WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Natty
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈
Chapter 48: Fall
──────
“We’re finished.”
Minister of Administration Rad clicked his tongue as he folded the newspaper in half.
After yesterday’s public trial, there was not a single news outlet publishing favorable articles about the Prince.
The Pontiff had openly demolished the grounds for their claims, and the charges they had pinned on Lionheart were being refuted one by one by other evidence.
Even the Lord Protector’s spirit, summoned to render the trial itself meaningless, had been subdued by Lionheart and her husband.
‘...There isn’t a single point in our favor.’
Rad scratched his head as he mulled it over.
This was a false accusation of treason. They had thrown a charge at someone that could lead to execution, only for that person to be innocent?
It would be stranger if their reputation had not been destroyed. And that was before it had even come to light that they had forcibly summoned the Lord Protector’s spirit...
“Even for royalty, it would be dangerous to remain in the public eye with public opinion this bad. It would be better to work behind the scenes for a while.”
“...”
“I never expected a spirit strengthened to that extent to lose so easily.”
Rad spoke to the Prince, who sat across from him with his eyes closed.
Instead of his usual smile, always worn like a mask, his face was filled with rare irritation.
“Your Highness? Are you listening?”
“Rad.”
Still with his eyes closed, the Prince answered calmly.
“I never heard that you had revived the real Lord Protector’s restless spirit.”
“Oh, had I not told you?”
“...You said you would use a stand-in. You said you would only make it convincing enough to frame Lionheart.”
At that, Rad scratched his head and tilted it to one side.
“But I thought there wouldn’t be much point in doing that.”
“...”
“It didn’t work out because it was subdued before we even had time to frame Lionheart, but wouldn’t it have been better if there had been massive civilian casualties during that battle?”
“...”
“And even if it failed, if Lionheart herself had dealt with it, it could have left her with emotional scars deep enough to keep her from recovering. Wouldn’t it have been perfect if that husband of hers hadn’t interfered for no reason?”
“...”
“Well, those trivial matters don’t matter. As for our next move...”
Before Rad could continue, the Prince slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze held a dark, deeply sunken killing intent.
Then Ki pulsed from his body.
Several colors, each carrying physical force, bloomed into the air and drew dazzling trails.
“...Your Highness?”
As Rad asked in confusion, the Prince moved his Ki instead of answering.
Ki wrapped around Rad as though binding him. Rad stared at the Prince, even more startled.
“What are you doing...”
Once again, before he could finish speaking, the Prince’s gaze shifted.
“Triangle: Shatter.”
The Ki bent in three different directions, pressing down on the bound Rad.
Then it began to squeeze him.
Then to grind him apart.
Then to shatter him.
It took only seconds for Rad’s body at the center to break into pieces with a crack.
Bones broke. Muscles tore. Organs were crushed, and blood sprayed in every direction.
When the Prince withdrew his Ki, Rad’s mangled body dropped to the floor with a wet splatter.
“...”
Still seated in silence, the Prince leaned his head back slightly.
He was remarkably calm for someone who had just committed murder, and his next words were equally composed.
“Get up before I really kill you.”
It was an odd thing to say to a corpse.
“...Why are you getting so angry again?”
But it did not seem odd compared to Rad staggering back to his feet right afterward.
The Prince glared at him with enough killing intent to tear someone in half, while Rad answered in an indifferent tone.
His entire body, including his face, had been crushed, so his words came out slurred. Yet his calm attitude made the sight all the more grotesque.
“You’ve made a mess of it. I put effort into making this artificial body.”
As he spoke, horns sprouted from Rad’s head.
They were ominously colored horns, like those of a demon, wrapped in black mana.
Soon, demonic energy flowed from the horns and slowly enveloped that body. It joined broken bones, regenerated muscle, and even restored his clothes.
It looked similar to the forced regeneration used by Deathwish or the Pontiff of the Holy Empire, but it was fundamentally different.
This man was not the original body to begin with.
More than that, this creature was not a man. Nor was it the real Minister of Administration.
It was something else wearing that skin.
“What impressive hypocrisy.”
“What?”
“Even if it was fake, weren’t you going to use the Lord Protector to frame Lionheart anyway? Is it acceptable to use her a little cruelly, but unacceptable when someone like me uses her openly and cruelly? I heard humans use morality that flexibly.”
“...”
The Prince quietly glared at the other being, as if it were claiming not to be human.
“None of that matters, though. Don’t forget the terms of our deal, Your Highness.”
Rad cracked their neck as they spoke.
“We’ll give you the Empire.”
A finger drifted through the air, drew a sinister curve around Rad, then pointed at the Prince again.
“And you’ll offer us sacrifices.”
The way Rad spoke while slowly regenerating their twisted body made the atmosphere even more grotesque.
“Lionheart or her husband should be enough.”
“...”
“So try a little harder, will you? It feels like you’ve done nothing but lose so far.”
Rad chuckled, rose from their seat, and dusted the dust from their body.
