Chapter 18
Aaron wanted to say thank you, to tell her that she had saved him, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Are you participating in the Hero Selection?”
With just one question, she had brought Leo to his mind, even in a small shop far from the temple.
Leo wasn’t just popular within the Holy Order, but among the citizens as well. Was she also a fan of Leo?
Curious, he casually tested the waters by mentioning him, but she just scratched her head and asked who Leo was. To Aaron’s relief, her ignorance about Leo lifted his spirits significantly.
Talking to women, or rather bell peppers, was often uncomfortable for Aaron, but she wasn’t like that at all. Maybe it was because she was a merchant—she chatted smoothly without being unpleasant. There was something boisterous about her too.
He found himself wanting to talk a bit more, but unfortunately, Rivel returned.
‘I should make sure to bring my payment next time.’
Aaron promised to repay her kindness and headed to the forge.
The moment blacksmith Rivel saw the broken sword, he cursed.
“Damn it! Why does everyone bring me broken junk? Listen here, Knight! You don’t go around breaking swords like this! A sword is like your heart, you hear me?”
He launched into a long-winded lecture about how you wouldn’t break your heart so carelessly. Aaron, his ears ringing from Rivel’s booming voice, found himself missing the kind bell pepper.
“And what’s this? It’s got a restoration-blocking curse on it! You expect me to fix this? Are you joking?”
“Restoration-blocking curse? That can’t be possible…”
Aaron was confused, hearing this for the first time. If he had known, he wouldn’t have wasted time wandering from forge to forge, ending up at such an out-of-the-way place.
“Everyone else said they couldn’t fix it, so I came to you as a last resort. I guess this is the end of the road.”
Perhaps his grandfather had placed the curse to ensure the sword couldn’t be repaired. But why? He had no idea, but there was nothing left to do but leave.
“I didn’t say I couldn’t fix it,” Rivel grumbled, pouting as he stopped Aaron from leaving.
“You can fix it?”
Aaron’s face lit up with hope for the first time. Rivel folded his arms and thought for a moment before saying it would take a very long time.
“If you can fix it, I don’t care how long it takes.”
“It could take at least a year.”
“That’s fine.”
Aaron entrusted the repair to Rivel.
When Aaron returned to the temple, word had already spread that he’d gone to a blacksmith to have his sword repaired. He hadn’t told anyone, so how they found out was beyond him.
His comrades were all shocked, some adding their own commentary.
“Is he really that desperate to use his bloodline to become the hero?”
It seemed the rumors about possessing an heirloom increasing the chances of becoming the hero had led to misunderstandings.
Aaron thought about clearing up the misunderstanding but decided against it.
They already disliked him, and anything he said would probably be dismissed as an excuse.
“Aaron will just end up as Leo’s sidekick anyway.”
“Why doesn’t he realize he’s just wasting his time?”
Instead, Aaron confronted them.
“If it’s my time I’m wasting, why does it matter to you? Mind your own business!”
Recalling Nancy’s words gave him a sense of satisfaction as he snapped back at them.
“The coward who’s been avoiding us suddenly grows a spine? Have you lost your fear?”
The flustered knights snarled at him, asking if he wanted to fight.
“Anytime.”
Aaron no longer cared. He’d already lost once—what difference would a second loss make?
The knights sensed a change in him. They’d always ignored him, but they knew that in a fair fight, they didn’t stand a chance against him.
Grumbling to themselves, they backed down. Then, they went to the captain to report that they had seen Aaron secretly meeting with a woman. They didn’t know the details but accused him nonetheless, simply to stir up trouble.
“Just answer me this. Did you meet a woman or not?”
The captain summoned Aaron and asked if the rumors were true. Aaron swore to God that he had done nothing dishonorable. But being the honest man he was, he admitted that he had met someone.
After all, it was true that he had met a kind and cheerful bell pepper.
The captain sighed, asking why Aaron had suddenly started doing things he normally wouldn’t.
“Aaron, have you forgotten the prophecy that your life would be ruined by a woman? Have you given up on becoming the hero? Don’t do this. I promised your father I’d keep you from going down the wrong path.”
The captain was the only one in the Holy Order who knew the contents of Aaron’s prophecy.
Aaron didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure if he had truly given up or if he still held onto hope. He couldn’t even tell what state he was in anymore.
With a sigh, the captain ordered Aaron to be on probation until the Hero Selection. Aaron complied silently.
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