Chapter 23 - Picking Up the Pieces

Dame Noel’s standing within the imperial military could fairly be described as absolute.

But whether that meant no one disliked her was another matter entirely. Few though they were, there certainly were people who had become her enemies for their own reasons.

Envy, jealousy, or membership in an opposing military faction that had lost the struggle for power...

Everyone in this room could probably relate.

“... I understand what you’re saying, but...”

Sir Levant, the knight known as the “Alpha Wolf,” spoke reluctantly.

The nickname might not sound all that bad, but anyone who used it in front of him had best be prepared for a broken nose.

It was an open taunt, after all. It called him the leader of those who were clearly “beneath” the Lionhearted.

That alone neatly summed up his reasons for disliking her, but his opinion of the “commission” they had just received was another matter.

“Are you openly asking us to harm someone close to the Lionhearted?”

“Strictly speaking, they aren’t close to her.”

The man answered readily in a voice like silk—refined, aristocratic, whatever one wished to call it. His looks would have suited a young nobleman of impeccable breeding, though the subject he broached was far more sinister than his appearance suggested.

“I’m talking about attacking her husband’s bodyguard. Even if it gets traced back to us, something on that scale won’t cause any serious problems.”

... Frankly, he wasn’t a likable man. That handsome, radiant exterior seemed very much a mask concealing the nature of a viper.

Unfortunately, he was also someone they could not afford to show their dislike of.

Rad Ilza Barfon. The Empire’s minister of administration. A high noble ranked somewhere around fourth or fifth in the imperial palace.

His position alone was intimidating enough, but another fact overshadowed even that.

'The second imperial prince’s closest confidant...'

Recalling that, Sir Levant rubbed his mouth. Presumably, the sheer audacity of this commission reflected the prince’s wishes.

“Surely there’s no reason to agonize over this. You all know whose orders brought me here.”

“...”

“Consider whose protection you will enjoy if you handle this properly. And consider who the legitimate heir to the imperial throne is.”

“... It is an appealing proposal, but...”

Sir Levant regarded him with a frown. Frankly, he could not understand the man’s intentions. Had they been asked to strike a blow against the Lionhearted herself, that would have made sense. But this...

'Rather than the Lionhearted...'

Didn’t this commission suggest clear malice toward her “husband”?

“I cannot see what there is to gain by striking that target.”

“I hear the Lionhearted and that aide got into a fight at the training grounds yesterday. Have you heard about it?”

“...?”

As Levant tilted his head at the abrupt change of subject, Rad continued with amusement in his voice.

“It was apparently quite a vicious fight, enough for both sides to inflict injuries. But the aide completely ‘regenerated’ those wounds, without showing the slightest pain.”

“... What are you suggesting...?”

“It isn’t widely known, but there is a member of the Holy Kingdom’s royal family with precisely that ability.”

“...”

At those words, Levant’s expression grew serious as well.

“Keeping royalty as an aide... Well. The Holy Kingdom considers that blasphemy in itself. Should an ‘unfortunate accident’ leave that royal injured, the trouble would be twice as great.”

In short, whether they succeeded or failed, simply embroiling the princess in something unpleasant would cause quite a scandal. The Lionhearted’s husband would have no way out.

“... But wouldn’t we be in even greater trouble for attempting to kill royalty? That is absurd—”

“You’ll be safe. Don’t worry.”

“Pardon?”

“What matters to the Holy Kingdom is the princess’s birthright as royalty. They won’t care much about avenging her personally. We can find some way to smooth it over.”

“... Since when could an attempt on a royal’s life simply be swept under the rug?”

“In this princess’s case, it can.”

Rad replied with a scoff.

She wasn’t someone an assassination attempt could kill in the first place. More importantly, the woman was an unusual case: she had not a single person on “her side.”

In other words...

“That woman is all alone.”

The words slipped smoothly from Rad’s lips.

“No one would grieve, no matter what happened to her.”

Smooth though they were, the words had an edge sharp enough to betray his malice.

