Copy Skills with Affinity!

Chapter 28

Omen (2)

...To his surprise, Sir Stella accepted right away.

In any case, since I was Sir Noel's husband by contract, assisting me was also part of her duty, or so she said.

Of course, that was only after she heard the details of what needed to be done.

I mean, no matter how bizarre someone's taste might be, if they were hoping for a romantic atmosphere, they wouldn’t be leaping across rooftops with bags full of equipment.

"…Please don’t startle people like that."

Sir Stella spoke with a hint of dizziness.

"You really need to learn how to phrase things better. I was scared out of my wits."

"…"

Though frankly, I was more scared, being the one held by the collar and flown across rooftops by Stella.

Watching her carry a full-grown man like a sack of flour with one hand and leap over several buildings at a time—she truly was the epitome of a superhuman.

‘Her physical ability is unreal…!’

I had just clashed directly with the knights not long ago, and now I was viscerally experiencing how even among knights, their “rank” was clearly divided.

Of course, she was weaker than Noel, who poured all of her Heart of Pure White into her attacks, but Stella was doing all this without using any noticeable supernatural power. It was clear now that she hadn’t become the Lionhearted’s lieutenant for nothing.

Thanks to that, we were managing something I couldn’t have done alone, even if I stayed up for days on end.

"Yes, please place one there too."

Stella pouted slightly as she drove the stake deep into the spot Aiden had pointed out.

What we had been doing this whole time was running across rooftops and driving these mysterious “stakes” into designated places.

"Aiden."

Stella tilted her head as she asked,

"What exactly is the point of all this? I mean, I did finish it quickly, but still."

"There is a point."

These weren’t just ordinary stakes.

-System Log

▶ Imbuing ‘Holy Flame’ onto the target ‘Wooden Stake’.

Even while being slashed night after night by Meyer and learning how to fight, I kept working on these whenever I was awake during the day.

They weren’t as structurally complex as firearms, so imbuing them with a single supernatural ability wasn’t all that difficult but the sheer number of them was overwhelming.

Even Noel had freaked out, asking if I was going vampire hunting.

-System Log

▶ Using ‘Weaver of Fate’ on target ‘Katya’.

▶ Copying skill ‘Holy Flame Application: Delayed Release’.

And I also had the key skill needed to activate them.

A power that would allow the imbued ability inside to activate “when I want it to.”

By combining that with the Holy Flame I had already imbued into them, this setup could be used in quite a... “interesting” way.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t be enough to completely block Chapter 1.

The real core of it would be the three remaining copy rights Noel still had, and one imitation-grade copy right I could use, which was lower in performance than the original but obtained from the prince.

How I used those would determine whether I survived this incident or not.

As I followed that train of thought, Sir Stella, arms crossed, voiced her dissatisfaction again.

"…I don’t know what you're aiming for, but if it’s something like this, there’s Katya or others you could’ve asked. Why me, specifically?"

"Because I can’t ask them."

"Ask them what?"

"What exactly happened between Sir Noel and the Warden of the Realm?"

Sir Stella froze on the spot.

"…That’s someone else’s private matter. I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask me that."

"The prince is trying to use that to pressure Sir Noel. Feels like there’s a personal grudge that’s not just your usual beef."

"…"

As Stella pressed her lips together in silence, Aiden continued calmly.

"Please trust me, Sir Stella. I’m asking because I want to help Sir Noel."

"…For someone who got roped into a contract marriage, you’re working awfully hard, aren’t you?"

"Isn’t it good to work hard?"

"There’s nothing more suspicious than kindness without a clear motive or intention."

Fortunately, I did have a clear one.

"I hate the prince."

That started ever since he tried to mess with Katya just to make things difficult for me.

And I tend to hold grudges for a long time when it comes to those kinds of actions so, even more so now.

"I’m only satisfied if I ruin everything he tries to do. So I need to find out what exactly he’s using to blackmail her."

"…"

"I especially hate it when a guy I can’t stand starts making moves on Sir Noel."

"…"

"It’s disgusting to see a guy with a slick face going around playing dirty tricks behind the scenes."

That last comment finally broke Sir Stella’s composure, and I saw her cover her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh.

"…That’s a hanging offense if you get caught, Aiden."

"Oh, are you going to report me?"

"No. I hate people who act like that around Sir Noel too."

After sharing a brief, mischievous smile—the kind shared between people who understood each other without words—Stella continued in a flat tone.

"Near the end of the Allied War… there was a battle disastrously unfavorable to the Empire. Do you know about it?"

"Vaguely?"

I’d heard rumors about it.

The country the Empire fought most fiercely during the war was the Mage Kingdom Grivus, and apparently, that held true for the final battle near the Empire’s borders as well.

They said a special force was dispatched with the goal of cutting straight through the Empire to reverse the losing tide of war. The Empire’s defense forces were weak because they were completely caught off guard.

If that operation had succeeded, they wouldn’t even be standing here talking right now. The entire Empire would have been engulfed in the flames of war.

The time when the Lionhearted—Noel—rose to fame was also around that incident.

As the hero who held off the total collapse of the Empire in a single pincer move.

They said she rallied what little defense force there was and directly crushed the special forces unit the Mage Kingdom had mustered with all their might.

"…It’s not widely known, but among the personnel who deployed with Sir Noel back then, there were two particularly noteworthy individuals. One was the prince, and the other—"

Sir Teresa Adelaide.

Also known as the Warden of the Realm. A veteran of the knights.

The one who first brought Noel into the Imperial Army.

Those were the ones who led the charge in that battle, and while two of them returned, one did not.

"That’s all I know."

