Chapter 48 - Conquest

"They've torn us to shreds."

Rad, the minister of administration, clicked his tongue and folded the newspaper in half.

Since yesterday's hearing, practically not a single news outlet had published anything favorable about the prince.

The Pontiff had openly demolished the basis of their argument, while the other charges they had pinned on the Lionhearted were being refuted point by point by the evidence.

Even the Lord Protector's soul, summoned to render the hearing itself meaningless, had been subdued by the Lionhearted and her husband.

'... There isn't a single thing in our favor, is there?'

Rad scratched his head as he mulled that over.

This was a false accusation of treason, of all things. They had accused someone of a crime punishable by death, only for that person to turn out to be innocent.

It would be stranger if their reputations weren't ruined. And that assessment didn't even account for anyone discovering that they had forcibly summoned the Lord Protector's soul...

"Even for royalty, acting openly is dangerous when public opinion is this bad. We should stay behind the scenes for the time being."

"..."

"I certainly didn't expect that spirit to lose so easily after all the enhancements we gave it."

Rad directed those words at the prince, who sat across from him with his eyes closed.

Instead of the smile he habitually wore like a mask, Rad's face bore a rare expression of intense irritation.

"Your Highness? Are you listening?"

"Rad."

The prince answered evenly, his eyes still closed.

"No one told me you had resurrected the actual Lord Protector's vengeful spirit."

"Oh, didn't they?"

"... You said you would use a stand-in. That you would do just enough to frame the Lionhearted."

Rad scratched his head and tilted it at an angle.

"Well, I thought there wouldn't be much point in doing that."

"..."

"As things stand, it was subdued before we could pin anything on her, so it accomplished little. But it would have been better if there had been a great many civilian casualties during the battle."

"..."

"And even if it failed, having the Lionhearted deal with it herself could have inflicted enough emotional damage to leave her utterly incapacitated. It would have been a perfect move if that husband of hers hadn't meddled."

"..."

"Well, such trifles hardly matter. As for our next move—"

Before Rad could continue, the prince slowly opened his eyes.

Within them lay an ink-black murderous intent, sunk to unfathomable depths.

Then energy pulsed from his body.

Several colors imbued with physical force blossomed forth, tracing dazzling paths.

"... Your Highness?"

Rather than answer Rad's bewildered question, the prince immediately set his energy in motion.

As it coiled around Rad, binding him, he looked at the prince in growing alarm.

"What are you—"

Once again, the prince's gaze shifted before he could finish.

Triangle: Shatter.

The strands of energy bent in three different directions, bearing down on the captive Rad.

Beyond pressure, they wrung him out.

Beyond wringing, they ground him down.

Beyond grinding, they shattered him.

It took only a few seconds for Rad's body, caught at their center, to break apart with a series of crunches.

Bones broke, muscles tore, and organs were crushed, spraying blood in every direction.

When the prince withdrew his energy, Rad's body fell to the floor in chunks, a pulp so mangled its original form was barely recognizable.

"..."

Still seated in silence, the prince leaned his head back slightly.

He looked remarkably calm for someone who had just committed murder, and his even voice matched that composure.

"Get up before I kill you for real."

It was a peculiar thing to say to a corpse.

"... Really, what are you so angry about?"

But not nearly as peculiar as Rad staggering to his feet immediately afterward.

While the prince radiated enough murderous intent to tear a man in half with his gaze, Rad replied nonchalantly, standing in that ruined body.

His whole body, face included, was crushed, leaving his words leaking indistinctly from his mouth. Yet the utterly unruffled manner he maintained in that state made the sight all the more grotesque.

"You've made a mess of it. I put a great deal of effort into this artificial body."

With those words, horns sprouted from Rad's head.

Ominously colored horns reminiscent of a demon's, wreathed in black magic.

Demonic energy flowed from them and slowly enveloped his body, knitting broken bones, regenerating muscles, and even restoring every piece of clothing.

It looked like the forced bodily regeneration used by the Holy Kingdom's Deathwish or Pontiff, but it was something rather different.

This wasn't the man's true body to begin with.

Beyond that, this creature wasn't even a man. Nor was it the real minister of administration.

It was something else wearing his skin.

"Such remarkable hypocrisy."

"What?"

"Even if you intended to use a fake, weren't you planning to use the Lord Protector to frame the Lionhearted anyway? Exploiting her a little is acceptable, but doing it openly and viciously as I did isn't? I've heard that 'humans' tend to apply morality rather flexibly."

"..."

The prince silently glared at the other party, whose words sounded very much like a declaration of not being human.

"None of that really matters, though. You mustn't forget the terms of our bargain, Your Highness."

Rad tilted his neck with a crack.

"We give you the Empire."

A finger drifted through the air, drawing an ominous curve around Rad before pointing back at the prince.

"And in return, you offer us sacrifices."

Speaking while slowly regenerating that twisted body only made the spectacle more grotesque.

"The Lionhearted or her husband would do nicely."

"..."

"So why not try a little harder? So far, you've done nothing but lose."

