Chapter 62: Preparation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 62: Preparation
— System Message
▶ You have expelled the key figure of Act 1, ‘The Puppeteer’.
▶ The target’s true body is sealed. It cannot awaken of its own free will!
▶ An ‘Exorcism Brand’ has been engraved upon the target, ‘The Puppeteer’.
▶ The progression of Chapter 3 has changed. The difficulty is significantly reduced!
As soon as he crushed Rad, Aiden let out a satisfied sigh at the window that popped up.
As expected.
If Rad had escaped with what he knew, he would have frantically cooked up all sorts of schemes. It was a good thing Aiden had dealt with him right away before things got any more troublesome.
Sealed, huh.
It was also worth noting that the system used the word ‘sealed’ instead of ‘dead’.
Completely killing a member of the Demon Race was an extremely difficult task. As the name ‘mental parasite’ suggested, their very existence was nebulous, making it nearly impossible to find their true bodies. There was a reason they had survived for hundreds of years while their patron deity remained sealed.
To kill one completely, you had to go through more than a few steps. And for someone like the Puppeteer, who had a morbid obsession with ‘surrogate bodies,’ it was naturally even harder.
Still, he was satisfied just knowing that the difficulty of Chapter 3—the final chapter of Act 1—had been significantly reduced.
Furthermore…
If he’s sealed instead of dead, I can probably find a use for him later.
In fact, it might even be better that he didn’t die.
This ‘Exorcism Brand’ mentioned in the system window—from what Aiden remembered…
Would it be better for him to be resurrected?
Usually, a sealed demon formed a unique… ‘compatibility relationship’ with the one who sealed it. This meant a restriction so powerful would be placed on it that it would regret not having died in the first place.
So, if this guy ever woke up, he’d be useful in his own way.
Well, anyway.
Aiden let out a deep sigh. Though he’d wrapped things up nicely, he was mulling over two lessons he had learned.
First, he needed to get his hands on a decent weapon, and quickly.
Ouch, that hurts.
Aiden looked down at his shredded hand. Thanks to the Holy Body skill he’d copied from Katya, it was slowly regenerating, but the pain was still there. It was the aftermath of the revolver, which had contained his last strike, completely exploding and scattering into pieces.
Honestly, it had been shameless to expect an ordinary revolver from a common gunsmith to withstand that kind of supernatural power.
…Should I just get one custom-made?
Equipment was always important, especially for someone like Aiden, who would be walking the line between life and death more often in the future. Of course, the core of his growth was copying skills, but there was no reason not to use gear that could amplify them.
The second lesson was that he had to be extremely careful about when, where, and at whom he fired an attack like that.
What on earth was that?
Aiden gave a hollow laugh as he looked at the trajectory of the attack that had pierced through Rad. The blast had torn through the area where the demon had been standing and only stopped after carving a crater into a small hill in the distance.
…Anyone who saw it could be forgiven for mistaking it for a missile strike.
Even though he was the one who’d fired it, the power was absurd.
With this much power, couldn’t I kill Senior at least once?
He indulged in the hopeful fantasy for a moment, but soon shook his head and scratched the back of his neck. Even now that he had grown considerably stronger, the fact that Mayer still killed him every day in his dreams meant he wouldn’t dare try.
Once, without even drawing on his supernatural ability, Mayer had casually sliced through the Guardian’s Flame Aiden summoned.
When a shocked Aiden had asked how he’d done it, Mayer had simply replied:
“—You just have to watch closely and cut it. Want me to make it pretty for you?”
After that, he had proceeded to cut the supernatural ability into the shape of a star, a circle, and a triangle. Aiden had been thoroughly toyed with.
…Let’s give up.
It just didn’t seem possible. He would have to put off giving that monster a taste of his own medicine for a little later.
Anyway.
As Aiden sighed and prepared to leave, another window suddenly popped up before his eyes.
— System Message
▶ Contact with ‘The Puppeteer’, Rad Ilja Barphon made.
▶ [Malice Level] increases by 2!
▶ Copying a ‘Mutated Skill’ from the target!
…Oh.
This was an unexpected gain.
Come to think of it, he’d copied a skill from the Imperial Prince in a similar way. So he could rip off skills—even if they were degraded versions—not just from those who favored him, but also from targets who held clear, unmistakable malice toward him.
The Imperial Prince had merely disliked him, but this guy had just been sealed after taking a direct hit. His hatred for Aiden must be off the charts.
