The people entangled in the main scenario are bound to be anything but ordinary, and it is difficult to find someone who possesses only good traits. There are bound to be quite a few individuals you must avoid at all costs, and this guy is one of those who rivals them in the rankings. Deathwish, Katya Heinkel Craven.
A 'key character' with a weight in the scenario comparable to Noel's. As for memorable traits... eccentric, capricious, self-destructive, and self-willed. Yet, despite that, his innate power is terrifyingly strong.
One could say that he possesses nothing but elements that would cause the negative repercussions to become severely bad when things 'go awry.' “.......” Considering the direction the story takes in the game, all the main characters are bound to get their hands dirty eventually. However, no matter which route you take, the one most likely to kill the 'most' people is this guy right in front of me. He isn't the type to commit indiscriminate murder, nor is he a scumbag who enjoys wielding violence against the innocent.
However, should I say he presses a 'switch' for a certain part of him? If you touch her raw nerve, this girl is the kind of person who would commit mass slaughter without blinking an eye. On the surface, she looks like a rich young lady strolling leisurely down the street with a nonchalant expression, but should I call her a quiet-looking time bomb?
!! Sub Quest !! ▶ Contact 'Deathwish', Katya Heinkel Craven.
… … And, they tell me to resolve the situation peacefully while entangled with such a person. As if something unpeaceful is bound to happen. The mere thought is terrifying, but now that this has crossed my mind, I must stay alert.
'… … A crisis can be an opportunity.' If I use it well, it might turn out that way. Significantly raising affection means the Skill Copy Tickets will drop in large quantities, doesn't it?
“I’m bored.” They walked quietly together for quite a while without saying a word.
Suddenly, a remark escaped the girl's lips.
"Isn't there anything you want to do?" "...I think I heard you ask me to keep you company.
Didn't you have something to say?" "Nothing like that." "..." "I really just called you because I was bored. Something fun was right in front of me, and you interrupted me, didn't you?" At the reply delivered with a big smile, Aiden was left speechless. No.
Wasn't there plenty to ask? Why she had butted in just now, how she knew his identity—weren't those topics enough to spark a lively conversation?
"Or, would you like to entertain me yourself?" "..." "I have a few pretty good ways to toy with you, listen—" "-Anything is fine?" Katya chuckled at the sight of Aiden cutting her off abruptly.
No matter how you looked at it, he didn't seem to be showing proper etiquette toward royalty, but gathering all the background knowledge I had about him, he wasn't the type to care about such things. He was a man who was straightforward about everything. There was no need to twist the meaning.
"Anything is fine." "I have work to do, so if you want to follow, follow me." As Aiden said that and walked ahead, Katya snorted after confirming the destination.
"A gun shop?" The back alleys of the capital were, of course, places where you could get anything, and it was only natural that you could acquire a gun requiring a strict license if you just paid the money.
"Does this have any meaning?" "Because I need it." "Why?" "Conversely, why are you curious about the reason?" "You can use supernatural abilities." "......" How do you know that?
When I looked at Katya with that thought in mind, she tilted her head slightly and replied. An awkward answer came back immediately.
"......Because I can tell just by looking." ... ...
There really are many things you can tell the moment you see them. Of course, putting that aside, explaining why he needs a gun is a bit complicated. As Katya said, humans capable of handling supernatural abilities have no real reason to handle firearms.
However, considering the 'characteristics' Aiden envisions for himself, there is no tool more fitting than a gun.
"Supernatural abilities become much more sophisticated when they take shape like this.
You can store them in your body like this, but storing them in a weapon is more efficient." I remember hearing that explanation from Noel before. While it is fine to handle supernatural abilities on their own, their efficiency is doubled when stored in a weapon. It is a very simple concept.
Then, for Aiden, who handles 'multiple' supernatural abilities, the choice becomes a bit tricky. It requires multiple parts, and above all, he must be 'able to use' it despite having received no combat training. In that sense, classic melee weapons like spears and swords cannot be considered.
Aiden is a person who has absolutely no connection to such objects. Naturally, the most suitable choice is this: a firearm. A simple weapon composed of multiple parts.
“Welcome—” The gun shop owner was a friendly old man who greeted the incoming customer with a polite welcome.
Considering just how menacing the disguise Aiden was wearing was, this level of hospitality was top-notch.
“……Do you have a pistol that even a beginner can handle?” “Yay.
You can look over here!” It was evident just by looking at how politely he responded, without giving up at all, to a request that was completely at odds with his voice and appearance.
“I don’t think buying something like this would be very meaningful.” In contrast, Katya, who had been trailing behind him, was peering around while saying that, seemingly dissatisfied with something.
“Weapons are meant to kill people, aren’t they?
The ones here are for self-defense, aren’t they?” … … Shamefully, that is exactly what Aiden wants. However, before he could even properly convey that, it was clear that Katya was putting her grievances into action.