Rad snickered, then straightened up and brushed the dust from his body.

"Well, we've brought enough weapons into the capital, and we're fully prepared for our next move, so it doesn't matter for now. But if we lose any more ground, we really could be in trouble, you know?"

He gave the prince a pronounced wink.

"Just have the sacrifices ready, and we'll handle the rest. Understood?"

As Rad sauntered out of the room whistling, the prince quietly swore under his breath.

"... Demonic bastards."

Of course...

The choice to throw in his lot with them had been his own.

Bitterly, he drained the teacup before him.

▣

-System Message

▶ Target 'Teresa Adelaite's affection increases.

▶ This target's Bond level cannot be increased. Skills cannot be copied.

▶ A large quantity of 'Points' will be awarded as an alternative reward.

▶ The 'Point Shop' is now open. You may now spend Points to receive various benefits!

"..."

Aiden closed the window with a wry smile.

Well, receiving a reward was good in itself, but he couldn't simply rejoice without reservation.

After the determination the Lord Protector had shown, he couldn't take something like this lightly.

But that didn't mean he could let it pass him by, either.

-Skill Info

◆ Dharmic Power: Savior’s Vow

※ Unique – Only this character possesses this skill!

First Prohibition: Save the World.

Second Prohibition: Protect the Powerless.

A one-of-a-kind vow offered to Urgan, God of the Supreme Vehicle. Power increases significantly when performing actions related to the vows offered.

This window alone was proof.

'I have to keep my word.'

He had promised to protect them in her place. To defend the shelter that held all his family and friends in her stead.

Unless he wanted to be all talk, he would have to grit his teeth and gather every means of doing so.

In that respect, the next window to appear was more than enough to catch his attention.

-System Message

▶ You have increased the affection of a character whose affection cannot normally be increased.

▶ A central pillar of the scenario shifts because of you.

▶ An additional reward will be granted!

-Skill Info

▶ 'Skill: Weaver of Fate' activates.

▶ You obtain 'Remnant: Lord Protector – Resolve.'

▶ May be used only once.

※ 'Unique Ability: Origin' is required to view information.

"..."

Aiden blinked as he read the messages before him.

'... Remnant?'

That was another first.

-Skill Info

◈ Remnant: Lord Protector - Resolve

A skill containing the target's inner image. Can produce an exceptionally powerful effect once.

※ 'Unique Trait: Origin' is required to view skill information!

"..."

... And the explanation couldn't have been less helpful.

Not only did it fail to specify the effect, there was barely anything comprehensible besides 'powerful' and 'once.'

Normally, his first response would have been to complain about what on earth this was.

'... Isn't this a first?'

Still, this was the first time the system itself had described something as 'powerful.' Not even Katya's divinity or Noel's energy, both of which unleashed downright absurd power, had received such a rating.

The problem was that it specifically required awakening the Unique Ability 'Origin.'

'I'm pretty sure...'

Wasn't that the ability awakened by unlocking characters' Personal Quests?

He had unlocked Katya's, but Noel's still seemed a long way off. He didn't even know where to start.

As though in response to that very question, another window appeared before him.

-Tip!

▶ Situations involving 'Teresa Adelaite' will make it easy to progress through the target's Personal Quest!

▶ Make good use of the connections between characters! Direct contact with 'Teresa Adelaite' will provide even greater help!

"..."

He stared incredulously at the system window.

Was it kidding? How was he supposed to contact someone he'd just sent to the afterlife and ask for help?

'... I'll think about it later.'

He had no way to solve that right now. Besides, something else had come up that required his attention.

- Quest Info

◈ Act 1, < Rift in the Capital >

-Chapter 2, <Night of the Hunt>

▶ Related events will be updated soon!

Aiden frowned, tapping his chin.

Ultimately, Act 1, Rift in the Capital, was a series of events beginning with disturbances within the capital and culminating in a rebellion.

The prologue's weapons smuggling and Chapter 1's Ghost Knight Disturbance both followed that pattern, and Chapter 2's Night of the Hunt was no different.

'Rampaging magical beasts... was it?'

Again, it was an incident designed to cause chaos in the capital and disrupt its defenses.

Unlike Chapter 1, however, this incident occurred immediately before the coup that formed Act 1's climax. It might be called Chapter 2, but it led straight into Chapter 3 and could be considered part of the climax itself.

Naturally, the scale would be larger than before.

Magical beasts were inherently vicious, powerful creatures. Every last one of them was dangerous.

Night of the Hunt was an event that involved spending an entire night killing those beasts while minimizing the damage.

Before he could give that any deeper thought, however, another message in the quest window caught his eye.

◈ Sham Marriage

.

.

.

★ You have handled the event wisely. Speak to the character to receive your reward.

... He knew exactly what this was.

The same message had appeared just before Erger's relationship type changed from a simple 'Bond' to 'Obsession.'

It appeared before a drastic change in his relationship with someone.

"..."

"..."

As it happened, he could already feel Noel stealing glances at him from her seat across the office.

