Six months had passed since they first entered the academy.
In effect, Lydia and her friends had finished the Officers' Academy curriculum in just half a year. For the remaining six months of the term, they were to be assigned to a precursor unit of the soon-to-be-formed Special Forces.
Once they completed those six months of Field Training, their official training period would draw to a close.
"Gahahaha! That’s it! Run, run for your lives!!"
The final training session at the Officers' Academy was a simple game of tag. Of course, it was anything but ordinary.
Originally, the instructor was supposed to play the role of the tagger. The sooner a student was caught, the harsher their penalty would be.
However, Lydia had stepped forward and made a request: she wanted to be the one to do the catching.
The instructor had been hesitant at first, but ultimately decided it sounded interesting and agreed. Given her abilities, she was more than qualified to serve as the tagger.
Though she was only fifteen, her physical capabilities already far outstripped those of the average soldier.
"Hey, hey!! You think you can get away from me with that kind of running?!"
Exuding an overwhelming pressure, Lydia bore down on her targets. The students fleeing from her could only tremble in fear at her staggering presence.
She was the very definition of a "Gorilla."
"H-Hieeeeeeeeeee!"
"Crap! She’s way too scary!"
"Big Sis’s pressure is insane!!"
"W-Waaaaah! Don't leave me behind!!"
The time limit was set at two hours, and the students were free to run anywhere within the forest. Only ten minutes had passed since the start, and the first group Lydia had spotted was the entourage that usually trailed after her.
She wasn't specifically targeting them; she was simply chasing whoever came into view. She sprinted toward them with a face split by a gleeful, manic grin.
Knowing exactly how terrifying Lydia could be, the boys could do nothing but flee in a state of sheer panic. The distance between them was closing rapidly.
Lydia didn't have much experience in this particular forest, but her preternatural instincts were already helping her map the terrain.
She was cornering them, without a shadow of a doubt.
"Alriiiiiiiight! That's the first one!! Puhahahaha!"
She grabbed the collar of the student at the very back and secured him by practically slamming him into the ground. Seeing this, the other members of the group scattered in different directions.
Lydia came to a brief halt, calmly deciding who to hunt next.
"Heh. Hehehe. Gahahahahaha! Excellent! I'm getting fired up!!"
With a boisterous laugh, she resumed her sprint through the woods.
Thirty minutes remained.
By now, almost everyone had been captured by Lydia. Her overwhelming pressure, coupled with her extraordinary combat sense and mobility in the forest, made her dominant.
Magic-based Physical Reinforcement was permitted for this exercise. Consequently, the more adept one was at using Inside Codes, the greater their advantage. Thanks to this, Lydia had been securing her classmates one after another, all on her own.
To the students, the sound of her laughter echoing through the trees was the very symbol of dread.
Among the class, only two people were still at large.
Abby Garnet.
And Carol Caroline.
Abby’s survival wasn't particularly surprising. Over the past six months, she had achieved remarkable results, second only to Lydia.
If Lydia hadn't been there, Abby surely would have been lauded as the academy’s top talent.
The real surprise, however, was Carol. Most people assumed she wasn't the athletic type, but they were wrong. While her magical talent was outstanding, her physical coordination was equally impressive.
Over the last six months, all three girls had cultivated enough strength to effectively graduate from the academy.
"Hahaha! Now then, only Abby and Carol are left!!"
Lydia continued her charge through the forest. The two girls stole quick glances over their shoulders to track her progress.
"...So. Carol, what's the plan?"
"Hmm. I think it’s about time we split up~"
"If we do that, she’ll go after you first."
"Well, just leave it to Caro-caro ☆"
They broke formation.
Abby veered to the right while Carol headed left. Lydia had to choose a target...
And just as Abby expected, she chose Carol. Between the two of them, Carol was the easier target to catch. Lydia made the call instantly and poured on even more speed.
"Hah... hah... hah...!!"
With her breathing heavy and her twin tails swaying, Carol sprinted at full power. Because of her bubbly personality, people often thought she was just playing around, but she never slacked during training.
In fact, she took her work quite seriously—a side of her that usually caught others off guard.
It wasn't that Carol looked down on her training; she simply kept her professional and private lives strictly separate. The contrast between the two, however, was undeniably extreme.
"Carol!! You're doing pretty well!! But! You'll never escape me!! Gahahahahahaha!!"
Lydia accelerated.
Despite having run for so long, her speed continued to climb. In contrast, Abby and Carol had spent portions of the exercise hiding.
Even though Lydia had burned far more stamina, she found another gear at this critical stage.
"Unyaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
In the end, Carol let out a cry as Lydia’s hand tagged her back. Without missing a beat, Lydia spun around and began her pursuit of Abby.
"Hah... hah... hah...!!"
Abby sprinted with everything she had. Ten minutes remained. She was just a short while away from winning, and she had no intention of being caught.
Abby fully acknowledged Lydia's talent. However, that didn't mean she was willing to accept defeat.
Back when they were students at the academy, she had lost to Lydia in every single Magics Chevalier Finals.
That was why she was determined to win, even if it was just a training exercise.
"Wahaha! Found you, Abby! You're the last one!!"
Despite the significant lead Abby had built while Lydia was securing Carol, Lydia was suddenly right on her heels.
It was as if she possessed a predator’s sense of smell.
Lydia had an intuitive grasp of the Prima Materia leaking from her targets.
The gap narrowed.
"Abby! Prepare yourself!!"
Lydia gave a shout and accelerated further. In any other situation, she would have secured her target right then and there...
"Hm...!?"
Lydia let out a grunt of surprise. Instead of closing the gap, she watched as Abby’s back pulled further away.
Acceleration. That was Abby’s specialty. While Lydia possessed genius-level magical sense, her Essence was Deceleration.
In contrast, Abby’s Essence was Acceleration.
In this moment of pressure, Abby’s talent as a sorcerer was reaching a new level of awakening. She maintained her lead until the timer ran out, ending the training session.
In the end, Lydia’s hand never reached her.
"Urgh... D-Dammit... I can't believe Abby actually outran me..."
Lydia, who had been certain she would catch everyone, looked visibly frustrated. Abby walked back toward her with a composed air.
"Heh. It seems I was the superior one today."
A rare, triumphant smirk played on Abby's lips as she stated the obvious.
"Guh... When did you get that fast?"
"I wonder. It just means I've been growing too since we got here. Fufu. It's been a while since I beat you, Lydia. This feels good."
"D-Dammiiiiiiiiiit!"
And so, the forest training ended with Abby as the sole victor.