Chapter 91

Aftermath

“Ah, what happened to that demonkind? Wasn't their nickname ‘the Magician’?”

“The Grandmaster said he’d handle it personally. He said that even if he can’t kill them, he’ll make sure they can’t pull anything when it comes to the Omnipotent One…”

“Well, I guess neither side can touch each other now, so they won’t be able to pull any rough moves. Still, the lady is quite impatient. She could’ve sent us, but she chose to go herself.”

The man speaking brushed his hair back and turned his gaze far into the distance.

“She really pulled it off, in the end.”

Ganesha Aldebaran—the one known as the Merchant of Death—murmured in admiration as he looked up at the glittering night sky.

Though he was merely sitting in a rocking chair at a villa on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, staring at the sky, he could clearly feel the intensity of what had just transpired within the city.

The remnants of the Demon God’s energy that Aiden had just repelled were now dispersing and vanishing into the sky.

With a human body, he had pushed back the remnant of a god.

No matter how degraded it was compared to the original, that was undoubtedly a celestial being. Just that feat alone was enough to go down in history as a legendary accomplishment.

But from what Ganesha could tell, what had just happened was something even greater than that.

He chuckled softly and said,

“Drakan.”

“…Yes.”

“Something incredible just happened, didn’t it?”

Though Ganesha possessed quite a few hidden talents, he was still, in the end, a human confined to the realm of humanity. He couldn't grasp things that went beyond his domain.

However, to Drakan, a pure magical lifeform, things must have appeared a little differently.

“…I couldn’t see the form, but divinity lingered there for a moment.”

As expected.

Ganesha looked at the golden energy spreading through the sky and smiled, nodding to himself.

“A god descended.”

A descent from the Celestial Pantheon into the material world was something so rare that there were barely any records of it across the continent’s entire history.

It was only reported in world-shaking events that could turn the entire continent upside down.

In other words—

Those beings were so arrogant that they wouldn’t even pay attention to an event unless it threatened to obliterate more than a mere city.

And yet—

“Why do you think something like that came down?”

“…”

At that question, Drakan hesitated for a moment before finally answering with difficulty.

“…I felt a strong sense of favor.”

“Favor?”

“The Goddess of War—at the very least, she seemed to like Aiden.”

“…”

“It felt like she came down for a quick visit since the opportunity presented itself. On the basis of ‘acquaintance.’”

Like visiting an old friend you hadn’t seen in ages. Taking a chance to stop by since there was an opening.

As if they had known each other for a long time.

A god, and a human.

“…The Omnipotent One of this era is honestly so entertaining.”

With a soft smile, Ganesha stood up from her seat.

There was no way for them to know why such a phenomenon had occurred. Why a god from the Celestial Pantheon would bestow such one-sided favor upon a single human was beyond comprehension.

However, one thing was certain.

If something has happened once, it can happen again.

If he had once drawn the attention of beings who were the origin of all supernatural abilities, it meant it could happen a second time—or even a third.

In other words.

Aiden’s value, which was already sky-high, had just soared even further beyond reach due to that incident.

He was no longer merely the ruler who had risen to the top of the current continent. Now, even the ancient beings who had remained hidden in silence would turn their eyes to him.

The great ones, the divine, the bizarre, the sinister—every last one of them.

‘…What we’re providing him now isn’t nearly enough.’

Without a doubt, that was true.

The Grandmaster Ganesha served had already held a deep interest in Aiden for quite some time.

If he were to be taken away by someone else now, the Grandmaster’s temperament would surely have him skinned alive out of sheer rage.

They would need to secure him more firmly—to ensure he remained theirs.

And to do that—

“…Drakan. Sorry, but I’ve got something I need you to do.”

▣

A white ceiling.

That was the first thing that came to Aiden’s mind when he opened his eyes.

“Th-the patient’s regained consciousness!”

Judging by someone nearby saying that, he figured he was in a hospital. A nurse ran out of the room, shouting those words, and Aiden heard it clearly.

Right after, Noel came rushing breathlessly into the room. Aiden nodded at the sight.

“Oh, Dame Noel—”

Before he could even finish the sentence, Noel hit him.

“Please!”

…Hard.

“Could you just!”

…Multiple times.

“Stop worrying people for once!”

“…I’m sorry.”

And honestly, that was the only thing he could say.

Seeing Dame Noel on the verge of tears right in front of him, there was no other response he could give.

…And to be fair, there was also this—

‘If I say the wrong thing, I might actually die here.’

The tears welling up in her eyes were one thing, but the fury burning behind them was something else entirely.

In fact, it was a look he had seen before. Where was it again…?

‘Ah.’

It was the same expression his father had when he cried and held him back, begging him to calm down before he got himself killed rushing repeatedly at the guy who hurt Sisela.

“…”

Hmm.

So Noel was now looking at him like a parent watching over a reckless child standing by the water’s edge.

Realizing just how he was being treated left him with a strange feeling...

Fortunately, thanks to Noel quickly calming down, Aiden was able to get an explanation of the situation without much delay.

“The Crown Prince has been arrested and is currently in custody.”

Noel, sitting beside Aiden and awkwardly peeling an apple, began explaining.

…Though honestly, it was hard to tell whether she was peeling the skin or trying to crush the apple to death. That alone could probably spark a spirited debate.

