Can Someone (Anyone!) Please Turn Off the Auto-Skill Setting?! - Chapter 17
“If you take off your helm, I might let you touch my chest. Won’t you take it off just once?”
Aaron’s naive comrades would blush and show exactly the reactions those teasing them were looking for. Some even fell for the temptations completely, disappearing into hidden corners, only to be dishonorably discharged from the Holy Order not long after.
But not Aaron.
What good would it do to touch a bell pepper?
Thanks to that, even as comrades he was close with were expelled in disgrace, Aaron survived. There was no chance that he would ever lose his chastity to a woman. Aaron became confident that he had overcome his fate. Overcoming his fate meant that maybe—just maybe—he could still become the hero.
With renewed hope, he dedicated himself even more to his training. By the time the year of the Hero Selection came around, Aaron had risen to the rank of Senior Knight.
He was unstoppable. He would become the hero and follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
One confident day, Aaron received a challenge from Leo, a senior knight by a few years. But Aaron was utterly crushed.
“I couldn’t have lost… could I?”
It was an unexpected defeat. Aaron had seen Leo fight a few times against other knights and thought he had gauged his skill level. Leo was certainly talented, but he had some bad habits.
As expected, Leo displayed those same habits during the duel, and Aaron immediately exploited them. It seemed like Aaron was going to win.
But suddenly, his sword cracked.
He had maintained it meticulously and checked for wear every day. Why now, of all times?
In the brief moment he hesitated, unwilling to break his cherished grandfather’s heirloom, he lost. Both the sword and the victory were shattered in a devastating defeat.
“You have talent, so keep practicing.”
Leo offered encouragement, while Aaron’s comrades cheered loudly for him.
“Of course it’s Leo,” they each said, praising him endlessly.
The comrades flocked to Leo’s side, while no one stood beside Aaron.
“Serves him right for acting all high and mighty.”
“Too bad for the grandson of the hero. He’s wrecked his grandfather’s precious sword.”
“Will you take the shards and still compete in the Hero Selection?”
All Aaron could hear were the mocking voices around him.
It was only after seeing that message that Aaron realized something had been off for a long time.
Yes, he had genuinely believed that no one could beat him. He had assumed he was destined to surpass his grandfather in his prime.
Once his arrogance faded, he finally took a step back to reflect.
Why did he want to become the hero in the first place? It was because he wanted to be remembered as a great person, like his grandfather.
But now, his comrades looked at him with cold, malicious eyes. He couldn’t even recall when he had become so isolated from everyone.
Aaron was in shock. Just like his most precious sword had been broken, so too had his pride and confidence.
It became too humiliating to even look his comrades in the eyes. Especially Leo—he couldn’t bear to raise his head in front of him.
“Don’t be too hard on him. Aaron’s still one of us,” Leo would say whenever Aaron was openly mocked after the duel.
The more Leo tried to defend him, the more Aaron felt the gulf between them. It only made him feel more wretched, the talentless, unfortunate knight in contrast to Leo’s generous spirit.
The thought that he hadn’t stood a chance lingered in his mind. Was his arrogance not completely gone? Would he have truly won if his sword hadn’t broken?
He couldn’t be sure. Even if he had won, would his comrades have cheered for him like they did for Leo? No, they wouldn’t have. No one liked him with his arrogance.
Feeling like a coward, Aaron wrapped his broken grandfather’s sword in cloth and headed into the streets. He went from blacksmith to blacksmith, but the damage was so severe that none of them were willing to repair it.
“If you really want it fixed, try going to Rivel. If even Rivel can’t do it, then you should probably give up.”
One blacksmith gave him the name of Rivel, supposedly the best blacksmith in Verus when it came to repairing broken swords.
Clinging to this last shred of hope, or perhaps desperation, Aaron went to find Rivel.
But the forge was closed.
It was pouring rain, and Rivel the blacksmith was nowhere to be found.
Aaron’s despair left him hollow, his mind an empty shell. And then, a bell pepper spoke to him.
“Do you want to wait at my shop?”
The bell pepper told him that Rivel might return late and suggested he wait at her shop. Aaron was so unused to receiving kindness after the duel that he was momentarily speechless.
He followed her as if he were under a spell, and the place he entered was a small general store. The kind bell pepper made a spot for him in front of the fireplace, served him warm tea, and kept chatting with him so he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable.
