Copy Skills with Affinity! - Chapter 30

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 30: Ghost Knight (2)

──────

If one thinks about the person known as the Lord Protector,

she was already dead by the time the main scenario progressed in the game, and only briefly mentioned in its backstory.

Lady Teresa Adelaide. A few years older than Noel.

Her battlefield experience was far greater, and she was the benefactor who took in Noel after the war left her an orphan with no relatives.

She profoundly shaped Noel's values and was practically Noel's only family.

In short, she was like Noel's parent.

She was also the teacher who taught Noel the abilities she used, such as Pure White Ki and swordsmanship.

Of course, in terms of sheer capability, Teresa had been closer to organizing the theory, while Noel had truly completed it in practice. Noel was probably stronger.

"A ghost...?"

... But that was not the problem right now.

Noel's voice was barely audible, yet the emotion contained in that tiny sound was fiercer than anything Aiden had ever seen from her.

What should he even call it?

Grief, despair, confusion.

No matter which he chose, none of it would help them overcome the current situation.

And after taking a quick look at her expression, Aiden could make an even more detailed assessment.

This went beyond simply losing her composure. She was nearly in denial of reality. She could not even properly recognize what stood before her.

Setting aside who was stronger, Noel was in no state to help fight. She would not even be able to run.

"Why are you here...?"

Still, he completely agreed with the mutter that slipped from her lips.

'Why is she here...?!'

This person had never appeared like this in the actual game.

She was mentioned, but she had never returned as a ghost and appeared as someone the player had to fight.

Much less raised her sword to send a slash at Noel!

Aiden gritted his teeth and threw himself at her, knocking Noel over. Their bodies tangled as they rolled across the ground in a clattering heap.

'I don't know why she's here, but...!'

There was a way out of this.

The rift, the source of the phenomenon that allowed spirits to manifest in the material realm, had already been closed. Aiden had no idea why the Lord Protector's spirit had suddenly appeared here, but it could not remain manifested for long.

They only needed to leave this place and escape beyond the spirit's combat range. The event would end for now.

The problem was,

'I can't get away...!'

Aiden's physical abilities were not good enough to escape a spirit that could unleash monstrous slashes like that.

He needed someone's help.

"Lady Stella, can you move Lady Noel and me at once...?!"

"... I can!"

Stella replied through clenched teeth and grabbed a nearby streetlamp with one hand.

Then the massive chunk of iron held in a human hand tore free from the concrete with a crunch.

It was enough strength to make anyone watching gape, yet Stella's eyes were fixed tensely on the Lord Protector's ghost.

She seemed to instinctively understand just how powerful that thing was.

"We can't shake it while carrying both of you. Lady Noel needs to come to her senses!"

With those words, Stella hurled the streetlamp like a spear.

The enormous mass of iron, larger than a person's whole body, shot through the air with terrifying speed. But the Lord Protector cutting it cleanly in half with one stroke was even more absurd.

Then Stella drew her own sword and rushed at the ghost.

Her intentions were obvious. She was trying to buy time. She had no intention of winning this fight from the start.

She wanted Aiden to somehow get Noel under control in the meantime.

... The intention was admirable, but.

With Noel in this state, even helping her regain her senses looked difficult, let alone getting away.

Her eyes had no focus, as though she were staring somewhere far away. Her limbs hung limp, as if all strength had left them. She did not even seem able to comprehend what had just happened.

"... Teresa...?"

She whispered the name as if sobbing. She clearly did not even know what she was saying.

"Did you... attack me?"

"Lady Noel, pull yourself together!"

Aiden brought his face close to Noel's as though grabbing her by the collar and hoisting her up.

"... Mr. Aiden?"

"If this keeps up, we'll all die! We need to get out of here first!"

It was true. He still had the Prince's skill copy ticket, but it was useless when the target was the Lord Protector. He needed to consider other means before he could use it effectively.

"Die...?"

Noel repeated the word weakly, her eyes still unfocused.

"Teresa is going to kill me?"

Her voice held an unreality Aiden had never heard from her before. It felt like she could not comprehend what was happening.

"..."

Considering her relationship with the Lord Protector, he understood.

... It probably felt like being told that your parent wanted to kill you.

But that was the current situation. He had to find some way to bring her back to her senses...!

"...?"

As he thought that,

blood suddenly ran down Aiden's forehead.

He must have torn the skin there when he rolled across the ground while shielding Noel.

The instant a drop of blood fell onto Noel's face, her pupils widened.

