Chapter 57 - Negotiation

On the way back to Grand Duke Aslan's castle, Aiden brought up a window before his eyes.

-Skill Info

■ Omnipotence [ Stage 2 ]

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

▶ Discovered Combinations

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

Traits: High Output, High Firepower

Its firepower exceeds that of ordinary divinity, and it can affect a far wider area than divinity used alone.

〓 Brilliant Radiance (Savior’s Vow ↔ Heart of Pure White)

Traits: High Density, High Precision

Deploys energy using the finesse of dharmic power. Allows far more solid and precise manipulation of energy, making it particularly effective for creating defensive structures and performing delicate tasks.

〓 Purifier (Savior’s Vow ↔ The First Vow)

Trait: Nullification

A supernatural power with highly unusual properties. Can only be used on a small scale.

The inherent qualities of any target exposed to this power are greatly weakened.

※ As the skill's stage increases, the number of supernatural powers that can be combined increases, and additional effects become available.

Aiden nodded as he scanned the window.

'Not a bad haul.'

There was no other way to describe these gains.

After all, the very reason Aiden could handle crises despite his paltry output and control was that his supernatural powers had unique properties no other superhuman possessed.

Guardian’s Flame alone had already proved its might in all sorts of situations.

And Brilliant Radiance was so straightforward that he could see at a glance how to put it to use.

'High density and high precision...'

When he actually summoned the power and experimented with it, the difference from his other powers was immediately apparent. Not only did it shine much more brightly than ordinary dharmic power, but he could instantly grasp what “high precision” meant.

For Aiden, using supernatural powers was usually like struggling to move new limbs that had sprouted from his body of their own accord in the direction he wanted.

He could copy skills, but proficiency in handling them didn't come all at once. That was unavoidable.

Yet even though this was his first time using Brilliant Radiance, it moved with the precision of his own hands and feet.

'It's solid, too.'

He summoned Guardian’s Flame and tested them against each other. When gathered to the same density, Brilliant Radiance offered far better protection.

It couldn't give off Guardian’s Flame's tremendous heat or move as quickly, but when held stationary for defense, its efficiency was second to none.

It was clearly ideal for using the many defensive skills he had acquired, mostly from Noel.

'I'm not sure about this one, though...'

Purifier's description, on the other hand, was admittedly a little puzzling. What exactly did nullifying inherent qualities mean?

When he summoned it and moved it around, it shone in the form of a sphere, as befitted a power based on dharmic power. But it wasn't particularly fast, hot, or solid... In short, nothing about it felt special.

And above all...

'So this is what it means by only being able to handle small amounts...'

Using large quantities of his other powers exhausted him quickly, too, but this Purifier was brutally draining even by comparison.

He felt he would be hard-pressed to keep it going for more than a few seconds.

“You're playing with something strange again.”

As he continued his experiments, Katya peeked over from beside him. The power he was handling seemed to have piqued her curiosity.

“Did you mix your powers again? How do you even do that?”

“...”

... The problem was that Aiden himself didn't know.

The priestess had told him something about an Outer God before, but he had no leads to investigate it right now.

All he had learned was that the Outer God liked him and had attached itself to him, and its influence allowed him to copy skills by earning other people's affection.

But there was no reason to reveal that, either.

'My senior told me to keep my mouth shut.'

He had exclaimed in shock upon first seeing the ability, then repeatedly urged Aiden to keep quiet after learning its source. Nothing good would come of blabbing about it, he had said.

He had even explained why in wonderfully clear, simple terms.

[“An Outer God... Normally, I'd have told you not even to try learning that they exist. The moment you get involved, all sorts of ancient things might take an interest in you.”]

[“What ancient things?”]

[“You don't know yet, do you? Then don't go trying to find out. Not until they approach you first.”]

[“But I'm told I'm already involved with them.”]

[“Then your life's gotten royally screwed up.”]

[“...”]

[“Hang in there. That's life.”]

... An explanation so clear that it couldn't possibly have been made any simpler.

