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Stella, seated with her, spoke up with a hint of a headache.

“That person, I heard he has no connections in noble society.”

“That’s what I’ve heard as well.”

Noel answered with a bewildered expression.

“I thought he’d be someone similar, being the husband of that always dignified hero, but he’s just a fortunate young man. When will he come to my estate? I’ll treat him well.”

“I’ll be waiting, Sir Baron. Ah, General, you should come with us later—”

In front of them was Aiden, talking with several people simultaneously while wearing a sociable smile.

He conversed casually with the sly nobles, leading the mood as if he were quite used to this type of gathering, almost as if this was his ‘main job.’

Laughter never ceased around him.

Even those who had been wary of the mysterious man who commanded important foreign personnel as aides relaxed and grew friendlier the more they talked with him.

Of course, it was clear from the beginning that he must be skilled at handling people, considering his occupation as a con artist, but honestly…

‘It wasn’t a lie?’

Noel scratched her cheek as such thoughts passed through her mind.

She couldn’t count how many times that man had impressed her when it came to ‘fights.’

It was clear that such skills could only come from rigorous training in abilities and combat since childhood.

People like him typically struggle with social situations, as they wouldn’t have experienced much of them.

Like Noel herself.

She had always found these gatherings difficult, so she couldn’t help but be envious of his talent.

‘Aiden, you’re quite something, aren’t you?’

As she thought this, she absentmindedly wiggled her toes.

‘It was a good idea to leave it to the Central Intelligence Agency.’

The problem was that by this point, she had even less idea who he originally was.

She sighed inwardly, recalling the ‘profile’ she had submitted about Aiden.

It was fortunate she had that, or she wouldn’t have been able to guess who he was at all.

“So, how’s your married life with the Lionheart?”

“I think I’m blessed with a partner far too good for me. I live benefiting from her every day.”

…It might seem a bit much, going around stubbornly repeating things like ‘I won’t let you lose confidence,’ but…

She downed a glass of champagne in one go.

If she had to watch him spout such embarrassing words in real-time, she needed to dull her senses a bit.

“Would you like another drink?”

“Ah, please—”

As she said this and turned her head toward the voice that had approached her, a chilling sensation surged through her veins.

“Are you enjoying the banquet, Lady Noel?”

…….

“It’s the first time we’ve met face-to-face since the battle with the Magical Kingdom, isn’t it? You haven’t changed at all.”

Not responding to someone continuing a conversation so familiarly like this was a mistake Noel would never normally make.

But—

—if the person was him.

His polite voice, courteous demeanor, and the dignity and formality woven into every gesture…

This was a man who radiated such noble aura that it was hard to approach, but for Noel, he was the last person on earth she wanted to meet.

Just hearing what he said next confirmed that.

“You found yourself a decent ‘substitute,’ didn’t you? Even as a fake, he’s not lacking as a husband.”

Without batting an eye, he dug deep into her heart as if stabbing her with a dagger.

“Was my proposal that unbearable to you? I’m a little hurt.”

He said jokingly, and with great difficulty, she managed to call him by his ‘title’ in a voice that even carried a hint of fear.

“…Your Highness.”

The prince, her once prospective groom, smiled warmly.

-System Message-

[The ‘Weaver of Fate’ skill is working smoothly.]

[Rewards will be given based on the ‘relationship bond’ gained from the target.]

[ Baron Lannister shows favor toward you.]

[ Viscount Klinksmann shows favor toward you.]

[Colonel Shepard shows favor toward you…]

‘Yes, yes, yes…’

Aiden silently smiled as he looked at the system messages updating beside him.

He was merely standing and conversing with those around him, yet people’s favor toward him continued to increase, like fish constantly swimming into a well-placed trap.

First impressions were indeed crucial.

By giving off the impression of an ‘important person,’ people naturally showed favor toward him even when he only engaged in casual conversation.

‘I’m glad I dressed up nicely…!’

It must be due to the effects of his ‘royal lineage’ skill and having Katia by his side as his aide.

Aiden himself wasn’t anyone special.

He had just been living an ordinary life.

His skill in conversation and ability to gauge emotions were his talents, but the ‘stage’ to display these talents was set up thanks to his skills and the people he surrounded himself with.

