Chapter 66

Taming

Every prestigious martial house took pride in raising its children strictly, and House Aslan was certainly one of the families most eager to excel in that particular tradition.

Which was precisely why the following scene unfolded.

“…Why do you trust that man Aiden so much, Father?”

“What did you say?”

“His greatest achievement in life is getting lucky enough to become engaged to a high-ranking noblewoman,” Damian scoffed. “Why would you entrust the Night of the Hunt—the most important event in our entire territory—to a man like that?”

The moment Damian finished speaking, Grand Duke Aslan drove a solid fist directly into his son’s face with enough force to look ready to split his jaw wide open.

THWACK!

One of the nearby knights could not suppress an impressed cough at the textbook-perfect uppercut. Meanwhile, only a single, dazed thought passed through Damian’s shaking consciousness.

‘This damned old man said he was sick…!’

That was absolutely not a punch thrown by an elderly invalid.

While Damian struggled with that painful realization, his father’s contemptuous voice cut through the air.

“Weren’t you the one who got crushed by that very same man in a single exchange?”

“…That was a mistake caused by carelessness,” Damian grunted, wiping a smear of blood from his mouth. “If I fought him again, I am confident I would win.”

A second punch arrived immediately after his answer.

BOOM!

Damian nearly bit through his tongue and died on the spot.

“My body has only recently finished healing,” the grand duke said coldly. “If you don’t want to go through intensive medical treatment again, I recommend shutting your mouth.”

“…”

“I don’t care about his birth or his current social status. At the very least, the moment you and Liza heard a false rumor that I was gravely ill, your very first thought was how to seize the ducal seat. That alone makes him infinitely more trustworthy than either of you.”

Damian’s expression deteriorated at a terrifying speed.

The fact that his father had known such a ridiculous rumor was spreading and had deliberately done nothing made his intentions painfully clear. As always, the devious old man had likely allowed—or even personally orchestrated—the rumor to test whether Damian possessed the qualities expected of a true leader of House Aslan.

“And another thing.”

Damian’s bitter expression instantly returned to normal. Anyone would have reacted the same way after seeing Grand Duke Aslan’s physical aura surge around him, thick with enough genuine killing intent to suggest he was prepared to murder his own heir where he stood.

“You should be deeply grateful I haven’t disowned you and thrown you into the streets. I can forgive many things, but abandoning your fundamental duty to protect the people of this duchy?”

“…”

“You asked why I trust that man. Good question. Unlike you, he possesses a proper understanding of responsibility.”

“…”

“You are not ignorant of the Empire’s founding history. Have some shame.”

The First Emperor—the founding ruler of the Empire and the legendary figure hailed as the first Sword Saint—was said to have drawn his blade for simple villagers suffering beneath the tyranny of wild demons. He had not been born to greatness; he was merely an honest, sincere young man who could not bear to watch innocent, starving people suffer.

That conviction had raised his sword. Unshakable faith had gathered beneath his banner. The man who fought purely for the peace of suffering people eventually became a living legend.

House Aslan had stood beside him at the absolute front line as the unbreakable shield of the Empire. Ever since that era, the family had carried a distinct motto:

Responsibility makes a person. Those who do what a person ought to do are the ones who change the world.

Grand Duke Aslan had been born into a position where he was burdened with the lives of others from the moment of his birth. Because of that, he could immediately recognize how extraordinarily rare and valuable a man with Aiden’s perspective truly was.

From their very first conversation, Aiden had understood how heavy a burden it was to carry others on one’s shoulders—and how noble that burden became when embraced without complaint.

There was more. The moment the grand duke had appeared to be collapsing, his own disappointing son and daughter had immediately begun calculating their personal gains. Yet Aiden had understood, almost instantly, why Grand Duke Aslan still strove to shield those children simply because they were his own blood.

‘What a shame.’

Aiden was apparently a war orphan. If Grand Duke Aslan had discovered him earlier and taken him under his wing, he would have gladly adopted him and raised him as his own son.

Aiden was a man worth that much. He possessed that much potential.

“Even so…”

That assessment was absolute enough for the grand duke to silence his whining son with a single, sweeping declaration.

“If he returns safely after resolving this Night of the Hunt, I will formally invite Aiden Kellermain to join the grand ducal house. I will place him directly in charge of educating both you and Liza.”

