Chapter 6: Seeking Strength

“Miss Astraea, it hurts…!”

“I know it does, but just put up with it for a little longer!”

Conrad grit his teeth as Astra pushed down on his back a little harder. His muscles screamed in protest for a split second, but then his body adjusted enough for the pain to become bearable. Now bent almost completely in half, he felt Astra apply a more pressure and winced.

It was bearable, but…

“Miss, will this really make me stronger?”

Not only were they pressed extremely close together, the poses she’d been making him do these days felt so silly that his cheeks were burning with embarrassment.

Astra sighed as she nudged his foot a little farther inwards. “Yes. I told you this already, but it’s not that strength is impossible for you. It's your concept of strength that's flawed.”

That was what she had told him after Conrad had agreed to her proposal.

“I understand that you want to be like Aleron, but you can’t forget that there are years of experience between you both. In addition, Aleron’s body is fully developed, while you’re still growing. You can’t expect that copying his current training regime will grant you the same results.”

After observing Conrad’s efforts, Astra had rapidly begun to understand what the problem was.

Conrad, who greatly admired Aleron, had been faithfully mirroring the older man’s daily training routine with his own. However, Aleron's physique was toned and hardened from years of battle and constant maintenance. His body was fundamentally different from Conrad, who was only sixteen. The youth was small and compact, whereas Aleron, a grown man, had already achieved the tall and firm frame that came with age and years of hard work.

“You have the potential to surpass Aleron in certain areas,” Astra said, taking her weight off his back. “And those areas are flexibility and speed. You can straighten up now.”

Still a little red-faced, the young boy stood back up, wincing as he felt his muscles protest. “What are all these strange exercises you’ve been making me do, miss?”

“They’re stretches to help improve your range of movement,” Astra replied, thinking back to the days when she had still been taking gymnastics classes. Though it had only been for a few months, it was enough for her to commit their daily stretching routine to heart. “I know you’re sore now, but just keep at it. It’s a bit risky to push you this hard, but I’m sacrificing safety for speed, just like you asked me to. If you feel your muscles cramping at any point, tell me immediately.”

Though he still didn’t quite understand, Conrad still nodded obediently.

After that day in the infirmary, the blond cadet had decided to try throwing all of his trust upon Astra’s shoulders. The worst that could happen, he reasoned, was that he made no progress. And wasn't that what he'd already been doing? Rather than stand still, he was desperate enough to try anything. 

So far, Astra hadn’t given him much reason to regret his choice. For the past two weeks, she, Liam, and Rain had been working in tandem to help him with his training. Astra, input from Rain, taught him a set routine of stretches and exercises meant to compensate for his weaknesses while expounding upon his strengths.

When Conrad had asked how she was so sure that his hidden potential lay in flexibility and speed, she had winked at him and said, “Aleron is stronger than I am, in almost every aspect. Want to guess what the exceptions are?"

He’d stopped questioning her instructions after that.

Liam sparred with him daily, and as his roommate, made sure he was taking the time to eat properly and rest. In order to keep the Raven Knights from getting at the young boy while he was alone, the redhead stuck close by Conrad’s side wherever he went, unless he was with other members of the Guard.

“Cool off for a little, and then we can move on to sparring,” Astra told him, offering him a damp towel. “Ilia said she’d free up some time for you today.”

Conrad wiped his face. In addition to Liam, Astra had roped in her newfound friend Ilia to help Conrad with one-on-one fights. Ilia was a shield knight who specialized in heavy defense, and could had better insight in dealing with the Raven Knights, who wore specialized armour. With so many talents offering their help, Conrad could finally see a glimmer of hope.

“Miss,” he began hesitantly as he lowered the towel, “If you don’t mind my asking… why did you offer to help me?”

Astra was kind, but they hadn’t known each other for all that long. In Conrad’s eyes, there was a big difference between lending a hand to an injured person and going to the trouble of planning and executing a tailoured training regimen just for him.

