Chapter 57: Negotiation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Negotiation
On the way back to Grand Duke Aslan’s castle, a window appeared before Aiden’s eyes.
— Skill Info
■ Omnipotence [Level 2]
You can combine two or more supernatural abilities to produce a more powerful effect than before.
▶ Currently Discovered Combinations
〓 Guardian’s Flame (Pure White Heart ↔ First Vow)
Characteristics: High Output, High Firepower
It possesses firepower far greater than standard Divine Power and can affect a much wider area.
〓 Radiant Brilliance (Savior’s Oath ↔ Pure White Heart)
Characteristics: High Density, High Precision
Unleashes Qi with the finesse of Dharmic Power. This allows for far firmer and more precise manipulation, making it exceptionally useful for creating defensive structures and performing delicate tasks.
〓 Purifier (Savior’s Oath ↔ First Vow)
Characteristics: Nullification
An extremely unique ability, capable of only small-scale operation. Targets exposed to this ability have their Innate Attributes greatly weakened.
※ As the skill level increases, the number of supernatural abilities that can be combined increases, and additional effects are unlocked.
Scanning the window, Aiden nodded to himself.
Not bad at all.
That was the only way to describe these gains. After all, Aiden, whose raw power and control were mediocre at best, could only navigate crises thanks to these unique abilities—traits that other superhumans simply didn’t possess.
The sheer power of Guardian’s Flame had already been proven in all kinds of situations.
And Radiant Brilliance was an intuitive ability whose usefulness was obvious at a glance.
High density and high precision…
When he actually manifested the ability and toyed with it, the difference was immediately striking. Besides flashing with far greater luminosity than basic Dharmic Power, the meaning of ‘high precision’ became instantly clear.
For Aiden, wielding a supernatural ability was normally like struggling to move newly sprouted limbs. He could copy skills, but the proficiency to wield them didn’t come overnight. It was an unavoidable drawback.
Yet this Radiant Brilliance, despite being a brand-new ability, moved as delicately as an extension of his own limbs.
It’s firm, too.
When he summoned Guardian’s Flame and clashed it against Radiant Brilliance, the latter showed far superior defensive power at the same density. While it couldn’t radiate terrifying heat like Guardian’s Flame or move with any great speed, its efficiency when solidified for defense was top-notch.
It was clearly the optimal skill for the defensive techniques he had mostly copied from Noel.
I’m not so sure about this one…
On the other hand, the description for ‘Purifier’ was indeed cryptic. He didn’t quite grasp what ‘nullifying Innate Attributes’ meant.
When he manifested it, as expected of an ability based on Dharmic Power, it glowed as an orb of light. But it didn’t feel particularly fast, hot, firm… or special in any way.
And above all else…
So this is what it meant by small-scale operation…
While using large amounts of his other abilities would cause fatigue to set in quickly, Purifier drained him with a vicious intensity unlike anything else. It felt as if a few seconds would be his absolute limit.
“Fiddling with something strange again, are we?”
As he was experimenting, Katya peeked her head out from beside him, her expression intrigued by the ability he was handling.
“Did you mix abilities together again? Just how are you doing that?”
“…”
The problem was that Aiden didn’t know either.
He’d heard talk of Outer Gods from the Shrine Maiden before, but he had zero leads to investigate further. All he knew was that an Outer God had taken a liking to him, and as a result of its influence, raising his Affinity with others allowed him to copy their skills.
That wasn’t something he could just go around telling people.
Senior told me to keep my mouth shut.
His senior had screamed in shock upon first seeing the ability. Once he learned its true nature, he strictly warned Aiden to keep his mouth shut, saying that speaking of it recklessly would bring nothing but trouble.
And his senior had explained the reason so simply and neatly.
—Outer Gods… Normally, I’d tell you it’s better not to even know they exist. The moment you get involved with them, all sorts of ancient, festering things might turn their gaze upon you.
—What are these ancient things?
—You don’t know yet, right? Then don’t go out of your way to find out. Not until they approach you first.
—Didn’t you say I’m already involved with them?
—Then your fate is thoroughly screwed. What else is there to say?
