Chapter 22

Quarrel

When he thought about it, this was not actually such a bad situation.

Both Noel and Katya had reached lofty heights within their respective fields. Because they openly wielded unique supernatural abilities, they were effectively the two greatest sources of efficiency for Aiden’s Skill Copy.

If he could receive proper instruction from both of them, his combat ability would undoubtedly grow at an astonishing pace.

Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

⎨ Meyer Belford ⎬

• Bond: Stage 1

• You can copy 1 skill.

Not long ago, he had gained access to this:

[ Copying “Skill: Analysis.” ]

◆ Analysis

There are things visible only through the eyes of one who has crossed countless battlefields and accumulated immeasurable experience. Analysis and acquisition of combat schools are greatly accelerated.

Just reading the skill description made it obvious that this was a golden opportunity. All he had to do was take as much as he possibly could from it.

That was also the reason Aiden had been painfully reminded of one particular lesson today: possessing great talent and having the talent to teach someone else were two completely different things.

“So why are you building a defensive formula there? Did you survive the Coalition War doing things like that? Were you fighting a war or playing house?”

“I would rather ask where you learned your combat doctrine. Are you proud of being stupid? Did everyone around you praise you so much that you actually started believing you were good?”

“…”

Watching the two of them trade such vicious remarks made Aiden’s temples throb.

More precisely, they were supposed to be having a passionate discussion about Aiden’s curriculum. They had become so passionate that everyone in the training ground had turned to stare, wondering what on earth was going on.

The discussion had begun with at least a minimum level of mutual respect and courtesy, but by now it had degenerated into something close to personal attacks.

‘…Come to think of it.’

Had they always been like this in the scenario too?

These two were simply incompatible by nature. They had recently had a massive fight, but afterward they had at least seemed willing to consider each other’s positions and circumstances enough to avoid obvious conflict.

Apparently, differences in personality were not so easy to overcome.

‘I’m going to need both of them more and more as things progress.’

Considering how distorted the scenario eventually became, with danger emerging from every direction, these two were currently the allies Aiden could trust most. Their help would also be essential for the upcoming first chapter of the scenario. If they kept fighting like this, it would become a serious problem.

As Aiden mulled over that fact, a window suddenly appeared in front of him.

!! Sub Quest !!

▶ A fierce conflict involving two important characters is about to occur.

▶ Resolve the situation as peacefully as possible.

▶ Successfully handling the current situation will provide an advantage in the upcoming Main Quest!

▶ Failure will result in a disadvantage!

“…”

There was really no need to turn it into an actual quest and drop it on him like this.

“Ah, seriously! Instead of arguing like this, why don’t we both just show him ourselves? Hey!”

While Aiden was thinking that, an angry voice rang out beside him.

“…Yes?”

After snapping those words, Katya abruptly released divine power around herself. Colorless flames poured out in every direction with a wave of heat, forcing everyone in the training ground to retreat several steps.

“Try copying this!”

The princess immediately began controlling the masses of flame around her. Through the manipulation of her supernatural ability, she balanced offense and defense while carrying out a mock battle against an imaginary opponent.

Her movements were free, practical, light, and nimble, yet every actual attack woven between them was intuitive and brutally sharp. At first glance, it looked like a loose collection of unrelated motions, but the flashes of astonishing instinct that tied those motions together were enough to make even the knights training nearby widen their eyes.

‘…Seeing this now.’

She really had been holding back when she fought Sir Noel. Her demonstration reached such a terrifying level that Aiden could not help thinking exactly that.

“Saw that?”

After finishing her demonstration, Katya wiped away her sweat and grinned at Aiden.

“Now you do it!”

“…”

Was she joking? The thought arose automatically.

“…I thought you were going to teach me.”

When Aiden asked blankly, Katya tilted her head as if he were the strange one.

“I showed you, didn’t I?”

“…”

“Can’t you just do it right away?”

Aiden looked at her, wondering whether she was joking, but her expression was completely serious. She genuinely seemed convinced that anyone should be able to reproduce it after seeing it once.

“It is almost impressive how confidently you said you could teach him,” Noel, who had also been watching, criticized her with a sigh.

Then she drew her sword in front of Aiden and settled into a stance.

