“Ms. Noel.”
“Yes, Chief.”
“You picked a good husband.”
Noel silently refilled Dunadan’s glass. She never thought her hobby of collecting liquor would come in handy like this. Though it was clearly too early to drink, she couldn’t help but pour when she saw his condition.
At first, she wondered why he had come so suddenly, but after hearing what had just happened, it made sense.
“Aiden managed to collect three cores of law within a few hours?”
“And effortlessly so, at that.”
When Noel cautiously recounted the recent events, Dunadan downed the glass of liquor in one gulp, the emptiness in his movements evident.
“Do you know that creating the first core is used as a coming-of-age rite in the Confederation, Ms. Noel?”
“I’ve heard from those who fought with me.”
“And you also know that everyone in the Confederation is required to learn how to handle the power of law from birth, right?”
Even with all that early training, creating just one core by the time they reach adulthood is considered ‘average.’ The individual combat power of the Confederation members, relative to their population size, is among the highest on the continent.
‘Indeed…’
Noel rummaged through her memory. She remembered that even warriors with only two or three cores shone brightly during the hellish Union Wars.
And yet, this person, Aiden Kellermain… had reached that level in just a few hours.
“Simply possessing abilities and mastering them are completely different matters.”
There are those who are blessed. People who handle multiple abilities effortlessly. It’s hard to deny that Aiden Kellermain falls into that category.
So…
“To be honest, I was preparing myself to console you. Even those confident in their strength find it hard to master the power of law.”
He had seen many who were geniuses, who had been blessed, and yet despaired, wondering why they couldn’t handle this.
And what method he used, no one knows, but this man is someone who possesses both Noel’s pure white energy and the divine power of the royal family of Holy Kingdom. It wasn’t hard to imagine he would be quite proud.
Dunadan had expected Aiden to experience the same sense of frustration, the same ‘wall’ he and others had faced when they first dealt with the power of law.
But instead, it was Aiden looking at a ‘beginner’ and feeling those emotions. That was something Dunadan had not foreseen.
“That man is a genius.”
Seeing Noel quietly nod in agreement, Dunadan’s face briefly contorted as if he were reflecting on the words he had just spoken.
“No… calling him a genius is actually an understatement.”
He swirled the liquor in his glass as he continued.
“He’s a monster.”
Aiden’s talent is undeniably extraordinary, but it’s not unique. Even historical records are full of individuals whose talents could only be described as violent.
The savior of humanity, the fallen god of destruction, the forgotten…
With such terrifying names etched in the continent’s history, his abilities are not unprecedented.
That’s what Dunadan had thought—until he saw firsthand what Aiden had done yesterday.
“I’ve been called a genius my whole life, but I’ve never seen anything like that. If I went back to the Great Plains and told the other chiefs, they’d think I was insane.”
After Dunadan’s blunt evaluation, Noel was silent for a moment before speaking up.
“How long does it usually take to reach that level?”
“For an ordinary person, about ten years.”
“It took me two.”
“Trust me, Ms. Noel, you really picked a good husband. I’m curious to see how far that guy will go.”
What took a so-called genius two years, he had accomplished in a night, within just a few hours.
Noel touched her cheek, momentarily pondering what she should say.
Dunadan, having been born with the talent to look down on others his entire life, had become the standard of genius. Now, he was on the verge of losing his mind after seeing talent that seemed to erect an insurmountable wall.
Should she console him?
Or…
“Of course, it’s Aiden.”
“…It’s nice that you have such a good relationship, but do you have to boast about your husband in front of me right now?”
Noel chuckled softly as she refilled his glass again. In truth, it wasn’t so much boasting as her being just as astonished by the events.
Not only his abilities, but she was also questioning the man’s actions.
‘Why did he suddenly start training?’
Anyone with half a brain would know that Aiden went to extreme lengths to avoid getting involved in any ‘big,’ ‘troublesome,’ or ‘difficult’ matters. Of course, by being by her side, he naturally had to deal with such things, but it was clear from his behavior that he didn’t welcome it.
In fact, wasn’t Noel almost always by his side, practically watching over him, to ensure he didn’t get caught up in anything suddenly?
As she mulled over these doubts, Dunadan, once again in a dazed voice, dropped a sentence out of the blue.
