Chapter 36 - Godhood

"Were you in the wrong or not?"

"... I was in the wrong."

"Have you reflected sufficiently on your actions?"

"... I have reflected sufficiently on my actions."

"Then why are your hands coming down?"

"..."

Kneeling with both hands raised, Aiden looked at Noel with sorrowful eyes.

Even his father had never punished him like this as a child. He had never imagined he would find himself doing it as a fully grown adult...

"... Something struck me as rather odd."

Ignoring his expression, Noel narrowed her eyes and continued.

"Be honest. You let yourself be kidnapped, didn't you?"

"..."

"It's not as though you can't fight."

"..."

Busted.

As Aiden smiled awkwardly, Noel sighed and swept her hair back.

"What were you going to do if something had gone seriously wrong?"

"I knew from the beginning that you'd come rescue me. I had faith in you, Dame Noel—"

... She rapped him on the head.

A full-strength blow would have knocked him unconscious at the very least, so it was more a reprimand to stop talking nonsense. Still, pain was pain.

As Aiden rubbed his head, Noel fixed him with a murderous glare and spoke coldly.

"What sort of person builds a plan around getting themselves hurt? You need to value yourself more—"

... The lecture went on for quite a while longer.

By the time his raised arms were beginning to go numb, Noel had fortunately regained enough composure to let him sit down before speaking again.

"... At least getting yourself hurt wasn't entirely for nothing. We arrested every member of the criminal group based there. That's a relief."

"What about the evidence?"

What mattered was evidence that they had been acting on the orders of the prince and the minister of administration.

Fortunately, judging by Noel's faint smile, the news wasn't bad.

"You needn't worry. It felt like we'd struck gold."

"If I hadn't gotten captured to draw their attention and called you in, we couldn't have caught them so cleanly—"

The instant he felt her gaze growing colder, Aiden shut his mouth.

Such discretion befitted his long and trouble-free criminal career.

"... Anyway."

Noel pressed a hand to her forehead and continued.

"The hearing has been scheduled. We can reveal everything properly there."

"How many days from now?"

"Two."

They certainly hadn't left much time.

They meant to meet this challenge head-on, without the slightest intention of backing down.

"Aiden. This is probably a trap."

"..."

"There's no way they don't know we've obtained this evidence. If they've agreed to the hearing date so casually anyway, they must have something else prepared."

He could only agree with her.

-System Message

▶ Main Quest entries updated.

▶ 'Quest: Sham Marriage' updated.

-Quest Info

♠ Main Quest

◈ Act 1, < Rift in the Capital >

- Chapter 1, <Ghost Knight Disturbance>

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▶ Subjugation Battle (D-2)

◈ Sham Marriage

- You have been chosen as Dame Noel's spouse. Maintain your contract with her until the end!

- A related event will occur soon. (D-2)

The window appearing before his eyes supported that theory.

From the Main Quest to the matter involving Dame Noel, not a single thing could be ignored.

In two days, during the harvest festival, somewhere packed with people, the Lord Protector's spirit would appear again without fail.

"..."

Aiden tapped his chin, lost in thought.

He didn't know how things would unfold, but considering the time and place, either event was bound to blow up into something major.

Given the prince's disposition, he wouldn't choose a method that caused heavy casualties. Whatever he did, though, it would certainly make trouble for Aiden and Noel.

"Tell them we agree to the date too."

"..."

Noel blinked blankly.

"Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Yes."

There was nothing quite as stupid as walking into something when you knew it was coming.

But...

"I know it's a trap. I'm going to break straight through it."

"..."

"They're not the only ones who can prepare in advance."

He simply had to assume it was a trap and prepare accordingly.

Letting this drag on would only benefit the other side. They would churn out all sorts of things to refute the evidence he had gathered.

The problem was...

'... Noel herself.'

Sighing inwardly, Aiden glanced at Noel, who was watching him with concern.

He had personally witnessed the extent of her strength only recently, but getting her help against the Lord Protector was practically impossible. He would be lucky if she even kept herself together.

In other words, he had to get through the subjugation battle without her.

'Katya will help, of course, but...'

The problem was that the Lord Protector was already a monster only slightly weaker than Noel, and the quest would make her even stronger when she returned.

