Training changed again after the mission.
It wasn't announced. There was no formal meeting. We simply woke up and realized the orders were different. Fewer long exercises. More short simulations. More scenarios where someone was always at a disadvantage.
"They're cutting fat now," Vespera commented while observing the reorganized field. "No excess."
"Efficiency," Elara replied. "Minimum cost. Maximum result."
The elven guild master confirmed it with few words. "In war, total safety does not exist. You need to decide who takes the risk."
I didn't like that sentence at all.
The first exercise made that clear. A simulated scenario where two points had to be defended at the same time. Insufficient resources. Someone would have to be exposed.
"Decide," the master said, looking at me.
I looked at the group. Elara was focused. Vespera looked restless. Liriel observed everything with unusual coldness.
"I'll go," I said.
"Negative," the master replied. "You decide. You don't execute."
The weight of that sentence settled slowly.
"Then give the order," he added.
I stayed silent for a few seconds that felt too long.
"Elara," I finally said. "You hold the eastern point."
She looked at me immediately. Not surprised. Evaluating.
"Chance of retreat?" she asked.
"Low," I replied.
She nodded without arguing and moved.
The exercise was quick. Elara held the point using the minimum amount of mana possible, exactly as she had learned. It worked. But when it ended, she was clearly exhausted.
"Acceptable result," the master said.
I didn't respond.
During the break, Elara approached me. "You hesitated."
"Because I didn't want to put you there," I replied.
"But you did."
"Because it was the most efficient option."
She was silent for a moment. "You're going to have to do that again."
"I know."
The next exercise was worse. A scenario where Vespera had to advance alone to break the enemy line while the others held position.
"High risk," Vespera commented. "I like it less when it's calculated."
"You can do it," I said.
"I know," she replied. "But I want to hear whether you accept losing someone."
The question hung in the air.
"No," I answered. "But I accept failing less."
She smiled faintly. "Honest answer."
The advance worked. Vespera returned unharmed, but barely. One small mistake would have been costly.
Liriel watched everything with growing discomfort.
"This is playing with pieces," she said later. "You talk as if we were numbers."
"Because if we aren't, we die," Elara replied, still catching her breath.
Liriel looked at me. "And you accept that?"
I took time to answer. "I accept it because not accepting it doesn't change the result."
The master interrupted. "Command is not morality. It is responsibility."
That sentence kept echoing.
In the final exercise of the day, I was forced to choose between protecting the group or completing the objective. I chose the objective. The group suffered a simulated penalty.
"Victory," the master said.
I felt nothing like victory.
When training ended, Elara sat beside me. She was tired, but clear-minded.
"You're starting to think differently," she said.
"I'm starting to think worse," I replied.
"No," she corrected. "Colder."
Vespera approached soon after. "You didn't like today."
"No," I said.
"Good sign," she replied. "It means you're still human."
Liriel came last. She crossed her arms and spoke quietly. "If you start seeing us as nothing but resources, I break you."
I smiled slightly. "Fair."
That night, I stayed awake longer than I should have. I replayed every decision. Every order. Every accepted risk.
I understood now.
Getting stronger wasn't just about hitting harder.
It was about deciding who bleeds when there is no choice.
And that was the price of efficiency.