Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 50
Brilliant sunlight shattered across the sand of the Training Ground, casting long shadows of two figures.
As the sparring match began, they rushed toward each other without hesitation.
Clang!
The clash of blades shattered the silence of the Training Ground.
The weight and intensity of this match was distinctly different from the previous one—I could feel it immediately.
They held their blades locked, probing each other’s defenses.
Their standoff left everyone around them holding their breath.
The Blue Knight Commander, receiving Aiden’s weighty blade, broke into a cold sweat and grimaced with difficulty.
“…This won’t be easy.”
Yet the competitive fire burning in his eyes blazed brighter than ever.
My sword hand tingled with the sensation.
Now I understood why the Red Knight had so helplessly dropped his rapier earlier—this was the kind of force behind it.
How long had we been locked together, searching for an opening?
It was then, as silence settled over the Training Ground, that Aiden broke the quiet first.
“I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“What if we allowed each other to use our aura?”
Aura was a power only those who had achieved a certain level of enlightenment in swordsmanship could wield—by channeling condensed energy through the blade, it produced greater force and destructive power.
Because even minor mistakes could result in serious injury without sufficient skill, it was rarely used in sparring matches.
The Blue Knight Commander raised one eyebrow.
“You’ll regret it.”
“I won’t.”
“Fine. The moment we separate these blades, we’ll use our aura freely.”
The instant our gazes crossed after agreeing to use aura.
The firmly locked blades parted, and simultaneously, blue aura erupted from both our swords.
The Blue Knight Commander’s azure aura surged like wildfire, meeting Aiden’s blade.
Centered on the two of us, a violent explosion erupted, sending sand flying across the Training Ground.
The destructive power was immense—nothing like the sparring we’d done before.
As if by agreement, we both created distance between us to absorb the impact.
Through the swirling sand, Aiden’s blade came down like lightning, striking at my sword as though to shatter it.
Boom!
The force was so tremendous that it sounded like an explosion rather than metal striking metal.
Sweat poured down the Blue Knight Commander’s forehead.
It was an ordinary longsword, yet it felt like clashing with a Sword Breaker—a blade designed to break swords.
My sword wouldn’t survive another strike like that.
Watching Aiden use his blade like a consumable weapon, I felt something fresh awakening within me.
Knights treat their swords like their own lives, careful never to dull the blade.
This mercenary’s unfamiliar fighting style set my blood ablaze.
How long had it been since I felt this sensation?
But if he continued at this ferocious pace, I doubted I could hold out much longer.
The Blue Knight Commander steadied his breathing and condensed his aura. He intended to settle this in just a few exchanges.
Azure light blazed fiercely along his blade.
Aiden, in turn, drew his aura upward to meet him.
Both of us swung our swords simultaneously, and they clashed with piercing intensity.
In that instant, a sharp shockwave erupted and swept across the surroundings.
“Ugh…!”
The Blue Knight Commander coughed, a groan escaping his lips.
We had clashed with equal force, yet only he had suffered internal injuries—a clear sign he had lost the battle of auras.
Before he could catch his breath, my attack continued relentlessly.
I lowered my center of gravity and spun rapidly, targeting the side of his lower body.
The Blue Knight Commander wasted movement trying to evade my blade.
‘So he’ll target the lower body.’
My attacks weren’t standardized like those of typical knights—they were difficult to predict.
But that small opening I had given was the problem.
In the moment my balance faltered and my blade’s trajectory went awry.
The tip of my sword came to rest just before the Blue Knight Commander’s throat.
Blood trickled from the corner of the Blue Knight Commander’s mouth as he breathed heavily—a result of his internal injuries.
“It’s…over.”
I too exhaled deeply and withdrew my blade. The aura that had burned like flames gradually faded away.
“That was an excellent match.”
“…Who exactly are you?”
The Blue Knight Commander continued coughing up blood.
“Where has someone of your skill been hiding, and why are you only appearing now?”
“Until recently, I was with the Golden Silver Mercenary Company.”
At this matter-of-fact revelation, the Blue Knight Commander’s brow furrowed.
“Surely not an executive-level member?”
“….”
“…Ah, you could have mentioned that beforehand.”
Now understanding my strength, the Blue Knight Commander relaxed and his eyes slowly closed.
He had been holding on through sheer willpower alone, but having reached his limit, he lost consciousness and collapsed where he stood.

✦ ✦ ✦
Duke Papiope’s Household was thrown into upheaval.
The Duke had graciously allowed the man who had taken it upon himself to protect his daughter to take a simplified knight examination as a reward….
That man had defeated the Papiope Knights Commander in an unofficial match.
It was an unprecedented catastrophe.
The knights of Papiope were of far superior quality compared to those of other houses.
This was because the house recruited knights based solely on ability, without regard for family lineage or bloodline.
Yet he had defeated one of Papiope’s knights—and not just any knight, but the Commander who wielded an aura.
Fortunately, the fallen Blue Knight Commander regained consciousness within a few hours….
But the physician’s verdict was that he would need to remain bedridden for a full week due to his internal injuries.
Former Duke Declan and current Duchess Viviana were at a loss over how to handle Aiden, whose abilities far exceeded their expectations.
“In any case, shouldn’t we place Aiden in the Blue Knights, given their focus on swordsmanship?”
The Duchess shook her head at Declan’s suggestion.
“No. Aiden is far too strong to serve as a mere knight under the Blue Knight Commander.”
“Hmm… that’s true enough.”
“Moreover, if he becomes part of the Blue Knights, the Commander will be branded as the one who lost to a single knight under his command.”
This was a grave matter that could escalate into a breach of hierarchy.
“And yet, placing him in the Red Knights is impossible, since he’s not an Ability User….”
“Tsk, why are you worrying so much? If we can’t place him in either the Blue or the Red, there’s only one option left, isn’t there?”
“Surely Father isn’t thinking of….”
“Yes, the Black Knights.”
The Black Knights.
They were a knight order that had vanished when all of its members left with Declan’s retirement.
The Black Knights had consisted of knights designated by Declan, regardless of whether they were Ability Users or ordinary people.
Most of them had been extensions of Declan’s own will and strength.
In other words, if we placed Aiden in the Black Knights….
Everything would be resolved.
The Duchess clapped her hands with a look of sudden realization, as though she had only just remembered the Black Knights’ existence.
“Goodness, why didn’t I think of placing him in the Black Knights from the start….”
Declan quickly set the record straight.
“I’m sorry, my dear, but your father knew from the beginning.”
“Father, really…! Then why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because I was sincere when I said I wanted to take him as one of my own knights. I was a bit greedy, you see.”
“Father, how on earth did you discern Aiden’s true abilities?”
At the Duchess’s question, Declan spoke the truth with a solemn expression.
“I didn’t.”
To speak with such dignified composure and then say he didn’t know?
As the Duchess’s expression crumpled, Declan scratched his head and began to make excuses.
“I thought he’d be a decent fighter just from looking at his trained muscles… but I never expected him to exceed expectations by this much.”
The Duchess suppressed the urge to scold her father for joking at a time like this and returned to the matter at hand.
“Fortunately, the position of Black Knight Commander remains vacant. Though I’m uncertain whether he’ll welcome joining the Black Knights with no one else in it.”
At that, Declan chuckled softly and opened his mouth as though there were nothing to worry about.
“Do you still not understand? Aiden’s purpose is not to become a knight of Papiope. He is….”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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