CSWA 92

Chapter 92

Dispatch

“What are you going to do?”

Noel asked the question with her confusion written plainly across her face.

Her voice carried the trauma of everything she had gone through when Katia had suddenly been assigned to Aiden in much the same way.

In truth, though, there was hardly anything to decide.

“We can’t exactly refuse and send her back if what’s written here is true.”

Aiden answered with an expression that showed he had a headache of his own.

Through the window leading into the adjacent room, Morrigan could be seen staring quietly into empty space.

When Aiden turned his eyes back toward the desk, he saw the additional letter from Ganesha that she had brought with her.

‘I hope you make good use of her. If my prediction is correct, you will absolutely need her help.’

Aiden had no idea why the man had to phrase it in such an ominous way.

He did not know everything about Ganesha Aldebaran, but he knew at least that the man did not act without reason.

If Ganesha said Morrigan’s help would be ‘absolutely necessary,’ then it was reasonable to assume something serious might happen if Aiden did not have that help.

“Is this Ganesha person trustworthy?”

“…I don’t think he’s talking nonsense.”

At the very least, judging from Ganesha’s consistent behavior so far, it was difficult to believe the man held any hostility toward Aiden.

Aiden could not say Ganesha had no ulterior motives whatsoever, but when it came to wanting Aiden to ‘grow,’ he seemed trustworthy enough.

If Ganesha had decided Morrigan would be useful and that Aiden would need her assistance, there was probably some basis for that conclusion.

‘What I don’t like is that he refuses to tell me what that basis is.’

While Aiden frowned over the thought, Noel spun the pen in her hand with an equally deep frown. It was obvious she disliked the situation.

“But that would mean keeping her beside you as something like a secretary.”

“Probably. We’d still have to investigate her identity first.”

“…”

Aiden answered without thinking much of it, but Noel’s expression twisted even further.

By this point, even he could not help asking about it.

“…Is there something bothering you, Lady Noel? Surely it isn’t because she’s a demi-human…”

“What do you take me for, Aiden? I might recommend that she disguise herself as human in public so strange people don’t bother her, but I have absolutely no prejudice against demi-humans.”

“Then is there another reason?”

“You said secretary. A female secretary.”

“…What?”

“A secretary who’s a woman, and on top of that…”

Noel trailed off and looked toward Morrigan.

There was no denying that Morrigan was beautiful.

Her appearance deviated noticeably from an ordinary human’s, yet she still possessed a distinctive kind of beauty. The dragon scales scattered across most of her body except her face only seemed to add a more mysterious atmosphere to her appearance.

And a woman like that would stay beside Aiden all day, assisting him with his work.

“This is ridiculous. Seriously…!”

“…”

Aiden blinked several times at Noel’s unexpected reaction.

He had considered building Morrigan’s affinity so he could copy a skill from her, but the possibility of actually becoming romantically involved with her had never once occurred to him.

“…I guarantee nothing like what you’re worried about is going to happen, so you can relax. We should be more concerned about confirming her identity…”

“You won’t have to worry about that either.”

Morrigan’s clear voice came from the adjacent room, and Noel and Aiden both froze at the same time.

The wall between the rooms was supposed to be soundproof. Considering how many superhumans filled the Imperial Administration Building, it should even have been designed to block supernatural methods of eavesdropping.

Yet Morrigan sounded as though she had heard their entire conversation without the slightest difficulty.

“An engraving has been placed on my body. It carries a powerful restriction that makes it impossible for me to inflict any harm whatsoever upon the engraving’s owner. If I attempted to violate it, the restriction would immediately stop my heart. Before coming here, ownership of the engraving was transferred to Lord Aiden. I can demonstrate it for you immediately if necessary.”

“…”

“I am somewhat embarrassed to say it myself, but I possess a variety of useful talents. Would you consider using me for a single day? If you are not satisfied, you may ‘dispose’ of me however you wish.”

“…”

“Would that be enough to earn your trust?”

At this point, earning their trust was hardly the issue.

It sounded more like Morrigan was threatening them into giving her a trial run.

✦ ✦ ✦

Aiden had actually begun attending far more official functions than he had expected.

Noel generally tried to keep him away from such affairs whenever possible, but House Aslan had openly granted him various forms of authority.

Simply being connected to a great noble house like that created the perfect environment for Aiden to build connections of his own.

Even if he tried to reject every request and avoid becoming entangled with anyone, people were naturally going to appear who wanted to establish ties with him.

Of course, dealing with them was exhausting. Even when he politely refused an invitation, he still had to behave with a level of formality appropriate to the other party’s status. People who considered themselves important tended to want constant reassurance that they were being treated accordingly.

In that regard, Morrigan was an exceptionally capable secretary.

“At three this afternoon, Viscount Trajin will visit, followed by the representative of the Small Farmers Association at six. Viscount Trajin places great importance on appearances, so I recommend paying particular attention to your attire. I have already prepared several appropriate outfits, so you may choose whichever one you prefer.”

“…”

Aiden could feel Katia glaring at Morrigan from beside him with a complicated expression.

