Chapter 13.1

That day, Ares was in a mood so foul, it seemed to cast a lethal pall over the entire ship.

“Something must have happened today,” a knight murmured. “The captain’s expression is… unsettling.” 

“I don’t know.” He’s been like that since he came in this morning.”

“Everyone, be careful not to provoke him.”

The knights exchanged worried glances, sensing the dark storm brewing within Ares. They knew instinctively that a single misstep could lead to dire consequences, so they moved with caution.

Thanks to everyone’s restraint, they managed to navigate the day without incident.

At least, until Ares went to pick up Sasha from the education facility.

“He kept… He kept saying mean things to me. He hit me, called me ugly, and pinched me…”

Ares had been preoccupied with thoughts of Sasha, and her words ignited a fury within him. He felt his blood boiling, a desire to tear everything apart surging through him. However, he suppressed his anger, determined not to frighten the child. Instead, he approached the boy’s father.

By a strange twist of fate, the boy’s father was one of Ares’s direct subordinates. He was also the man who had been spreading malicious rumors about Ares, claiming he had only been promoted to knight captain due to his royal lineage.

Ares felt a surge of discomfort at the prospect of confronting him. Despite this, he didn’t hesitate to address the incident between the children. The man became visibly flustered, attempting to deflect blame.

“It seems my boy was just playing a prank, hoping to make friends,” he reasoned.

Ares partially understood the child’s intentions, as teasing was a common tactic among children seeking acceptance. However, that didn’t excuse the cruelty.

“A prank?”

Ares bristled at the attempt to trivialize the incident. Unable to contain his anger, he lashed out without thinking.

“Why? I was just playing a prank too.”

The man blinked innocently, as if asking what was Ares’ problem. Ares took a deep breath, struggling to maintain his composure.

“If you had apologized sincerely, I wouldn’t have had to resort to this.”

Ares didn’t particularly enjoy escalating things much.

Sensing his displeasure, the man bowed his head in shame. “I apologize, Captain,” he mumbled.

“You’re apologizing to the wrong person,” Ares replied, his voice firm. 

Only after he gestured toward Sasha, who was with Kirine, did the knight realize his mistake and offer a sincere apology.

“I’m sorry for dismissing my son’s bullying as a joke,” the knight said. “I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again.”

The knight gently nudged his son, signaling him to apologize.

“Sorry…” the boy muttered.

While the apology was forced, Ares didn’t scold the boy further. Instead, he knew he needed to address the situation to prevent future incidents.

“Hey, kid,” Ares said, kneeling down to the boy’s eye level. “When you do something wrong, your parents are often blamed for not raising you properly,” he continued. “If you don’t want people speaking ill of them, avoid bullying your friends.”

The boy nodded quietly, understanding the message.

Ares’ tense expression finally relaxed.

***

As soon as they returned home, Ares gently laid the sleeping Sasha in her bed. He wanted to bathe her and tuck her in, but she was so soundly asleep that he hesitated, unsure what to do.

Just then, he felt someone’s gaze on him. Turning around, Ares noticed Kirine, staring at him disapprovingly.

“What is it?” he asked.

Kirine seemed upset, her frown suggesting something was bothering her. Ares wondered if she was about to scold him for his reaction at the education facility.

To his surprise, she said, “You should have hit him one more time!”

“What?” Ares replied, confused.

“Or at least hit him harder!” she insisted.

Ares blinked, taken aback. After a moment, he burst out laughing. His laughter was so hearty that his blue eyes filled with tears.

“Wow, you really are…” he said, trailing off. She never failed to surprise him, for better or for worse.

After Ares had laughed for a while, Kirine finally responded in her usual blunt tone.

“Why? Did you think I was going to scold you?”

“Yeah,” Ares admitted.

“Why would I?” she asked.

“Well…” Ares started to respond but then paused. He had instinctively assumed Kirine would criticize everything he did.

Instead, she gave him a puzzled look. “Anyway, I realized something this time. We need to teach Sasha how to protect herself.”

“I feel the same way,” Ares replied, nodding in agreement. It was rare for him to agree with Kirine.

“If that’s the case, then obviously…” they both began to say, their thoughts converging. However, their proposed solutions were vastly different.

“Magic, of course,” Kirine suggested.

“Martial arts,” Ares countered.

Their eyes flashed dangerously as their rare moment of agreement quickly dissolved.

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