He didn't know how much stronger, but it went without saying that he was in for a horrific ordeal.

'... Fortunately...'

He had thought of one way to deal with her.

And he had someone he could ask about it.

"You seem to be scheming again. Are you planning ahead this time too?"

"Doing anything safely takes thorough preparation."

Without that level of preparedness, he could never have dreamed of living a trouble-free life as a criminal. It was nothing special to him.

At his nonchalant answer, Noel let out an incredulous sigh.

"If you'd put that much effort into something constructive, I imagine you'd have made quite a name for yourself by now."

"... I don't particularly want to make a name for myself."

He would be happy just making a living with his family. He had never wanted anything more, then or now.

As Aiden murmured that with a wry smile, Noel spoke as though something had just occurred to her.

"By the way, Aiden."

"Yes?"

"... Um, what are your family members like?"

Aiden blinked blankly.

"What are they like?"

"Their likes, their dislikes, that sort of thing..."

The way she trailed off and avoided his gaze was distinctly suspicious.

Aiden tilted his head as he replied.

"... Why on earth do you ask?"

"... I-I thought I might send them some gifts."

"Aha, gifts..."

... Out of nowhere?

"My father will like pretty much any decent alcohol. As for my little sister... she's still young. She likes anything children like."

Despite that thought, Aiden readily answered, though his eyes remained narrowed.

'She wouldn't do anything bad to them.'

Considering how she had treated him so far, at least, the odds of that were exceedingly low.

"... Then that's what I should aim for if I want to score points."

"Score points?"

"N-nothing."

"...?"

What on earth was that about...?

▣

"Let's get this straight."

Meyer spoke bluntly as he continued their usual idyllic, harmonious 'sparring' in the mindscape, beating Aiden to a pulp.

... Honestly, Aiden wanted to stop dying. But Meyer insisted all this would become useless the instant his instincts dulled, then showed up in his dreams to beat him every night. The man really never got tired.

At least it meant he could ask about a countermeasure against the Lord Protector.

"You need some kind of attack that can land an effective blow on a knight who ranks among the best in the entire Empire."

"Yes. It has to take her down in one go."

Combining energy, divinity, and dharmic power into 'Supernatural Imbuement' had previously produced enough force to put even Katya out of commission with a single blow. But that alone wasn't enough, especially if his goal was to finish this all at once.

After all, even that had only worked because she had exhausted much of her strength fighting Noel, he had detonated a hellfire bomb, and then he had struck a vital point with it.

That alone wouldn't remotely suffice for the boss fight.

He needed far greater 'firepower' to accomplish his goal.

"Absolutely impossible."

... Meyer's flat refusal was therefore understandable, but still frustrating.

At his snorting reply, Aiden protested.

"Come on, senior."

Continuing a conversation while everything above his nose was pulp was a rather novel experience, but what the other man said mattered more.

"Weren't you one of the strongest wielders of supernatural powers of your generation? Help me out here."

"Even the strongest of his generation isn't omniscient and omnipotent. Have you no shame?"

Meyer snorted and flicked the blood off his blade.

"You've gotten somewhat competent, but that only means you can pull your weight by the standards of an 'ordinary' superhuman. Hardened battlefield veterans could slice someone like you to ribbons with their eyes closed."

"... I gave several regular knights a one-sided beating not long ago."

"Aha. And has this impressive fellow managed to land even one attack on me?"

"..."

"When I'm not even using any particular supernatural power?"

... What a bastard of an old forebear.

The fact that he was never wrong only made it more infuriating.

Feeling the severed portion above his nose gradually regenerating, Aiden rose.

The timing was good, at least. Now he could put on a more convincingly desperate expression.

"... Even so, I'm in a position where I have to squeeze something out of nothing."

Unless he defeated her, there was no way past the Main Quest, and this was the only person he could turn to now.

Meyer was the only one who shared Aiden's ability to wield multiple supernatural powers.

"For that matter, even if I somehow devised an attack capable of hurting her and handed it to you, could you actually land it?"

It wasn't an unfounded concern.

Given that she was Noel's teacher, the problem wasn't simply having an attack. He also had to make it connect.

The gulf between them wouldn't be limited to the power of their techniques. Their fighting skills would be worlds apart too.

