Chapter 5 - The Second
11 min read ·
As far as Stella was concerned, Aiden Kellermain had spent the entire day piling work on her desk. Granted, most of it was a by-product of her beloved Dame Noel spending all day preoccupied with him, but that hardly made the situation welcome.
“Mr. Aiden.”
With that in mind, surely he needn't have added something quite this explosive to her workload.
“What in the world is this?”
Stella sounded utterly incredulous.
Right before her lay Prince Daniel, a bloody pulp making nothing but wheezing sounds. He was conscious, but clearly incapable of getting a word out. The man responsible for putting him in that state merely shrugged.
“Would you believe me if I said I had my reasons?”
“They had better be good enough to justify seriously injuring a royal.”
Stella's voice was rigid. Exiled in all but name or not, he was royalty. This was more than enough to spark a dispute between nations.
“And it will be up to us to prove he was at fault. A royal's power is that—”
But the words that came out of Aiden's mouth had nothing to do with her point.
“Do we really need to prove it?”
“... Pardon?”
As Stella stared blankly at him, Aiden continued calmly.
“Even royals can be cast out if they commit a sufficiently serious crime. Correct?”
“Yes, but why bring that up now?”
“There was that kidnapping in the capital recently. Viscount Cromwell's daughter?”
“...”
“It caused quite a stir. That beautiful young lady, abducted and missing.”
Stella's face grew far more rigid than before. It wasn't just that this had nothing to do with their conversation. Prince Daniel's reaction was too strange.
She distinctly saw the man, so badly injured he could barely speak, give a violent start as though struck by lightning. As though someone had put their finger straight on a vile deed he'd never imagined anyone would uncover.
“Things would get interesting if the culprit were right here. Wouldn't they?”
“...”
Surely not.
Surely that couldn't be.
A royal exiled to another country, laying hands on one of its nobles? If true, that was a crime serious enough to warrant expulsion from the royal family.
“Do you have proof?”
“No, but you have something here, don't you? A way to establish the truth.”
“... Pardon?”
“Simply finding out whether he's lying should be proof enough, right?”
Stella's eyes narrowed. Such a device did indeed exist. But it certainly wasn't something the man before her had any business knowing about so casually.
“Private First Class.”
Eyes still narrowed, Stella addressed a nearby soldier in an even tone.
“Bring me something from the magic-device laboratory on the first floor. Tell them it's the ‘detector.’ They'll understand.”
“Yes, ma'am!”
The soldier's reply came out oddly drawn out, perhaps because he, too, had instinctively realized that something was going very, very wrong.
He wouldn't have been far off. It didn't take long for the lie detector secretly being developed by the imperial military to pick apart every last one of Prince Daniel's babbling excuses that he had never done any such thing.
“... This is enough to drive me mad.”
Stella could only groan. For two reasons.
This succession of events, all unfolding at breakneck speed, constituted a major incident that would reach the imperial palace.
Which meant she would be working all night.
▣
The investigation that followed proceeded swiftly. An exhaustive search of Prince Daniel's lodgings and everywhere he had been reportedly turned up clothes and personal belongings belonging to Viscount Cromwell's daughter.
Along with evidence of his attempts to cover his tracks, and traces of various other “miscellaneous” crimes.
“That concludes my report.”
As Stella finished, Noel pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed.
“What does the Holy Kingdom have to say?”
“They expressed their gratitude.”
“... What?”
“Their own laws forced them to keep that unwanted burden in the royal family, so they thanked us for giving them a clean way to get rid of him. They said that if Mr. Aiden ever visits the Holy Kingdom, they'll give him a lavish welcome.”
“...”
The Holy Kingdom's ruler, the Pontiff—particularly the current holder of that office—was renowned as the greatest eccentric of all his predecessors. Judging by that reply, he certainly lived up to his reputation.
“Actually, someone more concerning than the Pontiff is involved.”
“Who?”
“[Deathwish] has expressed an interest in Mr. Aiden.”
“...”
“She sent a friendly message suggesting they share a meal sometime. Just the sort of initiative you'd expect from an ambitious woman who stops at nothing to recruit anyone who catches her eye.”
Noel wearily swept her hair back.
“Deathwish.”
“Yes.”
“You mean the Holy Kingdom's second princess? That power-mad woman who'll use any means necessary, even kill her own older brother, if it gets her the Pontiff's seat?”
“Yes.”
“The woman whose skill with divinity surpasses even the current Pontiff's.”
“... Yes.”
The fact that this information had arrived within hours of the incident, never mind a full day, was best taken as a glimpse of things to come. Word needed no feet to travel a thousand miles. Today's events would already be spreading like wildfire among the ambitious souls who gathered every scrap of intelligence they could find.
“I don't know why they're so interested in Mr. Aiden. Honestly, he's an ordinary con man.”
Ordi...nary?
Stella's brows arched, but Noel continued evenly.
“He wrecked a Holy Kingdom royal wielding high-purity divinity with one barehanded blow, immediately exposed the crimes he'd been hiding, and casually suggested using a classified device known only to personnel within Capital Command—a man who's never set foot in the military in his life.”
“... Yes.”
