Chapter 30
Ghost Knight (2)
Let’s think a bit about the person known as the Warden of the Realm.
Even in the game, by the time the main scenario progressed, she was already dead, and only a brief background was ever mentioned about her.
Sir Teresa Adelaide. She was a peer slightly older than Noel.
However, her battlefield experience was far richer, and she was also the benefactor who took Noel in when she became an orphan with no family due to the war.
She had a huge influence on shaping Noel’s values and was practically her only family.
In short, she was like a parent to Noel.
She was also the one who taught her the ability she used—the Pure White Qi and her swordsmanship.
Of course, if we simply compare capabilities, Teresa was more like the one who systematized the theory, while Noel was the one who actually completed it, so the latter was naturally stronger.
"A ghost?"
…From the beginning, that wasn’t the issue here.
Noel’s voice was barely a whisper, but the emotion packed into that tiny sound was more intense than any expression Aiden had ever seen from her.
How could he even begin to describe it?
Grief, despair, confusion.
Whichever one he picked, it was clear that none of them would be helpful in overcoming the current situation.
And as Aiden glanced over at her face from beside her, he could analyze her condition in more detail.
This wasn’t just a matter of losing composure—it had entered the realm of complete denial. She wasn’t even properly recognizing what was right in front of her.
Regardless of who was stronger or weaker, in this state, Noel wasn’t just useless in a fight—she wouldn’t even be able to run away.
"Why, here—"
Still, he couldn’t help but agree with the dazed muttering that spilled from her lips.
‘Why is this person…!’
This person had never once made an appearance like this in the main storyline of the game.
There were only mentions of her, but never a situation where she was resurrected as a ghost and had to be fought.
And certainly never had she raised her sword to strike at Noel!
When Aiden gritted his teeth and rushed in that direction, he collided into her, and the two of them tumbled across the floor in a tangled mess.
‘I don’t know why she’s here, but still…!’
There was a way to get out of this situation.
The rift, which was the source of the phenomenon allowing spirits to manifest in the material world, had already been closed. No one knew why the spirit of the Warden of the Realm suddenly appeared here, but it was impossible for her to remain manifested for long.
Just getting out of this place—outside the spirit's "combat range"—would be enough to end the immediate event.
The problem was—
‘I can’t get away…!’
Aiden’s physical abilities weren’t nearly enough to outrun a spirit that could unleash such monstrous slashes.
He absolutely needed someone’s help.
“—Sir Stella, can you move both me and Lady Noel at the same time—?!”
“…It is possible, but!”
Stella gritted her teeth as she grabbed a nearby streetlamp with one hand.
Then, the massive hunk of metal, still embedded in the concrete, tore out with a crunch under the pressure of a single human hand.
It was such an absurd display of strength that anyone watching would be left dumbfounded, but Stella herself had her eyes locked nervously on the spirit of the Warden of the Realm.
She seemed to instinctively sense it—just how powerful “that” thing was.
“We can’t shake it off. Lady Noel has to come to her senses!”
With those words, Stella hurled the uprooted streetlamp like a javelin. The massive chunk of iron, larger than a person’s whole body, shot forward at lightning speed—a sight that sent chills down Aiden’s spine. But what was even more unbelievable was how the Warden of the Realm cut it cleanly in half with a single swing of her sword.
Immediately afterward, Stella also drew her sword and charged in.
It was clear she was trying to buy time. She had no intention of trying to win the fight.
Her message was obvious: take care of Noel somehow during this time.
…Noble as her intentions were—
With Noel in this state, getting her to escape, let alone snap out of it, seemed nearly impossible.
Her pupils had no focus, as if she were staring far off into the distance. Her limbs hung limply as if they’d lost all strength. She looked like she couldn’t even process what had just happened.
“…Teresa…?”
She murmured that name like a sob, her lips barely moving. She clearly wasn’t aware of what she was saying.
“She attacked me? Teresa attacked me?”
“Lady Noel, get a hold of yourself!”
Seeing her like that, Aiden grabbed her by the collar and brought his face close to hers.
