Gendry himself knew that he had an exceptional talent for smithing.
Tobho Mott often praised him, too.
But deep down, Gendry had never liked the trade.
Perhaps years of being exploited by Tobho Mott, repeating the same dull, grueling tasks every day, had left him weary of it.
Perhaps it was the Baratheon blood running through his veins, giving him an innate yearning for battlefields and glory.
What he truly wanted had never been to be an obscure smith, but a respected knight who rode across battlefields.
Davion was, after all, a noble earl. Following him would undoubtedly open a door onto the path to knighthood.
It would give him a chance to escape the confines of the smithy and pursue the dream in his heart.
For Gendry, who had spent years trapped in the smithy, this was undoubtedly a windfall. How could he possibly pass it up?
Davion took in both men's reactions, already understanding what was on their minds.
A faint smile curled his lips as he slowly spoke:
"Rest assured, I'm only asking Gendry to help me for a while. Once the Hand's Tourney is over, I'll leave King's Landing."
"When that happens, our employment arrangement will automatically end, and Gendry can still come back here and continue smithing under you."
Tobho Mott breathed a sigh of relief at those words.
He hastily nodded and bowed, his tone respectful:
"Thank you for your understanding, young Lord Davion! I have no objections. Everything will be as you arrange, my lord. Still, perhaps you should ask Gendry what he thinks."
No sooner had Tobho Mott finished than Gendry eagerly cut in:
"I'm willing! Young Lord Davion, I'm willing to be your attendant! Even without pay!"
He was afraid Davion would change his mind.
Davion nodded in satisfaction:
"Good. It's settled, then!"
"Help me out of the armor!"
This time, Gendry did not dawdle in the slightest. He was even more eager than when he had helped put the armor on.
He carefully removed Davion's armor, handling every plate gently, then placed the pieces one by one into the wooden chest beside them, arranging them neatly.
Once everything was packed, he closed the chest and stepped forward of his own accord to help Davion back into his previous outer garment.
With everything taken care of, he bent down without another word and hoisted the heavy armor chest onto his back, then reached for Davion's custom-made round shield and clutched it tightly to his chest.
Then he raised his head and looked at Davion expectantly.
It was as though he were saying:
"My lord, everything is ready. Let's go! I can't wait to leave this damned smithy and follow you in pursuit of a knight's glory!"
Standing nearby, Tobho Mott saw Gendry's eagerness all too clearly. Rage immediately flared within him, and he silently gritted his teeth and cursed:
"Damn brat, what an ungrateful wretch!"
"I worked so hard to raise and teach you, passing my craft on to you, and now look at you. Someone invites you along, and you can't wait to leave!"
"You think latching onto a noble will let you rise straight to the top and become a knight?"
"What a fool's dream!"
"Once the Hand's Tourney is over, won't you just come slinking back?"
"Just wait until then. I'll show you what happens to an ungrateful wretch like you!"
Davion took Gendry straight back to Shataya's brothel.
Standing before the doorway, with its suggestive fragrance hanging in the air, Gendry instantly flushed scarlet. He gripped the hem of his clothes with both hands, his steps faltering as he lingered, not daring to approach.
He had never set foot in such a place in his life and had only heard the smithy's apprentices discussing it in private. He felt both curious and somewhat flustered.
Davion silently laughed at his embarrassed appearance:
"This lad is actually getting shy? He should think about his father, Robert. At his age, he probably already had more bastards than you could count on one hand. He's nothing like him in that respect."
With a teasing note in his voice, he said:
"What's wrong, Gendry? Don't tell me you've reached this age without ever visiting a brothel?"
Gendry hurriedly lowered his head and gave it a slight shake.
Davion pressed him. "So you're still a virgin?"
Gendry's cheeks grew so red they looked ready to bleed. After a moment's hesitation, he slowly nodded.
Davion burst out laughing and patted his shoulder:
"All right. Since this is your first day as my attendant, your lord will give you a little perk! Come on, don't just stand there. Let's go in!"
At those words, Gendry's heart began racing wildly. He was nervous, but also filled with anticipation that was difficult to hide.
The apprentices' discussions had long since aroused his curiosity about such things. Now that he had a chance to experience it himself, despite his shyness, he could not suppress the fluttering in his heart.
The moment they entered, Shataya approached with graceful steps, dressed in a thin gauze gown.
Her gaze fell on Gendry, and a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes:
"Young Lord Davion, how did you come back with someone else this time?"
Davion smiled and waved a hand:
"This is my new attendant. His name is Gendry."
"As it happens, he's still a virgin. Get him a quiet room and find a gentle, sensible girl to take good care of him."
As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows at Shataya.
Being sensible was the most important part!
Davion did not want Gendry to become so infatuated with his first woman that he naively believed there could be true love between him and a whore.
Shataya immediately understood what Davion meant. A suggestive smile appeared on her face as she looked over Gendry's shy face, her voice carrying a teasing note:
"Oh, an innocent young lad. We don't see many of those in my brothel."
Davion grumbled inwardly:
"Actually, I was a virgin when I came here that day, too!"
Shataya bowed with a smile:
"Rest assured, my lord. Leave everything to me. I'll make sure young Gendry is satisfied."
"Please go back to your room first. Alayaya and the others are all waiting for you there."
With that, she turned to Gendry:
"Young Gendry, put down that chest on your back first, then come with me!"
Gendry felt his heart beating even faster and looked helplessly at Davion.
Davion patted his shoulder and chuckled without saying anything more.
He lifted the heavy armor chest off Gendry's back with one hand, took the round shield from his arms, then turned and headed straight upstairs.
As he climbed the stairs, Davion thought:
"Shataya said before that King Robert is a regular here and often comes to enjoy himself. I wonder whether father and son might happen to run into each other in this brothel?"
"If they really did, that would be interesting. Hahaha."
Just as the thought passed, he suddenly slapped his forehead and cursed inwardly:
"Shit, I forgot to tell Shataya not to find Gendry a black-haired whore!"
"That Robert sows his seed everywhere. Who knows whether any of those black-haired whores are his bastard daughters?"
"If Gendry accidentally did something with his own younger half-sister, that would be utterly absurd."
But on second thought, he shook his head:
"Forget it, forget it. King's Landing is so big. What are the chances of a coincidence like that?"
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