Chapter 92 - Dispatch

"What are you going to do?"

Noel asked the question looking utterly overwhelmed. Her voice carried the scars of all the trouble she had endured when Katya's appointment had landed on her without warning.

In truth, though, there was hardly a choice to make.

"We can't very well refuse and send her back. Not if what's written here is true."

Aiden answered as though this were giving him a headache too.

Through the window into the adjoining room, he could see Morrigan staring into space with her gaze lowered. When he turned back, the additional letter she had brought from Ganesha lay on the desk.

-Please put her to good use. If my prediction is correct, you will absolutely need her help.

What was that supposed to mean? It sounded ominous.

Aiden didn't know everything about Ganesha Aldebaran, but he knew, at least, that the man never acted without a reason. Saying that he would "absolutely" need her help could be taken to mean that something terrible might happen without it.

"Is this Ganesha someone we can trust?"

"... He won't be talking nonsense."

Judging by his consistent behavior so far, at least, it was difficult to imagine Ganesha harboring ill will toward Aiden. He couldn't say the man had no ulterior motives, but he could trust that Ganesha fundamentally wanted him to "grow."

If he had decided she would be useful, and that Aiden needed that help, he must have had grounds for doing so.

'Though I don't like how he goes out of his way not to tell me what those grounds are.'

As Aiden frowned at the thought, Noel twirled the pen in her hand, her face just as deeply furrowed. Her displeasure was plain to see.

"But that would mean keeping her by your side as a sort of secretary."

"I suppose so. Though we'll need to look into her background."

"..."

At his offhand reply, Noel's face twisted much more severely than before. By now, even he couldn't help asking another question.

"... Is something bothering you, Dame Noel? Surely it isn't because she's a demihuman—"

"What do you take me for, Aiden? I would recommend that she disguise herself as a human in public, since she might attract unsavory attention, but I have no prejudice against demihumans."

"Then is there another reason?"

"A secretary. A female secretary."

"... Pardon?"

"A secretary who's a woman, and on top of that—"

Noel trailed off, looking toward Morrigan.

She was undeniably beautiful. Her appearance strayed a little too far from an ordinary human's, but she was a woman with a distinctive beauty nonetheless. The dragon scales scattered across her entire body except for her face even seemed to lend her a more mysterious air.

And a woman like that was going to stay at Aiden's side, helping him with his work all day long...

"This is ridiculous, honestly...!"

"..."

Wait.

He might build up her affection to copy skills, but the possibility of actually getting romantically involved with her hadn't even crossed his mind.

"... I assure you, nothing of the sort you're worried about will happen, so you needn't worry. We should be more concerned about verifying her background—"

"You needn't worry about that, either."

The clear, measured words came from Morrigan's room. Noel and Aiden both froze.

Wasn't that wall soundproof? Given how many superhumans frequented the capital's headquarters, it should have been designed to work even against supernatural power users.

Yet the woman seemed to have heard their entire conversation without any difficulty.

"There is a brand engraved on my body. It carries a powerful binding that prevents me from ever harming its master in any way. If I attempt to violate it, the binding will stop my heart. Before coming here, I had the brand's master changed to you, Lord Aiden. I can let you verify it right now."

"..."

"Though I hesitate to boast, I possess a variety of talents. Would you consider trying me out for a day? If you are unsatisfied, you are welcome to 'dispose' of me."

"..."

"Would that be enough to earn your trust?"

... Never mind earning their trust. At this point, it was more like she was threatening them into giving her a try.

▣

In fact, Aiden had found himself with considerably more official engagements than he had expected.

Dame Noel generally tried to keep him out of such matters as much as possible, but the ducal House of Aslan had openly granted him various powers. Merely being affiliated with such great nobles put him in an ideal position to build a network of his own. Even if he turned down every request and tried to stay uninvolved, people were naturally going to try to establish connections with him.

Of course, it was exhausting. However politely he tried to refuse, he still had to observe the formalities appropriate to their standing. People who considered themselves important wanted to feel they were being accorded respect in every little thing.

In that regard, Morrigan was an exceptionally capable secretary.

"Viscount Trajin and the representative of the Small Merchants and Farmers' Association will visit at three and six this afternoon, respectively. Viscount Trajin is fond of outward appearances, so I recommend paying particular attention to your attire. Suitable outfits have been prepared in advance; I suggest choosing one yourself."

"..."

