Chapter 70: Encounter (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 70: Encounter (2)
“Ow, ow, ow… It hurts! Please be a little gentler…”
Noel was certain she hadn’t made half this much fuss even when she’d been critically injured in war.
Yet as she glared at Aiden with narrowed eyes, he did nothing but let out pathetic groans while she wrapped a bandage around his arm.
Granted, disinfecting a gash that was pouring blood and applying a compression bandage was painful enough to make anyone groan, even Noel herself.
Still, the sight of a grown man weeping in agony was so pathetic it was hard to believe he was the same person who, just moments ago, had stabbed a pen nib into his own arm to intimidate someone.
Indeed, even the infected girl Aiden had brought outside seemed to share that sentiment, a trace of it clear in her eyes…
“Then why on earth did you do something so crazy?”
“Some things are more important than pain.”
“…I wish you’d treat me as something that important, too.”
“Huh? What did you say? Could you speak up a bit…”
Noel’s answer was to tie the knot on the bandage with all her strength. Aiden let out a strangled cry, but she didn’t care in the slightest.
“A-Anyway.”
Aiden struggled to regain his composure as a sensible adult, straightening up and turning toward the girl. She wore an expression of utter confusion, having only followed him because he’d brought her along.
Fortunately, Aiden was quite accustomed to dealing with people like her.
“So, what are your symptoms? Where does it hurt?”
At the blunt, context-free question, the girl only darted her eyes around and held back her answer. Of course, Aiden hadn’t expected a response, so he wasn’t disappointed.
Infected individuals who lived without even the most basic security were naturally reluctant to talk about themselves.
They must have led harsh lives, the instinct to hide their illness—knowing it would lead to being ostracized—etched deep into their bones. This was especially true for a child like this, who seemed to have no guardian.
Therefore, in cases like this, Aiden had to resort to a method he himself disliked.
He turned back to Noel with a sigh.
“Noel.”
“Hmm?”
“I’m not a weird pervert.”
Of course, if one were to chart Noel’s Affinity for Aiden, it would take up a vast amount of space no matter the format, but even she had moments where she wondered what insane nonsense he was suddenly spouting.
Thus, no one could blame her for clutching her head against an oncoming headache and muttering a string of extremely vulgar Draconic curses.
“Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”
“No, I’m just saying, don’t misunderstand.”
With that, Aiden approached the girl.
Then, grabbing the rag-like garment she wore as a top, he lifted it in one swift motion.
“…!”
She didn’t resist—or rather, she was too terrified to even react.
Despite the girl shivering with a pale, petrified face, Aiden thoroughly examined her body with cool, focused eyes.
Even Noel, who under normal circumstances would have stopped him with a heavy blow to the back of the head, decided to stand by and watch.
Because the practiced familiarity in his every movement inspired trust.
At the very least, it was clear that Aiden had dealt with people like this more than once or twice.
After examining the trembling girl for a long moment, Aiden finally pulled her clothes back down and spoke.
“First of all, I have a few guesses, but…”
His voice, laced with a sigh, stated bluntly:
“Stop using your Supernatural Ability.”
The girl’s eyes trembled violently. This time, it wasn’t just fear; it was unmistakable shock.
“I don’t know what kind it is, but I can tell it’s the sort that will cause serious trouble if you keep using it. You’ve been having trouble controlling it lately, haven’t you?”
There was no response. Aiden didn’t wait for one, moving on to his next action. He held out the bag that had been hanging from his arm.
These were the medicines he had forcefully purchased just moments ago through self-harm and coercion. Setting them on the ground, Aiden arranged the bottles neatly in front of the girl.
“One of these, two of those, and two of these. Even if you can’t get a proper meal, you must take them after eating something. Got it?”
Still, the girl didn’t answer. The only reaction he received was the faint glint in her flickering eyes as they wandered aimlessly. This time, Aiden didn’t press her with more words.
Instead, he carefully took her hand.
“…”
He had braced himself for her to pull away, or at worst, bite him, but she quietly accepted his touch. Aiden remained still for a moment, as if trying to warm her hands with his own.
“…”
“…”
Once the silence settled, her breathing stabilized, and her body—which had been trembling as if from a chill—calmed down. Still holding her hand, Aiden pointed at the medicine bottles.
“One of these. Two of those. And two of these. Remember that?”
“…”
“One of these. Two of those. And two of these. Say it.”
“…O-one. Two. Two.”
“Again.”
“One. Two. Two.”
“Good. Don’t forget. Can you read?”
“…”
Silence returned. Aiden waited patiently for an answer.
After enough time to drink a cup of tea, a faint, hollow voice barely whispered.
“…Um, are you helping me?”
“As much as you trust me.”
“…Mister, are you a bad person?”
“First of all, I’m not old enough to be called ‘mister.’ And second, no, I’m not a bad person.”
“I know how to read.”
“Good.”
With that, Aiden pulled a business card from his coat. Taking out the same fountain pen he’d stabbed into his arm earlier, he scribbled something on the back. Fortunately, though smeared with blood, it didn’t hinder his writing.
“Take this and go to the address written here. They’ll let you stay for a day or so.”
Taking it hesitantly, the girl looked back and forth between the business card and Aiden, uncertain. After a few moments, she spoke again, her voice slightly louder than before.
“I… can’t give you anything in return.”
“I know.”
“Why are you doing all this for me?”
“Because I’m a sensible adult.”
“The adults I know… aren’t nice like you, mister.”
“Those are just people who call themselves adults. Real adults act like this.”
“I think you’re the strange one, mister.”
It was such a sound point that Noel, watching from the side, couldn’t help but chuckle.
* * *
“How did you do that?”
Noel’s sudden question came after the girl had disappeared from view.
“Pardon?”
