Maeyurai opened his mouth and answered, "I don't know either. I just thought, 'What if I become an archer?' All because I had a dream where I saw myself holding a bow. It's stupid, isn't it?"
A smile forms on Huizen's lips.
"Stupid, you say? Perhaps it is. But all dreams have meanings, even yours. Maybe that dream that you saw was fate's way of calling you for something greater, something you were destined to be."
Hearing Huizen's reply, Maeyurai's eyes widened once more. He didn't expect that Huizen would say that about what he just said.
"Afterall, the reason I joined the army as an archer was purely out of a whim, haha!" Huizen added, laughing at himself.
"Wait, seriously?!"
"Yes! Seriously! If I managed to make it even if I joined half-heartedly, then you can absolutely do it too!"
I didn't expect this. The captain of the archers joined for fun and made it this far? I'm feeling motivated now.
"However," Huizen said, raising a finger. "If you don't put an effort into this, you will not be able to even hold a bow."
Of course. Maeyurai would have to put an effort into this. It's how almost everything in life goes. If something is done without passion or motive, it's obvious that it's not going to end well. Maeyurai knew this.
Maeyurai nodded. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to try my best."
"Good," Huizen said with a smile, satisfied with Maeyurai's answer. "Well then, next question." he followed up.
"You see two individuals, both holding a bow. One of them doesn't know how to use it, but the other has experience and was trained by a master. Both of them are eager to learn. You are given a choice to choose which one to train further and make stronger; who would you pick?"
Huh? What kind of question is that? What's the point?
I don't get it.
I mean, if both of them are eager, why can't I just teach them both at the same time? Is that not allowed?
Maybe this is a trick question.
Eh, I'll just choose one anyway.
"I'd train the one with zero experience," Maeyurai answered, his voice flat.
"Why?"
"If the other person already has experience, why should I train them? It's not like they can't learn alone. Plus, the one that doesn't know how to use the bow needs my teachings way more than the one that was already taught."
Huizen brought his hand up to his chin, analyzing Maeyurai's explanation.
"I see," he said. "While there are no wrong answers, your logic is understandable. Though, that kind of thinking is biased, and we don't want any of that. Personally, I would train the two of them at the same time, because there's no given rule that I can't."
"Tsk," Maeyurai clicked his tongue as he averted his gaze. He could've given a better answer; it was already in his mind, but he decided not to say it.
Dang it! Now my evaluation just got lower! This guy probably has low standards, but since he's not biased, he'll absolutely reject me if I say the wrong things!
"Hahaha!" Huizen merely laughed at Maeyurai's reaction. "You thought of the same thing, didn't you? I just know it. I said the same answer when I was asked that question. You truly remind me of my younger self."
Waving his hand casually, Huizen opened his mouth to speak, "Don't worry, I'm not going to throw you away if you say something that isn't what I'm looking for. I'm just evaluating how you think. What I'm truly wanting to see in you is your potential as an archer."
Maeyurai let out a long sigh. He was relieved to know that Huizen was looking for practicality. Wait. Isn't that even worse? I have nothing to show him!
Mentally, Maeyurai was panicking. Outwardly, he kept calm, but he was racing through every possible solution he could do about this—from the proper stance of the bow, how to hold it, and to aiming. He tried to think it through in advance, just so he could have something to show Huizen.
"Okay, this is the last question. Sorry if what I've been asking sounds pointless—it's all just random things I came up with on the spot," Huizen said before continuing:
"Do you think you will become a powerful archer?"
Is this a test of my confidence? I think I have to be meek. Should I just say that I can become a powerful archer? Ugh, I'll just be honest.
"Yes," Maeyurai answered. "Though I don't think I can become the strongest, I believe I can become way more powerful than average people."
"Heh, how bold of you. I like that," Huizen said with a tone of amusement. "Did you base that off of what I said about you earlier?"
"About me having high potential? Yes, I did base it off of that."
"I never said you had high potential though. I just said I saw it." Huizen smirked while he said so. He thought that Maeyurai was an interesting person despite how he looks.
Oh yeah. Damn, I got ahead of myself there. I probably seemed arrogant... This sucks—I keep doing the wrong things!
Maeyurai scratched the back of his head in awkwardness. "I-I didn't really mean 'high potential.' I must've heard wrong earlier."
"Hahaha! Don't worry about it—if you're that confident, then that's even better!"
Maeyurai continued to scratch his head while Huizen spoke. Phew, this guy truly is easy-going. I really like that about him. In a way, he's like Shikkan.
"Anyway," Huizen started to speak again. "Let's start with the next stage. I want you to get one of the bows on that rack. Feel free to pick the one you like," he said while pointing at the back, towards a rack where there were dozens of bows displayed.
"Are you sure?" Maeyurai asked, unsure if he really should pick what he wanted.
"Of course. Go on, pick what you want."
Tentatively walking towards the bow rack, Maeyurai inspected each bow carefully.
Some of the bows had a thin design. Others were thick and long, looking difficult to hold. A few even featured an unorthodox structure.
Two bows caught Maeyurai's attention. The first bow, when touched, felt incredibly familiar. Likely because Maeyurai held a similar bow a few months ago, one borrowed by Shikkan. The sensation stirred a memory in his muscles, reminding him of a touch he should've forgotten.
The second bow, however, had a design that felt instantly comfortable for Maeyurai. Like he had already spent long days and nights with the bow.
He instinctively decided to go with the latter, holding it in his hand. It was a longbow, its length stretching out as far as Maeyurai's height.
This one... I like how it feels to touch. Just the right thickness, weight, and tension in the bowstring.
Seeing Maeyurai's chosen bow, Huizen's eyes would widen in surprise. A smile slowly seeping up his face, he would ask, "Do you want that? That's a rather interesting choice. I thought you'd go for a smaller one, like a composite bow."
"Really? I feel comfortable holding this one. This is also similar to the bow that I saw in a dream."
Huizen was silent. He realized that the dream that Maeyurai saw was possibly no ordinary dream and that it would be hinting at something far greater. As his eyes narrowed, a sly smirk tugged at his lips.
"This guy might just be it," Huizen said—it was inaudible.
"Hm?" Maeyurai reacted, hearing a murmur. "Did you say something?"
"Nah, I didn't. You go on ahead and grab a quiver as well, then we can start."
No, you definitely said something. I heard that. I even saw your mouth moving. As Maeyurai thought this, he was mentally shaking his head, staring at Huizen.
Maeyurai would then grab a quiver filled with arrows from near the bow rack and wear it over his shoulder. "Like this, right? Sorry if I'm about to do anything wrong; I have zero experience with the bow."
"It's all good," Huizen said, before pointing towards a target in the middle of the range. "Go ahead, shoot that target. Test your bow, and then I'll fix your mistakes for you."
Tilting his head, Maeyurai would ask, "I just take aim and shoot?"
"Yeah, I'm going to assess your first form, then your next form once I tell you what to fix."
"Huh, okay," Maeyurai said as he walked towards the shooting line and held the longbow with his left hand. "By the way, my name is Maeyurai. Yhodth Maeyurai. You forgot to ask me earlier."
"Oh, right! My bad—I forgot, haha!" Huizen said, a shy smile on his face. "Okay, you go on ahead now, Maeyurai."
This guy... How could he forget to ask the name of someone he's assessing?
Then, Maeyurai would lift the longbow. He took one arrow from the quiver at his back and clipped the nock on the bowstring.
I can do this.
He took aim and steadily drew the string up until his fingers brushed his chin. Taking one long breath, he finally released.