Chapter 28: Omens (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: Omens (2)
…Surprisingly, Dame Stella agreed quite readily.
After hearing the details, she reasoned that since he was Dame Noel’s husband—in a contractual sense, at least—assisting him was part of her duty.
Of course, that was only after she heard the details.
After all, no matter how bizarre one’s tastes, no one planning a romantic evening would be leaping across rooftops while carrying a mountain of supplies.
“…Please stop scaring me like that,” Dame Stella said, looking slightly faint. “You really need to learn how to speak without causing misunderstandings. You gave me quite a fright.”
“…”
In truth, Aiden was the one who was truly terrified, currently flying across the rooftops while being held by the scruff of his neck.
Carrying a grown man under one arm like a piece of luggage and clearing several buildings with a single jump—she was the very definition of a superhuman.
Her physical abilities are on another level…!
Having clashed with knights directly not long ago, he was now appreciating in real-time just how clearly defined the “tiers” were, even among them.
Of course, she was likely weaker than Noel, who could draw upon her Pure White Qi, but Stella was doing all this without using any particular ability. It was painfully obvious she hadn’t secured her position as the Lionheart’s lieutenant for nothing.
Thanks to her, a task that would have taken Aiden days of sleepless nights was being completed with ease.
“Yes, please put one there as well.”
At Aiden’s direction, Stella pouted and drove another stake deep into a rooftop.
This was the rhythm they’d fallen into: leaping across buildings he pointed out using nothing but her raw physical strength, then driving mysterious “stakes” into them.
“Mr. Aiden,” Stella asked, tilting her head. “What is the point of all this? We finished quickly, but still.”
“There is a point.”
They weren’t just ordinary stakes.
— System Log
▶ Bestowing ‘Divine Power’ upon the target ‘Wooden Stake’.
Even while getting hacked to pieces by Mayer every night to learn how to fight, he had somehow managed to keep making these things during the day whenever he had a spare moment.
Since they weren’t complex like firearms, embedding a single ability wasn’t too difficult, but the sheer quantity required was staggering. It was enough that even Noel had been horrified when she saw the pile, asking if he was planning to hunt a legion of vampires.
— System Log
▶ Using ‘Weaver of Fate’ on target ‘Katya’.
▶ Copying skill ‘Divine Power Operation: Delayed Release’.
And he also had the key skill needed to operate them all. It was an ability that would make the supernatural power embedded inside them activate exactly when he wanted it to.
Combined with the Divine Power he had already bestowed upon the stakes, a rather… interesting application became possible.
Of course, this alone wouldn’t be enough to completely block Chapter 1. The core of his plan still revolved around the three copy tickets he had left with Noel, and one more from the Imperial Prince that could “imitate” abilities, even if its performance was inferior.
How he utilized these would determine whether he survived the upcoming incident.
As he was lost in thought, Dame Stella, standing with her arms crossed, lobbed another disgruntled question his way.
“…I don’t know what you’re planning, but if it’s a task like this, Her Highness Katya or the others could have helped. Why me, of all people?”
“Because there’s something I can’t ask them.”
“Ask them what?”
“What exactly happened between Dame Noel and the Lord Protector.”
Dame Stella froze.
“…That’s a private matter. I don’t think it’s right for you to ask me about it.”
“The Imperial Prince is trying to use it to pressure Dame Noel. It feels like his grudge is more than just personal.”
As Stella remained stubbornly silent, Aiden continued calmly, “Please trust me, Dame Stella. I’m asking because I want to help Dame Noel, too.”
“…For someone roped into a sham marriage, you’re certainly working hard.”
“Is it a bad thing to work hard?”
“There is nothing more suspicious than goodwill without a clear motive.”
Fortunately, he had a very clear motive.
“I dislike the Imperial Prince.”
That feeling had solidified ever since the prince made a move on Katya just to make things difficult for him. Aiden tended to hold long grudges against that sort of behavior.
“I won’t be satisfied until I’ve ruined everything he tries to do. That’s why I need to know what he’s using as blackmail.”
“…”
“And I hate it even more when a guy I despise makes a move on Dame Noel.”
“…”
“It’s an eyesore, watching a guy with a pretty face run around scheming in the shadows.”
At his last remark, Dame Stella couldn’t hold back a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.
“…If you get caught saying that, you’ll be hanged, Mr. Aiden.”
“Oh? Are you going to report me?”
“No. I also dislike anyone who acts that way toward Dame Noel.”
After they shared a brief, mischievous smile—the kind reserved for co-conspirators—Stella’s voice became flat and serious.
“Near the end of the Alliance War… there was a battle where the Empire was at a catastrophic disadvantage. Are you aware of it?”
“Vaguely.”
He’d heard the rumors. The nation that had clashed most fiercely with the Empire was the Magic Kingdom of Grievers, and the final battle near the imperial border was no exception. He’d heard that Grievers had dispatched a special task force to pierce straight through the Empire’s heartlands, a last-ditch effort to turn the tide of the war. It was a perfect checkmate, and the Empire’s defenses were said to have been meager.
If that operation had succeeded, the Empire would have been engulfed in flames.
The Lionheart—Noel—became famous around that time. The hero who saved the Empire from the brink of destruction. Gathering a mere handful of defenders, she had supposedly crushed the elite task force that the Magic Kingdom had assembled with all its might.
“…It’s not widely known, but among those who deployed with Dame Noel back then were two notable individuals. One was the Imperial Prince, and the other was—”
Dame Theresa Adelite.
