WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

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◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 41: Pontiff

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Aiden glared at the silent figure, his eyes lifted in a glare.

The maid blinked blankly and looked around before speaking in a dazed voice.

"Um, what do you mean? Did I do something wrong..."

Aiden took a deep breath, feeling the vein in his forehead throb harder.

"Lady Stella."

"... Yes?"

"Could you step back for a moment?"

"...?"

The instant Stella stepped back, Aiden pulled a revolver from his coat.

He always carried it just in case.

"... Aiden? What are you..."

Before Stella could finish asking,

"Law, I swear..."

An oath formed beneath his breath in an instant.

First, Consecration. Second, Vow. Third, mantra.

Three abilities were immediately bestowed upon the weapon.

"... Aiden?"

Stella asked in bewilderment, but before he could answer, the moment the three abilities settled into the gun, Aiden fired it straight ahead.

BANG!

The attack tore through everything around it and shattered the maid's entire torso.

"..."

Beside him, Stella stared at Aiden with a vacant expression.

Everything had happened too suddenly. It looked as though her mind had stopped processing the situation before she could even react.

"Aiden, what...!"

"No, it's fine."

Aiden, the one who had just done that, cut Stella off with a frown still on his face.

"Someone like this won't die from something like that anyway."

The attack's power was horrifying, but even Katia had only been temporarily incapacitated after taking it.

And this person...

This was someone who stood even higher than a person as abnormal as Katia.

"Hey."

The shattered pieces of the maid's body floated into the air.

"That was a bit much, don't you think?"

Then, with those words and a click of the tongue, the maid flicked a wrist through the air.

It was a smooth gesture, like someone stretching.

In response, the broken pieces stuck back together like mud and regenerated in an instant.

Just like Katia.

"... Huh?"

A strange noise came from Stella beside him.

As someone who could handle abilities, she would be able to see it clearly.

Katia's immortality was innate. This person, on the other hand, was imitating it purely through her own ability.

'... That's ridiculous.'

It really was.

She could reproduce immortality through her own power.

Divine Power manipulation close to a godlike technique.

Even Katia, who would rank second only to the Pontiff among the current generation, could never stand on equal footing with her.

'She's a monster.'

He had mentioned it several times already, but neither Noel nor Katia was someone people could look down on.

And if he thought more closely about what that meant...

It meant that even a woman who could slice through buildings with a sword, or a woman who refused to die no matter how many times she died, could not easily be called the strongest.

Of course, if he were asked how far those two would ultimately grow as the Scenario progressed, he could attach that title to them in advance.

But for now, it was difficult to call them that.

The person before him was one of the reasons why.

The strongest, worst, and most terrifying Divine Power user in history.

The ruler of the Craven Holy Empire, the current Pontiff, Abigail III.

All of those words described the person standing before him.

The Pontiff snorted and removed the bonnet from her head.

At the same time, she snapped her fingers, and flames without heat scattered in every direction.

The plain clothes suited to a maid were washed away by those flames, revealing black pontifical vestments made of ebony beneath them.

Clothing that signified the highest ceremonial rank within the Holy Empire. The symbol of the Pontiff.

At the same time, the being who had been called Princess Laila until moments ago scattered into flames and vanished.

"That was quite a well-made double. How did you see through it?"

Aiden frowned at the Pontiff who had revealed herself.

He was not familiar with her, but her overall atmosphere felt very familiar.

In appearance, she was practically Katia's mirror image. White hair. Golden eyes. Even her air was similar.

Her clothes, however, were the complete opposite of Katia's.

Considering how the two were connected, it was rather fitting.

Katia's biological mother. And...

'The final boss of Act Two.'

She was the final opponent in the episode where Katia was the lead.

The wall Katia had to overcome.

"Even so, who starts by attacking without warning, Lionheart's husband? Hmm?"

The Pontiff smiled fiercely and thrust her head toward Aiden.

Even that expression looked exactly like Katia's.

Mischievous ferocity mixed with the aggressiveness of a wild beast.

It was easy to see where Katia had inherited that nature.

But Aiden did not blink as he answered.

"Your Holiness did the same without hesitation."

It was their first meeting, yet neither of them had the slightest intention of standing on ceremony.

The Pontiff's attitude was understandable given the difference in their status, but Aiden's was unexpected.

"You're not going to give an inch? That's harsh."

