRUCTOR!"
I continue to crawl chest deep across the wide grassy yard, this is much harder than it looks at first glance. I can barely feel my legs and I still have 12 laps to go...
Help.
"THE LAST TEN RECRUITS TO FINISH WILL CONTINUE UNTIL DAWN!!"
WHAT!? According to the sun, it should be about one o'clock in the afternoon... I have a good physique, but...
Seriously, help.
Why do they treat us like criminals? I'm tired of spending time thinking about the most effective ways to get back at the damn instructors.
Wouldn't a better motivation be something like... For those who finish first, there will be a beautiful girl waiting in their room or something. How nice that would be...
What's worse is that there's a rule that no instructor can give the recruits exercises that he hasn't done himself. On paper it sounds good, as it keeps us from being set up to do impossible or suicidal things.
But that doesn't help in the least really, wartime customs are still very much ingrained in the military, it's very common to see someone doing push-ups with a log on their back in the middle of the night, sleeping on the cold ground for a few hours only, people submerged in freezing water to the brink of hypothermia, running dozens and dozens of miles... And that's just the normal exercises, I don't even want to remember the punishments...
It certainly serves to explode muscles and improve endurance, but it's a hell sometimes. At least there are useful classes like basic medicine, general culture, rescue and lifesaving, various combat instructions and many more.
I think there are weeks where I spend more time reading thick books than training.
Bang!
"ARGH!" The thousand times cursed instructor threw a stone at my back.
"MOVE AS IF YOU'RE A MAN, ALFONSE! LOOK AT THAT *** OVER THERE, HE'S OUTCLASSING YOU!"
He points to another overweight recruit, it's very rude and insensitive, but if I defend him, it will be very bad for me.
"YES, INSTRUCTOR!"
One of these days, you bastard. This isn't worth it, they seem to expect a lot from me, so they're being extra hard on me, but as soon as I get my first pay, I'll be out of here, the kingdom can go to hell.
Something dangerous got really pissed off a while ago and... Turned off the city lights, which made us move further into the castle, they didn't deploy us, but this courtyard was close so we used it to save time. So at least we're crawling on grass and not mud like we usually do.
But seriously, I'm fed up, but I can't give up at this point, or there won't be any pay. I pray to God, the universe, demons or anything at this point, to get me out of here...
My prayers are answered, someone walks through the doors, but not even one of the stupid instructors pays any attention to them. I'll take my chances.
"INSTRUCTOR! VISITORS!"
You're not supposed to speak without permission, especially during training, unless it's to ask for further instructions if you don't understand something. But I hope they'll forget that-
Huh?
Is that the sword of Carian!?!?
She's the one! I need her autograph!!!
But I don't have anything to write on. I'll have her sign my chest!
Oh sh*t, I don't have a pen. I know! She can use a dagger to sign my flesh!
No, no, no, no. Calm down, you stupid. Don't become a freak... So much time with nothing but training on my mind is driving me crazy. If she's here, then we should definitely pause the tortur- the practice to listen to her.
Simon, the senior instructor, does just that, to hell with appearances, I lie down on the ground unseemly to rest.
The grass is fresh and cold, just what I need, I almost want to eat a little to quench my thirst.
I turn my head to observe, I see... three beautiful women next to her, I don't know them, but I have seen the black-haired one from a distance a few times before.
... They are the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life, but my attention is stolen by two fluffy tails. A black one with a white tip, fluffy, majestic, looks a bit misaligned, but that makes it even more charming. The kind you want to curl up with and go to sleep with.
And another brown tail, also with an even whiter tip, silky looking, well groomed and elegant... With the perfect balance of fluffiness and practicality. The kind you want to stroke again and again and again and again and again...
With my body on the verge of collapse, I'd sell my soul to any evil being to be able to caress them as much as I can.
Maybe if I show them how good I am at training, some of them, or better yet, all of them, will take pity on me and invite me on a date, we could go to some city, no, far away country, far away from these sadistic instructors.
We would travel the world together, eat together, camp together, eventually sleep and bathe together... As we got to know each other and grew closer, they would eventually fall in love with me, and I, being the magnanimous being that I am, would decide to give myself to all four of them to keep them from fighting each other over me.
But there's just one problem with my plan, I can't show them my cool side if my legs don't respond.
"RECRUITS, AT EASE! CLEAR!"
"YES INSTRUCTOR!!!""""
Damn it... I force my body to stand up, barely dragging myself off the grass.
"Did you hear that?" Someone next to me asks in a very low voice, we can't move, there are still two instructors behind us, if we move a muscle they will punish us. But I can tell from the voice that it's Eric, an elf.
"No, keep it down, we're on attention, you idiot"
"You're the idiot, we're on rest, we can move a little, remember?"
"... Oh yeah"
"... You need more sleep, how about I break your arm so you can rest for three weeks?"
" Hell no, I won't even get to heal"
"Whatever, I overheard Instructor Riley talking to the Dark Brotherhood woman, looks like Carian's Sword and the smallest vixen are going to fight!"
"What, she is going to kill her!"
"I know! What the hell are they thinking? Instructor Riley tried to convince them otherwise, but they completely ignored him, it was pretty funny to watch actually”
"Serves the sadistic bastard right, and stop calling Simon that. But I can't believe it... maybe it's just a simple demonstration?"