How could someone be so skilled with a sword and yet so hopeless with something as simple as peeling fruit?

“As for why he did it—he’s kept his mouth completely shut about his motives or any background behind it. But to be frank, His Highness seems not to care either way. It feels like he just wants to make sure the Crown Prince receives the punishment he deserves.”

It seemed things had wrapped up nicely.

Though a few questions remained.

“Dame Noel.”

“Yes?”

“So, why exactly did that man try to take you as his wife?”

“…To be honest, I’m not sure myself. I didn’t get the sense he had any particular feelings for me.”

Noel tilted her head slightly, wondering if maybe there was some special intention behind it she simply wasn’t aware of.

In truth, the background probably wasn’t all that complicated.

“Dame Noel.”

“What’s your opinion on demonkind?”

“…Aren’t they a long-forgotten race? Why do you bring that up all of a sudden?”

Aiden let out a deep sigh through his nose.

They’d really done a good job of manipulating public perception.

They say the greatest lie the devil ever pulled off was making the world believe he didn’t exist.

They were real—undeniably so. And yet, even someone like Noel, who had been directly caught up in their schemes, was giving him a look like she was unsure whether such beings even existed.

“…No reason.”

Given that, there was no need for Aiden to explain it in detail. That’d only make people think he was crazy.

‘No need to explain it anyway.’

Even if no one else believed, Aiden himself was certain of their existence.

It didn’t matter whether others believed him or not. As long as he was prepared to face them and knew they existed, that was enough.

And if the time came when he really needed help, he felt confident that at least Noel and Katya would be on his side.

More importantly—

Just as mysterious as those creatures themselves, a strange new window had appeared before his eyes.

-Skill Info

■ Omnipotence

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■ Origin

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■ Divine Descent

Acquire more “Remnants” to unlock this trait! [1/3]

“…”

He’d experienced many kinds of traits by now, but this was the first time he’d seen anything with such grandiose wording.

The powers of a god. A combination of words that, under normal circumstances, he would have sworn he’d never have anything to do with in his entire life.

Good thing there was at least a hint about why this had suddenly popped up.

-System Log

▶ Favorability with “Goddess of War,” Karva, has increased.

▶ Bond level has risen!

▶ You may now borrow one “Divine Authority”!

…Unbelievable.

The words themselves weren’t anything flashy, but the content was staggering enough to leave him dizzy.

That massive version of Dame Noel he saw at that time—turned out she was actually the Goddess of War.

Divine authority, huh?

Seriously?

‘It really was weird back then.’

When he used the skill called “Remnant,” the energy that flowed into his body was clearly unlike anything he’d ever copied from a human.

The sensation of wielding power beyond his limits still lingered in his body. It was honestly terrifying to think how he got entangled in something like that in the first place…

‘What the…?’

But right after, Aiden opened Karva’s skill window—and was immediately thrown off.

-System Message

▶ Cannot be viewed.

▶ Skill upgrades required for “Omnipotence” and “Origin” traits.

“…Hmm.”

So it wasn’t something given freely. To use it, there were conditions.

Still, he couldn’t even feel disappointed, considering he had already experienced firsthand how powerful it was.

If anything, it only raised his expectations.

“Oh, Aiden.”

Just as he was lost in thought, Noel suddenly remembered something and brought something over to him.

It was a letter, written in elegant script. The recipient was clearly Aiden himself.

“It was placed at the entrance of your room.”

There shouldn’t be anyone who would send him something like this.

Aiden blinked as he looked at the seal on the envelope.

A familiar symbol was stamped on it.

‘…Ganesha?’

No matter how you looked at it, that was her personal crest.

And despite the fancy packaging, the contents were very simple.

—I’ve prepared a discharge gift. I do hope you’ll make good use of it.

…Huh.

Something about it gave off an ominous feeling.

▣

The next day, after being discharged in good health—

The atmosphere inside the office at the Capital Government Office had turned ice cold.

Both Katya and Noel were glaring sharply, eyes like axes. And at the center of their glare sat none other than Aiden himself.

The reason, likely, was an unexpected visitor who had shown up out of nowhere.

Holding his pounding head, Aiden looked at the being in front of him.

“…Hello.”

Well—“being” might be more accurate than “person.”

They looked human. But the reptilian scales covering their body and the slitted pupils made it painfully obvious to even an idiot that this wasn’t an ordinary human.

Aiden knew exactly who this was.

He had once made contact with them through the system window—a half-human, half-dragon named Drakan.

“I came at Lady Ganesha’s request. My name is Morrigan.”

With every calm word of introduction, the venom in Katya and Noel’s glares only intensified.

…And conversely, Aiden was shrinking further and further into himself.

“Right, Miss Morrigan. Nice to meet you.”

Noel, practically spitting sparks from her eyes, opened her mouth.

“Just to confirm—what exactly brings you here?”

“Lady Ganesha has instructed me to take Aiden as my new master…”

“…Master?”

“…Master, you said?”

Katya and Noel’s eyes locked onto him at once, faces twisted in pure disbelief.

As if to say, they never imagined he was into something like that...

“…”

…Ganesha. That damned woman.

That was the only thought echoing through Aiden’s throbbing head.