Copy Skills with Affinity! - Chapter 19

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 19: Spirit Body

──────

“... You really are a piece of work.”

The Prince, who had been laughing uproariously across from him for quite some time, wiped at the tears in his eyes as he spoke.

“Lady Noel really did bring along a bizarre person. Even I never expected someone like you.”

“...?”

Honestly, it was half an insult, but the Prince's reaction was much gentler than Aiden had expected.

Just as he opened his mouth, wondering if the Prince was about to make another proposal, the Prince spoke a beat ahead of him, as though he had read Aiden's mind.

“If you put it that way, I have no intention of proposing anything further. Why not simply remain as you are?”

“...?”

Aiden's eyes narrowed further at that remarkably decisive surrender.

“After all, you say you stay with her because you like her. It would be difficult to force you apart.”

“...”

“However.”

The Prince continued with a faint smile.

“I will assume that you are prepared to bear whatever danger comes of it yourselves.”

His voice was calm and polite, as always.

“Let us meet again sometime, Mr. Aiden.”

Yet beneath the words the Prince left behind as he rose from his seat was a chill cold enough to freeze Aiden to the bone.

“I am sure we will meet again.”

...

Aiden could not agree more.

▣

“Mr. Aiden.”

“Yes?”

“Lady Noel has been acting rather strangely. Do you happen to know anything about it?”

“...”

The moment Aiden returned to the banquet hall, Stella asked him that question. Aiden's eyes darted uncertainly.

“Strangely? In what way...?”

“She seemed completely out of her senses, as though her soul had left her body. Then she suddenly said she felt unwell and returned to military headquarters. She has never done anything like that at an official event before...”

“...”

“Her face was so unusually red that I do not think she was lying, but she is not someone who would suddenly fall ill.”

... So that was why she had disappeared entirely.

At Stella's worried words, Aiden nodded with an awkward expression.

He had an idea why.

-System Log

▶ Target “Noel Astria Seamus” has gained Affinity.

▶ The increase in Affinity is exceptionally high!

▶ Bond Level surges from Level 3 to Level 5.

▶ You gain 2 additional skill copies!

▶ Your accumulated Bond is sufficiently high. The application method of “Weaver of Fate” will soon change!

▶ Related content will soon be added to the Main Quest!

▶ A new entry has been added to the quest “Fake Marriage”!

He did have an idea.

“... I am not sure either.”

For now, that was all he could say.

Honestly, if Lady Noel had heard the conversation he had just had, it made sense that her Affinity would rise.

He had defended her fiercely against the Prince, and at the end...

‘... I want to die of embarrassment, honestly.’

His face grew hot when he thought about how he had practically made a public confession.

He could somehow explain it away to Noel later. It would be troublesome if she genuinely misunderstood.

Then again, it would not be entirely troublesome. He had received two skill copies, after all.

‘It is a gain, if nothing else.’

This time, however, he had not done it deliberately, which made him deeply uncomfortable. The fact that his relationship with her was growing deeper was also worth noting.

‘It is dangerous.’

... He knew he was being contradictory.

Given his current circumstances, he needed to obtain every skill he could to survive, and Lady Noel was far too powerful to exclude from that list.

Even putting her abilities aside, maintaining his marriage to her was one of the central pillars determining whether he lived or died. No matter how he looked at it, his relationship with her and her Affinity were essential to his survival.

But conversely.

If he and Noel became genuinely close on a human level...

... That would bring problems of its own.

It was not because he disliked Noel, nor because she was unimportant. It was the opposite. She was too important.

‘I need to be careful around all the main characters.’

What he had to do was much the same as before. Raising their Affinity was absolutely necessary in the end.

But.

With no protagonist around, Aiden would have to deal with them until the main scenario ended.

If they became truly close, only for him to make some mistake and ruin it...

The higher something rose, the farther it had to fall. If a close relationship broke badly, repairing it would be nearly impossible.

In fact, the closer people were, the more likely they were to end up hurting each other. That was simply how people were.

And Aiden, at the very least, understood that anyone could become like that.

That was why he had to approach them all carefully and delicately.

“...”

Still.

