John (3K! Please Follow!)

"Hmph! You're quite the hotshot, aren't you!"

The regular soldier snorted, nudging the groaning teenagers on the ground with his boot.

"Give them a bit more of a push, and these guys will be meeting the Heavenly Father. Aren't you afraid I'll throw you in the dungeon for a year or two?"

"Heh."

Roland ignored his threat, merely chuckling and asking, "Captain John, when did you get back?"

"Hahaha!"

His disguise seen through, John immediately dropped the pretense, laughing heartily as he clapped Roland heavily on the shoulder.

"Just got back the day before yesterday. What's all this commotion about?"

Roland gestured with his chin towards Marco, who stood stunned to the side, and recounted his deductions.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

John tilted his head, glancing at Marco, and clicked his tongue.

"This brat didn't get his hands dirty himself? He's got a bit of brains after all."

He then leaned in close to Roland, lowering his voice. "Alright, tell me, how do you want to deal with him?"

"Huh?"

Roland was taken aback for a moment before frowning and advising, "Captain John, I appreciate the thought, but his father is Henry, the most famous blacksmith in Blackwater Territory."

"Henry? Hmph! So what?"

John waved his hand dismissively.

"In the end, he's just a commoner with good forging skills. If his son causes trouble at a Noble's estate, I'll handle it according to the law. Does he have a problem with that?"

"But we seem to be lacking concrete evidence?"

"Evidence? Ha!"

John slung an arm over Roland's shoulder, his eyebrows arching slightly.

"Once we throw him in the dungeon, we'll have all the evidence we need!"

"Won't that cause you trouble?"

"What? You look down on me?"

A smile played on John's lips.

"If it weren't for you, I would have been torn to shreds by those Kobolds by now! What's this little matter compared to that?"

Hearing this, Roland smiled knowingly.

Marco had repeatedly caused him trouble, even going so far as to hire assassins.

He had meticulously kept track of every single grievance.

If he hadn't been concerned about the influence of Marco's father in Blackwater Territory, he would have long ago ground him to dust with his own hands!

Now that the opportunity had presented itself, why would he refuse?

"I'll leave it entirely up to Captain John's arrangements."

"That's more like it!"

John released Roland and turned to the two regular soldiers behind him, barking, "What are you standing around for!"

He pointed at the dumbfounded Marco.

"Take this brat down!"

"What are you doing?"

Marco, too far away to hear Roland and John's conversation, was completely bewildered.

Seeing the guards reach for his shoulders, he finally reacted and struggled fiercely.

Years of swinging a hammer to hone his forging skills had given him strength far beyond his peers. Furthermore, the two guards were hesitant to use their full strength due to his status, making it difficult to subdue him.

"What?"

Seeing this, John strode forward, his voice low.

"Still want to resist?"

Seeing John's hand move towards his sword hilt, Marco's throat bobbed, and his voice trembled.

"Sir, I... I just... don't understand why you're arresting me?"

"Why?"

John let out a cold laugh and pointed at the youths still groaning in pain on the ground.

"I'm asking you, did you follow Mister Hawk to learn blacksmithing skills, just like these people!"

"Yes, yes."

"Then."

John suddenly leaned in, his sharp gaze piercing Marco's evasive eyes.

"When they were being beaten, why did you stand by and do nothing?"

"Huh?"

Marco never expected that John would arrest him for this reason.

After a moment of stunned silence, he stammered a defense.

"Well, Roland is too strong. If I went up, I'd just get beaten too, and besides..."

"Coward!"

John cut him off with a sharp shout.

"The person I hate most in my life is a coward!"

He turned to the two guards and berated them.

"What are you standing around for? Didn't you eat enough breakfast? Do you want me to do it myself?"

"Yes, sir!"

Seeing their captain's anger, the two guards no longer dared to hesitate. Their iron-like hands clamped down firmly on Marco's arms.

At this moment, the blacksmith's son, who had always been arrogant, finally understood.

He stared intently at Roland and John, his eyes burning with venomous rage.

"How dare you treat me like this? My father is..."

"Bang!"

Marco's shouting came to an abrupt halt.

John's sword hilt slammed heavily into his abdomen, crushing the latter half of his sentence into a pained groan.

"Take him to the dungeon and interrogate him thoroughly! If I find out you went easy on him..."

"Yes, Captain!"

The two guards glanced at the hideous scar on John's face and involuntarily shivered. They dragged Marco away quickly towards the prison.

"As for you guys..."

John turned to the bruised and battered youths on the ground and shouted sternly.

"Why aren't you getting lost? Do you want me to send people to carry you back?"

The youths helped each other up and limped away, their faces filled with unwillingness.

But as they passed by Roland, all their resentment instantly froze.

They suddenly stiffened, their necks involuntarily retracting, and their eyes showed instinctive fear.

In a blink of an eye, only Roland and John remained on the once noisy open ground.

"I heard today is the day to select blacksmith apprentices."

Confirming that no one else was around, John removed his stern mask and smiled, patting Roland on the shoulder.

"It looks like you've already passed the assessment?"

"Yes."

Roland nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hahaha, I never expected this..."

John bent down, picked up the bag Roland had dropped during the fight, and casually handed it over.