“Well, enough weapons have already been brought into the Imperial Capital, and preparations for the next move are complete, so it doesn’t matter for now. But if we keep getting pushed back, we may really be in trouble.”
With that, Rad gave the Prince a deep wink.
“Just prepare the sacrifices properly. We’ll handle the rest. Understood?”
As Rad whistled and casually left the room, the Prince quietly cursed under his breath.
“...Damn demons.”
Of course.
It had been the Prince’s own choice to join hands with them.
He bitterly drank from the teacup before him.
▣
-System Message
▶ Target “Teresa Adelaide”’s Affinity has increased.
▶ This target’s Bond Level cannot be raised. You cannot copy a skill.
▶ A large amount of Points will be awarded as a substitute reward.
▶ The “Point Shop” has opened. You can now use Points to receive various benefits!
“...”
Aiden gave a bitter smile and closed the window.
It was good that he had received a reward, but he could not simply celebrate.
Considering the Lord Protector’s determination, he could not accept something like this lightly.
Still, he could not just let it pass by.
-Skill Info
◆ Spiritual Power: Savior’s Vow
※ Unique. Only this character possesses this skill!
First constraint: Save the world.
Second constraint: Protect the powerless.
This is the sole vow offered to Urgan, the God of the Supreme Vehicle. Its power increases significantly when you act in ways related to the vows you have offered.
The window in front of him proved it.
‘I need to keep my word.’
He had said he would protect it in her place. He had promised to protect the place where all his family and friends lived in her stead.
If he did not want to become someone who only made empty promises, he would have to grit his teeth and gather every means available to him.
In that sense, the next window that appeared was more than enough to catch his attention.
-System Message
▶ You have raised the Affinity of someone whose Affinity normally cannot be raised.
▶ A core axis of the Scenario will change because of you.
▶ An additional reward will be granted!
-Skill Info
▶ “Skill: Weaver of Fate” activates.
▶ You obtain “Remnant: Lord Protector - Resolve.”
▶ It can only be used once.
※ You require “Unique Ability: Origin” to view its information.
“...”
Aiden blinked as he read the words floating before him.
‘...A remnant?’
This was new.
-Skill Info
◈ Remnant: Lord Protector - Resolve
This skill contains the target’s Mindscape. It can produce an extremely powerful effect once.
※ You require “Unique Trait: Origin” to view this skill’s information!
“...”
The explanation was incredibly unhelpful too.
It did not state the exact effect. Other than “powerful” and “once,” there was barely anything he could properly understand.
Normally, he would have complained first and asked what this was.
But...
‘...Is this the first time?’
This was the first time the system had directly described something as “powerful.” Even Katia’s divinity and Noel’s Ki, both capable of absurd power, had never received that assessment.
The problem was that it required awakening the Unique Ability, Origin.
‘This definitely...’
Wasn’t this an ability that awakened only after opening a character’s personal quest?
Katia’s had been opened, but Noel’s personal quest still felt far away. He did not even know where to begin.
Then, as if responding to that question, another window appeared before him.
-Tip!
▶ The target’s personal quest can be progressed easily through situations involving “Teresa Adelaide”!
▶ Make good use of connections between characters! Direct contact with “Teresa Adelaide” will be even more helpful!
“...”
Aiden stared at the system window in disbelief.
Was this a joke? How was he supposed to contact someone he had just helped pass on and receive help from her again?
‘...I’ll think about it later.’
There was no way to solve it right now. Besides, he had something else to worry about.
-Quest Info
◈ Act One, <Imperial Capital Rift>
- Chapter 2, <Night of the Hunt>
▶ A related event will be updated soon!
Aiden frowned and tapped his chin.
Act One, Imperial Capital Rift, was ultimately a series of events that began with chaos inside the Imperial Capital and led to a rebellion.
The weapons smuggling in the prologue and the Ghost Knight Incident in Chapter 1 had both been part of that. Chapter 2, Night of the Hunt, was the same.
‘A magical beast rampage... Was that it?’
It was another event meant to create chaos in the Imperial Capital and disrupt its defenses.
The difference from Chapter 1 was that this occurred immediately before the “coup,” the climax of Act One. It was called Chapter 2, but it was practically the beginning of the climax that led directly into Chapter 3.
That meant the scale would be larger than before.
Magical beasts were violent and powerful creatures by nature. There was not a single one that was not dangerous.
Night of the Hunt was an event where they had to spend an entire night killing those magical beasts while minimizing the damage as much as possible.
But before he could think more deeply about it, another line in the quest window caught Aiden’s attention.
◈ Fake Marriage
.
.
.
★ You handled the event wisely. Speak with the character to receive your reward.
...This was definitely it.
The same thing that had appeared before Erger’s Bond Form changed from Bond to Obsession.
The thing that appeared before a relationship with someone changed drastically.
“...”
“...”
Even now, Aiden could feel Noel, seated across the office from him, glancing in his direction.