“Owner—where are the cartridges?” “Ah, you’ll find them in the drawer.” At those words, Katya whistled as she rummaged through the drawers and soon took out bullets suitable for the pistol on the display shelf.
Up to this point, the scene wasn't particularly strange. The owner, too,It was a normal situation, to the point where even Aiden didn't think much of it.
“If you want to try using a weapon, head to the backyard—” The problem was.
Before those words could even be finished, Katya was aiming a loaded gun at him. At his own head.
“Wait, sir—!” Before the flustered shopkeeper could even say a word, a deafening gunshot rang out through the shop.
“.......” Along with the sound of shell casings rolling on the floor, Aiden gaped his mouth wide open.
Near Katya’s body was a divine energy that had burst forth the moment the gun was fired. It looked exactly like the divine energy Aiden had handled before. Flames that moved automatically upon detecting danger to the user.
It was clear that the bullet had melted without a trace upon contact with the superheated divine energy.
“—I told you, it pops out like this even when I suppress it to the maximum.
It’s annoying.” Saying that, Katya smirked and tossed the gun, from which smoke was rising, back onto the display shelf. Then, traversing the shelf, she picked up the guns along the way one by one and performed a similar action. She picked it up, loaded it, and fired at her own head.
As if to make a comparison. Even as Aiden and the shop owner stiffened in unison to watch the spectacle, the phenomenon of the fired bullets being blocked and melting away by the divine power surrounding her body continued.
“Ah, right.” Of course, as you move up the display shelves, larger-caliber firearms are bound to appear.
Naturally, Katya was also picking up what looked more like a hand cannon than a pistol and aiming it at her head.
“This feels pretty good.” Saying that.
Even the divine power, which could easily block pistol bullets, was unable to stop such a large-caliber projectile and was immediately penetrated. But.
“.......” Aiden watched the scene unfolding before his eyes, his face draining of color.
Even with a human head completely blown off. Katya was turning her body away nonchalantly. The face, pierced and crushed by a bullet, crumbles and sticks together like a doll made of molded clay.
Furthermore, settling in the crevices is the same 'Divine Power' that had automatically flowed out just moments ago when he was in danger. It is as if it would not allow even death to the one wielding it, as if it would not tolerate even a single drop of blood. It 'regenerates' such trauma cleanly, leaving no trace.
“This is the level of firepower required for it to be useful.
You’d better survive from here on.” And the person in question—even though his head had been blown off by a bullet—does not blink an eye. His expression does not change in the slightest. As if.
Truly. He feels 'nothing at all.' “The Divine Power I suppressed to the maximum is only about the thickness of a few thin steel plates. Shouldn't you be able to penetrate that to be useful in combat?” Aiden groaned inwardly as he watched Katya, who was still grinning as she held out her pistol to him.
He knew, in his mind, the nature this girl possessed. Painlessness. And far beyond that stage, numbness.
As the price for wielding such absurd divinity, Katya Heinkel feels absolutely no sensations. Thanks to a divinity that 'automatically' erases any means capable of harming him, all external stimuli are completely blocked. '—Seeing it firsthand, isn't this completely—' a monster?
Even though he claimed to have suppressed his abilities to the maximum extent, it is no exaggeration to say he is practically immortal. I think I understand why he carries such a significant weight in the main story, comparable to Noel. And, it was clear that there was at least one other person who vehemently agreed with that sentiment.
At the click of the counter, Aiden and Katya turned to look in that direction simultaneously. The pale-faced owner was aiming a loaded gun at Katya.
"Get out of my shop." “……It does look a bit hideous, doesn’t it?
I’ll pay you full price for the bullets you fired—” As Katya said this, a flash of light blazed before her eyes. It was likely because the Divine had erased the bullet fired by the shopkeeper.
“I told you to go away, you monster bastard…!” A voice heavy with tension struggled to escape.
Her trembling hands clearly showed that she, too, was unaccustomed to such threats. It was probably an act committed in a half-panic state at the sight of Katya acting so nonchalantly. But.
At that, Katya’s lips stretched into a wide grin.
“I certainly might look a bit strange.” On the surface, it was a nonchalant smile, no different from usual.
However, Aiden, skilled at reading people’s minds, could immediately discern the difference. Beneath that expression lay a murderous intent that felt like skin being torn apart. This girl reacts extremely sensitively to the 'hostility' of others.
“It’s a bit unpleasant to just shove bullets right in out of nowhere, isn’t it?” The moment he saw Katya stride toward the counter saying those words—click.
A switch flipped in Aiden's mind. His own personal alarm that rings whenever he faces an extreme situation. It was a sensation similar to when Noel was about to swing his sword at him before.
If he just stood still like this, that person would suffer a terrible fate.
!! Sub Quest !! ▶ Contact 'Deathwish', Katya Heinkel Craven.
