"Mr. Roland..."

After half a month together, the Halfling still occasionally revealed his reserved and shy nature, but most of the time, he could already speak his thoughts frankly.

"Thank you for your guidance today."

"No need to be so polite, Hobby. I think..."

Hearing this, Roland rose from the ground, brushed the dust from his trousers, and smiled.

"After this time together, we should count as friends now, shouldn't we? So there's no need to be so stiff."

"Y-yes!"

A joyful smile bloomed on Hobby's face.

During this brief time together, this intelligent Halfling had already formed a clear judgment of Roland's strength.

In his view, even many instructors at the Knight Academy probably could not compare to this gentle young man in terms of strength alone.

Therefore, gaining the recognition of such a powerful person, and even becoming friends with him, made Hobby, who had always carried some insecurity, incredibly happy.

"However, Hobby..."

Roland continued.

Like Hobby, during this time together, he had also come to understand the little fellow before him better.

Humble, polite, never impatient or complaining.

Even though his body was naturally frail, he still persisted every day and devoted himself completely to tempering his combat techniques according to Roland's guidance. His speed of improvement was astonishing.

Roland appreciated both his intelligence and his perseverance.

"There is something I need to tell you."

"Please speak, Mr. Roland."

Hobby's expression immediately became serious.

"Don't be nervous."

Roland patted his shoulder.

"I probably won't come to the training ground to practice anymore after this."

Since the three newly mastered techniques had all reached max level, there was no need for him to come here to train every afternoon.

The time he saved could be invested entirely in other areas that could improve his strength.

Although his relationship with Hobby was good, Roland could not slow his own pace of becoming stronger because of that.

As for navigation knowledge, with Hobby's careful guidance and the help of the [Focus] Trait, Roland had already grasped most of it.

Although he had not awakened a related skill yet, he suspected that was due to a lack of practical experience. He could simply find an opportunity to try later.

"I-is that so?"

Hobby lowered his head at once, his face full of dejection.

During this time together, Roland's kind attitude had unknowingly made the introverted Hobby depend on him.

On top of that, because of his unusual physique, he was not very popular among the other students at the Knight Academy.

Therefore, he especially cherished the time he spent with Roland at the training ground every afternoon.

Hearing this news, sadness and loss inevitably rose in the Halfling's heart.

"Hahahahaha..."

Looking at the little fellow's crestfallen appearance, Roland laughed and rubbed Hobby's messy brown hair.

"Like I said just now, Hobby, we are friends now. If you have any questions, you can come find me at my home anytime."

"As for where I live, you should know, right?"

Because Hobby's parents had died early, and the big brother he often spoke of spent years at sea, Roland had invited him to visit his home many times during this period.

"Can I... really?"

The sadness on Hobby's face vanished in an instant.

Seeing Roland nod with certainty, he spread his arms and cheered, his eyes lighting up.

But then, realizing that his behavior was somewhat improper, he hurriedly straightened again.

"Thank you, Mr. Roland."

"I told you, don't be so polite."

Roland curled a finger and lightly flicked Hobby's forehead, then looked up at the deepening dusk.

"Then today's training ends here. Do you want to come back with me for dinner?"

"Not today, Mr. Roland."

Hobby scratched his head. Seeming afraid that his refusal would cause Roland to misunderstand, he quickly explained.

"My big brother is coming back tomorrow. I need to go home and tidy up the house... Right!"

At this point, he raised his head again and asked cautiously, "Mr. Roland, will you have time tomorrow afternoon?"

"I should. What's wrong, little fellow?"

"I... I want to treat you to a meal to thank you for taking care of me during this time. Also..."

Hobby raised his face, his eyes shining.

"My big brother wants to meet you too."

Hearing this, Roland raised an eyebrow.

He had long been curious about this "big brother" Hobby spoke of, and he was indeed free tomorrow afternoon.

So after a brief thought, he nodded and accepted the invitation.

The two chatted for a few more moments, then left separately.

After returning home, Roland prepared a rich dinner as usual.

Seeing that [Basic Cooking] was about to reach max level, anticipation rose in his heart.

"Once [Basic Cooking] reaches max level, the occupation triggered will definitely be [Chef]. I just don't know what Trait this occupation will bring, or what Extra Buffs it will have when resonating with other base occupations..."

After dinner, Roland returned to his room. As usual, he read ancient texts to increase the experience of [Basic Magic Theory], then practiced the Knight breathing method several times before washing up and lying down on the soft bed.

"Once I can skillfully use the Knight breathing method during daily training, I can consider hunting monsters!"

"If everything goes smoothly, the only remaining requirement for changing into [Knight Apprentice] will be 'organize a squad to defeat a powerful enemy.' But as for the candidates for teammates..."

