Copy Skills with Affinity!

Chapter 32

Pursuit**

The courtroom was filled with silence.

While the silence during the administrative minister’s earlier remarks had likely stemmed from some covert promises or prior hints, this time, it clearly originated from pure shock.

And with good reason—who in their right mind would speak like that to a royal?

“……”

What surprised them even more was that the prince, who had been on the receiving end of such outrageous words, showed no particular reaction.

He merely raised his previously closed eyes slowly, his face expressionless, lacking even the faintest trace of emotion as he looked at his counterpart.

“That was lèse-majesté, Mr. Aiden.”

Even the soft voice that broke the silence remained within the expected bounds of formality.

“Please consider whether you’re prepared to take responsibility for your actions.”

However, there was a chilling sharpness embedded in that voice, enough to make even Aiden momentarily pause.

“You’re free to oppose and confront my will. But do not insult me. Do not insult the imperial authority. That is no different from insulting the Empire and its people, which I bear on my shoulders.”

“……”

“As the next ruler, my personal treatment reflects upon the dignity of the Empire. I ask that you do not forget that.”

Every part of his statement was laced with a sense of pride—pride in representing the Empire.

He wasn’t speaking for himself, but as a representative of the group he carried upon his back.

It was an unmistakable warning.

If one wished to trade blows, let it be done behind the scenes.

▶ The incidents listed under this section impose severe penalties upon failure!

◈ Fake Marriage (Important!)

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

▶ A related event will occur soon. (D-?)

▶ This is a top-priority event. It holds ‘Main Quest’-level importance!

▶ Upon clearing it, your relationship with the subject will undergo drastic changes!

It had been updated after yesterday’s events.

While the ‘subjugation mission’ listed in the main quest still didn’t have a date, this had been refreshed.

It seemed to be progressing in tandem with the Warden of the Realm incident, just like before.

“……”

What concerned him was the phrase: ‘relationship will undergo drastic changes.’

Previously, when such a note appeared for Katya, she had gone from growling at him like she’d devour him to now calling him a friend.

Compared to how things had been before, that definitely qualified as a drastic change.

The problem was—

‘…Isn’t Lady Noel already extremely friendly toward me?’

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was almost overprotective.

He understood that she felt responsible for bringing him into this situation, but even so, there were times it made even him flinch.

If this meant things would become even more affectionate, how in the world was he supposed to respond then…?

“……”

Honestly, it did worry him a bit.

Especially considering what had happened right after yesterday’s stunt.

‘…I really got scolded.’

The moment they returned to the government building, she had sat him down and scolded him for hours on end.

How could he be so reckless, didn’t he understand something serious might actually happen if he kept acting like that, from her standpoint of wanting to send him back safely to his family, it was truly distressing...

Of course, the fact that she was so furiously upset, to the point of tears, made it painfully obvious it was because she was genuinely worried for him and that left him speechless.

—Thank you.

…Come to think of it, hadn’t he ended it with those words?

—Anyway, you did it for my sake.

—I didn’t think you’d go that far.

With those words, Noel had rushed off to her room.

Telling him to let her know if he needed any help.

…With her face bright red.

‘Hmm.’

He had heard her express gratitude before—when she was completely drunk but hearing it while she was sober was a first.

And, sorry to say—

While he appreciated the sentiment of wanting to help with anything, there was just one place he couldn’t bring her.

“Why?”

“What we’re about to do now is something only Katya can handle.”

At those words, Katya, who had been keeping pace beside him with quick steps, grinned.

“…So it’s something only friends can do together?”

“Well, you could say that.”

He didn’t see any reason to deny it, so he agreed, and with that, Katya, her robe pulled deep over her head, giggled and clung to Aiden.

The way she latched onto one of his arms, almost as if claiming it as her own, clearly showed she was very satisfied with his answer.

‘…Is this how close friends normally get?’

That thought surfaced naturally.

Who knew.

He’d always thought she had some trouble defining relationships, but sometimes even he wasn’t sure what exactly she meant when she said “friend.”

To be precise, he had no idea what she thought of him.

It definitely didn’t feel romantic, but it wasn’t exactly ordinary friendship either—so what was it…?

‘…Anyway.’

The fact that Katya was clinging a bit more than expected was something he’d need more time to think through.

But for now, there was something more pressing.

‘The immediate goal is…’

To prove that the prince was attacking Noel through incitement, which required going through three steps.

First, proving that the smuggled weapons into the Capital had nothing to do with Noel; second, showing that the attack on the military government building was unrelated to her.

“……”

The good news was that both of those objectives could be significantly advanced through just one action.

They only had to find one thing.

The “operational organization” that connected all three incidents.

He had already received a hint about them before.

—If I can’t find them, it means whoever’s backing them is at least a high-ranking noble. You want me to dig into that? That’s the kind of thing that gets heads rolling.

That was what Billy Hagan had said when Aiden previously asked him to investigate who was smuggling weapons into the Capital.

Even a capable informant like him had backed off, which meant there was some organization being protected by someone powerful.

—Weapons like Hellfire Bombs, the Subjugation Pillars used in Katya’s abduction, and the Roots used to trigger dimensional rifts…

They were all things that couldn’t be easily acquired through normal means, which meant there was a high probability that some group was systematically “managing” all these affairs.

If such an organization existed, it would undoubtedly be holding a trove of evidence showing that the prince and the administrative minister were the ones who instigated these acts.

At the very least, that was how things went in the underworld dealings Aiden had seen during his time as a conman.

“Aha—you’re here to find their pawns, huh?”

When he explained his purpose, Katya nodded as though she understood completely.

Even if she was a royal left outside the public eye, she was still someone who had lived in a palace riddled with political schemes. She already understood how these things worked.

To acquire and smuggle in such items without drawing attention, it had to be done quickly and with the smallest possible number of elite personnel.

Dangerous and covert missions always required a minimal team of highly skilled operatives.

The place Aiden was walking through now could easily be called the natural habitat of such people.

‘…Here we go again.’

The Imperial Capital black market.

It was the perfect place to start an investigation.

A den of crime, a lawless zone, and a place overflowing with near-limitless information.

There was even a strange sense of nostalgia to it.

Come to think of it, this was also where he’d first met Katya.

“So how do you plan on finding those guys? Even if they’re here somewhere, you’ve got no info at the moment, right?”

“It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Considering even Billy couldn’t dig up anything on them, it was safe to say they were well hidden. That metaphor was more than appropriate.

“That’s why—”

Aiden grinned crookedly.

Even he found the idea he’d come up with to be ridiculous.

“—why don’t we just shovel out all the hay? Then the needle should fall out too.”

For some reason, whenever he was with Katya, he felt more reckless than usual.

Maybe it was contagious—his tendency to “want to feel something” pushing him to seek the most intense stimuli, just like her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

When Katya tilted her head and asked, Aiden replied casually, as though it were nothing.

“Life’s been kind of boring lately, hasn’t it?”

“……”

The moment she heard those words—

A mischievous grin spread across Katya’s face.

“…I knew being friends with you was the right call.”

Whatever it was, it was obvious he’d come up with a very “stimulating” plan.