Still, what bothered him was that the form of ‘rewards’ this time seemed slightly different from what he had seen before.

-System Message-

[The scenario importance of the targets is low. The number of skills you can copy is significantly limited.]

[The Weaver of Fate converts to ‘points.’ Once a certain level of points accumulates, the ‘Point Shop’ will open!]

‘A Point Shop, huh.’

He didn’t know what kind of function that was, but at least it didn’t seem like a bad thing.

‘It feels like I’ve spoken to quite a lot of people…  

He must have spoken to at least dozens, but this shop still hasn’t opened.  

He didn’t know for sure, but they must be holding onto some enormous things, so that’s probably why.  

‘Still, I should be meeting them soon, right?’  

The person he was aiming to meet hadn’t appeared yet. One of the two should be coming out soon.  

Fortunately, there was no need to dwell on that thought any further.  

A familiar face was approaching from the side.  

“Ah, Sir Aiden.”  

“Chieftain?”  

It was Dunadan U’zal, the dragon slayer.  

He had heard that Dunadan was still staying in the Empire for the sake of diplomacy, and it seemed he had attended the banquet as well.  

However, what caught Aiden’s attention was not Dunadan but the small woman walking beside him in step.  

“And this is…?” 

Though he asked, Aiden had a rough guess about her identity.  

She was one of the reasons he had come to this banquet.  

“This is my eldest daughter, Rania Ashan.”  

At those words, the woman lifted her head slightly to look at Aiden.  

Rania left quite a unique impression on Aiden.  

She was beautiful. Beautiful, but…  

With her thick pink hair, an eyepatch covering one eye, the loosely draped traditional attire of the Tribal Union, a tattoo trailing from her collarbone to her neck, a perpetually uninterested expression, and a cigarette cynically hanging from her lips…  

In addition to that—  

“Hello.”  

With a flick of her fingers and a casual, informal greeting, she certainly didn’t give off the image of a priestess who worships a god.  

Not at all.  

But Aiden didn’t particularly mind such things.  

“The priests of Urgan never use honorifics for anyone except Urgan himself. In fact, using them would be considered rude, so I ask for your understanding.”  

“Yes, that’s fine.”  

What Dunadan said, almost apologetically, was already an established fact in the game.  

Considering the position that the priestess of Urgan held within the Tribal Union, it was not at all strange for her to speak informally to Aiden.  

Each deity has a representative who acts as a direct conduit for their will, and in the Tribal Union, that role is filled by the priestess.  

Since they have a ‘direct line’ to their god, they rank highly among the superhumans who deal with supernatural abilities, both in terms of combat power and symbolic significance.  

A person in such a position could not be treated carelessly, not even by the grand chieftain of the union. In fact, she might even hold more value than the chieftain standing next to her.  

“Nice to meet you, Miss Rania.”  

Aiden greeted her, but there was no response from the other side.  

And then…  

Rania stared at Aiden.  

Continuously.  

Until Dunadan, who introduced her, began to feel awkward.  

Finally—  

-System Message-  

[You are interacting with Rania Ashan, a key character in the story. Depending on the influence you exert on the target, the scenario may shift slightly!]  

▶ Your bond with the target increases to Level 1!  

▶ The skill ‘Weaver of Fate’ is now linked with her! 

‘Yes.’  

Aiden thought it was only natural that someone like her would take an interest in him as soon as they met.  

Considering Rania’s traits, it was to be expected.  

…Especially since he was now carrying the protagonist’s burden.  

The ‘Savior’s Oath’ he had recently taken on was something that would naturally pique the interest of a priestess of Urgan.  

“You know, you’re kind of interesting.”  

As she said this, Rania’s uncovered eye split.  

For a brief moment, dozens, hundreds, and thousands of colors flashed in her eye. Spiraling like a kaleidoscope, those colors swirled violently, as if they were peering into Aiden’s ‘inner self.’  

“Can I be honest with you?”  

“Excuse me?”  

“I’ll just be blunt.”  

As Aiden stayed silent in response to her free-spirited manner, Rania lit her cigarette and continued speaking.  

Honestly, Aiden wasn’t too concerned about what she might say. After all, he already had a rough idea of her reaction.  

