In the large open square in the middle of the walled institution that served as the base of the Doshin and the meeting place of the council of merchants running the town, a group of men were standing in a single-file line.
In front of them were two guards who were discussing something through whispers before they turned back to face them.
One of them stepped forward and said, "Welcome to the entry assessment. I offer you greetings on behalf of the entire Doshin."
"Today we will be assessing whether you possess the capabilities needed to join the guard," he continued. "Since you are all listed as illiterate, we will be testing you on the grounds of physical capacity. So take a moment to get ready because we will be starting soon."
He turned away and went back to discussing something with the other guard. The line broke up and groups formed between people who were acquainted.
They were mostly expressing their anxiety or joking over who would be cut first, but among them one individual secluded himself, lost in thought.
"I didn't think not being able to read and write in the way of the eastern lands would be so inconvenient," he thought with a sigh. "At least they didn't cut me off completely, but that means I have to be extra careful with this evaluation."
"If I go all out, I'll be suspicious, but if I hold back too much, I might be cut off," he thought as he looked toward the groups. "Maybe the best strategy is to just match their pace so that I appear average at best."
The groups broke apart and they started falling back into their lines as the two guards approached them.
He stood among them feeling anxious, but he tried his hardest to keep his composure.
The guard from before stepped forward and cleared his throat before saying, "Alright, I hope you're all ready."
"The evaluation has three parts. Each part will be revealed as soon as the previous one finishes. You need to pass at least two to qualify to join the guard. Is that okay?"
They all replied with a firm yes.
The guard turned to a piece of paper he was carrying and said, "For the first part, we will be testing accuracy and reaction through a simple archery test."
"You will be blindfolded and spun around, bow and arrow in hand, and once ten seconds are over you'll be required to aim and hit the target within fifteen seconds," he continued. "This will show us if you have the capacity to react accordingly in stressful and unpredictable scenarios."
Murmurs began before the first person was called out abruptly.
"Kazuki Kuroda, step forward."
He stepped out from the line whimpering, and some of them could be heard snickering.
Just as it was described, he was blindfolded and given a bow and an arrow.
Only when he was blindfolded was the target brought out and placed.
When the second guard asked him if he was ready, he reluctantly nodded.
He was spun around for a few seconds before being pointed in the general direction of the target.
The blindfold was taken off and the countdown began.
He fumbled with dizziness as he struggled to take aim.
He only had five seconds left when he finally shot the arrow.
It hit the target, barely missing the edge, but it was still considered a pass.
The boy walked back into the line as the murmurs continued, with people saying things like, "Maybe it isn't so hard after all," or, "We're definitely going to pass this."
But they were wrong.
The next name was called out and they were made to follow the same procedure, but once the blindfold was off they ran out of time just trying to keep steady.
The same happened to the next guy, and the next, and the next.
The murmurs claiming the ease of the test quickly turned to lamentation over its difficulty.
That entire time he stood silent, observing.
That was until he heard his name be called out.
"Kageto Shirobane, step forward."
"I've never seen him before," one of them mumbled.
"Me neither," another replied. "He must not be from around here."
"He definitely doesn't look like he's from here."
He just tuned the whispers out and stepped forward to the two guards.
They handed him the bow in one hand and the arrow in the other.
Once he was blindfolded they asked him if he was ready, and he nodded.
They spun him around for ten seconds and then pointed him toward the target.
As soon as the blindfold came off the timer began.
He could hear them counting down ominously as he slowly took aim and faintly stumbled every few seconds.
Once the target was clear he stood in place for a moment and let the timer run down, and just when it dropped below five seconds he shot the arrow.
It hit the target at its edge just as the first shot had, so he turned to see the guards' reaction, but they didn't seem put off and awarded him a pass.
"That was close," he thought as he headed back to the line. "I thought they'd be suspicious after I hit the exact same spot as that guy from before, but I guess they didn't notice."
He stood back in line and thought, "I'll just keep this up and this should end without a hitch."
A few more people took their shots after he did. Some hit the target and some didn't until all of them had completed the test.
They were given a few minutes for a short break as the guards set up the next test.
During this time they all broke into groups just like before, and just like before Lloyd stepped aside to a corner to think.
He found himself staring at the groups silently until he noticed a group of guards walk by.
His eyes followed them, particularly the man at the front of the group who, from that angle, seemed to have a dark, well-kept beard.
Once the two guards noticed them, they left their preparations and immediately went over to them.
They bowed to the man at the front and informed him about something.
From his perspective there was nothing remarkable about the scene at all, but he still couldn't turn away.
Was it just a product of boredom, or was it something else?