Chapter 3

That’s Harsh

A knight’s armor was, by its very nature, top-class equipment. Gear was made to suit its user, and ordinary equipment would be meaningless to knights who ranked among the finest elites in the Empire.

“And yet this is what happened to it.”

As Noel gestured toward the completely crushed suit of armor, sweat rapidly began dampening Aiden’s back. Even someone with no particular talent for combat could immediately tell that the pressure radiating from her was anything but ordinary.

“Do you know what this means?”

“…What does it mean?”

“It means Gale would have died instantly if he hadn’t been wearing armor. One sloppy punch from you, thrown without even taking a proper stance, would have killed him.”

Noel continued with a faint smile.

“It makes no sense. Gale stands head and shoulders above ordinary combatants.”

“…”

“Even a formally knighted warrior probably couldn’t produce a result like this with such an absurdly crude attack.”

Aiden wished she would stop praising him. His mouth was going completely dry.

“Come to think of it, there is exactly one person I can imagine doing the same thing.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes.”

The smile on Noel’s face widened slightly before her lips moved again.

“Me.”

“…”

“The pure white qi you just produced is the purest form of qi there is. Its raw output alone would make something like this possible.”

“That’s…”

Aiden trailed off. To be fair, it was not an easy sight to explain.

Knights were a group in which even those called geniuses struggled merely to stand shoulder to shoulder with their peers. The pure white qi before him was an ability the person standing at the very summit of that group had polished for her entire life.

Noel’s question, in other words, was obvious even if she had not spoken it directly. How was someone like him using the culmination of the technique she had built up over a lifetime?

“Explain yourself, Aiden Kellermain.”

The longer she spoke, the faster the sweat spread across Aiden’s back. Noel’s face was smiling, but her eyes were not smiling at all.

“What exactly are you?”

Aiden forced down the sensation of his throat closing and barely managed to answer.

“You saw my records, didn’t you? I really am nobody…”

“You mean those records you prepared as a cover? Yes. I saw them. I certainly did.”

Tap. Tap.

Noel slowly moved her fingers and tapped her own arm.

“…Pardon?”

Records prepared as a cover? What was that supposed to mean?

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

“Why do you think I brought you here out of all the people I could have chosen?”

He had no idea why she expected him to know. Aiden himself was the person most curious about that question in the entire world.

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

“If you truly wanted to hide your identity, you should have left at least one flaw behind. A joke only works if you know when to stop. Otherwise, how am I supposed to believe it?”

“What are you…”

“Mr. Aiden, even major criminals get caught at least once. No matter how lucky or capable they are, they inevitably slip somewhere. Life has a way of blindsiding people, even sages who seem to understand everything in the world. And yet…”

Noel’s gaze sank even deeper as she continued.

“Here we have a man who claims to be an ordinary, insignificant con artist, but in more than ten years he has never been arrested. He hasn’t even been investigated once.”

“…”

“Looking through your history, you avoided every incident that involved anything serious. Whenever something looked as though it might become dangerous, you pulled out in advance.”

“…”

“Frankly, what conclusion am I supposed to reach besides the fact that you ‘knew’ which situations were dangerous and avoided all of them?”

Aiden’s mouth parted slightly as the obvious truth sank in.

…She isn’t wrong about that.

When you worked outside the bounds of the law, becoming entangled in a major incident sooner or later was only natural. Aiden really had done everything in his power to avoid dangerous situations.

Of course, that had been possible only because he possessed knowledge of the original game. Still, desperately running away from anything dangerous hardly seemed like a reason to rate him highly.

“That’s why I brought you here.”

The problem was that Noel seemed to see it completely differently.

“No matter whom I put in the husband’s role for this sham marriage, it was obviously going to be difficult for them to handle. At least among the people I know, there was no one suitable.”

Noel set her teacup down with a sharp clack and continued.

“If you’ve never failed even once, then no one knows where the limit of your ability lies. It means there’s no visible ceiling. So I brought you here feeling as though I were scratching a lottery ticket.”

No, Aiden understood her logic. It did make a certain amount of sense.

The problem was that the records she was talking about were nothing more than the result of his desperate struggle to stay unnoticed and avoid getting tangled in the main story. He had never imagined that effort would come back to him like this.

There were limits to how much meaning a person could read into something.

Aiden opened his mouth again, determined to make her understand somehow. He had accumulated plenty of experience in a profession built around using his tongue. Surely he could spin some sort of plausible explanation.

“Judging by the ability you’re handling, though, I feel as if I hit the jackpot.”

“…”

If only she had not seen that.

He had displayed something that could never possibly fit the life history he claimed to have. Aiden’s mouth snapped shut like a clam.

“Mr. Aiden, I would prefer to resolve this conversation peacefully. The fact that you possess abilities beyond what I expected is actually good news for me.”

Noel’s gaze, which had remained lowered until then, rose and met Aiden’s directly. That alone was overwhelming. If a gaze could possess physical force, he felt as though merely meeting her eyes would cut him.

