“Send the next one in.”
“Yes, Colonel Kisha!”
The handsome man with dark blue hair gave the order from his desk, and a soldier in armor saluted and replied.
However, Kisha, the handsome man watching the soldier, frowned slightly.
The angle of the edge of the soldier’s hand during the salute was off.
‘The rear-line troops can’t even salute properly.’
If someone had done that on the harsh front lines where he had spent the entire Human-Demon War, they would have been disciplined on the spot.
But that was nothing compared to what came next.
The men enlisting in the newly established Anti-Demon Army were even more pathetic.
The men the Grand Duke had recruited this time looked impressive on the outside, but they were all noble young masters who couldn’t do anything on their own.
Some idiots couldn’t even answer simple questions during the identity verification process and had to look for their servants to help them.
Others had the nerve to show no sign of guilt after forgetting important documents they were supposed to submit, instead blaming their servants for failing to pack their belongings properly.
They were all such hopeless fools that even if a monster appeared right in front of them, they would probably wait for their servants to draw the swords at their waists and get themselves killed.
‘How am I supposed to train a force to fight demons with men like these…?’
And on top of that, he was supposed to make them Lavinia’s personal guards!
Not just anyone’s, but his precious, beloved Lavinia, whom he had pampered and raised as if she were his own daughter!
Was the Grand Duke out of his mind?
Just thinking about it made Kisha feel like he was going insane.
It would be less painful to fight hundreds or even thousands of monsters alone on the battlefield.
Kisha let out a deep sigh.
“What a waste of such a precious day. I’d better finish this quickly and go see Lady Lavinia.”
Today was the second Wednesday of the month, the day he had been looking forward to so eagerly.
It was the day he got to meet Lavinia and have tea with her at the mansion once a month.
He had rushed all the way here from the front lines as soon as his overnight shift ended, eager to see her.
While he was here, he had also offered to personally handle the identity verification process for the men who would soon be training under him in the Anti-Demon Army.
He had hoped to find someone with potential and train him to become his successor!
But the more men who came in, the more his hopes came crashing down.
His expectations quickly faded.
He barely even looked at their documents.
‘They’re all worthless fools anyway. I should just check their documents quickly, enlist them, and put them through some serious training.’
That might at least teach them how to act like decent human beings.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard the next person approaching.
He had no interest whatsoever in finding out what kind of useless fool this one would be.
Without even raising his head, he ordered,
“Come in.”
****
When Elia entered the room, she saw a man sitting at the desk with his eyes lowered arrogantly.
‘As expected, Kisha has absolutely no interest in me.’
Colonel Kisha.
Of course, Elia knew all about him.
Kisha was one of the Grand Duke’s subordinates who had distinguished himself in the Human-Demon War and had served the Grand Duke for many years.
He had also doted on Lavinia since she was little, caring for her as if she were his own niece.
‘He’s completely obsessed with Lavinia. What a hopeless uncle.’
Kisha not only handled the identity verification process but would also become the training officer in charge of the unit. He acted like a strict father-in-law toward the men trying to win the heroine Lavinia’s favor.
Some men even tried to win Kisha over in hopes of winning Lavinia’s hand, but it was all in vain.
‘Because Kisha has only one favorite, and that’s it.’
That person was Axion, the main male lead of the story.
Apparently, Kisha had recognized his potential from their very first meeting during the identity verification process.
In the original novel, Kisha openly favored Axion and immediately appointed him as the deputy commander of the Anti-Demon Army as soon as he enlisted.
After that, he promoted him at lightning speed, first through the noncommissioned officer ranks and eventually all the way to commander. He treated Axion almost like a future son-in-law of the Grand Duke’s family.
But he had surprisingly little interest in any of the other men besides Axion.
He put them through hellish training and treated them as if they barely existed.
As a result, readers who supported Axion loved Kisha, while those who supported the other male leads absolutely despised him as a father-in-law from hell.
‘Well, that has nothing to do with me, since I’m just an extra who plans to keep a low profile.’
Just look at him now. He wasn’t even bothering to look at her while checking her identity.
Elia sincerely hoped his indifference would continue as she took out the documents she had prepared.
