Chapter 5: The Second
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: The Second
To Stella, Aiden Kellermain was the man who had been dumping heavy workloads on her all day.
It was mostly a byproduct of her beloved Dame Noel constantly paying attention to him, but regardless, it wasn’t a pleasant situation for Stella.
“…Mr. Aiden.”
Given all that, he really didn’t need to dump such a massive headache on her as well.
“What on earth is this?” Stella asked, her expression utterly dumbfounded.
Right in front of her, Prince Daniel lay beaten to a pulp, wheezing for breath. He was conscious, but clearly in no state to utter a single word.
Yet the culprit who had reduced the prince to this state merely shrugged.
“Would you believe me if I said there was a perfectly good reason for this?”
“It had better be a reason that justifies severely injuring royalty,” Stella replied, her voice stiffening.
No matter if he was practically in exile, he was still a member of the royal family. This was more than enough to spark an international conflict.
“And we will have to clearly prove his fault. The power of royalty is—”
However, the words that came out of Aiden’s mouth were completely out of left field.
“Do we really need to prove it?”
“…Pardon?”
As Stella stared back blankly, Aiden calmly continued.
“Even royalty gets excommunicated if they commit a crime beyond a certain threshold, right?”
“…That is true, but why bring that up so suddenly?”
“Not long ago, there was a kidnapping case involving Viscount Cromwell’s daughter in the Imperial Capital, wasn’t there?”
“…”
“It caused quite a stir. That young, beautiful daughter of a viscount, kidnapped and gone missing.”
Stella’s expression hardened to a degree incomparable to before.
Not only did the conversation make absolutely no sense, but Prince Daniel’s reaction upon hearing it was far too strange. Despite his severe injuries and inability to speak properly, the man flinched violently as if struck by lightning.
It was as if… his darkest secret had been pierced in an instant, an evil deed he never imagined would be exposed.
“If the culprit happens to be right here, things would get pretty interesting, wouldn’t you agree?”
“…”
No way. Surely, it couldn’t be.
For a royal to harm a noble of the very country they were exiled to… If true, it was a felony grave enough to warrant excommunication from the royal family.
“Do you have proof?”
“I don’t have proof, but we have the means to determine the truth right here.”
“…Pardon?”
“Just being able to tell whether he’s lying or not would be proof enough, wouldn’t it?”
Stella’s eyes narrowed.
To be sure, such a device did exist. But it was also certain that this was not something the man in front of her should know about so casually.
“Private,” Stella spoke calmly to a nearby soldier, her eyes still narrowed. “Go to the magic tool research lab on the first floor and bring a certain item. If you say ‘detector,’ they’ll know what it is.”
“Understood!”
The soldier’s response was slightly drawn out, likely because he, too, instinctively sensed it. Things were taking a highly unusual turn.
And that wasn’t a mistaken impression.
It didn’t take long for Prince Daniel’s babbling excuses of “I would never do such a thing” to be thoroughly exposed by the ‘Lie Detector’ currently under secret development by the Imperial Military.
“…This is driving me absolutely insane,” Stella couldn’t help but groan.
She did so for two reasons.
First, this rapid-fire succession of events was a massive incident, one that would undoubtedly reach the Imperial Palace.
And second, because of that, working overtime all night was now a certainty.
* * *
The subsequent investigation proceeded at breakneck speed.
A thorough search of Prince Daniel’s quarters and the places he frequented turned up the clothing and personal belongings of Viscount Cromwell’s daughter, along with evidence of his attempts to cover up his deeds and traces of various other miscellaneous crimes.
“…That is all,” Stella said, finishing her report.
Across from her, Noel massaged her temples. “What did the Holy Kingdom say?”
“They expressed their gratitude.”
“…What?”
“They said they are grateful to us for cleanly getting rid of an outcast they were forced to keep as royalty due to their internal laws. They even said if Mr. Aiden ever visits the Holy Kingdom, they will treat him with the utmost hospitality.”
