19 — 18. A Complete Reversal. And A Parting Of Ways.

Just one strike.

That single blow decided the outcome.

Reet and Kait clashed with the same Skill.

The result: Reet’s technique instantly overpowered Kait’s.

[The winner… Reet!!]

The referee announced Reet’s victory.

Shock was plainly evident in the referee’s voice.

A Holy Knight—defeated by a man with no Class whatsoever.

That was reality.

The reason for Kait’s defeat was simple.

When two people used the same Skill, their power was equal.

What decided the match, then, was their base swordsmanship.

Reet had trained relentlessly with his blade since childhood.

Meanwhile, Kait had abandoned sword practice long ago, living freely in the city instead.

The difference in how much they had trained showed itself plainly.

Kait dropped to one knee, staring blankly at the ground.

He couldn’t believe he had lost.

“Well, I had high expectations since he’s supposedly the heir to the Welzley duchy, but turns out he’s not all that impressive.”

“A strong knight doesn’t necessarily make a good teacher. The duke probably spoiled his kid.”

“So the second generation is just some spoiled brat without real strength, huh.”

Such voices leaked from the spectators.

Reet glanced once at Kait, sheathed his sword, and walked away from the arena.

When Reet returned to the waiting room, Iris was waiting for him.

“Reet, you were amazing!!”

Seeing the princess celebrate his victory as if it were her own, Reet finally felt the reality of his win settling in.

“Thank you.”

He’d defeated Kait.

He’d proven his strength.

That filled him with indescribable joy.

But then…

“Reet—!!”

A man suddenly burst into the room.

It was none other than the Welzley Duke.

Since receiving the divine revelation of Class assignment, Reet had only seen his father’s expression filled with rage. But this time—his expression was clearly different.

He walked toward Reet with forceful strides.

And the words that came from his mouth were—

“Your swordsmanship is truly magnificent.”

An outpouring of praise for Reet.

“You truly did wonderfully. The effort you put into all those years of training finally paid off. It was magnificent. On the day of the Class assignment, I thought you were done for, but the goddess didn’t abandon you after all. To have mastered such swordsmanship!”

His father spoke in an excited rush, his face flushed.

Watching his father’s expression—Reet’s heart went cold.

“The Class assignment was a trial the goddess gave you.”

Watching his father’s face, Reet instinctively understood what he was about to say.

He understood.

“You did wonderfully. You—you are the one who will inherit the Welzley family! Come back to our house!”

These were words Reet had surely always longed to hear.

He had chased after his father’s back,

Desperately wanted to be acknowledged,

And trained relentlessly all these years.

Every single day, swinging his blade with desperation—finally, it had paid off.

But…

“I’m sorry—Your Grace.”

Reet spoke words of final parting, cleanly.

No hesitation remained in his eyes.

Faced with his son’s refusal, the duke’s expression turned to disbelief.

“I am no longer a member of the Welzley family.”

Reet stated clearly to his father—repeating the very words his father had once spoken to him.

There was no longer any feeling left in him for his father.

“If you want to make your son a Knight Commander, then work hard together with Kait. I will walk my own path.”

“Wha—what did you just say!!?”

The joy that had filled the duke’s expression moments ago vanished completely, erupting into rage.

“You—you ungrateful fool!!”

But such anger meant nothing to Reet.

It couldn’t possibly mean anything to him.

Because his resolve had already hardened the moment he accepted Kait’s duel challenge.

No matter what was said to him now, there was no way Reet would return to his father.

And then, Iris, who had been watching in silence until now, spoke to the duke.

“Duke Welzley. It appears Reet has nothing more to discuss with you. I think it’s time you took your leave.”

At the princess’s words, the duke ground his teeth audibly.

But no matter how high a duke’s rank was, he couldn’t defy a princess.

So instead, he spat parting words at Reet.

“You… bastard! I will never forgive you! I’ll have you thrown out of the knight order! Remember that!”

Reet silently watched the back of his former father as he turned on his heel and left.

Once the duke’s figure disappeared from sight, Iris smiled and spoke to Reet.

“Reet. The duke still holds considerable influence in the knight order, I’ve heard. He will likely interfere in various ways.”

“…Yes, I suppose so.”

“But if you overcome that, you can become a Knight Commander. I am certain of it.”

At the princess’s words, Reet renewed his determination.

“I will absolutely become a Knight Commander.”