The Villain Wants to Quit

Training

Eli was stationed at the capitol for the time being and took it upon himself to help Theo with strength training. The hulking "Shelly the Seashell" fanatic had a following of younger knights who admired his ideals and considered it an honor to train under Eli whenever he was in the capitol.

Theo did not.

It was only the first training day, and Theo had already been roped into training for hours.

"Muscles are magic!" Eli shouted. The other knights chanted the words back at him with excessive zeal. Four of them were members of the King's Guard, and about a dozen were regular knights.

"Strong bodies are the foundation for mana!" Eli continued, echoed by his followers. "Theo, join our chant. It will rejuvenate you."

"Mu....s.....ma," Theo blubbered. It was already all he could do to keep pace with these maniacs. Eli had him dragging a stone-filled crate across the knights' training field.

Theo wasn't sedentary; his life involved a lot of fighting and running away, but he didn't use this type of brute strength often.

He questioned whether all this was necessary, but Eli assured him it was.

"I can do the chant for you," Scourge offered. "Muscles are magic! Strong bodies are-"

Theo ignored the noise and focused on breathing. It was starting to get quite hot. Most of the knights were training shirtless or in sleeveless tunics. Meanwhile, Theo was still clinging to his long sleeve shirts.

While most didn't know Theo's identity, those who did were being tolerant. Theo didn't want to shove evidence of his past in their faces.

Additionally, his scars would raise too many questions for the unaware.

Theo settled for loosening his shirt collar, but his pale face was now extremely flushed.

"Time for a break!" Eli announced. "Protein is fuel!"

Theo practically collapsed from exhaustion. The knights chuckled at their newbie's reaction.

"It gets better," one called.

Theo doubted it. None of these people seemed sane. Rather than the training becoming easier, he thought it was more likely that their sanity gradually crumbled.

Meanwhile, Eli passed around a basket of hardboiled eggs.

"I grabbed this for my fellow' Adventures of Shelly the Seashell' fan," Eli said, slipping Theo a separate hardboiled quail egg. The diminutive size was perfect for Scourge. Eli's face beamed with his usual sunny smile as he did so. It disgusted Theo.

Theo slipped the egg into the leather hip bag Scourge rode in now that the weather was too warm for coat pockets. Scourge lined the pouch with Queen Lisbeth's silk handkerchiefs.

Theo missed the conversation where Scourge prized them from the queen but was sure it was mortifying.

"Does this actually help with mana use?" Theo asked Eli, waving toward the training grounds.

"Of course," Eli chuckled. "Whether you're an innate or ambient mana user, using mana strains your body and mind. Meditation and strength training are no less important than magic practice."

"Which is why you should get a checkup," Marie said.

Theo jolted. He hadn't heard her approaching.

"The queen told me the King's Guards healers have strict orders to prioritize you if you stop by," Marie added. "Why don't we go see them now?"

"Now?" Theo avoided eye contact. "I, um-"

"But we have weight lifting scheduled-"

"Actually, right now is great," Theo cut Eli off.