Chapter 49: Fall (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Fall (2)
Entering the bedchamber of the Emperor was, naturally, no easy feat. Especially in the dead of night, the number of individuals permitted entry was exceedingly small. At best, it would be his personal guards, thoroughly vetted handmaidens, or members of the immediate imperial family.
Yet, that did not mean there was no one outside those categories who could walk in.
There was, however, likely only one person on the continent who could kick the door open with a liquor bottle tucked under her arm, demanding a drinking companion.
“…Why on earth did I do that?” Noel muttered, her face flushed red with alcohol.
She shared an exceptionally close bond with the Emperor—so close, in fact, that Aiden had once been left utterly flabbergasted upon witnessing it.
Just how close were they?
“If you’re going to throw a drunken fit, go wash your feet and go to sleep. Before I break your nose and knock you out cold.”
…Close enough that when a grown woman barged into a man’s bedchamber carrying alcohol—a situation fraught with tension on paper alone—this was the exact response she received.
“It just doesn’t make sense. It’s not like Aiden said anything strange,” Noel repeated, ignoring the threat as she emptied another glass.
…Why did I do that?
Honestly, even she found her own behavior bizarre. Why had she fled so pathetically just because Aiden suggested setting a wedding date? She was the one who had dragged him into this by proposing marriage in the first place, yet when he asked for something completely natural, she had hesitated and run away.
“…”
Watching her with an expression of pure pity, the Emperor wiped a hand down his face. The reason for their intimacy was the countless years they had spent roaming bloody battlefields together—so long they could barely keep track. When two people stick together for that long, they inevitably come to know every nook and cranny of each other’s lives, like family.
“Noel. Listen to me carefully, and don’t twist my words. I’m telling you the pure, unadulterated truth without an ounce of bias or distortion.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“…”
“A one-of-a-kind, peerless fool. I swear, watching you is going to give me an ulcer.”
“…”
“Why don’t you just take out an advertisement and announce to the entire world that you’ve reached this age without ever dating anyone? What in the world are you doing?”
…It was precisely because of their history that such biting insults could be traded so freely.
While Noel grimaced, the Emperor let out a sigh and continued. “You and that Aiden fellow were only supposed to have a sham marriage, right?”
“…Right.”
“A sham marriage means two people who don’t have feelings for each other simply pretend to be married out of necessity. Right?”
“…Right?”
“Think about it. That guy even lifted the heaviest burden on your conscience. He told you he liked you. And from the way you’re rambling right now, it’s pretty damn obvious you don’t just find him ‘agreeable.’”
“…Right?”
At her completely flat, clueless response, the Emperor’s fingers twitched. He was visibly fighting the urge to grab the liquor bottle and bash it over her head.
“How can I lay it out this clearly and you still don’t get it?”
“Pardon?”
“You hate the idea of a sham marriage! Because you like this Aiden guy! Because you don’t want to treat someone who cares about you that much like some business arrangement!”
“…I’ve always thought Aiden was a wonderful person, though?”
The Emperor reversed his grip on the bottle and swung it down in a sharp arc. It was a strike worthy of his title as the Lion King, but what was truly exasperating was how Noel, despite being flushed with drink, effortlessly dodged it.
Panting in frustration, the Emperor barely managed to force his words out. “Not that kind of ‘fondness,’ you blockhead! I mean you genuinely have feelings for him!”
“Pardon?”
“The way I see it, you’re freaking out because you’re actually taking the idea of marrying him seriously.”
“…”
“A marriage with an ulterior motive means you part ways the moment that purpose is fulfilled. And you can’t stand the thought of that.”
Noel’s face went completely blank.
“You don’t want a sham marriage—you want him as your real husband! That’s why your instincts are rejecting a fake wedding. Do you understand now?!”
“…Uh.”
Uh.
“Uh…?”
Noel sank deep into thought.
“Please, for the love of God. I’m going to get beaten half to death with paperwork by the Prime Minister tomorrow. I need to sleep! I always knew the Aslan Grand Ducal House was a dysfunctional mess deserving of being torn apart, but lately, their bullshit has been especially bad—”
She was so lost in thought that the Emperor’s endless venting went in one ear and right out the other.
And then.
“—!”
A spark of realization flashed across Noel’s face.
“So what you’re saying is—”
Seeing Noel stumble over her words, the Emperor offered a benevolent smile.
Now that she finally gets it, she’ll get the hell out.
