Chapter 66 - Taming

No distinguished house would willingly take second place when it came to raising its children strictly, and the grand-ducal House of Aslan was an eager participant in that competition.

Case in point.

“... Why do you trust that Aiden fellow, Father?”

“What did you say?”

“Isn’t his greatest asset that he lucked into marrying a highborn woman? Why entrust the Night of the Hunt, our territory’s most important event, to someone like—”

The fist that slammed into Damian’s face the instant he said that, as though intent on splitting his jaw, was proof enough.

As one of the knights disguised an involuntary exclamation of admiration at the clean, textbook uppercut with a cough, a single thought crossed Damian’s wavering consciousness.

‘This old bastard said he was sick...!’

That was not remotely the sort of attack an old, sick man could deliver.

As he mulled that over, the grand duke’s voice came at him, dripping with contempt.

“Weren’t you the one who got flattened by ‘someone like that’ in a single blow?”

“... It was a mistake caused by carelessness. I’m confident I can beat him next time—”

Another blow came flying.

... One wrong move and he might actually have bitten through his tongue and died.

“I only just finished receiving treatment.”

“Then I recommend keeping your mouth shut unless you want more.”

“...”

“Whatever his origins or his present station, he seems more trustworthy than you and Liza, whose first thought upon hearing the false rumor of my illness was to grab the ducal title.”

Damian’s expression soured at an astonishing speed.

The very fact that his father had known such a false rumor was spreading and done nothing made his intentions obvious.

There was a very good chance this devious old man had deliberately spread it to test his worth as a member of the ducal house, just as he always did...

“And another thing.”

But Damian immediately wiped that sour look from his face.

Anyone would probably feel compelled to do the same at the sight of Grand Duke Aslan radiating energy from his entire body as though he meant to kill someone.

“Count yourself fortunate I haven’t disowned you and thrown you out. Whatever else you might do, abandoning your duty to protect our people?”

“...”

“You asked why I trust him. A good question. Unlike you, he has a proper understanding of responsibility.”

“...”

“It’s not as though you don’t know the story of our Empire’s founding. You should be ashamed.”

The Empire’s founding emperor, also known as the first Sword Saint, was said to have taken up his sword for the villagers groaning under the oppression of the demons that ran rampant in those days.

A simple country youth who had taken up a sword solely because he could not bear to see the hungry and sick suffer. That was the Empire’s first emperor.

Conviction raised a sword, faith and loyalty gathered beneath it, and the man who had wielded it for the happiness of the suffering became a legend.

As the Empire’s shield, which had stood beside him on the front lines to defend the weak, the grand-ducal House of Aslan had a very clear family creed.

Responsibility makes us human. Those who do what they ought as human beings change the world.

And as the Empire’s shield, born into a position of responsibility for others, Grand Duke Aslan could recognize at once just how rare and precious a man with that much insight was.

From their very first meeting, Aiden had understood all too well how harsh it was to shoulder another person’s burdens—and how noble.

... What was more, he had immediately understood why Grand Duke Aslan intended to remain responsible to the very end for his disappointing son and daughter, who had begun calculating their own gains the instant he seemed about to fall, simply because they were his own flesh and blood.

‘What a shame.’

He had heard the young man was a war orphan.

Had Aslan found him earlier and taken an interest in him, he would have adopted him and raised him with care.

He was a man worth doing that for. A man with the potential to justify it, too.

“But even so—”

At the very least, he was worth the words Aslan spoke to silence the son whining discontentedly before him.

“If he returns after bringing this Night of the Hunt under control, I intend to make Aiden Kellermain a member of our house. I’ll put him in charge of educating you and Liza.”

Damian went blank.

That meant his father would effectively be accepting the man into the family.

“... Pardon?”

“I’ll also grant him a degree of authority over military decisions and the requisitioning of resources.”

... And that meant granting him powers almost on par with Damian and Liza, the direct heirs.

Damian’s face turned blue.

“Wait, Father—!”

But as he tried to protest, the grand duke’s fierce glare turned his face positively white.

“He’s someone we must keep with us, even if that’s what it takes.”

Those who took responsibility changed the world. That was Grand Duke Aslan’s measure of a person.

And this man called Aiden, though he himself seemed to think only in terms of “family,” was, in Aslan’s eyes, someone who would fight anything that threatened those in his care—even something that threatened the entire world.

And people who could stand against a great evil on the strength of that sense of responsibility alone tended to...

“Do impossible things as though they were nothing.”

The Empire itself had been founded by just such a man.

And what happened next would offer clear proof of that conviction.

“... What’s that noise?”

Damian muttered the question as he became aware of a commotion outside.

Actually, calling it a mere commotion was something of a misrepresentation.

It sounded rather like a bomb had fallen in the middle of the city, with one panicked scream after another ringing out.

“...?”

Sensing something was wrong, Damian sprang to his feet and flung open a window.

The instant he did, he understood those reactions perfectly.

“... A magical beast?”

The words escaped him in something like a groan as he saw the house-sized predator sauntering through the heart of the Aslan estate.

He soon realized why the others had not drawn their swords and readied themselves for battle at the sight.

Something resembling a “saddle” had been placed on its back. Seated atop it were Katya and Noel, both looking as though they had never imagined their lives would come to this, and a very proud-looking Aiden.

When Aiden caught sight of Grand Duke Aslan from his perch, he grinned and waved cheerfully.

He looked as though he were showing off a new car...

“...”

