Chapter 57

Negotiation

On the way back to Duke Aslan’s castle, I pulled up a system window in front of me.

-System Info

■ Omnipotence [ Stage 2 ]

You can combine two or more supernatural abilities to produce effects more powerful than before.

▶ Currently discovered combinations

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

Trait: High Output, High Firepower

It possesses far stronger firepower than standard Holy Flame and affects a much wider area compared to when using Holy Flame alone.

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

Trait: High Density, High Precision

Deploys qi based on the intricate control of mana arts. You can manipulate qi far more precisely and solidly, making it especially advantageous for creating defensive structures or delicate work.

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

Trait: Nullification

A highly specialized supernatural ability that can only be operated in small-scale usage.

Targets exposed to this ability experience a significant weakening of their innate traits.

※ The higher the skill stage, the more abilities you can combine, and additional effects are unlocked.

I scanned through the window and gave a slight nod.

‘Not bad.’

There was no other way to describe the gains.

For someone like me—whose total output and ability to operate supernatural powers were laughably lacking—these unique abilities, with traits you couldn’t find in any other superhuman, were exactly what gave me the strength to handle crises.

Just look at Guardian’s Flame. Its power had already proven itself in countless situations.

And as for Brilliant Radiance, its effect was so intuitive that I could instantly tell where I could use it.

‘High density and high precision, huh…’

After actually summoning the ability and playing around with it, I could immediately feel how different it was from the others.

Not just in how it flickered with far greater brightness than the base Holy Flame but also in how ‘high precision’ made perfect sense the moment I tried it.

Normally, using supernatural powers felt like trying to control newly grown limbs that sprouted on my body, flailing them in the right direction through sheer effort.

Sure, I could copy skills, but mastery in controlling them didn’t come instantly.

But this Brilliant Radiance—even though it was my first time using it—moved as delicately as if it were an extension of my own body.

‘And it’s solid too.’

I summoned Guardian’s Flame and clashed them. When I condensed both at the same density, Brilliant Radiance had much stronger defensive capabilities.

It didn’t emit the overwhelming heat of Guardian’s Flame, nor did it move quickly but when used as a solidified, stationary defense, its efficiency was unmatched.

The fact that these were the optimal skills to use with the defensive abilities I had mainly copied from Noel was crystal clear.

‘I don’t know about this one though…’

On the other hand, The Purifier had a somewhat ambiguous explanation.

Nullifying innate traits—what exactly was that supposed to mean?

When I summoned it and gave it a try, it did flicker in the form of a radiant orb, fitting for a supernatural power based on mana arts. But it didn’t feel particularly fast, or hot, or solid… in any case, nothing about it really felt special.

And above all—

‘So this is what it means when it says it can only be used in small amounts…’

All supernatural abilities become tiring if used excessively, but The Purifier built up fatigue to a vicious degree—even compared to the others.

I felt like I could only maintain it for a few seconds at most.

“You’re fiddling with something strange again, huh.”

While I was busy experimenting with this and that, Katya leaned in from the side.

She looked curious after seeing the ability I was using.

“Is this another one of those mixed abilities? How do you even pull that off?”

“…”

…That was the problem—even I didn’t know.

I’d heard the priestess say something about an Outsider or whatever before, but there wasn’t a single clue available for me to investigate it further right now.

The only thing I knew for certain was that the Outsider had taken a liking to me and latched on and as a result, whenever I built up someone's affection, I could copy their skill.

But that wasn’t something I could just go around telling people.

‘Senpai told me to keep my mouth shut.’

Back when she first saw the ability, she had practically screamed in shock and when she heard the truth behind it, she insisted I keep it secret. She said nothing good would come from blabbing about it.

And she’d explained why in a way that was ridiculously clear and easy to understand.

—Outsiders… usually, you're not even supposed to know they exist. The moment you're entangled with one, every dusty old thing in the world might start paying attention to you.

—What do you mean by "dusty old things"?

—You don’t know yet, right? Then don’t go trying to find out. Not until they approach you first.

—But you said I was already entangled with one?

—Then your fate’s properly screwed, that’s what.

—…

—Hang in there. That’s just how life is.

…There had never been a clearer explanation that still managed to tell me absolutely nothing.

