Chapter 19: Spectral Body
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Spectral Body
“…You really are a piece of work.”
The prince, who had been roaring with laughter for some time, wiped tears from the corners of his eyes as he spoke.
“Dame Noel has brought someone truly bizarre. Even I didn’t expect a person like you.”
“…?”
Aiden’s response had been half-provocation, but the prince’s reaction was surprisingly mild. Wondering if the prince was about to make another offer, Aiden opened his mouth to speak, but the prince beat him to it as if reading his mind.
“Since you put it that way, I have no intention of making any further proposals. Why don’t you just stay as you are?”
“…?”
The prince’s refreshingly decisive surrender made Aiden’s eyes narrow.
“After all, if you’re staying together because you like each other, it would be bad form for me to force you apart.”
“…”
“However,” the prince smiled as he continued, “I will assume you are prepared to bear whatever ‘danger’ arises from that choice.”
His voice was as calm and polite as ever, but the words he left behind as he stood held a chill that seemed to freeze Aiden’s very spine.
“I’ll see you again, Aiden.”
Aiden had a feeling they would definitely meet again.
…That much, he deeply agreed with.
* * *
“Aiden.”
“Yes?”
“Dame Noel is acting a bit strange. Do you happen to know anything about it?”
“…”
The moment he returned to the banquet hall, Stella hit him with the question, making Aiden’s eyes dart around guiltily.
“Strange? In what way…?”
“She seemed completely out of it, as if her soul had left her body. Then she suddenly said she wasn’t feeling well and returned to the military headquarters. She has never done something like this at an official event before…”
“…”
“Seeing how unusually flushed her face was, it didn’t seem like a lie… but she’s not the type to suddenly fall ill.”
…So that was why she had been nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Stella’s mounting worry, Aiden nodded with a complicated expression.
Did he have an idea?
— System Log
▶ Affinity with target ‘Noel Astria Seimurs’ has increased.
▶ The increase in Affinity is extremely high!
▶ Bond Level has surged from Level 3 to Level 5.
▶ Your available skill copies have increased by 2!
▶ The accumulated Bond Relationship is sufficiently high. The application method of ‘Weaver of Fate’ will change soon!
▶ Related content will soon be added to the Main Quest!
▶ A new objective has been added to the quest ‘Sham Marriage’!
He did.
He most certainly did, but…
“…I’m not sure. I don’t know either.”
For now, that was the only way he could answer.
Honestly, if Dame Noel had overheard their conversation, it was no surprise her Affinity had risen. He had defended her fiercely against the prince, and at the very end…
…Honestly, I want to die of embarrassment.
Just thinking about how he had blurted out what amounted to a public confession made his face burn. He would just have to come up with a good excuse for Noel later. It would be a pain if she genuinely misunderstood.
Actually, on second thought, it wasn’t the worst thing. In the end, he had secured two skill copies.
It’s a win, technically.
But since he hadn’t intended for this to happen, the whole situation felt rather uncomfortable. The fact that his relationship with her was deepening was also a point of concern.
This is dangerous.
…He knew he was being contradictory.
In his current situation, he had to grab any skill he could to survive, and Dame Noel was far too powerful to leave off the list. Even setting aside her abilities, maintaining their ‘marriage’ was a core pillar of his survival. No matter how he looked at it, his relationship and Affinity with her were essential.
But conversely… precisely because of that, if he truly became close to Noel on a personal level… that would be a headache in its own right.
It wasn’t because he disliked Noel or found her unimportant, but rather because she was too important.
I have to be careful with all the main characters.
His objective remained the same. Raising their Affinity was an absolute necessity.
However, in a world without a protagonist, Aiden was the one who had to face them all until the end of the main scenario. If they became truly close and he made even a single slip-up…
The higher you rise, the greater the fall. Once a close relationship fractured, repairing it was next to impossible. In fact, it was all too common for people to hurt each other more easily the closer they were. That was just how human relationships worked.
And Aiden, at least, was self-aware enough to know that anyone in the world could end up that way.
Therefore, he had to approach them all with caution and delicacy.
“…”
Still. He would worry about that later. For now, something else demanded his attention.
— Skill Info
◈ Weaver of Fate
⧾ Arden Brimstone Lionel
— Malice: Level 1
— You can imitate 1 skill.