"Courtesy."

Though the Pontiff seemed to be pointing out his attitude, Aiden calmly stared back at her.

"I only return it to those who show it first."

The attack she had launched while appearing as Princess Laila had not been strong enough to kill him in one blow, but it was certainly powerful.

Even if he had not died, he would have been badly injured.

And on top of that...

'She beat Katia around without a second thought, too.'

There was no reason to welcome someone like that with a smile.

The Pontiff's lips twisted.

As if to say, 'Well, look at this one.'

It was an obvious reaction from someone who had become interested in him.

"... Fair enough."

The Pontiff chuckled in agreement.

"I was curious because Katia had settled in here so thoroughly. Turns out there's a born clown here."

"Your Holiness."

Aiden sighed and cut her off.

"You didn't come here just to shoot the breeze, did you?"

"..."

"I'm a busy man."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stella, who still could not follow the situation, staring with her mouth hanging open.

"... You're a complete psycho, aren't you?"

Even the Pontiff said that, so his attitude really was rather extreme.

But...

'So what?'

Aiden was already holding himself back.

Considering her personality, there was no reason for him to hold back at all.

"Before discussing my personality, isn't there something you should do first?"

"... What?"

In every sense, there was something she needed to do.

She had first sent Katia to drag him to the Holy Empire without warning. Then she had tormented Katia right in front of him. Even at the end, she had put him through another test.

There was not a single reason for him to speak nicely to her.

He needed to get everything he could out of this.

"If you do something wrong, it is only natural that you pay the price."

"Hm?"

"You've done so many bad things. Surely you weren't planning to settle it with empty words?"

"Hmm?"

"Grant me two requests, and I'll let it go."

At this point, the Pontiff was almost laughing in disbelief.

"Let's hear it, then. What exactly are you letting go?"

"If I publicly spread word of what the Holy Empire did to Katia and me, Your Holiness wouldn't benefit from it either, would you?"

"..."

"There would be more than one scandal to deal with."

The fierce smile on the Pontiff's face deepened.

With a light exhale, her eyes narrowed.

"Listen, Aiden."

"Yes."

"Do you like breathing?"

"Usually."

"Is that so?"

Then, his vision tore apart.

Divine Power erupted and dyed the surroundings red, twisting his senses.

He felt no heat. The Pontiff was not even properly deploying an ability.

This was a phenomenon produced by her presence and pressure alone.

Just meeting her eyes made it feel as though an invisible hand had gripped his heart.

"Then let me ask you one more thing."

Even her voice sounded as though it were filled with static.

"If you like breathing, you should choose your words more carefully. Was that a threat?"

Just hearing her words felt as though his brain were being fried. That was the pressure behind them.

His skin felt as though it were rotting. A sickening sensation, as if someone had poured tar into every blood vessel, raced through his entire nervous system.

"..."

It was a monstrous ability.

And as he took the full force of it, Aiden could only think one thing.

'... What a catch.'

If he could copy the skills of someone like this, would that not be an absolute jackpot...!

"..."

Maybe Meyer had beaten him to death too often lately. Even with a real threat to his life before him, his thoughts seemed to be going in a strange direction.

Still, the thought itself was undeniably true.

And his next move was his trump card for making it happen.

Something clicked in his mind.

Aiden calmly raised his eyes toward the Pontiff.

"Yes."

"..."

"It was a threat."

"..."

Outside his field of vision, Stella, who had gone beyond failing to follow the situation and seemed to have given up on understanding it altogether, stood there with her mouth open again.

"If you don't grant my requests, I'll pursue this to the end."

"..."

"I guarantee that I cannot defeat Your Holiness, but I can cause several truly irritating problems and keep at them until you're sick of it."

By the time he said that much, Stella looked on the verge of fainting.

But he was not doing this because he had lost his mind.

'... This is what works on her.'

Considering what he knew about the Pontiff, she liked people who defied her more than people who bowed to her.

What a nasty personality. She pushed people that far, yet wanted them to keep standing up to her.

That was the context behind why she had pressured Aiden so consistently from the beginning.

Her desire to see where his limits lay was almost palpable.

Where his breaking point was. How far she had to push before he bent.

'And testing someone...'

This person would never start doing something like this if she had no expectations of them.

It meant she had some standard of what she wanted from him.

