Maximus continued: "...Then, without stopping for a moment, march west along the road. Along the way, Pompeian soldiers who arrive one after another may already be chasing from behind, or they may be shooting arrows at you from the city walls not far from the road. If your actions are slow or your reactions dull, you might die under their arrows or be caught and surrounded by the enemy.
When you arrive at the Herculaneum Gate, you’ll still have to fight the enemy guarding the city gate. You must kill them as quickly as possible to seize control of the gate before the enemy’s main forces arrive. Only then can the main force of the Guard, lying in ambush outside the city, enter smoothly, allowing us to secure ultimate victory... Now tell me, can you do it?!"
The group fell into a silence. After a long while, a few soldiers hesitantly responded in low voices, "...We... can do it..."
Maximus sternly swept his gaze over everyone: "It seems you’re self-aware. If you can’t even successfully complete such a simple training, how can you carry out a surprise assault on Pompeii and return safely! As your leader, the thing I care about most is whether you can make it back alive. So, I hope you will repeat this training over and over, not just by day but also at night, until you master it to perfection—so much so that you can complete the entire simulated action in the shortest time even with your eyes closed. This is the only way to ensure that by sweating more in training, you bleed less in battle!
I sincerely hope—when the day comes that we take Pompeii, every one of you will still be alive to bask in the envious gazes of the other troops and to hear their heartfelt admiration as they say, ’The soldiers of the Supply Camp’s Guard are remarkable! They are heroes capable of creating miracles!’"
After hearing their leader’s deeply stirring words, the soldiers’ breathing steadied, their backs straightened, and they stood tall and energized.
Camillus seized the opportunity to shout out loud, "Brothers, should we continue training?!"
"Yes!!!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
Quintus watched the Guard soldiers resume their training and remarked softly, "Even among slaves, there are outstanding individuals."
"You’re talking about Maximus?" Spukala was moved inside.
Quintus nodded without elaborating and instead turned to Oluus: "I think you should lead the others to join the training as well. We’ve been out of combat for over a decade now. Aren’t we a bit rusty? Don’t make a mistake during the assault and provide them with a reason to laugh at us."
Oluus sneered, "It’s magnanimous of us not to laugh at them. What makes them think they can laugh at us! Still, we should train alongside them a bit, so we can coordinate smoothly during the assault..."
As Oluus spoke, he turned to gather his companions. Though he still looked down on the Guards’ recruits, his extensive battlefield experience reminded him that war was no trivial matter—it could never be taken lightly!
At dawn, in the backyard of the rebel army headquarters near the olive oil farm, a wooden shed was set up in front of the kitchen on the open ground. Inside were more than ten makeshift wooden tables and benches, forming the "exclusive cafeteria" of the Supply Camp’s logistics department.
At that moment, a group of youths was having breakfast there. Most of them had finished eating, leaving only a few slowly chewing and savoring their food. Among them was a child with a slender frame and delicate features, resembling a girl. He was the only grandson of Quintus—Valerius Quintus.
Since the Lukaiya people had arrived at the camp with their families, Maximus had assigned the elderly and women among them to the logistics department, while their children were placed directly into the youth team. Because Maximus treated them the same as his subordinates, without detaining them separately, even though the Lukaiya men had to live apart from their families, they could accept it.
"Valerius, eat faster! We’re all waiting for you!" Akegu urged.
Valerius quickly stuffed the remaining bread into his mouth and then downed the rest of the oatmeal in the pottery jar in one gulp.
"I’ve already grabbed your shield and sword for you. Let’s head straight to the training ground." Magus said as he handed him the wooden shield and wooden sword. These items were crafted by personnel from the military warehouse. They were smaller and lighter than those used in soldiers’ military training but were much more refined.
"Thank you!" Valerius reached out and took them.
"Let’s go." Akegu patted Valerius on the shoulder and led the way out of the cafeteria.
Valerius followed the other children, hopping and skipping as they made their way to their dedicated training ground. The Guard’s training field was right next to it, separated by several rows of oak trees.
Once the youths arrived, they immediately quieted down and quickly formed four long columns. Under the guidance of their captain, Akegu, they began jogging around the training ground...
After five laps, Valerius, trailing at the end of the group, began to feel a bit drained. The vice-captain, Casius, who was also at the back noticed something was off and promptly asked with concern, "How are you holding up? Can you keep going?"
Valerius, unwilling to be looked down upon, hesitated before saying, "I... I can still go on."
"Then push through, just one more lap to go. You can do it!"
Casius’s encouragement gave Valerius strength. He gritted his teeth, followed the group, and managed to finish the lap, though he was so tired that he could barely stand.
Casius quickly supported him, helping him walk slowly along the sidelines, while comforting him: "Everyone struggles when they first start running. I was even worse than you then—ended up throwing up my breakfast. Akegu and the others laughed at me a lot. But after running for a few days, it gets easier to handle. Now I can run ten laps at a decent speed without any trouble. Trust me, if you stick to this every day, you’ll be just like me in no time."