▣

-System Message

[ One day remains to complete the Side Quest. ]

[ Failure will incur a penalty! ]

... He knew. He knew perfectly well without the reminder.

After the disaster at the training grounds, Katya had sat silently no matter what he said to her. It had now been exactly a day since she had vanished somewhere without a word.

Dame Noel had shut herself in her private room as well, refusing to come out. All told, a thoroughly ominous mood hung over headquarters.

'It definitely...'

The Side Quest had told him to resolve this situation “peacefully.” Presumably, that was another way of saying he needed to mediate an amicable reconciliation between the two.

'First, I need to find out where she went.'

Forget resolving things peacefully—how was he supposed to talk to her when he didn’t even know where she was? That would have to be his starting point.

But a lead came from an unexpected quarter.

“Her Highness is on the roof.”

Dame Stella offered that information in a weary voice the moment they met in the corridor.

“I’ve done what I can to keep yesterday’s disturbance from becoming a bigger issue. But soothing the people involved appears to be beyond me.”

“... Thank you for your hard work.”

“She seems liable to explode if anyone approaches her the wrong way, so I’ve told everyone to stay away. It will be dangerous, but perhaps you could find some way to calm Her Highness, Mr. Aiden—”

“I’ll try to calm her down.”

“...”

Stella narrowed her eyes at him.

“Can you manage it?”

“Yes.”

Her look questioned how he could speak so casually of a bomb that might go off at any moment, but Aiden met it calmly.

“... Mr. Aiden.”

After holding his gaze for a long while, she let out a deep sigh.

“It has been a long time since I’ve seen Dame Noel act so emotionally. I don’t think I’ve seen it once since the Coalition War.”

“...”

“You really are something. To think people of their stature could be thrown into such turmoil over you.”

“Thank you... for the compliment?”

His thanks came out strangely because her words had not sounded remotely like a compliment. What followed made that abundantly clear.

“Please, be careful not to become a womanizer.”

“...”

“If you ever give Dame Noel cause to grieve, well... You had best watch yourself.”

Aiden scratched the back of his head as he watched her leave with that terrifying warning.

'... I’m sorry, but...'

Frankly, he could make no promises. Having shouldered the burden of saving the world, he had to do everything he could.

That was part of why he was taking the initiative to settle matters with Katya in the first place.

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

Only you know the truth of this world. Earn new rewards by building Bonds with Important Characters in the main story!

Relationships naturally grew or deteriorated during great emotional highs and lows. In terms of building a “Bond” with Katya, there could hardly be a better moment.

“...”

... It did prick his conscience. But it also seemed a clear encapsulation of the path he would have to walk.

He had no intention of deliberately toying with anyone’s feelings. Even so, now that he possessed Weaver of Fate, he was in a position where he would have to keep doing whatever it took to win people over.

There was still much to consider about the forms of affection the system referred to, but even he could not be certain they would never develop into romantic love.

Still, there was one thing he felt sure of.

'I think I’m safe with this one.'

The thought ran through his head as he looked at Katya, perched on the rooftop railing with her legs stretched out.

Whatever the case with anyone else, he felt an odd certainty that Katya was not even at a stage where romance entered the picture.

How should he put it? He doubted she even understood what those feelings were.

“Your Highness.”

At his call, she whipped around to look at him. Her expression instantly crumpled, and she promptly turned away again.

How should he put it? She was like a sulking child.

“...”

Aiden smiled wryly.

At least she wasn’t running away at the sight of him, even in this state. It seemed a good chance to talk to her. The fact that she said nothing as he approached and sat on the railing beside her confirmed it.

“Why are you in such a bad mood?”

“... Go away.”

“Are you upset about what Dame Noel said?”

Katya snapped her mouth shut with an audible click. Silence meant yes.

His wry smile deepened as he remained quietly perched beside her.

He hadn’t known the princess long, but her behavior thus far had left him with one clear impression.

'She’s like a child.'

She wanted everything her own way, and her first response when she didn’t get it was anger. She could sometimes read others’ emotions with piercing accuracy, yet had no control whatsoever over her own. That was part of it too.

“...”

He did not have to think very hard about how she had become that way.

