Copy Skills with Affinity!

Chapter 12

Mana Arts (2)

“Lionhearted.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“You really picked a good husband.”

“...”

“...”

Noel silently refilled Dunadan’s cup. She hadn’t expected her hobby of collecting liquor to come in handy at a moment like this.

It was certainly too early in the day to be drinking, but looking at the other’s condition, she simply couldn’t refuse to pour.

At first, she had wondered what had brought him here so suddenly, but after hearing what had just happened, she thought it was understandable enough.

“...Mr. Aiden gathered three cores of Mana Arts in just a few hours.”

“He did it so easily, it’s almost absurd.”

When Noel cautiously repeated what had happened earlier, Dunadan downed the cup she had filled for him in a single gulp.

The frustration in that motion was unmistakable.

“Do you know that creating the first core is used as a rite of passage in place of an official coming-of-age ceremony in the Tribal Alliance, Lionhearted?”

“I heard as much from those who had fought alongside them.”

“Then you must also know that everyone in the Alliance is required to learn how to wield Mana Arts from the moment they’re born.”

Even after training since childhood, reaching the point of forming a single core by adulthood was considered ‘average.’

And the fact that they could even do that was why, per capita, the Tribal Alliance’s individual combat power was among the highest on the continent.

‘Surely…’

Noel sifted through her memories.

Even having just two or three cores was enough for the warriors of the Great Plains to distinguish themselves spectacularly during the hellish Alliance War.

And yet, this man called Aiden Kellermain…

He had reached that level in merely a few hours.

“Innately possessing an ability and actually mastering it are two entirely different matters.”

Sometimes, there were those blessed ones. People who could wield multiple abilities as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It was hard to deny that Aiden Kellermain was undoubtedly one of them.

So.

“To be honest, I’d even prepared myself to offer consolation. Even those confident in their strength often find mastering Mana Arts especially difficult.”

I’ve certainly seen more than a few who thought, “I’m a genius, I’m blessed—why can’t I even manage this?” only to fall into despair.

Besides, he was someone who, somehow, was born with both the Heart of Pure White of Lionhearted and the Holy Flame of the royal family of the Holy Crown Kingdom. It wasn’t hard to imagine that he must have immense pride.

Dunadan had expected him to feel the same impressions he himself had when first trying to wield Mana Arts, or the same ‘wall’ he had seen countless others face.

But on the contrary, he had never expected that he would be the one to feel those emotions while watching a ‘beginner.’

“He’s a genius.”

Seeing Noel quietly nodding her head, Dunadan briefly frowned.

She looked as if she was ruminating on the words he had just spoken.

“No. Calling him a genius… even that feels a bit misleading.”

Dunadan swirled the liquor in his glass as he continued.

“He’s a monster.”

“...”

It was certain that the talent Aiden had shown was extraordinary, but it wasn’t truly unique. Even just looking at the records in the annals of history, there had been more than enough people whose abilities could only be described as violent.

The Savior of Humanity, the Defeated God of Calamity, the Forgotten Demon King…

With those terrifying names etched into the continent’s history, it didn’t feel right to call it a truly singular gift.

That was what he had thought.

Until he saw with his own eyes what Aiden had done yesterday.

“I also grew up being called a genius, but I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life. If I went back to the Great Plains and told the other chiefs about it, they’d think I’d lost my mind.”

At that blunt assessment, Noel fell silent for a moment before finally speaking up.

“Usually… how long does it take to reach that level?”

“For an average person, ten years.”

“...”

“It took me two.”

“...”

“Believe me, Lionhearted. You really picked the right husband. I’m honestly curious myself to see how far he’ll grow in the end.”

What someone hailed as a genius achieved in two years, he had done in a single night—just a few hours of it, even.

Noel rubbed her cheek, thinking carefully about what she should say.

Dunadan was someone born with a talent that allowed him to look down on others his entire life—someone who had become the very standard of what it meant to be a genius.

And yet, he was now in a state of almost losing his mind after seeing, for the first time, a talent so immense it felt like hitting a wall.

Should she try to console him?

Or…

“As expected of Mr. Aiden.”

“…It’s all well and good that your marital bond is so strong, but must you boast about your husband right in front of me?”

Noel let out a small laugh and refilled his glass once more.

In truth, it was less about boasting. She herself was so bewildered that she had simply ended up voicing it aloud.

More than just his abilities, she couldn’t help but question the very nature of what he had done.

‘…Why did he suddenly start training?’

Anyone with half a brain could tell that Aiden went to extreme lengths to avoid getting tangled up in ‘big things,’ ‘troublesome things,’ or ‘difficult things.’

Of course, she had chosen to bring a man who seemed capable of enduring such storms, because being by her side inevitably meant getting swept into them. But it was obvious that he did not welcome that himself.

In fact, the reason Noel practically clung to him, almost like she was keeping watch, was because she wanted to protect him so he wouldn’t be suddenly caught up in such matters.