While I was replaying that conversation in my head, my face slightly pale, Katya reached her hand into the supernatural power I had summoned.

“Wait, Your Highness—”

I didn’t really stop her forcefully because I knew better than anyone what kind of person she was.

Insensitive—no, beyond that, undying.

There was virtually zero chance that touching a supernatural ability would cause any problems.

But soon, her reaction turned out to be different from usual.

She normally shouldn't have felt anything at all.

"...Huh?"

Katya’s eyes widened.

Then she quickly pulled her hand out of the glowing orb and began rubbing it hastily with her other hand.

Before long, she summoned Holy Flame and pressed it directly onto the hand she had touched the orb with—

“—What are you doing?!”

I panicked and immediately tried to stop her, but Katya, still holding her hand to the flame, turned to me with tears welling in her eyes.

“...It hurts…!”

“...Excuse me?”

“I said it hurts! I can feel it again!”

My jaw dropped open.

“…It really hurts?”

“Yes! I said it hurts!”

“Other places too?”

“No, just this hand. But still—this is huge!”

Tears brimming, Katya kept searing her hand with flames—

“…”

…I wasn’t sure if she needed to go that far, but either way, it was now clear that her trait of insensitivity had disappeared—at least in the area touched by The Purifier.

“…Ah.”

But soon, Katya’s face turned gloomy again.

“…I can’t feel anything anymore…”

Sure enough, the burn on her hand was quickly healing, the scorched skin dissolving into a muddy swirl of divine energy.

The duration clearly wasn’t long.

Katya looked disappointed, but my eyes stayed wide open.

‘…So that’s what it means by nullifying innate traits.’

Even if it only lasted a few seconds—

It had temporarily disabled Katya’s “insensitivity,” a trait even the Pontiff had failed to erase.

As if it could forcibly suppress anything it touched, regardless of how high-tier the ability was.

I had only one thought about this:

‘…This is broken.’

There was no need to even explain how efficient this ability was.

Click, click—mental calculations flickered through my head like an abacus.

Now that I had something like this, there was only one thing to do.

‘I’ve got to put it to use right away.’

And as it happened, the perfect setup was right in front of us.

The one who would become the first test subject was, of course…

“…Are you sure this is a good idea, Aiden?”

“We just laid waste to part of the ducal territory with the three of us. I don’t think we’re in a position to start second-guessing things now.”

Noel’s face crumpled at my calm reply.

“…This seems like a different kind of problem, though.”

“…”

…She wasn’t wrong.

After all, carrying a fainted noble slung over my shoulder like luggage while marching back to Duke Aslan’s castle wasn’t exactly the same thing as just tearing through his estate like a storm.

“Please trust me, Dame Noel. I have a plan.”

“…”

“I really need you to trust me.”

A look of quiet regret flickered across Noel’s face—as if wondering how she ever ended up with someone like me as a comrade.

Still, the fact that she kept her mouth shut despite that made her nothing short of admirable...

‘…She’s been going easy on me a lot lately.’

Knowing her personality, she would’ve normally lectured me all day, asking what on earth I was thinking.

But these days, she seemed to agree with everything I said—almost like I had some kind of leverage over her. Like she was watching my mood.

“…”

Maybe she felt guilty—like Duke Aslan said—about digging into my past.

But I had lied to her plenty of times too.

Like pretending we’d known each other before. Or the time I faked a confession, claiming I liked her.

If she were to keep poking around and accidentally uncover those lies, it would only stir up unnecessary trouble. So maybe it was better to just let her stay cautious like this for now.

I’d clear up the misunderstandings eventually but later.

“But is this really that big a deal?”

Katya tilted her head and spoke up, prompting Noel and me to both turn to her with expressions of disbelief.

They were both clearly wondering what in the world she was talking about but Katya replied in a completely calm tone.

“Isn’t it normal for family members to want to kill each other?”

“…”

“Why are you even mad about things turning out like this?”

…Sure, I knew what kind of people she’d grown up around in the Holy Crown Kingdom but every time she said things like this, it still made my head spin.

“There’s a lot to say about Your Highness’s view of family, but… I agree with you this time.”

Instead of arguing, I scratched my cheek and added my own thoughts.

“Duke Aslan probably won’t make a fuss about this either.”

“…And what makes you think that?”

