"Hey…young man, didn't see you coming there," Arthur said, turning back.
"Maybe…I've just gotten quieter."
"Like a ninja? Haha, you already have that intimidating aura…" Arthur said.
Si-Hun leaned on the glass.
"Sorry, I didn't come to practice yesterday. I…had someone important to take care of…" Si-Hun said, looking down, then up at him.
Arthur narrowed his eyes.
"Who's it, the one SI-HUN is considerate about?" Arthur asked, his tone a little teasing.
Si-Hun's face relaxed a little.
"She's…she's a friend." He said, trying to hide the vulnerability.
"A friend? She?"
"Let's…practice." He said, trying to change the topic.
Arthur smiled.
"Okay. Let's go." Arthur said.
They went to his backyard.
The same old spot where he had his setup.
"You've been practicing and have gotten better. I suppose I should give you harder targets now." Arthur said, his tone serious now.
"Bring it on," Si-Hun said, sharing the same compassion.
All this time, the man sent by Minjun was behind him.
He saw him enter Arthur's shop and go to the backyard.
He went around the shop to get there and hid behind a tree, watching them train from the woods at a distance.
They did their warm-up.
"Shoot."
Si-Hun shot.
The bullet from his revolver hit the target.
Si-Hun didn't move an inch; he stood his guard.
Cold and intimidating.
This was the usual, firing at the target to get their eyes and perception worked.
Si-Hun was locked in, his grip tight, knuckles tense, vision sharp.
"The targets will be farther away now, and remember, I told you about the targets that will fire back at you when you hit the bullseye?"
"I do."
"They're dangerous. Are you sure you're ready?"
"Hmm.." Si-Hun murmured and nodded in approval.
Arthur smirked.
"Okay. Shoot the first target."
Si-Hun looked at him and gave him a nod.
Then, he shot the target.
It… hit the target on the first try.
SHOOT!
The gunshot, the noise echoing through the forest and piercing through the bullseye.
Si-Hun dunked and dodged the bullet shot from the target.
Arthur stood there, calculating Si-Hun.
"Perfection right there…" He said, eyes sparkling with the pleasure of seeing his student shine as his mentor.
"GREAT!" He praised.
"Go for another." He continued.
"Sure," Si-Hun said and reloaded his revolver.
"1…2…3!" He said to himself.
He shot again.
"Perfect. Again…" Arthur said, smiling in pride.
Si-Hun dodged again, this time by turning sideways.
"This will practice your reflexes practically," Arthur said to Si-Hun.
"Anyways, now that we're done training here. It's time we do some real hunting…"
"Real hunting?"
"Yes. From today, we'll go to the woods and hunt deer."
"Hunting animals?"
"Follow me," Arthur said, and walked towards the woods.
Si-Hun followed behind him.
The man, as soon as he saw them coming, panicked.
He hid behind a bush, which made a tiny bit of noise.
Arthur stopped.
"Whose there?" He said, voice calm but loud enough for the man to hear.
No one said anything.
Arthur sighed.
Just then, a small rabbit came out from that direction.
"Ahh…It's just a rabbit!" He said.
Si-Hun didn't say anything, but he sensed someone's presence…just like before, but it was lighter this time.
"Let's continue," Arthur said.
Si-Hun nodded, and they continued.
Further into the forest, there were more trees with areas where there were no trees at all.
"We have to be quick; it'll get dark sometime," Arthur said.
"Tell me if you spot a deer," Arthur said.
Si-Hun nodded.
They searched and kept their senses sharp.
Suddenly, Si-Hun sensed some movement.
The man who was following them was also hidden somewhere near.
"He's calculating…and incredibly sharp." He spoke to himself.
"It's a deer!" Si-Hun shouted and aimed his revolver.
"Kill it," Arthur spoke.
"Me?"
"Yes. You."
Si-Hun furrowed his brows.
"It feels bad to kill an innocent animal." He whispered to himself, but tightened his grip around the revolver and shot at the head, killing the deer before it could escape.
The man flinched a little.
"He's perfect with guns…but that's only for hunting. But there were still bullets found in the first murder and the last." The man muttered.
"That's my man!" Arthur shouted.
Si-Hun smiled faintly.
"That's all for now. Let's head back."
"Okay."
They headed back.