Damian stared blankly at the scene, his eyes unfocused.

What in the world was that man?

Where had he found a beast like that, and how had he brought it here? No, how was he riding it so casually in the first place...?

“What did I tell you?”

As all those thoughts ran through Damian’s head, Grand Duke Aslan came up beside him, glanced at the scene, and gave an incredulous chuckle.

“He does impossible things as though they’re nothing.”

“...”

Sadly for Damian, he could not dispute a single word.

▣

One thing struck Aiden anew.

This system window could be downright lovable sometimes.

-System Message

▶ The ‘Grand-Ducal House of Aslan’ has been added as a friendly faction.

▶ You have been granted the right to requisition resources and personnel from the ‘Grand-Ducal House of Aslan’!

▶ This group possesses enough influence to cause changes within the scenario.

▶ This will positively affect the progression of Chapter 3, ‘Rift in the Capital’!

Especially when it displayed things like this after a quest was completed.

‘This is a jackpot.’

He had picked up a whole slew of useful skills from Grand Duke Aslan, and more importantly, the message made it clear the grand duke was keeping his original promise to stand with him against the prince.

Of course, as for the right to requisition resources and personnel, well...

“...”

He had no idea just how highly that old man thought of him, but he could certainly tell the man was doing his utmost to make him part of the family.

Weren’t these the sort of powers you only got when you were practically named the heir...?

And the rewards did not even end there.

-System Message

▶ With the addition of a friendly faction, you will receive a steady supply of Points from targets whose skills cannot be copied.

▶ Relevant information has been updated in the ‘Point Shop’!

‘Oh.’

Considering the potency of the drug that had overcome even Noel’s resistance before, he could certainly look forward to what it might do when he specified the effect.

In truth, even after unlocking it, the Point Shop had been difficult to use because of its heavy reliance on randomness. But with such a large source of Points, he was bound to find a use for it.

... And he really did need that utility.

‘Chapter 3 is right around the corner...’

Come to think of it, hadn’t Chapter 3, “Rift in the Capital,” the final chapter of Act 1, been notorious even in the original game for following Chapter 2 without a moment to catch your breath?

In other words, receiving these rewards also brought the realization that he would have to start figuring out how to wring every last bit of use out of them immediately if he wanted to survive.

Which meant that the greatest “reward” he had gained in the course of this Main Quest was, in fact, presenting him with quite a troublesome problem.

“...”

Aiden scratched his head and looked ahead.

Before him stood the Soul Reaver they had been riding until just moments ago.

It was too large to put in anything like a stable, so he had temporarily housed it in something resembling a garage. Yet even there, its massive body occupied more than half the space, radiating an extraordinary sense of menace.

And size was not all it had going for it.

‘Why does a magical beast look so aristocratic?’

A glossy black mane, lofty blue eyes, a frame of muscle and bone that seemed to distill violence into an elegant form, and an innate “dignity” that brought all those striking features together.

When it had been chasing them down in a Berserk frenzy, it could not have been more terrifying. Now, it had the air of a noble who just happened to be shaped like an enormous wolf.

The problem, however, was...

“... I don’t think we can keep riding it.”

That was Noel’s first observation.

Perhaps because it was a magical beast, they could not communicate in words. But every time their eyes met, its message was perfectly clear.

It was grateful to be saved. Grateful to have its mind restored, too.

But it would not tolerate being ordered around at his whim. If he meant to try, he had better be prepared.

That was roughly what its eyes seemed to say.

‘... Hmm.’

With an inward snort, Aiden summoned a window before his eyes.

-Monster Info

⊙ Soul Reaver [Subjugated]

A magical beast at the apex of the ecosystem among quadrupedal magical beasts within the void region. Very few creatures other than dragonkind can match its physical abilities, and in some areas, it surpasses even dragonkind.

It possesses intelligence sufficient for conversation and great pride, and is currently extremely displeased at having to obey your commands.

-Weapons: Entire body

-Strengths: Athletic abilities at the pinnacle of magical beasts, defenses tougher than dragon scales, near-immortal vitality

-Weaknesses: None.

★ Under the effect of ‘Skill: Demonic Energy: Divine Command,’ it must obey commands you impose upon it.

You may impose only one command per day!

... Well, that was the problem.

In the end, Aiden was limited to giving it one command per day.

The master-servant relationship seemed firmly established enough for it to be labeled [Subjugated], and he had the sense that it would at least refrain from attacking him.

But if he forced it to do something it disliked, it seemed perfectly capable of causing any number of other problems.

In that case, it was nothing more than a time bomb he could use exactly once a day.

Even if it obeyed his command in the moment, there was no telling what it might do afterward.

“... Well, I’m no expert on magical beasts, but doesn’t it seem to be demanding rather strongly that we send it back to the void region? Perhaps we should be satisfied with having brought the Night of the Hunt under control and simply let it go.”

“No. That would be far too much of a waste.”

Rejecting Noel’s suggestion outright, Aiden looked the beast up and down.

“I’ve already given it a nickname. Reaver.”

“...”

Well, however he looked at it, this was far too valuable an asset to give up so easily.

Its stats were incredible, and above all, if it possessed this degree of intelligence and... “emotion”...

‘... That means I can get skills out of it, too, right?’

He could raise its affection and acquire its skills.

Looking at its stats made him all the more unwilling to give up.

“But with that attitude, making it a companion would be...”

“Then all we have to do is fix its attitude.”

“Do you have a way?”