Chapter 36
Divinity
“Did you do something wrong or not?”
“...I did something wrong.”
“Are you truly reflecting on it?”
“...I’m truly reflecting.”
“Then why are your hands coming down?”
“...”
With both hands raised and kneeling, I looked up at Noel with eyes soaked in melancholy.
Even when I was a child, my father had never punished me like this. I never imagined I’d be doing something like this now that I’m a grown adult with blood long dried...
“...It just struck me as a bit odd, that’s all.”
But Noel, paying no attention to my expression, narrowed her eyes and spoke.
“To be honest, didn’t you let yourself be kidnapped on purpose?”
“...”
“It’s not like you lack combat abilities.”
“...”
I was caught.
As I offered a sheepish smile, Noel let out a sigh and ran her hand through her hair.
“What were you planning to do if things had really spiraled out of control?”
“I thought from the start that you’d come to rescue me. I believed in you, Dame Noel—”
...I got smacked in the head.
If she’d hit me with full force, I’d be unconscious at minimum, so I suppose it was more of a rebuke to cut the nonsense. Still, pain is pain.
As I rubbed my head, Noel, with glaring eyes, spoke coldly.
“What kind of person plans things based on putting themselves through suffering? You need to value yourself more—”
...The sermon went on for quite a while longer.
By the time my arms were starting to go numb from holding them up, thankfully, Noel had regained enough composure to let me sit down.
“...At least your suffering wasn’t entirely in vain. We did manage to apprehend the entire criminal group based in that area. That’s something.”
“What about the evidence?”
What matters most is the evidence that they were operating under orders from the Prince and the Minister of Administration.
Fortunately, Noel’s faint smile suggested there wasn’t bad news on that front.
“You don’t need to worry. It felt like striking gold.”
“If I hadn’t been captured and drawn attention, and you hadn’t been called in, we probably wouldn’t have been able to catch them so cleanly—”
I shut my mouth the moment I felt the temperature of Noel’s gaze drop.
A survival skill worthy of someone with such a spotless record.
“...Anyway.”
Noel pressed a hand to her forehead and continued.
“The trial date’s been set. As long as the facts are properly revealed, it should be fine.”
“When is it?”
“In two days.”
That was quick.
A clear sign they had no intention of backing down and planned to charge forward with confidence.
“Aiden. This is probably a trap.”
“...”
“They obviously know by now that we’ve secured this kind of evidence. Yet they agreed to the trial schedule so nonchalantly. That means they’ve definitely laid something else in wait.”
What Noel had brought up was something I couldn’t help but agree with.
-System Message
▶ Main Quest item has been updated.
▶ ‘Quest: Fake Marriage’ has been updated.
-Quest Info
♠ Main Quest
◈ Act I, <Imperial Capital Fracture>
* Chapter 1, <Ghost Knight Incident>
.
.
.
▶ Subjugation Battle (D-2)
◈ Fake Marriage
* You have been chosen as Dame Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with her until the end!
* A related incident will occur soon. (D-2)
The window that popped up before my eyes supported that theory.
From the Main Quest to the matters involving Dame Noel—there wasn’t a single thing I could afford to ignore.
In two days, during the Harvest Festival, in a place swarming with people.
The Warden of the Realm’s spirit would undoubtedly appear once again.
“...”
Tapping his chin, Aiden sank into thought.
He didn’t know how it would explode, but judging by the time and place, it was bound to escalate.
Considering the prince’s usual patterns, it probably wouldn’t be the kind of scheme that causes heavy casualties, but in any case, it would certainly be a move that put both Aiden and Noel in trouble.
“Let them know we agree to the schedule.”
“...”
Noel blinked dumbly.
“Did you even hear what I just said?”
“Yes.”
There’s nothing more foolish than walking into something you know is a trap.
But—
“I know it’s a trap. We’re going to break through it head-on.”
“...”
“They’re not the only ones who can prepare in advance.”
We simply had to assume as much and prepare on our side as well.
Delaying would only benefit them from the start. They’d just use the time to fabricate counters to the evidence we’d gathered.
The real problem was—
‘...Her.’
Aiden inwardly sighed and glanced at Noel, who was watching him with worried eyes.
He had recently confirmed for himself just how strong she was, but getting her help in fighting the Warden of the Realm was practically impossible. Honestly, it’d be a relief if she could just stay sane through it.
In other words, he’d have to get through the Subjugation Battle without her.
‘Katya will help, but...’
