Chapter 53: Commotion (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 53: Commotion (2)
“…I don’t recall submitting a resume,” Aiden snapped.
His attitude was so abrasive that Noel, watching silently beside him, instinctively facepalmed.
Then again, Aiden was the kind of guy who picked fights with direct members of the imperial family at every opportunity. Why would he make an exception for a Grand Duke?
The surprising part wasn’t Aiden’s hostility, but rather the Grand Duke’s remarkably mild reaction.
“I am well aware that your attitude is poor toward anyone you dislike,” the Grand Duke said, calmly adjusting his attire. “As for those children earlier, had they truly been on the brink of death, I naturally would have stepped in to save them myself. You need not worry about that.”
“…”
Aiden, who had been listening quietly, fired back in an equally blunt tone. “…I fail to understand why you pulled such a stunt in the first place.”
“I was curious whether you were just a fool who got lucky with power, or someone with truly steadfast resolve.”
“Excuse me?”
“I heard you were a war orphan. From the slums. You only gained fame recently.”
“…”
As Aiden’s expression darkened, the Grand Duke continued nonchalantly. “When one’s environment changes so suddenly, it’s not hard for their true nature to blur. I simply wanted to test if you were that shallow of a person.”
“…By running a background check on me, and egging innocent kids on just to throw them into danger?”
Though the retort was sharp as a blade, the Grand Duke remained completely unbothered. He smiled softly. “Indeed. And it was well worth it, since I found someone I like.”
“…”
This man is a tough opponent.
Aiden chewed on the thought. Watching the Grand Duke so smoothly brush off his prickly demeanor made that conclusion unavoidable.
“…Regardless, that doesn’t explain anything. What role do you want me to fill? What exactly do you expect me to do that makes you say you’re ‘hiring’ me?”
“Do you know why the Aslan Grand Duchy is located in the North?”
Aiden knew that much. Geographically, it served as the ‘Gate’ for all kinds of wicked spirits and Demonic Beasts crossing over the Empire’s northern border. It wasn’t called the Shield of the Empire for nothing.
“If you know, then explaining will be simple,” the Grand Duke added with a subtle smile. “Once every ten years, a living hell unfolds as demons and Demonic Beasts cross over from that place. It is a day known as the Night of the Hunt.”
“…”
“I want you to help pacify it.”
…This was, without a doubt, the clearest possible introduction to Chapter 2.
“…You have your own children, don’t you? I heard they are all noble martial artists. You could ask them to handle this—”
“I can’t trust those half-baked fools. How can you even call them an option?”
“…”
“I cannot entrust such a heavy responsibility to fools who tried to swallow up my title the moment I faltered even a little.”
“…Even so, surely compared to me—”
Despite the biting evaluation, Aiden tried to object. But the Grand Duke simply scattered several photographs across the table.
The images made both Aiden and Noel flinch simultaneously. They showed Aiden wielding Pure White Qi, Divine Power, and even Dharmic Power. On top of that, his recent fight with the Lord Protector—where he used the techniques of the Knight of Dawn—was fully documented.
“You are quite the hot potato right now, consort of Lionheart.”
“…”
“A Multiple Ability User, and even connected to the Knight of Dawn—” The Grand Duke shifted his gaze from the photographs to Aiden. “You are a talent that not just the Empire, but the entire continent would drool over and scramble to claim. It seems the Emperor is desperately trying to suppress public attention to keep from losing you.”
The Grand Duke continued nonchalantly. “So, pack your bags and head over to our territory. I have prepared a reward you won’t be able to refuse.”
“…”
“Dawn is coming, consort of Lionheart.”
Aiden flinched. Digging through his memories, he realized he had heard those exact words before.
—Dawn is coming, Mr. Aiden.
…Not too long ago, either. He had heard them from the Imperial Prince.
Before he could even ponder why the exact same phrase was coming out of the Grand Duke’s mouth, the man continued.
“The Empire will be turned upside down before long. The powder keg is already full, and someone is playing with fire inside. Whatever else the Emperor may have done, he raised a terrible child.”
“…”
“The conservative nobles loyal to the Emperor, the radical nobles aligned with the Imperial Prince, and the military officers aligned with me. These factions currently divide the Empire into three. Are you aware?”
“…I don’t really care for a history lecture.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know. Because what I just said is the entirety of the reward I’m offering.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re not on good terms with the Imperial Prince, are you?”
“…”
“I will help you resolve that.”
Grand Duke Aslan’s voice remained perfectly calm, but his next words were unmistakable.
“As the head of the largest faction in the Empire outside of the Emperor and the Imperial Prince…” He leaned in slightly. “…I am personally offering to help you take that bastard prince’s head.”
…It was undeniably an offer he couldn’t refuse.
* * *
Riding in a well-made train—especially in a first-class compartment—naturally offered an undeniably smooth ride. After all, it was a space explicitly designed for the wealthy to travel in comfort.
At least, that was how it should have been under normal circumstances.
“…”
“…”
Aiden looked back and forth between the two people sitting in the compartment with him, feeling as though his life force was actively draining away. Noel and Katya were both staring out the window with an intensity that felt unnaturally deliberate.
It’s suffocating.
The thought crossed Aiden’s mind as he sat in his seat, breaking into a cold sweat. It wasn’t like the two of them had ever gotten along like best friends, but right now, the awkwardness was unbearable. Neither uttered a word. Neither made eye contact. And on the rare occasion their gazes did accidentally meet, they jerked their heads away so sharply it was painful to watch.
I think they’re both pouting.
Noel seemed upset that Katya had followed them without a word, while Katya seemed upset that the two of them had gone out together without telling her.
