Chapter 13: In the End
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13: In the End
Aiden walked through the dawn-lit streets.
At a dock on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, he watched a massive ship cut through the bluish morning mist.
Most of the weapons smuggled into the Imperial Capital arrived via ships navigating the canals. And today, this was exactly where the incident would unfold.
— Quest Info
▶ Failure to complete the events listed below will result in a massive penalty!
◈ Life is Beautiful
— Katya Heinkel Craven desperately desires something from you. Do your best to help her fully experience ‘sensation’!
— A related event will occur soon. (D-Day!)
★ If you handle the event wisely, the way “Weaver of Fate” is applied to the target will change.
◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>
— Your frequency of contact with key scenario figures is increasing sufficiently.
— Your existence will soon be officially integrated into the scenario. The direction of the scenario will be determined by your actions!
— A related event will occur soon. (D-Day!)
♠ Main Quest
◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>
— A group is smuggling weapons into the Imperial Capital. Apprehend them all.
— Clear Condition: Do not allow any civilian casualties.
— If you fail the quest, you will die!
Wow.
Seeing all the events scheduled to explode today shoved right in his face made his chest tighten. Especially when he looked at the words “If you fail the quest, you will die” so clearly stamped onto the Main Quest.
Unlike the side quests he had received before, this emphasized with absolute certainty that failure was not an option.
It’s exactly like what I saw in the game.
Seeing the brutal threat of “do this or die” suddenly thrust upon him made him realize all over again that he was truly standing inside a game world.
Though unlike a game where you could just respawn, for him, death meant the absolute end.
Still, if there was any consolation, it was that today would be the last time he’d have to worry about this sort of thing.
Surely…
Aiden retraced the “progression” of the event in his mind.
No matter how secretly they tried to bring them in, smuggling enough weapons to fund a coup was bound to leave a trail. The Imperial Capital Police catching wind of it and rushing out to crack down on the operation was the very beginning of the “scenario” that would soon sweep up the entire world.
And he’ll be there.
Mixed in with that police force would be Aiden’s target.
Our dear savior, who would awaken his talent during the “crisis” he faced today.
The protagonist of this world.
At this point in time, wasn’t he just a rookie in the Imperial Capital Police?
Aiden didn’t know what he looked like or what kind of person he was yet, but he was certain the man would appear here today.
No, he had to appear. For the sake of the world’s future.
So please, take some of the burdens dumped on me while you’re at it.
Though, honestly, that was closer to his true feelings.
In any case, to take that first step, he needed to meet up with the person he had agreed to join forces with.
She had definitely said she would be waiting around here.
As he looked around, a face suddenly dropped down from above.
It was Katya, hanging upside down like a bat with her legs hooked over a nearby lamppost.
…His heart nearly stopped.
“He-llo.”
Watching Katya wave with a bright smile while hanging upside down in midair immediately made his chest feel heavy.
She looked like a mere girl, but the suffocating pressure of facing a massive predator gripped his entire body.
He felt a similar sensation when looking at Noel, but at least with her, there was no certainty she would harm him. Unlike this walking time bomb.
“It’s strange,” the human-shaped beast spoke the moment she saw Aiden’s face.
“What is?”
“That I didn’t notice a thing until you got this close.”
“…”
“Why can’t someone so amazing—someone who can use the exact same Divine Power as me—do something so simple?”
“…”
“You have so much power overflowing inside you, yet you don’t seem to have a clue how to use it. It makes me want to drag you to the Holy Kingdom right now and rip you open to see what’s inside.”
Her hitting the nail on the head so suddenly played a huge part in why he felt such immense pressure.
She was absolutely right.
Every single supernatural ability Aiden possessed was incredibly powerful, but he didn’t have a single clue how to utilize them properly in combat.
To Katya, who had been raised as a genuine combatant, it must have looked pathetic.