The Warden of the Realm was already a monster just slightly below Noel’s level, and the quest influence would make it even more powerful. That was the problem.
He didn’t know how much stronger it would get, but it was bound to be a nightmare-level difficulty.
‘...Thankfully.’
There was at least one method he had in mind for dealing with it.
And someone he could ask about it.
“Looks like you’ve got another plan in mind. Are you laying out strategies again?”
“To stay safe, you’ve got to be prepared.”
Living as a criminal without getting caught was a dream that couldn’t be realized without this level of readiness. To him, it was nothing out of the ordinary.
At Aiden’s casual reply, Noel let out a deep sigh of disbelief.
“If you had used all that effort in a more ambitious direction, I feel like you would’ve become a huge success by now.”
“...I’m not really interested in becoming a huge success.”
As long as I could make a living and feed my family, that was enough. That hadn’t changed then, and it still hadn’t now.
As I muttered with a wry smile, Noel suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up.
“Ah, Aiden.”
“Yes?”
“...Well, what are your family members like, personality-wise?”
I blinked, confused.
“What do you mean, personality-wise?”
“Like, things they like or dislike… that sort of stuff...”
She trailed off oddly and avoided my gaze. It was pretty suspicious.
Tilting my head, I replied.
“...Why are you asking that, exactly?”
“...I was thinking, maybe I could send them a gift or something.”
“Oh, a gift...”
...All of a sudden?
“Well, my father’s fine with just about any kind of liquor. And my little sister... she’s still young. She likes anything kids usually like.”
I thought it was odd, but I narrowed my eyes and still answered honestly.
‘She wouldn’t do anything bad.’
At the very least, given how she’d acted toward me so far, the chances of something like that happening were extremely low.
“...So to earn some points, I should aim for them, huh.”
“Points?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“...?”
What was that supposed to mean...?
▣
“Let’s summarize.”
Inside the mental world, Meyer—who had, as usual, been thoroughly thrashing Aiden under the guise of a ‘sparring match’ in a peaceful, idyllic setting—spoke bluntly.
...Honestly, I just wanted to stop dying already, but he showed up in my dreams every night saying that losing touch with this kind of sense made it all pointless, and beat me to a pulp. I had to admire his stamina.
Still, it was fortunate I could ask him about how to deal with the Warden of the Realm.
“You need an offensive method that can land a solid blow, even against a knight who ranks among the Empire’s top-level talents.”
“Yes. I need to be able to subdue it in one shot.”
Imbuing Supernatural Power—where I fused qi, holy flame, and mana arts into a single strike—was strong enough to take Katya out of the fight in one blow. But even that wouldn’t be enough here. Especially if I wanted to finish it in a single attack.
Thinking back, even then I’d had to wear Noel down through a prolonged fight, detonate a Hellfire Bomb, and then land a direct hit on a vital point to make it work.
For a boss fight, that alone wouldn’t cut it.
I’d need much stronger ‘firepower’ to achieve that kind of result.
“Absolutely none.”
...So Meyer’s flat-out denial wasn’t exactly surprising, but it still made me feel stuck.
As he snorted at his own words, I mumbled in protest.
“Come on, senior.”
Continuing to talk while the upper half of my nose had turned to mush was a strange experience, but more important was what the other person had just said.
“You’re one of the strongest ability users of your generation. Can’t you help me out?”
“Even the strongest of a generation isn’t omnipotent. You got any shame?”
Meyer snorted and wiped the blood off his sword blade.
“Your skills have gotten passable, sure, but that only means you’re capable enough by ‘normal’ superhuman standards. Guys who’ve been through the wringer on the battlefield could slice you up blindfolded.”
“...I beat up multiple regular knights single-handedly not too long ago.”
“Aha. And have you ever landed even one hit on me?”
“...”
“I’m not even using any real abilities, you know?”
...Damn this ancestor of mine.
What made it worse was that he never said anything objectively wrong.
As I felt the upper half of my nose start to regenerate, I got to my feet.
It was a good moment—one when I could put on a more desperate expression.
“...Still, from my side, I have no choice but to wring out something from nothing.”
After all, unless I take that thing down, there’s no way to get out of the Main Quest, and the only person I can lean on right now is him.
He’s the only one who shares the same trait as me—being able to wield multiple supernatural powers.
“Even if I somehow whip up an attack that can actually land a hit, are you even capable of delivering it?”
It wasn’t an off-base concern.
Given that he was Noel’s teacher, the issue wasn’t just creating an attack method—it was also about being able to actually hit the target with it.
