The man hit Rehan on the shoulder. Rehan, startled, immediately turned around and saw a tall man in shiny silver armor. The man had gray hair and deep gray eyes. The man smiled broadly at Rehan and then spoke in a deep but friendly voice.
"Hey kid, waiting for your dad to finish work again?"
Rehan just stared at the man for a moment as if his consciousness had drifted off due to the shock. The man suddenly panicked and shook Rehan's body. Suddenly, Rehan shouted in an annoyed tone.
"Uncle Albert, stop surprising me so suddenly like that! You really are the worst!"
The man immediately stopped shaking Rehan after Rehan screamed. Hearing Rehan's scream, the man immediately burst out laughing. The man, named Albert, began wiping away the tears that had escaped his eyes. He then spoke in his deep, friendly voice.
"Haha... Rehan, your shocked expression is truly the best. Okay, I'll stop surprising you when you're not surprised anymore."
Rehan could only grumble in annoyance at Albert's antics. Albert always teased him whenever he had the chance, and he seemed to enjoy it. Rehan then stopped grumbling and spoke in an annoyed tone.
"Are you skipping work again? I'll report you to Dad later."
Albert's expression immediately changed from laughing to looking panicked. He then immediately looked right and left. He smoked a cigarette from his pocket and then took out a chocolate bar and handed it to Rehan. Albert spoke in a low tone as he placed the chocolate bar in Rehan's hand.
"Please don't report me to your father again. Take this chocolate bar and keep this secret, okay? I don't want my salary to be deducted by the captain again."
Rehan just laughed contentedly as he put the chocolate bar away, seeing Albert's panic. Albert could only sigh and shake his head at Rehan's attitude of frequently reporting him to his father for skipping work. Albert then sat next to Rehan casually, he also watched the busy dock activity, he suddenly asked Rehan in a curious tone.
"Hey Rehan, are you really not interested in learning swordsmanship? Even though other knights' sons are always interested in learning swordsmanship from their fathers."
Rehan, who was opening the chocolate Albert had given him, remained silent, unable to resist the urge to eat it. He seemed lost in his own world as he ate it. Albert sighed again and shook his head, only able to speak from his own thoughts.
"What do I expect from a kid? There's always something."
Rehan, who had begun finishing the chocolate Albert had given him, chuckled. He then began to speak casually, answering Albert's curiosity.
"Do I have to follow in my father's footsteps? I'm not interested in swords, so I didn't."
Albert raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. He leaned toward Rehan, then asked again curiously.
"Huh? You're not interested, even though swords are cool in the eyes of other kids."
Rehan immediately stuck out his tongue in response to Albert's words, clearly mocking Albert's statement regarding the views of kids his age. He then spoke casually.
"Uncle, not all ten-year-olds are interested in swords. Some are fascinated by magic, some are more interested in playing, and some are interested in eating sweets like me."
Albert remained silent, taken aback by Rehan's blunt answer. Albert coughed briefly, then spoke again, as if trying to convince Rehan to try sword training.
"Magic is interesting, playing is fun, eating... It's necessary, and it's not good to overdo it. Learning to wield a sword means learning responsibility. You'll be held accountable for every slash you land, isn't that the beauty of the sword?"
Rehan shook his head as if disagreeing with Albert's statement once again. Rehan then casually pointed at one of the sailors and spoke.
"Learning responsibility isn't just about wielding a sword. A sailor doesn't hold a sword, but he's responsible for his family's life at home, so why would I learn to wield a sword?"
Albert paused for a moment, then spoke again, this time with a burning passion in his eyes. He spoke once again to convince Rehan to try learning to wield a sword.
"You may be right, but a sailor is just a commoner, he doesn't receive the honor of a knight. Your father, I, and other knights, earned honor through our swordsmanship."
Rehan simply looked away and spoke casually.
"Honor, What a joke. What's the point of honor if you're still skipping work?"
Albert remained silent. Rehan's words truly struck him in the face. This was the first time he had felt a slap in the face from a ten-year-old boy. Albert then tried to reassure Rehan once more. He suddenly stood up and drew his sword, assuming a horse stance. Rehan remained silent, amused by Albert's sudden withdrawal and stance.
However, he continued to watch Albert closely. Albert then gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, placed it directly in front of his face, and closed his eyes. The sword began to glow beautifully, and the wind around him began to blow strongly due to the aura he suddenly released. This was the first time Rehan had seen an aura in his life.
Aura is an energy that can be manifested by a martial artist when they reach a certain level in their training. Albert then smiled and began to speak confidently.
"Hey, kid, this is your first time seeing an aura, isn't it? This is the aura of a 3rd-level knight. Prepare yourself—"
Albert hadn't finished speaking when he was suddenly hit in the head from behind, and his aura instantly became chaotic and vanished. He turned around with an annoyed expression at being interrupted.
However, his face immediately soured when he saw the figure who had hit him. The man who had hit Albert's head was staring at him with a sharp gaze and a serious expression. The man had red eyes and red hair like Rehan's. Albert then stuttered,
"Hahaha... c-captain Farhat, what are you doing here?"
The man once again hit Albert's head quite hard. Albert immediately fell to the ground, holding his head in pain. The man then spoke in a heavy voice and tone.
"Albert, this time your salary will be cut again, you've been playing too much lately."
Rehan just laughed in satisfaction at this situation. The man who hit Albert was none other than Rehan's father, Farhat, one of the Knights captains in the Duke of Sandra's family. Albert then held his head and began to stagger, then said in a panicked tone,
"Ah, captain, any punishment other than a pay cut, please!"