Chapter 62 - Preparations

-System Message

▶ You have banished the Puppeteer, a major figure in Act 1.

▶ The target’s true body is sealed. The target cannot awaken of their own will!

▶ An Exorcism Brand has been imprinted on the target, the Puppeteer.

▶ Chapter 3’s progression has changed. Difficulty has decreased drastically!

Aiden let out a satisfied sigh at the window that appeared the moment he pulverized Rad.

Just as he’d thought.

If Rad had taken information about him back, he would undoubtedly have busied himself cooking up all sorts of schemes again. It was a good thing Aiden had dealt with him before he became a nuisance.

'Sealed, huh.'

It was also worth noting that the message used the word sealed, not dead.

Killing a demon for good was exceptionally difficult.

As the name psychic parasite suggested, their very existence was nebulous. Even finding their true bodies was a task; they hadn’t survived hundreds of years with their chief deity sealed away for nothing.

There were any number of steps to killing one completely. Naturally, it was even harder with someone so pathologically obsessed with artificial bodies that he was called the Puppeteer.

For now, though, the drastic reduction in difficulty for Chapter 3, the final chapter of Act 1, was satisfaction enough.

Besides.

'If he’s sealed instead of dead, there are ways to use him later.'

It might actually be better if he didn’t die.

This Exorcism Brand listed in the system window, if Aiden remembered correctly...

'Maybe it would be better if he revived?'

Sealed demons generally formed a rather special... matchup with whoever had sealed them.

They came under restrictions severe enough to make them regret not dying back then.

So if this one woke up later, he would have his uses, too.

'Well, anyway.'

Aiden heaved a sigh.

He had wrapped things up nicely, but he was mulling over two lessons.

First, he needed to get himself a decent weapon as soon as possible.

'Ow.'

Aiden looked down at his mangled hand.

It was slowly regenerating thanks to Sacred Body, the skill he had copied from Katya, but pain was still pain.

This was what happened when the revolver containing that last attack exploded outright, scattering fragments everywhere.

To be fair, expecting an ordinary revolver bought from some gun shop to withstand that much supernatural power was asking far too much.

'... Should I just have one custom-made?'

Equipment always mattered. Especially for someone like Aiden, who still had plenty of brushes with death ahead of him.

Of course, copying skills was the foundation of his growth, but that was hardly a reason not to equip himself properly with gear that could amplify them.

The second lesson was that he needed to be very selective about when, where, and against whom he used the attack he’d just unleashed.

'What the hell is that?'

With a disbelieving laugh, Aiden surveyed the path the attack had taken after passing through Rad.

The strike had swept away the entire spot where Rad stood, only stopping after gouging a crater into the small hill behind him.

... Anyone looking at it could be forgiven for thinking he’d launched a missile.

He’d fired the shot himself, but it still seemed absurd.

'Wouldn’t this be enough to kill my senior once?'

He entertained that hopeful fantasy for a moment before shaking his head and scratching the back of his neck.

Even now, with how much stronger he’d become, Meyer killed him in his dreams every day. He couldn’t imagine pulling it off.

The other day, Meyer had sliced straight through Aiden’s Guardian’s Flame with his sword without even drawing on his supernatural power.

When Aiden asked in shock how on earth he’d done it, the reply was:

["Just look closely and cut. Want me to make it pretty?"]

Then he had cut the supernatural power into stars, circles, triangles... In short, he’d toyed with Aiden mercilessly.

'... Let’s give up.'

It probably wasn’t going to work.

Landing a hit on that monster would have to wait...

Anyway.

As Aiden sighed and started to leave, another window suddenly appeared before him.

-System Message

▶ Making contact with the Puppeteer, Rad Ilza Barfon.

▶ [Malice] has increased by 2 levels!

▶ You may copy Mutated Skills from the target!

'... Oh.'

That was an unexpected gain.

Come to think of it, he remembered copying a skill from the prince in much the same way.

It wasn’t only affection that worked. He could also wrest skills, albeit degraded versions, from people who bore him unmistakable malice like this.

The prince had merely disliked him, whereas this fellow had just been struck and sealed by him. Apparently, that made him hate Aiden even more.

'Two opportunities... '

Thinking about it, that was quite a haul.