“That’s a decent drink.”
“I have another bottle, so I’ll gift it to you.”
“Don’t you want to have a drink-off?”
“I still have official duties left to attend to.”
Noel gave a bitter smile. At least one person needed to stay clear-headed, just in case someone else was too out of it and caused some unfortunate mishap. That’s probably why, if not for the curiosity she harbored, this wouldn’t be happening.
“But why did Aiden want to learn the power of law?”
“He said there’s someone he wants to impress. He wants to become a better person.”
“……”
“I told you, didn’t I? You picked a great husband. A guy with that much talent, who is that devoted, must be living a worthwhile life.”
Noel stared at Dunadan in silence for a long time. So long, in fact, that the person who had spoken started to feel awkward. It almost seemed like she was trying to suppress her confusion.
“You didn’t mean me, right?”
After staying quiet, Noel cautiously muttered that. Dunadan, finding it ridiculous, responded in disbelief.
“If not for his newlywed wife, who else would he say that to?”
Noel’s expression grew even more unreadable. Well, he wasn’t wrong. But still, Aiden was someone who had been kidnapped and forced into a contract marriage. There’s no reason for him to say something like that to ‘her’.
-You don’t remember? From when we were kids?
-Never mind. I didn’t expect you to have really forgotten.
-It’s not impossible, though.
The string of thoughts pounding in her head caused Noel to rub her face. Again. And again. And again.
Even though she wanted to dismiss it, these thoughts kept ensnaring her. Could it be that guy… actually liked her in the past? Is that why he’s saying such things without any shame?
She wasn’t sure. She wanted to push these thoughts to the back of her mind, convinced she couldn’t figure them out immediately. But with the constant reminders, it was impossible to ignore them.
And when thoughts like these crop up, the solution is pretty clear.
Noel sighed, went to the cupboard, and pulled out another glass. Seeing her actions, Dunadan chuckled.
“Don’t you still have work to do?”
“Now that I think about it, a few drinks might actually help, rather than hinder.”
“Of course.”
With a clink, the two glasses met at the rim.
‘…Does he really like me?’
As she poured liquor into her glass, Noel found herself mulling over the thought again.
‘…No way. That doesn’t make any sense.’
She downed half the alcohol in one go, trying to shake the thought from her mind.
Whether it was the drink or something else, her face felt hot.
***
From the system window:
『Dunadan U’zal』
Bond Level: 2
– You can copy one additional skill.
<Copied Skill>
General Ability: Power of Law
An ability granted by the god of Ascension, Urgan. It can be used by imposing self-restrictions.
▶Number of Cores: 5
※ Skill correction allows for rapid mastery. A unique trait is applied.
※ Only ‘unique’ restrictions can be designated. It cannot be used by any other means. However, if these conditions are met, the skill will change.
Aiden stared at the number “5” next to the core count in the system window.
‘I stopped at three because of the chief…?’
The more cores he gained, the more he felt like he was losing his mind, so he became increasingly conscious of it. That’s why the additional questions he wanted to ask were left unanswered.
Two sentences attached to the bottom of the skill window were the problem.
‘I can only use special restrictions?’
In the game, it was possible to use simple restrictions like “skip a meal” or “don’t sleep for more than seven hours.” However, when Aiden tried, all of those types of restrictions were invalid. Just as it was written in the skill window, only special ones seemed to work.
‘What does “unique” restrictions even mean?’
Judging from the system’s terminology so far, it likely referred to something that no one else had used before.
‘A restriction that no one else has used?’
Just thinking about the number of people in the Great Plains made him dizzy. And the number of people using the power of law on the entire continent made it even more overwhelming.
At this rate, did he learn the power of law only to be unable to use it?
‘I need to think this through.’
As he closed the window, a new message suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.
—
-System Message-
▶The affection level of ‘Noel Astria Simus’ has increased.
The bond level has risen from 2 to 3.
An additional skill copy is granted!
▶Content related to the main quest will be added soon!
Aiden blinked in confusion as he stared at the sudden window that appeared.
‘Did that actually work?’
Aiden had considered that the remark he casually tossed to Dunadan might be passed on to Noel. To be honest, it was half a joke, but now that her affection had really increased, it left him feeling a bit uneasy.