“…Aiden?”
“If we stay like this, we’re all going to die! We need to get out of here right now!”
It wasn’t wrong—he still had the Skill Copy Ticket from the prince, but it was meaningless if the target was the Warden of the Realm. They needed to find a better option if they wanted to use it effectively.
“—Die…?”
Noel echoed that phrase weakly with unfocused eyes.
“Teresa… is going to kill me?”
Her voice was so out of touch with reality, so disconnected, it was something you’d never normally hear from her. It was like she couldn’t comprehend what was happening at all.
“……”
Given her relationship with the Warden of the Realm, it was understandable.
…It must’ve felt similar to hearing that a parent was trying to kill their own child.
But that was the current reality. He had to find a way to snap her out of it…!
“…?”
As he thought that—
Suddenly, blood trickled down Aiden’s forehead.
He must have scraped it when he rolled on the ground while shielding Noel earlier.
The moment a drop of blood fell onto his face, Noel’s pupils dilated.
As the drops of blood tapped against her forehead, her gaze regained focus.
It was as if her consciousness, which had been drifting far off in a surreal haze, returned to the present.
As if—
She had remembered what she needed to do.
She raised a trembling hand and brushed it across Aiden’s forehead. The vivid red blood smeared lightly across her fingertips.
“…Are you hurt?”
“Huh?”
“Aiden, are you injured?”
“Well, I guess? But it’s nothing serious.”
It really wasn’t anything major. Just a scratch.
But as soon as Noel saw it, something like resolve glimmered in her eyes.
“What do you mean, it’s nothing? You’re bleeding!”
“…”
“For heaven’s sake…!”
“…”
Noel suddenly shouted, snapping at him, and sat up straight. That seemed to be enough to shock her back into her senses all at once.
Just how far was this person planning to overprotect her?
It was good that she’d regained her composure, but Aiden’s feelings were a little complicated…
“…”
Then, as Noel rose to her feet, she clenched her teeth as she looked at the ghost of the Warden of the Realm, who was engaged with Stella.
Whatever the situation was, she now understood what needed to be done.
“—Hoo.”
Letting out a faint sigh, she wrapped one arm around Aiden and tucked him snugly under her side.
“…”
Aiden didn’t even need to ask who had taught Sir Stella how to carry people.
Then, Noel planted her feet firmly on the ground and kicked off with explosive force.
Immediately, the sidewalk beneath them cracked like a bomb had gone off, forming a crater.
It didn’t stop there—the entire ground trembled with a thunderous rumble. Anyone watching might have thought a missile had hit the area.
In the blink of an eye, Noel reached Stella’s location and, using the full momentum of her leap, delivered a crushing kick to the Warden of the Realm.
And—
-!
-!!
Just that one kick sent the Warden flying far off, slamming into a building and taking half of it down with her. It was like she’d been struck by a siege weapon.
Unlike before, when she had effortlessly pressured Stella, she hadn’t even managed to react to this blow.
‘No way—!’
Aiden had already thought that Sir Stella was absurdly strong when she uprooted a streetlamp with one hand, but compared to this, that looked like child’s play.
Knights who handled supernatural abilities really did live in a realm beyond humanity—Aiden was finally starting to grasp that. While he was still processing the shock, Noel picked up Stella in the same way, tucking her under her arm, and said:
“—Hold on tight.”
With another sharp cracking sound as the ground beneath them split, she took off.
“We're getting out of here!”
With those words, all of them suddenly launched into the air.
Of course, it wasn’t literal flight. Noel had just jumped so high that it looked that way.
“……”
But even while doing something so incredible—
Noel’s eyes stayed locked on the Warden of the Realm, who was glaring at her from inside the half-destroyed building.
Even until the figure vanished from her line of sight.
She never looked away.
▣
—So, getting out of that situation was good and all…
But Aiden was now suffering from a headache that felt like his skull was splitting open.
-Quest Info
▶ Massive penalties will apply if events listed in this section fail!
