"GRAAAUR!"

The beast was similar to a gorilla in its stance but had spikes protruding from its back and upper arms. Its eyes glowed a bright crimson as a black mist covered its entire body.

It jumps into the air and throws itself toward my location.

My body instinctively jumps to the side, eluding his massive build.

He lifts his hand and looks around himself as if confused about where his prey had wandered.

I lift myself up and take a deep breath while reeling my fists to my sides:

"HELENA!"

A bright ray of light covers my body as it disperses, showcasing a brilliant set of armor.

"GRAUR?!" The beast turns his head and looks toward me, finally figuring out the location of its opponent.

My armor feels a bit lighter as I glance towards my arms and torso. My new armor consists of a short-blue dress exposing my cleavage with black linings coming from the arms and back; My arms are covered with armored gloves covering my hands with black leather while my new metallic boots lift me a few inches off the ground.

"… What is this?..."

"Along with your newfound strength and speed, changes in mode-switches are often common when undergoing the procedure; Especially someone with a specialty class like yourself." A voice similar to the female's doctor's echoed throughout the room.

The gorilla-like creature paced towards me while reeling one of its massive fists.

I hold the scabbard located on the right of my hip and clench the hilt.

—Drip Drip

The beast gazed towards me as my sword pierced its extended arm while its blackened blood trills onto the floor.

"GRAAAU—"

—GUSH

I whip my sword away from the beast and sever its arm. Its limb drops to the floor and fades into black fog.

As if he was unfazed by the pain, the beast throws his second arm towards my head. My hand comes forth and blocks his attack. I feel the force of his attack all the way to my knees as he struggles to move from my grip.

"GRAAAU!" The beast reels its head back and slams it into my noggin.

I step back as a drop of blood falls from the scratch situated on the top of my face. My fist starts to tighten, leading to his arm creating numerous cracking noises as the beast tries to pull away.

"GRAAU! GRAAU!"

—Crack Crack Crack

His fingers start to mend backward as bones and metal fall towards the ground as the beast continues to head-butt me.

—GUSH

I pull my hand back, and his entire arm flies off of his torso, the hole in the arm spurts black liquids as he backs away from me, looking dazed.

"G-Graau!"

The beast charges at me with his head bent down as I throw his missing limb to the ground.

A massive skull crashes into my torso leading to a ring of air breaking around us.

"G-Graau?!" The beast looks up as my lavender eyes glare undaunted by his assault. He tries to back away, but both my hands latch onto his head.

My hands tighten as he howls in pain. His mouth unloads a puddle of black liquid on the floor along with teeth while my fingers grip into the sides of his skull.

—CRACK

The beast stops resisting and collapses onto the ground with his tongue laid bare. My bloodied hands fall to my side as I look at its twitching corpse.

"It seems that synchronization has completed. You're now in full control of your body and able to use basic motor functions." The female doctor's voice echoes once more across the room.

—Creak

The entryway to the room opens as the female doctor pokes her head in with a smile. "You're quite tenacious! If you're ready, you can join the other squires back at the castle. I'm sure they've missed you."

"… I'm ready."

. . .

After walking through a long hallway, we reach a large staircase that leads back to the lower part of the castle. She opens a hatchet, and we step into a large wine cellar.

"You should be able to find your way back to the dormitory from here. General Calina will be returning shortly from her expedition up north. She'll give you further instruction once she returns."

The nurse drops back into the hole and closes the hatch.

The cellar is quite large, housing several different wine barrels and colorful bottles. I walk past the storages of liquor and continue to a door leading to the main hallway of the castle.

"Hey, you!" A guard races over to me with a hurried expression. "Who are you? State your business here!"

"I'm Momoko Miwa…"

The guard scratches his head while looking me up and down. "What happened to your hair and armor… Forget about that—We've been looking all over for you. You have obviously forgotten what today is!"

"Today?" I ask with a vague expression.

The guard sighs and gestures with his arm. "Follow me. You wouldn't want to be late."

We reach the edge of the castle and turn into a familiar corridor. He points to an open room with velvet flooring and white walls.

This is the room Iyuna, and I trained in for a while...

—CLING CLING CLING

Clashes of steel and metal come from inside the room. We walk in as a group of people wearing armor and military uniform sit on either side of the room while looking towards two people in the middle.

"HAAA!"

A male with brown hair throws his mace at another broad-shouldered boy who dodges and lunges into the air.

I look toward the guard and point towards the fighters. "What's this for?"

"After a month, your skills are tested against your fellow squires to see if you've improved any thus far."

As they come closer, I recognize the two males as Tatsuo and Usui.

Tatsuo slams a large hammer towards Usui who grabs it between his chains struggling against the brute's strength.

"Stop… I've seen enough." A broad man in silver armor shuffles his hand on a runic circle in the air then looks toward us.

The guard stops and salutes in front of him. "Brigadier Trusla, sir! I've found Momoko Miwa and brought her as instructed!"

He looms over me with a wide grin.

"You're... General Calina's squire, right? If she lives up to her reputation, you must be at least a fraction of how strong she is by now. Let's put that to the test."