Having more than one parent is a tricky situation, but having two lovers seems like a happy thing, right?
“Hilde… Hilde in front and behind…!”
“Get a grip, Friede! That’s a Doppleganger!”
“Doppleganger…? Gah, a fake?!”
Friede, who had half-lost her mind over the fact that Hilde had been duplicated, only regained her senses after I pointed out that this was not the genuine Hilde but an illegal copy.
“A monster…! If that’s the case, then I can do whatever I want…”
Wait, is she still not in her right mind…?
Friede quietly mumbled something indistinguishable, but her eyes were filled with something creepy.
“No, what am I thinking…!”
Shaking her head as if to shake off her worries, she returned to the familiar look I knew, but the eavesdropping Doppleganger had already stealthily pulled back from her.
“Ugh…”
It even looked like it was groaning in disdain for just a moment. It seemed to realize it made a mistake and quickly changed its expression.
What had she murmured to evoke such a reaction? Making a Doppleganger contemptuous isn’t an easy feat, that’s for sure.
I’ve heard stories about a succubus who entered a young man’s dream and freaked out when she saw herself as his grandmother, but I’ve never heard of a Doppleganger showing contempt for someone.
In other words, this must be the first-ever instance… So, can this count as a heroic achievement of sorts? After all, no one else has managed to do so.
Everyone, look here! The first-ever hero to be looked down upon by a Doppleganger!
…Hmm, the more I think about it, this isn’t something to brag about; it’s more like something to be mocked. I resolved to keep this incident just in my memory.
Shaking off those thoughts, I shouted, “Friede! Stop daydreaming and attack! You know how dangerous my Doppleganger can be!”
I charged fiercely towards my Doppleganger, wielding the replicated Edelmut.
I was momentarily startled by Friede’s nonsense, but honestly, it wasn’t the time to be losing my focus.
The Doppleganger was a monster that could replicate the physical features and equipment conditions of its target almost perfectly.
While it needed to devour the original to replicate their level, and couldn’t copy sacred items like the Holy Sword, it still posed a great danger.
– KWA-AAM!
The identical greatswords clashed, unleashing a metallic roar that was almost deafening.
If it had been a normal steel sword, the impact would have shattered it to pieces, but it merely trembled a few times like a wave.
“Ugh…! This power, could it be that it even copied [Kangwan]…?!”
I clicked my tongue, stepping back a few paces to absorb the shock. Every muscle from my hand to my shoulder ached as if a hammer had struck me.
Even with a level difference, it seemed like it could adequately replicate something like Kangwan without going all out.
The force behind the Doppleganger’s sword was nearly on par with mine.
Given that its sword hadn’t broken, it was pretty clear it had copied the strength of Edelmut as well.
That means…
“It’s safe to say it has perfectly imitated the armor of a former maiden as well.”
In other words, the current Doppleganger was a troll-class swordsman clad in Rune Steel magical armor, just like me.
A dirty tough monster, that’s what I’m dealing with.
And it’s holding a sword now, but what if it pulls out the spear it’s carrying on its back?
I knew all too well the power of the ‘Spear of Cutting Wind.’
If it hit either me or Friede directly, we would be in a deadly situation. The best option was to finish it off before it even had a chance to pull it out.
…The issue is that this clever trickster monster isn’t just going to roll over and die.
“Friede! Don’t believe what it says!”
The Doppleganger lunged at my thigh with its sword while shouting towards Friede that I was the real Doppleganger, not it.
“I’m not the fake! It’s this guy who’s the fake!”
“Who’s calling who fake! It’s this monster!”
I dodged to the side and retaliated. The Doppleganger blocked it with its left arm. The Rune Steel gauntlet wrapped around its arm sparked as it slid off the blade.
“Can’t you see it right away? The fact that it attacked as soon as it saw me means it must have something to hide! Maybe it thought it was at a disadvantage if it fought fairly!”
