Chapter 52

Marie wore an expression of boredom. Kalik looked as if he were witnessing a fascinating natural phenomenon.  

Albrecht, mixing despair and desperation, made a strange proposal. His logic was that, after all, these two were cut from the same cloth.  

“Perhaps it would be better to leave this to God.”  

“God?”  

“God… you say?”  

At the sudden mention of God, Marie and Kalik looked puzzled. They were confused, wondering where in the conversation this invocation of God could possibly fit. But since Albrecht was always peculiar, they decided to let it slide.  

“I don’t have a religion. But I believe in God. On days when the blacksmith god watches over me, I produce excellent quality goods.”  

But this time, they just couldn’t let it go.  

“Do you understand? What I mean is that God is involved in everything.”  

What is he even talking about?

Marie’s heavy sigh, the one she always let out when exasperated, seemed to echo Kalik’s feelings as well.  

“So let’s see whose side God takes in this matter.”  

“Father!”  

“Are you suggesting we resolve this religiously, through divine revelation?”  

Kalik, holding Marie’s hand tightly, immediately voiced his question. His cautious attitude, even at this moment, only served to irritate Albrecht further.  

“No, Father isn’t that noble.”

“You little…”  

Albrecht, his pride unexpectedly wounded, glared at Marie before pointing at the wall. One characteristic of the Odillia mansion was that every room had decorative weapons hanging on the walls.  

Naturally, Marie’s room was no exception.  

“Defeat Odillia. God will side with whoever is just.”  

“How can you be so unreasonable!”  

To think he would use that saying here. There was no time to argue whether “Justice doesn’t win; the winner is justice” was the right phrase to use in this situation. The next words came rushing in.

Albrecht leaned in close to Kalik, whose hesitation was evident, bringing his intimidating face right up to him.  

“You’re hesitating because you think I’ll be your opponent. But young people should compete against each other, right?”  

Kalik’s lips parted in surprise.  

Marie was about to say the same name.

Aaron.  

Seeing the shocked expressions of the young couple, Albrecht chuckled.  

“What’s the big deal about being a knight?”  

Suddenly, memories of when he had fallen out with Peter decades ago overlapped in his mind.  

Knight versus blacksmith.  

Perhaps now, he could finally resolve that long-standing regret.  

The servants were given a half-day off. They were each handed a gold coin and forced to leave for the village, with orders to return by nightfall.  

When Marie suggested they rest today and postpone to tomorrow, she was met with Albrecht’s fiery retort, “Who would benefit from wasting time like that?” and retreated in frustration.  

If they rested for a day, where would they sleep? They’d end up sleeping together!  

Albrecht’s thoughts were always so clear that, at first glance, he seemed like a student jealous of his best friend getting a new companion.  

He designated a corner of the backyard, where scrap metal was piled up, as the duel arena and called for his eldest son, who was engrossed in hammering. Aaron, who was dragged out in the middle of working on a new piece, stood there in a slightly dazed state, wearing a white headscarf.  

“Brother-in-law.”  

Kalik repeated the title several times, liking how it sounded when he addressed Aaron that way for the first time. He had debated between calling him “Sir Aaron” or “Brother-in-law” and felt he made the right choice with “Brother-in-law.” Those syllables helped bridge the distance created by their estrangement.  

Aaron, who hadn’t expected to be addressed like that, belatedly reacted.  

“Somehow, I had a feeling this would happen.”  

Even when such premonitions come true, they bring no joy.  

“I figured I’d be the final hurdle.”  

“Please take care of me.”  

Aaron looked down at the sword in his hand with a languid expression. It was one of Albrecht’s personal creations. It had never been distributed anywhere, not even seen by the Emperor.  

It was also the proud masterpiece of Aaron Odillia, a brilliant weapon maker.  

Aaron glanced at Kalik, who adjusted his grip on the sword, and asked casually,  

“Should I let you win?”  

It was half a joke, half serious. There was no benefit in defeating his sister’s husband. While he didn’t like losing, winning would only earn him his father’s praise, whereas losing would bring him the unwavering trust of his youngest sister and the gratitude of his brother-in-law.  

However, Kalik declined Aaron’s kindness. It wasn’t because he was confident he would win. If, as Aaron said, God sided with him, Aaron could not only win but also leave him in shambles. But Kalik’s personality couldn’t accept a rigged match.  

