I clapped my hands again, drawing everyone's attention.
"Alright! First task—"
I paused dramatically, letting them sweat for a second.
"Run until I say stop."
A collective groan rippled through the group.
Issei, panicked, waved his hands. "Wait, wait, wait—how long are we talking? Five minutes? Ten?"
I tilted my head, smiling evilly. "I dunno. Maybe an hour. Maybe two. Depends on my mood."
Issei clutched his chest, looking like he'd just been stabbed.
"TWO HOURS?!"
Akeno, graceful as ever, started running without complaint. "Ara~ I suppose we have no choice then."
Sona fell into a perfectly controlled pace. "Complaining won't help. Let's move."
Kiba shot forward, perfectly balanced. "This should be fun."
Koneko kept an effortless rhythm. "Hmph."
Tsubasa pushed forward, excited for the challenge. "A real warrior endures!"
Meanwhile—
Momo and Reya were already struggling within the first few steps.
"Ugh… this is way harder than I thought."
I slowed my pace, watching them all carefully.
Some were handling it just fine.
Kiba, Koneko, and Tsubasa were pushing through steadily, showing no signs of struggle.
Some were faking their struggle, but I could see through their act.
Akeno and Rias were clearly fine, but played along for fun.
And then—
There were the ones who were actually suffering.
Issei, Momo, and Reya looked like they were fighting for their lives.
I grinned, already knowing what was about to happen.
Any second now—
Someone would drop.
And when they did?
I already had the perfect punishment in mind.
———————
The moment the running started, I knew exactly who was going to suffer the most.
Issei?
Obviously.
Momo and Reya?
Not surprising.
But then there was Rias.
The so-called "Pride of House Gremory"—
Who was currently dragging her feet like an exhausted cat.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "Really, Princess? You're already tired?"
Rias let out a long, overdramatic sigh, lifting a single hand to her forehead as if she was going to faint.
"Malrik… I don't think I was made for this kind of suffering… You know, devils specialize in magic, not pointless running."
I crossed my arms. "Oh? So magic will save you when you need to dodge a faster opponent?"
Rias, still jogging at a suspiciously slow pace, waved a hand dismissively. "That's what teleportation is for."
Koneko, running easily beside her, deadpanned. "Lazy."
Rias shot her a mildly betrayed look. "Koneko-chan… you wound me."
I sighed, already seeing where this was going. "If you want to slack off, at least make it less obvious."
Rias perked up immediately. "Oh? So I can slack off?"
"No."
"Tch."
Meanwhile, Akeno was clearly enjoying herself.
Even though the weights were definitely affecting her, she still had the nerve to smile at me while keeping pace.
"Ara~ Malrik-kun is so cruel. Making delicate ladies like us suffer…"
I raised an eyebrow. "Delicate? You literally electrocute people for fun."
Akeno tilted her head innocently, placing a hand to her cheek. "Mou~ That's different~"
Liar.
Kiba, on the other hand, was thriving in this training. He ran effortlessly, keeping a perfect pace, his swordsmanship discipline translating into endurance.
He shot me a grin. "This is great. I haven't done proper endurance training in a while."
I snorted. "Enjoy it while you can, I'm just getting started."
Tsubasa, Sona's Knight, was keeping up just as well, her determination evident in her strong strides.
"This is how warriors are trained," she said, nodding approvingly.
Sona herself?
Despite clearly struggling, she was pacing herself smartly, conserving energy with perfectly calculated steps.
Figures.
And then…
There was Issei.
————————
The sun beat down mercilessly as the sound of heavy breathing and pounding footsteps filled the training grounds.
Some ran smoothly—like this was just another day of exercise (Kiba, Tsubasa, Koneko).
Some struggled, but kept their pride intact (Akeno, Rias, Sona).
And then…
There was Issei.
He had been falling behind for a while now, his panting growing louder and more dramatic with each passing second.
His legs wobbled, his posture slouched—
And then—
Thud.
He faceplanted straight into the dirt.
A moment of silence.
Kiba glanced back, blinking.
Koneko barely reacted, biting into her snack.
Akeno?
A soft giggle.
Sona adjusted her glasses, unimpressed.
Rias looked amused but also very relieved that someone had collapsed before her.
Meanwhile, I sighed.
Dramatically.
I stepped forward, towering over Issei's crumpled form.
"I CAN'T… GO… ON…!" he wheezed, barely lifting his head from the dirt.
I crossed my arms, shaking my head in mock disappointment.
"Tch. Weak."
I let out a long, drawn-out sigh, making sure everyone heard me.
Then I spoke.
"Alright. If you stop… you get a punishment."
Silence.
The entire group tensed—as if I had just declared war.
Kiba slowed his pace, his eyes flickering with interest.
Tsubasa gritted her teeth, looking determined not to fall next.
Momo and Reya visibly paled.
Koneko, as always, just kept eating.
And Akeno?
Oh, she was smiling.
Meanwhile, Issei's soul left his body.
"Wait… what punishment?!" he asked, voice high-pitched with terror.
I grinned. Slowly.
Then I snapped my fingers.
"Akeno, zap him."
Akeno perked up instantly, her eyes sparkling with delight.
"Ara~ With pleasure, Malrik-kun."
Issei barely had time to process his impending doom before—
ZAP!
A sharp arc of lightning shot from Akeno's fingertips—
And struck Issei dead-on.
"AHHHHHH!"
He screamed, his body convulsing, his limbs twitching as sparks crackled around him.
"WHY ME?! WHY ALWAYS ME?!"
I grinned. "Because you were the first to drop. Now get up and keep running."
Issei lay there, smoking slightly, groaning.
"This is hell…"
The rest of the group stiffened immediately.
Tsubasa's fists clenched.
Momo and Reya gulped nervously.
Even Rias and Sona decided it was best to keep running.
I grinned wider, casually resting my spear on my shoulder.
"Anyone else want to drop?"
Dead silence.
And just like that—
Everyone found a new burst of energy to keep running.
I watched them all, standing there like an amused tyrant, enjoying their suffering.
This was just the beginning.