“That’s interesting,”
Katia asked with a glint in her eyes, watching Aiden being tossed around like a rag doll. Her tone suggested she found the situation intriguing.
“Are you really getting beaten up by a ghost right now?”
“Instead of just standing there, how about you come and help—!”
Before Aiden could finish his sentence, his body was flung in another direction.
Meanwhile, ghosts that exist in the inner dimension, a space overlaid onto the real world, typically cannot exert much influence in the physical realm.
Usually, that is.
Unless they were someone formidable enough in life to break such laws.
This indicated that the ghost tossing Aiden around must have been a powerful person while alive.
“Quite the nerve you’ve got, you bastard!”
Though Katia couldn’t hear it, the Knight of Dawn’s snarling voice was ferocious.
Despite his fierce tone, his appearance was undeniably refined: golden hair, blue eyes, a handsome face, and armor fitting of a knight. If only he stayed quiet, his noble appearance could be praised.
“What’s this? Are you all bark and no bite? You brat, fresh out of the cradle and already begging for death!”
If only he didn’t keep spewing such remarks, perhaps that noble image could be salvaged.
Aiden thought so as he was once again hurled into the air.
“Senior, calm down for a moment—”
“There’s no way I’m getting mixed up with someone like you!”
Soon, the Knight of Dawn raised his fist, his anger visibly peaking, preparing to strike.
No matter how you look at it, this seems dangerous.
“Please, just stop!”
With those words, a divine aura suddenly burst from Aiden’s body.
The Knight of Dawn, who was ready to charge, froze.
His eyes now reflected doubt and astonishment.
“…Divine power?”
The Knight of Dawn murmured blankly.
“You, I could tell you had the scent of someone who harnessed energy, but how are you also using divine power?”
Aiden let out a wry smile as he brushed off the dust covering him.
“I did tell you, didn’t I, ‘Senior.'”
Yes, showing off the ability to use multiple supernatural powers would pique his interest.
“I’m greeting you as a junior. When it comes to being ‘multi-powered,’ doesn’t that make us senior and junior?”
People who can use multiple abilities have always been rare throughout history, and one of those rare individuals was the Knight of Dawn standing before him.
It’s no wonder he was loved in many parts of the continent.
No one could have expected a person capable of wielding multiple supernatural abilities, each unique to different nations, to exist.
“I need your help.”
This is precisely why Aiden sought him out.
There is no one else in this world who could guide him through every aspect of his ‘growth path.’
“To put it bluntly, I desperately need your help, Senior. If not, something truly disastrous will happen.”
Mainly, the fate of the world is at stake.
Aiden is the only one who properly grasps the threat known as the ‘Main Scenario,’ a global-level crisis. If he fails, everyone will perish, no doubt about it.
“What nonsense is this? A minute ago, you were calling me overrated, and now you’re asking for my help—”
“That was just a lie to catch your attention. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to summon your spirit in the first place.”
“Who else but a person would dare to strike the continent’s first knight and hero?”
From the side, Katia was staring at Aiden with an incredulous look.
Although she couldn’t hear the conversation, her eyes seemed to say, “Who in their right mind would fall for such a story?”
– System Message –
You have contacted ‘Meyer Belford, the Knight of Dawn.’
▶ While not a key figure in the Main Scenario, he possesses extraordinary abilities, granting him the status of an ‘important character.’
-Your bond level with the target has increased to Level 1!
-This is linked to the skill ‘Weaver of Fate’!
‘He really is that simple.’
Aiden let out a hollow laugh as he glared at the system message.
‘I thought that just lightly touching on this person’s traits would be enough to make him fall for it, and while I expected it, it’s still a bit absurd how predictable he is.’
“Who would fall for such an insincere flattery?”
Even though he is saying that, the fact that he’s still going along with it is even more chilling…
The Knight of Dawn, Meyer, crossed his arms and, despite maintaining a sulky expression, opened his mouth.
“In this era, there’s someone who would push aside someone like me. Something like a Lionheart… or whatever?”
It’s strange how he knows that kind of information despite being a ghost, but it’s clear that he’s someone who cares obsessively about his ‘honor’ and ‘reputation.’ Just from how easily he fell for Aiden’s provocation, you can tell that. It would be stranger if he didn’t care about the human who overtook him for the title of strongest knight.
However…
“It just so happens that I’m the husband of that Lionheart.”
At Aiden’s words, Meyer’s eyes narrowed sharply, but his expression soon twisted into something bizarre at Aiden’s follow-up.
“I can vouch for it. Even that person would find it hard to catch up to you, sir.”
From the corner of his vision, Aiden could see Katia’s mouth twitch as if she was holding back a laugh. It was clear she was wondering what kind of nonsense Aiden was talking about, but he was speaking from the heart. It wasn’t simply a matter of who was stronger or not—once you add a certain condition, the statement becomes an undeniable truth.
If this man had just a bit more ‘time.’
Without a doubt, even Noel wouldn’t have been able to surpass him.
For a dead soul to linger in the living world, two conditions must be met:
They must be a figure of such greatness that their name is known throughout history, and…
They must have an unresolved ‘grudge’ so deeply rooted that they can’t find peace even in death.
In the case of the Knight of Dawn…
“There’s still so much left unfinished for you, isn’t there?”
The expression of the Knight of Dawn changed drastically. Where once there had been nothing but anger and fury, now, for the first time, there was a look of surprise in response to Aiden’s words.