…That was the sole intention behind his smile, but…
“You’re saying that I genuinely love Aiden?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
After a brief silence, Noel spoke in a daze. “Is that why all of that happened?”
“…Why what happened?”
“I thought it was strange. Lately, whenever I see Aiden, my head pounds, my chest aches like something is pressing down on it, my throat tightens, and whenever I stand before him, I make such a complete fool of—”
“…Get out. Let me sleep.”
Instead of telling her to her face that she was making a complete fool of herself right that second, the Emperor buried his face in his hands and issued an eviction notice.
Fortunately, she seemed willing to heed his command. Clutching her bottle, Noel stumbled toward the doorway.
Only after watching her walk out did the Emperor breathe a sigh of relief and lie back down—
“Your Majesty, then how should I act around Aiden from now on—?”
“GET THE FUCK OUT—!”
* * *
They say humans are creatures of adaptation. In other words…
— System Message
▶ Affinity with ‘Noel Astria Seimurs’ has increased.
▶ The ‘Extreme Love’ bond level has increased from Level 1 to Level 2.
▶ You can copy 1 additional skill!
…even when something like this popped up out of nowhere, without context or reason, Aiden could now simply nod along without batting an eye.
I don’t know what happened, but it seems Dame Noel went through something again. And apparently, she likes me even more now…
“…”
Though, I probably shouldn’t be thinking like this.
A sense of caution tugged at him. Was it really all right to treat a person’s emotions so mechanically?
…It’s not that I don’t like Dame Noel.
It would be difficult for anyone to dislike someone so upright, someone who stood by his side without the slightest hesitation. However, Aiden knew all too well that he was in no position to fully return those feelings. Saddled as he was with the duty of saving the world, expecting to conveniently date someone and build a happy future was absurd.
“…”
Aiden sighed and closed his eyes.
He knew his circumstances left him no choice. In the end, he was in a position where he had to calculate human emotions as numbers. He knew it. It couldn’t be helped.
Even knowing all that… it didn’t stop him from feeling like absolute trash.
I’ll have to give her a proper answer eventually.
He was well aware of that much. It was basic decency.
For now, however, Aiden was walking on thin ice. Hadn’t he nearly died from a single blow during the battle against the Lord Protector? In a situation where the slightest misstep meant death, growing stronger and figuring out how to survive had to take priority over dwelling on romance.
Right now, his immediate priority was preparing for Chapter 2, ‘Night of the Hunt.’
If there was any silver lining, it was that he had reaped a rather substantial harvest on that front.
— Skill Info
◆ Savior’s Oath
※ Unique – Only this character possesses this skill!
Restriction 1: Save the world
Restriction 2: Protect the citizens of the Empire – Protect the powerless
The one and only oath offered to the Goddess of Ascension Urgan. Power increases significantly when performing actions related to the sworn oaths.
★ An additional Restriction has been granted. The efficiency of abilities will increase exponentially when upholding this Restriction.
The Restriction chosen when making the promise with Dame Theresa would be of immense help moving forward through Act 1. After all, virtually every action he took would align with it.
And that wasn’t the only thing he had gained.
Come to think of it…
Earning Dame Theresa’s favor had unlocked something called the Point Shop. Sure enough, manipulating the system window revealed a new tab that hadn’t been there before.
<Point Shop>
▶ In the Point Shop, you may spend accumulated Points to purchase potions.
▶ Purchases are limited to once per day, and items must be used quickly. Item effects are determined at random.
▶ In exchange for randomized effects, items possess exceptionally potent effects. Please use with caution!
“…Oh.”
Reading through the description, Aiden nodded in admiration. Though it came with various restrictions, the phrase ‘effects are exceptionally potent’ was immediately appealing. Whatever happened, it wouldn’t give him anything harmful.
Scanning the wares in the Point Shop, Aiden stroked his chin.
The narrower the effect’s category, the more Points it consumes.
While it offered all sorts of potions—like ‘Physical-related’ or ‘Supernatural Ability-related’—the Point cost spiked dramatically as the categories became more specific. With the Points he currently had, he could only afford a single, lowest-tier ‘Completely Random Potion.’
…Should I test it out?
Deciding there was no harm, Aiden tapped the screen and purchased it. There would be plenty of opportunities to earn Points in the future, so he needed to get a feel for how these things worked first.
Upon purchasing the potion, particles of light gathered before his eyes, coalescing into a vial about half the size of his palm. As he gazed at the sloshing, colorless, odorless liquid, a window popped up.
— Item Info
[Lowest-Tier Random Potion] [Low Grade]
[Its effects remain unknown until consumed. What could it possibly do?]
