Chapter 6

The Emperor

The next several days passed in the blink of an eye.

Aiden did little more than keep an eye on how things operated inside the military headquarters, yet his surroundings were surprisingly quiet. He had been certain he would be summoned again and interrogated about one thing after another, just as before, but there was so little reaction that the silence itself felt strange.

There was, however, one thing that had unmistakably changed.

“…”

Aiden kept stealing sideways glances at Noel, who was working at her desk ahead of him with an expressionless face.

Officially, this arrangement was meant to ensure that he was looked after without discomfort after suffering two unpleasant incidents in the short time since being invited here. The problem was that he now had to spend most of each day inside this woman’s office.

It feels like I’m being watched.

Noel kept him so close that it was difficult to interpret it any other way. She was clearly an extraordinarily busy person just from watching her work, yet she remained beside him almost constantly as though trying to observe his every move.

His daily life was not exactly being restricted, but it was unbearably uncomfortable. At this rate, he felt as though he might develop an ulcer.

“…Sir Noel.”

“Yes?”

“When am I going to get the orderly you mentioned?”

Stella had told him before that someone would be assigned to him and that he should wait. His real meaning was that he wanted someone else to relay anything he needed so that Noel would please leave him alone for a while, but her calm reply was merciless as ever.

“I understand that you’re indirectly telling me I make you uncomfortable.”

“No, you don’t have to spell out the ‘uncomfortable’ part quite so directly…”

“It will probably take some time to select your orderly, Mr. Aiden.”

“Pardon?”

“At present, no one meets the criteria. We’re still searching.”

How could that be possible? An orderly was basically just an ordinary aide, wasn’t it? Surely the capital headquarters had plenty of people suited to that kind of work.

“No. An ordinary person won’t do. Anyone assigned to you must be exceptional.”

“…”

“After the abilities you’ve shown, what use would there be in assigning someone mediocre? If a person is going to remain beside you for most of the day, they should at least be on an appropriate level.”

It was another completely unnecessary overestimation. Aiden would have been delighted with someone ordinary.

He had already met far too many unusual people lately.

“You may look forward to it. I’ll assign someone you should find satisfactory in several respects.”

For some reason, his imaginary ulcer only felt worse.

Aiden grimaced for a moment before quickly reaching for another excuse.

“…If you keep an outsider beside you while you work, people might start unpleasant rumors…”

“There’s nothing strange for other people to see, is there?”

Noel paused briefly, then continued with a bright smile.

“We’re going to be husband and wife soon, after all.”

Her smile was flawless and snow white. The color drained from Aiden’s face as he listened.

Husband and wife. Technically, that was true on paper.

Noel might not mind hearing it, but Aiden himself nearly broke out in hives every time the phrase came up. Considering what had happened to him in the mere few days since becoming involved with this woman, that reaction was hardly unreasonable.

My life really got twisted beyond recognition.

After all the trouble he had already caused, one might have expected her to reconsider the marriage itself, yet Noel’s determination remained remarkably firm.

The fact that she was reminding him of it now was probably also a warning not to waste time trying to escape the surveillance currently being imposed on him.

In that case, he at least needed something to do to take his mind off the oppressive atmosphere.

No actual work had been assigned to him, but there was information he needed to organize. Aiden frowned and began sorting through the documents piled on the desk.

While Noel handled her duties, he generally had enough spare time to investigate whatever material he wanted.

Why isn’t it here?

The enormous problem was that he could not find a single piece of the information he was looking for.

Considering the importance of that information, calling it merely a “big problem” might be understating what could prove to be the sign of an approaching catastrophe.

Information about the protagonist was nowhere to be seen.

The central axis of the main scenario. The savior of the world. Aiden could barely find any trace of that person.

He still desperately wanted to escape the main scenario and return to an ordinary life, and the protagonist was supposed to be his express ticket back to normalcy.

Can he really… not exist?

If the protagonist was genuinely absent, the problem would not stop at Aiden being unable to return to an ordinary life.

If he isn’t here, who is supposed to save the world?

The protagonist was the savior of this world. Aiden pressed a hand to his throbbing head as the thought continued.

