Chapter 10: Deathwish (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 10: Deathwish (3)
No one entangled in the Main Scenario was ordinary, and rarely did any of them possess purely good traits.
There were bound to be quite a few people one had to avoid at all costs, and the girl standing before him was easily near the top of that list.
Deathwish, Katya Heinkel Craven.
A major character whose importance in the scenario rivaled Noel’s.
If he recalled her traits…
Eccentric, capricious, self-destructive, and selfish.
And yet, her innate power was terrifyingly immense.
She possessed every conceivable element to make things go horribly wrong the moment a situation deviated from the script.
“…”
Considering the direction of the game’s story, all the main characters were destined to get blood on their hands eventually. But no matter the route, the character who racked up the highest body count across the most scenarios was undoubtedly the girl standing right in front of him.
It wasn’t that she was an indiscriminate killer, nor was she a scumbag who enjoyed inflicting violence on the innocent. However, if a certain switch was flipped—if someone poked her sore spot—she wouldn’t blink an eye at committing mass slaughter.
On the outside, she looked like a wealthy young lady leisurely strolling down the street with an indifferent expression. In reality, she was a walking time bomb.
!! Side Quest !!
▶ You have made contact with ‘Deathwish’, Katya Heinkel Craven.
▶ Resolve the situation as peacefully as possible.
▶ If you handle the current situation smoothly, the target’s Affinity toward you will increase significantly!
▶ If you fail, a penalty will be imposed!
…And now, he was expected to resolve the situation peacefully while entangled with such a person.
As if a violent outcome wasn’t already guaranteed.
The mere thought of it was horrifying, but now that the prompt had popped up, he had to keep his wits about him.
…A crisis can also be an opportunity.
If he played his cards right, it might just turn out that way. After all, a massive boost in Affinity meant he would get plenty of Skill Copy Tickets.
“I’m bored.”
They had been walking in silence for quite some time when those words suddenly drifted from the girl.
“Isn’t there anything to do?”
“…I thought you asked me to keep you company. Didn’t you have something to say?”
“Not really?”
“…”
“I really just called you over because I was bored. I was interrupted right when something fun was about to happen, you know?”
Aiden was left utterly speechless by her grinning response.
I mean… didn’t she have plenty of things to ask? Why he had intervened just now, how she knew his identity—those alone were topics that could spark a long conversation.
“Or, do you want to entertain me yourself?”
“…”
“I have a few pretty good ideas on how to play with you, want to hear—”
“Does it matter what we do?” Aiden cut her off.
Katya giggled. By no stretch of the imagination was he showing proper etiquette to royalty, but based on his background knowledge of her, she wasn’t the type to care about such things anyway.
She was straightforward about everything. There was no need to overthink things with her.
“Anything is fine.”
“I have something to do, so follow me if you want.”
As Aiden spoke and stepped forward, Katya snorted upon seeing his destination.
“A gunsmith?”
In the back alleys of the Imperial Capital, one could naturally obtain anything. Even guns, which required strict permits, could easily be bought as long as one had the money.
“Is there any point to this?”
“I need it.”
“Why?”
“Conversely, why are you curious about the reason?”
“You can use supernatural abilities.”
“…”
How do you know that?
When he looked at Katya with that question in his eyes, she tilted her head and gave a nonchalant reply.
“…It’s just something I can tell at a glance.”
She sure could tell a lot of things at a single glance.
Of course, explaining why he needed a gun was a bit complicated. Just as Katya said, people who could wield supernatural abilities had no reason to bother with firearms. However, considering the traits Aiden had in mind, there was no tool better suited for him than a gun.
“Supernatural abilities become much more refined when they take shape like this. You can channel them into your body, but channeling them into a weapon is more efficient.”
He recalled Noel explaining that to him before.
An ability was fine to use on its own, but channeling it through a weapon doubled its efficiency. It was a very simple concept. However, for Aiden, who wielded multiple abilities, the choice became a bit tricky.
He needed something with multiple components, and above all, something he could actually use without any formal combat training. In that regard, traditional cold weapons like swords and spears were out of the question. Aiden had absolutely no affinity for such things.
Naturally, the most suitable choice was this. Firearms. A convenient weapon made of multiple parts.
“Welcome—”
The gunsmith was an affable old man who greeted his customers warmly. Considering how intimidating Aiden’s disguise looked, this level of customer service was top-notch.
“…Do you have a handgun that a beginner can handle?”
“Yes, indeed! You can take a look right over here!”
He proved his excellent service by responding cheerfully, completely unfazed by a request that didn’t match Aiden’s voice and appearance at all.
“I don’t think there’s much point in buying something like this.” Katya, who had been trailing behind him, grumbled as she snooped around the shop. “Weapons are meant for killing people. The things here are just for self-defense, aren’t they?”
…Embarrassingly, that was exactly the level Aiden was aiming for.
But before he could even convey that, Katya was already putting her complaints into action.
“Shopkeeper—where are the cartridges?”
“Ah, you’ll find them in the drawer.”
At his words, Katya whistled as she rummaged through the drawers, soon pulling out bullets that fit the handgun on display.