“You’re the one making up stories, you monster in human disguise!”
The Doppleganger aimed a kick at my chin. A hit would be enough to knock my head off. I parried it to the side with my left hand.
“Ha, is that your self-introduction?!”
As the Doppleganger lost its balance and staggered, it spun itself to slam its sword down.
A diagonal strike aimed at the space between my shoulder and helmet. I twisted my body and absorbed the blow with my shoulder.
– KWA-AAM!
“Ugh…!”
The impact felt like it was going to dislocate my shoulder. My body was pushed back half a step, and the collision sent a ringing in my ears.
Pain surged up, turning into rage.
“You little punk!”
Forgetting about distributing my stamina, I raised my sword’s output, and the light beam-like thrust grazed past the Doppleganger’s arm.
Its padded clothes under the armor ripped, and blood splattered out. The Doppleganger’s blood was red as well, no doubt because it was mimicking me.
“Ugh…!”
The Doppleganger, which had its left arm deeply slashed, took a step back, letting out a gasp while adopting a defensive stance with its sword tilted.
It seemed like it was trying to hold out until the magic inscribed on its shoulder healed the wound.
“Friede! Help me out here!”
“Friede! Don’t get fooled by that thing!”
In the next moment, Doppleganger and I both cried out together. We called out the name of the girl who could end this standoff in an instant.
“Ugh… uh… um… So, which side should I support…?”
However, Friede was just confused, unable to choose whose side to back.
She reflexively tried to shove her sword forward but hesitated, looking back and forth at me and the Doppleganger with a face that was half-sullen.
Was she unable to distinguish who was the real one? I understood, but still, it was slightly disappointing.
No, should I say I was a bit let down?
I mean, I’d expect someone I made future promises with would be able to tell her favorite person apart.
Come on now, Friede. After all that, can you still say you… love me? I figured out your fake almost immediately!
“You say you love me! So, with the power of that love, you should be able to tell that I’m the real Brunhilde!”
The Doppleganger shouted while turning red. If she loved ‘Brunhilde,’ surely she would be able to tell he was the real deal!
The power of love, huh? I couldn’t even bring myself to say that out loud due to conscience and embarrassment, but here it was, boldly thrown around by a monster.
I admit it. I’ll give you acting talent; you’re top-notch in that field. Does being a monster mean you don’t have naive emotions like conscience or shame?
“Th-the power of love?! O-Okay! I’ll give it a try!”
Friede clenched her fists, staring at me and the Doppleganger in intense determination.
“Uhhh…!”
Due to an inexplicable tension, both the Doppleganger and I temporarily stopped our fighting, waiting for Friede’s answer.
“Uhhh…!
Answer well, Friede.
If by any chance you pick the Doppleganger, even if I survive here, I’m pretty sure I’ll be stuck muttering things like ‘Gunther had a better vibe…’ whenever we’re together!
To avoid that heartbreak, you have to get right who the real Hilde is, alright?
I’ll trust you; don’t betray my trust, okay?
“Um… can I ask a question first?!”
After pondering for quite a while, Friede raised her left hand as if she couldn’t figure it out and requested a question chance.
“A question…!”
“Um…”
I shared an awkward glance with the girl who looked just like me, silently debating if it was okay to grant her a question chance.
…Wait a moment, why am I taking cues from a monster? Realization hit, and it felt ridiculous.
“As many as you want. I’ll answer anything properly.”
I quickly nodded.
I may not look like it, but I am a fan who has read the original novel numerous times. I was confident I could easily answer any reasonable question.
“Look at you, acting all high and mighty as a monster! Friede, ask me anything you want!”
The Doppleganger, equally confident, nodded as if it believed it was just another bravado.
“Alright, then…!”
After getting both of our agreements, Friede took a moment to ponder while pinching her chin, figuring out a question that would definitely help her distinguish between us.