The main scenario was a tangled skein of countless threads, but everything ultimately revolved around that person. Even Aiden’s plan to live peacefully with his family depended on the assumption that the protagonist would fulfill his role.

…I probably just haven’t found him yet.

It was too early to conclude that the protagonist did not exist in this world at all. The information Aiden had gathered was nowhere near sufficient.

But if the protagonist truly was absent, Aiden would have to make a decision appropriate to that reality.

He firmly suppressed the chill rising at the mere thought and summoned the system window. The protagonist was important, but there was something else he needed to check immediately.

Skill Info

【 Katya Heinkel Craven 】

• Bond: Stage 1

< Copied Skills > ◆ First Vow ※ Unique. Only this character possesses it! An oath modeled after the covenant made between the first seeker and Sier, Goddess of Purification. It possesses unrivaled destructive power, and through the <Rite Vow of the> with the Goddess of Purification, the user may additionally manifest a unique trait of their own. ◈ The rite has not yet been performed, so the unique trait remains locked.

Aiden slowly read down the listed sentences.

If nothing else…

Exceptional destructive power would be useful in all kinds of situations. Its raw output was undoubtedly lower than Noel’s <Pure Heart White>, but unlike qi, which possessed no particular attribute on its own, divinity carried an unmistakably powerful nature.

As for the rest…

He did not really understand what the Rite of the Vow meant, but it sounded like some enormous ceremony that could only be performed in the Holy Kingdom itself. There was no reason to worry about it right now.

Aiden continued scrolling down the window, and his expression twisted slightly.

Nothing he had read so far should have caused that reaction. People could get used to almost anything, and compared with what happened when Noel’s ability suddenly fell into his hands, receiving a proper notification beforehand was almost considerate.

The problem was what appeared at the very bottom, something he had never seen before.

Skill Info

■ Omnipotence [Locked] This skill is locked. Handle two or more different supernatural powers simultaneously to unlock the first stage.

■ Origin [Locked] This skill is locked.

What in the world were these?

He had no memory of acquiring anything like them, and even the information itself was locked so that he could not inspect it.

…The best outcome would be never ending up in a situation where I need any of this.

Aiden smiled bitterly to himself. If the time came when he actually needed to use these abilities, there was a good chance it would mean he had once again become trapped in an emergency.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that did not seem particularly low.

He desperately wanted to return to the ordinary life of an ordinary person. Under normal circumstances, this would have been around the time he called his father and younger sister over and ate dinner with them.

What are Dad and Sisella doing right now…?

They were probably worrying themselves sick after he vanished with nothing but a letter behind.

With that thought in mind, Aiden glanced sideways at Noel, who remained absorbed in her work.

If he really thought about it, he could say that this woman was the reason he was losing time he should have been spending with his family.

“Mr. Aiden.”

“Yes.”

The sudden call nearly made his breath catch, but he somehow managed to answer normally.

Noel looked him over for a moment as though finding something strange, then continued in an even voice.

“We’re going to the Imperial Palace tomorrow.”

He remembered hearing about that. Stella had mentioned the schedule before. Apparently, Noel had to report the marriage arrangement directly to the Emperor.

“If we’re going to the Imperial Palace, aren’t there all sorts of things I should be careful about? I haven’t received any etiquette training.”

The question came partly because the recent confrontation over etiquette had left him sensitive to the subject, but Noel answered calmly.

“You don’t need to worry much about etiquette. There are other things you should be careful about, though.”

“What do you mean?”

Noel took a sip from her teacup and rested her chin on one hand, still smiling.

“The term of this sham-marriage contract is one year. Once the contract ends, I’ll make sure you’re generously compensated, so I ask for your cooperation until then.”

“Pardon?”

“I understand that being involved with a woman like me is difficult for you, but because of our positions, we’ll need to behave a little more intimately than usual in public. I wanted to ask for your understanding in advance.”

What was there to ask permission for now? She had kidnapped him without so much as a discussion in the first place.

“I mean that if I suddenly touch you or pretend to be affectionate, I’d like you to bear with it. I realize that may not be easy.”