During this period, Roland had already explicitly invited Galvez and Avril to exterminate monsters with him.

As a reserve member of Shadow Veil, Avril had few duties and readily agreed.

As for Galvez...

At first, the bard had loudly declared that battle damaged beauty, that the smell of blood did not suit an elegant poet, and so on.

But after Avril gave a light cough, he immediately changed his position and straightforwardly accepted Roland's invitation.

Even so, he was still one person short of the minimum squad size required by [Knight Apprentice].

"Do I have to invite Hobby? But..."

The Halfling's short figure surfaced in Roland's mind, and his brow tightened.

He was not worried that Hobby would refuse the invitation.

As long as Roland asked, the little fellow would most likely agree happily.

The problem was...

Hobby's strength truly was not enough.

Even though he was quick-witted and trained diligently, before he successfully practiced the Knight breathing method, the Halfling's relatively frail body would probably struggle to support high-intensity battle.

"Forget it..."

Roland shook his head and set the thought aside for the moment.

"If it really doesn't work, I'll go talk to Nielsen and see if he can assign a few helpers with Transcendent strength to me. After all, clearing out monsters in the surrounding area is a good thing for the River Kingdoms no matter how one looks at it. He shouldn't refuse..."

His thoughts drifted away, and the fatigue of the day welled up.

Roland's consciousness sank into darkness, and he finally entered dreamland.

Early the next morning, Roland went to the Blacksmith Guild as usual to accept commissions and temper [Basic Blacksmithing].

Then he returned home around noon.

The moment he entered the courtyard, he saw Galvez vividly recounting his experiences traveling the continent.

His exaggerated tone and lively performance had completely captivated Hobby, who sat across from him.

"All right, Galvez..."

Seeing this, Roland walked forward helplessly and interrupted the bard's flamboyant performance.

"Hobby is still young, and his ability to discern truth isn't strong enough. What if he takes everything you say seriously?"

He glanced at the fascinated Halfling.

"I don't want to see him run into a troll one day and, instead of fleeing, pull garlic from his pocket and throw it."

"How could that happen..."

Having his act undercut by Roland, Galvez awkwardly plucked a harp string, then looked worriedly at the Halfling before him, who was cupping his cheeks in both hands.

"Little fellow, those things I said just now... were all... all..."

"Were they all fake, Mr. Galvez?"

Seeing his only audience show a disappointed expression, the bard immediately jumped up and argued.

"Of course not! But you must understand, all art requires embellishment. Stories are the same..."

"All right, all right."

Roland waved a hand and interrupted his clumsy defense, then turned toward the Halfling who had stood up.

"Hobby, let's go. Don't keep your big brother waiting."

"All right, Mr. Roland!"

Hobby respectfully bowed slightly to Galvez in farewell, then bounded ahead to lead the way, occasionally turning back to chat with Roland behind him.

Before long, the two arrived near the harbor.

"Uh... Hobby..."

Looking at the enormous ships appearing in his field of view, Roland raised an eyebrow and spoke.

"Aren't we... going to eat?"

"We are!"

Seeing Roland's confused expression, the Halfling hurriedly explained.

"Mr. Roland, fish just pulled from the sea is the freshest! Believe me, it's much tastier than what the taverns in the city serve! Every time my big brother comes back, he invites me onto his ship to eat freshly caught fish! Different cooking methods can..."

Listening to Hobby's detailed description, Roland began looking forward to the meal.

After all, ever since changing into [Fisherman], he had not eaten fish in a long time because of Galvez's protests.

Hobby's description now made him recall the delicious taste of fish, and his mouth watered.

As the two talked and walked, they had just arrived at the harbor when they ran into a group of passengers pouring down from a ship.

They had no choice but to retreat to the roadside and avoid the crowded flow of people.

As his gaze swept idly over the crowd, Roland suddenly furrowed his brow.

In a small group not far away, he caught sight of a somewhat familiar face.

After thinking for a moment, he recognized him as the young noble who had argued with the guards when Roland had boarded the ship at Far Harbor.

After recognizing him, Roland immediately recalled the mysterious young man who had stood beside that noble youth at the time, the one whose body had been filled with dense Negative Energy.

So he quietly shifted his steps without changing his expression, moving closer to the other party.

"Talir, what exactly is going on with you?"

After a roar, the middle-aged noble looked at his son's thin figure and pale face. He lowered his voice, but his tone remained full of resentment.

"How did you get involved with remnants of the Church of Truth? Do you know how worried your mother and I were when we heard the news? If Lord Colin hadn't shown mercy, you would have spent the rest of your life in prison!"

