Within that blazing sun, a certain dark aura was churning, along with a spell formula I knew all too well. I understood whose flames those were, and I also knew exactly who that flame was aimed at.
But the time I had to react was just too short—so short that I couldn’t even respond. And that face made me hesitate for a moment, leaving me dazed and unable to fight back.
So I took that fireball head-on. After a reflexive stumble, I still managed to steady myself and stand my ground.
The entire scene fell so silent that the only sound left was the crackling of dying embers.
Magical damage isn’t really a problem for me anymore, unless it’s overwhelmingly powerful—strong enough that even I can’t handle it. And there was another reason for that. The strange, quirky girl standing in front of me, the same as she’d always been, wasn’t going all out with her spells.
“Hui Hui’s Little Sister”—I wouldn’t mistake that ID. And I couldn’t forget her face either, even though it was now covered in cuts and blood, making her almost unrecognizable. Her outfit was the same as it had been in the morning, but it was no longer neat and clean. It was stained with grime and dirt.
As for the cause… it was probably that strange noise from the three o’clock direction just now. My bad for not checking on it sooner.
“So it really is you… Hui Hui.”
Hearing my words, Hui Hui froze for a moment. But she still showed me no kindness. The way her hands were drawn in, her fists clenched tight, said it all. I didn’t even need to test it—I could feel it plain as day.
She was intensely hostile toward me.
Looking more closely now, Hui Hui was actually a fair bit taller than me. Back in our days at Mallett’s, we would have been about the same height.
But what exactly happened? Why was Hui Hui so hostile toward me? If it was about that strange incident in the morning, I’m willing to admit that really was my fault. But surely there’s no need to hold a grudge over something like that, right?
“Hui Hui, why do you look so beat up?”
“…Mm… heh heh heh. How ironic that I’d be asked such a question by you—the mastermind behind all of this.”
I blinked and pointed at myself. Before I could even ask that dumb question, Hui Hui’s face went cold, and she nodded. Then she turned her head away, unwilling to meet my eyes.
Something definitely happened. The only thing that could leave someone in such a state is some kind of “harmful” incident. And since she’s hostile toward me, it’s pretty obvious.
She probably knows she can’t beat me, and since she sees I’m not showing any signs of wanting to hurt her, she’s deliberately keeping her guard up like this.
But I genuinely have no clue. From the time I left the Alchemy House this morning, to passing out, to waking up and leaving the detention center—I haven’t seen Alek or Elf ever again. So how could I have “hurt them” at all?
Seeing the atmosphere growing colder and more gloomy, I thought I’d try to make peace with Hui Hui first. So I reached out my hand toward her.
But she completely ignored it. She just looked at me, then turned her head away again. So I had no choice but to pull my hand back, forcing a smile that was starting to feel stiff.
Maybe it’d be better to just ask her what happened.
“Hmm? You’re asking me what happened? Heh heh heh… I can’t believe your single-celled brain can’t even remember what happened at sunrise.”
For some reason, hearing that really rubbed me the wrong way.
“…Looks like you’re serious. You’re not giving off any killing intent toward me at all. Fine, then. I’ll tell you what happened and why we ended up like this.”
Not long after Hui Hui was shaken by the shock, she heard Alek cry out in pain. Together with Elf, she rushed to the main hallway. There, they saw Alek surrounded by a group of mercenaries, and standing at the very front was…”me.”
Hui Hui and Elf tried to say something, but “I” just stood there with a cold face and silently launched an attack at them. Alek told them to run immediately, so they had no choice but to bolt out the back door and hide in a narrow alley.
While fleeing through the alley, Hui Hui was ambushed by a bunch of mysterious people and the “me” who had been following them. She lost contact with Elf. She wanted to stay and look for her, but with the pursuers closing in, she had to keep running.
And then, Hui Hui ran into me.
Everything happened so suddenly that even now, Hui Hui couldn’t believe that “I” would suddenly change character like this. But if you connected it to what happened in the morning, it all seemed to make sense.