“And then they actually found evidence, just as he said.”
“...”
“Nothing special. I don't know what all the fuss is about. Do you?”
“...”
Hearing the half-defeated note in Noel's voice, Stella quietly shut her mouth. Even reporting this string of inexplicable events was enough to leave her breathless.
And all of it had been accomplished in less than a day by one man claiming to be an ordinary con artist.
Well.
“Dame Noel, if I may be so bold.”
“Yes?”
“Where in the world did you find this man, and how?”
“... Honestly, I don't know anymore. Was he always this capable?”
By now, his actions had strayed far too far from the history he claimed for himself. Far enough that, within a single day, Stella had entirely stopped asking why Noel had chosen him of all people.
The problem was that even Noel, who had brought him here, was utterly baffled by the situation.
'How?'
Naturally, uncovering a crime deliberately concealed by someone of royal standing was like pushing an animal through the eye of a needle. All the more so when the crime was so obviously filthy and sordid that the perpetrator would have gone to desperate lengths to leave no loose ends.
Stranger still was his knowledge of a device the military was testing. That was like pushing an elephant through the needle's eye.
No one knew the military's notoriously strict security procedures better than she did. Once something was classified, there had never been a case of its disclosure to an outsider—a testament to their paranoid tendencies.
And yet this man, Aiden, had known both things. All of it.
'... How?'
She could think of nothing beyond that question. What did he know, and how much? Just how far did his knowledge extend?
The more she thought, the more confused she became.
Who in the world was this man? Where had he been all this time...?
“Dame Noel.”
Stella's voice suddenly broke into Noel's racing thoughts, carrying an uncharacteristic hesitation. She continued to waver until Noel gave her a puzzled look, at which point the words finally took shape.
“There is one other question that remains.”
“A question?”
“How the two of them came to fight in the first place. Are you aware of the circumstances?”
“More or less. Didn't the prince pick a fight?”
Sir Lester, who had been present, had described it along the lines of, “The prince disliked the Lionhearted's bridegroom and picked a fight, to which Aiden retaliated.”
He had presumably tried to give the plainest possible account. But summarized, it could easily sound like this:
“Apparently, Mr. Aiden did it in a rage after being insulted as unworthy of being your husband.”
“...”
“My opinion of him has improved somewhat. He does have a manly side.”
... A slight change in wording could make all the difference.
The instant she heard that report, Noel's lips twisted oddly.
“He liked me that much?”
“I doubt there's anyone on this planet who dislikes you, Dame Noel, but it does raise questions. Isn't it completely at odds with his initial attitude?”
“It is strange. It's not as if we've known each other for—”
Noel abruptly closed her mouth. Words she had heard only recently were passing through her mind.
[“It seems you don't remember the old days. Your childhood, for instance?”]
[“No, it's nothing. I never thought you'd actually forgotten.”]
A certain man had said those words.
“Dame Noel? Are you all right?”
Stella's puzzled question brought Noel back to her senses. Then her eyes gently closed.
“No.”
The word left her lips with a bitter tinge.
“We might... have known each other.”
“Pardon?”
“It's nothing.”
Noel fell silent for a moment, then opened her eyes.
“Stella.”
“Yes.”
“Contact the Central Intelligence Bureau.”
Stella's eyes widened. The Central Intelligence Bureau was the most notorious of the Empire's intelligence agencies. The general consensus was that, while they would never do it, they could unearth even the Emperor's most closely guarded secrets if they put their minds to it.
Even the Lionhearted would hesitate to contact them over anything less than a matter of grave importance.
“... Shall I request a thorough investigation into Mr. Aiden's background?”
Surprised though she was, Stella had worked with Noel long enough to read her intentions from the barest hint.
“Have them check everything. Don't leave out even the smallest detail. Report everything they find to me, down to the last word. They can use my name as much as they need to.”
“As you command.”
Watching Stella salute and leave, Noel tipped her teacup again. Bitterness swirled strongly through her mouth once more.
The military's intelligence-gathering capabilities were excellent, but the Central Intelligence Bureau was in an entirely different league. This request would yield some kind of lead. At the very least, a clue she could follow to discover who this man really was.
“Aiden.”
Noel spoke slowly.
“Aiden Kellermain.”
As though savoring the name.
“All right. Let's do this.”
She would find out.
Who he was.
What he wanted.
Without fail.
▣
“I want to go home.”
Aiden muttered in a dazed voice.
- System Message
▶ You have made contact with ‘Deathwish,’ Katya Heinkel Craven.
▶ This is a critically important story character. The fate of the world depends on how you influence this character!
▶ Your influence on the main story increases.
▶ Your Bond with this character has increased to Level 1!
▶ Linking with the skill ‘Weaver of Fate’!
“...”
What was all this?
In less than a day, he'd gotten tangled up with someone terrifying.
'This is why you shouldn't lose your temper.'
The man kept crossing the line, so Aiden had put a little effort into crushing him. The fallout was rather terrifying.
In truth, that slick prince was a recurring villain in the game, riddled with weaknesses Aiden could easily exploit even with his patchy knowledge of the original story. The man had committed so many vile deeds that exposing just one brought all the rest up to the surface like a string of linked sausages.