****
When Kisha reluctantly raised his head, he saw a pretty red-haired young man standing by the door.
He disliked the look of him right away.
‘How does someone who looks so frail expect to defeat monsters…?’
He coldly lowered his gaze again.
He could see the young man’s feet by the doorway.
Why were his feet so tiny and delicate, too?
They looked more suited to shoes worn at a fancy ball than military boots on the battlefield.
“Documents.”
At his contemptuous command, those feet approached his desk.
Step! Step!
Each step was measured to a precise angle.
His strides were disciplined and full of determination.
Step!
The two feet stopped perfectly in line in front of the desk, without the slightest misalignment.
‘…!’
Kisha’s eyes narrowed.
“Here they are, sir!”
Along with the young man’s energetic voice, a file of documents was presented before him.
Even the angle at which the documents were held was perfectly precise.
Kisha picked up the file and slowly raised his head.
He saw the red-haired young man’s face.
Now that he was standing right in front of him, the young man looked even prettier than he had from a distance.
But there was something else that caught Kisha’s attention more than his looks.
It was the young man’s posture.
His hands were lightly clenched, as if he were holding a raw egg!
His shoulders were pulled back, and his chin was tucked in firmly!
And his gaze was fixed precisely forty-five degrees above the horizon, without wavering even an inch!
His attitude was every bit as disciplined as that of a soldier on the front lines.
Kisha’s heart began to pound before he even realized it.
‘You little…!’
Looking at the name written on the documents, he asked,
“Erian Tringen?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Sit over there.”
“Thank you, sir!”
The young man walked briskly to the chair with the same crisp, disciplined steps, then sat down with his back straight.
Kisha watched him quietly for a moment before turning his attention to the documents the young man had handed him.
His eyes, which had been as lifeless as those of a dead fish while looking through the previous applicants’ documents, began to sparkle.
*
‘Thank goodness. I was worried I might have forgotten how to do it, but it’s going well.’
Sitting in the chair, Elia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Contrary to her worries, the formal marching steps and military posture she had learned in her previous life came naturally to her.
It was as if they had become part of her body.
‘More importantly, this man really has absolutely no interest in me.’
Elia felt relieved as she watched Kisha bury his face in the documents without even glancing at her.
Another examiner would probably have questioned her about every little detail.
‘This just proves that he doesn’t care about anyone except Axion.’
Just as she was thinking this, Kisha snapped the file shut.
“Identity verification complete. Everything seems to be in order.”
“Thank you, sir!”
Phew, what a relief.
As Elia mentally patted herself on the chest, Kisha returned the documents and spoke.
“Go outside, collect your supplies, and head to your quarters. The enlistment ceremony will be held at the training grounds behind the barracks in five days.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
She had successfully enlisted in the army without a hitch.
‘Now all I have to do is keep a low profile here.’
Relieved that a major worry was behind her, Elia began walking briskly toward the exit, but Kisha stopped her.
“Wait a moment.”
What was it? Had something gone wrong?
Elia looked up at him, her heart suddenly sinking.
“W-what is it, sir?”
“Erian Tringen.”
Kisha looked down at him and continued,
“Welcome to the Anti-Demon Army.”
Elia’s mouth fell open at his words.
What was that line?
She hadn’t known he could say something like that to anyone other than Axion.
But she soon decided it was nothing worth worrying about.
‘He’s probably just being polite. After all, the Anti-Demon Army is the unit I’ll be helping him run from now on.’
That had to be it.
“Thank you, sir!”
Thinking this, Elia shouted energetically, saluted, and strode out of the room.
****
Kisha watched the young man’s retreating figure.
Even the position and angle of the edge of his hand during the salute he had just given were flawless.
Kisha smiled with satisfaction to himself at such a perfect salute.
That’s right. That’s how a soldier should be.
“Erian, huh…? Have I finally found someone with the makings of a real soldier?”
Of course, it was still too early to judge him completely.
There were plenty of men who had impressive attitudes but lacked the actual abilities needed to be soldiers.
Still, compared to all the useless fools he had seen so far, that young man was undoubtedly a cut above the rest.
“I’ll have to keep an eye on him.”
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