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Unlike the previous enlistment tests, this one was designed to select new members for a special force within Caion itself.

“As you requested, we currently have two hundred seventy soldiers, leaving thirty positions open,” Dianal reported.

Damian nodded in response. The recent battle with the Rose Knight Order had exposed many weaknesses within their unit.

As a result, Damian had devised a plan to form an archer unit with the remaining thirty positions.

“Are all these documents from applicants?” Damian asked.

“Yes, about one hundred fifty in total. Twenty of them are from our current unit members,” Dianal replied.

“It seems like quite a few are interested,” Damian remarked.

“The idea of a special unit seems to have captured their attention,” Dianal explained with a small smile.

Damian chuckled.

Anything labeled a “special force” or “independent unit” usually just meant more hardship, but the soldiers didn’t seem to realize that.

“They don’t know yet that this is something they’d probably want to avoid,” Damian muttered as he reviewed the documents.

A total of one hundred fifty applicants was a considerable number. He intended to select thirty from this group.

“Will you be personally selecting them this time?” Dianal asked.

“I’ll be working with Instructor Leonhark on this one. There’s someone specific I’m hoping to find,” Damian replied.

“Someone specific?” Dianal tilted his head in curiosity as Damian rifled through the applications, searching for one particular name.

“They should be here somewhere…”

The Caion Unit had already gained significant fame throughout the Baroque Kingdom.

Entering the unit was considered an honor, supported by the kingdom itself, and joining brought envy from many.

That was why Damian had deliberately made the unit famous first, before forming the archer division—to increase the chances of attracting a particular individual.

As he flipped through the papers, he finally found the name he was looking for.

“…Gotcha.”

“Jurgen Tenmillier”.

He was a noble from an obscure, unremarkable family on the kingdom’s fringes, but Jurgen possessed exceptional talent with a bow.

In a world where swordsmanship was considered a noble’s virtue, Jurgen’s gift lay with the bow.

‘In my previous life, he made quite a name for himself as an archer.’

Although he never rose to the rank of general due to the nature of his weapon, Damian had heard of Jurgen’s feats on the battlefield.

And now…

‘By this point, he should be about thirty years old.’

Before the war, Jurgen had not been highly regarded as a soldier. Joining the military to elevate his family’s status, Caion Unit could be a major opportunity for him.

Having confirmed Jurgen’s name, Damian stood up, nodding.

“Let’s test all the applicants at once.”

“What kind of test will it be?” Dianal asked.

“Well, it’s still a special unit, but… we’ll start by breaking their spirits with a physical endurance test.”

At Damian’s answer, Dianal shook his head, silently praying for the applicants’ well-being.

—

The atmosphere in the meeting room was unusually tense and cold.

Sitting around the table were several high-ranking figures, including *Piaren Tail*, an Aura Master of the Empire, and several division commanders.

A woman with long hair glanced at Piaren and asked, “What do you intend to do? This war has only served to elevate Baroque’s standing instead of ours.”

“…”

Piaren had wondered why this meeting was called so suddenly. Now he understood—they wanted to bring this up.

With a chilling gaze, Piaren stared at those before him.

The third army commander, *Estevan Gachevsta*, and seated beside her was *Fabien Drikman*, known as the Chancellor’s right-hand man.

“Do you realize how much the Empire’s image has suffered from this, Count Piaren Tail?” Fabien added.

“Our plans have been delayed for over a month, and it’s caused significant setbacks for future operations,” Estevan chimed in.

After listening to them in silence, Piaren finally spoke.

“So, this meeting was called to assign blame to me?”

“No, of course not. We’re simply stating the facts of the current situation,” Fabien replied.

“I already know all this. There’s no need to repeat it. So, what do you want from me? Should I lead the knights to tear through Baroque’s borders?” Piaren asked coldly.

“No, that’s not necessary,” Fabien responded.

Piaren’s eyes narrowed dangerously at Fabien.

“Then what?”

“Do nothing. You’ve been ordered to go into temporary seclusion, so you and your knights will spend your time training,” Fabien said flatly.

“What?”

Piaren’s gaze wavered slightly.

All of Piaren’s fury had been directed at the Caion Unit. He had been preparing to unleash his knights and exact revenge.

“Seclusion?” Piaren’s body began to emit a dark, murderous aura, suffocating the two individuals before him.

Estevan frowned slightly, while Fabien, his large belly shaking, struggled to breathe.

“Huff… huff!” Fabien gasped, recoiling from the overwhelming pressure.

Estevan spoke up. “It would be wise to stop here, Count Piaren. If you cross the line again, it won’t end with just seclusion.”

Furthermore…

“This is a direct order from His Majesty the Emperor. Do you intend to defy the Emperor’s will?” Estevan’s face remained firm as she met Piaren’s gaze.

The room filled with tension, but Piaren exhaled slowly, withdrawing his aura.

“…Fine.”

A command from the Emperor.

With that, Piaren had no choice but to comply.