Though the Knight of Dawn was just a character within the game’s lore, he still left a deeply profound impression. It was said that the heights he tragically couldn’t reach due to realizing his talent too late were succinctly described in one sentence:
‘It is a realm beyond human challenge.’
Even the legendary tales of his exploits across the continent were all just his training in an attempt to reach that realm.
Meyer, who had been glaring at Aiden, suddenly chuckled.
“You say interesting things. There’s no way all of that was recorded.”
“Consider it the devotion of a junior who respects his senior.”
“Nonsense. You just approached me to use me. You think I can’t see that?”
“To be honest, you’re right.”
While Meyer was left speechless by Aiden’s brutal honesty, Aiden shrugged and continued.
“But honestly, sir, is there anyone better to use than me?”
“What?”
“How long do you think it’ll take before another multi-talented ability holder like me shows up?”
“What are the chances that such a person would seek you out and speak to you directly?”
“And how likely do you think it is that, after overcoming all those odds, they would swear to fulfill your wishes for you?”
Meyer’s frown deepened.
“You really do know how to say the most unpleasant things, don’t you?”
It was unpleasant because it was the truth, as the following words would make clear.
“So, what do you want me to help with? I’m a ghost, you know. I can’t do anything significant.”
‘Got him.’
Aiden smiled slyly to himself as he picked up a nearby artifact, something he had taken note of when they first entered. It was a bracelet, designed in such a way that wearing it would cause no discomfort.
“To put it another way, sir, there are things only a ghost can do.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you step inside first and see for yourself?”
With that, Aiden began explaining what Meyer could ‘help’ with.
‘I can’t believe I’m stuck with this guy,’ Meyer seemed to mutter to himself in exasperation.
A little later…
“Hmm.”
Aiden exhaled softly as he looked down at the bracelet, which now glowed with an eerie light. It was clear that Meyer’s soul was well-contained within.
“This should do…”
He had achieved his primary goal. The spiritual medium, Rania, had successfully contacted Meyer’s soul. And although he hadn’t retrieved it yet, the first prince’s skill, which was perfectly suited for handling such a soul, was still within reach.
With all the necessary components gathered, the preparations to solve the ‘Ghost Knight Incident’ of Act 1 were complete.
“Is it all done?”
“Yes. Now we just have to leave.”
“So, you should be able to answer this question without hesitation.”
“By the way,” Katia tilted her head slightly and interrupted Aiden’s words.
“Don’t you think we’ve been here for too long?”
“Huh?”
“That thing… it wasn’t there earlier.”
Following her words, Aiden turned his gaze.
Embedded in the wall was a crystal that was now glowing a clear red.
It was obvious to anyone that it was about to sound an ‘alarm,’ and the entire room was being tinted with the same red hue.
Seeing the surroundings turn crimson, Aiden’s expression hardened.
“It looks like it’s a system that activates automatically if someone stays inside for too long?”
“Instead of analyzing it, maybe we should stop it first…!”
Aiden hurriedly moved, startled.
But in an instant—
The alarm, which had been about to emit a red light, shattered with a ‘crack’.
It had been sliced cleanly in half by a sword strike, delivered with terrifying speed.
Aiden stood dazed, staring in the direction from which the attack had come.
Before he knew it, Noel, with a sigh, was sheathing her sword.
“I don’t know what you were doing, but I suggest you refrain from entering places like this carelessly. It can cause quite a bit of trouble.”
“Lady Noel?”
He had clearly heard earlier from Stella that Noel wasn’t feeling well and had gone back.
“Where did you even come from…? Didn’t you say you were going back?”
“I was going to return. But when I saw Aiden diligently infiltrating the palace’s security with Her Highness, I decided to follow you, just in case.”
“Since you seemed to be in danger, I stepped in to help.”
So, she had noticed everything.
And instead of stopping it, she just quietly followed along the whole time.
‘Well, whatever.’
Thanks to her, the situation was resolved smoothly without any trouble.
He should at least thank her for that.
“Thanks to you, we got through it. I appreciate it, Lady Noel.”
“…Yes.”
‘What’s with this reaction?’
Her voice was so stiff and blunt that even a wooden puppet would have seemed more lively.
Noel quickly turned her head and pulled down her hat as if trying to avoid making eye contact with Aiden.
“Follow me. I’ll show you the way out. Let’s head back to the headquarters immediately. I’d rather not let this night drag on any longer.”
As Noel’s unusually curt tone caused Aiden to tilt his head in confusion, Katia, standing behind them, shot a suspicious glance at Noel’s back.
“…It feels like something’s a little different about her.”
She muttered to herself as they made their way out.
Meanwhile, back at the military headquarters, an unusual commotion was brewing.
The reason?
Noel, who had attended the banquet with her fiancé, was the cause.
On her way back to her private quarters after parting with Aiden, she had been creating quite the ‘stir.’
“Uh, Lady Noel? Was the banquet alright today—”
The person who tried to speak to her immediately shut their mouth.
It was only natural.
One look at Noel’s expression as she strode down the corridor, and anyone would quickly realize that now was not the time to engage in conversation.
“A- are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“If you’re not feeling well, I’ll contact the medical unit immediately—”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Eek.”
One of the people nearby, who had been worrying about her, inadvertently swallowed nervously.
It was probably because Noel’s response was so cold and sharp.
Cliche Novel 