Chapter 53

“I want more skilled people to use my weapons.”  

Currently, due to Albrecht’s stubbornness, not only Escael but also related families were unable to use the weapons and tools supplied by Odillia—except for officially issued equipment.  

“But restricting purchases and usage disqualifies me as a businessman. And as a craftsman too. Don’t you agree?”  

Kalik didn’t know how to respond, so he awkwardly focused on deflecting the attacks. His movements remained elaborate, but now they seemed more like a formality, clashing swords mechanically with each question asked.  

“So, what should I do to help resolve this conflict?”  

“There’s nothing we need to do.”  

Kalik, who was expecting Aaron to suggest persuading or standing up against Albrecht together, was met with an unexpected response.  

“Not doing anything is what helps.”  

“But if this continues…”  

“That’s why I’m saying let’s stop this too.”  

It seemed Aaron had joined the fight just to say this.  

“Didn’t Father say that God would make the righteous side win?”  

The irregular curves created by the curved blade left afterimages as it clashed. Kalik listened carefully, wondering if Aaron, like Albrecht, was bringing up “God” to make a point.  

Finally, sparks flew as their blades collided, accompanied by Aaron’s fresh and cheerful voice.  

“Then I’ll just be God.”  

As soon as he said that, Aaron made a surprising declaration. This quiet proclamation was heard only by Kalik, who was close enough to feel his breath.  

“I lost.”  

However, before he could convincingly act out his defeat, Marie, holding a sword and accompanied by Natalie, intervened.

“If that last move had landed, Sir Kalik’s head would’ve turned into a patch of grass!”

“Did you see how the trajectory shifted before it hit his ankle? It’s not hard to end up with a broken foot.”

“When someone aims for your waist like that, instead of twisting the other way, you need to deflect the arm to prevent the attack from succeeding.”  

“So far, Sir Kalik has landed five effective hits, while Sir Aaron has landed seven.”

“Kalik isn’t doing so well, is he?”

“We should’ve given Sir Aaron a handicap.”

“Oh dear.”  

And so on.  

Because of this, in Marie’s eyes, it inevitably looked like Kalik was losing.  

On top of that:  

“Considering the compatibility of the weapons, Sir Kalik has a higher chance of losing. Sir Aaron’s curved sword may have a shorter range, but it can be swung freely, so Sir Kalik’s sword, which can only perform horizontal and vertical slashes, can’t keep up.”  

“See? God helps the righteous.”  

Even Albrecht chimed in, aligning perfectly with Natalie for the first time in a while. Marie sent a desperate look to Dawson, hoping he’d support Kalik.

But Dawson, intimidated by Natalie’s presence, couldn’t say a word. The only phrases he managed to utter were childish ones like, “Sir Kalik is amazing,” “He’s fighting well,” and “He’s incredible.”

“Aaron’s skills are one thing, but no ordinary sword can defeat that weapon.”  

“You must have worked hard to develop it.”  

“Sir Kalik doesn’t rely on weapons…!”  

At this point, the two of them ignored Dawson and started discussing things only they understood.  

By now, the outcome didn’t matter anymore. It had turned into a battle of pride. Whether they truly believed in God or not didn’t matter either. They had already assumed Aaron would win and were enthusiastically imagining how great Odillia’s weapons were and what Kalik’s ultimate defeat would look like without them.  

In the end, an enraged Marie shoved Natalie and her father aside and snatched the new weapon Albrecht had been casually swinging around.  

“If it’s such a great weapon, then I can win with it too, right?”  

Up until this point, it was just a tantrum. She was upset that Dawson, who should have been on her side, was frozen in place, and her belief that Kalik couldn’t possibly lose had led to her aggressive support.  

That’s why she grabbed Aaron’s new creation and swung it around, half in mockery and half in frustration.  

What turned this into more than just a joke was the accident where Aaron’s sword ended up stabbing Kalik’s shoulder.  

“Oh!”  

Dawson let out a loud cry. A flash of light struck Marie’s vision, already burning with anger.  

Kalik had already moved out of range and returned the favor by slashing back, but all Marie could see was his wound and the blood-stained tip of the curved sword.  

Though her athletic ability was lacking, thanks to her bloodline as a weapon maker, she had excellent compatibility with any weapon. Once she held one, she instinctively understood how to use it.  

Of course, that didn’t mean she was skilled. That’s why, when Marie, furious at her husband’s injury, jumped into the middle of the duel with the heavy sword, her strange and unpredictable movements startled both men, forcing them to hurriedly retract their attacks.  

In the process, Aaron’s sword collided with Kalik’s, and Aaron, who was physically weaker, ended up dropping his weapon.  

“Oh no!!”  

Marie saw the trajectory of the falling sword and tried her best to dodge it. For someone who had never trained or exercised, her movement was excellent. However, with her eyes tightly shut, she had the misfortune of moving directly into its path.  

Natalie grabbed Marie’s shoulder and pulled her in the opposite direction of the sword, while Albrecht, though a step slower, instinctively stuck out his leg.  

Everyone moved toward the same spot but in completely different directions.  

Aaron went to the right, Kalik to the left, Natalie to the left, and Albrecht, whose body didn’t cooperate, only managed to move his gaze to the left.  

*Clang!*  

Eventually, Aaron, who had thrown himself to the right, stood up, rubbing his shoulder. Fortunately, he had managed to catch the sword before it hit the ground.  

“Hey, hey, you idiot!”  

Albrecht, shocked, climbed into the duel arena. The white line marking the boundary was meaningless now. The most important thing at this moment was the fact that his eldest son had instinctively chosen the weapon over his sister.  

“Oh.”  

Even Aaron himself seemed surprised by this. He sighed in relief as he looked at the sword he had caught, then shrank back like a guilty child.  

“I messed up.”  

Marie blinked her startled eyes as she stood between Natalie and Kalik. On the ground beneath her back was Kalik, while Natalie was above her.  

Despite this, Aaron remained defiant. He sheathed the sword he had caught and brushed the dust off his clothes, shaking his head as if it was no big deal.  

“I lost anyway.”  

A clear bead of sweat rolled down from his hidden hairline. Only now did it become apparent that his collar and the hair near his ears were soaked with sweat.  

“If we had continued, you would’ve won.”  

However, Natalie and Albrecht seemed to think this situation arose because Aaron hadn’t taken it seriously. While Aaron hadn’t been dominating, he had been leading the fight, so they couldn’t let go of the idea that he had deliberately let Kalik win.  

Natalie kept harping on this point, and Albrecht fumed, believing Aaron had thrown the match on purpose.  

“No, if we had kept going, I would’ve lost for sure.”  

Aaron’s reasoning for his inevitable loss was simple.  

“I’m out of stamina.”  

Albrecht’s mistake was that, in his dislike of seeing Marie and Kalik together, he had taken away his son’s rest time. Aaron had been hammering away in the workshop since dawn. He had no stamina left to continue swinging a sword.  

One of the fatal reasons Aaron Odillia hadn’t become a knight was his inability to build muscle, leaving him with a slender physique and below-average stamina for a knight.  

“Anyway, God chose their side in the end.”  

Aaron’s words made Albrecht want to retort angrily.