The skill he’d wrested from the prince had been tremendously useful. He didn’t know what these would be, but they certainly wouldn’t be useless.

No one could honestly call the strategic advantage of copying an enemy’s abilities insignificant.

And that wasn’t even all.

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

⧾Rad Ilza Barfon

- Malice: Level 2

- You may imitate 2 skills.

※ Malice is Level 2 or higher. Repulsion is available.

※ Raise Malice to unlock Filtering and Sealing!

'... Something else, too.'

A new function had unlocked.

▶ Using Repulsion on an imitated skill allows its effects to match the original for a single use.

Aiden let out a quiet whistle.

In short, it let him use an imitated skill at its original performance level, if only temporarily, instead of its usual reduced capacity.

This wasn’t just a good deal. It was a steal.

'And there are still more functions left.'

It was encouraging that Filtering and Sealing remained to be unlocked by raising Malice further.

After all, he was bound to clash with anyone he’d marked as an enemy. The more bitterly they hated him, the more power he gained from it. A cruel irony, certainly.

Seeing things like this drove the point home once again.

'... From now on, whatever I meet, I should think about taking its skills first.'

Whether he made them like him or hate him, he ought to approach things from that perspective whenever possible.

▣

"Thank you."

The moment Aiden returned to the estate, Grand Duke Aslan greeted him with a deep bow.

"... I don’t know how you did it, but my daughter would have died without you. I cannot thank you enough."

Having spoken in all earnestness, the grand duke raised his head and continued.

"When I first invited you here, I framed it as a negotiation... But from this moment on, the ducal House of Aslan is officially your friend. Visit whenever you wish, and if you need anything, you have only to ask."

As if in response, windows appeared one after another before Aiden’s eyes.

-System Message

▶ You have successfully completed the Side Quest.

▶ Grand Duke Aslan’s affection has increased.

▶ Bond level has increased!

▶ You may copy 1 skill!

▶ Liza Aslan’s affection has increased.

▶ You may copy 1 skill!

-System Message

▶ You have earned the goodwill of the Duchy of Aslan.

▶ You have earned the affection of its residents.

▶ You have received a large quantity of Points usable in the Point Shop.

... Well, damn.

Rewards just kept pouring in. Aiden scanned down the list.

'The skills from the grand duke are one thing... '

There was also a skill from his daughter. He would have to check the list later to see what she had.

Speaking of her.

"Is she physically all right?"

"Her vital signs are normal, but they say it may take some time for her to regain consciousness. This is the first case of someone returning to human form after magical-beast transformation had progressed. Even the doctors cannot predict her recovery."

Didn’t that mean there was a problem? As Aiden’s expression tightened slightly, the grand duke shook his head.

"As I said, her vital signs are normal. The doctors say she is simply taking a little longer to wake. Don’t worry too much."

"That’s a relief, then..."

What if transforming into a magical beast and back into a human left her with side effects?

'... Wasn’t there a similar case in the game?'

Now that he thought about it, he seemed to recall something similar in the original game.

He had a feeling people who went through that developed some special sort of ability.

What had it been...?

"Enough. I’m inclined to trust the doctors."

Before Aiden could remember, Grand Duke Aslan cut the matter short and swept his hair back.

"More importantly, do you have any clue who did this to Liza—"

"Oh, I know who did it."

"... What?"

As the grand duke repeated the word in bewilderment, Aiden set a name badge before him instead of offering further explanation.

It was one of the few things still reasonably intact among Rad’s remains after he’d been all but vaporized.

"Rad Ilza Barfon. The minister of administration."

"... That prince’s lackey?"

"Yes."

The grand duke’s face twitched.

"Wasn’t that bastard supposed to stay put in the capital? How dare he pick a fight with the ducal House of Aslan—"

"Whatever his intentions, officially, the minister of administration never visited this estate. He came in secret."

Aiden paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"So whatever may have happened to him here, officially, he wasn’t here at all, Your Grace."

"..."

After considering those words for a moment, Grand Duke Aslan’s lips twisted into a smile as well.

It was a smile that made it clear he understood exactly what Aiden meant...

"Indeed. He was never here to begin with."

"Exactly."