“…”
The Pope, the leader of the Holy Kingdom—especially the current Pope—was famous for being the biggest eccentric in history. This response alone proved her reputation was well-deserved.
“Actually, there is someone even more concerning than the Pope.”
“Who?”
“‘Deathwish’ is showing interest in Mr. Aiden.”
“…”
“She sent a friendly hint suggesting they have a meal together sometime. It’s just like her—an ambitious woman who acts without hesitation to recruit anyone she takes a liking to.”
Noel ran a hand through her hair, looking exhausted.
“Deathwish, you say.”
“Yes.”
“You mean the Second Princess of the Holy Kingdom? That power-hungry megalomaniac who’s just waiting for a chance to seize the Pope’s throne, even if it means killing her own brother?”
“Yes.”
“The woman who is said to be a cut above the current Pope when it comes to wielding Divine Power.”
“…Yes.”
For such information to arrive not even a day—barely a few hours—after the incident was a clear sign of what was to come. As the saying goes, rumors have wings. Today’s events would already be spreading like wildfire among the ambitious who scraped up every piece of information they could find.
“I don’t understand why she’s so interested in Mr. Aiden. Seriously, he’s just an ordinary con artist.”
Ordinary?
While Stella’s eyebrows furrowed, Noel calmly continued.
“He pulverized a royal of the Holy Kingdom who wields high-purity Divine Power with a single blow, immediately exposed the crimes he was hiding, and casually suggested using a classified item that no one outside the Imperial Capital Command should know about—all while being a man who has never set foot in the military.”
“…Yes.”
“And then, just as he said, actual evidence turned up.”
“…”
“It’s no big deal. I don’t know why everyone is making such a fuss. Right?”
“…”
Seeing Noel speak in a half-resigned tone, Stella quietly held her tongue. Even from her perspective as the one reporting, it was a succession of events so mysterious it took her breath away.
If all of this was pulled off in less than a day by a single man claiming to be an ordinary con artist… well.
“Um, Dame Noel. Forgive me for asking, but…”
“Yes?”
“Where on earth did you find a man like this, and how did you bring him here?”
“…Honestly, I don’t know either. Was he always this capable?”
Indeed, at this point, his actions were far too detached from the background he claimed to have. It was enough to make Stella completely swallow her initial doubts about why Noel had brought ‘such a man’ of all people.
The problem was that even Noel, the one who had brought him, was deeply flustered by the current situation.
How?
It went without saying, but if someone of royal status was determined to cover up a crime, exposing them was like trying to thread a needle in the dark. It was even harder for a crime so filthy and repulsive that the culprit would have gone to desperate lengths to leave no trace.
On top of that, the sheer absurdity of him knowing about an item currently being tested by the military was even greater. At this point, it was like trying to fit an elephant through the eye of a needle. She knew the military’s notorious security protocols better than anyone. The fact that nothing labeled classified had ever been leaked was a testament to their paranoid nature.
And yet… he knew. That man, Aiden.
…How?
No other question could cross her mind. What does he know, and how much? Just how far does his knowledge go?
The more she thought about it, the faster her confusion spiraled.
Just what is this man’s identity? Where on earth did he come from…
“Dame Noel.”
As Noel’s thoughts spiraled, Stella suddenly spoke up, seeming uncharacteristically hesitant. Her hesitation lingered until Noel looked at her with a questioning gaze.
“There is one more thing that remains a mystery.”
“A mystery?”
“How did those two end up fighting in the first place? Do you happen to know, Dame Noel?”
“Roughly. Didn’t the prince pick a fight first?”
According to Sir Lester, who was at the scene, Prince Daniel had started it because he disliked the ‘Groom of the Lionheart,’ and Aiden had simply retaliated. While Lester had explained the situation as dryly as possible, it could easily be summarized like this:
“They say Mr. Aiden flew into a rage after being insulted that he wasn’t worthy of being your groom.”
“…”
“I see him in a slightly different light now. He does have a manly side to him, doesn’t he?”