"No, it will be a duel. The instructor has already sent for healers for the brown vixen"
“She's going to need them. And stop calling her that"
We heard a door open.
...
Wow, tonight I'm going to-
Don't be weird.
... My eyes are glued, without any intention to the contrary, to the figure that appears, pretty feet, sexy legs completely naked, with her beautiful tail curled over one of them.
She is wearing a very tight training jumpsuit, which hugs her thick hips tightly. The shape of her crotch is extremely captivating, you can also see part of her buttocks from the front....
I thank the gods that the resting position is with the hands in front and not behind as usual. It's a big help to me now.
She definitely knows that we are looking at her, but that doesn't stop me from continuing, I have no willpower, forgive me.
My gaze keeps going up... a slim waist, with a flat, but well-defined belly. Breasts that... OOOOH!!! Not the biggest I've ever seen, but they're a good size and bounce a little with every step she takes...
Even if an instructor were to give me a direct order to avert my gaze, I wouldn't. I don't mind being tripled up on my training.
Her bare arms look healthy, unexpectedly shapely but still curvaceous and feminine, she looks like she is working out.
Her face... it's perhaps the most seductive thing about her right now, her lovely lips, full red cheeks and cheekbones, small nose, emerald green eyes... And most of all, an expression that alternates between absolute shame, pride, resignation, more pride, and more shame.
Finally, long wavy brown hair, now tied up in a simple ponytail, and cute brown ears covering a heavenly white fluff...
She looks extremely charming.
My companions seem to share the opinion, because I don't even hear the sound of breathing as we all watch her like a hawk as she shyly makes her way towards the center of the training ground.
But why is she wearing just that? Normally, there would be some kind of light gear on top of those jumpsuits. Besides, there are a lot of different training outfits, new, clean, unisex, and some even have room for tails and wings if needed.
Oh well, better for me. No, for the world.
"Okay guys, listen up, it's going to be a friendly duel between Her Grace, Duchess Sherianna Owen and an up and coming woman, Seina. That's all. Pay attention, you are expected to be able to at least slow either of them down for a few seconds by the end of your training"
Seina huh? No last name? Then she must be a commoner. Wait, what? It could be an interesting fight if she hinted that Seina is stronger than us. Or was she just being polite? My gut tells me not to underestimate her, and my mind agrees, she is obviously more concerned about the looks than the fight.
But others don't share my opinion.
"Damn, I should have enlisted as a nurse, I could have taken care of her battered body afterwards", "she is probably a sacrifice, she doesn't even have a title", "That makes sense, will they teach us some technique then?", "If it turns out like that, I don't think I want to be enlisted anymore", "Are you idiots? Public executions are not allowed in this kingdom, it must be just a nice practice dummy", "There are already plenty of those among the prisoners, why a sexy fox?", "To motivate us?", "Since when do they care about how we feel?", "Right", "I'll stand between her and the sword, so she'll fall in love with me", "You'll die", "I'll die loved, so it's okay", "It looks even better from behind~"
Right, she looks great from behind- I mean, there are some unnecessary comments mixed in, but overall, no one thinks she can even fight.
Even though she's so distracted, she doesn't forget to show respect to her opponent, which is reciprocated by the taller woman.
Good manners too, she's getting better and better, I hope she doesn't get hurt...
... Where did those two monsters come from? I can barely see anything! And they're still speeding up!? Do they want us to slow them down? Maybe if we can get our blood splattered in their eyes before we die, I can't think of any other way.
Carian's sword is amazing as expected, fast, strong and confident. She's also gentle, slowing down to let Seina get used to it. Speaking of her, I think she's even more amazing, even if she looked like a complete novice, she smoothly dodges all the blows... And she gets better and better.
Her posture, once clearly that of a lady, is now that of an experienced warrior. But it is still elegant. Both seem to be dancing, a dangerous dance that would result in a very nasty blow to the face if either of them made a mistake.
"THUD!"
Seina blocks a kick with her bare hand, which knocks her back towards our direction. She brakes by extending her legs, leaning forward, lifting her tail, and... Basically, pointing her gorgeous bottom and her beautiful bare legs at us.
"""OOOOHHH!!!!""""
Tonight, I'm definitely going to- cof cof. I will cherish this view until the day I die-
Stop it. Don't be a weirdo.
Even the stiff instructors join in on the excitement. I don't know if it's because of the amazing fight or the even more amazing sight of the swinging of certain parts of her body, and also her tail.
Maybe both.
Eventually they start to speed up, the fight becomes more serious, even Seina seems to be completely focused on it. The wild atmosphere between them makes us pay full attention to the fight as well.
... A beautiful girl has managed to disarm Carian's Sword, apparently in her first real fight...
I heard that some races have very strong instincts, but I'm sure this is not natural.
Although having disarmed her caused her loss. It's a pity. But even if the outcome was what everyone expected, I'm sure no one here would dare underestimate her again.
I'm quite a fan now.
For many reasons.
To hell with the formation, I need to get close to her. Those terrifying claws were made of darkness, despite the fact that I'm not good with magic, darkness magic is what I'm best at, I could use that to befriend her. Whoever she is, she seems to have some authority, hopefully I could skip classes with her help.
Then I'd have a nice view, not just muscles, dirt and sweat.
On a more serious note, I would love to at least be friends with such a strong and lovely girl.
Joining the army is the best decision I ever made in my life after all.