Maeyurai stood in front of the Soft Loaves, looking at the person who just knocked on the door.
It was Wuyo; it seems that the assessment really did start the next day.
"Are you ready?" said Wuyo, his right hand placed on his hips.
"Ready for what exactly?" Maeyurai asked, as he had just woken up and hadn't processed Wuyo's arrival yet.
Wuyo would reply in a neutral voice. "The assessment. It'll start in two hours; I'll just bring you to the barracks."
"I see... Do I have to change into my clothes or something?"
"Well, you don't have to since we have our own uniform in the army. But if you wish to wear your uniform given by Huizen, then you absolutely can. We don't strictly force members to wear the uniform, though what's needed is the combat comfortability of the outfit."
Maeyurai nodded upon hearing Wuyo's answer. He was relieved to hear that he could wear his brown uniform, as he treasured it a lot.
"Okay, glad to know," he replied. "Please, come in while you wait. Shikkan can house you."
"I'll take your invitation then," Wuyo replied with a nod, following Maeyurai into the house.
Walking up the stairs, Maeyurai led Wuyo to the living room. After having Wuyo sit down, Maeyurai headed upstairs to change.
Shikkan bowed to Wuyo and gave him something to eat while waiting for Maeyurai.
Upstairs, Maeyurai was in his room, staring at the brown uniform that Huizen handed to him.
"Right," he muttered. "I saw these clothes in a dream a week ago before I learned archery."
"That dream... Did it show me the future?" he asked himself, placing his right hand to his mouth.
"If so, then my dreams are special."
Then, Maeyurai changed into the brown uniform and headed downstairs, also taking his longbow that was hanging on a rack. Downstairs, he saw that Wuyo was talking to Shikkan casually at the dining table.
They looked like close friends. Maybe that's just how friendly Shikkan was.
"Hahaha!" Wuyo laughed out, a wide smile on his face. "Huizen really said that to you? That's crazy!"
"Yes, I know, right? I had the same reaction!" Shikkan replied joyfully.
Approaching the two, Maeyurai spoke up with a slight smirk.
"You guys seem to be enjoying yourselves."
"Oh, yes, your father here is a really great person to be around," Wuyo said.
Shikkan nodded his head. "Wuyo's really friendly. I expected him to be more serious."
"Right, we're going to take our leave now. Thanks for the food, Shikkan," said Wuyo, reminded that he had to go back to the barracks. "Let's go, Maeyurai."
Wuyo stood from his seat and gave Shikkan a nod before going out with Maeyurai.
The two walked through the streets, passing by buildings and few people.
"So," Wuyo said. "How was Huizen to you?"
How was Huizen to me...?
That's not a tough question.
It's one I can answer easily.
Maeyurai opened his mouth and said, "He was patient and humble. He was willing to teach a stranger archery all because they wished to, even if it was on a whim."
He continued. "He always kept things light and was always easy-going, even during the final battle. Even though I was only with him for a week, he had a special place in my heart."
Wuyo chuckled upon hearing Maeyurai's answer. Not out of mockery, but out of relatability and understanding.
"Right? Huizen's a great person. All members in the army respect him; no one could bother to dislike him. Even the people from the swordsmen army respect him as well."
A bittersweet smile formed on Maeyurai's face.
A shiver.
"It was all so sudden," Maeyurai said. "If only I were stronger... Maybe I could have protected Huizen and the others at that time."
"Then," Wuyo replied. "You should use that as your motivation to improve."
Maeyurai looked at Wuyo. He understood his words, as they were similar to what Shikkan said to him yesterday.
He nodded. "You're right."
*
They had been walking in the western direction, as the barracks for the archers were on the west side of Gangumen.
The other barracks is on the east, which is for the swordsmen.
In Gangumen, other weapon types like polearms, axes, and giant hammers weren't popular. Only swords and bows are widely known in the nation.
Maybe it's the same for other nations like Wyumatsui Island and South Kijisagi.
Soon, the two would reach the archers' barracks.
Maeyurai looked at the massive building with several windows. There was a massive front lawn; it was twice as spacious as Huizen's lawn was.
On the left side was an archery range. On the other side was a track where the archers could physically train their bodies.
There were 34 archers around, all of them doing a morning jog in line.
Wuyo stood in front of Maeyurai firmly, both hands on his back.
"Archers, attention!" he commanded loudly.
Maeyurai suddenly froze, not knowing what to do. How to respond to different types of commands wasn't taught to him by Huizen.
Those who were running immediately headed towards Wuyo and stood in line with Maeyurai, their shoulders squared.
Seeing their posture, Maeyurai imitated them to not be called out.
Seeing his naivety, Wuyo had a soft smile on his face. Maeyurai was the so-called "FinalSurvivor," and he acted so cluelessly.