“I will teach you starting with the most important basic posture. Please watch carefully.”

Noel demonstrated several simple movements in front of Aiden. She explained everything in detail, from his planted foot and shifts in center of gravity to the direction of his gaze and the alignment of his upper body.

‘…Oh.’

This was definitely better than Katya’s demonstration earlier. At the very least, Noel seemed to understand the basic concept of teaching someone who knew absolutely nothing.

After slowly and methodically finishing the explanation, Noel gave a satisfied nod and continued.

“Good. Now, if you carry out exactly what I explained…”

She swung her wooden sword at the training dummy in front of her.

BOOM!

A deafening impact, loud enough to resemble an explosion, shook the training ground. The wooden dummy shattered into something close to powder. A crater opened in the ground as though a meteor had struck, and even the nearby wall cracked from the aftermath.

“…This is what happens.”

After producing that scene, Noel turned back to Aiden without so much as blinking.

“Would you like to try?”

“…”

“…”

Noticing the silence that had fallen over everyone around them, Noel cautiously glanced from side to side.

“…It is not particularly difficult, is it?”

“…”

“Mr. Aiden can use pure-white ki just as I can, so this much should be possible… I think…”

As the expressions around her grew increasingly bizarre, Noel’s sentence gradually lost confidence. Judging from her reaction, she had genuinely assumed that after such a thorough explanation, Aiden would naturally be able to do at least this much.

“…You know.” Katya pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. “You’re not any different from me.”

“…Please take back that horrifying insult.”

The instant they both reached the conclusion that neither was any better than the other, they immediately started bickering again, making Aiden’s temples ache even more.

‘How the hell am I supposed to learn anything from this…?’

Even if he had copied a skill from the Knight of Dawn, there was no way he could learn anything if the instruction itself was this terrible.

System Message

▶ The effect of “Skill: Analysis” has activated.

▶ Proficiency in “Combat School: One Sword, One Strike” has increased.

▶ Proficiency in “Combat School: Blazing Flame Art” has increased.

▶ You have accumulated proficiency in two or more combat schools.

▶ The “Combat Style” category has been unlocked. You can now learn related skills!

“…”

The moment Aiden saw the window floating in front of him, he fell silent.

‘Just from watching that, I gained knowledge of those combat schools…?’

The Knight of Dawn was incredible. There was no joking about it. He was genuinely incredible. The skill was frighteningly good, enough that Aiden could overlook the fact that Meyer had killed him dozens of times the previous night and simply admire it.

While Aiden was sincerely marveling at that fact, Noel, who had been bickering with Katya in front of him for some time, seemed to force something down inside herself before speaking.

“…Then let us stop here.”

“What?”

“It is obvious that neither you nor I can properly serve as a teacher. So how about we both step away from Mr. Aiden?”

“…”

“I will stop interfering in matters concerning Mr. Aiden, and Your Highness can do the same. Let us end it there.”

“…What?”

“I am saying we should end this peacefully instead of fighting any further.”

Aiden turned toward Noel in surprise. After the vicious way they had been attacking each other until now, he had not expected her to back down so easily.

The moment he saw Katya’s expression, however, Aiden abandoned any optimistic hope that the situation would end peacefully.

“…So.” Katya gave a short, incredulous laugh. “You picked a fight with me, but now that you found a convenient excuse, you want to pull out. And while you’re at it, you want me to pull out too?”

“What problem is there with that?”

The princess’s face was decorated with the same unreadable smile she always wore. Aiden had spent enough time around her by now to understand at least this much: she was angry.

“Coward.”

Her next action matched that impression perfectly.

Flames erupted in an instant and wrapped around Katya’s body. The fire coiled around her arm like a snake before exploding toward Noel.

Of course, Noel was not someone who would be caught by an attack like that. She drew her sword in a flash and knocked the flames aside, glaring at Katya with open fury.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Before Noel could finish, Katya crossed the distance in an instant and seized her by the collar.

“You know what?” Before the flames around them had even fully dispersed, Katya’s voice fell coldly between them. Hostility glittered in her blue eyes as she drove her gaze into Noel like a blade. “Would you stop acting like that man’s guardian all the time?”