'Besides, I didn't know that thing was classified.'
He had only mentioned the military's detector because it was one of the game's most prominent key items. He'd had no idea that, at this point in time, they had barely completed a prototype and were still treating it as a military secret.
'More importantly...'
Aiden glumly scanned the window floating before his eyes.
Katya Heinkel Craven.
Commonly known as [Deathwish]. Of the main scenario's principal characters, she was the single most important figure in the Holy Kingdom faction.
He had received permission to copy a skill, but not knowing why she was interested in him left him uneasy.
Still, that was a separate matter.
'I should take what I can get, right?'
▶ Activating the skill-copying ability of ‘Skill: Weaver of Fate.’
▶ Analyzing the skill list of the target, ‘Katya Heinkel Craven.’
▶ Skills are displayed in descending order of value.
A long skill window unfurled beneath those messages, listing what could only be Katya's abilities. Most concerned the divinity Daniel had displayed earlier.
Aiden had a rough idea of the princess's skills, but he certainly knew which was the most impressive. Much as he had when copying Noel's skill.
Looking back over his knowledge of the original story, this princess, like Noel, possessed a supernatural power unique in all the world. Even among the people of the Holy Kingdom, the source of divinity, hers was the most anomalous ability.
- System Message
▶ Copying ‘Unique Ability: The First Vow.’
▶ This ability belongs to this character alone in the entire world.
▶ The target ‘Katya’ may grow more fond of you!
... The prospect of yet more inexplicable interest did bother him a little.
'I'll think about that later.'
Too much had happened today.
Aiden dismissed the window and closed his eyes. Worn out by everything he'd endured all day, he soon lost consciousness.
That was probably why he failed to notice the window that appeared before his eyes the instant he fell into a deep sleep, as though it had been waiting.
- System Message
▶ You are currently the only individual possessing two or more ‘Unique Skills.’
▶ The target ‘the pantheon’ has taken notice of you!
▶ This change has an immense impact on the main story!
▶ Unlocking a new s̸̤̅͊p̸̠̈́e̶̛̯͙͆̑c̷̣̰̩̀̇͋i̴̢̔̆a̴͍̼̠̙͐l̸̼̖̜̀ á̶̲b̷̦͖͂̈́i̸̢̧̪̬͊̉l̴͎̇î̶͚̤̹̺ty
▶ A n̴̢͓̠͉͊̋è̴̹w̵̳̪͠ e̵̼̦̻͕̐͝v̶̝͌̊e̸͇̟̒̏̌n̵̰̥̱̆̅͝t̸̤̿̆̊́ ī̷̢̤͚̥n̶̫̾̓͋̕ t̸̡̜̤̓͜͝h̸͙̞̱̪́́͑̑ę̵̠̩̃̀͆̐ m̷̥̳̭̚ă̷̟̩in story Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Î̶̻̙͓͓͎̫͛́͌̀̆͊͒͆̚±̦͖̺̗͎͍̰͊̏͒̉̍̉̚͟͠×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ¡̴̹͉̤̭̥̒̇̎̅͘͝ͅ¹̖̯̰̰̦̝͐͆̿̌̃͂͟͠Ö̵̩̭͇̹̭̤͌͆̔̀̆̚Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Î̶̻̙͓͓͎̫͛́͌̀̆͊͒͆̚±̦͖̺̗͎͍̰͊̏͒̉̍̉̚͟͠×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ¡̴̹͉̤̭̥̒̇̎̅͘͝ͅ¹̖̯̰̰̦̝͐͆̿̌̃͂͟͠Ö̵̩̭͇̹̭̤͌͆̔̀̆̚Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Ą̷̦̘͉̹͓̝́̾͂͂̂͂̅͡͝ø̵̧̡̜̲̗̳̟̀̒̽̊͆̃͒̎̚͟͟ͅ Ç̳͈̟̯̻̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌͘̕Ḁ̷͉̞͎̯̥̫̳̻́͆͊̉̀̾͘͞·̴̢̥̱̝̘̟͎͊͐͌̿̎̋̕͜͟͝͞Î̶̻̙͓͓͎̫͛́͌̀̆͊͒͆̚±̦͖̺̗͎͍̰͊̏͒̉̍̉̚͟͠×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ¡̴̹͉̤̭̥̒̇̎̅͘͝ͅ¹̖̯̰̰̦̝͐͆̿̌̃͂͟͠Ö̵̩̭͇̹̭̤͌͆̔̀̆̚
.
.
.
▶ Recalibrating the event.
▶ The target ‘the pantheon’ is wary of you.
▶ The target ‘Ç̷̨̳͈̟̯̻̦̘͉̹͓̝̾̿̔͆̃̋́͌̾͂͂̂͂̅͘̕͡͝ø×̵̢̯̥̟͖̞̔̈́̃̚͘͞·̶̛͈̪͚̹̺͖͉̪̇̎̃̏̃̎̚͡ͅ’ has taken notice of you.
▶ You have been granted new special abilities!
▶ You have been granted [ Unique Trait: Omnipotence ]!
▶ You have been granted [ Unique Trait: Origin ]!