The morning sun dragged itself lazily across the barren lands of Elondria, shining on cracked soil and withered grass as if wondering why it even bothered. A few birds chirped—thin, tired chirps that sounded like they were also hungry.
Along the narrow dirt streets, the early-risers moved about like shadows.
A bent-backed man pushed a cart of chopped firewood.
Two children kicked a stone around, bare feet slapping on the ground.
A woman struggled with a pale of murky water while her three-year-old clung onto her skirt like a stubborn cactus.
"I heard we have royalty in Elondria," the woman with the water whispered, glancing around as if royalty might drop out of the sky.
"Me too," her friend replied, shifting a basket of berries—mostly green, slightly suspicious-looking berries. "My husband said he saw their carriage yesterday. He almost fainted, you know—said it was the cleanest thing he's ever seen in this land."
"Why would a royal come here of all places?"
"I don't know," the woman sighed. "But I hope they leave us alone. Nobles bring trouble."
They continued gossiping as they walked away, completely unaware that the royal in question was at that very moment—
---
Having a full-blown argument with her System.
Inside the city lord's estate, Yivanna was kneeling in front of a wooden box of clothes, her hands frozen mid-rummage, face twisted in disbelief.
"System," she hissed. "How do you expect me to train 500 men when I don't even know basic military drills? I can make them jog, maybe stretch, but that won't magically turn them into elites!"
She held up one of the dresses from the box—an ugly hand-me-down. It smelled faintly of lavender oil and heartbreak.
Tsk.
Tsk.
Sometimes, she REALLY remembered how badly the original owner was treated.
In the Avalorian Empire, noble ladies changed dresses every season. Custom-made, embroidered, silk-lined, jewels on the sleeves—luxury everywhere.
Meanwhile, Yivanna was wearing clothes her step-sister discarded like old mop rags.
Her blood pressure rose.
"Host," the System said in its annoyingly calm tone, "you may purchase military drill information, or proceed with your current level of understanding. However, please remember: training must meet my mission's standard requirements before I can consider it complete."
Yivanna groaned loudly.
It had been repeating that line since dawn.
Like a malfunctioning AI toaster.
"I CAN'T BUY ANYTHING! I HAVE ZERO POINTS!" she snapped. "ZERO. ZILCH. NEGATIVE WEALTH. My current net worth is trauma and borrowed dresses."
"Host may acquire points by completing missions, side missions, or crafting technological items," the System replied.
Yivanna rubbed her temples.
Oh yes, let her just whip out a factory and start producing microwaves. Sure.
---
A knock came from the door.
"Your Highness," Keagan called, voice gentle as always. "The knights have gathered outside."
Yivanna exhaled slowly.
So today began.
Fine. If she didn't have points to buy drilling techniques, then—
She grinned.
She would just… improvise.
A warm-up wouldn't kill them, right?
Probably.
"Tell them I'm coming," she said, lips curling into a mischievous smile that made Keagan blink.
"Yes, Your Highness," he replied, a tiny shiver of concern running down his spine.
He had no idea that she was about to introduce the knights of Elondria to a concept they had never heard befor.
Yivanna stepped out of her room and walked through the long corridor of the city lord's estate. The early light slipping through the open courtyard highlighted just how empty the estate felt—spacious, well-built, but abandoned in energy.
Her footsteps echoed.
Her anxiety echoed louder.
When she finally reached the training grounds, she froze.
Five hundred knights stood in neat rows, full armor gleaming faintly, expressions stiff, backs straight, and eyes alert.
They looked…prepared.
Prepared for war.
Prepared for orders.
Prepared for—
Whatever it was medieval men were prepared for.
But definitely not what she had planned.
…Oh dear.
She swallowed.
These men looked like they wanted sword drills, horseback combat, battle formations, tactical speeches…
And she was about to introduce jumping jacks.
Well.
At least she'd die memorably.
Keagan stood at the front row, hands clasped behind his back, looking angelically loyal as always.
But the moment he saw the mischievous smile on Yivanna's lips —
his expression faltered.
Just for half a second.
A flicker of "…we're all going to suffer, aren't we?" passed through his eyes.
Yivanna straightened her posture.
"Good morning, everyone!" she called.
Five hundred voices thundered together:
"GOOD MORNING, YOUR HIGHNESS!"