And, in the current situation. This is by no means a welcome development for him. Aiden groaned and clutched his head.
This is the second time already. Since meeting this damn princess, a situation where someone could die if he didn't step in. And.
At the very least. He is not the kind of person who can just brush such things off as if nothing happened. Especially when he has the means to prevent it.
◈ Weaver of Fate 【 Katya Heinkel Craven 】 - Bond: Tier 2 - Can copy 1 skill. <Copied Skill> ◆ First Vow Whenever I copy a skill, I hurriedly operate the window I was looking at.
It was easy to choose because I had roughly looked through what was available once before.The only way to prevent Katya from doing anything crazy right here and now is to distract her mind. After all, there is no way to stop her physically. And as for how to vent the anger of such a capricious, eccentric, and self-centered human... the only way is to pique the target's 'interest.' In that case, the skill to bring is already determined.
- System Message
While Aiden manipulated the spear, colorless flames surged around Katya as she strode toward the counter. That blazing divinity soon took shape, forged into a blade, and aimed precisely at the man standing at the counter. Without delay, fire.
The shopkeeper turned from deep blue to purple. He looked as if he had instinctively sensed his own future.
“......?” And then.
Katya’s eyebrows furrowed. It must have been because she had spotted Aiden intervening, having thrown himself between the two. But her eyes immediately widened in surprise.
Probably. The arm Aiden extended as he intervened was pierced by that blade of flame.
“It hurts—!” he screamed, because his arm was being regenerated by the brightly burning divinity.
That sight was exactly the same as the image of Katya ‘herself’ just moments ago, regenerating her blown-out head.
▣ It hurts.
It hurts… …!
Its power can be enhanced through the Vow Ritual.
The 'Sensory Blockage' trait is removed. A penalty is applied.
Thanks to this, his arm was fine, but it still hurt. Aiden clutched his arm and twisted his body frantically. Needless to say, the most severe pain a human can feel is burning pain.
The excruciating pain of having an entire arm pierced by a burning blade goes without saying. I mean, it’s only natural to react like this. But...
“.......” Katya’s eyes, watching the scene, were filled with astonishment.
As if seeing something that absolutely couldn’t possibly exist.
“Mister…!” While Katya stood frozen in a daze, Aiden spat out a groan toward the counter.
“Run away… …!
Damn, this really hurts… …!” Understanding Aiden’s words, the owner immediately turned around and ran off. Fortunately, it seemed his antics had certainly paid off. It was clear that Katya had absolutely no interest in the owner’s escape.
“-It’s just like me.” His cheeks were trembling violently.
His usually smiling face was contorted just now.
“Hey, Mr.
Aiden. Answer me. That was 'my' divinity, wasn’t it?” Aiden, who had been shedding a tear from the excruciating pain, turned blankly to look at Katya.
“Mr.
Aiden?” “So you thought I’d fall for a mere disguise? More importantly, answer me. What on earth was that just now?” … … Then doesn’t that mean she approached me knowing it was him from the very beginning?
For some reason, it felt like she knew all too much about him, and it also struck him as someone too coincidental to have run into by chance. However, instead of asking anything further about that, Aiden just sighed inwardly again. After all, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“……Right.” Lying was pointless.
The other person wasn’t a fool, so there was no way they could fool him about something like this. No, to be precise. What needed to be deceived was the 'other part.' “That you’re exactly like me.” “You should be able to tell just by looking.” “…….” At those words, Katya’s face turned even more grotesque.
What lay in those gleaming eyes was an 'excitement' that even a fool could recognize.
“But how on earth—” “-How do you ‘feel pain’?” “…….” Katya froze.
Her eyes trembled uncontrollably, as if struck right in the heart. Aiden knew why this girl went around shooting herself in the head so nonchalantly. To be numb beyond painlessness is a terrible curse for those born with it.
It is the act of continuing, endlessly, to live merely because one cannot die, without any stimulation, as if empty. She must repeat this bizarre behavior because she wants to 'feel' something, even just a little bit. In that sense.
The real reason this girl was shocked just moments ago might be partly because Aiden used his ability in the exact same way, but the emphasis would likely be more on the fact that he is vividly feeling pain despite possessing such power. So.
“Shall I tell you?” “…….” Katya's body stiffened.
She looked undeniably vulnerable. Meanwhile, a switch was still clicking inside Aiden's head as he watched. The situation had escalated in an instant, and the resolution had been more of an improvisational one.
But having come this far, it was time to add one more element. Since things had turned out this way, shouldn't he seize every possible advantage?
"If you want to know." In that sense, it was time to be faithful to his main job.
Fraud. Lying to others.
"Will you grant me a favor?" And then turning that into his own benefit.
- System Message
"......." Aiden let out a sigh of relief as he watched the window pop up.
Clearly. It was also certain that the feedback regarding benefits was intuitive.