Dangerous tension had wrapped around his body before you noticed. The focus point of his anger was you because there was nothing else for him to look at, and those red eyes of his slowly but surely peeled layers of your mental defense. He’s like a coiled spring.

''We’ll find out soon,'' Shigeko spoke, putting one of her big hands on your shoulder. ''I remember Olin saying he was your apprentice. Was that true?''
''...I guess he was.'' His voice broke, forcing him to clear his throat. Aryel stood straighter and then gestured with his head for you and Shigeko to take some distance from the gatehouse.
''I arrived in Eichenwald during the early spring of this year, and it coincided with the militias starting a martial tournament.'' He forced a smile as he looked up to the blade of his glaive. ''I won, and a week later, the lad somehow tracked me down and demanded I train him—make him my squire.''

Aryel shook his head, his mood slowly but surely changing. ''I’ll gloss over the arguing. Suffice it to say, Olin showed up on the militia grounds whenever he had time to spare after school and kept trying to imitate the training I gave the men. And, well, the guys over there kept pressuring me into giving him a chance, so I relented.''
''So he became your squire?'' Your question was first met by a chuckle.

''I’ve abandoned my knightly vow. I deserve no squire, milady... but I suppose the concept remains.'' He uncorked his gourd to take a small sip. ''Olin wanted to become strong—to emulate the great Batrion, to become a paladin, to defend the weak, and, above all, to help his mother. Keep her safe.''
''Keeping his mother safe?'' Why would a ten-year-old boy worry about this? Batrion was the greatest of all the 13 heroes who slowly but surely hunted down Demon Lord Damian and his lieutenants. All boys in the Allied Kingdoms likely try to play as him sometimes.

''Yeah, I never got a straight answer about that. Even when Augustine confronted me about all the time I spent with her son, I didn’t see any threat lingering around them... but that’s because I chose to ignore the boy’s troubles outside his home instead of taking the few signs I saw seriously.'' He sighed, looking at Shigeko instead of you.

''Anyway, I put the boy through fundamental training. The strength to help and protect others can only come with good health and diligence. Having him run around, lift weights, and even swing a sword until his hands bled from blisters was my way of discouraging him, but it had the opposite effect. That boy knew the meaning of dedication; every day of training was a step forward.''
''So I decided to shift my method.'' His fingers danced on the pommel of his sword. ''By that time, Augustine and I were in regular contact about Olin’s near-obsession, so we both shifted our attention to something more productive than running around and making him more aggressive with weapons.''