'It’s strange, when you think about it.'

She had entered the Empire on her own whim, without a single attendant, and remained here as she pleased. Yet the Holy Kingdom had made none of the usual requests that she be returned or better looked after.

As though they did not care in the slightest whether she was there or not. That was how Katya was treated in the Holy Kingdom.

Thinking back to her lore, hadn’t there been a note that until she entered the main scenario, Katya had never had anyone she could call an acquaintance, much less a real friend?

A freak. A monster. An alien thing. Something repulsive. An object of fear.

In other words, all alone.

Intelligent though she was, she had clearly never formed a proper relationship in her life. She had never even had a chance to mature as a person.

And for someone like that, the first person she wanted to impress was Aiden himself.

It made sense that the status window listed her type of affection as Obsession. He was probably the only person in the world she wanted to be close to.

“... Why are you here?”

That gloomy voice likely came from her fear that this person might dislike her.

Aiden stroked his chin as he answered.

“I came to see how you were doing. You looked so upset.”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“...”

“Then shall I go?”

As he said that with a cheerful smile, Katya shot him a sulky glare.

“... Was I...”

She fell silent for a long time after those words, then forced herself to continue.

“Was I nothing but a burden to you?”

“No.”

Putting it that way would be too harsh. She had, after all, done everything he had asked of her without complaint.

“... Then that woman was talking nonsense?”

“No. You certainly have been a nuisance.”

Katya went blank at his immediate agreement, as though it went without saying.

Looking at her expression, he gave another small laugh and continued.

“Let me ask you instead. By any reasonable standard, how could you not be?”

Without the slightest hesitation, he delivered point after point to the dumbfounded Katya. Out poured all the inconveniences he had suffered since she volunteered to be his aide.

“You’re constantly asking me to kill you because you want to feel something.”

“...”

“You follow me everywhere, leaving me practically no privacy.”

“...”

“It’s gotten to the point where I can barely sleep, eat, or even use the bathroom in peace.”

“...”

As Katya’s expression grew increasingly peculiar, Aiden casually yawned and continued listing complaints.

It would be one thing if there were no ill intent, but causing trouble when she understood perfectly well and could think things through was even worse. Please spare a thought for the people around her. Even the headquarters servants were full of complaints about her...

“... Then...”

After a prolonged verbal battering drained away all her usual willfulness and left her thoroughly deflated, Katya mumbled with a deeply contorted expression.

There was a trace of moisture in her eyes, something unimaginable from her usual self. The facts Aiden had reeled off seemed to have genuinely hurt her...

“You don’t need me—”

“So don’t do it again.”

Katya’s eyes went round.

Seeing how utterly unexpected those words were to her, Aiden sighed inwardly.

The fact that she could not even imagine being “forgiven” like this gave him a fair idea of what kind of life she had lived in the Holy Kingdom.

“...”

Come to think of it, Chapter 2 of the main scenario, “Blasphemy,” was also triggered by Katya’s isolation.

So, here and now, he would plant the seed of a change that could turn that entire incident on its head.

“Friends can cause each other a little trouble. As long as you don’t do it again, that’s enough.”

Strictly speaking, for someone like him to call himself a royal’s friend was itself the crime of lèse-majesté. Nevertheless, he finished firmly.

He did want to raise her affection and copy skills, but in more ways than one, this kind of relationship seemed to be what she needed most.

Upon hearing that, Katya’s expression became even stranger than before.

“... Friends?”

She pronounced the word as though he had suggested roasting and eating the heel of a shoe. As if this were the first time in her life she had heard or spoken it.

“Friends.”

“... You and me? Friends?”

“Friends.”

Having repeated the word to drive it home, Aiden took something from inside his clothes: a small hip flask he used from time to time.

It wasn’t much of a gift, but making such a declaration without offering anything felt a little lacking, so he simply handed it over.

“A token of our friendship.”

“...”

Still wearing that peculiar expression, Katya accepted it uncertainly.

“Katya.”

“Yes?”

“Since we’re friends, promise me one thing.”

“...”