She winced internally.
Such strength.
Such unity.
And yet…
None of these men could even outrun a horse.
"Today," Yivanna announced, pacing slowly, "we begin the first step in transforming Elondria's knights into an unstoppable force."
A few men nodded proudly.
"With swords?" one whispered.
"With formations?" another guessed.
"With strict discipline?" a third murmured.
Yivanna smiled brightly.
"No. With warm-up exercises!"
The silence was immediate and deafening.
Five hundred knights blinked at her like baby owls.
Keagan coughed softly.
Several helmets tilted in confusion.
One bold knight raised his hand.
"Your Highness… forgive my ignorance, but… what is a warm-up?"
Yivanna clasped her hands behind her back and grinned.
"A set of movements that prepares your body for intense training."
The knights exchanged looks.
"…So… like stretching?" someone asked.
"Yes! Exactly!"
"Stretching… is training?"
"Do we need swords?"
"Will we be doing battle meditation?"
Yivanna laughed.
"Nothing of the sort. We'll begin with simple exercises like jogging, squats, pushups—"
"Push… what?"
She blinked.
Oh.
Right.
Pushups did not exist here.
"Don't worry. I'll demonstrate."
The men looked simultaneously hopeful and concerned.
---
Yivanna stepped forward, cleared a patch of dirt, and lowered herself into position.
"First, place your hands like this."
Five hundred armored men leaned forward.
"Then extend your legs."
Keagan's eyebrows lifted.
"And lift yourself up."
She pushed upward — once, gracefully.
The knights gasped in unison.
"Her Highness lifted her entire body weight!"
"Is this… humanly possible?"
"She is stronger than she looks."
Yivanna:
Please. It's just a pushup, not a divine miracle.
But the knights looked genuinely awestruck.
"Now," she continued, "you lower your body and push back up. Repeatedly."
She demonstrated.
The men nodded, utterly convinced she had invented a forbidden martial technique.
"Very well!" one knight declared loudly. "We shall do as Her Highness commands!"
Then he dropped to the ground—
—and failed spectacularly.
His armor clanked and his face hit the dirt.
Several knights rushed to help him up.
Yivanna clapped her hands.
"That is why we start with stretching!"
---
For the next hour, the training grounds were a battlefield of confusion.
Knights tried touching their toes but fell over.
Some attempted lunges but nearly impaled the men beside them.
A few tried jogging but forgot that armor was heavy and tripped over their own feet.
Yivanna had to stop them multiple times before someone accidentally lost a limb.
Keagan, bless his soul, tried his best to demonstrate properly, but even he struggled with some movements.
At one point, Yivanna wiped sweat from her forehead and muttered:
"This is harder than handling corporate mergers."
The System chimed:
[Training Progress: 3%]
She stared at the notification.
Three.
Percent.
For all that effort?!
She was going to cry.
---
After nearly two hours of chaos, panting, rolling on the ground, and existential crises, something miraculous happened—
The knights began to get the hang of it.
Their stretches became less awkward.
Their jogging became more coordinated.
Their squats no longer looked like dying horses.
For the first time, Yivanna felt a spark of hope.
The System chimed again:
[Training Progress: 8%]
Good job, Host. Continue.]
Yivanna smiled tiredly.
Yes.
They could do this.
She could do this.
Elondria could rise.
----
As the knights rested, Keagan approached with a towel.
"You… did well, Your Highness," he said softly.
Yivanna wiped her face and muttered, "I feel like I just led an army of toddlers."
Keagan chuckled lightly.
"They trust you. That is more than enough for now."
Yivanna felt warmth bloom in her chest.
Then—
The System chimed again, louder this time:
[New Mission Unlocked: Restore Elondria's Farmlands]
Difficulty: High
Description: Analyze, heal, and enrich Elondria's dead soil.
Reward: Farmland Development Interface + Agricultural Tech Blueprint (Tier 1)]
Yivanna took a deep breath.
Great.
Now she had to fix the land too.
Well…
One problem at a time.
She stared at her sweaty, panting knights.
"Alright," she declared. "That was only the warm-up. Actual training begins tomorrow."
Five hundred faces paled.
Keagan closed his eyes as if praying for strength.
Yivanna grinned.
Elondria's rise had officially begun.