"You not only have excellent combat skills, but your blacksmithing techniques are also this outstanding."

"Captain John, you flatter me. I just..."

"Cut the pleasantries!"

John waved his hand dismissively and interrupted again. After a few more casual remarks, he finally spoke.

"Since there's nothing else, I'll be going..."

Seeing John about to turn and leave, Roland suddenly thought of something and quickly called out.

"Oh, right, Captain John, I have a few things I'd like to ask of you."

"Hmm..."

John stopped in his tracks, looked at the approaching guards in the distance, grunted, and then said.

"Kid, I still have to patrol right now. How about this!"

"You're heading to the blacksmith shop on the east side to report in, right? When I'm off duty tonight, I'll find you for a drink!"

"This..."

Faced with John's enthusiastic invitation, Roland scratched his head, looking a bit troubled.

"Mister Hawk probably won't allow me to drink."

"Uh..."

Hearing Mister Hawk's name, John's momentum immediately faltered a bit.

"If it's Mister Hawk's rule, then how about this: just watch me drink! Don't worry, I'll bring some excellent snacks to go with it!"

"Okay!"

Roland smiled faintly.

"Then I won't eat dinner, I'll be waiting to taste Captain John's delicious food."

"Now that's more like it!"

Seeing that Roland was finally no longer insisting on formalities, John nodded in satisfaction and turned to stride away.

Roland let out a long sigh. Thinking of Marco's disheveled state just now, a smile couldn't help but curve his lips.

He then picked up his belongings and, before long, arrived in front of the blacksmith shop on the east side.

"Wow..."

Standing at the entrance, Roland couldn't help but hold his breath at the sight before him.

The spacious and bright forging hall was easily three times the size of his former workplace, with several fine iron forging stations neatly arranged, each equipped with a full set of brand-new tools.

Compared to this place, where he had learned his forging skills, it was practically a dilapidated little workshop.

"You must be Roland?"

Just then, a tall young man strode quickly towards him, a friendly smile on his face.

"My name is George. I'm Master Hawk's apprentice. Master already mentioned you were coming. Follow me."

As George led the way, he gave a detailed introduction to the blacksmith shop's various facilities and rules.

In a short while, the two arrived at a forging station.

"This is where you'll be working from now on. If there's anything you don't understand, you can always ask me. As for the regulations..."

Saying this, George seemed to recall something, and a strained, awkward smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You must strictly adhere to them. You've surely experienced Master Hawk's temper."

"I understand. Thank you, Mister George."

Roland said sincerely.

"No need to be so polite."

George smiled, waved his hand, and left.

Looking around the spacious and bright forging hall, Roland's lips curved upwards unconsciously.

Unlike the tense atmosphere when he was learning his craft, the apprentices here seemed exceptionally friendly, as if there was no sense of competition among them.

After a few conversations, Roland became even more excited about his future as an apprentice.

From other apprentices, he learned about the work system here.

Each month, in addition to the basic forging tasks, Hawk would assign some extra work.

Failure to complete it well would at most earn him a scolding, and his salary would still be paid.

However, outstanding completion would result in an additional monetary reward, though little would be left after deducting costs and taxes.

Therefore, most apprentices chose to complete the basic tasks step by step.

"This is practically a paradise for slacking off."

After hearing this, Roland couldn't help but sigh softly.

The sun sank, and dusk deepened.

As Roland walked out of the blacksmith shop, he bumped right into John, who was carrying a large bag of goodies.

"Yo! Perfect timing!"

John's hearty laughter, accompanied by the aroma of wine and roasted meat, wafted towards him.

He threw an arm around Roland's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go to your dorm for a bit. I heard you apprentices who follow Mister Hawk get single rooms? Tsk tsk, that treatment is really enviable."

Chatting and laughing, the two arrived in front of a row of detached cottages.

Following George's earlier directions, Roland quickly found his residence.

He pushed the door open and looked inside. Although the furnishings were simple, the bright and clean space was worlds apart from the communal sleeping quarters he had shared with over a dozen people before.

"Whoa! It's really spacious!"

John clicked his tongue in amazement, then, acting like an old friend, moved a wooden table from the corner and laid out the food and drink.

After biting open the wine stopper and taking a swig, he asked directly, "Spit it out, kid. What do you need me for?"

"I want to learn archery from you."

Roland took the roasted chicken leg handed to him, his gaze intense.

He still remembered John's masterful archery skills.

If it weren't for the Blood Scale Kobold's tough scales, John himself, along with those two regular soldiers, would have been enough to kill it back then.

"Archery? Leave it to me!"

John patted his chest and agreed.

"But it's too late today. We'll start tomorrow afternoon. However, I can tell you some key points first."

As John explained in simple terms, Roland realized that archery was far from simply drawing a bow and releasing an arrow.

From stance to breathing, from finger technique to power application, there was knowledge in every detail.

Unconsciously, the night deepened.

After stuffing the last piece of chicken mixed with black bread into his mouth, Roland asked casually, "By the way, Captain John, what's the situation with that group of kobolds that came from Dawn Territory earlier?"

Before he finished speaking, John's smile froze.

The usually jovial old soldier's brow furrowed, and he sighed heavily.