Episode 49
His rapier blurred like lightning, lunging toward Aiden as if to pierce him through.
However, as if he had anticipated the strike, Aiden merely tilted his body, evading the point by a hair’s breadth.
When the first strike failed, the knight pivoted, unleashing a fierce, torrential barrage of attacks from every angle.
Realizing that mere evasion was no longer an option, Aiden raised his sword to meet the onslaught.
Steel collided with steel, ringing out with a relentless, sharp cry.
It was a clash too swift for a layman’s eye to follow. The knights who had inwardly envied the two chosen to spar with Aiden now felt a wave of relief that they had been spared. They realized that not getting selected was a stroke of luck—they would have been chewed out by their captain, if not sent to the infirmary instead of a paid vacation.
The most shocked of all, however, was the knight facing Aiden.
“How are you blocking this without a single mistake? Are you an Abilitator, too?”
“……Your movements are fast, but the patterns are monotonous. They are easy to predict.”
The knight flinched at the calm observation.
Aiden did not miss the hesitation. He shifted the angle of his blade, sliding against the knight’s steel and forcing the weapon off-course. As the knight scrambled to recover, Aiden launched his first offensive of the match.
His sword moved in a straight, uncompromising line toward the knight’s left shoulder.
The knight let out a mocking laugh. That the man who had called his own technique monotonous would now aim so predictably for the shoulder seemed laughable. He prepared to parry, intending to block the blow and counterattack in a single motion.
……Or so he thought.
*Clang—!*
The impact shuddered through his wrist, numbing his grip before he realized what had happened. His rapier clattered against the stone floor, the sound echoing through the suddenly silent training ground.
The knight stood stunned, staring at his disarmed blade in a daze of humiliation. Aiden, who had been sparing with his words, finally spoke.
“There is something I left out. It is not I who is at a disadvantage, but you.”
“……Why is that?”
“A knight’s swordsmanship is fundamentally focused on protection. I, however, learned to kill.”
“……Ha.”
It was true. A knight’s training prioritized the sacrifice of one’s own life to shield a noble. But his opponent was a mercenary. A mercenary’s profession demanded that he kill his enemy first, lest he be the one to die. Every strike Aiden threw was calibrated for lethality.
Knights spent their days practicing in the safety of the training grounds, like flowers in a greenhouse. They saw combat during occasional monster subjugations, but only in short bursts. A mercenary, conversely, lived in a world where a single mistake meant losing his head.
“I concede. A new monster has arrived in the Papiope household.”
The knight extended a hand in respect. Beyond a simple victory, this was the moment Aiden’s prowess was cemented in the eyes of the Duke’s men. Aiden gripped his hand firmly.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Having dispatched both matches, Aiden stood before the Duke. The Duke wore a faint, approving smile.
“I enjoyed the sparring. I finally understand why my father went to such lengths to hire you.”
“You are too kind.”
“Since you won both matches, I shall keep my promise. Your knighthood ceremony will be held tomorrow.”
The Duke paused, appearing reluctant to end the spectacle. He licked his lips and offered a suggestion.
“Aiden, I would like to see one more match. Would that be alright?”
Aiden showed no signs of fatigue, but for Tania, who had been mentally bracing for impact with every exchange, the request was a bolt from the blue.
“Duke, Aiden-ajusshi has already fought twice in a row. Isn’t that unfair?”
“I am fine.”
……This man.
Tania felt a surge of resentment toward Aiden, who had agreed so readily without considering her nerves. She couldn’t openly protest, so she kept her mouth shut, her lips pouting in defiance.
Aiden watched those pouting, cherry-red lips and a small smile tugged at his mouth.
“Haha.”
She had been the same since she was a baby just learning to walk—she always pouted when things didn’t go her way. Seeing her unchanged habit warmed him. As if he understood her heart, he spoke softly.
“Do not worry, Young Lady. I will finish it without getting hurt, just like the others.”
“I don’t know, do whatever you want, Ajusshi. If you get hurt, I won’t let it slide.”
Watching the exchange, the Duke looked surprised. The sight of Aiden smiling was etched into his mind.
“……I see you were capable of smiling.”
“Did I?”
“Indeed. You have been like a statue, but when you speak to Tania, you are a different person.”
Aiden hesitated, wondering if he should temper his emotions. Had he been too familiar? Before he could overthink it, the Duke continued.
“Tania seems quite worried, so if you wish, you may hear the name of your opponent and refuse.”
Tania tilted her head in confusion. Since they were all new faces to her, she wouldn’t know the opponent anyway, yet the Duke was offering a choice.
“I want to see you spar with the Captain Of The Blue Knights. Would that be alright?”
The training ground erupted in a restless murmur. Even the knights who admired Aiden shook their heads, expecting a defeat. Conversely, a competitive fire ignited in the eyes of the Captain Of The Blue Knights.
He had been looking for a worthy sparring partner for a long time. Within the Papiope estate, everyone avoided him, complaining that their bodies ached for days after a bout with him.
‘……It’s basically office bullying.’
Because he was their superior, nobody dared say it to his face, but he felt the ostracization nonetheless. He stared at Aiden with hunger. If this man didn’t know his true strength, perhaps he would finally be an interesting opponent.
The only other person who could hold his own was the Captain Of The Red Knights, but as an Abilitator, he couldn’t compete purely in swordsmanship. It was the instinct of a master to crave a challenge.
Aiden looked the Captain in the eye and nodded.
“I accept the challenge.”
Left out of the loop while everyone else thrived on the tension, Tania felt like she wanted to cry.
✦ ✦ ✦
In the end, Aiden stood once more in the center of the training ground, facing the Captain Of The Blue Knights.
The Papiope family and the knights watched with bated breath. The Captain was a master of his craft, widely acknowledged as one of the Empire’s top-tier powerhouses. No one in the arena expected a mercenary, no matter how skilled, to overcome such an opponent.
……That was what everyone else thought.
Except for Tania.
‘Since it’s come to this, it’s infinite resets until Ajusshi wins.’
As long as she could whisper the necessary warnings into his ear before the start, she could rewrite the future as many times as she pleased.