014 – Finding the Doppelganger
—
[Pro Tip on Becoming a One-Armed Swordsman-☆]
Why are YOU using magic that even *I* can’t use, you freaking b*stard.
Why is a blind dog shooting fireballs from its mouth, LOLOLOL
LOLOLOLOL Got hit with magic while monster hunting and became permanently disabled, lol
(Picture)
Became a one-armed swordsman~
I’m playing through this game for the 4th time and this is the first time seeing a monster like this frfr LOL
[Comments]
– But… the writer… their arm!
ㄴ (Writer): I offered it to the ‘New Era’…
ㄴ What’s this loser, who got his arm chopped off by a monster, yammering about?
ㄴ (Writer): They accepted it, so what’s the problem?!
ㄴ Those two are getting along well ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Hold on? Why is the monster using magic??
ㄴ You speciesist bigot!!! Monsters aren’t allowed to use magic?!?!
ㄴ Bro… why are you so PC…
– So, those guys who occasionally spark with fire or electricity were using magic. I just thought it was a special effect or something.
– Monsters do use magic, though. Like humans, about one in a thousand know magic.
ㄴ (Writer): Wow… that’s kinda gruesome. Do doppelgangers use magic too, by any chance?
ㄴ The biggest problem in this game is when doppelgangers use magic. If they turn into someone who knows magic, they can use the magic that person knows.
ㄴ ㅋㅋㅋ If a doppelganger turns into the Archmage, it’s over ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴ It hasn’t been precisely clarified so I don’t really know, but it’s said there are specific conditions that must be met for a doppelganger to transform into a human, so transforming into the Archmage won’t be easy.
—
To think, I can have more than two bowls of rice?
And there’s even dessert?!
They even pack the dessert for you to take home?!?
I couldn’t be such a chump as to miss out on such a grand occasion.
“Let’s go at once!”
I accepted her invitation.
“?”
Though I had uttered an affirmative reply, Ella Eloise’s expression was, strangely, one of bewilderment.
‘…Did I say something wrong?’
Was it because I accepted the invitation too readily?
Should I have negotiated further at this point..?
‘Two bowls are hardly enough… Let’s make it four.’
Such ridiculous nonsense briefly crossed my mind.
However, not knowing exactly what had startled her, I decided not to act in a presumptuous manner.
“..Let us take my carriage, Mr. Miheon.”
…
“Could you possibly tell me what kind of magic you use?”
On the way to the Eloise estate.
Within the carriage, she and I engaged in a bit of small talk.
And the primary subject of our conversation was, of course, ‘magic’.
“Well… the fact that I can use magic is actually a secret, Ella.”
“Pardon?”
“Even Professor Layton, and even the Archmage who sponsors me, don’t know that I can use magic.”
“Really??”
The truth is… the only kinds of magic I know are ‘kidnapping’ and ‘espionage,’ so I can’t exactly explain it properly.
The one who discovered that I could already use magic was none other than the woman before me, Ella Eloise.
“So, wouldn’t you care to strike a bargain with me?”
“What sort of bargain?”
“In exchange for me saving your life, I would be grateful if you kept my secret.”
I wouldn’t ask for payment, only that she keep my secret as well.
I could see her wearing a dazed expression for a moment, before she slowly nodded.
Nod… Nod…
Wasn’t this a win-win transaction?
As long as she watched her tongue, she wouldn’t have to give me any material compensation, so she wouldn’t be at a loss.
And as for me, I wouldn’t have to directly experience whether the Imperial Dungeon was warm or cold, by not having my suspicious magic be discovered by others.
“Thank you.”
Feeling a sense of satisfaction at Ella’s response, I glanced out the window.
With this, my secret would be safe.
The future where the kidnapper, Mikhail, goes to the Imperial Dungeon had vanished…
“…”
Suddenly, I had a strange feeling.
Mikhail was, undoubtedly, a ruthless kidnapper wanted by the Imperial Family.
But I didn’t recall ever hearing any story related to Mikhail here.
Therefore…
“Excuse me, Ella?”
“Yes?”
I decided to ask her carefully.
“When you hear the name… ‘Mikhail’, what comes to mind?”
“Mikhail?”
“Yes.”
Gulp…
Waiting with a tense heart for her reply…
After pondering over something intently, she said…
“Ah, I have heard of him. Are you talking about that kidnapper, Mikhail?”
Okay.
Be careful, me!
‘What kind of trouble did this b*stard cause, anyway?’
In truth, perhaps Mikhail wasn’t wanted, and I was worrying about being imprisoned in the Imperial Dungeon for no reason?
It wasn’t a pointless worry, but a necessary one for my very survival.
‘There weren’t any signs that he’d kidnapped anyone back at the house…’
Even so, the questions remained.
Why was Mikhail, who could use kidnapping magic, on the verge of starvation when I possessed his body?
And why were there no traces or records that would indicate he’d kidnapped someone at his house?
…
“You’ve arrived, my Lady.”
“He’s my guest. See to it he’s treated properly.”
“Understood.”
From the instant Ella delivered that terse pronouncement to the impeccably dressed butler…
“Welcome, esteemed guest. May I inquire as to your name?”
“Uh… I’m Mihan.”
“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Mihan-nim.”