※ This target is incapable of forming a ‘Bond Relationship’. The skill’s effects will differ from the original!
He had managed to wring a skill copy out of the prince, but its mechanism felt slightly different from the ones he had used so far. The very fact that it was labeled ‘Imitation’ rather than ‘Copying’ suggested as much, and inspecting its details in the skill window only confirmed his suspicion.
Its performance is heavily nerfed.
Compared to the prince’s original skills, every single option was vastly inferior. Their power and range of application were both weakened, and some skills were even crossed out in red, as if imitation was entirely impossible.
However, the noteworthy part was…
▶ The target’s ‘Malice’ level is low.
▶ Currently, only ‘Imitation’ is available.
▶ Raise the Malice level to unlock additional functions such as ‘Repulsion’, ‘Filtering’, and ‘Sealing’!
Unlike the skills copied through Affinity, this one seemed to come with a wealth of additional features. Instead of simply using the skill at its original power, it felt as though Aiden himself could exert some form of ‘influence’ over the skill.
He would only know the details once he raised the Malice level.
More importantly, if the condition is called Malice…
…did that mean the more this person hated him, the more skills he could access?
“…”
That activation condition was far too chaotic. Having to actively draw malice from others…
Aiden let out a deep, internal sigh and stood up.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yes. I’ve met everyone I needed to.”
He said that, but in truth, he was about to meet the most troublesome person of all.
Walking out of the banquet hall and taking a short stroll, he spotted a knight in full plate armor sitting on the edge of a fountain, resting her chin on her hand with a sleepy expression.
…Though she wasn’t actually a knight.
“I’m so boooored.”
The moment she caught sight of him, Katya kicked her legs and whined.
“What is this? It’s no fun at all. Isn’t there some huge incident happening?”
“…What kind of huge incident?”
“You know, anything that would get us in trouble if we get caught.”
“…”
“Like beating someone up, burning something down, killing someone… anything like that?”
“…”
This was the very person who had thrown a tantrum to become his adjutant, despite knowing she would draw frowns at any public event.
“Weren’t you the one who insisted on being my adjutant? You should be faithful to your duties.”
“That’s only when we’re ‘spending time together.’ Did you forget? I became your adjutant just so I could stick close to you for a long time.”
“…”
Bringing up such burdensome topics so casually was classic Katya.
Aiden massaged his throbbing temples. “Then, shall we go do something fun? I’m done with the banquet anyway.”
“Really? What are we going to do?”
Aiden turned his head slightly, scanning the vicinity of the banquet hall. The event was held inside the Imperial Palace, a vast complex filled with spaces steeped in history and secrets. The place he was targeting was one of them.
However, what he was about to do, on the surface, was… how to put it?
Hmm.
Aiden scratched his chin, trying to think of a milder way to phrase his plan. Realizing it would sound the same no matter what, he just said it straight.
“Grave robbing.”
“…Oh.”
* * *
“The Hall of Fame?” Katya muttered, having ‘infiltrated’ the place with him. She seemed to know exactly where they were. “It’s a literal tomb. You weren’t speaking metaphorically; you really meant grave robbing?”
The custom of honoring great figures was the same everywhere, and the Empire was no exception. The space dedicated to commemorating these figures, their belongings, and their achievements was right here: the Hall of Fame.
Strictly speaking, it was a museum, but Katya’s description of it as a tomb wasn’t wrong. After all, it was a place where even the ‘remains’ of these great figures were preserved whenever possible.
Finding the place fascinating, Katya looked around.
Meanwhile, Aiden, following quietly behind her, watched with a look of sheer disbelief.
…She really is a monster.
It went without saying that the Imperial Palace boasted the highest level of security. Yet, watching her leap around and effortlessly bypass every security measure while dragging him along made him wonder if she was royalty or a professionally trained infiltrator. It felt like she had more than just a few hidden talents.
“…Princess. When you fought Dame Noel before, you weren’t fighting seriously, were you?”
“Huh? That wasn’t even a fight.”
“…”
Once again, he was reminded of just what kind of monster he had as an adjutant. Shaking his head, he stepped further into the Hall of Fame.
“But if we’re grave robbing, that means we’re stealing something, right? What is it? Weapons? Secret manuals? Armor? Anything we take from here is bound to be top-tier.”