♠ Main Quest
◈ Act I, <Imperial Capital Fracture>
* Chapter 1, <Ghost Knight Incident>
▶ The ‘boss’ has not been subjugated. The quest remains incomplete.
▶ Partial failure has triggered penalties.
▶ The boss becomes significantly stronger!
▶ The ‘Subjugation Battle’ will reoccur shortly.
▶ Failure in the upcoming Subjugation Battle will result in quest failure!
…For crying out loud.
Seeing the quest window sprawled out before him, Aiden let out a long sigh.
Honestly, he’d expected this. Letting the boss fight—the most important part of the event—slip by like that was never going to end cleanly.
Still, the idea that the boss would become even stronger now was making his head spin.
From what he saw earlier, the boss was already able to go toe-to-toe with Noel. If it’s going to get “significantly” stronger than that, even throwing both Noel and Katya at it might not be enough.
‘Oh, good grief…’
How was he supposed to come up with a solution for this now?
While he was quietly agonizing over that thought, Noel, who had been wrapping a bandage snugly around his forehead, pulled her hands away.
“This should be enough.”
“…Anyone seeing this would think I’d been shot in the head.”
He didn’t even get a chance to complain about how over-the-top this reaction was for just a scratch—Noel continued speaking, unfazed.
“I’ve called a specialist. Just in case, you should at least get examined.”
“No matter how you look at it, that’s—”
“Aiden.”
Noel cut him off with a bright smile.
Of course, her eyes weren’t smiling at all. It was clear she wouldn’t accept any objections…
“Go get checked.”
“……”
…Aiden nodded silently.
“It’s an injury caused by contact with a spirit. No one knows how it might develop.”
“…Aha.”
Honestly, if we’re going to talk about concerns, getting beaten up by Meyer almost every other day seems like a bigger issue but there was no need to bring that up out loud…
‘More importantly.’
Something was bothering him.
“…May I ask you one thing?”
“Yes?”
“Lady Noel, are you really okay?”
“All my injuries are just scrapes—”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Aiden paused for a moment, then opened his mouth again.
“Are you really okay?”
“……”
“You might have to face her again.”
Noel immediately pressed her lips tightly together when she realized he was talking about the spirit of the Warden of the Realm.
“You might have to fight her again.”
“…You’re saying that as if it’s guaranteed.”
“I am.”
There was a solution. From what he saw in yesterday’s battle, he had a vague idea of a possible “breakthrough.”
However—
The question was whether Noel would be able to go through with it.
Even yesterday, when she briefly clashed swords with Teresa, she had looked unusually… hesitant.
Like she absolutely, under no circumstances, wanted to do this.
“……”
Noel, who had been silent for a long time, finally let out a deep sigh.
“…No, I’m not okay.”
She spoke calmly, but the emotion etched in her face ran deep, drawn from the weight of long-held memories.
“Teresa was someone who’d been by my side since before I could even remember. She was like a real older sister to me.”
“……”
“…Just remembering her still hurts. How could I possibly be okay if I’m told to fight what may be her spirit?”
…Of course she would feel that way.
If she was in this state, it might be best to keep her out of the next confrontation—
“But.”
Then.
Cutting through Aiden’s train of thought, Noel continued.
“If you try to handle this without me, I’ll be angry.”
“…What?”
“I’m the one who dragged you into this in the first place.”
Before he could say anything, Noel lightly placed her hand on his shoulder.
Her lips curled into a faint smile. It looked light, but the weight behind it came through clearly.
“…Well, there’s no definitive proof that that really is Teresa’s spirit. And even if it is.”
Noel exhaled deeply and spoke with resolve.
“No matter what happens, I’ll take responsibility for you and make sure you get back to your family safely.”
Just like what happened yesterday.
Even if she had to cross swords again with something that might be the spirit of her older sister.
At the very least, she was determined to take responsibility for Aiden until the very end.
“Understand? Don’t worry about me. Your safety comes first.”
“……”
Aiden looked at Noel, momentarily at a loss for words.
‘…Honestly.’
He let out a dry laugh internally and ran a hand over his face.