I was thrust into the somewhat overwhelming experience of being treated with utmost courtesy by a multitude of people.
“I shall escort you to the VIP lounge.”
“Yes, please…”
—
William Richard (72)
[Kidnap] – Activated
[Surveillance] – Layton Isolde
—
Following William Richard, I was able to witness the truly magnificent interior of the mansion.
‘Woaaah…’
I couldn’t help but gape, a constant stream of exclamations escaping my lips at the sheer scale of the place.
“You may wait here.”
“Ah, thank you for the guidance.”
The first impression upon sinking into the sofa within the VIP lounge was…
‘So fluffy!’
It was a revolution.
Revolutionarily fluffy…
Revolutionarily soft.
‘By the heavens… the finest chair in existence is right here, it seems…’
Lost in the embrace of the mind-shatteringly comfortable sofa…
“My apologies for the delay, Mihan-nim.”
Ella Eloise, having changed from her academy uniform into more comfortable attire, entered the room.
“Not at all. Embraced by this plush sofa… I hardly noticed the passage of time.”
“Embraced by the sofa, you say? A witty observation… though… you are, in fact, embraced by it, aren’t you…?”
Observing Ella Eloise, one couldn’t help but feel that nobility was simply ingrained in her being.
‘Wow… she truly is beautiful…’
I’d thought she was lovely in her uniform, but…
Her casual attire was so breathtaking, the word ‘beautiful’ hardly did it justice, akin to a living painting.
Lost in my clandestine admiration of her beauty…
“Shall we perhaps converse over a meal?”
The dining time I had been eagerly anticipating had finally arrived.
…
On the way to the dining hall.
“Welcome.”
Five here, too.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miheon-nim. I am Kyle Leon, the chef in charge of today’s meal.”
And five over there.
Everywhere you looked… everyone was stuck together in groups of five, as if it were prearranged— a peculiar sight indeed.
“Have you noticed anything… unusual?”
As I settled naturally at the dining table…
Ella Eloise, seated across from me, tossed out that loaded question.
“…Perhaps, is this some sort of test?”
The thought that I needed to prove something here prompted my question.
“It is nothing of the sort. We merely wish to show you the estate’s failings, in the hopes that you, Miheon-nim, might be of assistance.”
“…?”
Ella continued, stating that she needed my help.
‘…She needs *my* help?’
That she required my assistance…
“Let us converse while we dine.”
“Shall we?”
I glanced at the bread the chef was bringing out and decided to postpone my worries for the moment.
…
Dishes arrived one after another, in a proper course.
Anything you wanted, they would refill as many times as you asked.
Even the wine was fantastically sweet, practically gliding down your throat.
“And so… I took the liberty of summoning you, Miheon-nim, to my estate.”
‘Is this… paradise?’
Truthfully, I hadn’t properly heard more than half of what Ella Eloise was saying, distracted by the food.
But to summarize roughly, she needed help because she couldn’t ascertain how many doppelgangers were hiding on the estate.
“It is quite alright. I understand your concerns, Ella-ssi.”
“…!”
Who wouldn’t help out when they’re being treated to such an amazing meal? Doppelganger detection was practically effortless, just a quick scan.
“Could I, perhaps, have another…”
“I will have it brought out immediately.”
“Thank you!”
As I requested a refill of the steak for the third time,
“Then, I shall instruct my staff to provide you with the information while you enjoy your dessert, Miheon-nim.”
“Yes.”
Ella Eloise began issuing orders to the servants.
After another twenty minutes of blissful eating…
“Hwaaa… So full…”
I felt a stomach-bursting satiety. I couldn’t possibly…
“Here, a dessert made with a milk base.”
A separate stomach existed for desserts.
…
*Nom*…
‘Delicious…’
As I savored the dessert,
“I will have them come in now.”
“Pardon?”
“First group. Enter.”
At Ella’s command, I could see five servants, formed into a group, walking towards the table where we sat.
“Among these, can you discern who is the doppelganger?”
People wearing expressions of obvious tension.
Glancing quickly over them, the Status Window brought up everyone’s information, so…
“All of them are human.”
Revealing that all of them were, in fact, human.
“Step back, and have the second group enter.”
And so, the doppelganger hunt began.
“All of them are human.”
“Third group…”
“All of them are human.”
“Fourth…”
…
As befitting the Marquis’s manor, there truly were many servants.
“Twenty-second group, enter.”
Already in the process of verifying the 110th servant, I began to wonder if there truly even *was* a doppelganger here, when…
“…”
“What do you think?”
I could see that the information of one of the five people was not appearing.
“..Prepare yourselves.”
The moment Ella saw my reaction, the order to prepare was given.
*Shwing-*
A soldier standing behind the five servants drew a sharp blade.
“Who is it?”
“Based on my assessment… the man on the far right is the doppelganger.”
No sooner had my words finished, than…
“No, young lady! If you believe the words of some stranger-“
The man, in his attempt to defend himself, was cleaved in two.
*Sli-*tch.
Red blood splattered in all directions.
The other servants, already confirmed as human, looked on with expressions of sheer terror.
“Doppelganger confirmed.”
The soldier who had cleaved the man’s body announced the fact with dispassion.
Simultaneously…
A smile began to bloom across Ella Eloise’s face.
“Squad Twenty-Three. Have them enter.”
*