Up to this point, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It was a normal enough situation that neither the owner nor Aiden thought much of it.
“If you’d like to test the weapon, you can head to the backyard—”
The problem was…
Before the owner could even finish his sentence, Katya was already pointing the loaded gun.
At her own head.
“Wait, customer—!”
Before the panicked shopkeeper could even finish his shout, an ear-splitting gunshot echoed through the shop.
“…”
Aiden’s jaw dropped as the shell casing clattered onto the floor.
Around Katya’s body, the moment the gun fired, Divine Power flared up out of nowhere. It looked exactly like the Divine Power Aiden had wielded before. A flame that moved automatically upon sensing danger to its user.
The bullet melted without a trace the instant it struck the ultra-high-temperature Divine Power.
“—Even when I suppress it to the maximum, it still pops out like this. How annoying.”
With a smirk, Katya tossed the smoking gun back onto the display counter.
Then, she walked along the display counter, picking up the guns one by one and repeating the exact same action.
Pick up, load, point at her head, and shoot.
As if she were comparing them.
While Aiden and the shopkeeper froze in sheer terror watching this madness, the fired bullets continued to melt away, blocked by the Divine Power surrounding her body.
“Ah, right.”
Naturally, the further down the display counter she went, the larger the caliber of the firearms became. Eventually, Katya picked up a weapon that looked more like a hand cannon than a pistol and aimed it at her head.
“This one feels a bit better.”
With those words, she pulled the trigger.
Even the Divine Power, which easily blocked pistol rounds, found it impossible to stop such a large-caliber projectile. The bullet pierced right through.
However.
“…”
Aiden watched the scene unfold before him, the color completely draining from his face.
Even with her head completely blown apart, Katya casually turned around. Her face, crushed and mangled by the bullet, clumped back together like a doll made of clay.
Seeping into the cracks was the exact same Divine Power that had automatically flared up to protect her moments ago. As if refusing to allow even death to touch its wielder, as if refusing to tolerate the shedding of a single drop of blood, it regenerated the horrific trauma cleanly, leaving no trace behind.
“Now this is what I call decent firepower. You’d be better off buying something from this range.”
And the person in question…
Even though her head had just been blown open by a bullet, she didn’t even blink. Her expression didn’t change in the slightest.
As if… truly… she couldn’t feel anything at all.
“Since my Divine Power, even when suppressed to the limit, is about as tough as a few layered iron plates, shouldn’t a weapon be able to pierce at least that much to be useful in combat?”
Aiden groaned inwardly as he stared at Katya, who was holding out the handgun to him with that same cheerful grin.
He knew the trait this girl possessed from his knowledge of the original game.
Painlessness.
And Sensory Loss, which went far beyond that.
In exchange for wielding such absurd Divine Power, Katya Heinkel Craven could not feel any sensation whatsoever. Her Divine Power automatically erased any means of harming her, blocking out all external stimuli.
…Seeing it in person, she’s a complete—
Monster.
Even though she claimed to have suppressed her ability to the maximum, calling her virtually immortal was no exaggeration. He could see why she held as much weight in the main story as Noel.
And there was definitely at least one other person in the room who violently agreed with that sentiment.
At the sound of a sharp click from the counter, Aiden and Katya turned in unison.
The pale-faced shopkeeper was pointing a loaded gun at Katya.
“Get out of my shop.”
“…It was a bit unsightly to watch, wasn’t it? I’ll pay for all the bullets I used, so—”
A flash of light erupted before Katya’s eyes as she spoke. It was likely because her Divine Power had erased the bullet fired by the shopkeeper.
“I told you to get out, you monster…!”
His voice squeezed out, thick with terror. His trembling hands made it clear that he wasn’t accustomed to this kind of threat either. He was acting out of sheer panic after witnessing Katya’s casual madness.
However, upon seeing this, the corners of Katya’s mouth curled upward.
“I admit I might look a bit strange.”
On the surface, it was her usual silly smile. But Aiden, who was highly skilled at reading people, could immediately discern the difference.
Lurking beneath that expression was a bloodlust so sharp it felt like it could slice skin.
This girl reacted with extreme sensitivity to the hostility of others.
“But shooting at me out of nowhere is a bit offensive, don’t you think?”
The moment he saw Katya take a giant stride toward the counter.
— Click.
A switch flipped in Aiden’s mind. His personal alarm, which rang whenever an extreme situation arose. It was a sensation similar to the moment right before Noel had swung her sword at him.
If he stayed still… that man would meet a horrific end.
!! Side Quest !!
▶ You have made contact with ‘Deathwish’, Katya Heinkel Craven.
▶ Resolve the situation as peacefully as possible.
▶ If you handle the current situation smoothly, the target’s Affinity toward you will increase significantly!
▶ If you fail, a penalty will be imposed!
And in the current situation… this was by no means a welcome development for him.
Aiden groaned and clutched his head. This was already the second time. Ever since meeting this damn princess, someone was about to die unless he stepped in.
And… at the very least… he wasn’t the kind of person who could just look the other way.
Especially when he possessed the means to stop it.
