Copy Skills with Affinity!

Chapter 9

Deathwish (2)

I didn’t know why the Second Princess of the Holy Crown Kingdom insisted on smearing her saliva on him even thicker, but still, I had to do what needed to be done.

The first step, of course, was to look for Noel as soon as the next morning came.

Since his every move was being monitored on this side. Considering this man’s skill, it was impossible for him to sneak around unnoticed.

“You want to go out?”

“I don’t think I said anything that strange…?”

When Noel asked with narrowed eyes, Aiden replied in bewilderment.

People could step out once in a while. There was nothing to see in that face acting as if she’d just heard something unbelievable.

“Do you, perhaps, have any complaints about your current living situation?”

“Pardon?”

“If there’s anything you need, please feel free to tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll do anything for you.”

“No, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable…”

To be honest, loitering around next to Noel, who worked at the military administration building every day, was sheer torment. Anyone who saw it would think I was no different from a live-in son-in-law.

When I explained such a reason.

“…Isn’t that good for you, though?”

“…”

“Even if you’re doing absolutely nothing, I’m paying you a salary on time, and all your food, clothing, and shelter are covered.”

“…”

Indeed.

It sounded rather strange to bring it up as an excuse.

As Aiden stood there in silence, Noel let out a deep sigh and brushed back her hair.

“I didn’t intend to confine you to the administration building forever, so I don’t really mind… but if possible, please take an escort with you.”

“An escort?”

“Of course, given the skills you’ve demonstrated, I don’t think you’ll be easily harmed. But you have this knack for attracting incidents and trouble wherever you go.”

“…”

“So to be honest, I’m not too keen on you going out.”

I agreed.

Yet, the one who wanted to get away the most was me.

“…I’m only going out to get a bit of fresh air. Isn’t an escort a bit too cumbersome?”

However, thinking about the things I was going to do outside, taking an escort along wasn’t a good idea.

I wasn’t exactly going somewhere I could openly boast about.

“No, still, the escort—”

“I need some time alone.”

“…”

It sounded like the excuse of some middle-aged husband worn out after more than a decade of married life, but Noel just let out a long sigh without pressing further.

Anyway, it was true she had spent nearly the entire day attached to my side.

“Fine, go ahead.”

Still, I hadn’t expected her to give permission so readily.

When she spoke so decisively, Aiden blinked blankly.

“I won’t assign security or surveillance. Go do whatever you want. But take this with you.”

With those words, Noel handed something to Aiden.

It was a switch, about half the size of his palm, that looked like a personal security alarm.

“What is this?”

“It’s a tracker. You can’t run away before the wedding.”

“…”

“I’m joking.”

“…I wouldn’t run away in the first place.”

Anyway, even if I did try to escape, this person would probably chase me to the ends of the earth.

At that answer, Noel let out a faint laugh as if satisfied and continued speaking.

“It’s a signal device. If you’re in any danger at all, press it. I’ll come running immediately.”

“…To that extent?”

No one knew better than Aiden, who watched from up close, how much this person was constantly overwhelmed by work.

Every single task had a significant impact on the governance of the nation, yet she was saying he mattered enough to abandon all that.

“I was the one who brought you here, so after the contract ends, it’s also my responsibility to send you back safely. It’s not ‘to that extent.’ It’s only natural.”

As she said this and turned her gaze back to the documents, Aiden widened his eyes a little and looked at her.

‘…This person.’

Except for the part where she had abducted him out of nowhere, she truly did take responsibility for everything.

For someone who kidnapped a person, the way she carefully paid attention to every detail resembled that of a parent.

“Thank you.”

She really was a good person.

That thought suddenly crossed my mind.

▣

“I’m being held hostage by a strange person, Dad.”

…Of course, given that she had kidnapped him in the first place, it was hard to describe her in any other way.

Naturally, the first thing I did upon leaving the administration building was contact my family.

[What are you talking about now?]

On the other end of the receiver, I heard my father’s startled voice.

[Did you borrow money from some mafia thugs or something? I told you over and over not to get mixed up with those criminal bastards…]

“Dad, you and I are criminals too.”

I still couldn’t believe that someone who said such petty things made his living doing theft and similar acts.

He was the very person who had raised me to never swim in the deep waters of the underworld.