To be fair, they had both been busy handling the aftermath since yesterday’s public trial. They had not had time to exchange even a single word.
They had not had a chance for a serious conversation, but he could not ignore such obvious looks.
“...Did you have something to say?”
The moment she heard that, Noel took a deep breath and lowered her head.
“Mr. Aiden.”
“Yes. I’m listen...”
“Thank you.”
“...”
As if she had wanted to say those words so badly that her chest was about to burst, Noel let out a long sigh of relief.
“You might as well have held Teresa’s funeral in my place. I cannot thank you enough.”
“...You could have said that anytime.”
As Aiden scratched his cheek, Noel continued as if she had decided to say everything at once.
“Still, may I ask you one thing?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“...How did you know?”
At Noel’s quiet question, Aiden turned his head slightly and met her eyes.
Noel had clenched her trembling hands tightly and was looking at him with somber eyes.
“How did you know that Teresa was holding on until the end for that reason?”
“...”
Even Noel had doubted her partway through.
She had thought Teresa Adelaide’s spirit had been corrupted beyond recovery.
That was why she had tried to end it with her own hands. She felt that she should at least be the one to lay Teresa to rest.
Aiden tilted his head slightly as he answered.
“I promised, did I not? I said I would prove to you that the Lord Protector could never become that kind of person.”
“...But even so, if that judgment had been wrong, you could have been in great danger.”
“I told you from the beginning.”
Aiden cut her off with a grin.
“If you believe in her, then I believe in her too.”
“...”
“If I can’t trust my fiancée, then who in the world can I trust?”
No matter how much Teresa had lost her mind.
No matter how much her sense of self had been crushed. No matter how little judgment she had left.
If Noel was certain she was that kind of person, then she was undoubtedly that kind of person. Aiden’s way of thinking began from that simple logic.
“...Honestly, I did it because I thought I’d somehow survive even if it failed, so maybe I look ridiculous trying to sound impressive, but... Lady Noel?”
He tried to continue, hoping to stop the atmosphere from becoming too heavy again, but Noel’s reaction was strange.
She was simply staring at him blankly, as though she had lost her mind, her eyes unfocused.
...Her gaze held the mystery of wondering how such a creature could possibly exist in this world.
“...Lady Noel?”
“Ah, y-yes, did you say something?!”
When he called her a second time, Noel jumped and answered. The fact that she was even stammering showed just how flustered she was.
“...No, it’s nothing.”
Rather than point out her clearly strange behavior, Aiden cleared his throat and smoothly changed the subject.
It would be better to quietly talk about work at a time like this. He searched through the stack of documents Stella had left behind and pulled out a sheet of paper.
“More importantly, I think it’s about time we set a date for our wedding.”
“...Pardon?”
“Officially, we’re engaged. If we don’t set a wedding date soon, people may suspect something is wrong between us. I want to stop that before it starts.”
Well, they had already agreed to a contract marriage. Their relationship was not one where setting a wedding date required a huge discussion. Still, they should at least talk about it.
That was why he had brought out the document. Noel did not say anything as she looked at the paper Aiden placed before her.
“When do you think would be good? We don’t need an exact date, but I think we should decide on a rough time.”
“...”
“...Lady Noel?”
“...”
“...Lady Noel...?”
“Mr. Aiden.”
Noel looked down at the paper, breathing a little heavily. Her eyes darted around.
For all he knew, there might be little whirlpools spinning in her eyes...
“Would it perhaps be all right if we discussed this a little later?”
“...Pardon?”
“I think I need to think about it a little more...”
“...”
Her reaction was strange.
It was as though the very matter he had brought up was causing an extremely fierce rejection within her.
‘...Why?’
She had even kidnapped him to make this happen, so why was she reacting like this?
He could not understand it at all...
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll think about it on my own for a bit!”
She even left those words behind and hurried out of the office. She moved so frantically that the marriage registration form on the desk fluttered helplessly in the wind she created.
“...”
Aiden stared speechlessly at the door as it closed with a bang.
...No.
He had handled the related quest wisely, and it said their relationship would change as a reward. What was this supposed to mean?
It even felt like her reaction had become more awkward than before.
-System Message
As if updating their changed relationship, a system window appeared before him.
Aiden stared at it with a tense expression.
Judging from her reaction, perhaps things had actually become worse than before...
▶ Target “Noel Astria Seamus”’s Bond Form has changed to “Extreme Love”!
▶ The target’s feelings of love for you are so strong that she cannot make rational judgments in matters related to you. The target’s behavior will change greatly!
▶ From now on, the target will make you her foremost consideration in every action!
▶ Raise the Love Level and copy more skills!
“...”
Aiden stared speechlessly at the window for a moment.
Extreme Love.
Taken literally, it meant love taken to the extreme.
There were all sorts of explanations written there, but to summarize...
Lady Noel liked him very, very, very much.
He looked back and forth between Noel, who had just thrown aside the marriage registration form and fled, and the window.
“What in the world?”
...There was nothing else he could say.
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