“Something really terrible is stuck to you.”  

It was somewhat unexpected to hear such words out of the blue, though.  

Rania tapped her finger against her still-colorful eye.  

“The source of the ability you use… even with my divine eye, I can’t see it. When something is hidden from a divine power borrowed from the gods, there are only two possibilities.”  

“…Excuse me?”  

“The first is someone like me, a person who can directly communicate with a god. Naturally, such a person would possess a similar power, making it undetectable due to cancellation. If that’s the case, you’re in a better situation.”  

As Aiden blinked in confusion, Rania took a deep drag from her cigarette and continued.  

“You don’t have a god you serve, right?”  

……  

“You’re not a priest, after all.”  

“That is… correct.”  

“Then it’s the second case.”  

Rania smiled slightly and patted Aiden’s shoulder.  

It seemed almost like she was encouraging him.  

“Good luck.”  

“Wait, what are you talking about all of a sudden…?”  

“It’s not widely known, but it exists. There’s something out there that could be more dangerous than even the ‘gods’ who grant abilities.”  

Suddenly.  

Those words fell from her lips.  

“You’ve been marked as ‘theirs.’ The power you’re using right now comes from them.”  

“…Excuse me?”  

“Because of the burden you’ve taken upon yourself, you won’t be able to escape from them anymore. Poor thing.”  

Rania lightly brushed Aiden’s cheek with her hand.  

As if pitying him.  

As if expressing sympathy.  

What on earth was this woman talking about?  

That thought naturally came to Aiden’s mind.  

But there was one thing he could sense.  

It didn’t seem like she was simply talking about the use of supernatural abilities.

Rather, something more fundamental.

It feels like she’s talking about the origin of Aiden’s peculiarity—the ability to freely copy other people’s skills and use multiple abilities without restriction or limitation.

As if she’s suggesting that these effects are the result of some influence from something other than a god.

“So, hang in there.”  

Rania smiled broadly as she repeated those words again.  

“You’re going to have quite a rough time from now on.”  

“If you’re still alive, let’s meet again later. I’ll help you out with something then.”  

As Aiden stood there dumbfounded, listening to her words, Rania waved her hand and casually walked off in the opposite direction.  

It was as if she had said everything she needed to.  

“…My daughter is a bit unusual, isn’t she?”  

Dunadan, who had been quietly watching from the side, spoke up with a bitter smile.  

“People who communicate with deities often exhibit unusual behavior. Their entire perspective of the world becomes different from ours.”  

“That seems to be the case.”  

As Aiden muttered absentmindedly, Dunadan chuckled and nodded gently.  

‘Well, I got the skill, so that’s something.’  

Though the conversation had been somewhat cryptic, at least he had earned her favor and managed to copy one of her skills.  

‘Since she’s a priestess of Urgan…’  

She likely possesses a skill that will be immediately useful.  

If things hadn’t gone well, he would have had to work tirelessly to raise her favorability, but it went smoothly, so he should consider himself fortunate.  

“But, why are you wandering around alone? Where’s your party?”  

“I sent my aide outside for a while.”  

“Why?”  

“If I leave her be, she might cause trouble.”  

A lot of people had been trying to strike up conversations, and not all of them were good-natured. Given Katia’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if she knocked someone’s jaw out of place in a fit of anger.  

To avoid such a major incident, it was better to keep her apart for a while.  

“I had my reasons.”  

“Well, I’m sure you did. So, what about Lady Noel?”  

He glanced around and noticed she was with someone.  

“Ah, it looks like she’s with the prince. You don’t need to feel guilty about leaving her alone.”  

“That sounds a little off.”  

“The prince is the Empire’s treasure, isn’t he? Having a brief conversation with him won’t do any harm, even to the Lionheart.”  

“True.”  

Aiden let out a small laugh and nodded in agreement.  

Thinking about the prince’s in-game character, he certainly was someone worthy of respect.  

You could almost say he was the embodiment of the phrase ‘saintly.’  

Even during the main scenario’s first act, ‘Imperial Rupture’, he was the kind of person who would willingly sacrifice his life for the people without hesitation.  

Of course, that’s one thing.  