Drip. Drip.

As the falling droplets touched her forehead, focus returned to her eyes.

As though the consciousness that had been drifting through some distant unreality had returned.

As though she had remembered

what she had to do.

Noel raised a trembling hand and brushed upward over Aiden's forehead. Bright red blood clung to her fingertips.

"... Are you hurt?"

"Pardon?"

"Mr. Aiden, are you hurt?"

"... I am, but it's nothing serious."

It was not a serious injury. Just a scratch.

But the moment Noel saw it, something like resolve entered her eyes.

"What do you mean, nothing serious? You're bleeding!"

"..."

"Honestly, really...!"

"..."

Noel shouted and rose to her feet. It seemed that had snapped her out of the shock in one go.

Just how far did her overprotectiveness go?

It was good that she had regained her senses, but Aiden had mixed feelings about it...

"..."

Then Noel looked at the Lord Protector's ghost, now exchanging blows with Stella, and clenched her teeth.

Whatever the situation was, she seemed to understand what she needed to do now.

"Hoo."

After letting out a soft breath, she tucked Aiden under one arm against her side.

"..."

He did not need to ask whom Lady Stella had learned to carry people from.

Then Noel braced her back leg and launched herself forward.

A crater opened where the paving stones had been, as though a bomb had gone off there.

That was not all. The entire ground rumbled for an instant.

Noel reached Stella in a flash and used the momentum of her leap to kick the Lord Protector.

And then,

-!!

That alone sent the Lord Protector flying into the distance. The ghost crashed into a building, demolishing half of it, as though struck by a battering ram.

Unlike before, when the Lord Protector had easily overwhelmed Stella, this blow seemed to have come too quickly for her to react.

'What the hell...?!'

Aiden had honestly thought Stella was absurdly powerful when she pulled up a streetlamp with her bare hand, but compared to this, it was nothing.

As Aiden realized once more just how far beyond ordinary human beings knights who wielded abilities were, Noel tucked Stella under her other arm in exactly the same way.

"Hold on tight."

With another crack in the ground beneath them, she continued.

"We're leaving!"

With those words, all of them rose into the air in an instant.

Of course, they were not actually flying. Noel had simply jumped so high that it looked that way.

"..."

But even as she did that,

Noel's gaze remained fixed on the Lord Protector glaring at her from inside the half-destroyed building.

Until the ghost disappeared from her sight.

Continuously.

▣

Getting out of the situation for now was all well and good, but

Aiden had a splitting headache.

-Quest Info

▶ The events listed below will incur massive penalties if you fail them!

♠ Main Quest

◈ Act 1, <Imperial Capital Rift>

-Chapter 1, <Ghost Knight Incident>

▶ The ‘Boss’ has not been defeated. The quest has not yet been completed.

▶ A penalty is incurred due to partial failure.

▶ The Boss becomes much stronger!

▶ The ‘subjugation battle’ will occur again soon.

▶ If you fail the subjugation battle, the quest will fail!

... Good grief.

Aiden let out a bitter sigh inwardly as he looked at the window hanging before him.

Honestly, he had expected this. He had let the boss battle, the most important conclusion to the event, slip away. There was no way it would simply let him off easily.

But the boss becoming even stronger was dizzying.

It had already looked capable of competing with Noel. If it became much stronger than that, even Noel and Katia together might not be enough.

'My head...'

How was he supposed to come up with a solution now?

As he groaned inwardly, Noel, who had been carefully wrapping his forehead in bandages, withdrew her hand.

"This should be enough."

"Someone would think I'd been shot in the head."

Before Aiden could say that this was an overreaction to a scratch, Noel continued without paying him any mind.

"I called for a specialist physician. Just in case, you should at least get examined."

"Even so, that seems a bit..."

"Mr. Aiden."

Noel cut him off with a bright smile.

Her eyes were not smiling at all. She had no intention of accepting an objection...

"Get examined."

"..."

... Aiden only nodded quietly.

"You were injured after coming into contact with a spirit. No one knows what kind of injury it might develop into."

"... Ah."

Though, by that logic, Aiden being beaten senseless by Meyer every other day might be a greater concern. Still, there was no need to say that aloud...

'More importantly.'

There was something bothering him.

"... May I ask one thing?"

"Yes?"

"Lady Noel, are you all right?"

"My injuries are all just scrapes..."

"No, that's not what I mean."

Aiden paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Are you really all right?"

"..."

"You might have to meet that thing again later."

