Chapter 68: Chaotic Training IV

"Alright...

Let’s see if this time...

We don’t destroy half the academy."

Kael took a deep breath and slowly raised a hand.

The five reinforced dummies began to move.

Their heavy steel bodies emitted a constant screech as they advanced.

The first one raised a huge training sword.

Kael gave no orders.

He just watched.

The dummy took another step.

Another.

And just as it was about to attack...

The Fat King opened one eye.

Just one.

He didn’t get up.

He didn’t even change position.

He simply raised a paw.

WHAP!

The slap struck the dummy’s chest.

The steel giant was sent flying several meters backward, rolling across the ground until it crashed against a wall.

Kael smiled.

"That was protecting."

Professor Rowan nodded, satisfied.

"Good.

He didn’t intervene too early.

He waited for the right moment."

Aurelion gave a small round of applause.

"Not bad."

Darius crossed his arms.

"At least one of them understood."

Kael decided to focus on Sir Dogerino.

The second dummy raised its spear.

The dog tensed his legs.

He wagged his tail slightly.

But he didn’t advance.

He waited.

Kael smiled.

"That’s it...

Not yet."

The third dummy began to circle them.

Sir Dogerino turned his head.

But remained still.

The fourth took another step.

The fifth raised a giant hammer.

Kael felt that everyone was in position.

He took a deep breath.

"..."

"Now!"

"WOOF!!"

Sir Dogerino shot off like an arrow.

His small cape fluttered behind him.

He firmly gripped the Sacred Stick.

He jumped.

Spun in the air.

And...

BOINK!

The sound was exactly as ridiculous as before.

The second dummy disappeared.

It didn’t go flying.

It simply... disappeared.

A second later, it appeared embedded against a huge boulder at the other end of the field.

The impact kicked up a cloud of dust.

Kael gave a thumbs up.

"That!

That went well!"

Professor Rowan smiled.

"Much better."

But the celebration didn’t last long.

The third dummy changed its target.

It ran directly toward Kael.

Sir Dogerino was still too far away to return.

Kael prepared his whips.

"Dammit!"

Before he could move...

The Fat King yawned.

He was still lying on the rock.

He raised a paw without looking.

WHAP!

The dummy was sent flying.

It landed on top of the first one.

Kael sighed in relief.

"Thanks."

"Meow."

That was all the cat responded before closing his eyes again.

Darius watched the scene.

"..."

"I hate to admit it.

But they work better together now."

Aurelion smiled broadly.

"I told you they could learn."

---

The next exercise was more complicated.

Five students summoned training creatures.

Magic wolves.

Armored boars.

Rock serpents.

Professor Rowan pointed at the group.

"Now you’ll have to protect yourselves without attacking your teammates."

Kael swallowed.

"That...

Sounds much harder."

"It is."

Replied the professor.

"Begin."

The creatures began to run.

Kael raised a hand.

"Fat King.

Just protect."

The cat opened one eye.

Nodded very slightly.

"Sir Dogerino.

Don’t attack the summons.

Just stop them."

The dog performed an elegant salute.

"Woof!"

Everything seemed to be going well.

Until one of the magic wolves jumped toward Kael.

Sir Dogerino’s eyes went wide.

"WOOF!!"

His expression completely changed.

He didn’t see training.

He saw someone attacking his master.

He ran immediately.

"Wait!"

Kael tried to stop him.

Too late.

The dog gave a huge leap.

He raised the Sacred Stick.

And struck the wolf.

BOINK!

The poor animal was sent flying through the air.

It crossed the entire training field.

It landed softly on a pile of hay over a hundred meters away.

The student who had summoned it began running desperately.

"My wolf!!"

Sir Dogerino tilted his head.

"Woof?"

He looked confused.

He had perfectly protected Kael.

Why was everyone upset?

Kael brought a hand to his face.

"No...

That wasn’t right either."

Professor Rowan sighed.

"At least he didn’t hit the student.

I suppose that counts as progress."

Aurelion started laughing.

"He’s right!

Two days ago he would have split the field in half."

Darius slowly shook his head.

"Our standards are dropping way too fast."

---

While everyone kept talking...

The Fat King had another idea.

He looked at Sir Dogerino.

Then at the huge rock where he was resting.

And finally...

He raised a paw.

"Meow."

Sir Dogerino immediately turned.

He ran toward him.

Wagging his tail.

The cat pointed again at his back.

The dog understood instantly.

He crouched down.

The Fat King climbed on with absolute calm.

And lay back down on top.

Aurelion burst out laughing.

"He did it again!"

Kael slowly shook his head.

"He doesn’t even try to walk anymore...

He found permanent transportation."

Darius observed the cat.

"He’s...

Surprisingly intelligent."

"Very lazy.

But intelligent."

Seraphina, who had remained silent watching everything, smiled slightly.

She discreetly took out a small notebook.

And wrote:

"The Fat King efficiently uses available resources."

Kael managed to read the phrase.

"No.

That’s not efficiency.

That’s labor exploitation."

Sir Dogerino kept walking happily.

He seemed proud to carry the Fat King.

As if transporting a king were an honor.

The cat even began to purr.

Comfortably.

As if that had always been their natural position.

---

After almost two hours of training...

Everyone was exhausted.

Well...

Everyone except the Fat King.

Who had slept for approximately one hour and fifty minutes.

Professor Rowan gathered the group.

"I’ll give a summary."

Everyone fell silent.

"Kael.

Your orders improved."

He nodded.

"Fat King.

Protects very well.

Although he’s still excessively lazy."

The cat yawned.

"Sir Dogerino.

Follows orders perfectly.

But he needs to learn to distinguish between training...

And a real threat."

The dog raised a paw.

"Woof!"

As if accepting the comment.

The professor closed his notebook.

"In conclusion...

You’ve improved.

A little."

Kael smiled tiredly.

"I guess that’s already a victory."

Aurelion patted him on the shoulder.

"Of course it is.

A week ago they destroyed everything separately.

Now they destroy things while working as a team."

Darius let out a long sigh.

"I don’t know if that should be considered progress...

But I guess it is."

Seraphina walked up to Kael.

She looked at him for a few seconds.

Then she spoke with total sincerity.

"You did well."

Kael smiled.

It wasn’t a great victory.

There was still so much to learn.

But for the first time since he had summoned Sir Dogerino...

He felt like they were really beginning to understand each other.

Just then...

The Fat King raised a paw from the dog’s back.

He pointed at a nearby tree.

Sir Dogerino ran off.

The tree disappeared after a huge...

BOINK!

Everyone watched the trunk slowly split in half before falling to the ground with a crash.

Silence lasted a few seconds.

Kael closed his eyes.

"..."

"Forget everything I said.

We still have a lot of training ahead."

Aurelion burst out laughing.

Even Darius ended up smiling a little.

And for the first time in a long while...

Training ended with laughter instead of explosions.