Aiden quietly blinked and listened as Noel spoke in her matter-of-fact tone.

Something about it felt strange. She sounded less like she was joking and more like she genuinely believed her own value was low.

Does she have low self-esteem?

That was absurd. She was the strongest knight in the Empire, a beauty admired by countless men, and a soldier important enough that even the Emperor paid special attention to her position.

Her next words only made the same implication more difficult to understand.

“I don’t think you need to speak about yourself that way.”

Aiden scratched his cheek as he answered. Noel fell silent for a moment and gazed at him.

“…Thank you.”

The weak reply came with a smile, but the smile somehow gave him the strong impression that she regarded his comment as nothing more than a polite response.

That was a common trait among people with low self-esteem.

Aiden tilted his head slightly. For some reason, this woman genuinely seemed to believe that marrying “someone like her” was an ordeal for the other person.

He had no idea why, and Noel’s next admission only made the mystery stranger.

“To be perfectly honest, I have absolutely no experience with romance.”

“…”

Noel’s voice grew quieter with every word, and a blush gradually rose across her face. She cleared her throat before forcing herself to continue.

“I don’t know where the proper boundary is.”

“…”

“So I may sometimes behave in a way that’s somewhat inappropriate. That is what I meant…”

Ah. So that was the reason?

…That’s unexpected.

Thinking about it, there should have been no shortage of men lining up for a woman like her. From that perspective, it was strange that she had not chosen someone around her for the sham marriage and had instead kidnapped Aiden without warning.

“Oh, and there’s one more thing I should tell you.”

Noel immediately added another warning before he could dwell on it further.

“When we enter the Imperial Palace, don’t say anything unless necessary. Try not to stand out.”

The unusually serious warning made Aiden’s mouth open slightly.

“…Pardon?”

“It would be best to remain outside ‘that person’s’ awareness as much as possible. Otherwise…”

Noel went silent for a moment. Aiden could not tell whom she meant by “that person,” but she seemed to be searching for wording that would sound as little disrespectful as possible.

“…If you get involved with him the wrong way, things will become extremely exhausting.”

“…”

Despite her effort, the sentence she ultimately chose sounded deeply ominous.

✦ ✦ ✦

“He’s pointlessly pretty. Was that always your type?”

For someone carrying the terrifying title of Emperor, the man sitting in front of Aiden and puffing away on a cigarette looked more like a friendly, easygoing older neighbor.

He seemed only a few years older than Aiden, a young man with striking, handsome features. The current situation was just as strange as his first impression if one tried to reconcile it with the image of an Emperor.

So this is why she said I didn’t need to worry about etiquette…

Perhaps she had said that because they were meeting the Emperor directly without going through any of the usual complicated procedures.

The Pontiff of the Holy Kingdom, who was close friends with the Emperor, was often called an eccentric even among the rulers of hegemonic nations, but judging from this scene, the Imperial Emperor seemed no less unusual.

“Yes, well.”

Perhaps serving such an eccentric sovereign caused its own share of stress, because Noel answered curtly with a frown.

Considering how unfailingly polite she normally was to everyone regardless of rank, the sight was genuinely shocking. Even more shocking was the fact that the Emperor of the Empire did not so much as blink at her attitude.

“Girl, how many times have I told you that a man should look sturdy and dependable? What are you doing bringing home some pretty boy like this and talking about marriage?”

“I don’t believe that’s Your Majesty’s place to decide. He’s the husband I chose, isn’t he?”

“Listen to the way you speak to your Emperor.”

“You were the one who started criticizing me in the first place…”

The level of conversation passing between them was even more astonishing. They looked like a teenage younger sister who had brought her first boyfriend home and an older brother who disliked the boyfriend on sight.

Nothing about it resembled a conversation between the Empire’s greatest soldier and its Emperor. Worse, both of them seemed completely accustomed to this kind of childish exchange, as though it were far from the first time.

Even so, Aiden could clearly extract two facts from the situation.

First, Lionheart and the Emperor were far, far closer than the public believed. This kind of complete lack of formality did not develop in a day or two. They had obviously known each other deeply for a long time.