Her questions poured out, filled with the excitement of doing something ‘bad.’ It might have been his imagination, but her eyes seemed to sparkle.
And, whether fortunately or unfortunately, Aiden had an answer that would not disappoint her.
“…The great figure themselves.”
“What?”
Katya tilted her head in confusion. Instead of explaining, Aiden walked forward with steady steps. As mentioned, there were several preserved remains within this space. The one he stopped in front of was a set that was in exceptionally good condition.
Spirits dwell in the flesh. The better the condition of the remains, the higher the success rate of what he was about to do.
“…The Knight of Dawn?” Katya uttered, identifying the display case where Aiden had stopped.
“You know of him? He’s an Imperial hero.”
“Isn’t it stranger not to know him? The ‘First Knight’ is still a favorite subject for artists.”
An Imperial hero who had accumulated countless military exploits, achievements, and heroic tales. The conqueror of the nameless valley, the vanquisher who brought down the Heavenly Spire, a match for a thousand, the first and the strongest, and the most loyal servant of the Goddess Carva.
He was also the very first person to discover the usage and cultivation of Qi. A knight who wielded Qi in its purest state, unsurpassed by anyone to this day—except for Dame Noel.
“Even in the Holy Kingdom, the Knight of Dawn is highly revered. I doubt there’s anyone on the continent who dislikes him.”
Probably. His achievements truly warranted such a reputation. Even just considering the lore from the game, the legacy left by the Knight of Dawn consisted entirely of heroic deeds worthy of praise.
However, Aiden casually scratched his ear and replied nonchalantly.
“I have one correction to make.”
He spoke calmly.
“This guy isn’t actually that great.”
“…”
For once, Katya’s expression turned utterly bizarre. She looked as if she had never expected to hear an Imperial citizen trash-talk their own idol.
“…Uh, well, really? But he’s still revered as a hero by the Empire, right?”
“They only glorify him because he’s a figure of the past. In truth, there’s nothing special about him.”
“…”
“This is just my personal suspicion, but those achievements of his might have been fabricated to some extent.”
“Uh…”
Ignoring Katya’s bewildered reaction, Aiden silently operated his system window. After going this far, a ‘reaction’ was bound to occur soon.
— Skill Info
◈ Weaver of Fate
⎨Rania A’shan⎬
— Bond: Level 1
— You can copy 1 skill.
He intended to use the skill copy he had obtained from Rania earlier. He copied the pre-selected skill.
[ Copying the skill ‘Spiritual Resonance’! ]
< Copied Skills >
◆ Spiritual Resonance
Those who have touched divinity can see, converse with, and touch entities that others cannot. The sense to perceive spiritual entities is unlocked.
As soon as he copied the skill, subtle energies came into view. In response to his words, a smoke-like substance was slowly rising from the remains of the Knight of Dawn. It was likely visible only to him.
As expected, he was here. The remains were perfectly preserved, and a soul this strong wouldn’t dissipate so easily.
…Necromancy isn’t usually this easy, though.
A confrontation between the living and the dead was, by its nature, against the laws of the world. Normally, it would require summoning an incredibly skilled shaman from the Far East, but under special conditions, even a nobody like Aiden could pull it off.
For instance… if an ‘unbelievably strong human’ hears something they absolutely cannot tolerate, even in death, causing their soul to temporarily return.
The Knight of Dawn was just such a case.
This guy. His achievements were indeed dazzlingly brilliant, but his personality…
“A petty bastard.”
Aiden chuckled. “If you have a problem with that, why don’t you come out and refute it?”
The moment those words left his mouth, the smoke inside the display case began to vibrate violently. Soon, a physical effect manifested in the surroundings.
“…What is this?”
A wind kicked up, surrounding objects shook, and a tingling sensation crawled over their skin, making even Katya look flustered. It was absurd. To cause such a phenomenon through mere presence alone indirectly revealed just how powerful the spirit dwelling within was.
Or, as the game’s players used to call him:
The world’s strongest petty bastard.
Aside from his outstanding abilities, he possessed an extremely narrow-minded personality that absolutely could not tolerate anyone badmouthing him, even in death. In short, his personality was such that he couldn’t just lie there and listen to Aiden’s words without flying into a rage.
[—What did you just say, you punk?!]
…There it is.
The moment he saw the enraged spectral body burst forth from the remains, Aiden let out a silent chuckle.