Wuyo looked at Maeyurai and nodded, gesturing for him to walk forward.
"Come, archer," he said.
Maeyurai looked to his sides to see if he was the one Wuyo called. Upon confirmation, he tentatively approached Wuyo and stood by his side, facing the others.
"Everyone, meet Yhodth Maeyurai, the only survivor of The Hunt. He'll be working alongside you all, so treat him equally as a fellow archer," said Wuyo to the members.
Wuyo would turn his head towards Maeyurai and say, "Maeyurai, please introduce yourself."
"Huh?" Maeyurai uttered, not expecting that he had to introduce himself. "Ah, alright."
"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "My name is Yhodth Maeyurai. I only started archery a week ago under the guidance of Koja Huizen, the former captain. Please, take care of me."
He bowed after introducing himself.
"Nice to meet you, Yhodth Maeyurai! Welcome to the army!" everyone bowed and greeted in unison.
"Okay," Wuyo said. "Everyone, continue the morning routine. I'll just tour Maeyurai around the campus."
After speaking, Wuyo shifted his gaze to Maeyurai and gestured for him to walk along. "Come on, let's go."
Maeyurai then walked behind Wuyo as he led the way.
"As you can see, we have the archery field on our left and a track for physical training on the right. That's basically all we have outside of the barracks," Wuyo said, pointing his hand to each place whenever he talked about them.
"This is our barracks," he said, entering the building with Maeyurai.
Inside, the barracks smelled like a dusty home fit for soldiers to stay in. Each step felt hard for the feet, like stepping foot into an abandoned building. It felt gray but somewhat comfortable and fitting, like a hideout for outcasts.
Why is this place like this? Do they really like to live in this kind of building?
I mean, it's not that dismal. But still…
For the next ten minutes, Wuyo toured Maeyurai around the building.
The barracks had two floors, where they had their purpose.
The first floor contained the cafeteria, infirmary, storage room for the weapons, and the captain's office, which was where Wuyo always stayed.
On the second floor, there were the dormitories for the archers to sleep in and the common area where the members could hang around in their free time.
The place was spacious. Maeyurai liked it.
But he won't be staying for long, as he planned to leave after the assessment, which he assumed would take seven days.
After showing Maeyurai around the building, the two of them sat on a bench near the main door.
"So," Wuyo said. "How are your first impressions of this place?"
"It's comfy. Not very restricting and feels open, but not too open," replied Maeyurai, looking at the other archers as they continued to do their activities.
"I see, glad to know about that."
The air fell into silence. The two merely watched the archers on the lawn.
"Hey," Maeyurai called to Wuyo, curious about something. "What do I really do in the assessment?"
"The assessment?" Wuyo repeated. "It's basically the same that Huizen did to you when you first met him."
Maeyurai turned his head to Wuyo, surprised that he knew about that.
"Huh? You know about that?"
"Of course, Huizen told us about you. He said that you had a bright future."
"I didn't know that Huizen told you guys about me. I'm quite surprised."
"You should know, he was really proud of you when he told the story of your sparring match the other day," Wuyo said with a smile, reminiscing about his memories with Huizen.
"Oh... that?" said Maeyurai. He really didn't expect that Huizen was doing things like that outside.
"He told everyone in the barracks just how fast you learned. He even bragged that you were going to be the one to stand on top in The Hunt, alongside his two other students, Shienne and Mhiya."
"You did end up standing at the very top," Wuyo continued, his smile slowly falling. "But..."
"Alone," Maeyurai added.
"Yeah."
The two fell into silence. It was a moment to reflect on the event in The Hunt, how a yearly event led to the death of an important figure.
Wuyo stood up.
"Do you want to start the assessment now?" he asked.
"Hm? Sure, I'd like to get the assessment over with as soon as possible," replied Maeyurai as he stood up as well.
After Maeyurai answered, Wuyo nodded his head. "Got it, let's start now."
Wuyo walked forward, bringing Maeyurai with him. The two of them headed towards the track, where the other archers were.
When they arrived, Wuyo called out to the archers.
"Everyone! Maeyurai's assessment is going to begin. Would anyone like to volunteer to be a partner that will guide Maeyurai? We only need one."
The archers looked at one another, looking to see which one would be the fittest to go with Maeyurai.
After a while, someone decided to step forward.
A brown-haired person, standing at a height of 5'7", walked forward. "I will do it," he said.
"Tarako Naguta?" asked Wuyo. "Okay, please bring Maeyurai to the track and do a 30-lap jog with him."
Naguta nodded and flicked his head as he looked at Maeyurai, gesturing for Maeyurai to walk with him.
Maeyurai walked forward, following Naguta with a neutral expression.
I want to finish already. I hope the assessment doesn't take seven days.
The two of them then stood side by side, preparing to jog.
After a few seconds, Wuyo commanded them to start.