He was grateful, but he couldn't understand why she would do it. Astra didn't seem like the type to turn around and ask for some impossible favour in return (someone the Captain vouched for surely wouldn't be a bad person), which only made her motivation more confusing.

“My dream’s just a small one. Why are you so bent on making sure I don’t give up?”

Astra, picked up a padded tunic that the soldiers used for sparring, beckoning him closer. Conrad obediently spread his arms out to let her fasten the jerkin around his torso. As she moved behind him to tie the laces, he heard her calm voice:

“Well. If we're talking dreams, I gave up on mine a long time ago.”

He stilled, but Astra’s thin fingers continued to deftly tie knots in the leather cords as she went on.

“That sounds a little dramatic. It's not that I gave up on them, rather that I didn't have the wherewithal to make them happen alone.” As though she were not speaking of herself, there was no trace of bitterness in her voice. “You’re young. You still have time to see your commitments through, with a little assistance. It sounds selfish, but I want to be offer you the help that I never got.” With a light tug, she finished her work and patted his back. “Alright, you’re good to go.”

Conrad, frowning, turned to look at the noirette.

Selfish?

Even if she was projecting, Astra had been guiding him for the past few weeks without once showing disappointment. She pointed out the areas in which he excelled, and encouraged him to focus on honing his talents rather than bemoaning his weak points. It wasn't just the teaching, either. Cooking for him, offering her company, listening to him talk about his silly, small dream.

How on earth was that selfish?

It was a kindness that anyone could offer, but Astra was the first person who had. At this point Conrad thought as highly of her as he did of Aleron. Why would she try and pass off her generosity as a personal whim?

Was she deliberately downplaying her contribution? If so, why?

Astra, sensing his scrutinizing stare, shifted her feet. Why was he looking at her like that?

Deciding to ignore it, she started to nudge him towards the courtyard. “Off we go. Let’s not keep Ilia waiting.”

He went, but he was also determined to revisit the topic another time. Preferably a time when he wasn't suffering a phenomenal beatdown courtesy of Ilia's giant shield.

“For the last time, MOVE YOUR FEET!” Ilia roared as she swung and knocked the young boy into the dirt. When he fell, she planted the bottom of her shield into the ground, her crimson braid flaring in the sun. “You’re not weighed down by armour and a giant piece of metal like I am! You’re faster and smaller than me, so use that!”

“I see Ilia’s training is as brutal as ever,” someone said from behind Astra, who was watching from the sidelines. "She's not even using a weapon."

Without needing to turn around, Astra replied, “I sincerely hope I never become the target of her ire, that’s for sure.”

Liam and Rain approached and came to stand beside her, watching as Conrad hurriedly wiped the dirt from his face and stood up again, gritting his teeth as he raised his sword to ward off another oncoming blow.

“The shortsword suits him better,” Rain commented, seeing the lightness to Conrad’s movements that hadn’t been there originally. “It was a good idea to have him switch.”

“Given his height, trying to use a longsword like the Captain’s would have just been a waste of time,” Liam agreed, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout some encouragement. “Keep after her, Conrad! If you win, Ilia will let me take her out for dinner!”

“I never promised that!”

“Why would she go with you if I win?!”

Two responses, one perturbed and one confused, came back at the same time, making Astra burst out laughing as Liam adopted a hurt expression.

“It seems I’ve been jilted. Little lady, you wouldn’t object to dinner with me, would you?”

“If you're paying,” Astra replied promptly, hearing his groan as he complained that ‘all of their friendships were so conditional, what was a poor soldier to do’. "And stop calling me that confounded pet name."

"Never."

Though she wouldn't admit it, Liam's free-wheeling, flirtatious mannerisms reminded her of Ladron, whom she sorely missed. She didn't push back very hard against his teasing, instead opting to call out a warning to Conrad as Ilia bore down on him again. 

With a yelp, Conrad was shoved to the ground, and this time Ilia did not follow up, stepping back and lowering her shield. “We’re done for now. Rest,” she told him, and with a low groan the blond cadet flopped back down onto the floor, happy to let his aching muscles stop moving for a moment.