“He’s their dad. He clearly loves his family—deeply.”

Well.

I remembered very clearly how Duke Aslan looked when he talked about his kids.

It wasn’t so different from Kenneth—when Sisela and I were being reckless, nearly giving him a heart attack every time.

“He doesn’t want his children going astray.”

“…?”

And if Duke Aslan’s Minister of Administration had heard that, he probably would’ve screamed in shock, asking how I could possibly know that.

Because, well—

the truth was, Duke Aslan’s expression and tone were unmistakable.

That pained, exasperated look of someone who cared too deeply.

It wasn’t something just anyone could recognize but to someone like me, who had seen Kenneth’s face twist in that same way over and over again—it was obvious.

“There’s no need to make such a fuss about Damian getting his head cracked, Minister.”

That was Duke Aslan’s immediate response after receiving the report of what had just happened.

“More importantly, what’s the status on the defensive preparations? There’s less than two days left until the Night of the Hunt.”

“…Your Grace.”

The Minister of Administration replied, his voice filled with disbelief.

“A direct blood relative was harmed by an outsider. How can you be so… nonchalant?”

“What, you thought something like this wouldn’t happen? Damian and Liza both have been practically foaming at the mouth to take over my position the moment I so much as mentioned I wasn’t feeling well.”

They were probably both secretly hoping to be chosen as the “general overseer” for the Night of the Hunt.

That position was symbolic of Duke Aslan’s role as the Empire’s shield.

So when an outsider was suddenly brought in under the pretense of being a helper, of course they would push back.

The Minister blinked in disbelief.

The fact that Duke Aslan knew all this and still brought that outsider in—it was almost as if…

‘…As if he intended to provoke a fight?’

Before the thought could even fully settle in, the Duke spoke again.

“They were getting too full of themselves, both of them.”

“…?”

“They think they’re something special. Damian, Liza—both the same.”

Duke Aslan let out a dry chuckle as the Minister’s confusion deepened.

“They’ve both earned solid reputations as warriors, sure. But success isn’t just about talent—it’s about the environment too. Those two were born with more than most and think they achieved everything by themselves.”

“…”

“In my eyes, they’re frogs in a well. My son and daughter alike.”

There were monsters out there, living in worlds beyond anything they could imagine.

By the end of today, they’d understand that firsthand.

“…So this is humility, then?”

“They need to realize they’re not all that. That this position they’re so desperate for doesn’t mean a damn thing.”

Not even a full day had passed, and already an outsider had—

“…”

Meanwhile, the Duke’s expression twisted again as he recalled a certain memory.

—Aim the gun at me!

—Aim it at me if you want to live!

—He was desperate to feed the people depending on him. Can’t we at least give him one last chance? He’s just trying to feed his family.

“…That one. He at least understands what really matters.”

Officially, that man had been brought here to help prepare for the Night of the Hunt. That was the pretense and the stated goal.

But Duke Aslan personally had higher hopes for him.

He wanted that man to do something more.

“If possible, I hope he teaches that lesson to Damian and Liza too.”

Well.

Whether or not Aiden—that man—could grasp the Duke’s intent… even Duke Aslan wasn’t entirely sure.

‘If he figures out my real goal…’

…He’d be quite impressed.

He hadn’t pledged himself to stand against the Crown Prince for nothing.

And there was at least one thing Duke Aslan could be certain about.

“What in the world…!”

“L-Lord Damian…!”

With a commotion rising around them, Aiden kicked open the doors of the inner chamber and stormed in—then casually dumped Damian’s battered body onto the table.

That alone was enough to convince the Duke he wouldn’t be disappointed.

“Your Grace.”

And even after doing all that, Aiden simply grinned and said:

“I’ll go make sure your daughter ends up like this too.”

“…”

“They need proper discipline. People who don’t even know what responsibility is.”

Noel, beside him, looked ready to collapse as she held her head in her hands but the grin on Aiden’s face didn’t fade one bit.

“…You.”

And then—

“I like you.”

Duke Aslan was smiling too.

-System Message

▶ Affection with target ‘Duke Aslan’ has increased.

▶ Bond level has risen!

▶ You may now copy 1 additional skill!

‘…There it is.’

Aiden clapped once—hard—in his mind.