He would worry about that later.

There was something else he needed to focus on right now.

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

⧾ Arden Brimstone Lionel

- Malice: Level 1

- You can imitate 1 skill.

※ You cannot build a Bond with this target. The skill's effect differs from the original!

He had just obtained this skill copy from the Prince, but its mechanism felt somewhat different from the ones he had used so far.

For one thing, it said “imitate” rather than “copy.” When he opened the skill window and examined its effects, that feeling only grew stronger.

‘Its performance has been heavily reduced.’

Compared to the skills the Prince originally possessed, every one of them had inferior performance.

Their power and usable range had all been weakened, and some even had red lines drawn across them, as though they could not be imitated at all.

Still, there was something worth noting.

▶ The target's Malice Level is low.

▶ You can currently only imitate skills.

▶ Raise Malice to unlock additional functions, such as Rejection, Filtering, and Sealing!

Compared to skills copied through Affinity, this came with far more additional utility.

He could not use them at their original power, but it felt as though Aiden himself could exert some kind of influence over the skills.

He would learn the details only after raising the Malice Level.

‘More importantly, if the condition is called Malice...’

... Did that mean the more this person disliked Aiden, the more skills he could use?

“...”

That was an absurd activation condition.

He had to earn other people's Malice.

Aiden sighed inwardly and rose from his seat.

“Are you leaving?”

“Yes. I have met everyone I needed to meet.”

That was what he said, but he actually had to meet the most headache-inducing person of all.

After leaving the banquet hall and walking for a short while, he spotted a knight in full plate armor sitting on the edge of a fountain, resting her chin on her hand as though she were sleepy.

... Though she was not really a knight.

“Boooooring.”

The moment she saw him, Katia kicked her legs and immediately complained.

“What is this? It isn't fun at all. Isn't there some big incident happening somewhere?”

“... What kind of big incident?”

“Anything. Something we'd get in trouble for if we got caught.”

“...”

“Isn't there someone we can beat up, burn, kill, something like that?”

“...”

This was the same person who had insisted on becoming his adjutant because attending official events alone would invite disapproval.

“Weren't you the one who insisted on becoming my adjutant? You should be devoted to your duties.”

“That only applies when we're spending time together. Did you forget? I became your adjutant because I wanted to stay with you for a long time.”

“...”

Casually saying things that made other people uncomfortable really was just like Katia.

Aiden pressed his throbbing temples and replied.

“Then shall we go do something fun together? I've had enough of the banquet.”

“Really? What are we going to do?”

Aiden turned his head and surveyed the area around the building where the banquet was being held.

The banquet was taking place inside the Imperial Palace, and countless spaces filled with history and secrets lay scattered throughout the vast structure.

The place Aiden was after was one of them.

Still, what he was about to do was, well...

Hmm.

Aiden scratched his chin as he considered a gentler way to describe it.

In the end, he realized that however he put it, it would mean the same thing, so he simply said it.

“Grave robbing.”

“... Oh.”

▣

“Hall of Honor?”

Katia, who had infiltrated the place with him at Aiden's request, spoke as she looked around.

She seemed to know exactly where they were.

“This is an actual tomb. You really meant grave robbing, not metaphorically?”

The custom of honoring great figures existed everywhere in the world, and the Empire was no different.

The Hall of Honor was a place dedicated to the possessions and accomplishments of great figures.

Strictly speaking, it was more of a museum, but Katia was not wrong to call it a real tomb.

Whenever possible, it preserved even the remains of those great figures.

Perhaps intrigued by the place, Katia looked around.

Aiden followed quietly behind her, casting alarmed looks in her direction.

‘... She really is a monster.’

Naturally, the Imperial Palace boasted the highest level of security no matter where one went.

Yet she had simply run through it with Aiden in tow, breaking through every obstacle without the slightest difficulty. It was difficult to tell whether she was royalty or a professionally trained infiltration agent.

It felt as though she had more than one or two hidden talents.

“... Your Highness. When you fought Lady Noel earlier, you weren't fighting seriously, were you?”

“Hm? That wasn't even a fight in the first place.”

“...”