◈ Weaver of Fate
【Katya Heinkel Craven】
— Bond: Level 2
— You can copy 1 skill.
<Copied Skills>
◆ First Vow
He quickly manipulated the window he always saw when copying skills. He had already glanced at her skills once before, so choosing was easy.
The only way to stop Katya from doing something crazy right now was to divert her attention elsewhere. There was no physical way to stop her. And if there was a way to appease a capricious, eccentric, and selfish person…
It was to pique her interest.
In that case, the skill he needed to copy was already decided.
— System Message
▶ Copying the skill ‘Holy Body’!
While Aiden manipulated the window, colorless flames surged around Katya as she strode toward the counter. The blazing Divine Power quickly took shape, honing itself into a blade, and aimed directly at the man standing behind the counter.
Without hesitation, it fired.
The shopkeeper’s face turned from pale to practically purple. He looked like a man who foresaw his own demise.
“…?”
And then, Katya’s eyebrows arched high.
It was because she saw Aiden throw himself between them, intervening.
But her eyes immediately widened in shock.
Probably because… the arm Aiden thrust out to intervene was pierced straight through by the blade of flame.
“That hurts—!”
And even as he screamed, his arm was already regenerating through the brightly burning Divine Power.
That sight was identical to Katya herself regenerating her blown-apart head just moments ago.
* * *
It hurts.
It hurts so much…!
◆ Holy Body
Restores the physical body based on the First Vow. The power can be enhanced through the Ritual of the Vow.
◎ Requires ‘First Vow’ as a prerequisite skill!
◎ The ‘First Vow’ skill does not have an Innate Attribute applied. The ‘Sensory Block’ trait is removed. A penalty is applied.
◎ Only minor wounds can be recovered!
Thanks to this, his arm was intact, but pain was still pain. Aiden clutched his arm and writhed in agony.
It went without saying that burning was one of the worst pains a human could experience. The excruciating agony of having an entire arm pierced by a blade of fire was beyond words. It was only natural for him to react this way.
However.
“…”
Katya’s eyes, watching him, were filled with sheer astonishment. As if she were witnessing something that absolutely could not exist.
“Mister…!”
While Katya stood frozen in a daze, Aiden groaned toward the counter.
“Run, quickly…! Fuck, that hurts like hell, seriously…!”
Understanding Aiden’s words, the shopkeeper immediately turned and bolted.
Fortunately, it seemed his actions had definitely paid off. Katya clearly didn’t have a shred of interest in the fleeing shopkeeper anymore.
“—It’s the same as mine.”
Her cheeks trembled. Her usually grinning face was completely distorted now.
“Hey. Mr. Aiden. Answer me. That was my Divine Power, wasn’t it?”
Aiden, still squeezing out tears from the intense pain, blankly looked back at Katya.
“Mr. Aiden?” she repeated. “Did you really think I’d be fooled by a cheap disguise like that? More importantly, answer me. What on earth was that just now?”
…So she had approached him knowing exactly who he was from the very beginning.
No wonder he felt like she knew too much about him. She was far too coincidental a person to just run into. But instead of asking more about that, Aiden simply let out another sigh inwardly.
In any case, that wasn’t what was important right now.
“…You’re right.”
There was no point in lying. She wasn’t stupid, and there was no way he could deceive her about this.
No, to be precise… the thing he had to deceive her about was something else.
“It’s the same as mine.”
“You can see it, can’t you?”
“…”
Hearing those words, Katya’s expression grew even more bizarre. Even a fool could recognize the excitement gleaming in her shining eyes.
“But how on earth—”
“—How do I ‘feel pain’?”
“…”
Katya froze. Her eyes shook wildly, as if he had hit the nail right on the head.
Aiden knew why this girl went around shooting herself in the head without a care. Sensory Loss, which went beyond mere Painlessness, was a horrific curse to those born with it. Living without any stimuli, feeling completely empty, continuing to exist simply because they couldn’t die, over and over again.
She repeated those bizarre acts because she desperately wanted to feel something, anything, in any way possible.
In that regard… the real reason this girl was shocked just now was partly because Aiden had used her exact ability. But the greater emphasis was likely on the fact that, despite wielding such an ability, he could vividly feel pain.
Therefore…
“Want me to tell you?”
“…”
Katya’s body stiffened.
It was clear he had struck her deepest vulnerability. And as Aiden watched her, the switch in his mind was still clicking and turning.
The situation had erupted in an instant, and his solution was closer to improvisation, but… now that they had come this far, it was the perfect time to add one more thing.
Since things had already turned out this way, shouldn’t he squeeze out every bit of benefit he could?
“If you want to know…”
In that sense, it was time to focus on his actual day job. Scamming. Lying through his teeth.
“Will you do me a favor?”
And turning that to his own advantage.
— System Message
▶ You have wisely handled the side quest.
▶ The target Katya Heinkel’s Interest has increased.
▶ Bond Level has been upgraded from Level 2 to Level 3.
▶ Your available skill copies have increased by 1!
▶ Related content has been added to the Main Quest!
“…”
Aiden let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the rising window.
Clearly… the feedback on his gains was incredibly straightforward.