“Did you do something wrong or not?”
“I did wrong.”
“Are you reflecting on it enough?”
“I am.”
“Then why are your hands coming down?”
Aiden, kneeling with both hands raised, looked at Noel with eyes filled with melancholy. Even as a child, he’d never been punished like this by his father. He couldn’t believe he was doing this as a fully grown adult with scars already hardened on his head…
“I just found it a bit strange, that’s all,” he said.
Noel, unbothered by Aiden’s reaction, spoke with narrowed eyes. “Frankly, didn’t you get yourself kidnapped on purpose?”
“…”
“It’s not as if you lack combat skills.”
Caught. Aiden gave an awkward smile, and Noel sighed, brushing his hand through his hair.
“What would you have done if things had escalated?”
“I knew you’d come to save me from the start. I had faith in you, Lady Noel–”
He was whacked on the head. Though Noel hadn’t hit him with full force (which would surely have knocked him out), the reprimand was close enough to silence him, but the pain was still real. As Aiden rubbed his head, Noel spoke coldly, his eyes narrowed with disapproval.
“Who in their right mind plans on getting themselves hurt like that? You really should value yourself more–”
The lecture continued for quite some time. Just as Aiden’s raised arms were beginning to lose feeling, Noel, regaining his composure, allowed him to sit.
“At least your actions weren’t entirely in vain. We managed to apprehend all the criminals based in that area. A relief, really.”
“What about the evidence?”
The key was proving that the group had acted on orders from the Prince and the Minister of Administration. Fortunately, Noel’s slight smile seemed to suggest good news.
“Don’t worry. It felt like we struck gold.”
“If I hadn’t been captured to attract attention and called you, Lady Noel, we wouldn’t have caught them so smoothly–”
Sensing Noel’s gaze grow colder, Aiden immediately fell silent. His long record of navigating dangerous situations seemed intact.
“…Anyway,” Noel continued, pressing his fingers to his forehead. “The trial date is set. They’ll make the information public, I assume.”
“When is it?”
“Two days from now.”
They’d scheduled it unusually quickly, with a clear intention to face the charges head-on.
“Aiden, this is likely a trap.”
“There’s no way they wouldn’t know we have this evidence. For them to agree to the trial date so nonchalantly, it must mean they’ve set something up.”
Aiden couldn’t help but agree with Noel’s words.
System Message
The Main Quest has been updated.
The details of “Quest: Sham Marriage” have been updated.
Quest Info
◆ Main Quest
Act 1, <Crack in the Capital>
– Chapter 1, <The Ghost Knight Incident>
Purge Mission (D-2)
Sham Marriage
– You have been chosen as Lady Noel’s spouse. Maintain the contract with your partner to the end!
The window that suddenly appeared before him supported this hypothesis. The events related to Lady Noel, following the main quest, were all critical, none to be ignored.
Two days from now, during the Harvest Festival, in a place teeming with people… the spirit of the Guardian Knight Teresa was sure to make another appearance.
Aiden tapped his chin, deep in thought. He didn’t know how it would unfold, but given the time and place, it was bound to create a major commotion. Knowing the prince’s nature, it wasn’t likely to lead to casualties, but either way, it would undoubtedly cause trouble for Aiden and Noel.
“Please relay that we agree to the schedule as well.”
Noel blinked in surprise. “Did you hear what I just said?”
“Yes.”
Knowing and walking into a trap was never a smart move. But…
“I know it’s a trap. I’ll face it head-on.”
“We’re not the only ones who can make preparations in advance.”
They could assume the other side would be prepared, so they should prepare as well. Delaying would only benefit the enemy, giving them more time to discredit the evidence they’d gathered. The only problem…
… was the person beside him.
Aiden, hiding a sigh, glanced at Noel, who was watching him with a concerned expression. He’d recently confirmed her strength firsthand, but relying on Noel to help fight the Guardian Knight was out of the question. In fact, he’d be lucky to keep his own sanity intact.
In short, he would have to face the purge mission without her. ‘Katia will help, but… the Guardian Knight’s base stats are slightly below Noel’s, yet thanks to the quest, it’s likely to be even stronger.’
Though he couldn’t estimate how much, he could expect it to be a dreadful challenge.
‘…The only relief is…’
He had at least one method in mind to deal with it and someone to consult about it.
“You’ve got another scheme, don’t you? Are you preparing in advance for this one too?”
“To keep things safe, we have to plan carefully.”
Living as a criminal without incident required this level of preparation, so it wasn’t unusual to him. His casual reply left Noel exasperated, and she let out a sigh.
“If you’d applied all that effort to something constructive, I imagine you’d have been incredibly successful by now.”
