WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 3: That's Harsh

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Knights' armor was basically top-grade equipment.

Equipment was made to suit its user, and ordinary gear would be useless to knights, the Empire's finest elites.

"And yet, it ended up like this."

As Noel pointed at the completely crushed armor, Aiden's back quickly grew damp.

Even someone with no talent for combat could immediately tell that the pressure Noel was giving off was far from ordinary.

"Do you know what this means?"

"...What does it mean?"

"It means Gale would have died instantly without armor. From one sloppy punch you threw without even taking a proper stance."

Noel continued with a faint smile.

"It's absurd. Among ordinary fighters, Gale stands head and shoulders above the rest."

"..."

"Even a formally knighted warrior couldn't produce this result with one ridiculous attack."

Please stop complimenting me.

My mouth is drying out.

"Now that I think about it, there is one person who comes to mind who might be able to do the same thing."

"...Is that so?"

"Yes."

The smile on Noel's face widened a little before she spoke again.

"Me."

"..."

"The pure white ki you just drew from your body is the purest of all ki. With raw output alone, something like that would be possible."

"That..."

Aiden trailed off.

Honestly, it was hard to explain what had just happened.

Knights were a group where even those called geniuses could barely stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers. And the ability that the person at their very peak had honed for a lifetime was this pure white ki.

So this woman was asking him indirectly.

How could someone like you possibly wield the essence of the technique I built?

"Explain yourself, Aiden Kellermain."

The more Noel spoke, the faster Aiden's back grew damp.

Her face was smiling, but her eyes were not smiling at all.

"What exactly do you do?"

Forcing down the tightness in his throat, Aiden barely managed to answer.

"Didn't you see my record? I really am nobody..."

"Those records you prepared to keep yourself out of trouble? Yes. I saw them. I certainly did."

Tap, tap.

Slowly moving her fingers, Noel tapped her arm.

"...Pardon?"

Records meant to keep himself out of trouble? What was that supposed to mean?

As Aiden blinked blankly, Noel continued in a calm voice.

"Why do you think I chose you out of everyone?"

Why was she asking as though he would know?

He was the one most curious about that in the entire world.

Fortunately, Noel was not the type to drag out an explanation.

"If you truly wanted to hide who you were, you should have left behind at least one flaw. You can't expect me to believe you if you make the joke too perfect."

"What do you mean..."

"Aiden. Even the greatest criminal gets caught at least once. No matter how lucky or skilled someone is, they are bound to slip up eventually. Even a sage who sees through everything in the world never knows when life will strike from behind. And yet..."

Noel's gaze sank further.

"Here is someone who claims to be an ordinary, insignificant con artist, yet for over ten years, you were never arrested or even investigated."

"..."

"Looking at your history, you avoided every major case you could have become involved in. The moment anything looked remotely dangerous, you pulled out in advance."

"..."

"Honestly, doesn't that mean you avoided every dangerous situation because you knew about it?"

Aiden's mouth fell slightly open.

...Well, that was true.

If you worked outside the law, getting caught up in a major incident was inevitable sooner or later.

And he really had done everything he could to avoid dangerous work.

Of course, that was only possible because he knew the original story.

Still, desperately running from danger should not have been a reason to think so highly of him.

"That's why I brought you here."

The problem was that Noel saw it completely differently.

"Whoever takes the role of husband in this fake marriage will obviously have a difficult time of it. At least, I don't know anyone who could handle it."

Noel set down her teacup with a Clack! and added,

"Never failing means no one knows where the limit of your ability lies. No one can see your ceiling. So I brought you here feeling as though I were scratching off a lottery ticket."

No, he understood.

There was logic to it.

But those records were merely the result of his desperate struggle to stay unnoticed and avoid getting involved in the main story.

He had never imagined it would turn out like this.

There were limits to how much one could read into things.

Aiden was about to open his mouth again and somehow make her understand.

He had built up plenty of experience in a profession that relied on his tongue. He could probably come up with a convincing explanation somehow...

"It feels like I've won, now that I've seen what you can do."

"..."

...If only it were not for this.

He had shown something that absolutely did not fit the history he claimed to have.

Aiden's mouth snapped shut like a clam.

"Aiden, I would prefer to settle this peacefully. The fact that you are more capable than expected is good news for me."

Noel's eyes, which had remained gently lowered until now, rose to meet Aiden's gaze.

That alone overwhelmed him.

If a gaze could have physical force, he felt as though simply meeting her eyes would cut him.