“But I would like an explanation for what you just showed me, at the very least. That pure white qi has… quite a complicated history, whether you know it or not.”

“…”

Well, yes. It certainly looked that way.

Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate … … …

< Copied Skills >

【 Noel Astria Seamus 】

◆ Pure White Heart

※ Unique. Only this character possesses it!

This trait possesses the highest efficiency among all qi-training methods and demands an extraordinary level of effort and instinct to master. It is the characteristic of qi obtained by polishing to its absolute limit a training method passed down through a single-successor lineage from Sir Noel’s master.

If some stranger suddenly started using a one-successor secret training method that belonged to Aiden, he would also have wondered what in the world was going on. He could understand her feelings perfectly.

“So I suggest you tell me quickly. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to draw my sword.”

Aiden revised his assessment. He would never understand her, even if it killed him.

“…How did you arrive at that conclusion?”

“Gale’s way of thinking isn’t always correct, but the combat path he has built is one thing you can understand with certainty by crossing blades with him. That alone should let me roughly determine how you learned this.”

The instant Aiden saw Noel idly touch the sword at her waist, the back of his already damp neck went completely cold. Her face was still smiling, but the intention between the lines was unquestionably sincere.

If this woman did not hear an explanation she found convincing, she really intended to draw her sword and cut him down.

“…”

But how was he supposed to explain any of this? How could he tell her that he was someone who had entered the world of a game and, as a special privilege, possessed the ability to copy and use skills?

“If you continue to remain silent, may I interpret that as agreement?”

Still, he had to do something. Otherwise, he might genuinely die.

The moment that thought repeated itself in Aiden’s mind, he heard an imaginary click, like a switch being thrown. It was the sound he always heard when dealing with a “client,” the sensation of entering work mode.

Convincing her that he truly was an ordinary con man was already impossible. He had crossed that river and could not go back, so he might as well give up on it cleanly.

He could not come up with an explanation that would satisfy Noel here and now. That left only one method.

I’ll deceive her.

Wasn’t that his profession in the first place? He deceived people in order to survive.

Aiden’s mind began spinning at full speed. Every piece of knowledge about the original story that might help in this situation poured through his thoughts.

The essence of being a con artist was deceiving someone, and the essence of deception was moving the target’s emotions. So he gathered every piece of information he knew about Noel Astria Seamus and searched for the keyword most likely to shake her right now.

At the end of that search, one thing surfaced.

“I suppose…”

Even Aiden felt that the sentence forming in his mind had been assembled more by instinct than reason.

“You don’t seem to remember what happened before.”

“Pardon?”

“Back when you were a child, for example.”

He tossed the words out casually while subtly acting as though he were lonely and a little hurt.

Even he was wondering what kind of nonsense he was saying. Of course she did not remember him. He had never met this woman in the first place.

But the instant Noel heard his words, her body froze.

Her eyes flickered for an instant, and her expression twisted as though a crack had run through it. She returned to her usual appearance almost immediately, but Aiden’s eyes caught the tiny opening that had existed at the very edge of that brief moment.

This woman had genuinely lost a portion of her childhood memories due to the effects of some “incident” mentioned in the game’s setting.

Aiden did not know what the incident had been. The game had never explored that far.

What matters is…!

Noel truly had lost her memories, and she almost certainly had not told anyone about it. There would have been no reason for her to do so.

That meant all Aiden needed was to insert his own existence into information known only to Noel herself. Knowing something that no one except the person involved should know could dramatically increase the credibility of his story.

“…What do you mean by that, Mr. Aiden?”

The fact that she responded with a sentence designed to hide her agitation meant his absurd excuse had worked well enough. Having one of her secrets touched upon would naturally produce that reaction.

All kinds of hypotheses about Aiden’s identity were probably raging through her mind. That alone made an excellent shield for him right now. Whatever else happened, he needed to leave this room alive.

So all that remained was to keep the implication alive.

“No, it’s nothing. I just never imagined you had truly forgotten.”

He deliberately let the answer trail off, as though there were no point explaining unless she realized it herself. That alone made Noel’s face stiffen. She could no longer hide how shaken she was.

“I’ll see you later, Sir Noel.”

In other words, it was the perfect moment to say something suitably mysterious and run.

Aiden continued in a voice full of melancholy.

“…When we meet next time, I hope you’ll greet me a little differently.”

Noel would never know what those words meant, because Aiden himself had absolutely no idea what kind of nonsense he had just said.

Neither do I know…!

Still, anyone could see that it was an excellent moment to escape the room quickly. Feeling Noel’s blank gaze following him, Aiden strode out.

✦ ✦ ✦

That had all happened yesterday, a chain of incidents so turbulent that Aiden had been exhausted after only a single day on the job. Now he had shut himself inside his private room and was refusing to meet anyone.

Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

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

【 Noel Astria Seamus 】

• • Bond: Stage 2

  • You may copy 1 additional skill.