…For grown adults, they were really acting like children.
Watching the supreme knight who symbolized a nation’s military power and the princess of a kingdom acting like this left Aiden utterly dumbfounded. Rather than wasting his energy on them, it would be better to do something productive.
Mulling over the situation, Aiden systematically organized the pieces of information bubbling up in his mind.
A major turning point in the Main Quest…
Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t bothered by what Grand Duke Aslan had blurted out. Didn’t his reaction prove that he already knew about the final coup d’état—the absolute highlight of Act 1, ‘Imperial Capital Rift’?
…Why?
That was the biggest question. Grand Duke Aslan had no reason to go out of his way to help Aiden. He wasn’t on particularly good terms with the Emperor, either. To be precise, he despised all direct members of the royal family, including the Emperor and the Imperial Prince. He viewed them as incompetent fools who merely occupied high positions without merit.
A strict meritocrat. A brilliant strategist and ambitious leader with an exceptional talent for gathering capable people. Wasn’t that the kind of man Grand Duke Aslan was? In fact, the cause of the coup in the original work stemmed directly from those exact traits.
…Wait, in the original work, wasn’t he the one who personally launched it?
Originally, the final villain of Act 1 was Grand Duke Aslan himself. Now, because the Main Scenario was tangled beyond recognition, the prime candidate to pull off the coup was the Imperial Prince—the person who was supposed to have stopped Grand Duke Aslan. Meanwhile, the original villain, the Grand Duke, was now offering to help stop the Prince.
“…”
Thinking about it from that perspective…
Unlike in the original work, Grand Duke Aslan was currently ‘sick.’ And his children—who were supposed to have aided him in the coup—were instead ‘aiming for’ his position. It was highly likely that something had gone completely off script. From Grand Duke Aslan’s perspective, he must have felt betrayed by the very people he trusted.
The reason he had approached Aiden, claiming he ‘liked’ him, likely had a lot to do with his children’s treacherous behavior.
…Speaking of which.
Aiden tapped his chin, lost in thought. Grand Duke Aslan was practically a walking goldmine of Skills, easily on par with Noel or Katya.
Of course, when it came to manipulating Supernatural Abilities, hardly anyone on the continent could rival those two women. But Skills weren’t limited to Supernatural Abilities alone. In terms of ‘auxiliary skills’ that could help navigate difficult situations, the Grand Duke’s repertoire was just as formidable.
Which meant there was absolutely nothing to lose by raising his Affinity. Taking all those factors into account, the current situation could be summarized simply:
Isn’t this the perfect chance to strip away all his Skills?
…To Aiden, it was a priceless opportunity.
“We have arrived.” Noel’s calm voice suddenly broke through his thoughts. “This is the Aslan Grand Duchy.”
The train was just passing over the crest of a high hill, beginning its descent down the slope. Thanks to the considerable elevation, the surrounding landscape was clearly visible. Soon, stretching far beyond his field of vision, a vast city unfolded like a grand panorama.
“…Wow.”
It was huge. Seriously, absurdly huge. That was Aiden’s very first impression.
He had been to the Imperial Palace before, but that place had left an impression through the grand scale and majesty of its architecture. It hadn’t delivered this level of sheer, overwhelming ‘vastness.’
A massive metropolis stretched endlessly, swallowing the entire horizon. By land area alone, it was said to be the largest single noble territory on the continent. The greatest stronghold of the Empire, often referred to as the Empire’s second heart alongside the Imperial Palace. The Aslan Grand Duchy.
And the stage for Chapter 2—‘Night of the Hunt.’
This is insane.
The title of the Empire’s premier high noble definitely wasn’t just for show.
As Aiden clicked his tongue in awe, the train suddenly rattled, picking up speed down the slope. When a large mound blocking his view finally vanished…
“Hmm?”
Something strange flickered into view at the edge of his vision.
“That’s—”
Looking up at the sky, Aiden tilted his head in confusion. Dark, blotchy streaks—the likes of which he had never seen before—were blanketing the heavens.
At first, he thought they were simple storm clouds, but a closer look proved otherwise. Dark clouds were never cleanly cut along sharp boundary lines, separated into distinct ‘zones.’ Nor did they continuously spew a sticky, tar-like black haze that looked capable of blinding anyone who stared too long.
“Ah, so that must be the Void Zone. It’s my first time seeing it in person.” Staring at the ‘black sky’ dimly visible beyond the frozen land, Katya muttered in a low voice. “I heard no human living on the continent can ever step inside, yet they somehow managed to establish a duchy right next to it.”
It was the place where the body of Wonil, the ‘God of Predation’ of the Demon Race, was sealed. It served as a massive ‘coffin’ where all the gods of the Pantheon had joined forces to lock him away.
Even though hundreds of years had passed since its initial discovery, the Death Energy lingering around the zone showed no signs of abating. Approaching it meant certain death for ordinary humans. Even for someone possessing powerful abilities, getting close wouldn’t bring about any positive effects.
Come to think of it…
Her phrasing was slightly misleading. After all, the very reason the duchy existed here in the first place was precisely because of that zone. It was also the reason why the people in the duchy maintained a relatively low level of technological civilization, instead cramming the land full of shamanic and religious structures to ward off the phenomenon.
For the North, which served as the Empire’s ‘Shield,’ he had heard that without those spiritual countermeasures, the dark influence from the Void Zone would completely disrupt every aspect of daily life.
“Let us go.”
While he was digesting all that information, Noel’s voice suddenly cut through the silence. With a rhythmic clattering, the train’s speed gradually decreased as it approached the station.
“…”
Aiden took a deep breath.
Right.
Chapter 2—it was starting right now.