“I’ll do it with skill. If my sincerity gets through, the victory will be mine.”  

“And who decides that?”  

“Well… God, I suppose?”  

“Then your God must be quite healthy.”  

Aaron glanced at Marie and let out a chuckle. Kalik swung his sword in a wide arc, saying everything looked fine to him.  

This couple is disgustingly sweet. Thinking that, Aaron drew his sword. It wasn’t a straight blade but a curved one.  

“That’s…”  

“First time seeing it?”  

Before testing the new family member, it was a good opportunity to evaluate the performance of his new weapon. He was also curious whether the extra sharpening and repeated forging had made a difference compared to other weapons.  

“Just match me properly.”  

Aaron charged forward. With his body bent low, he extended himself as if to burrow into Kalik’s chest. If it were someone else, it might have seemed sloppy, but to Kalik, it was the most efficient swordsmanship without any wasted movement.  

Moreover, the simplicity meant that predicting his next move was impossible, leaving most opponents to focus solely on defense.  

Even so, Kalik wasn’t falling behind. He still had enough composure to focus on finding an opening to counterattack.  

“Hm.”  

Aaron’s breathing was so steady it sounded like a casual sigh during a stroll. Kalik’s was similar, but to counter an opponent who persistently targeted his legs, he had no choice but to aim higher.  

It had to be the head. Only by attacking that pretty face, so similar to Marie’s, could he stop him.  

Now, Kalik understood why Aaron hadn’t joined the knight order and why many knights both wanted to spar with him and avoided him at the same time. His movements, to put it nicely, were unpredictable, and to put it bluntly, lacked a foundation.  

The only fortunate thing was that Kalik had the advantage in strength, so whenever they clashed directly, Aaron was repeatedly pushed back.  

Kalik’s arms moved swiftly. Holding his breath, he focused entirely on Aaron’s feet. The sword he had held in his right hand was now in his left.  

You counter unpredictability with unpredictability. Just because he was a knight didn’t mean he always fought in a conventional way. Especially in this duel, where Marie was at stake, he was willing to use every method he had.  

“I guess I’ll have to get serious now.”  

Aaron’s curved sword hissed like a snake’s tongue. The moment its sharp edge touched Kalik’s arm, a long scratch appeared on his leather guard. At the same time, Kalik’s sword grazed Aaron’s cheek, and a few strands of his crimson hair fluttered to the ground.  

From this short exchange, it became clear that their skills were evenly matched, and this standoff would likely continue.  

“Hey.”  

Suddenly, Aaron spoke.  

Kalik, whose sword had been caught by the curved blade, struck the inside of the curved sword repeatedly. However, while the curved sword remained intact with only a metallic clang, Kalik’s sword chipped further in several places.  

“Go ahead.”  

“How many exchanges do you think it’ll take to end this farce?”  

“I’m not sure.”  

Based on his calculations, he could go on for at least an hour. In the knight order, mock training sessions often lasted hours without rest, so unless someone launched a desperate attack or an unexpected move, they could easily last until mealtime. The only concern was the opponent’s stamina.  

“What do you think of Odillia?”  

As Aaron leaned in close, Kalik caught a whiff of a metallic sweetness mixed with the scent of baked goods. It was similar to the scent he always noticed on Marie. The realization that they were siblings hit him anew through their shared scent, and the distance between them suddenly felt too close.  

“I don’t think anything of it.”  

Kalik calmly shared his thoughts. Aaron tilted his head at the response, then gestured toward Albrecht with his eyes.  

“Don’t you hate him?”  

It was the most endearing phrasing Kalik had heard regarding Odillia. Among all the words he’d heard—hate, loathe, curse—Aaron had chosen “hate.”  

Even in this tense situation, Kalik chuckled and shook his head. He truly held no ill feelings. Peter wasn’t the type to fabricate reasons to hate someone, nor did he harbor enough anger to deliberately disparage anyone.  

Besides, while he had harbored some dissatisfaction with them in his youth, as an adult, he was too busy living his own life to carry that resentment forward.  

It seemed Albrecht Odillia was the only one whose passion hadn’t yet burned out.  

“Well, I feel the same.”  

“Yes.”  

“So, what do you think? If we just take down Father, wouldn’t that solve everything?”  

“…Excuse me?”  

He was so surprised that he momentarily lost strength in his arms.