The training continued, and the nuns became increasingly determined.
“Is there more after this?”
“Do you want there to be?”
“Yes!”
Good. I like that.
‘If they are my students, they should be able to overcome trials of this level.’
Then, I suppose it’s okay to push them further.
“Next, I’ll give the goblins swords.”
The goblins holding clubs were weak.
After all, they only had wooden clubs to begin with.
“Couldn’t this actually kill us?”
“You just need to catch them before that happens.”
This time, I reverted their physical abilities to normal.
And now, the goblins were given practice swords.
In other words, these goblins were now like the wild ones you might encounter, but with training swords.
“Keeek!”
The goblins, armed with swords, charged at the trio all at once.
The trio’s faces twisted.
***
Despite their grumbling, my nuns were impressive.
They used the agility they had honed while dodging goblin attacks to turn it against their enemies.
In an instant, swords, arrows, and maces pierced the goblins’ heads.
Swish! Thud! Crack!
All this in under ten hours.
These women, who used to be mere village girls.
In just six and a half hours, they had acquired the combat prowess to hunt monsters through my perfect training.
Now, even their gaze had changed.
The eyes of someone who sees prey and holds confidence in defeating the goblins.
I couldn’t help but clap.
‘Now, it’s time for the real thing.’
“Perfect. Now, what remains is to fight a larger group. Can you handle it? I’m thinking of preparing about thirty.”
“What?”
Casey was shocked.
“T-Thirty at once?”
Eri’s eyes shook.
“No matter how much we’ve improved, isn’t this too sudden?”
Mari swung her mace, voicing her despair.
But this was that, and that was this.
I had to keep up the momentum.
“Keeeeeek!”
I released dozens of goblins.
There were things that had to be done.
The battle began, and as expected, it was a one-sided affair against the nuns.
“Aaaah! Save me!”
“Sob… Mom!”
“It hurts!”
Yes, they were really getting pummeled.
The situation was similar to before.
The thirty goblins didn’t have weapons and simply beat up the nuns.
They tried to evade to survive, but there’s no beating a swarm.
Of course, when they got beaten down like molten cheese, I swiftly healed them.
After being pounded for quite some time, the nuns finally learned to maintain teamwork, retreating from the assault of dozens.
“Haa… haa…”
An hour later, they began successfully dodging the goblins’ attacks and took them down one by one.
It took thirty minutes to regain their stance.
The rest was spent evading and countering the attacks of dozens of goblins.
By this point, their eyes had completely changed.
They were gripped by a sense that if they didn’t kill their opponents, they could be killed.
Along with this, a new mindset had taken root: ‘If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it.’
“A genius can’t defeat one who works hard.”
“And one who works hard can’t defeat one who enjoys it.”
There’s such a saying, but it’s completely wrong.
Just merge them into one.
‘A hardworking genius must learn to enjoy it.’
These three may not be heaven-sent geniuses, but they possess near-genius combat senses.
To enhance their talents, I supported them with magic, made them work hard, and pushed them to realize how to enjoy it.
I don’t tell them the way.
I simply drive them to a cliff from which they can’t escape.
When faced with a crisis, people exhibit superhuman abilities.
That’s how they evolve.
The professors at Atlerina might think my teaching method isn’t fit for the Empire, but this is how it’s done.
Goblins often move in groups.
If you find one or two, you must immediately hunt them down.
Until now, we practiced killing one or two.
Now, they’ve learned how to hunt dozens, escape when surrounded, and stand firm against overwhelming numbers.
And they fought back.
I clapped again.
With their nun robes and faces covered in blood, Casey, Eri, and Mari looked up at me, sitting on the corridor railing.
“So, shall we begin the next round?”
Casey, Eri, and Mari looked at each other, then grinned and nodded.
Since the goblin-with-club stage, I rarely needed to use healing magic.
At most, I provided support as a cleric might in a party.
They had begun to enjoy the fight.
They were laughing while battling the goblins.
Sometimes, they’d let out sounds like, “Kyahaha!” reminiscent of a witch’s cackle as they relentlessly slaughtered.
Finally, they had come to understand that the best defense is a strong offense.
“From here on, there’s nothing holding them back.”
They took down even the dozens of sword-wielding goblins.
Without hesitation, the nuns swung bigger swords at the goblins who came at them with their own.
They overpowered the enemies through sheer momentum.
“Perfect!”
Finally, the “geniuses who enjoy” I had envisioned were complete.
And it had only taken twelve hours.
With the mana I had poured in, they had reached this level in twelve hours.
Maybe it was time to give them a break.
After twelve hours, a ten-minute break might be acceptable.
I clapped my hands.
Clap, clap, clap.
“Well done. How about taking a break now? It’s been twelve hours, so a ten-minute rest might be in order.”
“A break?”
Casey tilted her head, as if the idea was ridiculous.
“Hmm?”
“It’s far from over.”
Mari shook her head.
“In the remaining twelve hours, we will become sisters worthy of the Holy Maiden’s expectations.”
Eri promised to meet my expectations.
“Hmm.”
