Chapter 66

Training

It was certain that all prestigious families prided themselves on being strict with their children's education, never wanting to be seen as lax in comparison. The Aslan Ducal House was no exception and actively participated in that silent competition among noble families.

So—

"...Why are you trusting that Aiden guy, Father?"

"What did you say?"

"Isn't the only remarkable thing about him the fact that he managed to land a highborn lady by sheer luck? Why would you entrust him with Night of the Hunt, the biggest event in our territory—"

The moment Damian brought that up, a fist was driven into his face with the kind of force that looked like it would split his jaw—undeniable proof of everything mentioned so far.

As one of the knights barely held back a gasp at the perfectly executed textbook uppercut, only a single thought crossed Damian's dazed consciousness.

'This old geezer... he said he was in pain!'

That punch was definitely not something that should come from a sick and aging man.

While he was chewing on that thought, the Duke’s voice cut through with biting scorn.

“Weren’t you the one who got flattened by that guy in a single blow?”

“…That was a mistake due to carelessness. If I meet him again, I’m confident I can—”

Another strike flew in.

…If he wasn’t careful, he might actually bite his tongue and die.

“I just finished recovering, you know.”

“If you don’t want to take another hit, I suggest you shut your mouth.”

“……”

“Regardless of where he came from or what his current status is, he seems more trustworthy than you or Liza—both of you who started eyeing the ducal seat the moment you heard a baseless rumor that I was ill.”

Damian’s expression contorted at a terrifying speed.

The fact that the Duke didn’t bother correcting such a rumor, despite clearly knowing it had spread, made his intentions obvious.

That conniving old man, as always, had likely spread the rumor himself to test Damian’s competence as a member of the ducal family…

“And one more thing.”

But Damian's twisted expression immediately returned to neutral.

After all, anyone would think twice after seeing Duke Aslan radiate killing intent with enough force to make the air itself tremble.

“You should be grateful I didn’t excommunicate and exile you. Of all things, you neglected your duty to protect the people of this territory?”

“……”

“You asked why I trust that man? Good question. Unlike you, he actually understands what responsibility is.”

“……”

“You’re not ignorant of the Empire’s founding history. You ought to feel ashamed.”

The founding emperor of the Empire—also known as the first Saint of the Sword—was said to have taken up the sword to defend the villagers who suffered under the oppression of the demonkind that ran rampant at the time.

A humble country youth who could not stand to watch the hungry and the sick suffer—that was the first Emperor of the Empire.

Under his belief, the sword was raised. Beneath the sword, loyalty gathered. The man who wielded the blade for the happiness of the suffering became a legend.

And as the Empire’s shield who stood at the front lines protecting the weak alongside such a man, the Aslan Ducal House had a very clear family motto.

Responsibility makes a person. One who does what must be done as a human being can change the world.

And, as the Empire’s shield—

From the perspective of Duke Aslan, who was born into a position that bore responsibility for others from the moment he took his first breath—

A man with that level of awareness was immediately recognizable as a rare and precious existence.

From their first encounter, he had clearly understood how harsh and noble it was to bear another person’s burden.

…Moreover.

He was also a man who immediately understood the Duke’s mindset—one who, despite having pathetic children who calculated personal gain the moment he collapsed, still tried to take responsibility for them simply because they were his blood.

What a pity.

He’d heard the man was a war orphan.

If he’d discovered him earlier and taken notice, he would have raised him with care as an adopted son.

He was that kind of man—one with enough worth. One with enough potential.

“But even so—”

At the very least, he was someone who could utter a sentence powerful enough to shut up a complaining son right in front of him.

“If he returns victorious from Night of the Hunt, I’ll make Aiden Kellermain a member of the ducal house. I’ll entrust him with the task of educating you and Liza.”

Damian’s face went blank.

That meant the Duke intended to recognize that man as a true member of the family.

“…What?”

“I’ll also grant him a certain level of voting rights in military actions and authority over resource requisitions.”

…And saying that meant Aiden would be given authority on par with Damian and Liza, who were direct blood relatives.

Damian’s face turned pale.

“Wait, Father—!”

Damian had been about to protest, but when Duke Aslan’s icy gaze pierced through him, his face turned from pale to outright white.

“He’s someone we need to hold onto—whatever it takes.”

One who takes responsibility changes the world. That was Duke Aslan’s standard when judging a person.

And that man named Aiden—

Though he might only think in terms of the category called “family,” from Duke Aslan’s perspective—

He was a man who would fight against anything that threatened the people he was responsible for, even if that meant going up against the entire world.

