Chapter 42: Enhancement
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42: Enhancement
First, a quick check on my current status.
— Skill Info
◈ Weaver of Fate
【Noel Astria Seimurs】
— Bond: Level 6
◆ Pure White Heart
◆ Qi Reinforcement: Consecration
…
【Katya Heinkel Craven】
— Obsession: Level 2
◆ First Vow
◆ Holy Body
…
⎨Lionel XIII⎬
— Bond: Level 1
◆ Unique Ability: Imperial Bloodline
⎨Dunadan U’zall⎬
— Bond: Level 1
◆ General-Purpose Ability: Dharmic Power → Savior’s Oath
⎨Rania A’shan⎬
— Bond: Level 1
◆ Spiritual Resonance
⎨Mayer Belford⎬
— Bond: Level 1
◆ Analysis
⎨Abigail III⎬
— Bond: Level 2
— You can copy 2 skills.
⧾ Arden Brimstone Lionel
— Malice: Level 1
— You can imitate 1 skill.
※ This target is ineligible for building a ‘Bond Relationship’. The skill’s effect will differ from the original!
Laying it all out, I had certainly amassed quite a collection.
The most noteworthy, of course, were the latest additions: two skills from the Pope and one from the Prince.
Not bad.
Aiden immediately pulled up another window.
— Quest Info
♠ Main Quest
◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>
— Chapter 1, <Ghost Knight Incident>
…
▶ Subjugation Battle (D-Day!)
◈ Sham Marriage
— You have been chosen as Dame Noel’s spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner until the end!
— A related event will occur soon. (D-Day!)
Considering the rematch against the Lord Protector was just around the corner, I had prepared well.
The moment I opened my eyes and left this Inner Mindscape, I would be thrown straight into the event.
“So,” Aiden shrugged, turning to Mayer. “What did you say was the most effective combination for dealing with spirits?”
“…”
“Just wanted to check if I brought the right things.”
…In truth, he planned to copy whatever Mayer suggested on the spot. It felt a bit like copying from an answer sheet.
Mayer, who had been listening quietly, let out a sigh.
“…You know,” he began.
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you getting a little too used to dying?”
“…”
To be fair, even as they spoke, Aiden’s torso was currently split in half.
“Well, you know. After dying a few times, you just get used to it.”
“Seriously, you…” Mayer’s voice was hollow. “Do you even realize what you’re saying?”
“…?”
Had he said something strange?
Aiden tilted his head. “Isn’t that just how it goes…?”
“It’s definitely not.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ve trained several disciples. Overcoming the aversion to combat or distancing oneself from the fear of death isn’t something that can be explained by mere grit or willpower.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“It feels like your very personality is changing at a fundamental level. Like you’re being… forcibly reconstructed. It’s not a natural phenomenon.”
Mayer stared intently at Aiden for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
“Well, we’ll see. I’ve never encountered anyone like you before. It’s worth analyzing as we go.”
“At least you won’t freeze up in any situation,” Mayer added with another heavy sigh. “Anyway, there’s such a thing as compatibility. Spectral bodies are, after all, weakest against Divine Power. Maximizing your Divine Power output is the top priority.”
“Ah.”
Aiden nodded, scrolling down the Pope’s skill list.
…A lot of these are more trouble than they’re worth.
The Pope’s skill list was undoubtedly a goldmine, but most were either too difficult to use or required too many prerequisite skills—a clear drawback of copying from someone who had reached the pinnacle of strength.
But even so.
He quickly found something that met Mayer’s criteria.
— System Message
▶ Copying [Divine Power Enhancement: Detonation]!
— Skill Info
◆ Divine Power Enhancement: Detonation
Temporarily doubles the output of released Divine Power for a single instance. Has a daily cooldown.
This was perfect.
It was simple, met Mayer’s requirements, and had no usage restrictions. Honestly, doubling one’s output instantly upon activation without any conditions was practically a cheat.
What happens if I combine this with Guardian’s Flame?
Since he already possessed a way to boost his Divine Power, he couldn’t even begin to estimate how powerful the combination would be.
“Secondly,” Mayer spoke again as Aiden indulged in his pleasant thoughts, “Form Manifestation. Even if you have raw power, you can’t just swing it around wildly. It’s crucial to solidify your supernatural ability into a specific ‘form’ first.”
…Ah.
He had seen that before.
Katya could forge her Divine Power into a blade and launch it, while Noel wrapped her Qi around her sword to unleash ranged slashes. He had even copied several of Noel’s skills that formed defensive barriers with Qi.