Aiden let out a long sigh and continued.

“I did get kidnapped, but it’s not that serious. I’m being kidnapped somewhere warm and well-fed, and they’re even paying me.”

[…What in the world is that supposed to mean?]

“It’s a thing. I can’t explain it right now, but surprisingly, it’s all true. I’m living like this in the most expensive district of the capital.”

[Can they kidnap me too?]

…And this was still my father.

But if he knew exactly whose house I was sitting in right now, he’d probably faint dead away. I decided to save it as a story for when everything was settled.

“Anyway, Dad.”

And though he was an unreliable father in some ways.

There were definitely things I could trust and count on him for.

“Do you know anyone in the capital’s black market?”

On the other end of the receiver, there was a brief silence, then I heard a long sigh.

[You’re planning to work even there?]

“I need to gather some information. I don’t have any connections here, so I’ll need an introduction. Where should I go?”

[Billy Hagan at the tool shop. The passphrase is ‘Crescent Moon and Sun.’]

Even if he was just a petty thief in the back alleys, after decades of surviving that way, the network he’d built through his work was bound to be something impressive.

Aiden let out a small laugh and replied.

“That’s cute. Got it.”

[Aiden.]

“Yeah?”

[Be careful. Don’t forget that Sisela and I are always on your side. If anything happens, you have to tell your family.]

“…I know.”

These people, at least, would stand by Aiden’s side until the end of the world.

That was exactly why I was fighting so hard like this.

To live peacefully again in the arms of my father and little sister.

“…Haa.”

And truly.

The place I was walking through now was a place where saying I was struggling would be an understatement.

The underworld of the capital, true to its name, exuded a menacing atmosphere. No matter where I looked around, everyone had an obvious shady air about them.

Even so, the reason I had bothered to come all the way here was clear.

‘-Act I starts here.’

Act I, Imperial Capital Fracture, was a story about a massive disturbance and rebellion erupting inside the Empire’s capital. That much I knew for sure.

And also what I needed to pay attention to first.

‘A large quantity of illegally distributed weapons is about to flood the black market.’

Of course, to stage a large-scale disturbance and rebellion, you needed a trained force, and the supplies to arm them wouldn’t just fall from the sky.

They would be smuggled in through dark channels, naturally.

Act I began with the Protagonist getting involved in an incident connected to those illegal weapons.

“…”

Yes. The Protagonist.

Figures like Noel or the Second Princess of the Holy Crown Kingdom, who were described as key scenario characters in the system window, were indeed ‘key’ people tied to the Protagonist but they were not the Protagonist themselves.

The one who moved the core of the game’s entire story, the center of this world. The Savior who would ultimately rescue the world.

Someone like that had to exist, somewhere.

They absolutely had to.

‘Because that person is my express ticket out of this scenario.’

What I needed to do now was to find that person and dump every burden that had been thrust onto me onto them.

An extra like me had to disappear, so the one truly meant to shine could step onto the stage.

The Lionhearted’s groom, the scenario about saving the world—such headaches were never meant for me.

To do that, I had to at least get some idea of what incident was about to unfold in the next few days.

If the Protagonist existed in this world, they would undoubtedly be involved where such things happened.

‘…’

But.

What if they didn’t?

If, as the materials I’d found before hadn’t revealed, they truly didn’t exist—

‘…No, it’s still not certain.’

Wasn’t that exactly why I had come all the way here, to confirm it for myself?

‘Here it is.’

While I was lost in thought, I arrived at my destination.

Billy’s workshop. Even for a tool shop in the black market, the name was as plain as could be.

When I stepped inside, a middle-aged man who looked as though he had not the slightest intention of greeting a customer gazed at me lazily.

“Crescent Moon and Sun.”

When I gave the passphrase, the shop owner scratched his cheek and replied.

“The price for information is fifty gold. What do you want to know?”

“I’ll give you five hundred gold, so gather everything here properly.”

As I said that, I set a stack of papers I had prepared in advance down firmly on the counter.

It was information about the weapons circulating within the black market. Even if I only grasped the general flow, I could easily get a rough picture of the trading locations, sellers, and buyers.

The shop owner flipped through the documents and quickly scanned them with his eyes. A snort followed by a mocking laugh soon came.