Aiden could feel Katya glaring sourly at her from beside him. She clearly couldn't stand how competence practically poured from every sentence.

Apparently, Morrigan had served as Ganesha's secretary for many years. Perhaps this degree of expertise was only natural after so long assisting a merchant magnate who held the underworld in his hands...

Katya, of course, was clearly displeased. Even as that first-rate support continued, she pouted and grumbled.

"... I'm the aide."

Officially, yes. Officially.

It wasn't that Katya was particularly unintelligent, but she had no experience whatsoever with this sort of thing, making it impossible for her to help Aiden in that way. In fact, there were areas where he doubted she could have helped even with experience.

As they walked down a corridor to their next destination, Morrigan suddenly slipped ahead of him. She naturally guided him toward the inner side of the corridor while walking on the outside herself.

When he asked whether there was a reason for it, the answer came immediately.

"I am checking my protective positioning."

"Pardon?"

"There is a risk of sniper fire or an ambush. Should that happen, it would be better for me to take the hit in your place."

"..."

... Come to think of it, an aide's duties did include serving as a bodyguard.

As for why he had never experienced anything of the sort before:

"... Oh, those things were a problem, weren't they?"

For a start, his official aide, Katya, had no wariness of such things at all. Perhaps that was understandable, given that she wasn't wary of getting hurt in the first place.

"... Oh, that was dangerous, wasn't it?"

"..."

Aiden regarded Noel in disbelief as she blankly repeated much the same thing. His look asked why she, of all people, failed to understand, but she continued with the same vacant expression.

"... I did think you could simply deflect anything that came flying at you. And if it were aimed at you, Aiden, I could do it for you."

"..."

He forgot sometimes, but she was ultimately a monster on par with Katya. Her reasoning was different, but she was just as incapable of viewing such things as threats.

Morrigan, on the other hand, considered every possible contingency in everything she did. It felt as though she was carefully adjusting to his level, eliminating even the slightest threat before it could arise.

'... She's good...?'

She really was capable. So much so that he couldn't help thinking she hadn't boasted of her talents for nothing. Whatever task she was given, she handled it with ease, whether it was administrative work, protection duties, or some trivial chore.

She was so good that even Katya, who had never shown the slightest interest in performing those duties, was visibly growing anxious, conscious of her own shortcomings. If someone who so thoroughly went her own way reacted like that, it spoke volumes about Morrigan's abilities.

But one thing bothered him.

'... Dispose of her?'

Aiden frowned inwardly as he recalled Morrigan saying that with an utterly expressionless face.

How could he describe what he'd seen of her so far?

She was like a robot in every respect. In the sense that she seemed to have very little emotion. He wasn't even sure she felt such things at all.

Hearing her tell them to dispose of her so casually, in that tone, naturally left him with a certain impression. Her disregard for herself seemed similar to Katya's, but it was of a different nature from the suicidal urges Katya carried.

'It's like she's treating herself as a tool.'

She treated herself as though it didn't matter what anyone did to her. Like a tool. As though she didn't mind being treated that way.

But with her handling everything so smoothly, it was difficult to find fault with her over it. She was proving her worth far beyond her original claims.

"... You've done enough."

So much so that by evening, even Noel, who had objected the most vehemently, said that.

"It would be our loss not to employ someone so outstanding. We should thank Mr. Ganesha."

Morrigan inclined her head to her without a word, her face expressionless. Presumably, it was a gesture of thanks.

"..."

Well.

Now that they had decided to keep her around, it was hardly worth voicing the feelings he'd had earlier. Aiden shook his head as if to dismiss those thoughts and changed the subject.

"Then I'll excuse myself. I need to do my combat training."

Every evening, Aiden made a point of heading off to the training grounds to work out. Of course, Meyer beat the living daylights out of him in the Mindscape every day, but he still had to set aside time for training outside it to keep his instincts sharp for actual combat.

Noel and Katya nodded in understanding. The reason they didn't insist on following was that he had adamantly refused all their requests to join him so far.

'Of course I have to refuse.'

The reason was simple.

... They were far too mismatched.

A single blow thrown with their eyes closed might be enough to finish him off instantly...

"..."

As he wondered whether to be happy or sad about that, Morrigan's flat voice came from beside him.

"Then I shall accompany you."

"... Pardon? But—"

"You needn't worry."

Flustered, Aiden tried to refuse, but Morrigan cut him off before he could.

"I am confident I can be of help, in 'whatever way' is required."

"..."