What Mayer was referring to must be the ‘form’ needed to give his own power a tangible shape.
Perfect.
Conveniently, he had the skill list of an incredible expert in that very field right before his eyes.
There were many words to describe the Prince, but the most prominent was undoubtedly ‘unparalleled genius.’ Of course, Noel, who wielded the unprecedented Pure White Qi, was also called a genius, but the Prince had carved out his own formidable reputation.
He was particularly deserving of that title when it came to ‘technique.’ Not in terms of raw ‘output,’ but in how he ‘manipulated’ it.
— System Message
▶ Imitating [Special Operation: Spiral Cavity].
— Skill Info
◆ Special Operation: Spiral Cavity
Carves supernatural energy into a finely and intricately segmented spiral form. Can penetrate defensive measures to strike the opponent.
★ This skill has an extremely high difficulty of operation. Prerequisites are required.
★ The prerequisite conditions are met through the effect of [Skill: Analysis].
★ A skill copied via ‘Imitation’. Its power is lower than the original!
…It was a skill he normally wouldn’t be able to use, but thanks to Mayer, it seemed he could manage it.
I should thank my senior.
Considering the level of talent the Prince displayed in the original work, Aiden trying to replicate this on his own would have been like reaching for the stars. Although its power was slightly lower than the original, the defense penetration effect was incredibly attractive.
Defense penetration…
No one went into battle without some form of defense. It was a trait that would be useful in any situation, at any time. As far as abilities he could acquire right now, nothing could beat this.
…This should be enough.
After explaining the ‘ingredients’ he had brought, Aiden flashed a broad smile at Mayer.
“Honestly, if you can’t make what I asked for with these, it just means you’re incompetent, senior.”
“…”
“Do you admit it?”
“…”
Mayer narrowed his eyes and snorted at the smug-looking Aiden.
“…Look at you, all excited.”
Despite his words, even Mayer found it hard to find fault with the claim. In his eyes, the ‘abilities’ Aiden had acquired were powerful enough to warrant such pride. If he couldn’t craft what Aiden wanted with two top-tier ‘ingredients’ like these, it would bring shame to his title as the Knight of Dawn.
“But,” Mayer tilted his head slightly, “it’s all well and good to make it, but how do you plan on landing the hit?”
The combination Aiden requested was powerful enough to guarantee victory if it connected. But as Mayer had pointed out, actually landing the hit was the real issue.
“You said last time you had a way. How exactly are you going to do it?”
“…Well,” Aiden scratched his head. “Ultimately, the reason I can’t land a hit is because of the massive gap in our basic skills, right?”
“Right.”
“So I just need to narrow that gap.”
“…And how are you going to do that?”
“Somehow.”
“…”
“I have something in mind.”
Mayer sighed as if giving up, but Aiden merely shrugged.
He really did have a plan. It wasn’t something he could easily explain, and if he did, he’d probably get chewed out for calling such a thing a ‘plan.’ But he was certain the absurd idea would work.
I only need to prove one thing.
He just needed to determine whether the Lord Protector’s spirit had been summoned in a ‘sane state of mind.’ Although very few possessed the divine authority to manipulate spirits to that extent… they weren’t entirely nonexistent. There were indeed those capable of such things.
The main antagonists of this scenario fit that description perfectly. They were, without a doubt, lurking behind this incident.
And I have a good idea of who their lackey is.
He just needed to extract the clues from him. But for now, something else was more important…
“Senior.”
“What?”
“Give me some advice as a senior in life.”
“What is it?”
“How do you comfort your fiancée when she’s extremely anxious?”
“…I’ve never been married, though?”
“…”
“…Does almost getting there count?”
…First the Pope, and now him. Why were there so many unmarried people among these legendary figures?
* * *
During the Harvest Festival, the Empire transformed, overflowing with music and alcohol at every turn.
Of course, even as the entire nation was swept up in a festive mood of drinking, singing, and dancing, the imperial flags and symbols draped across the capital evoked an almost solemn atmosphere. It was a dignity befitting the Empire’s greatest holiday.
In that regard, this place alone felt as gloomy as a different world.
“…”
Aiden carefully studied the expression of Noel, who walked beside him.
Her mood was horrendous. Beyond just being in a bad mood, her face was so pale she looked as if she were suffering from PTSD.
Granted, no one would be happy about facing the Prince and the Administrative Minister for a trial during such a holiday, but her condition seemed far worse than that.
“—I am sorry. I seem to have caused you concern.”
When he asked about her state, Noel managed a smile despite her pale face and explained the reason more readily than he expected.