"I-I'm sorry, Father, but..."

Recalling what he had experienced during this period, the noble youth Talir obediently lowered his head and defended himself in a quiet voice.

"Weren't you the one who told me to build good relations with the nobles of the Golden Valley Kingdom? And I thought Leon..."

"You still dare talk back!"

The cane in Bob's hand struck the ground heavily.

Although voices surged all around them, the sound of the strike still fell clearly into Talir's ears, making him shudder.

"What Leon! You didn't even investigate his background before..."

Realizing that his voice was too loud, the middle-aged noble hurriedly lowered it.

"That young man named Leon is the lord of Dawnlight Territory in the Golden Valley Kingdom, the son of Gavin, the man who colluded with the Church of Truth and betrayed King Morne!"

"Wh-what?"

Looking at his son's shocked expression, veins bulged on Bob's neck. He was about to angrily scold him again, but then seemed to deflate and only waved helplessly.

"Forget it... We'll talk about these things at home. Although the Knight Academy has already started, I asked some people for help..."

As he spoke, surrounded by attendants, the father and son walked away.

Although their conversation just now had been almost impossible to distinguish amid the noise, thanks to the increasingly refined Knight breathing method strengthening his five senses, Roland heard their exchange clearly.

"Baron Gavin's son?"

This key information instantly awakened Roland's memory.

"Is it... Mason, the one Darco mentioned? But didn't Darco say Mason had been sickly since childhood, even near death? Yet..."

Recalling the meeting at Far Harbor, Roland was one hundred percent certain that the young man's vitality had been extremely vigorous, nothing like a weak and sick person.

"Could that dense Negative Energy inside him be at work?"

Just as Roland was thinking, Hobby's voice sounded beside him.

"Mr. Roland, let's keep going. It's right over there..."

As he spoke, the Halfling raised a hand and pointed toward a huge ship.

On the tall mast, a flag printed with a shell pattern snapped loudly in the sea breeze.

"Hobby's big brother is actually someone from Black Shell Trading Company? He never mentioned that..."

Roland thought this to himself and followed Hobby toward the ship.

The path was unobstructed.

After the guards saw Hobby, they did not stop them at all, and the two went straight onto the deck.

Looking around, Roland raised an eyebrow.

This ship was completely different from the one he had taken to reach the River Kingdoms.

Although it was likewise enormous, the people moving about the deck were not elegant attendants, but well-equipped sailors.

Even more eye-catching was that several devices similar to cannons from his memories of his previous life had been installed on both sides of the ship.

Judging by their brand-new exterior, they had clearly been installed not long ago.

"Yo! Hobby!"

Just as Roland was observing, a somewhat hoarse voice sounded.

Following the sound, he saw a figure about the same height as Hobby, but with an unusually sturdy build, walking over.

He hooked an arm around Hobby's shoulder and vigorously rubbed the Halfling's head.

"Big Brother!"

Hobby protested with all his might, but failed to stop the other man's movements.

Hearing this form of address, Roland was slightly startled.

Judging by appearance alone, he had thought the person before him was a Dwarf.

"You must be Mr. Roland!"

The sturdy Halfling tucked poor Hobby under his arm, extended a broad palm, and laughed heartily.

"Very glad to meet you. My name is Trevor!"

"Hello, Trevor."

Seeing the other party's friendly attitude, Roland returned a gentle smile and shook his hand.

"You have no idea..."

Seeing that Roland was not at all stiff, Trevor immediately released Hobby from under his arm and half-jokingly complained.

"During the half month I was out at sea, this little fellow sent me more than a dozen letters. Your name appeared in them at least a hundred times!"

"Big Brother!"

Seeing his big brother say this in public, Hobby's face immediately flushed red.

But Trevor ignored him and continued.

"But the first time I heard your name wasn't from this kid's letters..."

Before Roland could ask, this cheerful Halfling took the initiative to explain.

"The job of carrying you to the River Kingdoms was originally assigned to me by Mr. Colin. I didn't expect something to go wrong at sea halfway through, and in the end..."

Trevor laughed loudly.

"But this is fine too. We still met! Maybe it was fate's arrangement! All right..."

After chatting briefly, Trevor opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.

"To thank you for looking after my little brother, I prepared a feast. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

"Then thank you, Mr. Trevor."

"Just call me Trevor!"

While talking and laughing, Roland followed the sturdy Halfling toward the cabin.

But as they passed a section of the deck, his gaze was firmly drawn by a figure.

"That is..."

Looking at the slender figure clearly different from the surrounding sailors, and that striking silver hair flashing in the sunlight, Roland narrowed his eyes.

"Teresa?"