As Aiden mulled it over, his face slightly pale, Katya was sticking her hand into the power he had summoned.

“Wait, Your Highness—”

He didn't make much effort to stop her because he knew her traits better than anyone.

Absence of sensation, and beyond that, immortality.

The chances of anything going wrong from a little contact with supernatural power were vanishingly close to zero.

But her response a moment later was rather different from usual.

Normally, she shouldn't have felt anything.

“... Huh?”

Katya's eyes widened. She pulled her hand out of the sphere of light and briskly rubbed it all over with her other hand.

Then she summoned divinity and pressed it straight against her hand, burning it—

“What are you doing?!”

Horrified, Aiden immediately tried to stop her, but Katya turned toward him, tears welling in her eyes as she held her hand over the flames.

“... It hurts...!”

“... What?”

“It hurts! I can feel again!”

Aiden's jaw dropped, too.

“... It really hurts?”

“Yes! I told you, it hurts!”

“Anywhere else?”

“No, just this hand, I think. But even that's something!”

With tears in her eyes, Katya kept burning her hand with the ball of fire—

“...”

... He wasn't sure she needed to go that far. Still, he understood that her absence of sensation had briefly disappeared, only in the area that had touched Purifier.

“... Ah.”

But soon her expression fell again.

“I can't feel anything anymore...”

Indeed, he could see divinity welling up like writhing mud and instantly repairing her scorched, burning hand.

Clearly, the effect didn't last very long.

Katya looked disappointed, but Aiden's eyes remained wide.

'... So erasing inherent qualities means...'

It had only lasted a few seconds.

But it had briefly nullified Katya's inability to feel, something even the Pontiff couldn't remove.

As though anything that touched it was temporarily neutralized, regardless of the caliber of the supernatural power involved.

Aiden had only one thought about that.

'... Isn't this ridiculously overpowered?'

There was no need to spell out just how useful an ability this would be.

The abacus in his mind began to click away.

Once he had something like this, there was only one thing to do.

'Put it to use right away.'

And as luck would have it, the conditions for setting the perfect stage were right in front of him.

As for who would serve as the material for that...

“... Is this really a good idea, Aiden?”

“The three of us have just torn part of the duchy to pieces. I don't think we can take it back now.”

At his calm reply, Noel's face immediately crumpled.

“... I think this is a rather different matter.”

“...”

That seemed fair, too.

Indeed, carrying the grand duke's limp, unconscious son over his shoulder like a sack of baggage on their way back to Grand Duke Aslan's castle did seem rather different from simply tearing through his territory like a storm.

“Trust me, Dame Noel. I've thought this through.”

“...”

“... Please, really.”

A fleeting look of regret crossed her face, as though she were wondering how she had ever ended up working with someone like him.

Still, she admirably kept her mouth firmly shut...

'... She's been letting me get away with a lot lately, hasn't she?'

Given her personality, it wouldn't have been strange for her to spend an entire day lecturing him about what he thought he was doing in the past.

Yet lately she went along with everything he said, as though he had some sort of hold over her. As though she were watching his reactions.

“...”

Perhaps, as Grand Duke Aslan had mentioned before, she felt deeply guilty about digging into his past.

'I've lied to her plenty myself, though.'

There was the claim that they had known each other before, and his false confession that he liked her.

Rather than have her dig too deeply into his background, uncover those lies, and stir up trouble, perhaps it was better to let her keep treading carefully around him for now.

He would have to clear up all the misunderstandings eventually, of course.

“But is what we're doing really that much of a problem?”

At Katya's puzzled question, Noel and Aiden both turned to her in dismay.

Their faces demanded what on earth she meant, but Katya simply answered in an even voice.

“Isn't family supposed to be people who are always itching to kill each other?”

“...”

“Why would he get angry about him ending up like this?”

... Aiden knew what sort of people she had grown up around in the Holy Kingdom, but hearing things like this still made his head spin.

“There's a lot to be said about your views on family, Your Highness, but for once, I agree.”