While she was mulling over that question, Dunadan spoke again, his voice still sounding half-absent.

“It’s a fine liquor.”

“I have another bottle. I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

“Don’t you feel like sharing a long drink with me?”

“I still have official duties left.”

Noel gave a wry smile.

At least one of them had to stay sober, so that if someone lost their mind and caused some unfortunate incident, she could be ready to deal with it.

Though perhaps if she hadn’t brought up her curiosity, it wouldn’t have come to this.

“By the way, why did Mr. Aiden want to learn Mana Arts in the first place?”

“He said there’s someone he wants to look good for. That he wants to become a better person.”

“...”

“I told you, didn’t I? You really picked the right husband. Isn’t it worth living a life where someone born with that much talent looks at you so devotedly?”

Noel stared at Dunadan in silence, her face expressionless.

For quite a while.

So long, in fact, that even the person who had spoken began to look unsettled.

It almost looked as though she was suppressing embarrassment.

“...You don’t mean me, do you?”

After staying silent for so long, she finally murmured those words cautiously. Dunadan let out a voice full of disbelief in response.

“Who else would he be talking about, if not his newlywed wife?”

“...”

Noel’s blank expression deepened even further.

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

That was the problem.

But in the first place, Mr. Aiden had been kidnapped and forced into a fake marriage contract.

There was no reason he should say things like that to her—

—Seems like you don’t remember the old days? When you were young, maybe.

—No, it’s nothing. I didn’t expect you to have truly forgotten.

—It’s not like there…

couldn’t be something.

Probably.

As a series of sentences knocked around inside her skull, Noel rubbed her face with both hands.

Again.

Again, again, again.

Even though she wanted to think it wasn’t like that, these things clung to her as though enchanted.

Did that man… really have something with her in the past?

Was that why he went around saying things like that without any shame?

She didn’t know.

She wanted to shove the thought to the back of her mind, thinking there was no way to find out right now but when she was forced to be conscious of it over and over, there was no way it wouldn’t bother her.

“...”

And when her head filled with these useless thoughts, there was a very clear way to deal with it.

Noel sighed and went to the cabinet to fetch another glass.

At the clear intent behind her action, Dunadan let out a faint laugh.

“Didn’t you say you had official duties?”

“…On second thought, a few drinks might be more help than hindrance.”

“Of course.”

Clink. The rims of their glasses met with a soft sound.

‘…Could it be that he really does like me?’

As she poured the liquor in a steady stream into her glass, Noel found herself mulling over that thought again.

“...”

Oh, come on.

No way. That didn’t make any sense.

As he downed half a glass of liquor in one gulp, he let the thought continue to drift through his mind.

...Maybe it was the alcohol, but his face felt hot.

▣

-Skill Info

『 Dunadan Uzal 』

 Bond: Level 2

 You can copy 1 additional skill.

< Copied Skill >

◆ Universal Ability: Mana Arts

This ability was granted by the God of Ascension, Urgan. It can be activated by imposing a Geas upon yourself.

▶ Number of Cores: 5

※ Due to the Omnipotence skill modifier, proficiency increases rapidly. An alien characteristic is applied.

※ Only Geas of the ‘Unique’ type can be designated. This skill cannot be used in any other way. However, if this condition is satisfied, the skill transforms.

From that system window, Aiden stared at the number 5 next to the core count.

‘For now, I only made three because of the Chief...’

Every time the number of cores increased, Dunadan’s expression grew closer to outright losing his mind, and he couldn’t help but feel more self-conscious about it.

So, in the end, the question he’d intended to ask further had gotten completely buried.

The two sentences attached at the very bottom of the skill window were the problem.

‘I can only use special ones?’

In the game, it was possible to impose simple Geas like ‘skip one meal’ or ‘don’t sleep for more than seven hours.’

But when he tried them, all those simple conditions were invalidated for Aiden. Just as the skill window described, only something special would work.

‘What exactly does “Unique type” even mean...’

Judging by the terminology the system had used so far, it probably meant something like ‘a restriction no one else has ever used.’

‘A Geas no one else has ever tried before?’

...Even just thinking about the number of people in the Great Plains made his head spin.

Thinking about how many people across the entire continent used Mana Arts made it even worse.

At this rate, he’d gone through all the effort to learn Mana Arts, only to find he couldn’t even use it properly...

‘I’ll have to think this through.’

Just as he thought that and reached to close the window, a new message suddenly popped up in front of his eyes.

-System Message

▶ The favorability of target ‘Noel Astrea Simus’ has increased.

▶ Bond level has risen from 2 to 3.

▶ You have gained 1 additional skill copy attempt!

▶ New content related to the Main Quest will be added soon!

Aiden blinked blankly and stared at the window that had appeared out of nowhere.

‘...Did that really work?’

He had thought it was possible that the excuse he’d made to Dunadan would be passed along to Noel.

Honestly, he’d said it half in jest, but seeing it actually raise her favorability left him feeling conflicted.