"Even if he drops dead somewhere and goes missing, neither you nor the ducal House of Aslan has anything to do with it. Correct?"

"Of course."

"Tell me, Aiden Kellermain."

Unable to contain his laughter any longer, Grand Duke Aslan chuckled as he continued.

"Have you already dealt with him?"

"Yes."

"You know, I believe you’re rather a good man to talk business with, too."

"Thank you."

Having reached an understanding, the two men exchanged perfectly innocent smiles and shook hands. It was a moment in which a firm bond formed between them...

"On another note, Your Grace."

Of course, it was good to have that settled, but...

"Isn’t the Night of the Hunt almost upon us?"

A shadow of worry crossed Grand Duke Aslan’s face at the question.

"It is."

"Then I ought to help. That’s why I came here in the first place."

"... After all you’ve already done for me, I cannot ask that of you as well."

"No."

Aiden immediately cut in as Grand Duke Aslan tried firmly to dissuade him.

It was a Main Quest, after all. He wasn’t in a position to quit just because someone told him not to do it.

"Your daughter can’t fight right now, can she? That leaves quite a hole in your defenses."

"But—"

... Why did this old man keep trying to stop him?

If this went wrong, Aiden would be in just as much trouble.

With Grand Duke Aslan still wavering, Aiden cut him off decisively.

"I can’t simply stand by and watch people die."

At those words, the duke’s eyes widened briefly.

Then they slowly closed.

Watching him, Aiden had a sudden intuition.

Oh, this.

Wasn’t this the part where it went up?

-System Message

▶ Grand Duke Aslan’s affection has increased.

▶ Bond level has increased!

▶ You may copy 2 skills!

'... It really did.'

It was remarkable that he could now tell on his own.

"I truly did judge your character well."

At last, Grand Duke Aslan shook his head as though conceding defeat and sat down.

"... Take a look."

With that, he pulled a sheaf of documents from beneath the desk.

After scanning the contents, Aiden gave a hollow laugh.

"Is this accurate?"

The Night of the Hunt was practically an annual event in the Duchy of Aslan, and naturally, that meant they had accumulated data to predict the phenomenon.

That was why they could readily compile observations on the movements of magical beasts that would emerge from the void region.

And what Aiden had just read resembled the usual phenomenon.

Large-scale movements of magical beasts. Ordinarily, these creatures would pour out and attack the duchy.

But...

"The pattern of their movements..."

"They’re being chased. Fleeing."

Grand Duke Aslan summed it up bluntly.

"This isn’t their usual attack. These creatures have nothing left but instinct, yet they’re fleeing the void region because something frightens them. They aren’t coming out to attack us. In other words..."

He dragged a hand down his face, looking troubled.

"This Night of the Hunt won’t be a large-scale assault. A single, terrifyingly powerful specimen will emerge from the void region."

In a sense, that was more dangerous.

A great horde of magical beasts could be met with an army, but throwing ordinary troops at a being that powerful would only give it more prey.

They absolutely needed a superhuman capable of slaying it.

"And the problem is... we have no idea what kind of magical beast it is. This is conjecture, but it’s likely an exceptionally powerful specimen even among magical beasts."

"..."

"It may even be the most dangerous kind—a top-tier specimen with intelligence."

Intelligent beings. Monsters among magical beasts with intellects approaching those of humans.

Extremely few specimens had ever been observed, but every one of them possessed combat prowess comparable to a high-ranking supernatural-power wielder.

'... Those really are strong.'

In terms of personal fighting ability, one would very likely surpass even Rad, whom he had pulverized only a short while ago. The grand duke’s concern was by no means needless worrying.

As Grand Duke Aslan sighed, Aiden closed his eyes for a moment.

Then his gaze moved through empty air.

His eyes were taking stock of the skill-copying opportunities he had received so far.

Chiefly, two from Rad.

Two from Grand Duke Aslan.

With that much...

'... This should work.'

Meanwhile, he was calculating what he needed to do with them.

"Your Grace. You said earlier that I should ask if I needed anything, didn’t you?"

"... Do you have something in mind? You look as though you’ve already devised a plan."

Of course he had.

"You said it was a top-tier magical beast with intelligence, correct?"