“Well, whatever.” Dropping lightly from the lamppost, Katya continued, “As long as you keep your promise, those minor details don’t matter. So, what do we do first?”
“There’s someone I want to introduce to you. Let’s meet him first.”
If it was our dear protagonist, making Katya feel something would be a piece of cake.
After all, wasn’t the process of Katya becoming an “ally” in the original work triggered by her feeling something from the protagonist during their very first meeting?
Bypassing her congenital sensory loss by whatever means necessary to make her feel some kind of “sensation” was the start of Katya’s individual quest.
He clearly remembered the scenes where Katya trailed after the protagonist like a lost puppy after that development.
Katya chuckled and replied, “I’m looking forward to it.”
…Her words sounded cheerful enough.
But they also sounded like a deadly warning of what would happen if he failed to keep his promise.
* * *
The scene of the crackdown was boiling with intense heat.
This wasn’t just a figure of speech; with bombs exploding and bullets flying, the physical temperature of the area was actually rising.
It was also incredibly noisy, filled with the police’s continuous demands for surrender over megaphones, the criminals’ curses, and the deafening roar of gunfire and explosions.
It was almost absurdly chaotic for a mere weapons smuggling bust.
At least it’s a relief that there are no casualties yet.
Even if they weren’t the regular army, the Imperial Capital Police were definitely elites among law enforcement organizations. They weren’t the type to struggle with wiping out a criminal gang like this.
It didn’t seem like the clear condition regarding “civilian casualties” would be in much jeopardy.
And on the outskirts of that fierce battle…
“Do we really have to just stand here quietly?” Katya grumbled. She had been watching the scene unfold from the shadows beside him, while Aiden’s stress levels skyrocketed just by being here.
Whatever they were supposed to do, she seemed highly dissatisfied with just standing by “bored” and not taking action.
Seriously…
Since she had no direct physical sensations, Katya enjoyed committing all sorts of bizarre acts just to feel something mentally.
“Just be patient. There’s nothing to gain by jumping in there anyway,” Aiden said.
“If you make me this bored only for it to end in some pathetic anticlimax, I’m going to get really angry, okay?”
“…”
He wondered what was wrong with this lunatic who could call a scene of flying bullets and explosives “boring” in such a casual tone.
But if she got angry, it would be the harbinger of a catastrophe that would claim dozens, if not hundreds, of lives. It wasn’t a threat to be taken lightly.
It should be happening soon…
Fortunately, before Katya could grumble any further, the event Aiden remembered began to unfold right before his eyes.
“Everyone, back off!”
There it is.
Aiden nodded inwardly as he saw one of the cornered criminals bring out a box that looked dangerous even at a glance.
“…A Hellfire Bomb?” It was enough to make Katya, who had been watching indifferently until now, let out a low whistle. “Isn’t that the thing they barely used during the Alliance War because it was too expensive? Why is something like that rolling around in the back alleys?”
While she muttered those words, the pale faces of the Imperial Capital Police officers came into view one by one. They had likely realized that if that thing went off, the entire area would be blown to smithereens.
“Wait, calm down—”
“Drop your weapons! Put them all on the ground, or I’ll detonate it right now!”
Ah, it even felt nostalgic. Wasn’t this the very first cutscene that played after the tutorial?
And here…
Our grand protagonist was supposed to appear and instantly subdue the petty criminal threatening to blow up the area, marking the beginning of the epic story.
Yes, any second now.
One.
Two.
Three.
“…Captain, what do we do?”
“Don’t provoke him for now. Can’t you see his eyes are completely bloodshot?”
“Hey, what are you whispering about! I told you to drop your weapons on the ground!”
“Wait, calm down. Okay? I hear you. We’ll drop them. We’ll drop them, so…”
“…”
He should be coming out.
No.
He should have come out, right…?
Aiden stared at the unchanging scene before him as a chill ran down his spine. His fingertips and toes grew cold.
Naturally. Because the guy who was absolutely supposed to be here was nowhere to be seen.