But the fact that he was present now meant this was a golden opportunity.  

After all, the ‘main target’ of this banquet was none other than him.  

It was the perfect chance to extract a skill from him.  

“Still, I should go and interrupt. She is my wife, after all.”  

“Hmm. Go and do your best.”  

With a few lighthearted remarks exchanged between him and Dunadan, Aiden subtly rose from his seat.  

And then—

Something strange started to surface when Noel’s expression became fully visible.

“Huh?”

Noel’s demeanor seemed off.  

Her tightly clenched hands were so strained that the blood wasn’t circulating, her face had turned pale, and her shoulders were tense and trembling slightly.  

It was clear what this indicated.  

This woman was clearly afraid of the prince, someone who was supposed to be a ‘good person.’  

While Aiden was realizing this, the prince, who hadn’t yet noticed his presence, spoke again, and the words pierced Aiden’s ears.  

“Or is this too much to ask of the “Butcher?””  

The strangeness escalated from there.  

The tone was still polite, the demeanor respectful, but Aiden could clearly read it.  

This man was undeniably revealing ‘malice’ toward Noel, with a dark, sticky, muddy feeling akin to a bog.  

In that moment, Aiden froze in place.  

Noticing his presence, the prince turned to look at him.  

Instantly, as if his ‘personality’ had changed, a smile spread across his face.  

The malice he had just directed at Noel vanished without a trace.  

This was the prince Aiden knew.  

A good man, morally perfect.  

“Ah, Lady Noel’s husband.”  

In a warm voice, the prince spoke.  

“I’m glad you came. I’ve been meaning to speak with you.”  

Clearly, something was amiss.  

Strangely, the prince had expressed his wish for a one-on-one conversation with Aiden.  

There was a terrace outside the banquet hall, specifically arranged for private conversations, and the prince suggested they talk there.  

Outside the noisy banquet hall, sitting in that place felt like being isolated from the world.  

Even in such a setting, the man across from him seemed as if he were in a world of his own.  

The prince, who sat quietly with his eyes closed across from Aiden, exuded an overwhelming presence just by being still.  

‘So, this is what it feels like.’  

It was probably similar to how others saw Aiden when his [Royal Lineage] skill was activated.  

Of course, aside from that…  

Aiden had already experienced several instances where the knowledge from the original story didn’t apply as expected.  

The biggest difference was the absence of the protagonist.  

Nothing could compare to that.  

But if he had to point out the second most significant change, Aiden would choose the man sitting in front of him without hesitation.  

‘…Was he always like this?’  

He stared at the man in silence.  

The atmosphere was the same as Aiden remembered.  

Kindness, pure innocence, warmth, gentleness.  

However, even if he didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but feel that those traits had become subtly distorted.  

Filling the gaps between those qualities was a chilling level of ‘rationality.’  

No longer the saintly ruler from the original story, he now felt more like a cold-blooded monarch who would do anything for the sake of the people.  

“Aiden Kellermain, right?”  

As Aiden pondered this, the prince’s gentle voice broke the silence.  

“…Yes.”  

Aiden answered after a brief pause.  

It could be an over-interpretation, but—  

The prince was the only person so far who hadn’t addressed Aiden with the honorific “Sir,” as if he already knew that Aiden wasn’t a knight.  

“You’re certainly an interesting one.”  

The prince continued.  

“Most people can’t even meet the gaze of a member of the imperial family properly. Except for the Emperor, who deliberately suppresses his lineage, it’s quite rare to find someone who isn’t affected.”  

“Especially someone as ‘ordinary’ as you. As the rumors say, you’re quite an amusing person.”  

It seemed what Aiden had felt earlier wasn’t an over-interpretation.  

This man clearly knew a lot about Aiden.  

“May I ask what it is that you want?”  

Aiden had agreed to a private conversation on the terrace, but the flow of the discussion was unsettling, like something was pressing down on his chest.  

“What I want… yes, there is something.”  

“I’m listening, Your Highness.”  

The prince, without blinking, calmly spoke.  

“Break off your engagement with Lionheart.”  

Those words were delivered as if they were nothing.  

“In exchange, I will grant you whatever it is you desire, Aiden.”  

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