“…Not interested in success,” he replied. If he could just earn a living and take care of his family, that was enough; it had always been that way.
As Aiden responded with a wry smile, Noel seemed to remember something.
“Oh, by the way, Aiden.”
“Yes?”
“…Your family… what are they like?”
Aiden blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Things they like or dislike, that kind of thing…” she trailed off, avoiding his gaze in a way that seemed oddly suspicious.
Aiden tilted his head in curiosity and replied, “Why do you ask?”
“…I was thinking of sending a gift or something.”
“A gift…?”
All of a sudden?
“Well, my father likes pretty much any kind of alcohol as long as it’s decent, and my little sister… she’s still young, so anything kids enjoy would be fine.”
Although he found it a bit odd, Aiden narrowed his eyes slightly but answered readily.
‘She wouldn’t do anything wrong, right?’
Considering how she’d treated him so far, the chances were slim.
“So, you’re trying to score some points there, huh?”
“Points?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“…?”
***
‘What is this all about?’
“Let’s break it down.”
Within his mental space, where Aiden was relentlessly pummeled in their usual mock training, Meyer grumbled.
‘Honestly, I’d like a break, but this training would be useless if I lost my edge. Every night, he appears in my dreams and beats me up; it’s exhausting,’ thought Aiden. At least he could ask Meyer for advice on dealing with the Guardian Knight.
“To even have a chance against a knight of this empire’s caliber, you need an attack method that can inflict effective damage.”
“Yes. I need to take them down in one blow.”
Using “supernatural infusion,” which combines energy, holy power, and law power, was strong enough to knock out Katia in one hit before, but that alone wouldn’t suffice here. Especially if the goal was to subdue instantly. Even back then, it only worked because he’d exhausted Noel’s strength through a long fight and a Hellfire Bomb to the weak spot. For a boss fight, that wouldn’t be enough. He’d need far stronger *firepower* to achieve that.
“Absolutely none.”
Meyer’s blunt response wasn’t surprising, but it was still frustrating.
Aiden muttered in complaint, “Come on, senior.”
It was strange enough to continue talking with his face half-mangled, but what Meyer had said was even more critical.
“You’re one of the greatest superhumans of your generation. Give me some help.”
“Even the strongest aren’t omnipotent. Got any sense of decency?”
Meyer smirked, wiping blood off his sword.
“You’re getting decent, but that only means you’re *average* among superhumans, able to pull your weight. On the battlefield, veterans could slice you up with their eyes closed.”
“…I recently went up against multiple regular knights and wiped the floor with them.”
“Oh, really? Then have you managed to land even one successful hit on me?”
“And I’m not even using any special abilities.”
*What a cursed ancestor,* thought Aiden, *and the worst part is, he’s not wrong.*
Aiden felt the severed parts of his face start to regenerate, so he rose, seizing the timing to wear a more desperate expression.
“…Still, I have to squeeze out whatever I can from nothing—that’s just my position here.”
“Regardless, there’s no way to escape the main quest without defeating that enemy, and the only person I can rely on right now is you. You’re the only one who shares my unique trait of wielding multiple abilities.”
“Even if I somehow give you an effective way to attack, do you think you’ll even be able to land a hit?”
It wasn’t an unfounded concern. Considering Noel’s mentor title, it wasn’t just about having a means of attack; landing a blow itself was a challenge. The gap between them wasn’t just in skill power but in combat technique as well.
But…
“Yes.”
‘I can hit. At least, I’m confident in that.’
“And why are you so sure?”
“I’ll make it happen, somehow.”
“I’m more of a live-combat type.”
Meyer looked at him as if he were joking, but Aiden met his gaze firmly. It was do-or-die; if he failed to land a hit, he’d fail the quest and die anyway. And he wasn’t lying about his strength in live combat. Given his skill set, he could genuinely back it up. Under certain conditions, his abilities could even skyrocket exponentially.
“Well, if you’re that confident, it’s good for you. But I still don’t see any way out.”
“Oh, come on. I’ve read your records, and you grew at ridiculous speeds all the time. Why not share some of those secrets with me?”
“I’m just a genius—I covered it all with talent.”
Aiden was momentarily speechless at the unabashed self-praise delivered without so much as a blink. But it wasn’t time to give up; he at least knew how to handle people.
“Yes, that’s why I’m asking you. You’re a genius, after all.”
“The ultimate genius. You can pull off things others wouldn’t even dream of.”
“Honestly, you can do it, can’t you? I mean, if you’re the Knight of Dawn—”
“How much more of this flattery are you going to pour on?”
Cliche Novel 