Lemone put on her royal soldier armor. The cold steel of the breastplate contrasted strangely with the heat of his demonic body. He consulted his interface and was surprised to see that some information had disappeared.
[Information:]
[Name: Lemone]
[First name: Ikuta]
[Race: Demon]
[Age: 18 years old]
[Status: Servant of Darkness]
[Status: Black Mage]
[Class: Soldier]
Its basic equipment had also undergone modifications. His black cape, his boots of speed, his shadowy sword and his enigmatic silver sword had disappeared from his inventory. Only his armor remained, which seemed to have lost power, and a simple ordinary sword.
Equipment:
[Armor equipped: (+67 strength, 10 speed)]
[Equipped Weapon: Ordinary Sword]
[Weapon unequipped: Silver Sword]
As for his skills, they were still there:
[Dark Chain Lv1]
[Dance of Death Lv1]
[Death Blade Lv1]
[Lie Mastery Lv1]
[Mental Manipulation Lv1]
[Mind reading Lv1]
Lemone frowned. What had happened? Why had he lost his best equipment? He then turned towards the dark entity, which manifested itself in a corner of his vision.
Dark entity: "Are you surprised? You really thought you could keep your toys in this army of sheep? You are now a soldier, remember. A simple pawn on the chessboard."
Lemone clenched her fists. He hated the entity's condescending tone.
Lemone: "Why did you take my stuff?"
Dark Entity: "To remind you who you are and what you must do. You are a demon, Lemone. And demons do not use weapons of the weak. You will have to fight with your own claws and your own teeth ."
The entity burst out laughing, its voice echoing in Lemone's mind.
Dark Entity: "But don't worry, my dear. You succeeded in your first mission. You are a soldier. You have proven yourself. I will make things easier for you."
Lemone, clad in his armor, headed towards the training ground. He looked at Elea before leaving the barracks. On the way, he witnessed an unusual scene: an old man was having his bag stolen. Without hesitation, Lemone picked up a stone and threw it with surprising accuracy, knocking out the thief instantly.
It was an impulsive, almost instinctive reaction that surprised even him.
Arriving at the barracks, he quickly found Lieutenant Adam, the officer he had met during the child trafficking case. Adam was surprised to see him among the recruits.
"Bard! But what are you doing here? I thought you disappeared after the child trafficking case."
Lemone smiled. "I decided to join the army."
Adam looked at him with amusement. "Well, welcome aboard. I invite you to join my squad. We are a tight-knit team and we need new recruits."
Lemone accepted enthusiastically. Adam's squad was made up of around ten soldiers, each more trained than the last. Training took place in the form of individual duels. Each victory allowed the squad to earn points and the most promising soldiers could thus climb the ranks.
Lemone threw herself into training. His exceptional physical abilities and close combat skills allowed him to quickly stand out. But he knew he still had to improve a lot if he wanted to become a real soldier.
At the end of this first day of intense training, Lieutenant Adam assembled his squad. A palpable air of excitement hung in the air.
"Congratulations to everyone on your efforts today,"
he began. "As you know, we are going to evaluate your levels. This machine will analyze your skills and assign you a rank."
A strange device, which looked like a mix of scanner and game console, was set up in the center of the room. Lieutenant Adam was the first to submit. After a few seconds of analysis, the machine displayed the result: Level 45. A murmur of admiration ran through the squad.
It was Lemone's turn. He approached the machine, his heart pounding. He knew his level wasn't very high, but he hoped he had at least improved. The results were displayed: Level 11. An awkward silence fell. The other soldiers couldn't help but smirk.
"Level 11? Is that all?" shouted one of the soldiers.
"But how is this possible?" exclaimed another.
Lemone looked down, mortified. No matter how hard he trained, his progress seemed stagnant. He felt like an outsider among this team of battle-hardened soldiers.
Lieutenant Adam, seeing Lemone's disappointment, intervened. "Calm down everyone! Levels aren't everything. Courage, determination, these are equally important qualities." He turned to Lemone. "Don't be discouraged, Bard. You have potential, I know it."
But his superior's words weren't enough to alleviate Lemone's feeling of frustration. He realized that he still had a long way to go before he could compete with his comrades.
The machine's screen lit up, coldly displaying the results of Lemone's evaluation:
[Lemone:]
[Level: 11]
[Rank: D+]
A heavy silence fell over the squad. The other soldiers exchanged amused glances. The machine, for its part, added a scathing, automatically generated conclusion:
[Conclusion: "Subject has below-average physical capabilities. Almost zero combat aptitude. Recommendation: Assignment to menial tasks."]
Lemone: "Lieutenant Adam, excuse me, but... what exactly are these 'menial tasks' that the machine speaks of?"
Adam: He sighed, looking tired. "Well, Bard, it's anything that doesn't require special combat skills.
Cleaning the barracks, resupplying, maintenance work... In short, essential tasks, but not very rewarding."
Lemone: A feeling of bitterness overwhelmed him. He had hoped to join an elite unit, to fight alongside the best.
Finding himself cleaning latrines was far from his ambitions. "But… I thought I had proven myself in training."
Adam: "You did your best, Bard. But your results are what they are. The army is like that. You have to accept your place in the hierarchy."
Lemone (He clenched his fists.): "I don't plan to stop there. I'm going to do everything to improve my level and prove that I deserve better."
Adam: (A slight smile appeared on the lieutenant's face.) "It's this spirit that I like about you, Bard. But don't forget, Rome was not built in a day. The training will be long and difficult."
Lemone: "I'm up for the challenge."
Adam: "That's all for today, Bard. Get plenty of rest, you'll need it. Tomorrow, the five lieutenants will present their squads to the king. It's a great opportunity to show what we're made of."
Lemone, her eyes fixed on the ground, nodded in agreement. He knew this presentation was an important step, a chance to get noticed. But he felt so insignificant compared to the other soldiers.
Adam continued, placing a hand on Lemone's shoulder. "I know you are disappointed with your results, but don't give up. You have potential, I already told you about it. Train hard tonight, and tomorrow you will surprise us all, including the king ."
Adam's words of encouragement echoed in Lemone's mind. Maybe he was right. Maybe with a little determination he could turn the tide. After all, the king was a great connoisseur of martial arts. If he could impress her, it could change the course of his career.
Lemone left the training ground, her head filled with conflicting thoughts. He felt both discouraged and motivated.