Every sentence Morrigan spoke practically overflowed with competence, and Katia clearly did not like it one bit.

Apparently Morrigan had served as Ganesha’s secretary for a long time. Considering she had spent years assisting a merchant magnate who controlled the underworld, perhaps this level of skill was only natural.

Katia was obviously unhappy about it all the same. Even while that first-rate support continued, she kept pouting and muttering under her breath.

“…I’m the adjutant.”

Officially, Katia was certainly the one holding that position.

Katia was not unintelligent by any means, but she had absolutely no experience helping Aiden with this kind of work.

Even if she had possessed the experience, there was still room to wonder whether she would actually have been suited for it.

As they walked down a corridor to their next destination, Morrigan suddenly moved ahead of Aiden. Whenever they walked through a hallway, she naturally guided him toward the inside of the path while positioning herself on the exposed outer side.

When he asked whether the positioning meant something, Morrigan answered immediately.

“I’m confirming the proper position for guarding you.”

“What?”

“There is always a risk of a sniper or an ambush. If something like that occurs, it would be better for me to take the hit instead.”

“…”

Come to think of it, an adjutant’s duties normally included personal protection.

There was a simple reason Aiden had never experienced anything like that until now.

“…Oh, right. That sort of thing is supposed to be dangerous.”

His official adjutant, Katia, had absolutely no sense of vigilance about such threats.

That was probably because she barely possessed any sense of caution about getting hurt in the first place.

“…Ah, right. Those things are dangerous, aren’t they?”

“…”

Aiden stared at Noel in disbelief when she blankly echoed essentially the same sentiment.

His gaze plainly asked why she was unable to relate, but Noel maintained her absent expression as she continued.

“…I suppose I’ve always thought that if something came flying at me, I could just knock it away. If it were aimed at you, Aiden, I could do the same thing for you.”

“…”

Aiden sometimes forgot it, but Noel was ultimately just as much of a monster as Katia.

The details were different, but the conclusion was the same. Neither of them naturally regarded such things as meaningful threats.

Morrigan, by contrast, considered every possible contingency whenever she acted. She adjusted herself entirely to Aiden’s level and seemed determined to eliminate even the smallest seed of danger before it could grow into a problem.

‘…She’s competent.’

That was not an exaggeration. She really was extraordinarily capable.

It was enough to make Aiden understand why she had confidently described herself as useful.

No matter what task he gave her, she completed it without difficulty, whether it involved administration, protection, or some minor everyday errand.

Even Katia, who had never shown the slightest interest in performing such duties herself, began looking restless out of a sense of guilt. If someone as unshakably self-paced as Katia reacted that way, Morrigan’s ability spoke for itself.

There was only one thing that bothered him.

‘…She told us to dispose of her.’

Aiden frowned inwardly as he remembered Morrigan saying it earlier with a completely blank expression.

Everything he had seen from her so far felt strangely mechanical.

Her emotions appeared extremely faint. He was not even sure whether she experienced them in the same way other people did.

Hearing her calmly suggest disposing of herself left him with an unavoidable impression.

She treated herself carelessly, much like Katia did, but the nature of it was different from Katia’s self-destructive impulses.

‘She treats herself like a tool.’

It was as though Morrigan genuinely believed it did not matter how anyone treated her.

As though being handled like an object were perfectly natural.

Still, she continued making every task dramatically easier, so it felt awkward to criticize that attitude immediately. Morrigan was proving the value she had claimed for herself far beyond anyone’s expectations.

“…I think this is enough.”

Even Noel, who had shown the fiercest resistance, eventually said those words when evening arrived.

“It seems we’d be losing more by refusing to employ someone this capable. We should thank Mr. Ganesha.”

Morrigan gave her a silent, expressionless bow. It was presumably meant as thanks.

Aiden still had reservations, but there was little reason to voice them now that Morrigan would be staying with them. He shook his head as if clearing those thoughts away and changed the subject.

“Then I’ll head off separately. I need to do some combat training.”

Every evening, Aiden went to the training grounds and worked on his body.

He might get beaten senseless by Meyer every day in the mental world, but that was a separate matter. He still had to reserve time for real physical training or he would lose his practical instincts when an actual fight came.

Noel and Katia nodded in understanding. The reason neither offered to accompany him was that Aiden had firmly refused every previous request from them to join his training.

‘Of course I refused.’

The reason for his repeated refusals was extremely simple.

Their levels were far too different.

Aiden could probably be killed instantly by a single attack either of them launched with her eyes closed.

As he wondered whether that realization was supposed to make him happy or depressed, Morrigan’s flat voice came from beside him.

“Then I will accompany you.”

“…What? But…”

“You don’t need to worry.”

Aiden tried to refuse in surprise, but Morrigan cut into the sentence before he could finish.

“I am confident that I can help you, no matter what form that help must take.”

“…”

Aiden’s eyes narrowed as unease crept over him.

He had a bad feeling about this.

Sub Quest

▶ A conflict with the target is about to occur!

▶ If you resolve it successfully, the target’s affinity will skyrocket!

The return of that familiar window after such a long absence proved his instincts correct.