And those who can oppose great evils with nothing but that sense of responsibility are usually the kind of people who—

“Do outrageous things like they’re no big deal.”

The Empire itself had been founded by someone just like that.

And what happened next was further proof of that very belief.

“…What’s going on out there?”

Damian muttered as he sensed a commotion outside the hall.

In truth, describing it merely as a "commotion" didn’t quite do the atmosphere justice.

It was more like—

The kind of sound you'd expect if a bomb had been dropped right in the middle of the city—continuous shrieks and screams of people scattering in panic.

“…?”

Feeling something was off, Damian abruptly stood and threw open the window.

And the moment he did, he immediately understood the reaction.

“…A beast?”

Damian muttered the word like a groan as he saw a beast the size of a house swaggering through the middle of Aslan territory.

And then, just as quickly, he realized why none of the people had drawn their swords or entered a battle stance, despite what they were seeing.

It was because—

Atop the beast sat something resembling a saddle.

With Katya, Noel, and Aiden mounted on it—Katya wearing an expression like, I can’t believe I actually did this, Noel appearing dead serious, and Aiden looking proud and content.

Aiden, seated atop the beast, waved cheerfully at Duke Aslan with a bright smile.

It looked like he was showing off a brand-new ride or something…

“……”

Damian stared blankly at the scene, his pupils dilated.

What the hell was that guy?

Where did he even find a beast like that, and more importantly—how the hell was he riding it so calmly…?

“I told you.”

As a storm of thoughts rushed through Damian’s head, Duke Aslan, who had stepped up beside him, glanced at the scene and let out a snort.

“He does outrageous things like they’re no big deal.”

“……”

Sadly, for Damian—

There wasn’t a single thing he could say to refute that.

▣

Once again, there was something I couldn’t help but feel.

This System Window thing could be really lovable sometimes.

-System Message

▶ The faction ‘Aslan Ducal House’ has become friendly toward you.

▶ You have been granted resource and personnel requisition rights from the ‘Aslan Ducal House’!

▶ This group has enough influence to cause changes within the scenario.

▶ They will have a positive impact on the progress of Chapter 3, ‘Imperial Capital Fracture’!

Especially when it popped up with messages like this after completing a quest.

⊙ Soul Reaver [Subjugated]

A quadrupedal beast residing at the apex of the ecosystem deep within the Void Zone. Few beings outside of dragonkin can match it in terms of raw physical ability, and in some aspects, it even surpasses them.

It possesses high intelligence and pride to the point of being capable of communication, and currently holds strong dissatisfaction with following your commands.

-Weapon: Entire body

-Strengths: Top-tier beast-level athleticism, tougher defense than dragon scales, near-immortal vitality

-Weaknesses: None

★ Due to the effect of ‘Skill: Dark Energy – Divine Order,’ it is currently compelled to obey your forced command.

Only one forced command may be issued per day!

…Well.

That was the issue.

In the end, Aiden could only issue a single command to this thing per day.

Judging by the [Subjugated] status, the master-servant dynamic seemed properly in place, and it likely wouldn’t show outright hostility toward Aiden.

But if he forced it to do something it truly hated, it felt like it could easily cause some other kind of disaster.

In that case, it was nothing more than a time bomb he could use once per day.

Even if it followed a command in the moment, there was no telling what it might do afterward.

“…Well, I’m no beast expert, but doesn’t it feel like it just wants to be released and go back to the Void Zone? Maybe it’s enough that we subdued Night of the Hunt and we should just let it go.”

“Nope. That would be a waste.”

Aiden flatly rejected Noel’s suggestion and scanned the beast up and down.

“I’ve already given it a nickname. Reaver.”

“……”

Honestly, it was far too valuable a resource to give up on.

The specs were incredible, and more importantly, if it had this level of intelligence and… emotion—

‘…That means I can extract skills from it, right?’

If he could raise its affection level, he could bring in its skills too.

Considering this creature’s specs, there was no way he could let it go.

“But with that attitude, it’s hard to think of it as a companion…”

“Then I’ll just fix that attitude.”

“And how exactly?”

He had a way.

As always, there was always a way.

“I’ll teach it some manners.”

Aiden said, glancing down at the bracelet he was wearing.

The item that contained Meyer. The one that allowed him to enter the Mental World.

“One night is all I need.”

Well.

It was fine to hold that head high with pride and act all noble.

But the world doesn’t work that way.

…And he meant every word of it.