“Now, now.” A pair of hands were suddenly on his shoulders, easing him upwards into a sitting position. “I know you’re exhausted, but do your stretches or your muscles will seize up later.”

Grumbling just to be capricious about it, Conrad nevertheless followed Astra’s instructions. Under the careful gazes of his four mentors, he performed his cool-down exercises before Liam helped him up, wrapping a clean towel around the boy's neck. Blowing out a long breath, Conrad shook his hand, which was shaking from the effort of keeping his grip on his sword.

Rain caught Conrad’s palm in his own to inspect his fingers. “You’ve got blisters,” he pronounced, releasing him. “Stop by later this evening so I can bandage them.”

Conrad felt equal parts embarrassed and grateful to be fussed over. Red-faced, he bowed his head and muttered something akin to thanks as he scurried to put away his equipment. The four adults watched him go with eerily  simlar parental smiles.

“Kids grow up so fast,” Liam lamented, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. “So, what do we think? Can he win against a Raven Knight?”

Given how his bouts against Ilia had gone, not quite yet. But all of them believed Conrad held far greater potential than this. 

“The two Knights we’re talking about in particular aren't very disciplined,” Ilia replied. “He's rising to the challenge, but I estimate at least another month before he’s got a chance.”

At that, the other three adults exchanged looks. "He’s stubborn, but I don’t know if he can be patient for that long,” Liam hazarded, casting a glance in the direction Conrad had gone.

“Speaking of, who exactly are these two Knights?” Astra cut in curiously. “I’ve met their Captain before, and he was certainly taciturn, but he struck me as a disciplined man.”

“If you mean Sir Azela, you are correct.” Rain replied without looking at her. Though they’d spent quite a lot of time together as a group, the healer still seemed to be oddly on edge around Astra. “The problem is those two specific eyesores, Sir Brin and Sir Castor. I heard they entered the Raven Knights after being demoted from the King’s Guard.”

Just that said a lot about what kinds of characters comprised the King’s Guard, but Astra knew better than to make any of her judgements aloud. “What… virtuous, upright soldiers they must be,” she said dryly instead, hearing Ilia bark out a mirthless laugh at her sarcasm. “A month, huh…” Pursing her lips, Astra’s eyes followed Conrad as the blond came jogging back up to them, his brow creasing as he realized they must have been talking about him.

“What is it…?” he asked timidly, then yelped when a hand came down on his head. Astra put a lot of strength into ruffling his hair. “M-miss Astraea?”

“I told you to call me Astra,” she reminded, looking around at the others. “You all, too. None of this formal nonsense.” She looked down at Conrad, who was staring up at her in confusion with her hand on his head. “Alright, Conrad. I’ll start special tutoring for you tomorrow.”

“Special tutoring?” he repeated as she lowered his hand and he stood back up, trying to brush his hair back to its proper place. “What sort of tutoring?”

“I’ll teach you how to win a disadvantaged fight against someone bigger and heavier than you.” Astra winked at him. "Even a mighty Raven Knight."

Hearing her words, Conrad’s eyes grew wider. Actually, everyone’s eyes grew wider.

“That… is that possible? If there's such a large physical gap?" Ilia muttered before adopting an apologetic expression. "No offense, Conrad."

"None taken. I was wondering the same thing. Astra, is that really possible?"

Astra smiled at him. "Of course. Being smaller can actually be an advantage if you know how to make it one."

On Earth, self-defense was becoming a commonly sought-after skill, especially for young women, and Astra and Lexi had been no exception. Their university was sizable and had a number of clubs and student groups who pursued martial arts. Lexi had joined a judo club with Ladron, but Astra had gone for hapkido instead, a martial art that focused on redirecting blows instead of taking them head on. It was perfect for someone of Conrad's physique - actually, the young cadet's build was quite similar to Astra's own. 

Moreover, the confusion of her friends meant that such techniques didn’t exist here in Onaria. Conrad would have the element of surprise.

"Eat a good meal and get some rest," she instructed him. "We'll start tomorrow."