‘Something seems off about this.’
It felt like their minds were halfway gone.
‘But is being crazy better than being weak?’
“Are you all okay?”
“Yes! We’re fine! We’ll bathe in the blood of our enemies for you, Holy Maiden!”
‘Alright. If they say they’re fine, then they must be fine.’
I’m someone who respects people’s opinions.
So, I decided not to question the fact that these girls claimed to be okay.
They’re adults; they can take care of themselves.
Besides, I don’t dislike people like them.
People who find joy in gaining strength and bringing down their foes.
Victory is, after all, a sweet fruit.
***
“Alright, then. Next, let’s start with orcs and ogres.”
I raised the level, introducing orcs and ogres.
Naturally, they were stronger than goblins, but the three sisters initially got attacked one-sidedly, then easily trampled the monsters.
The more they fought, the more the nuns changed.
From simple girls to women who had learned to fight against the world.
They began to resemble inquisitors, more daring than adventurers, hunting down monsters.
And by the end of 24 hours…
The nuns with madness in their eyes were complete.
These blood-soaked women could probably now be regarded as some of the Empire’s best warriors.
“In just 24 hours, the three of you have shared life and death together. I’m sure you know this well yourselves.”
‘Yes.’
Their dry responses suggested that discipline had been instilled.
‘Why do they need to be like this when things could just be normal?’
“From now on, you will live like family, even if you’re not related by blood. To symbolize this, you’ll simply be known as the Three Sisters.”
Since they’d be acting in a trio, it would be best to consider them as genuine sisters.
After all, teamwork is the most important element in any party.
I hadn’t even selected a nun specifically for support yet. If it’s a party of three, keeping them bound as sisters would be ideal.
“Understood.”
“Good to hear you’re obedient. Now, let’s wrap things up.”
I removed the Hourglass of Havel and gave them ample healing.
This should be enough.
If I send them to dungeons through the Adventurer’s Guild, they’ll start racking up accomplishments on their own.
If the Four Heavenly Kings are active now, Clanis, the traitor to humanity, will likely make a move.
With the Demon King gone, it’s clear they’ll use dungeons to compensate for the lack of soldiers.
In that case, they’d likely target the Empire’s dungeons rather than the ruined Kingdom’s dungeons, aiming to bring down the Empire.
And with the Empire’s nobility currently in disarray, that vile woman might try to approach.
‘Perhaps it’s okay to let them rest a bit?’
Usually, the carrot and the stick are best balanced.
Sending them to a dungeon right away might stir up discontent.
But the nuns were crazier than I’d anticipated.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Hm? Take some free time today.”
No time had passed outside.
Only 24 hours had passed here, and they’d been reborn as warriors.
They could head to the dungeon tomorrow.
“We’re still lacking, though.”
“You’re still lacking after all that?”
‘I guess this is why I don’t like geniuses.’
Once they learn something, they immediately want to flaunt it without a hint of arrogance, so it’s not really a bad thing.
But I can’t exactly scold them for it, either.
“How about cleaning the church?”
“Yes!”
‘Who knew they’d be so happy at the idea of cleaning?’
At first, I thought their minds had snapped, but maybe that wasn’t the case.
“Could it really make them this happy?”
It might be good to assign them chores from now on.
If they enjoy it this much, I should take advantage.
Not just cleaning the church—should I make them do a dungeon run today?
No, actually. I don’t know the Empire’s dungeons as well.
In the Kingdom, we focused on dungeon conquests, but with the Empire being so vast and the battlefields minimized, there’s less need.
I hadn’t really looked into the Empire’s dungeons deeply.
I was considering sending them off to clean and then pondering the dungeon situation when Claire showed up.
“Oh, her?”
“Hm?”
Claire had a bewildered look on her face.
“How on earth did they end up like that?”
I didn’t have much of a response to that.
“Who knows? Maybe they’re just geniuses.”
At the very least, they’re different from the idiots at Atlerina, the so-called Empire’s best educational institution, so they might indeed be geniuses.
“No, they couldn’t possibly have that look after less than an hour. Unless you somehow stopped time and trained them.”
It would indeed be strange for them to reach this state in less than an hour.
“I summoned a bunch of monsters with summoning magic and pushed them to the brink of death, healing them miraculously each time.”
“But it’s only been an hour since training started, hasn’t it? That’s hardly normal, is it?”
‘This might get annoying if she digs too deep.’
‘Maybe I should offer a vague explanation?’
‘I’d intended to maintain a mysterious air, but Claire is one of Katarina’s subordinates. ‘
‘If the Assassin Guild keeps digging into this, it could get troublesome.’
‘Perhaps tossing a tidbit of bait might be best.’
‘No, she’s testing me.’
‘I can’t afford to lose in this little battle of wits.’
‘Never forget.’
‘Claire works for Katarina and is constantly watching me.’
“Overthinking it is a loss. But you seem to know a lot for an assassin.”
“Who on earth are you, anyway?”
The atmosphere hinted that she was trying to fish for information.
“Why?”
At my question, Claire cautiously spoke.
“Who are you, really?”