Chapter 25: The Raid (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 25: The Raid (2)
Katya Heinkel Craven had quite the reputation at military headquarters.
She was a lone wolf, utterly self-centered, and possessed a terrifying level of drive and recklessness. If there was something she wanted, she would shut out the world until she got it. Anyone who stood in her way was shown no mercy.
Above all, she poked her nose into absolutely everything related to the Lionheart’s husband.
It wasn’t that she disliked people, but she didn’t care about them either—a fact her personality made painfully clear.
Therefore, anyone who saw her right now might have suffered a sense of cosmic horror.
Beaming, smiling, and practically skipping down the hallway with a bright grin, Katya’s appearance was so bizarre it defied belief.
“Ah, good morning!”
In fact, one servant who received her greeting even took an involuntary step back.
Normally, the moment your eyes met, she would corner you to pry into every detail about Aiden, arguing, “It should be like this,” or “Shouldn’t it be like that?” For someone like her to behave this way, anyone would have had the same reaction.
“—Hehehe.”
To make matters worse, she was letting out silly giggles that only doubled their fear. Instead of her usual, unsettling smile, she wore an expression of pure, uncontrollable joy.
Clutched tightly in her arms was the hip flask she had recently received from Aiden.
Friend!
In truth, Katya couldn’t help it. What was she supposed to do? Just thinking of that single word made her react like this.
“Hehehehe—”
Letting out another giggle that inflicted metaphysical dread upon all who heard it, Katya walked outside. She didn’t know where she was going; she was just so bursting with energy that she couldn’t stand still for a single moment.
Perhaps that was why her reaction was a fraction slower than usual when something suddenly came flying toward her.
“—!”
An act of violence so extreme it could be called terrorism tore through the peaceful morning in an instant.
Even so, a master is a master. She managed to tilt her head back and dodge it, but preventing the collateral damage was another story. Screams erupted as a massive iron pillar shattered the headquarters’ windows and slammed into the building.
There were four in total—long iron pillars wrapped in distinctive talismans. They flew in one after another, smashing through the structure before embedding themselves in the ground to form a square that enclosed Katya.
A barrier?
Suppression Pillars.
They were artifacts crafted in the Far East, spiritual tools into which shamans had poured their power to control ferocious Mountain Deities. Since they were designed to subdue beasts that could level a mountainside with a single roar, there were few better options for suppressing a target.
…Using something like this on me?
These items were incredibly rare in the Empire, precious even in the distant lands they came from. The person who had obtained them must possess staggering power or influence. It was also strange that they were being used to target her specifically.
By whom, and for what reason?
Before Katya could even organize her thoughts—
—!!
—!!!!!!
The four Suppression Pillars resonated with one another. The talismans wrapping them peeled off and flew toward Katya, clinging to her body and enveloping her completely.
Her Divine Power was being siphoned away. As expected of an artifact designed to drain an opponent’s strength, she could feel her own power weakening in real time.
Then, the talismans and pillars resonated once more, tearing away the surrounding space. The scenery shifted in an instant. They had teleported her, along with the inside of the barrier, somewhere else.
When she blinked, new surroundings came into view. She was in a wide, empty lot. She didn’t know how far she’d been moved from the headquarters, but it was clearly a deserted, secluded spot. They didn’t want any witnesses.
Sure enough, several armed men stood waiting, surrounding her.
“Who are you people?” Katya asked, tilting her head. “Kidnapping me in broad daylight… are you planning to lynch me?”
“…”
“Are you sure you can handle the consequences?”
Instead of an answer, a colorful aura of Qi flared up from the bodies of the men surrounding her.
Katya’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Knights?
The erupting Qi was condensed into three or four distinct colors, which meant they manipulated it with a density unimaginable to ordinary people. Only knights could accumulate this level of Qi cultivation, and these were likely quite skilled, even among their peers. Compared to Noel, who could manifest a single, Pure White Qi, there was a clear difference in class, but a group this size was still a massive threat.
Soon, the entire group of knights lunged at her all at once.
But even so.
Do they really know who they’re picking a fight with?
Katya tilted her head and crossed her fingers, forming the hand seal symbolizing Shea, the Goddess of Purification. Immediately, an immense amount of Divine Power began to flow from her body. Even under the effects of the Suppression Pillars and their talismans, she still had plenty of power left.
Picking a fight with her was beyond reckless.
Born with far too much power, she possessed a flame that even she struggled to control, and it now flared with a destructive aura.
Or rather, it was just about to.
“…”
Just as she was about to unleash her Divine Power, Katya froze, her movements ceasing as if she had just remembered something important.
In that brief moment of hesitation, a slash tore through her body.
“She’s… not resisting?”
Hearing the bewildered voice, Sir Levant frowned beneath his visor. This was indeed baffling. Knowing who their opponent was, they had weakened her twice over and brought several countermeasures, yet she showed almost no will to fight back.
…That bastard said she wouldn’t go down easily.