Damian’s face went completely blank at that declaration.

That effectively meant accepting Aiden as a core member of the family.

“…What?”

“I will also grant him full authority over military actions and the official right to requisition territory resources,” the grand duke added.

That was even more mind-boggling. Those privileges approached the exact level of authority held by direct blood relatives like Damian and Liza.

Damian’s face turned visibly blue with shock. “Wait, Father!”

The grand duke’s razor-sharp glare cut him off instantly, draining every drop of color from his skin.

“He is the exact kind of man we need to keep close, even if I have to go that far to bind him to us.”

Those who embraced responsibility changed the world. That was Grand Duke Aslan’s ultimate standard for judging a person’s worth.

Aiden himself seemed to define his duties strictly within the boundaries of ‘family.’ From the grand duke’s perspective, however, it was obvious that if something threatened the people Aiden considered his own, he would stand against it even if that threat endangered the entire world.

Individuals capable of confronting overwhelming evil through pure conviction shared a single, defining trait:

“They casually accomplish things that should be impossible.”

The Empire itself had been forged by exactly that kind of person.

The scene that unfolded mere moments later seemed almost scripted to prove the grand duke’s belief.

BOOM! SHOUTS! SCREAMS!

“…What on earth is that noise?” Damian muttered as a wild commotion erupted outside the grand hall.

Calling it a mere commotion was a severe understatement. The sharp screams sounded like the chaotic aftermath of a bomb exploding in the center of the city plaza.

Sensing that something was deeply wrong, Damian sprang to his feet and threw open the tall window overlooking the courtyard.

The instant he looked outside, his mind completely stalled.

“…A demonic beast?!”

A house-sized apex predator was casually strolling through the heart of the Aslan estate. Damian groaned the words under his breath, utterly bewildered.

He quickly realized why none of the elite guards in the courtyard had drawn their weapons or formed a battle line.

A massive leather saddle had been strapped securely onto the monster’s back.

Perched atop it were Katya and Noel—both wearing expressions that suggested they were profoundly questioning every life choice that had led them to this exact moment—and Aiden, who looked immensely proud of himself.

When Aiden spotted Grand Duke Aslan standing at the high window, he grinned brightly and offered a casual wave. He had the exact demeanor of a man showing off a shiny new luxury carriage to his neighbors.

“…”

Damian stared at the absurd scene with completely unfocused eyes. What in the world was wrong with that man? Where had he even found such a horrifying monster, how had he brought it into the city, and most importantly, what had he done to make a top-tier demonic beast carry humans on its back like a domestic horse?

“What did I tell you?”

While endless questions swirled through Damian’s mind, Grand Duke Aslan stepped up beside him, looked down at the courtyard, and let out a hearty, booming laugh.

“I told you he casually accomplishes the impossible.”

Damian stood frozen, unable to find a single word to argue.

✦ ✦ ✦

Aiden had recently come to appreciate a very specific fact: sometimes, the system interface could be genuinely delightful.

[System Message]

▶ ‘House Aslan’ has joined your list of friendly factions!

▶ You have been granted full authority to requisition resources and personnel from ‘House Aslan’!

▶ This faction possesses immense influence capable of altering major scenario paths.

▶ This development will positively impact the progression of Chapter 3, ‘Imperial Capital Rift’!

He especially loved the system when it delivered generous rewards upon quest completion.

‘This is huge.’

Aiden had already copied several top-tier techniques from Grand Duke Aslan. More importantly, the notification confirmed that the grand duke fully intended to honor his promise to stand alongside Aiden against the prince.

As for the official authority to requisition resources and soldiers…

‘Just how highly does that old man evaluate me?’

Aiden didn’t fully realize the extent of it, but he gathered that Grand Duke Aslan was dead serious about tying him to the family by any means necessary. Granting that level of authority was practically equivalent to naming him an official successor.

The rewards didn’t stop there, either.

[System Message]

▶ Because a friendly faction has joined you, you will continuously accumulate points from faction members who do not possess copyable skills.

▶ Relevant options have been updated in the ‘Point Shop’!

‘Oh.’

Considering that items from the Point Shop had previously demonstrated miraculous medicinal effects—even overriding Noel’s innate supernatural resistance—products with explicit parameters could be expected to perform exceptionally well.