“You’re picking up information that’ll get you killed in no time. Do you have a taste for dangerous work?”

“…I don’t have a choice.”

“I see.”

The irony of having to throw myself into the middle of such situations just to avoid them.

While I was wiping away the tears flowing inside, the man asked again.

“How long do you want the job to take?”

“As quickly as possible. How long will it take you?”

“Tomorrow is enough. Keep your promise about the five hundred gold.”

He really was an acquaintance of my father. I could trust his efficiency.

Aiden nodded, and while the man moved the papers from the counter to his worktable, I wandered about, glancing around the shop.

The tool shop of the capital’s black market clearly dealt in far more merchandise than any of the magic item shops in the back alleys where I used to work.

It was obvious just from the thing that immediately caught my eye.

‘…Why are they selling something like this in the black market?’

Being an “industry professional,” I could recognize it at once.

A variable mask and a voice modulator powered by magic stones.

They were perfect tools for crime, but originally, they had been items researched by official government agencies. They certainly weren’t things that should be sitting here on display. Indeed, this was the kind of special product you’d never see outside the capital.

“Planning to buy it? I guarantee the quality, but there’s no discount.”

“…I don’t have the money.”

In fact, thanks to Noel having handed over such a generous “contract payment,” I actually had a good amount of coin on hand. But still, there was no real situation in which I’d need to use something like this anytime soon.

The likelihood I’d end up in a situation where I’d have to resort to these things to “deceive” someone, even with my current circumstances, was hardly—

“…”

—Well.

If not for the sight outside the window that caught his eye, he would have simply let it go.

“…?”

Aiden craned his neck, peering out at the scene unfolding right in front of the shop.

Something about it.

A feeling of déjà vu.

A “scene” that he felt he absolutely couldn’t leave alone was happening over there…

“…!”

And the moment he clearly recognized what he was seeing.

His eyes slowly began to widen.

-System Message

▶ A ‘Sub Quest’ has been given.

▶ Penalties will be imposed if you fail.

▶ Would you like to view the details? [Y/N]

As soon as he checked the message that appeared to match the scene, Aiden’s face turned deathly pale.

‘…No.’

No.

No, there was no way.

There was no way this was what he thought it was.

Telling himself that, Aiden, with trembling pupils, opened the details of the so-called “Sub Quest.”

“…”

With dull eyes, he rubbed his face.

‘…I don’t want to live.’

Considering what he was about to have to do, it was a natural sentiment.

“I’d like to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“This—how much is it?”

As he said that, Aiden pointed to the mask and voice modulator he had just waved off as too expensive.

▣

The black market, by its very nature, attracted all manner of people, but there were always a few unspoken taboos everyone avoided.

For example, “standing out,” or “carrying valuables,” or “showing up completely defenseless”…

In that sense.

This small girl right now was no different from prey bleeding profusely among a swarm of sharks.

If anything, “Why would someone so important be here?” was the most fitting way to describe her appearance.

A luxurious suit, undoubtedly crafted by a master artisan stitch by stitch. Even the gloves and boots matched perfectly. Just selling those alone would easily cover a commoner’s living expenses for a month.

No matter how you looked at it, she didn’t belong in a place like this.

“-If you wander around looking like that, you won’t have a good time, miss.”

And when all those factors came together, people like this inevitably appeared as if drawn by magnets.

A group of thugs wearing lecherous smiles. In their hands, they held weapons that couldn’t be called high quality by any stretch, though among them were a few with small firearms like pistols.

For ordinary people without abilities, just seeing that was enough of an excuse to look the other way, and this was already the lawless black market. No one would bother interfering in such a sight.

Indeed, while the group surrounded the girl, not a single person stepped forward to intervene.

“This isn’t the kind of place where you can show your face in such fancy clothes and expect everything to be fine. Did you come here without even knowing what this place is?”

“Isn’t it the black market?”

“…”

The man who’d spoken was left speechless for a moment by the reply, which could almost be called cheerful.

Anyone listening would think she’d just come for an afternoon picnic after lunch…

“…I didn’t expect you to be stupid enough to come here knowing that. What are you thinking, coming all this way—”

“For a hobby.”

An answer that was so far out of left field it wasn’t even on the field anymore left the thugs all momentarily dumbfounded.