“...”

At this point, he felt a definite need to reconsider his approach.

If her favorability was rising this quickly, he thought there was a chance they really could end up in a much deeper relationship someday.

‘…As if it would ever go that far.’

Right now, it was only because of a string of coincidences that her interest in him kept growing deeper.

Anyway, all the attention she was giving him would inevitably shift away once the Protagonist appeared.

In any case, he planned to dump everything onto the Protagonist as soon as they crossed paths and go back to an ordinary life. Until then, he just needed to make good use of her help.

Aiden tapped his chin lightly, lost in thought.

‘What I have left right now is…’

At present, he had a total of three skill copy tokens remaining.

One to use on Katya, one on Noel, and one he could obtain from His Majesty the Emperor.

‘There’s no need to learn them right away.’

He didn’t know what might happen during the main scenario events. It would be strange to start picking up skills before anything even happened.

He had already skimmed over the list of available skills, so when things turned urgent, the ideal plan was to flexibly pick the one that best fit the situation.

After all, the reason he’d gone to the trouble of learning Mana Arts was just to have a means to respond to an unexpected emergency.

‘…Though, in the best case, I’d never need to learn anything and just pass through peacefully.’

That was precisely why he was working so hard right now.

The place he set out for was a location he’d visited once before.

Billy Hagan’s Tool Shop. He was here to pick up the information he’d requested earlier.

As soon as he stepped inside the shop, Billy recognized his face and snorted.

“Oh, you’re that guy who stuck his neck into that dangerous business, aren’t you?”

…The way he remembered things was a little strange, but fine.

“The information?”

The moment he asked, a thick bundle of papers, all tied up neatly, dropped onto the counter with a thump.

“Trade volumes, distribution routes, and most importantly, the ‘transaction sites.’ I put everything together.”

He’d especially emphasized the transaction sites because there was a very high chance that place would end up being the backdrop when something went down, so Aiden had asked him to look into it thoroughly.

Aiden nodded and started leafing through the documents.

It was certainly work thorough enough to be worth paying a premium.

Aiden placed the pouch of gold coins he’d prepared on the counter.

“I added fifty more gold. Just as a gesture of goodwill.”

“You rich or something?”

…Noel had given him quite a lot, actually. Aiden just gave a vague nod.

Billy spilled out the pouch, checked the amount, and once he confirmed it really was what Aiden claimed, he let out a low laugh and pushed some of it back.

“Keep this part. I didn’t finish absolutely everything you asked for.”

“Huh?”

“About those weapons,” Billy said. “I couldn’t find out who’s distributing them. Usually, it’s not hidden this well.”

“It’s 550 gold. You could’ve tried a little harder,” Aiden replied.

Billy gave a casual laugh.

“Don’t give me that shit.”

“...”

“If I can’t find it, then it’s at least a high-ranking noble. And you want me to dig up information on them? You trying to get somebody’s head chopped off?”

“...I see.”

Nodding, Aiden’s brow furrowed slightly.

‘Was it always impossible to find?’

A high-ranking noble, he said.

In the game, tracking down the organization managing distribution hadn’t been all that difficult. They were usually nothing but common lowlifes. The problem was figuring out who had commissioned them behind the scenes.

Running into a wall like this at the very first step…

‘…It really is different.’

Like how the relationship between the First Prince and the Emperor, who were supposed to be allies, was already fractured.

Or how the very first event of the main scenario already felt out of alignment.

Tiny details here and there kept creating this persistent sense of dissonance.

And that sense that something was different from the original was growing stronger because of one particular fact.

“Hey, Mr. Billy.”

“Just call me Billy. What is it?”

“The background information on the person I asked about isn’t here.”

“Yeah, because there wasn’t any.”

“…Really?”

Information about the Protagonist.

It was missing again.

Even this capable information broker hadn’t been able to find a trace.

“…”

He still hadn’t given up hope.

Even if the main scenario was slightly twisted, if that guy didn’t exist at all, it would shake the very foundation of this game-world.

But.

“-”

If.

If.

If tomorrow, at the scene, that person wasn’t there…

If it became certain that this was a world without the Protagonist…

-Quest Info

▶ Failing the events listed here will result in severe penalties!

◈ Fake Marriage

 You have been chosen as the spouse of Lady Noel. Maintain your contract with her to the end!

◈ Act I,

 Your frequency of contact with key scenario figures has increased sufficiently.

 Your existence will soon be officially incorporated into the scenario. The outcome of the story will depend on your choices!

 Related event will occur soon. (D-2)

◈ Life is Beautiful

 Katya Heinkel Craven desperately desires something from you. Help her fully experience this ‘sensation!’

 Related event will occur soon. (D-2)

…If he had to face these terrifying events entirely alone—

He did have an idea in mind.

He absolutely did not want to do it, and the odds he would need to were low.

But if that moment of no return really came—

He would have to.

When that time came, he too—

Would have to do what needed to be done.