Sure, ask away. There’s no question I can’t answer—
“When we started our journey, what was the date we visited the fifth village?”
“H-How am I supposed to remember that?!”
There it was. A question I couldn’t answer.
I shouted in disbelief. The date of our fifth village visit? How the heck am I supposed to remember that…!
“I think it was Brion? Two years ago, November 27? Amelia kept whining how cold it was—”
On the other hand, the Doppleganger answered with a smug smile, spewing out information I didn’t know.
“…That’s correct. Now, I know who the fake is.”
With a nod, Friede raised her Holy Sword and looked at me. Since I couldn’t answer, that meant I was the fake, huh?
…Well, Friede, just know you’re forever going to worship Gunther.
I gritted my teeth, breaking into a sweat as I gripped Edelmut tightly. Both the Doppleganger and Friede had turned against me now. I was genuinely facing a life-threatening situation.
‘At this point, I have to take the Doppleganger down and prove my innocence…!’
The only option left was to endure Friede’s attack while I tried to defeat the Doppleganger as quickly as possible.
“HAH!”
In that moment, as I determined this, I prepared to charge at the Doppleganger with all my strength.
“HYAAAH!”
Before I could, a bright golden beam of light erupted from Friede’s Holy Sword as she moved one step ahead of me.
“Ugh…!”
Before I could react, the Holy Sword struck the Doppleganger’s dark gray armor, slamming it into the wall of the maze. KWA-AAM! The sound echoed like an explosion as shards of crystal flew like snowflakes.
“Ugh… Aghhh…!”
The greatsword tumbled to the ground. As it pressed into the wall, the shards piled up, revealing a severed arm missing below the elbow that trembled and bled profusely.
Thud. The severed left arm rolled helplessly on the floor.
The Doppleganger’s left arm.
“Uh… Friede?”
I stared blankly at the Doppleganger, which was now just a smug grin, lodged in the wall, before turning back to Friede, who still appeared dazed.
She got the answer right, but how did she manage to do that, I wondered.
“How did you… know my identity?!”
The Doppleganger, clearly not dead from that blow, twisted itself up to glare at Friede.
“This memory… this memory couldn’t be wrong…!”
Indeed, how did she figure that out? Could it be the real power of love she spoke of?
If that were the case, I’d be a bit touched. If I expressed it like the grown-ups in “The Little Prince,” it would probably be a twenty-point boost in affection.
“You figured it out!”
Friede glared at it, shouting.
“Do you think Hilde would remember those things? No way! She’s not that observant or clever at all, our Hilde!”
“……”
“……”
Both women with identical faces fell silent simultaneously.
I felt something that had made my heart flutter vanish as quickly as if I’d spilled my investments on stocks. Like throwing coolant on a candle.
“So… you thought I was a complete idiot, huh?… Friede, is that right…?”
No, while I couldn’t say she wasn’t mistaken, it felt a tad unfair at the same time.
“Even if it can mimic memories and actions, it couldn’t replicate the thought process! Hilde’s heart belongs solely to Hilde!”
The situation was becoming ever more clear.
Without a shred of doubt, Friede believed me to be a clueless idiot. Her faith had surpassed the Doppleganger’s acting skills and revealed my innocence.
…Wow, this really doesn’t feel delightful at all. Am I good to load up Gunther’s remark now?
“Damn it. Of all the blunders to make, this pathetic fool’s mistake… I should have considered that this woman’s intelligence was no higher than a gorilla’s or troll’s….”
The Doppleganger muttered with a shrug, chuckling ironically. It mentioned it should have acted like a moron instead of trying too hard to emulate me, leading to a fatal mistake.
“Not that dumb!”
I shouted with unexpected emotion bubbling up. Friede nodded along, in agreement.
“That’s right! Our Hilde isn’t as dumb as a gorilla!”
…Wait, why didn’t she deny the part about being troll-level?
For some reason, Friede’s head seemed especially punchable today.
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