—…
—Hang in there. That’s life.
…It was an explanation so simple it couldn’t be any clearer.
While Aiden was chewing over that grim explanation, his face slightly pale, Katya shoved her hand into the ability he had manifested.
“Wait, Princess—”
He didn’t try to stop her because he knew her traits better than anyone. Sensory Loss, and beyond that, immortality. The probability of a problem arising just from touching a supernatural ability was practically zero.
However, the reaction that followed was different from usual. Normally, she shouldn’t feel anything at all.
“…Huh?”
Katya’s eyes widened. She pulled her hand out of the orb of light and quickly rubbed it. Then, she conjured her Divine Power and scorched her own hand with it—
“What are you doing?!”
Aiden panicked and tried to stop her, but Katya simply held her hand over the flame before turning back to him with teary eyes.
“…It hurts…!”
“…Pardon?”
“I said it hurts! My sensation came back!”
Aiden’s jaw dropped.
“…It really hurts?”
“It hurts! I told you it hurts!”
“Everywhere else too?”
“No, I think it’s just this hand. Still, isn’t that amazing?!”
With that, Katya repeatedly scorched her hand with fireballs, sniffling all the while—
“…”
He wondered if she really had to go that far, but it was clear that her Sensory Loss trait had temporarily vanished, limited only to the part that had touched Purifier.
“…Ah.”
However, Katya’s expression quickly turned sullen again.
“I can’t feel anything again…”
Indeed, he could see her scorched and burning hand being instantly restored by Divine Power that oozed over it like mud. The duration was clearly not very long.
While Katya looked disappointed, Aiden’s eyes remained wide with shock.
…To erase an Innate Attribute.
Even if only for a few seconds, it had nullified Katya’s Sensory Loss—a trait that not even the Pope could erase. It seemed that, regardless of an ability’s rank, anything that touched this orb would be temporarily neutralized.
Aiden had only one thought.
…Isn’t this totally broken?
There was no need to state how absurdly effective such an ability was. The abacus in his head began clicking away rapidly.
Having gained something like this, there was only one thing left to do.
I have to use it right away.
As luck would have it, the perfect conditions to set the stage were right before him. And the one who would serve as the main ingredient for that stage was, of course…
* * *
“…Is this really a good idea, Mr. Aiden?”
“The three of us just turned a section of the Duchy into a wasteland. I don’t think we can back out now.”
At his calm response, Noel’s face crumpled.
“…I feel like this and that are entirely different matters.”
“…”
That also seemed true. Slinging the Grand Duke’s unconscious son over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes while marching back to the castle felt like a completely different category of problem than just devastating a patch of their land.
“Trust me, Dame Noel. I have a plan.”
“…”
“…Seriously, trust me.”
A flash of regret—as if asking herself why on earth she had partnered up with such a man—passed briefly across Dame Noel’s face. Yet, the way she kept her mouth shut was remarkably commendable.
…Is it just me, or has she been cutting me a lot of slack lately?
Given her personality, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had nagged him all day, demanding to know what he was thinking. Yet lately, she complied with his every word as if he held some dirt on her, almost as if she were walking on eggshells around him.
He suspected she felt heavy guilt over having dug into his past, just as Grand Duke Aslan had mentioned.
Then again, I’ve lied to her plenty of times myself.
Like claiming they had known each other in the past, or fake-confessing that he liked her. Rather than letting her dig too deep and risk exposing all that, it seemed better to let her walk on eggshells for now. It would be foolish to create problems where there were none.
Though all the misunderstandings would have to be cleared up later, of course.
“By the way, is this really such a big problem?”
At Katya’s question, both Noel and Aiden turned to look at her with appalled expressions. Their faces practically yelled, What on earth are you talking about?, but Katya only replied nonchalantly.
“Aren’t family members naturally itching to kill each other anyway?”
“…”
“Why would anyone get angry just because he turned out like this?”
He knew what kind of people had surrounded her growing up in the Holy Kingdom, but hearing her talk like this never failed to make his head spin.
“While I have a lot to say about Your Highness’s views on family, I agree with you this once.” Instead of objecting, Aiden scratched his cheek and chimed in. “Grand Duke Aslan won’t say much about this either.”