But...

"Yes."

He could land it.

Of that much, at least, he was certain.

"How can you be sure?"

"I'll find a way."

"..."

"I'm the sort who excels in real combat."

Meyer looked at him as though asking if he was joking, but Aiden met his gaze confidently.

Well, it was do or die. If he couldn't land the attack, he would fail the quest and die anyway.

'... And excelling in real combat isn't just empty talk.'

Considering his list of skills, that was an undeniable fact.

Once certain conditions were met, it wasn't difficult for his capabilities to skyrocket.

"... Well, confidence is good. But I still don't see a way."

"Oh, don't be like that. I read the records about you, senior. You were always growing stronger at a ridiculous pace. At least let me in on your secret."

"I'm just a genius. My talent covered everything."

"..."

The self-praise, delivered without so much as a blink, left Aiden momentarily speechless.

No, it was too early to give up.

He knew how to handle people, at least.

"Exactly. That's why I'm asking you."

"..."

"You're a genius, senior."

"..."

"The greatest genius there is. You effortlessly accomplish things nobody else can."

"..."

"Come on, honestly, you can do this. Right? For the Knight of Dawn, surely—"

"Just how much flattery are you going to spout?"

"..."

Even as he said it, the corners of his mouth were twitching upward.

... It wasn't as though he failed to recognize that Aiden was saying all this to cajole him. Clearly, he attached so much significance to the word 'genius' that he fell for it despite knowing better.

That was all the more apparent from how long he spent considering the matter, unlike when he had first heard Aiden's request.

"There might be a workaround we could use."

"A workaround?"

"But there are a few conditions."

Meyer's voice was serious.

"Do you know how people who wield multiple supernatural powers are able to do it?"

"I wouldn't know...?"

"Neither do I."

"..."

Was this man screwing with him?

But the explanation that followed made it clear he wasn't merely joking.

"It's different for everyone. Some break through on sheer talent, like me. Others are born with noble blood, or borrow the power of a sacred relic. Everyone has their own basis for it. Something unique to them that others don't have."

"And?"

"I can't give you some grand insight, but if we could... 'dig into' that a little, we might find a way forward."

Meyer scratched his cheek and added,

"But you're a bit unusual."

"What?"

"With you, it really feels as though you just stumbled into wielding those powers."

"..."

"Wielding multiple supernatural powers is a privilege reserved for the chosen. It means several gods have granted you access to their authority. Usually, the people who can do it are so... 'extraordinary' that there's nothing strange about them wielding all those powers."

Meyer paused for breath, then delivered his conclusion with a sigh.

"Honestly, I can't even guess why someone with fuck-all going for him, like you, can use them. That's why I can't help."

"..."

... Setting aside the rudeness for a moment.

He understood why Meyer was struggling with this.

Fortunately, Aiden could think of one way to give him a clear explanation.

"... There is someone."

"What?"

"Someone who can explain why."

There really was.

Someone who had told him something relevant not long ago.

A voice flashed through Aiden's mind.

["It's not widely known, but they do exist. Beings that can be more dangerous than the heavenly 'gods' who bestow supernatural powers."]

["One of them has marked you as 'mine.' That's where the power you wield comes from."]

["And because of the karma you've recently taken on, you can no longer escape it. You poor thing."]

... Those were the words he had heard from a certain blindfolded priestess at the imperial palace banquet some time ago.

"If I go see her, what sort of help should I ask for?"

▣

"... What did you say?"

Rania A`shan's voice was dumbfounded.

A priestess serving Urgan, God of the Supreme Vehicle. Voluminous pink hair. A blindfold. A short tobacco pipe.

To match that distinctive appearance, her usual demeanor was somehow boisterous and unyielding.

Yet here she was, staring blankly as she asked him to repeat himself.

Presumably, the words of the man before her had come as quite a shock.

"... I know it sounds strange, but it's really nothing strange."

"..."

"... There's someone I want you to meet."

Aiden said this looking as though the world were hell for him too.

His expression suggested he had never imagined he would say such a thing to someone like her in his life...

"Would you sleep with me for just one night?"

"..."

"... I can explain everything, you know?"

Rania stared at him blankly.