Commonly known as the Lord Protector. An elder of the Knights. The very person who had first recruited Noel into the Imperial Military.
“They were the ones who stood at the vanguard of that battle. Two of them returned. One did not.”
“That is all I know,” Stella said.
“…”
“Only Dame Noel and the Imperial Prince know exactly what happened that day. However, what is known…” Stella paused, choosing her words carefully before continuing in a displeased tone, “…is a rumor that Dame Theresa sacrificed herself to ‘save’ Dame Noel after she made a mistake during the battle.”
“…”
“I’ve heard some of the others who were in that battle say as much, but no one knows the truth.”
“…I see.”
Aiden replied with a slight frown. Even without the full details, the outline answered many of his questions. He knew the Lord Protector was a precious, almost mother-like figure to both the Imperial Prince and Noel. If the rumors were true, it was understandable why he hated her so much.
But there was something strange…
…Why would he propose to someone he hates so much?
Proposing marriage to someone you despise made no sense. He had even gone so far as to demand Aiden break off his engagement just so he could take his place. It didn’t add up. This felt less like personal revenge and more like he had an entirely different objective.
…I’ll have to dig a bit deeper into that.
With that thought, Aiden tapped Stella on the shoulder.
“Shall we head back now?”
Tomorrow was an important day. He needed a good night’s sleep to conserve his strength. Ideally, he’d secure a good vantage point so he could react as quickly as possible when things went down.
Though it’s not like my location will change what’s coming.
As the name of Act 1 suggested, the Imperial Capital Rift would occur on a scale that no one in the city could possibly miss. Even if it started small, there was no way he wouldn’t notice the incident begin, no matter where he was.
As he was thinking this, a message popped up before his eyes.
— System Message
▶ Quest information has been updated!
— Quest Info
◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>
▶ Chapter 1 will begin soon!
▶ The related event will begin shortly. (D-Day!)
◈ Sham Marriage
▶ You have been chosen as Dame Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with her until the end!
▶ The related event will occur shortly. (D-Day!)
…An update?
He wondered why it was popping up now, then realized the date was about to change. Well, I guess it’s about time for an update then, he thought lightly.
– …
– …!
– …!!
Suddenly, without any warning, a terribly eerie energy began to whip around them.
Aiden wasn’t the only one who felt it. Dame Stella, who had been preparing to tuck him under her arm again, flinched and looked up at the sky.
“…What in the world is…?”
An unsettling, black energy surged all around them before swirling together and soaring into the heavens. In that direction, a “rift” became clearly visible, even from this distance.
Like a tear in a sheet of paper, a hairline crack appeared in the scenery itself, warping the space around it.
Then, the spatial distortion, which had started as a mere crack, finally split open into a massive, jagged fissure.
Ah.
Aiden sighed inwardly. He recognized this scene all too well.
This. This was the event that marked the beginning of Act 1: the “Ghost Knight Incident.”
You heartless bastards…! he cursed inwardly. Couldn’t you at least give me some time to rest…!
“…You had better hold on tight, Mr. Aiden.”
Seeing the rift, Stella’s face hardened. She wrapped her arms securely around him, and Aiden felt his status upgrade from a piece of luggage to precious, fragile cargo.
“First, I will take you to a safe place at full speed. After that, we must call for backup—”
She never got to finish her sentence.
“Mr. Aiden—!”
In an emergency like this, there was someone who would worry about his safety even more than Stella.
Barely any time had passed since the vortex erupted, but Dame Noel’s voice, having somehow found them, echoed from a distance. A moment later, she landed before them like a meteor.
“Are you safe?! A strange thing suddenly appeared—”
Noel, rushing to speak, suddenly clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes had landed on Aiden and Stella, who were still clinging to each other like a baby bird snuggled against its mother.
“…”
“…”
“…”
The three of them shared a truly awkward silence. It dragged on for a very, very long time.
“…Mr. Aiden.”
Noel barely managed to find her voice, breaking the tension. The smile she always wore was plastered on her face, but she seemed to be trying her best not to let the atmosphere turn hostile.
“…The two of you are in a rather strange position, but I suppose now is not the time to worry about such things.”
“…Right?”
“So, I will only ask briefly.”
So asking later isn’t an option, huh? No matter how urgent the situation, she absolutely has to address this right now…
Looking closely, he saw that while her lips were smiling, her eyes were not.
“What were you doing with Stella?”
“…Just taking a walk.”
“At this hour?”
“…”
“Just the two of you?”
“…”
“How peculiar.”
“…I have done absolutely nothing that would make me feel guilty toward you, Dame Noel.”
“Is that so?”
Her voice was as soft as ever, but Aiden could practically hear the subtext. Oh, really?
“Even if you did, it is not my place to interfere. After all… we are only married by ‘contract,’ aren’t we?”
“…Dame Noel?”
“Yes, that is how it is. We are not in a relationship where we share truly deep feelings. Right…”
Aiden’s eyes drifted to Noel’s hand, which was now stroking the scabbard of her sword as she spoke. It was probably just a habit, but for some reason, it made his blood run cold.
“…And you said you liked me.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing,” Noel snapped, cutting off his question. She furrowed her brow and turned her gaze forward, that chilly smile still fixed on her lips.
“…Shall we deal with that first?”
As she spoke, Noel’s gaze landed on the rift, which had now grown large enough for anyone in the Imperial Capital to see.
“…”
For some reason… she looked like she was planning to go over there and take all her anger out on it.