In truth, since yesterday's hearing, both of them had been too busy handling the aftermath to exchange so much as a word.

That had left no time for a serious conversation, but when she was being this obvious, he couldn't help asking.

"... Is there something you'd like to say?"

At that, Noel took a deep breath and bowed her head.

"Aiden."

"Yes. I'm listen—"

"Thank you."

"..."

Noel let out a sigh brimming with relief, as though she had wanted to say those words so desperately her heart might burst.

"What you did was no different from giving Teresa her funeral in my stead. I cannot thank you enough."

"... If that's what you wanted to say, you could have told me anytime."

As he scratched his cheek, Noel continued, as if determined to press on now that she had begun.

"But may I ask you one thing?"

"Of course. Anything."

"... How did you know?"

At her subdued question, Aiden turned slightly to meet her eyes.

Her gaze was somber, her trembling hands clenched tightly into fists.

"How could you possibly know that Teresa was holding on for that reason, even at the very end?"

"..."

To be honest, even Noel had doubted her along the way.

She had believed Teresa Adelaite's soul was corrupted beyond all hope of recovery.

That was why she had tried to end it with her own hands. She had felt she must at least be the one to lay that soul to rest.

He tilted his head slightly and answered.

"I promised you, didn't I? That the Lord Protector could never become someone like that, and I would prove it to you."

"... But even so, if your judgment had been wrong, you could have been in terrible danger."

"I told you from the beginning."

Aiden cut her off with a grin.

"If you believe in her, so do I."

"..."

"If I can't trust my fiancée's word, whose can I trust?"

No matter how completely she had lost her mind.

No matter how crushed her sense of self was. No matter how little judgment she had left.

If Noel was certain that was the sort of person she was, then that was who she must be. Aiden had acted on that simple logic.

"... Actually, I did it because I figured I'd somehow survive even if it didn't work, so trying to act cool about it might be a bit embarrassing—Dame Noel?"

He had tried to continue speaking to keep the mood from growing unnecessarily heavy again, but Noel's reaction was strange.

She simply stared at him blankly, her eyes unfocused, as though she had lost her mind.

... Her gaze even held a sense of wonder that a creature like him could possibly exist in this world.

"... Dame Noel?"

"Ah, d-d-did you say something?!"

The second time he called her, Noel answered with a start. She was so visibly flustered that she was even stuttering, something quite unlike her.

"... No, well."

Rather than point out her obviously strange behavior, Aiden cleared his throat and smoothly changed the subject.

At times like this, it was best to stick to business. He sifted through the stack of documents Dame Stella had left and pulled out a sheet.

"More importantly, I think it's about time we set a date for our wedding."

"... Pardon?"

"We're officially engaged, aren't we? If we don't set a date soon, people might start wondering if there's something wrong between us. I'd like to head that off."

Well, they had already agreed to a contractual marriage. Setting a wedding date was hardly something to start arguing over now. Still, they ought to discuss it.

That was all he had meant by bringing out the document, and Dame Noel simply looked down at the paper he placed before her without saying anything in particular.

"When would be good? Even if we don't choose an exact date, I think we should at least settle on a general time frame."

"..."

"... Dame Noel?"

"..."

"... Dame Noel...?"

"Um, Aiden."

Noel, who had been staring at the paper with oddly labored breathing, began to speak, her eyes darting about.

He couldn't be sure, but it almost looked as though there were little spirals spinning in them...

"Could we perhaps discuss this a l-little later?"

"... Pardon?"

"I think I need to give it some thought—"

"..."

Something about her reaction was strange.

She seemed to be having a violently negative reaction to the very subject he had brought up.

'... Why?'

Why was she reacting like this when she had kidnapped him for precisely this purpose in the first place?

He couldn't understand it at all...

"I-I'm sorry! I need to think about this alone!"

Then she actually bolted out of the office. She moved so violently that the marriage registration form on the desk fluttered forlornly in the gust she left behind.

"..."

Speechless, Aiden watched the door slam shut.

... Hold on.

He had handled the associated quest wisely, and their relationship was supposedly changing as a kind of reward. What on earth was this?

If anything, her reaction seemed more ambivalent than before.

-System Message

Right on cue, a system window appeared before him, as though updating that changed relationship.

Aiden stared at it tensely.

Judging by her reaction, perhaps things had actually gotten worse...

▶ Target 'Noel Astria Seamus's Bond type changes to 'Utter Infatuation'!

▶ The target's romantic feelings for you are so powerful that rational judgment is impossible when you are involved. Major changes will occur in the target's behavior!

▶ From now on, the target will make you her foremost consideration in every action she takes!

▶ Increase her Romantic Affection level to copy more skills!

"..."

Aiden stared at the window for a while, at a loss for words.

Utter Infatuation.

In other words, romantic feelings taken to their absolute extreme.

There were all sorts of explanations, but to sum them up:

Dame Noel had come to like him very, very, very much.

Dazed, he looked back and forth between the window and the way Noel had gone after tossing aside the marriage registration form.

"What the heck?"

... He had nothing else to say.