The sky was painted orange and pink.
They reached Arthur's shop.
"Hey, young man. Have some tea with me," Arthur said, inviting him to tea at his house.
Si-Hun thought for a few seconds before smiling and nodding.
"Sure."
Arthur smiled as well and took him to his house.
It was Si-Hun's first time at Arthur's house.
His house was near the shop.
That man who was following them also followed them there and stayed outside the house, so he could catch up to Si-Hun once he left.
It was old and a little dusty, but he had guns that looked so vintage and fascinating.
The house was vintage themed as well.
"Whoa…You got some good guns here, Arthur."
"Haha, they're from my time and older. I love to collect vintage guns.
"I can see…" Si-Hun said, one of the weapons caught Si-Hun's eye.
It was an old dagger that seemed to be very old, but it still sparkled like it had been washed with silver.
Si-Hun stopped and just admired it for a few seconds.
It looked beautiful with intricate designs on the grip.
"This…is beautiful," Si-Hun whispered, voice low but impressed.
Arthur saw him admiring it.
"This…is a dagger that is said to be almost a thousand years old. The ones who sold it to me called it "the Broken Sword of the Fallen King."
"Broken Sword of Fallen King…" Si-Hun said in awe.
"You know, I can see how dearly you admire this piece of dominance, and a part of me believes that you can be a faithful owner. This sword belongs to a king who ruled all of Europe a thousand years ago. This sword was a symbol of his dominance. He was a true leader and carried his empire with precision…but everything has to come to an end. He was getting old and knew that his time would come to an end. But even when an invading empire invaded their empire, he held his army together and fought against them. The war came to an end when someone struck him, but at the time, he used this sword as his shield. The attack was too harsh, and it tore through his ribs, and he died as he was pretty old. The king's last words were devoted to his faithful knight, his right hand. He gave the sword to him as a legacy. He didn't give it to his sons or any blood-related person, but to the one he saw the potential to hold this blade. The knight accepted the sword and continued fighting. The king knew who to trust, the knight won that war after all, saving Europe and also conquering the enemy's empire. This sword won him and the king many victories, and it still exists for the same reason. I see someone who is capable." Arthur said, eyes flickering to meet Si-Hun's curious ones.
"No, I can't be…You're more experienced."
"I lived longer, you survived longer. There's a difference."
Si-Hun just looked at him and didn't say anything.
"Please, take it," Arthur said.
"No, Arthur, no…I can't be a faithful owner of this sword…"
"You shouldn't deny your mentor."
"I…won't." Si-Hun finally gave in.
"That's my man."
Arthur said and picked up that sword; it looked like a dagger, but it was a sword with a little crack in the metal.
He blew it up even though no dust was suspended.
He then extended his hand to give it to Si-Hun.
Si-Hun carefully accepted the sword.
"Thank you, Arthur…I'll use it for the righteous purpose," Si-Hun said, committed.
"I believe you will."
They went to Arthur's kitchen, which was also like the rest of the house, vintage, with the aroma of ginger in the air.
Si-Hun took a seat at the table.
"Don't you have any wife or children?" He said while sitting down and looking around.
"Nah…I did," Arthur said, voice a little trembling but steady.
"My son…I lost him when he was 16…the same year you came to my shop, and I saw you looking at that revolver. The day before, I lost my son. He was shot in the chest because of false blame. People accused him of stealing. Even…as his father, I didn't believe him. I'm ashamed of myself for that. He could never meet my expectations, but maybe those were too high for a 16-year-old. I was devastated; it was like a punishment. When I saw you dealing with something similar, that same urge pulled me, and I wanted you to live and not be bound. But I didn't have any rights over you. I'm glad you did what I wanted without me asking." Arthur spoke while making the tea on the old stove.
His voice was a little broken, as if he was hiding it with his "calm composure," but it was failing to work.
"That's…honestly devastating. You didn't fail at becoming a good father…I think of you as the father I never had. Really," Si-Hun said, looking down, voice low.
Arthur's eyes widened a little, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, relieving him of the grief that had haunted him for years.
He turned off the stove and poured the tea into two cups.
Si-Hun took one of the cups.
Arthur sat next to him.
"You know, you're also the son I see up to. I failed to protect my bloodline, but I can protect another worthy warrior.