“That kid was trembling with fear, but she calmed down the moment you held her hand. Did you use Magic or something?”
“Ah, that?”
Aiden had mindlessly leaned against a flickering streetlamp, only to put weight on his bandaged arm. He writhed for a second before groaning out his reply.
“Well… I learned it from someone.”
“You learned it?”
“Yes. But I can’t remember who.”
Aiden answered with a slight frown, a rare sign of discontent from him.
“How should I put it… It was something I learned in a really important situation. That’s all I remember.”
Nodding quietly to herself, Noel suddenly winced as a thought occurred to her. When Aiden turned to see what was wrong, she posed her question with a dead-serious expression.
“—By any chance, was that person a woman?”
“…No. I told you, I don’t remember.”
The question of why that was even important flashed through Aiden’s mind, but he was in a position where Noel held a lot over him today. He decided to just keep his mouth shut.
And Noel, for her part, had no choice but to remain silent as well.
Aiden’s words weighed heavily on her heart.
…You don’t remember.
For Noel, who had lost a portion of her own childhood memories, that was a phrase of considerable significance.
So this man has missing memories from his childhood, too…
“…”
My, my.
What a coincidence.
Mulling over that fact, she waited a moment before asking another question.
“By the way, where did you learn all that medical knowledge?”
“Knowledge?”
“Your medical knowledge. Anyone watching would have mistaken you for a doctor.”
At her words, Aiden gave a soft chuckle and stroked his chin.
To be sure, anyone would make that mistake.
However, there was nothing that could be called specialized knowledge about it.
“I’ve seen plenty of kids like her.”
“Kids like her?”
“…Back during the Alliance War, if kids got sick, it often spread far worse than this.”
“…”
“It’s just stuff I picked up on the fly back then.”
The scenes from the back alleys were still vividly etched in Aiden’s mind.
War orphans. Limbless remnants of defeated armies.
It was a place that could only be described as hell on earth.
Strange rules of thumb had spread widely back then, too.
Those who could stand and speak had a week. Those lying down, unable to stand, had three days. Those who couldn’t keep anything down had two. Those who couldn’t speak properly had one.
Aiden had merely watched as life and death tangled together in a place like that.
Contagious diseases were a given, and the girl he’d just examined bore a striking resemblance to an orphan from that hellscape who had used a Supernatural Ability.
The more they used it, the more their insides festered and rotted, until they died even sooner than the ones they tried to protect.
“…”
Noel looked at Aiden silently, her eyes sunken.
She knew well enough that every person holds a story as long as the path they have walked, and that one shouldn’t make wild assumptions.
However, this man…
…just what kinds of hells had he passed through?
It was clear he concealed something in his heart that even Noel—who had witnessed all manner of hells and slaughter on the battlefield—could not fathom.
“—Well, be that as it may. Shall we head back? What a way to start the day.”
“…”
Watching him brush off such things as if they were nothing was a sight she could never get used to.
What even is this…?
And, in truth…
…Aiden was in a state where he had no choice but to brush it off.
— System Message
▶ Successfully completed the ‘Bonus Quest’.
▶ Target ‘Drakan’ feels Affinity toward you. You can copy 1 Skill!
▶ Target ‘Ganesha Aldebaran’ has a favorable impression of you. You can copy 1 skill!
▶ Successful progress leads to an additional event. Increase Affinity even further!
Aiden blankly scanned the sentences with his eyes.
No, I mean…
He knew a Bonus Quest had appeared, but…
…Was that just now…?
Probably…
…something had happened without him even realizing it.
* * *
Clasping the medicine bag tightly to her chest, the girl walked down the alleyway.
It was the item she had received from Aiden just a moment ago.
However, there was one difference in her appearance now…
…unlike when she was with Aiden, her stride was entirely normal.
As if her feigned illness had all been a lie.
Soon, a voice echoed from the other end of the alley.
It was a young man.
A monocle, a top hat, and a suit.
He gave off the strong vibe of a merchant.
“You’ve gotten much better at mimicking humans, haven’t you? Before, just maintaining your hidden appearance was the best you could do.”
“…Master.”
“Your tone, your actions—everything seemed genuine. All that training was worth it, wasn’t it?”
Then, as the girl faced him, a Supernatural Ability surged around her body.
Mana.
It was not the Qi of the Empire, the Dharmic Power of the Great Plains, the Divine Power of the Holy Kingdom, nor the Demonic Energy of the Demon Race.
It was a Supernatural Ability long forgotten.
Evidence of ‘Magic,’ a tradition extinguished even in the modern era of superhumans.
As that Mana washed over the girl, her ‘true’ appearance was revealed.
Though she barely maintained a human shape, scales covered her entire body, and her slit-pupiled eyes held the distinct traits of a reptile.
It was the unmistakable evidence of a Dragon Species.
A descendant of the Dragon race, rumored to be extinct.
“So.”
Yet even with such a rare species before him, the man continued speaking, unbothered.
“How was it, meeting him in person? The ‘Omnipotent One’ of this generation. What kind of person does he seem to be?”
“…”
The Dragon Species hesitantly looked down at her hands.
Though the bag was on the verge of tearing, her frame now much larger than before…
…the medicine Aiden had so carefully instructed her about was still safely clutched in her grasp.
Looking at it…
…from the Dragon Species’ perspective, only one conclusion came to mind.
“…He seems like… a good person.”
“I think so too.”
The man chuckled and pulled his top hat down slightly.
“He might be worth getting deeply involved with. The previous generation’s Omnipotent One was a bit disappointing… Let’s see if this one turns out different.”
The ‘Merchant of Death’ stroked his chin, intrigued.
However…
…his eyes were shining sharply.
“Let’s see if he’s someone we can stake our destiny on.”