There’d be an immense gap not just in technique specs, but in raw combat skills too.
However—
“Yes.”
I could hit it.
At least, I was confident in that.
“How can you be so sure?”
“I’ll make it happen, no matter what.”
“...”
“I’m the type who thrives in real combat.”
Meyer looked at me like I was joking, but I stared back with firm conviction.
Do or die. If I couldn’t land the hit, I’d fail the quest and die anyway.
‘...And it’s not even an exaggeration to say I thrive in combat.’
Looking at the skills I currently held, it was absolutely true.
All it took was the right conditions, and my specs could spike dramatically with ease.
“...Well, it’s nice you’re confident, I’ll give you that. But as far as I see it, there’s still no real method.”
“Come on, don’t say that. According to your records, you used to grow absurdly fast all the time. At least share some of your secrets with me.”
“I’m just a genius. I made up for everything with talent.”
“...”
The unabashed self-praise, spoken without so much as a blink, left Aiden momentarily speechless.
But no, it was too soon to give up.
At the very least, he knew how to handle people.
“Yes. That’s exactly why I’m asking you.”
“...”
“You’re a genius, after all.”
“...”
“The greatest genius. The kind who does things others can’t with ease.”
“...”
“Oh, let’s be honest. You can totally do it. Right? If you’re the Knight of Dawn, then obviously—”
“How much more butter are you planning to slather on?”
“...”
Even so, the corners of his mouth twitched.
...It wasn’t as if he didn’t realize Aiden was just buttering him up, but it was clear he attached a ridiculous amount of value to the word “genius” anyway—enough to fall for it even knowing the intent.
Especially since, unlike earlier when he outright dismissed Aiden’s request, he now looked like he was giving it some serious thought.
“If we’re talking loopholes, there might be something.”
“Loopholes?”
“But there’s a condition.”
Meyer’s voice grew more serious.
“You know how people who use multiple supernatural powers manage to do it?”
“I wouldn’t know...?”
“Neither do I.”
“...”
Is this guy joking?
But clearly, he hadn’t brought it up just to be snide, because what followed was a sincere explanation.
“It’s different for everyone. Some break through purely by talent, like me. Others have noble bloodlines, or borrow the power of divine relics. Each of them has a unique basis—something only they have, something no one else does.”
“And so?”
“I can’t give you some kind of enlightening answer, but if you could just... ‘dig into’ that area, maybe a breakthrough might show up.”
Meyer scratched his cheek and added,
“But you’re kind of unusual.”
“Me?”
“You feel like someone who stumbled into these powers by complete accident.”
“...”
“Being able to wield multiple supernatural powers is a privileged ability. It means being granted authority from multiple gods. So the ones who use such powers usually feel like they belong in that league... they’re ‘extraordinary’ types.”
Taking a breath, Meyer sighed and concluded.
“I honestly can’t guess why a guy with nothing going for him like you can use them. That’s why I can’t help.”
“...”
...Putting aside the rudeness for a moment.
I understood why he was hesitating.
Fortunately, Aiden thought of one person who could offer a clear explanation for this.
“...There is someone.”
“What?”
“Someone who can explain the reason.”
Someone really did exist.
Someone who had told him something related not too long ago.
A voice echoed in Aiden’s mind.
—It’s not well known, but they do exist. Beings more dangerous than the celestial ‘gods’ who bestow powers.
—You’ve been marked as ‘mine’ by one of them. The power you wield now comes from there.
—And recently, because of the karma you took on, you can’t run away from it anymore. Poor thing.
...That time.
At the imperial banquet, words he’d heard from a priestess wearing an eyepatch.
“If I find her and ask for help, what should I say?”
▣
“...What did you say?”
Rania A‘Shan spoke in a dazed voice.
A priestess who served Urgan, the God of Ascension. Flowing pink hair. Eyepatch. Pipe.
With such distinctive features, her personality had always seemed just as forceful and unyielding.
But now, that same person was staring blankly, stunned by what she’d just heard.
She was probably that shocked by the sentence the man before her had just uttered.
“...I know it sounds weird, but it’s not really as strange as it sounds.”
“...”
“I have someone I want to show you.”
Aiden said this with a look that screamed he too thought the whole situation was hellish.
Like he’d never imagined he’d say such a thing to someone like her in his life.
“Would you sleep with me for a night?”
“...”
“...I can explain everything.”
Rania stared at him, dumbfounded.