“…Is that not only natural? Mr. Aiden and I are going to become husband and wife…”

“That’s what I heard, but after watching you from the side, something feels off. Especially your attitude.” Katya’s growling voice cut through Noel’s sentence. “You don’t even know how you want to treat him, so you keep wavering back and forth.”

“…”

“You’re scared to get any closer, but you can’t bring yourself to push him completely away either. It’s pitiful to watch.”

“…”

“And despite that, you keep making it painfully obvious that you hate seeing me around him. If you don’t plan on claiming him, then stop interfering and get lost. You’re annoying me.”

A crooked smile spread across Katya’s lips as Noel remained silent.

“I don’t even understand why you’re trying so hard to protect him in the first place. Hmm? You were never that kind of person.”

“…”

“Everyone who fought in the Coalition War knows it. Forget that shiny little nickname ‘Lionheart’ the Empire dressed you up with. There was a much more fitting name for someone who slaughtered enemies and allies alike: ‘Butcher’…”

✦ ✦ ✦

The next instant, every trace of expression disappeared from Noel’s face.

The change was so sudden that even Aiden, who was only watching from the side, felt an immediate sense of danger. What emerged beneath the slightly relaxed smile she usually wore was killing intent so sharp it felt capable of tearing skin.

“Wait, Sir Noel!”

Before Aiden could stop her, ki erupted explosively from Noel’s body.

The people nearby were blown back with screams. The ground shook, and the entire building trembled violently as though caught in a storm. Simply releasing her supernatural power was enough to cause this much devastation.

Aiden had never seen this side of her before—the attitude she took when she sincerely intended to harm someone.

“You, of all people.” A voice that had gone beyond anger into something almost ghostly cold spilled from her lips.

Still in that state, Noel seized Katya by the back of the neck and slammed her straight into the ground.

BOOM!

The floor collapsed as though a bomb had exploded. Noel drove Katya down hard enough to form a small crater, her eyes filled with naked savagery.

“If you insist on living as a selfish person who does whatever she pleases, would it not be better to keep living that way alone instead of dragging other people into it? You should know your place.”

Noel spoke in an icy voice, and Katya, pinned against the shattered floor, answered with a chuckle.

“Good. Now your real personality is finally showing…”

“You do not care in the slightest whether Mr. Aiden himself actually wants to be with you.”

“…What?”

“I am saying you are just as pitiful. You do not even bother to understand what other people think of you.”

“…”

“Someone irresponsible, selfish, inconsiderate, and constantly forcing everyone around her to dance to her whims would be better off not being around at all. Is that not obvious?”

“What are you talking about…”

“You are a nuisance to Mr. Aiden. Do you understand?”

Katya’s mouth snapped shut, and her face went blank. Just as Noel had said, she looked like someone who had never considered the situation from that perspective before.

“So,” Noel growled at Katya once more, “you are the one who should stop approaching Mr. Aiden for no reason.”

Before Noel could drive Katya’s head into the floor again, Aiden forced his way through the pressure pouring from Noel and grabbed her, pulling her back.

“Stop! Both of you, stop!”

“…”

The moment his hand touched her, Noel flinched and her eyes widened. As though she had only then returned to her senses, all the ki pouring from her body vanished back inside her in an instant.

“…”

She hurriedly looked around, taking in the ruined training ground, the people staring at her in shock, and finally Aiden, who was panting after dragging her away. Then she clenched her teeth hard enough to draw blood.

“…I apologize for showing such disgraceful behavior.”

After saying that, she hurriedly picked up her uniform cap from where it had fallen nearby. Then Noel fled the training ground almost as though she were running away, while Aiden watched her leave before he had even managed to catch his breath.

His gaze then shifted to Katya, who was still lying in the shattered floor with a blank expression. She must have been deeply shocked, because she remained completely motionless where she had fallen.

As though reminding him of something, a window appeared in front of Aiden once again.

!! Sub Quest !!

▶ A fierce conflict involving two important characters is about to occur.

▶ Resolve the situation as peacefully as possible.

▶ Successfully handling the current situation will provide an advantage in the upcoming Main Quest!

▶ Failure will result in a disadvantage!

Now he understood. That quest had not appeared for no reason.

That single thought kept pounding inside Aiden’s head.