Once again, he realized what kind of monster he had as an adjutant.

Shaking his head, Aiden stepped into the Hall of Honor.

“So, if we're grave robbing, we're stealing something from here, right? What are we stealing? A weapon? A secret manual? Armor? Everything here looks like it would be top quality.”

Her questions came with the excitement of someone thrilled at doing something that would get them in trouble. It even felt as though her eyes were sparkling.

And, whether that was unfortunate or fortunate...

Aiden had an answer that would not disappoint her.

“... The great figure himself.”

“What?”

Katia tilted her head, but instead of explaining, Aiden walked onward.

As he had said before, several preserved remains were kept within this space.

And Aiden stopped before one of those remains, one that was in particularly good condition.

The spirit dwelled in the flesh. The better the condition, the higher the chance that what he was about to attempt would succeed.

“... The Dawn Knight?”

Katia read the name on the case before which Aiden had stopped.

“You know of him? He is a great figure of the Empire.”

“Wouldn't it be stranger not to know? The First Knight is still a favorite subject for artists.”

A hero of the Empire, with countless military achievements, distinctions, feats, and heroic tales to his name.

The Conqueror of the Nameless Valley, the Hegemon Who Toppled the Spire of Heaven, one against a thousand, the first and strongest, Goddess Karba's most loyal servant.

The one who first discovered the use of Ki and the Cultivation Method. Aside from Lady Noel, no one had yet surpassed the Dawn Knight, who wielded Ki in its purest form.

“Even in the Holy Empire, the Dawn Knight is highly respected. There can hardly be anyone on the continent who dislikes the Dawn Knight.”

That was probably true.

The Dawn Knight had achievements worthy of that reputation. Even based only on the game's setting that Aiden knew, the Dawn Knight's accomplishments were all heroic deeds deserving praise.

But Aiden picked at his ear and replied indifferently.

“There is one thing I need to correct.”

Aiden spoke calmly.

“This person isn't that remarkable.”

“...”

For the rarest of moments, Katia's expression became strange.

She clearly had not expected to hear an Imperial citizen disparage their own idol.

“... Um, really? Still, the Empire does honor this person as a hero, right?”

“They only glorify this person because he lived in the past. There is really nothing special about him.”

“...”

“I have my own suspicions, but those achievements might have been fabricated as well.”

“Uh...”

Rather than answer Katia's confused response, Aiden silently operated the window.

Having said that much, there was a good chance a reaction would come soon.

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

⎨ Rania A'shan ⎬

- Bond: Level 1

- You can copy 1 skill.

He was going to use the skill copy he had received from Rania before.

He copied one skill he had examined in advance.

[ You copy the skill “Spiritual Resonance”! ]

< Copied Skill >

◆ Spiritual Resonance

Those who have touched divinity can see, speak with, and touch beings that others cannot perceive. Your sense for detecting spiritual beings is unlocked.

The moment he copied that skill, faint presences entered his sight.

Smoke-like wisps were curling from near the Dawn Knight's remains in response to what Aiden had just said. He was probably the only one who could see them.

As expected, the spirit seemed to be here. The remains were well preserved, and a soul this powerful would not disappear so easily.

‘... Necromancy isn't supposed to be this easy.’

For the dead and the living to meet was, naturally, an act that defied the natural order. Normally, he would have to summon an immensely skilled shaman from the Far East to make it possible, but under special circumstances, even a nobody like Aiden could manage it.

For example.

When a person strong enough to defy common sense heard something they absolutely could not endure even after death, their soul might return temporarily.

The Dawn Knight was a similar case.

This person's achievements were dazzling enough to make one's head spin, but his personality was...

“A petty little person.”

Aiden snickered and continued.

“If you have a complaint, come out and refute me.”

The instant he spoke, the smoke inside the case began to tremble more violently. Soon, something began to physically affect the surrounding area.

“What is this?”

Even Katia was startled as wind rose, objects around them shook, and a prickling sensation ran across Aiden's skin.

It was an absurd phenomenon. The mere presence of a spirit was causing all of this.

It indirectly revealed how powerful the spirit inside this place was.

As game players called him.

The world's strongest petty person.