Instead of arguing, however, he scratched his cheek and added,

“Grand Duke Aslan won't have much to say about this, either.”

“... What makes you say that...?”

“He's a father. I'm certain he cares deeply about his family.”

Well.

Aiden remembered very clearly how Grand Duke Aslan had acted when speaking about his children before.

Hadn't it looked remarkably like Kenneth, beside himself with frustration whenever Siscella and Aiden did something stupid?

“He won't want his children going astray.”

“...?”

▣

Had Grand Duke Aslan's administrator heard those words, he would surely have exclaimed in astonishment and demanded how Aiden knew.

After all...

“I don't think you need to make such a fuss reporting that Damian's had his head bashed in, Administrator.”

That was the grand duke's response the moment he received the report on what was happening.

“More importantly, how are the defensive preparations coming along? We have less than two days until the Night of the Hunt, don't we?”

“... Your Grace.”

The administrator continued in disbelief.

“Your own flesh and blood has been injured by an outsider. How can you react like that...?”

“Did you think something like this wouldn't happen? The instant I fell a little ill, Damian and Liza both started eyeing my position, eager to snatch it up.”

Both were probably hoping to be appointed supreme commander of the preparations for the Night of the Hunt.

That was the symbolic duty of Grand Duke Aslan, the Empire's shield.

If he suddenly brought in outsiders to help under those circumstances, naturally they would try to drive them away.

The administrator blinked blankly at those words.

If the grand duke had invited them despite knowing that, it was almost as though...

'... As though he was actually encouraging a fight...?'

Before he could properly consider that impression, the grand duke spoke again.

“Those brats were far too full of themselves.”

“...?”

“They think they're something special. Both Damian and Liza.”

At the administrator's puzzled expression, Grand Duke Aslan gave a wry laugh and continued.

“They both have decent reputations as warriors. But circumstance matters almost as much as ability when it comes to success. They've been given so much, yet they think they accomplished every last thing themselves.”

“...”

“As far as I'm concerned, they're frogs in a well. My son and my daughter both.”

The world was full of monsters who existed on a plane far beyond them.

They would probably learn that lesson painfully in a single day.

“... What do you mean?”

“It would do them good to realize, however vaguely, that they're nothing special. And I hope they'll learn that this title of grand duke they're so desperate for doesn't matter at all.”

In less than a day, at an outsider's hands—

“...”

On the other hand...

The grand duke's lips twisted again as he recalled someone else.

[“Point your guns at me!”]

[“I said point them at me if you want to live!”]

[“Can't we give a last chance to someone desperate to feed the people depending on him? He's trying to feed his family.”]

“... That fellow has at least some idea of what matters.”

Certainly, he had invited the man here because he needed someone to help prepare for the Night of the Hunt. That was one of his purposes, and his stated reason as well.

But personally, Grand Duke Aslan had even greater hopes for him.

There was something beyond that he wanted the man to do.

“I hope he'll teach Damian and Liza that, too.”

Well.

Even Grand Duke Aslan wasn't sure whether this man called Aiden would recognize his intentions.

'If he figures out exactly what I'm after...'

... He would be quite pleased.

He hadn't gone so far as to promise to stand against the prince for nothing.

And the grand duke could be certain of at least one thing.

“Wh-what the...!”

“L-Lord Damian...!”

Just watching Aiden kick open the doors of the main castle amid a commotion and toss the half-dead Damian onto the table...

He didn't think he would be disappointed.

“Your Grace.”

Even after pulling a stunt like that, the man grinned and said,

“I'll have your daughter in the same state before long.”

“...”

“They need someone to knock some sense into them. They don't even understand their own responsibilities.”

Beside him, Noel clutched her head as though she were about to stop breathing, but the smile on Aiden's face showed no sign of fading.

“... You.”

And...

“I knew I liked you.”

The same went for the grand duke.

-System Message

▶ Target ‘Grand Duke Aslan’'s affection increases.

▶ Bond level increases!

▶ You can copy 1 additional skill!

'... That's it.'

Aiden gave one resounding mental clap.