"However, I would like an explanation for what you just showed me. That pure white ki... I don't know if you are aware, but there is quite a lot of history tied to it."

"..."

Uh... yes, it certainly looked that way.

- Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

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< Copied Skills >

【 Noel Astria Seamus 】

◆ Heart of Pure White

※ Unique: Only this character possesses it!

It has the highest efficiency among all ki cultivation methods, and requires extraordinary effort and instinct to master. It is a characteristic of the ki gained by honing to the limit a cultivation method passed down in a single line to Noel's master.

Even Aiden himself would wonder what was going on if someone suddenly used a cultivation method passed down in a single line.

He completely understood how she felt.

"Therefore, it would be best if you explain quickly. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to draw my sword."

He took that back.

Not that he could understand her, even if it killed him.

"...Why does that lead to drawing a sword?"

"Gale's way of thinking is not always correct, but once you cross blades with someone, you can tell the combat path they have built. That should be enough for me to roughly understand how you learned it."

The moment Noel touched the sword at her waist, Aiden's already damp neck went cold.

She was still smiling, but the meaning between her words was undoubtedly sincere.

If he could not give her a convincing explanation, this woman really intended to draw her sword and cut him down.

"..."

No, but...

How was he supposed to explain this?

How could he tell her he had entered a game world and could copy and use skills through a special benefit?

"Should I take your continued silence as agreement?"

Still, he had to do something.

Otherwise, he might really die.

As he repeated that thought to himself, a Click. rang out in Aiden's head.

It was the sound that always rang out whenever he faced a customer. The feeling of entering work mode.

Making her believe he was just an ordinary con artist...

He had already crossed that bridge. Better to give up on it cleanly.

He could not think of any explanation that would convince Noel here.

Which left only one option.

I have to deceive her.

Was that not his profession in the first place? Deceiving others to survive.

Aiden's mind began to spin at full speed.

Knowledge from the original story that might help in this situation poured into his head.

The foundation of a con artist's work was deceiving others, and the foundation of deception was drawing out emotional reactions.

So.

After gathering everything he knew about Noel Astria Seamus, he searched for the keyword that would shake her most.

What came out at the end was this.

"It seems..."

Even to Aiden himself, the sentence felt assembled more from instinct than reason.

"It seems you don't remember the past."

"Pardon?"

"When you were young, for example."

He casually dropped those words.

Acting with a subtle hint of loneliness and disappointment.

Even he had no idea what he was talking about.

Of course she would not remember. He had never even met her before.

But the instant Noel heard his words,

"..."

Her movements froze.

Her eyes flickered for a moment. Her expression twisted and cracked for an instant.

Then she immediately returned to normal.

It was only a moment.

A gap that remained for the briefest edge of a moment, but Aiden's eyes caught it clearly.

This person...

Based on what he knew from the game, some of her childhood memories had been lost because of a certain incident.

He did not know what incident. The game had not covered that far.

The important thing...!

She had truly lost those memories, and she probably had not told anyone about it. She would have had no reason to.

So.

If he could place his own existence among information that only Noel herself knew, that alone would be enough.

Just knowing information that only the person involved could know would greatly increase the credibility of his story.

"...What do you mean, Aiden?"

And the fact that she answered while trying to hide her agitation meant this absurd excuse had worked well enough.

Naturally, she had been shaken because her secret had been touched.

All kinds of theories about Aiden's identity were probably racing through her head. That alone made an excellent shield for him right now.

Anyway, he needed to get out of this room alive.

So all that remained was...

"No, it is nothing. I did not think you had really forgotten."

As if there was no point explaining unless she realized it herself, he only let the answer trail off.

That alone made Noel's face stiffen. She could no longer hide her agitation.

"I will see you later, Lady Noel."

In other words.

It was the perfect moment to make a cryptic remark and run.

Aiden's voice, full of wistfulness, followed.

"...When we meet next, I hope you will greet me a little differently."

Noel could never know what that meant.

Because...

I do not know either...!

Aiden himself had no idea what the hell it meant!

Still, it was clearly the right moment to leave the room as quickly as possible.

Feeling Lady Noel's blank stare on his back, Aiden strode out of the room.

▣

That had happened only yesterday.

It was a string of events that had left Aiden exhausted after a stormy first day at work. He was now holed up in his private room, refusing to see anyone.

- Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

Only you know the truth of this world. Build bonds with important figures in the main story to earn new rewards!

【 Noel Astria Seamus 】

- Bond: Level 2

- You can copy one additional skill.

< Copied Skills >

◆ Heart of Pure White

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It was good news.

Of course it was good news.