Considering her intentions, it was better to confront her openly than to yield here. That would earn more of her favor.

In fact, the Pontiff's smile deepened at his words.

It meant Aiden continued to meet the standards she wanted.

Before, she had seemed interested. This time, she genuinely seemed to like him.

And to drive the point home...

"Still, I'm not completely without a conscience. I'll keep things balanced."

"What?"

"I think there's something you want me to help with, Your Holiness."

"..."

"Isn't that why you keep pushing me this far?"

He was taking the initiative while showing that he had seen through all of her intentions.

And one step further.

Why had she subjected him to test after test? Why did she want to keep assessing his abilities?

There was no need to calculate it. He already knew what her greatest concern was.

"It seems the issue of succession rights has been troubling you."

The power struggle among the successors who would become the next Pontiff after her.

The content of Chapter Two of the Scenario, Blasphemy against Divinity, was about exactly that.

"If you help me, I will certainly lend you my strength later."

After Aiden added that, the Pontiff was silent for a long time before letting her Divine Power dissipate with a short laugh.

The pressure crushing Aiden's whole body vanished in an instant.

"... You're really strange. I can't tell whether you're extraordinary or just insane."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Fine, you lunatic."

"..."

Her tone was blunt, but it was clearly not a negative response.

-System Message

▶ Target “Abigail III” has become more interested in you.

▶ “Skill: Weaver of Fate” activates!

▶ Skill copy count has increased by 1!

▶ Related information will be updated in the main scenario later!

The window that appeared before him immediately proved it.

As Aiden cheered inwardly, the Pontiff sighed and crossed her legs.

"... Let's hear it, then. What is it you want to ask?"

At this point, she had effectively accepted his proposal.

Aiden smiled brightly.

'What a sweet deal.'

... In truth, he was bound by the quest anyway, so this was something he had to do whether the Pontiff asked for his help or not.

He would be dragged into her problems regardless.

Normally, it would be a dizzying situation just to think about, but for now, it was fine.

If he could make it look as though he was doing her such a huge favor, that was enough for the moment...!

Of course, that was that.

His first request was obvious.

"I mentioned this earlier."

"... Hm?"

"Apologize to Katia."

"..."

"I will not tolerate Your Holiness treating my friend however you please."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then we become enemies."

The Pontiff fell silent for a moment as she looked at Aiden.

There was no emotion in his tone. If anything, he was making the demand calmly.

But the thought that came to mind the moment she saw him was:

'Real vicious dogs don't bark.'

That calmness made it all the more obvious.

If she did not apologize to Katia, he really intended to ruin the negotiations and come after her in earnest.

The head of the Holy Empire. One of the rulers of the continent's great powers.

'He's insane.'

But that was why she liked him.

The Pontiff snorted.

"Fine. I'll make sure to do that. When I meet that kid later, I'll tell her plainly that I was wrong."

"..."

"You don't believe me? I could even swear on my true name before the God of Purification."

"... No. That will be enough."

Hm.

He had not expected her to admit it so cleanly.

Considering how nasty her personality was, he had expected her to snap at him and ask who he was to order her around.

'Well...'

Since she had yielded this readily, it was only natural for Aiden to step back a little as well.

His second request still remained, but could they not ease the tension first?

"Let me introduce myself properly first, then. As a sign of reconciliation."

"Introduce yourself?"

"I hope we can get along from now on."

Their beginning had been rather hostile, but he sincerely hoped they could get along from now on.

When he said that, Abigail III, who had been listening with a displeased expression, tilted her head slightly.

Then she seemed to consider his words for a moment before tilting her head the other way.

"..."

What was she doing?

-System Message

▶ Target “Abigail III” has become more interested in you.

▶ “Skill: Weaver of Fate” activates!

▶ Skill copy count has increased by 2!

What was this?

Why had it suddenly gone up again?

As he thought that, the Pontiff opened her mouth awkwardly from across from him.

"... Hey."

"... Yes?"

"Are you hitting on me right now?"

"..."

What nonsense was this woman talking about?

What part of what he had just said had sounded like that...?

"... No."

Aiden barely managed to answer, and the Pontiff continued bluntly.

"I've been single my entire life."

"..."

"Speak clearly so I don't get the wrong idea. You've got a pretty face and a smooth mouth..."

"..."

... This did not seem like his problem.

Aiden swallowed those words.

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