“What?”

“It’s my first time visiting the capital’s black market. I’ve been to the back alleys of my hometown plenty of times, though.”

As she said this, the girl’s face was still bright with a carefree smile.

“Can you help me out a little? You guys look like you’d be just right.”

The thugs exchanged glances among themselves. A series of scoffs slipped out between them.

“Sure. Of course we’ll help. Why wouldn’t we? But first, how about you come over there and tell us exactly what you need?”

One of them pointed with a finger toward a secluded alley behind the black market.

No doubt, in their minds, the entire scene of stripping this girl of all her possessions and then taking her hostage to extort whatever noble family she belonged to was already playing out in vivid detail, second by second.

And even in the face of such a life-or-death crisis, the smile on the girl’s face only grew brighter.

As if she were truly relieved to have found someone who could “help.”

“Let’s take our time hearing you out, yeah? We’ve got plenty of time from here on—”

His sentence, delivered with an expression that failed to mask his greed, was abruptly cut off when someone grabbed him hard by the shoulder.

“Who the hell are you!”

The man turned around, snarling, and immediately flinched.

The person who had grabbed his shoulder had a face that was nothing short of a nightmare.

Skin so rugged it looked like someone had painstakingly carved it out with a knife, a scar running from forehead to neck, a hooked nose, one eye missing, and lips half gone as if they’d been sliced off somewhere.

It was an overwhelming grotesqueness that would make even the most hardened criminal turn pale the instant they laid eyes on him…

“Get lost.”

Even his voice was a bizarre rasp, like a knife scraping over a metal plate. Just hearing it was enough to make every man gathered there instinctively recoil.

“W-What the hell, you wanna fight, you bastard—”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

His voice dropped another pitch lower.

As that horrific face came even closer, a strangled squeak escaped from someone in the group.

“This is your last warning. Get lost.”

“…”

It must have been a truly moving, passionate speech.

Because all the thugs standing there immediately understood the message, and without a single word of protest, scattered in a panicked stampede that proved just how clear it was…

“-You too.”

The man who had just delivered such a dramatic oration turned his head toward the girl and spat out his words as though chewing glass.

“Go home while you can. This isn’t a place for someone like you.”

Saying this, the man turned around without the slightest hesitation.

His demeanor was that of someone who had finished his business and was now on his way.

“Mister.”

But a voice caught him by the back of the neck before he could take another step.

“You know who I am, don’t you?”

A feeling like ice seized his limbs—Aiden, still in his “disguise,” slowly stopped walking.

“…What are you talking about—”

“You didn’t come here to rescue me.”

“…”

“It’s obvious enough.”

—Without a doubt, she was right.

The ones Aiden had stepped in to “rescue” were not this girl, who only looked defenseless, but the “armed thugs.”

To be precise, it was because he had realized who this girl was.

!! Sub Quest !!

▶ Contact ‘Deathwish,’ Katya Heinkel Craven.

▶ Resolve the situation as peacefully as possible.

▶ If you handle this smoothly, the target’s favorability toward you will greatly increase!

▶ If you fail, penalties will be imposed!

…Those thugs had practically been shoving their heads into the lion’s jaws, and Aiden had grabbed them by the scruff and pulled them back out.

“You shouldn’t have. Things were just about to get interesting, and you ruined it.”

“…”

“I could have dealt with them all under ‘self-defense.’ You know?”

With her hands behind her back and still wearing that gentle, beaming smile.

The girl took small steps closer to Aiden.

Her voice was as clear and lovely as jade beads rolling on a silver tray, but as he listened to it, Aiden felt as though his veins were shriveling to dust.

“What are you going to do?”

“…What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

“You’re going to take responsibility. You ruined my little hobby.”

“…”

“I finally had a bit of free time after coming all the way to the Empire, so I squeezed it into my schedule to catch a nice opportunity.”

Damn it.

Goddamn it.

While Aiden silently chewed over those words again and again, the girl kept smiling and spoke on.

He knew this face.

The Second Princess of the Holy Crown Kingdom.

One of the most critical figures in the main scenario, especially on the Holy Crown Kingdom side.

And that very person—

“Come on. Would you keep me company for a while?”

—with an offhand tone, said those words.