…Words can be spun in many ways.
The moment she heard that report, the corners of Noel’s mouth twitched strangely.
“Did he really like me that much?”
“While there isn’t a soul on this planet who would dislike you, Dame Noel, it is indeed puzzling. It’s so different from the attitude he showed at first.”
“It is strange. It’s not as if we knew each other from before—”
Noel stopped mid-sentence. The words she had heard not too long ago flashed through her mind.
“It seems you don’t remember the past? Like when we were young.”
“No, it’s nothing. I just didn’t expect you to have truly forgotten.”
He had said those words. A certain man.
“Dame Noel? Are you alright?”
At Stella’s concerned inquiry, Noel snapped out of her thoughts. Then, she gently closed her eyes.
“No.” A bitter smile played on her lips as she murmured, “We might… have known each other.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.” After a brief silence, Dame Noel opened her eyes and spoke. “Stella.”
“Yes.”
“Contact the Central Intelligence Department.”
Stella’s eyes widened. The Central Intelligence Department was the most notorious of all the Empire’s intelligence agencies. It was widely believed that if they set their minds to it, they could dig up even the Emperor’s most closely guarded secrets. Contacting them was a burden even for the Lionheart family, reserved for only the most serious matters.
“…Should I request a detailed background check on Mr. Aiden?” But surprise aside, as someone who had worked with Noel for a long time, Stella was quick on the uptake and had already read her intentions perfectly.
“Investigate everything, down to the smallest detail. Report everything you find to me, without missing a single word. You can use my name as much as you need to.”
“I will carry out your orders.”
Watching Stella salute and depart, Noel tilted her teacup once more. A bitter taste lingered sharply in her mouth.
The military’s information-gathering capabilities were excellent, but the Central Intelligence Department was on a completely different level. With this request, they would surely find some kind of lead. At the very least, a clue to trace who this man really was.
“Aiden,” Noel murmured slowly. “Aiden Kellermain.”
As if savoring the name.
“Let’s see, then.”
I will find out.
Who you are.
And what you want.
Without fail.
* * *
“I want to go home,” Aiden muttered in a dazed voice.
— System Message
▶ You have made contact with ‘Deathwish’, Katya Heinkel Craven.
▶ Crucial story target. The fate of the world will be determined by your influence on this target!
▶ Your influence on the main story increases.
▶ Your Bond Level with the target has increased to Level 1!
▶ Linked with the skill ‘Weaver of Fate’!
“…”
What on earth is all this? In less than a day, he had gotten tangled up with someone terrifying.
This is why you shouldn’t lose your temper.
The prince kept crossing the line, so Aiden had put a bit of effort into crushing him, but the aftermath was proving to be quite terrifying. In truth, that slippery prince was a villain frequently encountered in the game, a character riddled with weaknesses that even Aiden’s patchy knowledge of the original story could easily exploit. He had committed so many misdeeds that pulling on just one thread would drag up all the others like a string of sausages.
And I didn’t know that thing was classified.
He had only mentioned the detector used by the military because it was a common core item in the game. He had no idea they were keeping it under wraps as a military secret because it was still in its prototype stage.
More importantly…
Aiden gloomily scanned the window floating before his eyes.
Katya Heinkel Craven. Commonly known as [Deathwish]. The most critical figure of the Holy Kingdom faction among the ‘main characters’ of the Main Scenario.
He had received a Skill Copy Ticket, but not knowing why she was interested in him left him feeling a bit uneasy.
But that was one thing, and this was another.
I should take what I can get, right?
▶ Activating the skill copying ability of ‘Skill: Weaver of Fate’.
▶ Analyzing the skill list of the target ‘Katya Heinkel Craven’.
▶ Displaying the most valuable skills starting from the top.
Along with the window, a list of skills that Katya undoubtedly possessed cascaded down. Most of them were related to the Divine Power that Daniel had shown earlier.
