Copy Skills with Affinity!

Chapter 53

Chapter 53Commotion (2)

"...I don’t recall submitting a résumé."

That was how Aiden snapped back.

...Watching quietly from the side, Noel instinctively brought a hand to her forehead at his razor-sharp attitude.

Well, this was the same man who clashed with the Direct Imperial Prince whenever he got the chance—there was no reason he’d make an exception just because this man was a duke.

What was surprising wasn't Aiden's confrontational tone, but rather the duke's calm response to it.

"I’ve long known that if someone rubs you the wrong way, your attitude turns foul no matter who they are."

The duke said this while straightening his clothes.

"If those kids had been about to die, I’d have stepped in to save them. No need to worry about that."

"..."

Listening silently, Aiden replied in his usual curt tone.

"...I don’t understand why you orchestrated something like that in the first place."

"I was curious. Whether you were just a lucky fool who happened to gain power, or someone with real steel in his spine."

"Excuse me?"

"You were a war orphan, weren’t you? From the slums. Only recently did you start making a name for yourself."

"..."

As Aiden’s expression darkened even further, the duke continued speaking in an indifferent tone.

"When someone’s environment changes suddenly, it’s easy for their essence to get muddled. I just wanted to see if you were that shallow."

"...And you did that by investigating me and goading innocent kids into a dangerous situation?"

Though his voice remained brusque, the duke chuckled without a care.

"Exactly. Worthwhile too—I found someone I like."

"..."

This man was formidable.

Aiden chewed over that impression.

Despite all his barbed remarks, the man let them slide off like water. It made the thought unavoidable.

"...Anyway, this still doesn’t explain anything. What exactly is it you want me to do that you’re claiming to ‘hire’ me for?"

"Do you know why the Aslan Ducal Territory is located in the north?"

Of course he knew.

Geographically, it served as a ‘gate’ that stood against all the evil spirits and beasts that spilled over from the northern Void Zone.

It wasn’t called the shield of the Empire for nothing.

"Good, then this will be easy to explain."

The duke smiled faintly as he continued.

"Once every ten years, that place becomes a living hell—flooded with demons and beasts from beyond. We call it the Night of the Hunt."

"..."

"I want you to help subdue it."

...There was no clearer way to introduce Chapter 2 than this.

"...But Your Grace, don’t you have children of your own? I’ve heard they’re all highly esteemed warriors. This seems like something you could entrust to them—"

"Those halfwits? Don’t make me laugh."

"..."

"I can’t entrust something this crucial to a bunch of fools who scramble for my title the moment I so much as waver."

"...Even so, I’m hardly the better choice."

Despite the harshly biting assessment, when Aiden tried to argue back somehow, the duke scattered a few photographs across the table.

They were filled with things that made both Aiden and Noel flinch simultaneously.

Images of Aiden wielding Pure white qi, Holy Flame, and even Mana Arts. On top of that, there were photos of him using the Knight of Dawn’s techniques during his recent battle with the Warden of the Realm.

"You’re a hot potato right now, consort of the Lionhearted."

"..."

"A multi-ability user, tangled up with the Knight of Dawn—"

The duke shifted his gaze from the photos to Aiden.

"You're the kind of talent people across the continent would be drooling to get their hands on. That damned Emperor is desperately trying to suppress the attention while making sure you don’t slip through his fingers."

He continued in a calm tone.

"So, get your things ready and come over to our territory. I’ve prepared a reward you won’t be able to refuse."

"..."

"A Revelation is approaching, consort of the Lionhearted."

Aiden flinched.

When he dug into his memory, he realized—he’d heard that exact phrase before.

—A Revelation is coming, Mr. Aiden.

...Once before.

He had heard it from the prince.

Before he could even process why those same words were coming from the duke, the man’s voice continued.

"The Empire is going to flip soon. The powder keg’s already full, and someone’s playing with fire right inside it. If the Emperor’s got one unmatched flaw, it’s his terrible parenting skills."

"..."

"The conservative nobles loyal to the Emperor, the radical nobles siding with the prince, and the warriors allied with me—these three factions are currently dividing the Empire. You knew that, right?"

"...I wasn’t really looking for a lecture."

"Doesn’t matter if you didn’t. That lecture was the reward I’m offering."

"Excuse me?"

"You don’t get along with the prince, do you?"

"..."

"I’ll help you fix that."

The duke’s voice remained even.

"Aside from the Emperor and the prince, I lead the largest faction in the Empire."

And the words that followed, without a doubt, meant:

"I’m offering to help you personally slice off that prince’s head."

...It was definitely an offer he couldn’t refuse.

▣

A well-made train—especially its first-class cars—obviously offers a smooth, comfortable ride.hat had filled their view passed—

“Hm?”

Something strange briefly swept past the edge of his vision.

“What is that—”

Aiden looked up at the sky, tilting his head.

Something dark and murky, unlike anything he’d seen before, was blanketing the sky.

He thought it might just be storm clouds, but upon closer inspection, it clearly wasn’t.

Storm clouds didn’t cut so neatly along “sections” like that, with clear borders.

Nor did they spew a tar-like, blinding black mist continuously from within like that.

“Ah, that must be the Void Zone. It’s my first time seeing it in person.”

Katya muttered in a low voice as she gazed at the faintly visible “black sky” beyond the frozen land.

“I heard no humans living on the continent can ever enter that place. And yet, they built a duchy right next to it.”

The body of Wornil, the God of Devouring and god of demonkind, was sealed there.

It was the very “coffin” where the gods of the Pantheon had combined their powers to imprison him.

Even though centuries had passed since its discovery, the deathly aura that lingered around it still showed no signs of dissipating.

Get too close, and any ordinary human would die 100 percent of the time. Even those with powerful abilities wouldn’t come out of it unharmed.

‘In fact…’

Thinking about it now, the wording felt a little misleading.

The duchy existed because of that place.

That was why so many residents of the duchy had intentionally chosen a lower level of civilization, filling the region with ritualistic and religious architecture.

The Empire’s northern “shield” existed to hold back the effects of that cursed place, which otherwise would seep into every part of life.

“Let’s go.”

Just as Aiden was digesting all that information, Noel’s words landed like a stone.

And with a final rattle, the train’s speed began to slow.

“...”

Aiden took a deep breath.

Alright.

Chapter 2. It all starts now.