Noel snapped her mouth shut when she realized he meant the Lord Protector's spirit.

"You might have to fight it again."

"... You seem to think that will definitely happen."

"Yes."

There was a solution. After seeing the way the Lord Protector fought yesterday, Aiden could vaguely see a possible breakthrough.

But.

The question was whether Noel could handle it with him.

Even yesterday, when she had briefly crossed swords with Teresa, had she not shown an uncharacteristic amount of hesitation?

As though she absolutely, absolutely did not want to do this.

"..."

After remaining silent for a long time, Noel let out a deep sigh.

"... I'm not all right."

Noel spoke calmly.

Her expression bore scars as deep as her memories of the past.

"Teresa has been with me since I was too young to remember. She's practically my older sister."

"..."

"... She is someone it still hurts to think about. How could I possibly be all right if you tell me I have to fight something presumed to be her spirit?"

... As expected.

If Noel was in this state, then Aiden should leave her out of it before they faced the ghost again.

"But."

Then,

cutting through that thought, Noel continued.

"If you try to solve this without me, I'll be angry."

"... Pardon?"

"It was me who got you involved in this to begin with."

Before Aiden could respond, Noel placed a hand on his shoulder.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly. Her expression was light, but the sincerity behind it came through clearly.

"... Besides, there is no definite proof that it really is Teresa's spirit. And even if it is."

Noel drew a deep breath before speaking.

"No matter what happens, I will take responsibility for you and return you to your family."

Just as she had done when the incident happened yesterday.

Even if she had to cross swords with something presumed to be the spirit of her older sister.

At the very least, Noel meant to take responsibility for Aiden until the end.

"Do you understand? Don't worry about my circumstances. Your safety comes first."

"..."

Aiden stared at Noel for a moment, unable to speak.

'... Really.'

He let out a quiet laugh inwardly and rubbed his face.

This person had often said she would protect him, but.

... He had not known she meant it this sincerely.

Even with the Lord Protector involved, she would prioritize his safety over the Lord Protector's.

"Why are you making that expression, Mr. Aiden?"

"I'm a little embarrassed."

"Pardon?"

"Lady Noel is looking a little different to me."

How should he put it?

He had never particularly disliked her before.

... But now, he truly felt close to her on a human level.

He was not thinking of anything like romantic feelings, but at least he genuinely found her likable now.

That was a problem.

"..."

The instant she heard that, Noel took a hesitant step backward.

"... Why would you say something like that in this situation...?"

"Pardon?"

"Mr. Aiden, I don't dislike you either, but I don't think this is an appropriate situation to make a pass at me..."

"..."

No.

That was not what he meant.

... He should change the subject.

"More importantly, what's that?"

Trying to redirect the conversation, Aiden nodded toward the newspaper on Noel's desk.

He asked because he had never seen her reading one before, but the moment she heard him, Noel's expression darkened.

"... Ah, this is..."

Seeing her trail off, Aiden narrowed his eyes and craned his neck to look.

Then his own expression changed when he saw the headline.

"..."

"Everyone seems to be making a fuss over what happened yesterday."

As Noel gave a bitter smile and said that, Aiden read through the article with a stiff expression.

For a ghost to take form and manifest in the material realm, several conditions had to be met, as the example of Meyer showed.

It had to have attained an exceedingly lofty level, or still retain an intense lingering regret, so powerful that it could not rest even in death.

"... They're saying the Lord Protector died because of Lady Noel, and came to take revenge because of that grudge?"

And if someone recalled those conditions, the Lord Protector's spirit appearing last night could be fabricated into a story like that.

The article carefully worded things to remove any responsibility from its own side, but it was effectively presenting that claim as established fact.

If the publication were just some tabloid, that would be one thing. But this was one of the more reputable news outlets in the Imperial Capital. It was openly publishing an attack on Lionheart, a hero of the Empire.

And besides.

'... Even so.'

It was too fast.

The incident had happened only last night. Not even half a day had passed, yet an article like this had appeared from a news outlet like that. It clearly felt as though malicious pressure had been applied.

As for who it was, well.

'The Prince.'

No matter how he thought about it, the only side hostile enough to exert that kind of pressure on Noel was the Prince.

"Well."

Noel still wore a bitter smile as she responded.

"Does it matter what they say? What they think is their own business."

"..."

"I don't care that much. It's no..."

Noel's sentence stopped abruptly.

Aiden had strode up to her and placed both hands on her shoulders.

"Lady Noel."

"... Yes?"