Two tickets, huh…
That was quite a big catch. The skill he’d ripped off from the Imperial Prince had been immensely useful, and while he couldn’t be sure yet, this one certainly wouldn’t be useless either. The strategic advantage of being able to copy an enemy’s ability was anything but small.
And that wasn’t all.
— Skill Info
◈ Weaver of Fate
⧾Rad Ilja Barphon
— Malice: Level 2
— Can imitate 2 skills.
※ ‘Malice’ is at Level 2 or higher. The ‘Repulsion’ feature can be used.
※ Raise the Malice Level to unlock the ‘Filtering’ feature and ‘Sealing’ feature!
…There’s more.
A new feature had been unlocked.
▶ If you use the ‘Repulsion’ feature on an imitated skill, its effect can be used at a level equivalent to the original, limited to a single use.
A low whistle escaped Aiden’s lips.
In short, this meant he could temporarily use an imitated skill—which was normally degraded—at its full, original power. This was more than just a good deal.
And there are still more features to unlock.
It was also encouraging that features like ‘Filtering’ and ‘Sealing’ would become available if he raised the Malice Level further. He was bound to clash with his enemies anyway. It was a wicked irony that the more desperately they hated him, the more their hatred fueled his own power.
Looking at it this way, he couldn’t help but feel it anew.
…From now on, no matter what I face, my first thought should be how to copy their skills.
Whether by making them like him or hate him, it would be best to approach everything from that perspective.
* * *
“Thank you.”
Upon returning to the estate, Grand Duke Aslan greeted Aiden with a deep bow.
“…I don’t know how you did it, but if it weren’t for you, my daughter would have died. I cannot thank you enough.”
Speaking with utter gravity, the Grand Duke raised his head and continued, “When I first invited you here, I presented it as a negotiation… but from this moment on, the Aslan Grand Ducal House is officially your friend. Feel free to visit anytime, and if there is anything you need, do not hesitate to ask.”
As if on cue, a series of windows popped up before his eyes.
— System Message
▶ You have successfully completed the Side Quest.
▶ Affinity with target ‘Grand Duke Aslan’ increases.
▶ Bond Level has increased!
▶ You can copy 1 skill!
▶ Affinity with target ‘Liza Aslan’ increases.
▶ You can copy 1 skill!
— System Message
▶ Gained the favor of the ‘Aslan Grand Duchy’.
▶ Gained the affinity of the territory’s residents.
▶ Received a large amount of Points usable in the ‘Point Shop’.
…My, my.
A whole barrage of rewards was pouring in. Aiden scanned the list with his eyes.
The skill from the Grand Duke is one thing, but…
There was also a skill from the Grand Duke’s daughter. He’d have to check the list later to see what they were.
Speaking of her…
“Is she alright?”
“Her vital signs are normal, but it will take some time for her to regain consciousness. This is the first case of someone reverting to human form after Demonic Beast Transformation had progressed this far. Even the doctors cannot predict the outcome.”
Doesn’t that mean there’s a problem? As Aiden’s expression hardened slightly, the Grand Duke shook his head.
“As I said, her vital signs are normal. The doctors said she’s just taking a little longer to wake up. Don’t worry too much.”
“If that’s the case, I’m relieved…”
What if there were side effects from reverting to human form after undergoing Demonic Beast Transformation?
…Wasn’t there a similar case in the game?
Come to think of it, there seemed to have been a similar case in the original game. Something about a special ‘ability’ awakening in humans who experienced it.
What was that again…
“Enough. I tend to trust the doctors’ words.” Before Aiden could recall, Grand Duke Aslan cut in and swept his hair back. “More importantly, do you have any clues about who did this to Liza—”
“Ah, I know who it was.”
“…What?”
When the Grand Duke asked back in bewilderment, Aiden simply dropped a name tag in front of him. It was one of the few items that had remained intact among Rad’s vaporized remains.
“Rad Ilja Barphon. The Administrative Minister.”
“…The Imperial Prince’s minion?”
“Yes.”
The Grand Duke’s face twitched. “That bastard should have stayed quietly in the Imperial Capital! What nerve does he have, picking a fight with the Aslan Grand Ducal House—”
“Whatever his intentions were, officially, the Administrative Minister never visited this domain. He came in secret, after all.”
After saying that, Aiden paused for a moment and smiled faintly. “So no matter what happened to him here, officially, he is a nonexistent man, Duke.”
“…”
As Grand Duke Aslan listened, the corners of his mouth twisted upward as well. It was a smile that made it clear he understood immediately.
“Right. That bastard never ‘came’ here in the first place.”
“Yes.”