At this point, he realized he needed to reconsider his approach. If her feelings were rising this quickly, it might eventually lead to a deeper relationship.
‘But surely it won’t go that far, right?’
For now, it was just a series of coincidences that had drawn her closer to him. The attention she was giving him would eventually shift when the real ‘protagonist’ showed up. After all, Aiden planned to pass everything off to the protagonist and return to a normal life. He just needed to make good use of the situation until then.
Aiden tapped his chin, lost in thought.
‘What do I have left…?’
Currently, he had three skill copies remaining: one from Katia, one from Noel, and one he could get from the Emperor.
‘I don’t need to learn them right away.’
Who knows what might happen in the upcoming events related to the main scenario? It would be odd to prepare a skill in advance. He’d already skimmed through the available skills, so when the time came, he could flexibly choose the most suitable one for the situation.
After all, the reason he’d gone through the trouble of learning the power of law was to prepare for an unexpected emergency.
‘…Though it would be ideal if nothing happens, and I don’t have to use anything at all.’
Wasn’t that why he was working so hard now?
***
His destination was a place he had visited before—Billy Hagan’s tool shop—to retrieve the information he had requested.
As soon as he walked into the shop, Billy snorted upon recognizing his face.
“Oh, you’re the guy who sticks his nose into dangerous business, right?”
A weird way to be remembered, but whatever.
“The information?”
The moment Aiden asked, a rolled-up stack of documents was dropped onto the counter.
“I’ve got everything: trade volumes, distribution routes, and the most important bit—the ‘location of the transaction.'”
Billy emphasized the location, likely because Aiden had specifically requested it, suspecting it might be where an incident would occur.
Aiden nodded and began to flip through the documents. The work was certainly worth the extra payment.
He placed a bag of gold coins on the counter.
“Added 50 more gold as a token of appreciation.”
“You rich or something?”
Noel had indeed been generous, so Aiden gave a casual nod.
After confirming the amount, Billy chuckled, removing the extra gold.
“Take it back. I didn’t do the full job anyway.”
“What?”
“Those weapons, I couldn’t find out who’s distributing them.”
“It’s 550 gold. You could’ve put in more effort.”
Billy laughed heartily and replied, “You kidding me?”
“If I couldn’t find it, it means it’s at least a high-ranking noble. Do you want someone’s head to roll for that?”
“…I see.”
Aiden nodded, though his expression tightened.
‘Was that always untraceable?’
A high-ranking noble, huh?
In the game, tracking the group responsible for distribution wasn’t particularly difficult. They were just common thugs. Finding out who was pulling the strings had been the tricky part.
But hitting a wall this early? That wasn’t how he remembered it.
‘Something’s different.’
The strained relationship between the prince and emperor, who were supposed to be allies in Act 1, felt off. The first main event of the scenario wasn’t quite lining up either. There was a growing sense of dissonance, like small details were constantly out of place.
And that feeling—that the world was diverging from the original—was only growing stronger with one particular issue.
“Mr. Billy…”
“Just call me Billy. What is it?”
“The details I requested about that person… they’re missing from this.”
“If it’s missing, it’s because I couldn’t find it.”
“…Really?”
Once again, the information about the ‘protagonist’ was absent.
Even someone as competent as Billy hadn’t been able to locate anything.
Aiden hadn’t lost hope just yet. Even if the main scenario seemed to be going off track, if the protagonist didn’t exist, the very foundation of this game-like world would be at risk.
But…
What if?
What if, when tomorrow’s event arrives, the protagonist isn’t there?
What if this world truly is a ‘world without a protagonist’?
***
Quest Info
Failing the events listed here will result in severe penalties!
Sham Marriage
– You have been chosen as the spouse of Lady Noel. Keep the contract until the end!
Act 1: The Institutional Rift
– Your interactions with key figures are increasing.
– Soon, you will be officially integrated into the scenario. The direction of the story will depend on your choices!
– A related event will happen soon. (D-2)
Life is Beautiful
– Katia Heinkel Craven has something she desperately wants from you. Help her experience things fully!
—
If he had to resolve these terrifying events ‘all by himself’…
He had an idea. Something he could do, though he absolutely didn’t want to, and the chances were slim.
But if that moment of desperation arrived…
He’d have no choice.
He would have to do what needed to be done.
Cliche Novel 