There were plenty of strong races, overflowing and bursting at the seams.
In contrast, we were always in the position of the weak. Back then, we could only change our appearance. And even that, we were discriminated against and despised for, because it felt uncomfortable.
But the ones who oppressed us back then? Not a single one of them is alive now. We killed them all ourselves. Those clueless fools say we are the betrayers.
I don’t plan to deny it.
But we had no choice but to survive. We swore loyalty to the demons, becoming their subordinates. In return, we gained their strength. The power to seek revenge.
But that power would be a stretch to call the strongest. As the chief, I did manage to gain a power comparable to the demons, but that was just the result of my own hard work and sharpening.
The other tribesmen had intelligence and strength comparable to monsters. But it’s okay. As long as we’re alive, there’s a future waiting. Life is the driving force that moves us.
We’ll do anything to survive.
And that gradually strengthened over time and with experience. First of all, if a being that could be stronger than you is right in front of you, don’t stubbornly cling to fighting.
There is no invincibility.
There are always weaknesses.
Once you identify those weaknesses, just deal with them slowly. According to that principle of action, I’d chosen to retreat. The opponent was the commander of the Royal Knights. I couldn’t even gauge their strength.
We even failed the assassination team. So we needed to fall back and prepare our next move. It’s alright; one failure won’t turn the tide. We’re already well-prepared.
There were plenty of those stronger than us.
But the ones who always survive? That would be us.
And it will continue to be so in the future.
*
Why did we suddenly run away?
That remains a mystery.
I don’t know why they fled so suddenly, but for me, this was a golden opportunity. I quickly rushed to the members’ rooms.
Just like in a critical battle, joining forces is vital. It’s safer to regroup than to be separated and picked off one by one.
Besides, the demon’s abilities earlier were those of disguise or doppelganger. Before it could disguise itself as one of our members, I had to regroup and protect them.
I moved quickly. Thankfully, I had ensured to stay nearby for times like this. Joining up with the members wasn’t difficult.
When I arrived, it seemed that most members had already armed themselves and were waiting. I shouted.
“Everyone here?!”
“Our room is fine!”
“Our room too.”
“Good, that’s a relief. Gather everyone!”
Since not a single person was absent, there wouldn’t be a chance for that mimic to slip in. Plus, Yuren and Cluna wouldn’t just sit still.
After quickly preparing, we stepped outside. The situation out there was already chaos. The place where we were staying was the Iron Fortress in the Dwarf Republic.
Not just a figurative meaning; it’s called that because it was literally built with piles of iron. But now, that iron fortress was under attack.
“They’re bolder than I expected.”
“From the demons’ perspective, now is the perfect time—the fatigue from a hard journey hasn’t worn off yet.”
“But I can’t understand. Didn’t they put in so much effort to capture the Dwarf Republic?”
That’s true. They had thrown many efforts into invading the Dwarf Republic. So why throw that effort away so easily?
Thanks to that, we were caught off guard. We thought they wouldn’t stir up such a ruckus on the first day…
But then again, how can we predict the thought process of demons? Since they can’t understand each other, they’ve been incessantly fighting and wreaking havoc.
“There must be some kind of ambush planned. Just focus on the task at hand.”
“Yes~ Commander!”
“I’ll take point.”
“Yuren, Commander?”
Her black hair swayed wildly. At the same time, her foot stomped the ground, crushing it. As I was shocked by the sudden BOOM, I spotted what was beneath Yuren’s foot. It was glowing gray, but it wasn’t a human face. It was that of a reptile.
If I had to specify, it resembled a chameleon’s face closely. I frowned. These must be the monsters known as doppelgangers.
“A doppelganger.”
“As expected, you know.”
“…I’m pretty familiar with monsters.”
“Doppelganger? What’s that?”
Clara tilted her head, asking. Ruby and Helia also seemed clueless. In this game, doppelgangers had somewhat different lore.
Originally, doppelgangers were mutations of lizardmen, with similar behavior but possessing the unique ability to change their appearance.
Because of that power, they were rejected by the lizardmen and ultimately aligned themselves with the demons to survive. So, it was natural that they wouldn’t know much about them.
After all, very few people had actually seen a doppelganger’s true form. Most likely, the majority of people don’t even know what a doppelganger is.
“The leader must be the chief of the doppelgangers.”
“I’ve never seen the chief myself.”
“Your mom hasn’t even seen them?!”
I could understand Clara’s shock. If even Cluna hadn’t seen them directly, it meant the identity had been meticulously concealed.
I quickly racked my brain. The opponent was a doppelganger; they can steal appearances. That means I can’t trust the people around me…
I need to find out right now if Rain Emerald was originally that doppelganger, and what the status of the real Rain Emerald was, and so on. There’s too much I need to know at this moment.
If the real Rain Emerald had already died and had been scheming from the start, then naturally, the plan prepared by Major Viral would fail.
After all, Major Viral had made all his plans in collaboration with Rain Emerald. So it’s obvious that the plan wouldn’t work on the doppelganger disguised as Rain Emerald.
Now I understood. Why the Dwarf Republic fell. There were already voices trying to change things from within, but the doppelganger secretly dealt with them.
And then began to fill that void with their own kind. With that method, how could the Dwarf Republic possibly stop them?
“First, we secure Major Viral’s safety.”
“Certainly, it seems there’s nothing else left untouched.”
“Spread out and we die, regroup and we live. Move swiftly!”
“There’s no need to rush.”
Cluna smiled, flicking her finger. A breeze seemed to flow out from somewhere. It wasn’t just a breeze; it was strands of wind.
The threads created from the wind extended somewhere. What on earth is this? I looked at Cluna with a bewildered expression, and she smiled, saying to me,
“There’s always the chance of a ‘just in case,’ right?”
“Protecting and securing key figures is just the basics.”
At Cluna’s words, Yuren nodded as if that were obvious. I didn’t know that at all. Looking around, most seemed aware. This is awkward.
“Phew, admirable. Thanks to this, we survived.”
“It’s thanks to you believing in me, Commander.”
“What? Did the Commander ask you to do it directly?”
“If it’s someone of the Commander’s caliber, they would have noticed ages ago. The fact that they didn’t say anything means they implicitly approved, right?”
Hmm, that makes sense. It seems the Hans of that parallel world is quite an impressive fellow. I’m dying to see what kind of face he has.
I tried to ignore Clara’s admiring gaze and quickly followed the strands of wind that Cluna created. Soon I arrived at the major’s lodging.
Originally, Major Viral had his own mansion, but for safety, he chose to stay here instead. Just as I was pondering whether to knock or not,
Yuren suddenly kicked the lodging door open. With a CRACK, the iron door shrieked and split like paper.
“Well, looks like that was the right call.”
“DADE PALL TK5 MME1…”
“H-How did you know…?!”
That was,
“Interesting. This language system is entirely new to me. Is that the only sound it can emit in that state?”
“Cluna, try to rein in your eagerness.”
“DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”
“That’s definitely a demon.”
Demons. Monsters with powers on a different level. And that one wasn’t just a low-level demon, it was a Blood Demon. Unlike the lowly despised demons.
These were creatures that entered the realm of true monsters. It roared and unleashed its black tentacles. Tentacles shot up from the ground, accelerating toward us.
But unfortunately, we weren’t just some average bystanders. As the tentacles reached us, Bayard and Clara sliced through them as effortlessly as chopping vegetables.
Simultaneously, Ruby, who had been preparing from behind, charged forward wielding her hammer, landing a blow on the doppelganger. Thanks to that, Major Viral was barely able to break free.
I just watched everything go down.
Because I wasn’t able to react.
Damn, that was fast, shit.
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