“Don’t go picking pointless fights with people. And avoid hurting others whenever you can.”

“...”

“Apologize to Dame Noel later for picking that fight, too.”

“...”

“Can you promise me that?”

“... All right.”

Katya curled up and hugged the hip flask tightly to her chest, like a mother bird brooding over an egg.

“I promise.”

... Well. At least she seemed to be listening. That was a relief.

“I’ll trust you.”

As Aiden stretched and said those words, Katya nodded. ... She was being utterly docile, quite unlike herself.

▣

-System Message

▶ Target ‘Katya’s’ ‘Obsession’ toward you rises to Level 2.

▶ Skill ‘Weaver of Fate’ activates. You may copy additional skills!

▶ Your influence over target ‘Katya’ increases significantly.

▶ You have caused a major change in target ‘Katya’s’ state of mind. It is now possible to alter the future.

▶ The target’s ‘Personal Quest’ will unlock soon.

▶ Information on Unique Trait ‘Origin’ is now available.

“...”

One thing at a time. Just one. All he had done was promise to be friends, and now who knew how many notifications were pouring in.

But one in particular caught his eye.

'... Unique Trait?'

Aiden tilted his head and opened the skill window. If he remembered correctly, it was a powerful ability in a league of its own compared with other skills.

-Skill Info

■ Omnipotence [ Level 1 ]

Combine two or more supernatural powers to produce effects more powerful than before.

▶ Combinations Discovered

〓 Guardian’s Flame (Heart of Pure White ↔ The First Vow)

.

.

.

■ Origin [ Locked ]

Increase your influence over others to unlock this ability.

▶ Personal Quests [ 1/2 ]

... Personal Quests, huh.

Judging by the system message, they seemed to open when he caused a major change in someone’s state of mind, creating the possibility of “altering the future.” That would mean opening one more would unlock the skill.

Omnipotence, which had unlocked when he mixed multiple supernatural powers, granted additional bonuses to that same action. So, judging by this trait’s unlock conditions...

'... Is it some kind of ability that lets me exert a lot of influence over other people?'

That was probably a reasonable assumption. He would have to wait to find out for sure, though.

'... More importantly...'

So. He seemed to have managed to settle things on one side, at least.

-System Message

[ One day remains to complete the Side Quest. ]

[ Progress: 50% ]

“...”

Aiden glared at the window with a slight frown. Why was it only halfway complete?

'... You want me to comfort Dame Noel too?'

Katya had always seemed somewhat mentally immature, so he had understood the need to soothe her. But it was surprising that Noel needed this too. Just what kind of state was she in?

“... Just my luck.”

With a sigh, he set off again.

Unlike with Katya, he already knew where Noel was. Reaching her private room, he knocked on the door.

“Dame Noel, it’s Aiden. May I come in?”

... He waited a long while, but no answer came.

Tilting his head, he eased the door open. At once, the sharp, unmistakable smell of alcohol stabbed into his nostrils.

The odor was so thick it seemed to engulf his face the instant the door opened. He grimaced.

He often enjoyed a can or two of beer after work himself, but drinking enough to fill a room with the smell went beyond a question of liking it or not. He found it vulgar and made a point of avoiding it.

So this situation was undeniably jarring. Especially considering whose room it was.

“... Dame Noel...?”

He stepped cautiously inside, only for his jaw to drop at the sight before him.

Empty cans. Liquor bottles drained to the last drop. Gather them all together, and there were probably enough to build a small pyramid.

Even amid all this, the empty containers stood neatly arranged in precise ranks and files—a telling reflection of Noel’s nature.

After standing dumbfounded for a moment, Aiden picked up the nearest bottle. Its label proudly proclaimed an alcohol content of fifty percent.

Worse still, a glance around revealed at least five more empty bottles with the same label.

“...”

As he stared at them, at a loss for words, someone stirred and wriggled upright in the bed.

“Oh.”

It was Noel, her face flushed.

“Heh...”

Her words came out slurred.

“I-it’s you, Aiden...”

A silly grin spread across her face.

“...”

... What on earth was this?