“It was also during the Harvest Festival that the Magic Kingdom launched its attack.”
Naturally, the day vigilance was at its lowest was during a festival, especially one near the end of a war. They had likely targeted that timing for their assault.
As a natural consequence…
“…Today is also the anniversary of Theresa’s death.”
“…”
…He had once wondered why the Prince and the Administrative Minister had scheduled the event for this day of all days. That single sentence explained everything.
Noel’s struggle to keep her composure was painfully palpable. If the spirit of the Lord Protector actually appeared while she was in this state, she would likely be completely paralyzed.
“Dame Noel.”
To avoid getting dragged along at their pace, there was something he had to do first.
With the entrance to the courtroom in sight, Aiden firmly grabbed Noel’s shoulders.
“Look at me.”
“…Mr. Aiden?”
“Look straight at me.”
As Noel’s flustered eyes locked onto his, Aiden spoke, his words clear and deliberate.
“Do you believe Dame Theresa’s vengeful spirit attacked you because she holds some kind of grudge?”
“…”
“This is important, so please answer me.”
…He hadn’t asked her outright until now, knowing it was a sensitive topic. But with the trial moments away and her in this state, he had to settle this now, whether she got angry or not.
“…”
Noel’s breathing grew heavy. A myriad of emotions flickered through her eyes. Finally, she spoke in a trembling voice.
“It was my mistake.”
“…”
“Theresa took the fall for me. For a wrong decision I made.”
“…”
“So, to save me, Theresa… remained on the battlefield alone—”
Aiden could see the scenes flashing behind her eyes. Screams, hellfire, mountains of corpses, seas of blood—
As Noel’s consciousness threatened to be consumed by those memories, Aiden squeezed her shoulders firmly once more.
“I don’t really care about the details of that.”
“…”
Reason returned to Noel’s eyes, likely because she found his response utterly absurd.
“…Then why did you ask?”
“Because you seem half-convinced that the Lord Protector resents you even in death because of it.”
“…”
“Let me ask you, Dame Noel. Do you think Dame Theresa is the kind of person who would do that?”
“…”
After a long silence, Noel choked out an answer.
“…No, she wouldn’t.”
The Lord Protector. Guardian of the people. The woman who was like the Empire’s sun.
Noel remembered her running through the streets, covered in dirt alongside the children of the slums. She remembered her sacrificing herself for the Empire’s subjects and citizens until the very end.
—Before she was ever called Lionheart.
To the cowardly, slow, crybaby girl she once was.
She remembered the older sister who would always make crooked pinwheels for her and hold her tight.
—I will protect you, Noel.
—And I will protect the country where I was born and raised.
She couldn’t imagine such a person ever pointing a blade at her.
…But.
The doubt still lingered in a corner of her heart. It was her mistake that had caused Theresa’s death. She couldn’t be sure that her sister didn’t resent her for it, even at the very end—
“Then she doesn’t.”
—Yes, she could.
The man in front of her spoke with absolute certainty.
“If you say she wouldn’t, then she wouldn’t.”
“…”
As Noel blinked blankly, Aiden let the words hang in the air.
What exactly happened on this date in the past, on that evening near the end of the war, was none of his business. It wasn’t his place to nitpick who made a mistake on the battlefield or whose fault it was that things went wrong. Noel might have actually made a mistake.
But.
“I believe in you, Dame Noel.”
At the very least, this woman was the most morally upright person Aiden had ever met. Even when she was in danger, she always put civilian lives first. She strove never to harm anyone without cause.
—She would make a huge fuss if Aiden was only slightly hurt, yet she was willing to risk her own life to take responsibility for her actions.
“So, I also believe in the person you believe in.”
Therefore, he also believed in the person who had shaped the Noel Astria Seimurs standing before him today. He trusted the judgment of the woman who Noel herself had decided would never do such a thing.
“The Lord Protector is not that kind of person.”
Yes, Dame Theresa Adelite was absolutely not that kind of person.
—The method to ‘hold down’ the Lord Protector, which he had so confidently boasted about to Mayer, stemmed from this very conviction.
Grinning at the still-blank Noel, Aiden turned around.
“And I’m going to prove it starting now.”
The courtroom where the Prince and the Administrative Minister waited came into view. The smile on his lips turned ferocious. He hadn’t known how to make such a face before, but lately, he felt he had picked up a bit of Katya’s habit.
“Let’s go.”
…Well, a face like this suited him better right now anyway.
“To crush those bastards.”
It was time for revenge.