He had a rough idea of what skills this princess possessed, and he knew which one was the absolute best. It was just like when he copied Noel’s skill. Recalling his knowledge of the original work, this princess, just like Noel, possessed a unique ‘supernatural ability’ that was one-of-a-kind in the entire world. The most anomalous ability even among the people of the Holy Kingdom, the very source of Divine Power.
— System Message
▶ Copying ‘Unique Ability: First Vow’.
▶ This is an ability possessed by only one person in the entire world.
▶ The target Katya’s Affinity toward you may increase!
…The fact that I’ve drawn some unknown person’s interest again is a bit bothersome, but…
Let’s think about that later.
Too much had happened today.
Aiden dismissed the window and closed his eyes. Having been plagued by all sorts of events throughout the day, it didn’t take long for him to drift off.
Perhaps that was why.
He failed to see the window that popped up in front of him the moment he fell into a deep sleep, as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.
— System Message
▶ You are currently the only individual possessing two or more ‘Unique Skills’.
▶ The target ‘Pantheon’ is watching you!
▶ This is a change that will have an immensely significant impact on the Main Story!
▶ Unlocking a new s̶̤̈́ ̷͖̣̝̱̔́̓̈p̸̤̅͊ë̸̠́c̶̛̯͙͆̑ị̷̰̩̀̇͋a̴̢̔̆l̴͍̼̠̙͐ ̸̼̖̜̀á̶̲b̷̦͖͂̈́i̸̢̧̪̬͊̉l̶͎̇î̶͚̤̹̺ty
▶ A̴̢͓̠͉͊̋ ̵̳̪͠ǹ̴̹ḛ̵̥̱̆̅͝w̵̳̪͠ ̸̤̿̆̊́ē̷̢̤͚̥v̶̫̾̓͋̕e̸̡̜̤̓͜͝ń̸͙̞̱̪́͑̑t̵̨̠̩̃̀͆̐ ̷̥̳̭̚ĭ̷̟̩ǹ̵̹ ̵̳̪͠t̵̼̦̻͕̐͝h̶̝͌̊e̸͇̟̒̏̌ ̵̢͓̠͉͊̋M̴̢͓̠͉͊̋à̴̹i̵̳̪͠n̵̼̦̻͕̐͝ ̶̝͌̊S̸͇̟̒̏̌t̵̰̥̱̆̅͝o̸̤̿̆̊́r̷̢̤͚̥̄y̶̫̾̓͋̕…Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Î̶̻̙͓͓͎̫͛́͌̀̆͊͒͆̚±̦͖̺̗͎͍̰͊̏͒̉̍̉̚͟͠×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ¡̴̹͉̤̭̥̒̇̎̅͘͝ͅ¹̖̯̰̰̦̝͐͆̿̌̃͂͟͠Ö̵̩̭͇̹̭̤͌͆̔̀̆̚Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Î̶̻̙͓͓͎̫͛́͌̀̆͊͒͆̚±̦͖̺̗͎͍̰͊̏͒̉̍̉̚͟͠×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ¡̴̹͉̤̭̥̒̇̎̅͘͝ͅ¹̖̯̰̰̦̝͐͆̿̌̃͂͟͠Ö̵̩̭͇̹̭̤͌͆̔̀̆̚Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Î̶̻̙͓͓͎̫͛́͌̀̆͊͒͆̚±̦͖̺̗͎͍̰͊̏͒̉̍̉̚͟͠×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ¡̴̹͉̤̭̥̒̇̎̅͘͝ͅ¹̖̯̰̰̦̝͐͆̿̌̃͂͟͠Ö̵̩̭͇̹̭̤͌͆̔̀̆̚
…
▶ Readjusting the event.
▶ The target ‘Pantheon’ is wary of you.
▶ The target ‘Ç̷̨̳͈̟̯̻̦̘͉̹͓̝̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌̾͂͂̂͂̅͘̕͡͝ø×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ’ is watching you.
▶ A new special ability is granted!
▶ [Unique Trait: Omnipotence] is granted!
▶ [Unique Trait: Source] is granted