"Take him to the evaluation grounds."

"Yes, Sir."

Lionel followed the soldier outside once again. However, this time, instead of heading to the main training grounds, they walked farther

As they walked, Lionel became more familiar with the training grounds. Of course, he had seen it before, but seeing it right now, at this moment, was different.

The training grounds were divided into several sections. In one field, numerous soldiers practiced swordsmanship against one another with wooden swords. In another area, there were rows of archers repeatedly firing arrows toward distant targets.

Farther away, a large riding field could also be seen where soldiers practiced horseback riding while generals assessed them from the side. There were also sections for spear combat, shield formations, endurance training, and hand-to-hand combat.

"The evaluation grounds determine which units trainees are most suitable for," the soldier explained while walking beside him.

Lionel quietly listened to the soldier. He already knew about those things, but it was better to be more careful.

"Not everyone becomes a swordsman. Some enter cavalry units, some specialize in archery, while others become support knights or formation leaders."

"I see," Lionel muttered while still observing around.

"Your overall ability, talent, physical condition, reaction speed, and combat sense will all be evaluated," the soldier continued. "Afterward, the instructors will decide where to place you."

"Based on your letter, you are here to train as an Imperial knight. However, you need to pass the basic evaluation first. That means you need to be evaluated first with others who are applying here to be part of the imperial army."

"Understood, Sir." Lionel slowly nodded after hearing that. Soon enough, they finally arrived in front of another large open field.

Unlike the chaotic training area outside, this place was more private. There were only a few people here who looked like a trainee like him. They were lined up while someone from the center observed them with a strict expression.

The man from the center was wearing dark armour. He looked rough, and there was even a long scar on his face. It made his cold expression even more intimidating.

When they approached the man, the soldier who was touring Lionel around immediately saluted.

"Commander. This is the new trainee arrival."

The man’s sharp brown eyes slowly gazed toward Lionel.

"So this is the new one?" the commander spoke calmly.

"Yes, Commander."

The man looked at Lionel from top to bottom before his eyes noticed the sword hanging at Lionel’s waist.

"Hmmm..."

Then, without warning, the man suddenly tossed a wooden sword toward Lionel.

Lionel’s eyes widened slightly, but his body reacted immediately at it. He caught the sword cleanly midair. The commander’s eyes narrowed faintly after seeing that reaction speed.

"What’s your name?"

"Lionel."

"Lionel..." The commander repeated quietly before crossing his arms. "Fine."

"Show me what you can do. Defeat as many people as you can." He pointed toward the center of the field afterward, where other trainees like him were standing.

The moment the commander finished speaking, several trainees immediately stepped forward toward the center of the field. Most of them looked older and bigger than Lionel, while there were others who looked around seventeen or eighteen.

A few of them glanced at Lionel strangely after seeing how young he looked.

"Him?" one trainee muttered quietly.

"He looks too small."

But the commander ignored all their whispers completely. He knew better than to judge someone based on appearance.

"Begin."

The moment the order from the commander fell,, one of the trainees rushed toward Lionel first while raising his wooden sword.

Lionel narrowed his eyes slightly.

Clack!

Their wooden swords collided instantly. Before the trainee could even react properly, Lionel twisted his wrist and struck the other boy directly on the side.

"Urgh!" The trainee stumbled backward immediately before falling onto the ground.

The commander’s eyes narrowed faintly.

He’s fast.

Another trainee charged in from the side afterward, trying to attack Lionel while his guard was still open. However, Lionel stepped aside calmly before hitting the trainee’s wrist.

Clack!

The wooden sword flew out of the trainee’s hand.

Because of it, the other trainees became fired up. One after another, trainees stepped forward toward Lionel, but none of them lasted very long against him. Some were defeated through pure speed, while others lost because they underestimated Lionel’s actual skills.

Even when two trainees tried attacking him together, Lionel still managed to dodge cleanly before countering both of them almost immediately.

Not bad. The commander quietly watched everything with crossed arms.

More importantly, Lionel’s movements looked extremely composed for someone his age. He didn’t waste his moves unnecessarily, and his eyes remained calm the entire time. Soon enough, the final trainee also fell backward onto the dirt after losing his balance.

"..."

"..."

Silence briefly filled the field. How can they not when they were just defeated by someone who looked absolutely younger than them? Some felt ashamed while others found it amusing.

Those trainees came here dreaming of becoming part of the Imperial Army, so getting defeated this easily during the evaluation naturally felt discouraging for them.

Lionel slowly lowered the wooden sword afterward while catching his breath lightly. When the commander saw it, he stared at him for a few seconds before eventually nodding.

"Good enough." However, after saying that word, the commander suddenly turned around.

"Now let’s move to the archery field."

"Yes, Commander!" The trainees immediately responded loudly. They quickly fixed themselves and moved on. Soon, everyone began walking toward another section of the evaluation grounds

This area was lined with rows of wooden targets positioned far away from the field. Each target had several colored circles painted at the center. Imperial soldiers soon walked forward while carrying bows and quivers filled with arrows of the same quantity.

"You will receive 10 arrows each," the commander ordered.

The trainees immediately lined up to receive their equipment one by one. When it was Lionel’s turn, an imperial soldier handed him a dark wooden bow along with several arrows.

Lionel quietly examined the bow in his hand. He saw that it was just plain bows and arrows, so he became relieved. Fortunately, the Imperial army is not fond of doing tricks with newbies like them.

"You’ll each fire 10 arrows, one at a time." His sharp gaze looked at everyone again. "We’ll evaluate your accuracy and control it."

With it, the trainees slowly moved into position while holding their bows awkwardly. Compared to swordsmanship earlier, the atmosphere this time felt much more tense.

Some trainees quietly adjusted their grip repeatedly on the bow, while others looked visibly nervous just from staring at the distant targets. After all, not everyone was trained in archery before entering the Imperial Army.

Swords were easy because they could practice with a good stick. But not everyone had access to good bows and arrows. That was why a few of the newcomers looked stiff while pulling the bowstrings.