“So even if he croaks somewhere and goes missing, neither you nor the Aslan Grand Ducal House has anything to do with it. Isn’t that right?”
“Of course.”
“Hey, Aiden Kellermain.” Unable to hold back his laughter any longer, Grand Duke Aslan chuckled. “Did you already take care of him?”
“Yes.”
“You know, you’re a good man to do business with.”
“Thank you.”
The two men, a perfect understanding passing between them, exchanged subtle smiles and shook hands. A tight bond had just been forged.
“More importantly, Duke.” Of course, it was nice to wrap things up, but there was still work to do. “Isn’t the Night of the Hunt coming up soon?”
At the question, a shadow of worry crossed Grand Duke Aslan’s face. “That is true.”
“Then I should help. That was the reason I came here in the first place.”
“…I cannot ask for that much after you have already done us such a great favor.”
“No,” Aiden cut in immediately as the Grand Duke tried to dissuade him.
This was a Main Quest. He couldn’t back out even if he wanted to.
“Right now, the Grand Duke’s Daughter cannot step onto the battlefield. That leaves a large hole in your defenses.”
“But—”
…Why does this old man keep trying to stop me? If this went wrong, it would be a disaster for him, too.
As Grand Duke Aslan continued to hesitate, Aiden answered firmly, cutting him off.
“I cannot just stand by and watch people die.”
At Aiden’s words, the Duke’s eyes widened for a moment before slowly closing.
And seeing that, an intuition struck Aiden.
Uh, this.
Isn’t this the timing for it to go up?
— System Message
▶ Affinity with target ‘Grand Duke Aslan’ increases.
▶ Bond Level has increased!
▶ You can copy 2 skills!
…It really is.
It was fascinating that he had become able to sense this on his own.
“I really do have a good eye for people,” Grand Duke Aslan said, shaking his head as if he couldn’t help it. He sat down. “…Take a look.”
With those words, he pulled a stack of documents out from under a pile on his desk. After scanning the contents, Aiden replied with a hollow laugh.
“Is this for real?”
The Night of the Hunt was practically an annual event in the Aslan Grand Duchy, so they had naturally accumulated materials to predict the phenomenon. Thanks to that, they had observational data tracking the movements of demonic beasts as they broke out of the Void Zone.
The report Aiden was scanning now was similar to what they usually saw. Movements of a large-scale horde of demonic beasts. Normally, they should be pouring out to attack the Duchy, but…
“The way they’re moving…”
“They are being hunted and are running away,” Grand Duke Aslan summarized bluntly. “This is different from the usual raid. Even though they are creatures of pure instinct, they are fleeing the Void Zone because they are ‘scared’ of something. They aren’t coming out to attack us. Soon…”
He wiped his face with a troubled expression. “This Night of the Hunt won’t be a large-scale raid. A terrifyingly powerful ‘single entity’ is about to emerge from the Void Zone.”
In a way, that was even more dangerous. A large horde of demonic beasts could be dealt with by an army, but throwing an ordinary army at an entity that powerful would just be feeding it. The presence of a superhuman capable of subjugating it was an absolute necessity.
“And the problem is… we have no idea what kind of demonic beast this is. It’s just a guess, but there’s a high possibility it’s an extraordinarily powerful entity even among demonic beasts.”
“…”
“It might even be the most dangerous kind—an intelligent, highest-rank entity.”
Intelligent beings. Monsters among the demonic beasts with intelligence rivaling that of humans. While extremely few had ever been observed, each one possessed combat prowess comparable to a high-ranking supernatural user.
…That really is a strong one.
Strictly speaking, its individual combat power was likely higher than even Rad, whom he had just crushed. The Grand Duke’s profound worry was not unfounded.
Seeing Grand Duke Aslan sigh, Aiden closed his eyes for a moment. His gaze soon wandered into the empty air as he organized all the Skill Copy tickets he had received so far.
Let’s see…
Two from Rad.
Two from Grand Duke Aslan.
With this much…
…This should work.
He was already running calculations in his mind, figuring out what he needed to do.
“Grand Duke. Earlier, you said to tell you if I had anything to ask for, right?”
“…Do you have something in mind? You look like someone who’s already drawn up a plan.”
Of course he had.
“You said it’s an intelligent, highest-rank demonic beast, right?”
“…That’s right, but?”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Grand Duke Aslan looked at him, his face asking what on earth that was supposed to mean, but Aiden was quite serious.
Having intelligence meant it could think, and being able to think meant there was a high probability it also had emotions.
If so…
…I think I can make use of that.
Either way, there was definitely a way to handle this.