The Point Shop had always been tricky to use due to its heavy reliance on random chance. Now that he had a steady, massive influx of points, the shop would finally become a practical asset.

And he desperately needed every practical advantage he could get.

‘Chapter 3 is right around the corner…’

In the original game, Chapter 3—‘Imperial Capital Rift,’ the grand finale of Act One—was infamous for triggering immediately after Chapter 2 without giving the player a single moment to breathe.

That meant the moment Aiden received these rewards, he needed to immediately figure out how to extract maximum value from them if he wanted to survive the storm ahead.

Which brought him to his most impressive—and most troublesome—reward from the hunt.

“…”

Aiden scratched the back of his neck as he looked ahead.

The Soul River stood directly before him inside a massive subterranean storage vault. They had ridden it all the way back to the estate, but because it was far too enormous for standard stables, they had temporarily housed it in the duchy’s heavy supply warehouse. Even there, its massive frame occupied more than half the space, casting an overwhelming pressure over the room.

Its size wasn’t the only striking detail about it.

‘Why does a demonic beast look so damn majestic?’

It boasted a glossy black mane, proud azure eyes, and a muscular frame that seemed to condense raw violence into an elegant, predatory form. A distinct sense of dignity tied its monstrous features together.

When the Berserk status had driven it mad, it had been terrifying. Now, cleansed of the corruption, it looked almost like an ancient aristocrat trapped in the body of a colossal wolf.

There was, however, a glaring issue.

“…I don’t think riding it on a regular basis is going to be easy,” Noel pointed out, voicing what everyone was thinking.

As a wild demonic beast, it couldn’t speak human language. Yet the sharp, intense glare it directed at them communicated its thoughts with absolute clarity:

Thank you for saving me. Thank you for freeing my mind.

But if you think I am going to let you order me around like a common beast of burden, you had better be prepared to pay in blood.

Its eyes practically screamed that message.

Aiden quietly summoned the monster’s status window.

[Target Info]

◈ Soul River [Enslaved]

• An apex predator among quadrupedal demonic beasts inhabiting the inner Void Zone. Few living creatures outside of true dragonkin can match its raw physical attributes.

• Possesses high intelligence and immense pride. It is currently extremely dissatisfied with being subjected to absolute commands.

• Primary Weapon: Entire Body

• Strengths: Apex-tier physical capabilities, defensive hide exceeding dragon scales, functional immortality via extreme vitality.

• Weaknesses: None.

  ★ Due to the effect of ‘Skill: Demonic Energy: Divine Command,’ the target is forced to obey direct orders.

  ※ You may forcibly issue only 1 command per day!

That specific restriction was the root of the problem.

Aiden could forcibly command the Soul River exactly once per day. While the system classified it as [Enslaved], confirming their master-servant contract, the relationship was razor-thin. At the very least, the beast wouldn’t attack him unprovoked.

However, if he forced it to do something against its will, it was fully capable of causing chaos in a hundred other subtle ways once the command wore off. In its current state, it was a walking time bomb.

“…I am no expert on demonic beasts,” Noel said carefully, “but it seems to be silently demanding that we return it to the Void Zone. We successfully stopped the Night of the Hunt. Perhaps we should be satisfied with that and let it go?”

“No way. That would be an absolute waste,” Aiden rejected her idea instantly, eyeing the creature up and down. “Besides, I’ve already named it. I’m calling it River.”

“…”

No matter how he looked at it, abandoning an asset of this scale was out of the question. Its raw stats were absurd. More importantly, if it possessed this much intelligence and emotional capacity…

‘That means I can copy skills from it too, right?’

If he built up its Affinity, he could extract powerful beast-type skills. Seeing its potential made letting it go completely unacceptable.

“With an attitude like that, turning it into a reliable companion is going to be nearly impossible,” Noel noted.

“Then we just need to fix its attitude.”

“Do you actually have a way to do that?”

“Of course,” Aiden replied smoothly. As always, a solution existed if one knew where to look. “I just need to teach it some proper manners.”

Aiden glanced down at the intricate bracelet resting against his wrist. Meyer’s soul was bound inside it, serving as a direct portal into the mindscape.

“One night with Senior ought to be more than enough.”

There was nothing wrong with a creature holding its head high and taking pride in its strength.

‘But the real world isn’t that forgiving.’

Aiden was dead serious about teaching the monster that exact lesson.