While Leo fell asleep with a warm heart after receiving hospitality he had never experienced in his lifetime, a new destination was decided upon in Commander Bryce's home.
"How about we just go see the next village and return?"
"I would like that too, but… Will we have enough time?"
"If we hurry a bit, you should arrive at the coming-of-age ceremony without any issues."
"Hmm… But the children we brought here seem quite tired already…"
"Still, since we handpicked these children, they should have the stamina, right?"
"Well, recruiting soldiers isn't something that can be done in a short time. We might have to travel around a few more times like this. And there's no guarantee of no accidents, so it's better to head straight to the castle."
"Understood. I will finish the preparations before sunrise."
"Good. You should rest well too."
The next day.
Leo woke up to the rough shouting of someone.
"You lazy kids! Get up quickly and get ready!"
A strange ceiling, a strange voice.
After forcing himself to get up, despite not wanting to move, Leo looked around and saw everyone already up, packing their belongings in a hurry.
Although he woke up later than the others, Leo had no reason to worry at all.
The only belongings to pack were the old clothes on his body.
It was said that other parents prepared old clothes or cheap knives for their children, but Leo's father, a man who asked if he could receive the silver in exchange, was so confusing that it was unclear whether to call him a father or not.
"No, I'm just an orphan from today."
No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed better to be without such parents.
Since he wouldn't see them again once he left the village, wouldn't becoming an orphan be no different?
While Leo made a decision of a lifetime, everyone finished their preparations one by one and went outside.
"Ugh, it's cold."
As he followed them out, a chilling wind brushed his face, surpassing the coolness.
The cruel season, winter, was approaching.
He felt relieved that he followed them.
The winter in the countryside was so cold and harsh that survival until the next year was not guaranteed.
With animals reducing their activity, traps and snares made by Leo also didn't have much effect in this season.
Since they were supposed to raise them as soldiers, starvation wouldn't be an issue.
That alone was enough reason to head to an unfamiliar place.
After going through a procedure to ensure no one was missing, the group immediately left the village.
Commander Bryce was worried about potential accidents, but the journey to the castle was incredibly smooth.
He hadn't encountered any common bandits or goblins along the way.
The castle wasn't too far.
Even with children hanging off of him, they managed to walk for three days.
Although the first experience of camping was a bit uncomfortable, Leo was satisfied knowing there was no need for bloodshed.
"Here is where you all will stay," Bryce said upon reaching the castle. He went to report to the Marquis, while Leo and the children were led to the barracks by Max, who served as Bryce's lieutenant.
The place, with its decent size but rugged, humble buildings, seemed like a typical spot for soldiers to stay.
Max led them to a building in the middle.
As he opened the creaking door, he stuck his head inside and shouted, "New recruits have arrived! Fill in the vacancies from the front and report!"
The response was surprisingly quick.
"New recruits! New recruits!"
"Let's see their faces!"
"You're all as good as dead now. hehehehe."
"They've finally arrived!"
Various responses popped up, and the sight of them, eyes gleaming and rushing out, including Leo and the new recruits, instilled fear in them.
It was safe to say that anyone seeing those raised corners of their mouths dragged down to their ears would feel a sense of unease.
And the grim premonition was proven right once again through them.
"Damn, no matter where you go, it's all the same crap."
Leo, brought to the dormitory, was placed under the charge of a sergeant named Axel within an hour.
There were no beatings or curses, thankfully, but instead, he had to do all sorts of menial tasks.
Cleaning was a given, and laundry or dishwashing, all fell under Leo's responsibilities.
With no training whatsoever, after a month of just doing menial tasks, he was starting to wonder if he had joined as a soldier or a servant.
Without even stepping outside the barracks, the daily grind made him question if he had made the right choice.
What he despised the most was fetching water every morning. Due to his size, he had to carry a slightly larger water jug than the other children, making him not only physically strained but also feeling unfairly treated.
Though he felt like just giving up at times, he believed enduring was a kind of test.
Even those who failed would eventually live near the castle and provide labor, so from the Marquis's perspective, it wasn't a losing deal.
Having already experienced the military once, Leo knew that in times like this, it was best to quietly do what needed to be done.
Fetching water, cleaning, finishing laundry, and swinging a stick as a full-fledged task, the results of a test that no one had informed him about came out.
That day, as usual, Leo had a slightly larger water jug on his shoulder compared to others.
As he was about to leave the barracks, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Leo, don't go today. Wait here. Give the water jug to Tiel," said Axel, the usually quiet sergeant.
Since Axel usually showed no particular interest in him, Leo sensed that something was up.
And his suspicion was correct.
Leo, who had been waiting inside the dormitory, was soon summoned to the training ground with the other children.
Though it was far from a proper training ground, being just an open space with makeshift targets, seeing Commander Bryce standing emotionlessly on the platform gave off a familiar military scent.
The children were standing around in disarray, not even properly learning the basics, yet no one seemed to care.
Bryce was no different.
As soon as the headcount was over, he immediately got to the main point.
"It has been a month since you arrived here. You must have been curious about why you were brought here and given such menial tasks."
"Of course, you could have immediately joined the existing soldiers to train and wield a sword."
"The reason it didn't happen is that it was to identify those with the potential to become excellent soldiers."
"Leo."
"Except for him, everyone else has been eliminated. The rest cannot become soldiers."
As if prompting them to speak if they had something to say, Bryce paused for a moment.
As if waiting, murmurs erupted here and there.
"Why can't we become soldiers?"
"Then what will happen to us?"
Despite the discontent in their questions, Bryce responded without any emotional sway.
"Don't you know why you were eliminated? You were always full of complaints and didn't perform your tasks properly. Look at Leo. Isn't he around the same age as you but didn't carry water twice his weight? And as for the month of hard work, I will pay you the promised amount of silver. It might be the money you return to your village with. Whether you go back or stay in the castle is your choice."
"What? Wasn't I working hard?"
Clearly praising Leo, Bryce's words greatly soured Leo's mood.
Of course, Bryce didn't seem to notice at all.
Although there was a slight uproar from the boys who couldn't become soldiers, they fell quiet as the soldiers surrounding them raised their clubs.
As the disgruntled boys were led out of the training ground, disappearing one by one, Bryce looked Leo in the eyes and spoke.
"Congratulations. You will now work as a soldier in Ironhall Castle. During peacetime, you will guard the residents as a sentinel, and in times of war, you will be the main force on the battlefield."
"I brought you here as a recruiter, but now I will welcome you as the commander of the guard. You will also need to participate in training from now on, so I hope you maintain the diligence you have shown so far."
With a brief word of advice, Bryce left, and instead, the leaders of each group handed out old but still functional swords, helmets, and chainmail armor.
While everyone seemed pleased to have passed the test, Leo had different thoughts.
"It's definitely second-hand. The person who used this… must have died, right?"
He knew in his head that working as a soldier for a salary while being safe was unreasonable, but he hadn't truly felt it until now.
Receiving this equipment made him realize how dangerous it really was.
Although it was just Leo's speculation, in a society where such metal objects were considered precious, there was no doubt that they had been stained with blood.
Carrying the quite weighty items back to their quarters, made of straw and bushes, he sat on the bed.
"Hey! Freshman! Congratulations!"
"Now you can really start working properly!"
Whether it was a welcome or a jest, it felt good to be recognized as part of the group.
The best part was being exempt from hard labor all day.
As his position as the youngest didn't change, he knew he would have to work tirelessly again from tomorrow onwards, but not in the same way as before.