He’d heard people say things like “I’ll protect you” plenty of times before.
…But he never imagined someone could be this serious about it.
Even with something like the Warden of the Realm involved, this person still prioritized his safety above all else.
“Why that face, Aiden?”
“I guess I’m a little embarrassed.”
“Pardon?”
“Lady Noel, you look a bit different to me now.”
How could he put it?
He’d never disliked her, not even once.
…But now, he truly felt close to her as a person.
He wasn’t entertaining any romantic thoughts or anything like that, but at the very least, he genuinely found her likable.
It was a bit of a problem.
“……”
And the moment he said that, Noel took a few awkward steps backward.
“…Why would you say something like that right now…?”
“Pardon?”
“Aiden, I don’t dislike you either, but… this isn’t really the time to be flirting, is it…?”
“……”
No.
That wasn’t what he meant…
…He really needed to change the subject.
“Anyway, what’s that?”
Trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, Aiden gestured with his chin at the newspaper sitting on Noel’s desk.
He’d never seen her read something like that before, so he asked out of curiosity but the moment he did, her expression darkened.
“…Ah, that…”
Seeing her trail off, Aiden narrowed his eyes and leaned in to get a better look.
And as soon as he saw the newspaper headline, his expression changed drastically as well.
< The Warden of the Realm’s ghost in the Imperial Capital… “Lionhearted, what happened during the Allied War?” >
“……”
“Looks like everyone’s in an uproar over what happened yesterday.”
While Noel gave a bitter smile and said that, Aiden quietly read through the article with a grim face.
In order for a ghost to materialize in the physical world, as they’d seen with Meyer’s case, several conditions had to be met.
The spirit had to have achieved an incredibly refined state, and they had to die with such overwhelming regret that they couldn’t rest in peace.
“…They’re saying Lady Noel caused the Warden’s death, and now she’s back for revenge?”
Given those conditions, it meant that the spirit’s appearance last night could easily be “reinterpreted” in this way.
The article had cleverly twisted the words to avoid any direct blame, but what it was actually saying amounted to treating those “claims” as established facts.
If this had been some trashy yellow journalism, that might have been one thing but the newspaper in question was one of the most respected and prestigious publications in the Imperial Capital. And they had openly published a piece attacking the Lionhearted, a hero of the Empire.
And on top of that—
‘…No matter how you look at it.’
It was too fast.
This incident had only happened last night. The fact that a piece like this appeared in such a major outlet in less than half a day strongly suggested some kind of deliberate, malicious “pressure” was at play.
As for who was behind it… well.
‘The Prince.’
…No matter how he thought about it, the only faction hostile enough to exert that kind of pressure on Noel right now was him.
“Well.”
Noel continued with a bitter smile.
“It doesn’t really matter what they say. People are free to think whatever they want.”
“……”
“I don’t pay it any mind. Not at all—”
She was about to finish that sentence when it abruptly cut off.
Because Aiden had stepped right up to her and firmly placed both hands on her shoulders.
“Lady Noel.”
“…Yes?”
“We haven’t known each other for long, but there’s one thing I’m sure of.”
Aiden said, pressing down on her shoulders with quiet conviction.
“I don’t believe for a second you’d do something like that.”
“……”
Noel fell silent, locking eyes with him.
“You don’t have to go into detail—just tell me. Did you do it?”
“…What are you…?”
“I’m asking whether you actually did the kind of ridiculous thing that this article is accusing you of.”
Noel blinked slowly, staring up at him with a stunned expression.
Her face looked as tired as always, but her eyes carried a different energy now.
It was like she’d made up her mind to do something big.
“…Of course not. Teresa was my benefactor.”
As soon as she said those words, Aiden nodded and took his hands off her shoulders.
“Good. In that case, let’s go.”
“…Huh? Go where? What do you mean—?”
“We’re going to crack the skulls of the folks spreading this nonsense about you.”
“……”
“That Prince guy—what’s he up to right now?”
Just like how Noel had spoken to Aiden earlier.
His expression made it very clear: he wasn’t accepting any objections.