Recalling the smug face of the Administrative Minister, Sir Levant sighed inwardly.
“…It’s for the best.”
Instead of dwelling on the reason, he steeled his resolve and raised his sword once more.
“You all know the details from the briefing,” he said. A little dirty work would earn them the Imperial Prince’s protection and a chance to humiliate the annoying crowd around the Lionheart.
“She’s not someone who dies easily, so don’t hold back. We brought her here using sorcery; the search party will be late.”
Regardless of her condition, they would do what they came to do.
* * *
Naturally, military headquarters was thrown into unprecedented chaos. An act tantamount to terrorism had occurred in broad daylight. But what compounded the confusion was the question of where Katya had been teleported.
No one could track a person moved by sorcery. It was a power no one had ever wielded.
Except for one person.
Except for the man who had dashed out of the headquarters moments before, shouting, “I’ll find her somehow.”
[Aiden, did you find her?]
“Somehow, yes!”
[—How on earth did you do that?!] Dame Noel replied, her voice filled with shock.
It was a fair reaction, considering he had just done something the elites at headquarters hadn’t even dared to attempt. To be honest, Aiden hadn’t been entirely sure it would work himself.
…Come to think of it!
When Katya first met him, hadn’t it felt like she had sought him out, “knowing” he was there? She had even seen right through his disguise. Wondering if she had a related ability, he had checked his skill window and hit the jackpot.
— System Message
▶ Copied “Divine Power Operation: Resonance”.
— Skill Info
◆ Divine Power Operation: Resonance
Those with Divine Power can sensitively perceive each other’s presence. Easily track the target’s location!
Fortunately, he had two of Katya’s Skill Copy Tickets. Using one in an emergency like this didn’t feel like a waste at all.
“I’ll send you the coordinates, so send reinforcements right away! I’m going ahead!”
[Wait, Aiden! Going alone is danger—]
Before she could finish, Aiden was already dashing toward the source of Divine Power he now felt.
It didn’t take long to find them. The air was thick with the aftermath of explosions, displaced pressure, and afterimages of Qi. Several knights were relentlessly pouring attacks onto a single person trapped in the center.
“—The search party? Already—” one of them muttered, pointing a sword at Aiden as Qi condensed at its tip.
Another knight hastily grabbed his wrist. “—That’s the Lionheart’s husband! If we hit him, we won’t be able to clean up this mess!”
“…Tsk!”
While they all hesitated, Aiden didn’t. He bypassed them and ran straight to Katya. The hostility radiating from a group of knights this large was immense, but Aiden acted as if they didn’t even exist.
“Katya, are you al—”
Aiden’s words cut off.
Katya was in a terrible state. She was curled up on the ground, clutching something between her knees. Her clothes were in tatters, and horrific cuts and deep bruises covered her body. How long had she been taking these hits? Her body hadn’t even begun to regenerate, leaving the wounds raw and exposed.
“Why…” Aiden took off his coat, wrapped it around her, and grit his teeth. “Why did you just stand there and take this? You could have defended yourself.”
“It’s nothing,” she whispered, her voice barely scraping the ground. “You know me. It doesn’t even hurt.”
“That’s not the point—!”
“Because you told me not to fight.”
…Aiden froze. Katya was absolutely not the type to just stand there and take a beating.
—Don’t go around picking fights for no reason. And try not to hurt others if you can help it.
If she hadn’t remembered his recent request, she would have fought back. His mind raced. If these were knights of an official order, they were key assets to the Empire, both politically and militarily. If a group this large suffered a “mishap” at her hands, it could become a serious problem for him.
And so, though she was more than capable of overpowering them, she had just stood there and taken the beating.
“…”
As he struggled for words, his hand brushed against her while he adjusted the coat. Katya flinched as if from a jolt of electricity, curling up even tighter and trying to hide her torso.
“Are you hurt? Let me see.”
“W-Wait, th-this—”
Her voice was uncharacteristically flustered, but Aiden pulled her arms back regardless.
And there, inside her grasp… the object she had clutched so tightly caught his eye.
The hip flask.
The item he had given her not long ago, calling it a “token of friendship.” Despite how desperately she had tried to protect it, she had failed. It was battered and broken in two.
“…”
As Aiden stood speechless, Katya spoke in a faintly trembling voice.
“—Are we…”
Only then did he truly look at her face. She was trying her best to wear her usual smile, but the edges of her mouth trembled with an anxiety so thick he could feel it.
“…still friends?”
“—”
“I… I couldn’t protect it any better than this…”
Because of that. Was that why she hadn’t run? Was that why she had just stood here, taking every blow? Because she was afraid the flask would get more damaged. Because she was terrified that if the “token” broke, they wouldn’t be friends anymore.
“—”
Aiden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady.
“Yes. Of course.”
“…Really?”
“So, could you wait just a moment?”
He turned his gaze to the surrounding knights, who were still holding their swords ready.
“—As your friend, I need to go collect some compensation from these bad guys.”
And then, his supernatural ability erupted from his body.