He’s not here?
He had to be here at this exact moment. In a chaotic situation like this, there had to be at least one person who stepped forward and showed “courage.”
But…
There was no one.
Everyone was merely walking on eggshells, terrified that they might lose their lives. Here, there were only ordinary people.
That shining individual destined to shoulder the fate of the world…
The “protagonist” to whom Aiden had planned to dump his own burdens…
Was nowhere to be found.
“…”
Aiden squeezed his eyes shut.
In the end.
The “worst-case scenario” he had wanted to avoid so desperately was taking shape right before his eyes.
“Hey.”
And…
Before he could even organize his thoughts…
A chilling voice drifted over from beside him.
“So, where is this person you were going to introduce to me?”
“…”
“Don’t tell me he’s one of those pathetic losers over there?”
The atmosphere was definitely not one where he could honestly say, “He’s not here.”
If he did, it wouldn’t be surprising if Aiden’s head was severed on the spot. In fact, considering Katya’s usual temperament, that would be the expected outcome.
“—”
Once again.
A switch clicked in his head. His survival instinct, which only activated in extreme situations, kicked in.
“Mr. Aiden, your answer?”
Katya, whose usual mask-like smile was beginning to fade, dropped the question once more. It was practically an ultimatum. As if to say, Did you really waste my time with this garbage?
Meanwhile, Aiden’s mind ran calculations at terrifying speeds.
The most urgent thing right now is…
What he had to resolve right here was to somehow make this monster princess beside him “feel pain.” If he couldn’t pierce through all the Divine Power she possessed and force some kind of “sensation” into her…
He would die right here.
—And the premise for that…
He had already figured out a way to achieve that goal once before. He just had to deliver a “single strike” powerful enough to pierce through all the Divine Power she held.
What he currently possessed was a single revolver kept for “self-defense,” and several half-baked supernatural abilities that he merely “held” without knowing how to use, just as Katya had pointed out. A shabby weapon, and abilities that were nothing more than pearls before swine.
With only these…
He had to deliver a “strike” that surpassed the output of a monster on par with Noel.
“—”
Then, could he?
Was it possible?
Was there a way?
The calculation was fast, and the conclusion was even faster.
“Are you deaf? I’m asking you—”
“Shut up for a second.”
There was.
Just one way.
Though he had reached this conclusion before… it was a method he absolutely did not want to use. A method he really, truly did not want to resort to.
“I…”
To do that, first… there was someone he had to call.
Saying so, Aiden reached into his coat and firmly pressed something.
“I told you to wait, didn’t I?”
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
He counted all the way to ten.
After that brief silence…
The anomaly arrived immediately.
“—What is that?” someone quick-witted at the docks muttered.
They had likely sensed that something in the surrounding environment had changed.
Though invisible to the eye, anyone with good instincts would have realized that a violent “current” was forming around them. Starting as a faint ripple… it grew into a wind, then a storm, and finally a gale powerful enough to sweep away anything of decent weight.
And then…
From the sky.
A “human” enveloped in a pure white haze crashed down like a meteor.
—!!
—!!!!!!!!!
Accompanied by a violent explosion that made the ear-splitting noise of the previous battle seem like nothing, almost everyone in the vicinity screamed.
That is, except for Katya, whose eyes began to sparkle…
And Aiden, who had “called” the person in question.
“Whew—”
Noel, adjusting her hat which had been slightly disheveled by the violent landing, raised her head slightly and looked around.
“Ah.” Soon, spotting Aiden, she smiled softly. “—Did you call for me?”
It was an incredibly calm greeting, entirely unfitting of her terrifying entrance.
“…”
Aiden stared at Noel in a daze, his fingers still playing with the switch tucked inside his coat. It was the transmitter she had given him before, telling him to press it if he ever found himself in danger.
…That she would fly to my side the moment I was in danger.
It hadn’t been a lie.