As Piaren retracted his killing intent, Fabien finally regained his breath, glaring at Piaren with barely contained fury. But Piaren paid no attention to him, finding the man’s weak glares inconsequential.

Without a word, Piaren stood up to leave.

“Count Piaren, the discussion isn’t over yet,” Estevan called out.

“There’s nothing left to discuss. Seclusion? Fine. Let’s see what happens next,” Piaren muttered as he walked away.

“Don’t worry,” Estevan said. “The newly appointed Aura Master, *Count Galveron Maxkov*, will take care of things from here.”

At that, Piaren’s eyes flickered slightly.

Galveron Maxkov.

The Empire’s newest fourth Aura Master, recently risen to prominence, and now a rising star as a newly titled count.

But instead of reacting with anger, Piaren smirked.

“Let’s see how that rookie does. I’m looking forward to it.”

With those cold words and a faint smile, Piaren left the meeting room, leaving Estevan’s face hardened with displeasure.

“…What an arrogant man.”

Fabien nodded in agreement. Although a bloody confrontation had been avoided, simply putting Piaren in his place was satisfying enough.

Estevan stood up from her seat.

“In that case… let’s make sure the 3rd Legion takes credit for the upcoming victories.”

With a scheming smile, she left the room, clearly plotting something.

* * *

The final test to bolster the ranks of the Caion Unit began.

“As expected, there are a lot of people.”

“I heard some of the ones who failed last time have come back. Has the endurance test changed this time?” Terka asked, glancing at Dianal, expecting him to know more as the deputy commander.

Dianal nodded.

“It seems so. They’re focusing on speed and, most importantly, archery skills.”

Of course, mental resilience to endure the grueling physical training was a basic requirement.

The test was structured based on the specific needs outlined by Leonhark for each unit, and the central focus of this test was archery proficiency.

“You need to run fast, have great stamina, and be skilled with a bow… Not an easy combination,” Terka remarked.

Given that the bow was not a commonly used weapon, finding highly skilled archers wasn’t easy. Many of the applicants were from other military archer units.

Thanks to Kiaren’s cooperation, soldiers from the 6th Legion who wished to transfer were also allowed to take the test.

“But if they fail this test after showing up, they’ll be under a lot of scrutiny back in their original units.”

“Well, that’s their problem to deal with.”

“True enough,” Terka chuckled, looking out at the training grounds.

The archery range set up for the test was quite large.

“Listen carefully, because I’m only going to explain this once! You must shoot an arrow from this spot to hit the target on the opposite hill. Those who succeed in hitting the target will pass the first test!” Kyle’s voice boomed across the grounds, and the faces of the applicants stiffened instantly.

The opposite hill was about 100 meters away—a challenging distance, though not impossible.

However, merely shooting the arrow wasn’t the issue; hitting the target was.

“Damn it, I can’t even see the target clearly!”

“Why is the first test like this?”

Many had prepared themselves to endure the infamous endurance tests of the Caion Unit, only to be confronted with this archery challenge.

Still, some were already preparing their bows, sensing that hitting the large target was within reach if they aimed carefully.

“First group, step forward!”

Like it or not, the test began.

With serious expressions, the first group of archers stepped forward, pulling back their bowstrings in unison.

Creak.

Creeeeak.

They waited for the signal, their bows taut and ready.

Kyle raised a flag and swung it sharply through the air.

Swish!

The arrows of the ten archers from the first group soared toward the target.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Several arrows hit the target, but only a couple managed to land close enough to the center to pass.

Out of the first group, only two passed, both barely scraping by.

“…Unbelievable.”

“Even Reywin only barely made it?”

The spectators murmured among themselves.

But the buzz quickly quieted down.

“Second group, step forward!”

As Kyle called for the next group, among them was…

Swoosh.

Nodding at Kyle’s gaze, Paul stepped forward and drew his bow.

Though he was already a member of the Caion Unit, he was taking the test again to formally join the new archer division.

Paul took a deep breath, pulling the bowstring back and focusing on the distant target.

Ssssshh.

There was one key factor that most of the applicants were overlooking—the wind.

A steady breeze was blowing between the hills, slightly shifting the trajectory of the arrows.

“…Wind’s coming from the left.”

Paul adjusted his aim to account for the breeze, carefully aligning his shot.

As soon as his aim was steady…

Swish!

Once again, Kyle waved the flag.

Swish!

The arrows from the second group shot toward the target, but one arrow stood out.

Unlike the others, Paul’s arrow cut through the wind with greater speed and precision.

He had slightly tightened his grip on the bowstring, increasing the power behind the shot.

“The wind calculation… Perfect.”

Just as the wind began to push the arrow, Paul’s shot veered back on course.

*Thud!*

“…What?”

“Wow!”

“Unbelievable!”

Murmurs of disbelief spread through the crowd as Paul’s arrow struck dead center on the target.

And at that sight…

Grin.

Damian smiled widely.

Paul let out a small sigh of relief. He had been nervous, knowing Damian was watching him.

But in the next group, another dark horse emerged, also hitting the center of the target with his arrow.

“Jurgen Tenmillier”.