"…"

"The only ones who truly know what happened that day are probably Sir Noel and the prince. But what’s been said is…"

After a long pause, Stella continued in a tone that betrayed her displeasure.

"…There’s a rumor that Sir Teresa sacrificed herself ‘to save Sir Noel’ after she made a mistake during the battle."

"…"

"I heard some of the people who were there at the time say that, but no one really knows if it’s true."

"…I see."

Aiden responded with a slight frown.

Even if the specifics weren’t known, just hearing the outline helped clear up quite a few questions.

It was said that the Warden of the Realm was dear to both the prince and Noel. The original story even described her as almost a mother figure. If the rumor was true, then it made sense—however faintly—why the prince might harbor such intense resentment toward Noel.

But what was odd—

‘…Why would he propose to someone he hates that much?’

It made no sense to ask someone you despise to marry you.

Especially not after he even asked Aiden to break off the engagement so he could take that position.

It didn’t add up. This wasn’t just personal revenge—it felt like there was a completely different goal.

‘…I’ll have to dig deeper into that.’

With that thought, Aiden gave Stella a few light pats on the shoulder.

"Shall we head in?"

Tomorrow was an important day.

They needed to get a good rest and store up energy to prepare for whatever might blow up.

And if possible, get a good seat. So they could respond a little faster.

‘It’s going to blow anyway, no matter where we are.’

As the title of Act I made clear, the Imperial Capital Fracture was something no one in this city could possibly ignore.

Even if it wasn’t that severe, there was no way anyone could miss it once the incident began, no matter where they were.

While thinking about that, something suddenly floated up before Aiden’s eyes.

-System Message

▶ Quest information has been updated!

-Quest Info

◈ Act I,

▶ Chapter 1 will begin soon!

▶ A related incident will occur shortly. (D-Day!)

◈ Fake Marriage

▶ You have been selected as Sir Noel’s spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner to the end!

▶ A related incident will occur shortly. (D-Day!)

…Updated?

He wondered why this had suddenly appeared, and then realized—it was about the time the date would turn over.

Well, that made sense for an update. He was thinking about it lightly when—

-…

-…!

-…!!

Suddenly.

Without any warning.

A horrifyingly ominous aura began to whip around the area.

Apparently, Aiden wasn’t the only one who sensed it. Sir Stella, who was about to jump with him tucked under her arm like baggage, flinched and looked up at the sky.

"…What is that…?"

A sinister deathly aura, visualized as black mist, surged around them. Then it began to spiral and converge, shooting up into the sky.

And there, visible even from here, was a “rift.”

Like a torn piece of paper, a crack appeared, distorting the surrounding space like a crumpled painting.

Then.

The space that had initially cracked like fine lines finally expanded into a massive, splitting fracture with a loud tearing sound.

‘Ah.’

Aiden sighed inwardly.

It was a sight that stuck vividly in his memory.

This was it.

The beginning event of Act I, “The Ghost Knight Incident.”

‘Heartless bastards…!’

Soon enough, a curse he wasn’t even sure who it was directed at burst out from within him.

They could’ve at least given him a little rest…!

"…You’d better hold on tight, Aiden."

Stella, now with a hardened expression, said this as she wrapped both arms tightly around him.

Aiden felt as if he had been upgraded from a mere bundle of luggage to a precious item.

"I’ll take you somewhere safe at full speed. Then I’ll call for reinforcements—"

But that sentence didn’t need to be finished.

"Aiden!"

In a situation this abnormal, there was someone who’d worry about him even more than Stella.

Barely moments after the swirling anomaly appeared—how she even found him this quickly was a mystery—Sir Noel’s voice rang out from a distance.

Then, like always, Sir Noel shot down from the sky like a meteor and landed before them.

"Are you unharmed?! Something strange suddenly—"

She tried to continue speaking but clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence.

It was probably because she saw Aiden clinging tightly to Stella, like a baby bird wrapped in its mother’s wings.

"……"

"……"

"……"

An incredibly awkward silence settled over the three of them.

And it lingered for quite a long time...

"…Aiden."

Noel finally broke the silence, barely managing to get her voice out.

As always, she wore that usual smile on her face.

It looked like she was trying her best not to make things tense.

"…The two of you look rather strange right now, but I don’t think this is the time to be worrying about such things."

"…Right?"

"So I’ll just ask one simple question."

…So asking later wasn’t an option.

No matter how urgent the situation, she wasn’t going to let this go unchecked…

Looking closely, even though she was smiling at him, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

"What were you doing with Stella?"

"…Just taking a walk."

"At this hour?"

"…"

"Just the two of you?"

"…"

"Interesting."

"…I haven’t done anything I’d be ashamed of in front of you, Sir Noel."

"Is that so."

Her voice was as soft as ever, but Aiden felt like he could see the sentences hidden between the lines.

Oh really, is that what you’re going with?

—That sort of thing.

"Even if you had done such a thing, I don’t really have any right to say anything. After all… our marriage is just a ‘contract’ one, isn’t it?"

"…Sir Noel?"

"Yes, exactly. We’re not exactly in a relationship where we exchange deep emotions with one another. Right…"

Aiden’s eyes drifted over to Noel, who was speaking while brushing her fingers along the sheath of her sword.

It might just be a habitual gesture but still, it dried out his throat…

"…And you said you liked me."

"Sorry?"

"Nothing."

She mumbled something, and when he asked again, Noel shut him down sharply.

Then she turned her gaze away with her eyebrows stiffened into a straight line.

That chilly smile still lingered at the corner of her lips…

"…For now, shall we take care of that first?"

Her gaze shifted to the massive rift in the sky, now large enough for everyone in the capital to see.

"…"

Somehow, it looked as if she was planning to go over there and take out all her frustration on it.