< Copied Skills > ◆ Pure White Heart … … …

This was a good thing. Of course it was a good thing. What he had done yesterday had worked so well that he had even received another free opportunity to copy a skill. No matter how he looked at it, there was nothing to lose.

◈ Sham Marriage

• • You have been chosen as Sir Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with her until the end!

  • A related event will occur soon.

It would have been a good thing, except for that final notification.

What is this “related event” supposed to be?

Aiden frowned at the window. Those words did not inspire confidence no matter how he looked at them. It felt as though another threat to his personal safety was about to arrive.

…Should I gather more abilities?

He had no desire to get dragged into a fight first, but if the system was openly telling him that something bad would soon happen, sitting around doing nothing would be stupid.

But from whom?

He could hardly go back to Sir Noel and take another skill from her. After what had happened yesterday, things were awkward enough that simply facing her again felt difficult.

Maybe there was another suitable candidate. As he continued thinking, he noticed an unusual amount of commotion outside.

“His Highness Prince Daniel will be arriving shortly!”

“Everyone finish tidying up and clear the area! Don’t draw attention to yourselves for no reason!”

Aiden poked his head into the hallway at the sudden disturbance. Apparently, someone of very high status was visiting.

The Capital Command was essentially the central nervous system of the Imperial military and saw all kinds of visitors, but royalty from another nation was still an honored guest of a rank rarely encountered in ordinary circumstances.

As the prince strode down the corridor with an imposing air, the Capital Command personnel nearby visibly rushed to clear a path for him. Aiden’s eyes narrowed slightly at the sight.

Royalty from the Holy Kingdom…

Aiden searched through the game’s setting in his head. The supernatural power used by the people of the Empire was qi, derived from the authority of Karva. The supernatural power used by the people of the Holy Kingdom was divinity, the authority of Sier, Goddess of Purification.

The royal family handled that power better than anyone because they stood closest to the source of divinity itself.

…Maybe I should give it a try.

If increasing a bond allowed him to copy skills, then surely there was no harm in becoming acquainted with someone like that. If the relationship developed well, great. If it did not, then so be it.

He now carried the title of Sir Noel’s spouse, so exchanging a greeting and a few words should not be a grave breach of etiquette.

With that thought, he spotted the prince walking proudly down the corridor, chest thrust forward, and naturally stepped out to meet him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. I’m…”

The instant Aiden extended his hand, it was violently slapped aside with a sharp smack.

“Take that away, you lowborn thing.”

The prince’s voice held the same disgust one might show toward a cockroach trying to crawl closer.

“…”

Life really was hard, Aiden thought as he contemplated that fact anew as he looked at the man who had struck his hand away. The young man had a slick, polished appearance, and every muscle in his face seemed saturated with arrogance and authority.

…So that’s why everyone was trying to disappear before he arrived.

With a temperament like this, their reaction made perfect sense.

“One kneels on one knee when showing respect to royalty. Why is an ignorant peasant who doesn’t even know that standing here?”

“…”

Wasn’t that custom abandoned ages ago? These days, even royalty would be publicly torn apart for demanding something like that.

“I am the Seventh Prince of the Holy Kingdom of Craven. My name is…”

Slick.

Aiden saw no reason to remember his real name. This guy was simply Slick. With a bored expression, he mentally cut the rest of the sentence away.

Judging by what came next, that decision was perfectly justified.

“…And judging by your common street-thug behavior, I see there is no need to ask about your bloodline.”

“…”

Good grief.

Watching a man reveal the texture of his personality in only a few seconds made Aiden’s temples start throbbing as though they might burst.

“…Your Highness, I believe you may wish to reconsider treating this man so lightly.”

Even the fully armored guard standing beside the prince stepped forward as though trying to restrain him.

Naturally, Slick Prince’s face immediately crumpled.

“Silence. Who told you to interfere?”

“But this man is…”

The guard quietly whispered something beside him. A crooked smile appeared on the prince’s face.

“Ah.”

It was a sneer of disbelief, as though he had just heard an absurd joke.

“The one she brought in this time? Lionheart’s?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

At the guard’s answer, the prince’s unpleasant gaze swept over Aiden from head to toe.

“This fellow?”

“…”

“She ignored my request completely, then chose someone like this as her spouse?”

From the way he spoke, this man had clearly taken an intense interest in Sir Noel’s position as a prospective spouse from the beginning.

Only then did a vague realization creep into Aiden’s mind.

◈ Sham Marriage

• • You have been chosen as Sir Noel’s spouse. Maintain your contract with her until the end!

  • A related event will occur soon.

“…”

Could the “related event” written there have something to do with the delinquent royal standing in front of him?

Aiden had come out specifically to prepare for that event and had apparently shoved his head straight into it instead.

Ah.

Aiden Kellermain, second day on the job. On day one, his spouse’s friend had drawn a sword and charged at him. On day two, he had managed to pick a fight with foreign royalty.

Ah.

There was nothing else he could say.