Second, despite that relationship, the Emperor opposed Noel’s marriage arrangement strongly enough to keep saying so until the end.

“So what I’m saying is that, as things stand, I absolutely cannot approve this decision.”

“Noel.”

“…Yes.”

The Emperor’s voice settled into a much heavier tone, and Noel immediately discarded her earlier irritation and answered seriously.

“You know the Empire’s internal situation, girl. Noble society is a den of starving demons scrambling after their own interests. Every faction is watching your future closely because you have tremendous support among the people. Even if I do nothing, the other factions won’t simply sit still.”

“No matter whom I marry, the balance will tip, Your Majesty. At best, it ends in civil war. At worst, it expands into another Coalition War. Bringing in an unaffiliated third party is at least the most rational choice.”

“It’s a stopgap. There isn’t a fool alive who won’t recognize it for what it is. My son, for one, certainly won’t sit still.”

A lengthy discussion followed that Aiden could barely understand. They talked about the unstable postwar state of the nobility, the severely weakened authority of the throne and its inability to control the factions, and all manner of other complicated matters discussed by powerful people.

The only part that stuck clearly in Aiden’s memory was the Emperor’s attitude whenever he mentioned the Imperial Prince. His tone was almost no different from the way one might speak about a complete stranger. It went beyond simple dislike and sounded closer to the hostility one might reserve for a mortal enemy.

Aiden’s eyebrow twitched slightly at the unexpected hostility.

The family doesn’t get along?

That felt subtly different from the original story Aiden remembered. As far as he knew, the Imperial Prince had been an unquestionably good character, a man close to flawless in personality.

He did not remember the prince being the kind of person who would have such a terrible relationship with his father.

“Then there’s only one method left.”

That sentence suddenly fell from the Emperor as Aiden continued turning the contradiction over in his mind.

“The biggest problem is that everyone else objects because they believe this man is unsuitable as your groom. If people recognize the two of you as a fitting pair, then even if it doesn’t silence everyone, the complaints on the surface will largely disappear.”

“…I don’t want to place any more burden on Mr. Aiden. Isn’t it strange in the first place for outsiders to dig this deeply into my private affairs?”

“You’re right in principle, but politics is a garbage dump by nature.”

As the argument continued back and forth, Aiden’s expression grew serious as well.

From what he was hearing, His Majesty the Emperor clearly held a strongly negative opinion of this engagement.

That was not particularly welcome from Aiden’s perspective either.

If the marriage falls apart…

If the sham marriage collapsed, that meant quest failure, which was the one outcome Aiden absolutely did not want.

In that case, what he needed to do was obvious.

“I’ll do it.”

The Emperor and Noel turned toward him at the same time.

“I’ll prove my worth. If that’s what it takes for the engagement to be approved, I’ll do it.”

Silence spread through the room after Aiden spoke. Noel’s eyes in particular opened wide, clearly showing that she had never expected him to volunteer himself.

Then the Emperor’s expression changed, and a broad smile appeared on his face.

“Now that’s some decent spirit.”

He tapped his pipe against the ashtray, and the smile on his face looked exactly like a mischievous child who had just thought of a wonderful idea.

“You’re the one who said you’d do it, all right?”

“…”

Noel’s warning from the previous day flashed through Aiden’s mind.

If you get involved with him the wrong way, things will become extremely exhausting.

“…Your Majesty. Please don’t make it anything too dangerous…”

Noel interrupted in a tense voice. Her complexion had gone slightly pale, as though she had been subjected to this expression on the Emperor’s face more times than she cared to remember.

The Emperor naturally ignored her and turned toward Aiden.

“You said your name was Aiden, right?”

Without waiting for an answer, he continued.

“Let’s prove just how harmonious a married couple the two of you are.”

“…Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I’m not sure what you mean…”

“There’s no method of persuasion more effective on stodgy Imperial nobles than combat ability. Especially in unsettled times like these.”

“…”

“Fight together, the two of you.”

The Emperor cut Aiden off with a grin.

“I happen to have just the right opponent.”