What he had done yesterday had worked so well that a free skill-copying chance had fallen into his lap. There was no way to see it as a loss.

◈ Fake Marriage

- You have been chosen as Lady Noel's spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner to the end!

- A related incident will occur soon.

...Except for this.

What was a related incident supposed to be?

Aiden frowned as he stared at the window.

No matter how he looked at it, those were not words that inspired confidence. It felt like some personal danger was about to come for him again.

...Should I gather more abilities?

Honestly, he did not want to get dragged into a fight first, but if the system was openly telling him something bad would happen soon, sitting still would be stupid.

But whose skill could he take?

He could not go to Lady Noel and take another skill. After what happened yesterday, even facing her would be awkward.

Was there no suitable candidate?

As that thought continued, his surroundings suddenly became very noisy.

"His Highness Prince Daniel will arrive shortly!"

"Finish cleaning up and clear the area! Do not stand out for no reason!"

At the unexpected commotion, Aiden poked his head into the corridor. It seemed someone of high status was visiting.

The Capital Command Headquarters was the central nerve center of the imperial army, and all sorts of people came through it. Still, royalty from another country was certainly a guest of a status one did not see easily.

As the prince walked proudly down the corridor, the staff of the Capital Command Headquarters hurriedly cleared a path for him.

Aiden's eyes narrowed as he watched.

If he is royalty from the Holy Empire...

He searched through the game's setting information in his mind.

The abilities used by the Empire's people were ki, bestowed by Karba. The abilities used by the Craven Holy Empire's people were divinity, the power of Seer, the God of Purification.

And the people best at wielding it were their royalty. In other words, they were closest to the source of divinity.

...Should I at least try?

If raising a bond allowed him to copy skills, would there be any harm in getting acquainted with someone like that?

If they formed a good connection, great. If not, then not.

Since he held the status of Lady Noel's spouse, briefly greeting him and having a conversation should not be such a serious breach of etiquette.

With that in mind, Aiden spotted the prince walking down the corridor with his chest out. Naturally, he stepped in front of him as if to welcome him.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I am..."

The moment he extended his hand,

Smack!

His hand was harshly knocked aside.

Then came a voice filled with the disgust of someone who had seen a cockroach trying to approach him.

"Keep your hand away, you lowborn wretch."

"..."

Life really was rough.

As Aiden reflected on that once more, he looked at the person who had slapped away his hand.

He was a young man with a slick, smug appearance. Every muscle in his face seemed filled with arrogance and authority.

...So that is why everyone was trying to get away before he arrived.

With a temperament like that, their reaction made sense.

"One kneels on one knee to show respect before royalty. Why is some ignorant fool who does not even know that here?"

"..."

Had that not been a dead custom for ages?

These days, even royalty would be socially ruined for demanding something like that.

"I am the seventh prince of the Craven Holy Empire. My name is..."

Smarmy.

There was no need to remember his real name. This guy was just Smarmy.

With an indifferent expression, Aiden mentally cut up the sentence he had just heard as he thought that.

Judging by what came next, it was clearly the right choice.

"And judging by your street-rabble manners, there is no need to ask about your bloodline."

"..."

Good grief.

Watching him reveal the nature of his character within seconds made Aiden's temples throb as though they might explode.

"...Your Highness. I believe you should reconsider treating this person so lightly."

The fully armored guard standing beside him stepped in, seemingly trying to restrain him.

Of course, Smarmy's expression immediately crumpled.

"Be quiet. Who told you to interfere?"

"But the other person is..."

After hearing the guard whisper quietly to him, a crooked smile spread over Smarmy's face.

"Ah."

It was a laugh of disbelief, as if he had heard an absurd joke.

"The one she brought here this time? Lionheart's?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

At the guard's reply, Smarmy's unpleasant gaze traveled over Aiden from head to toe.

"This guy?"

"..."

"She would not even acknowledge my request, and she chose this man as her spouse?"

...Listening to him talk.

It was clear that this man had long been very interested in becoming Lady Noel's spouse.

Only then did a vague realization come to Aiden.

◈ Fake Marriage

- You have been chosen as Lady Noel's spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner to the end!

- A related incident will occur soon.

"..."

That related incident written there.

Could it be connected to the delinquent royal standing before him?

He had come out to prepare for it, only to run straight into it.

Ah.

Aiden Kellermain.

Day two of his employment.

On the first day, his spouse's friend had drawn a sword and come after him. On the second day, he had become embroiled in an altercation with royalty from another country.

Ah.

There was nothing else he could say.

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