“…On what grounds…?”
“He’s a father. He’s clearly someone who cares terribly about his family.”
Aiden remembered very well how Grand Duke Aslan had acted when talking about his children. It was strikingly similar to how Kenneth looked whenever Cisella or Aiden himself did something boneheaded, making him feel like dying of frustration.
“He wouldn’t want his kids going astray, after all.”
“…?”
* * *
If Grand Duke Aslan’s administrative officer had heard those words, he would have shrieked in shock, asking how on earth he knew.
After all.
“I don’t think there’s any need to report that Damian brat getting his head cracked with such a fuss, Administrator.”
That was the Grand Duke’s exact reaction the moment the report was delivered.
“More importantly, how are the defensive measures coming along? Isn’t the Night of the Hunt less than two days away?”
“…Your Grace.” The administrative officer spoke in a voice dripping with disbelief. “A direct bloodline member was harmed by an outsider. How can you react like…?”
“Did you think such a thing wouldn’t happen? The moment I mentioned being a bit unwell, both Damian and Liza were practically glaring with bloodshot eyes, ready to gulp down my position whole.”
Both of them had probably expected to be chosen as the ‘Overall Commander’ for the Night of the Hunt. That symbolic position served as the Shield of the Empire for Grand Duke Aslan. In such a situation, if he suddenly brought in outside help, of course they would try to push them away.
Hearing that, the administrative officer blinked. Knowing full well, bringing them in was almost…
…As if he deliberately encouraged them to fight…?
Before he could properly digest that thought, the Grand Duke’s voice crashed down again.
“Those brats were far too full of themselves.”
“…?”
“They have an inflated sense of their own abilities, both Damian and Liza.” Seeing the administrative officer’s puzzled expression, Grand Duke Aslan chuckled bitterly. “They both receive decent evaluations as martial artists. But success is as much a matter of environment as it is ability. Those two were born with so much, yet they believe they’ve accomplished everything on their own.”
“…”
“From where I stand, they’re just frogs in a well. My son and my daughter both.”
In this world, monsters that lived in realms beyond realms were scattered all over. They would probably come to realize that truth bone-deep today.
“…Your intention is?”
“It’s better they learn, at least in part, that they are nobodies. I also want them to realize that the title of Grand Duke they so furiously covet isn’t what’s truly important.”
To be defeated by an outsider in less than a day…
“…”
On the other hand, the Grand Duke’s lips twisted into a smirk as he recalled a memory of a certain someone.
—Point the gun at me!
—Point it at me, if you want to live!
—Shouldn’t you give a final chance to a guy desperate to feed the people dependent on him? He’s trying to feed his family.
“…That kid knows, at least roughly, what truly matters.”
To be sure, he had called them here to help prepare for the Night of the Hunt. That was the official purpose, at least.
However, Grand Duke Aslan personally held even greater expectations for that man. There was something he wanted him to do beyond that.
“I hope he teaches that to Damian and Liza as well.”
Grand Duke Aslan wasn’t certain whether the man named Aiden would pick up on his intentions.
If he accurately sees through my intent…
…He would like him quite a lot. It wasn’t for nothing that he had even pledged to stand against the Imperial Prince.
And as he watched Aiden slam open the inner castle gates, causing a commotion as he tossed the half-dead Damian onto the table, the Grand Duke knew one thing for certain.
He would not be disappointed.
“Your Grace.”
Even after pulling such a stunt, Aiden grinned broadly and declared:
“I’ll make sure to put your daughter in this state soon, too.”
“…”
“Their attitudes definitely need to be fixed. After all, they’re people who don’t even know what their responsibilities are.”
Beside him, Noel was clutching her head, almost hyperventilating, but the grin on Aiden’s face showed no sign of fading.
“…You.”
And.
“I like you after all,” the Grand Duke said, a slow smile spreading across his face.
— System Message
▶ Target Grand Duke Aslan’s Affinity increases.
▶ Bond Level has increased!
▶ You can copy 1 additional skill!
…That’s it.
Aiden clapped his hands together in his mind.