▶ Upon consumption, grants a random beneficial effect.
…Well. Presented like this, drinking it himself felt rather unsettling.
“Ah, Aiden.”
As he frowned down at the vial, a voice called out to him. It was Noel, opening the office door as she arrived for work.
She looks pretty normal today.
Aiden felt a wave of relief. Noel’s behavior had been rather strange lately. Whenever they were left alone, she would engage in all kinds of bizarre antics, like claiming she was too embarrassed to look at him and talking to the ceiling, or insisting his voice made it impossible to stay calm before rushing outside for fresh air.
Compared to that, she seemed remarkably composed right now.
Taking her seat, Noel quietly stared at Aiden. Then, she began thumping her chest with her fist. After a few light taps, that apparently wasn’t enough, because she started thumping it with audible thuds. Thud. Thud.
“…What are you doing?”
“Calming it down.”
“…”
“…It’s being a bit loud.”
“…”
…Good grief. He had heard that since her bond shifted to Extreme Love, she couldn’t act rationally when she saw him, but lately her thought processes felt like they were drifting into the fourth dimension.
“Anyway, what is it? You seemed to be staring intently at that vial.”
“Ah. I wanted to test its effects, but it looks a bit suspicious…”
Hearing this, Noel smiled and held out her hand. “Then I shall drink it. Would you hand it to me?”
“…Pardon?”
“Humble as I may be, I am counted among the Empire’s finest knights. I possess a natural resistance to drugs and poisons. As long as it isn’t some lethal venom, anything is fine.”
Well, it certainly wasn’t a lethal poison. The description explicitly stated it granted a beneficial effect.
“Still, if you have drug resistance, wouldn’t that block the beneficial effects as well?”
“That is true, but I will still be able to keenly sense what changes within me. I thought it might be of help.”
If she insisted, it should be fine. Even if it had some subtly negative effect, breaking through the resistance of a knight as stalwart as Noel wouldn’t be easy.
Taking the vial Aiden handed over, Noel downed it in a single gulp. After checking her condition for a moment, she tilted her head.
“Hmm. I don’t feel much of a difference…”
In truth, that was only natural.
— System Message
▶ Target’s ‘Courage’ and ‘Honesty’ have increased!
▶ Target’s ‘Self-Control’ has weakened!
Even Aiden was bewildered by the attributes that were increasing.
Courage? Honesty? So stats like these can increase too…
He skimmed the window with a dubious look. Well, it was good to know that such ambiguous traits could be altered. It also made him realize that if he wanted to get specific, desired effects, he would need to hoard a mountain of Points.
Besides, since it was only lowest-tier, it surely wouldn’t have much of an impact on someone like Noel—
— System Message
▶ The item ‘Lowest-Tier Random Potion’ takes effect on ‘Lionheart.’
▶ The potion’s potency exceeds the target’s drug resistance. The effects are manifesting.
“…”
A lowest-tier potion that punched straight through Lionheart’s resistance? It was undeniably incredible. The description stating the effects were potent hadn’t been an exaggeration.
While Aiden was mulling over that thought, Noel’s lips twitched. “Ah, I do feel a change after all.”
“Oh, really?”
“…It feels like my lips have gotten rather loose.”
Hmm. Noel touched a finger to her cheek in contemplation. Well, her ‘Courage’ and ‘Honesty’ had been boosted. Noel was a person with emotions and thoughts of her own; strictly adhering to manners and moral standards at all times was bound to leave things pent up inside. A combination of boosted courage and honesty was practically guaranteed to let those words slip out.
“If I don’t stay on guard, I might just blurt out anything. For instance, just how much I like you, Aiden—”
Mid-sentence, Noel clamped her mouth shut with an audible snap. It was as if she had barely managed to intercept the words escaping past her broken self-control. She squeezed her eyes shut, looking as though a sudden wave of dizziness had washed over her.
“…”
“…”
An excruciatingly awkward silence stretched between them. It was a truly hellish quiet.
“Would you like a cup of tea?”
…The only thing Aiden could do was pretend he hadn’t heard a thing.
“…Thank you,” Noel answered, turning her gaze down to the desk. Even from under the brim of her deeply pulled hat, the blush burning all the way to the tips of her ears was plain as day.
Wait a second.
As he trickled hot water into the teapot, a chill ran down Aiden’s spine.
Is she going to stay like this all day?
…Somehow, he was beginning to get a terribly bad feeling about this.