With my hand on my hip, I let out a sigh and racked my brain trying to figure out what was going on—what exactly “I” was all about.
Based on the timeline, I had already left the Alchemy House and was in the middle of an intense fight with that boxer. There was no way I had time to go hurt Elf and the others, let alone follow Hui Hui and Elf around afterward. I should have been unconscious around that time, so…
Was someone impersonating me?
“Judging by that look of sudden realization on your face, it seems you’ve sensed something dark and unusual.”
I chuckled lightly and nodded.
Yeah, I’m sure of it now. Someone is impersonating me to help the mercenary organization. Their goal is to turn everyone against me, to isolate me, more precisely.
Using a method like this… that’s absolutely unforgivable.
“Hey, are you okay? It looks like this heavy gloom is eating away at you.”
I froze, then cleared my throat lightly, shook myself off, and patted my own face. Was I unconsciously making a fierce expression? Just like the usual “tropes” would predict, huh?
No doubt about it—I was deeply “infected.” But so what? Maybe this is just the price I have to pay for a peaceful life. And before that, I need to deal with the urgent matter at hand.
“Miss Hui Hui, don’t be nervous. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I’ve roughly figured that out. After all, you have no hostile intent.” Even though she said that, I could still see she was staying on guard.
Trust between people is incredibly hard to build. But tearing apart the bonds between people? That’s all too easy.
I let out a gentle sigh, trying to calm myself down, trying to unclog that strange, suffocating feeling in my chest. But it didn’t help. It seemed that even someone as attuned to the flow of time as me wasn’t ready for this sudden “infection.”
I couldn’t just brush all of this aside. But there had to be a way to solve it, even if it cost me a lot of energy. I didn’t want to be a lone wolf anymore. I didn’t want to keep sending myself back to the “orphanage.”
Realizing I was acting strange, I took a deep breath, patted my cheeks, and perked myself up.
First, I needed the characteristics of “me.” If I could find the key details, finding the impostor wouldn’t be a problem.
Second, I needed the characteristics of the mercenary organization. Same idea. And if I kept at it like that, the problem would be solved soon enough.
“Hmm… you want me to describe how you acted this morning? That feels a bit weird, but… sure, why not!” Even though Hui Hui was still confused about me, she eventually dropped her attitude and gave me a general explanation.
Golden eyes, sky-blue long hair, and a face that looked just like mine—but the impostor was a fair bit taller than me. Looking more closely, the style of the sweater and boots was also different.
The impostor could use fireball spells, just like me. Could also use a fairly powerful “Mage Hand.” And could use strange spells, mainly characterized by shimmering dark blue and orange-yellow.
Strange spells? Colors… wait a minute, you’ve got to be kidding me. My… my “Seven Spirits’ Divine Might”… someone else learned it?
I covered my mouth. My heartbeat started racing uncontrollably. Even controlling my breathing felt extremely difficult. What is this? Why am I feeling more rage than shock?!
This rising anger… it’s like I absolutely cannot tolerate this happening. Was it related to Elf getting hurt? No, that would be too much of a coincidence. Even if that were the case, I should have cooled down by now. I would never get angry so suddenly over such a small matter, let alone let it affect my decision-making.
Anyway, I was just furious. I felt like I was about to split apart.
“Hmm? You’re asking if that girl looked exactly like you? Why would I need to lie about that? Of course she did. And I saw it with my own eyes.”
By the time I snapped back to reality, my fingers were throbbing with a swollen pain. The burning rage, growing more intense with every pulse of blood, scorched my entire body as it plunged into an icy abyss.
Right now… what mattered most?
——-
Objectives:
① — [Forced Quest] — Track down [Hanetsuki Jurei], who is assisting the mercenary organization, and completely eliminate them.
② — [Quest Accepted] — Find the whereabouts of Elf Astel.
③ — [Quest Accepted] — Find the whereabouts of Anne Alek.
④ — [Quest Continued] — Join Kradie Karai Ragalov and her party to defeat the [Orc Army] that is ravaging the elves’ homeland.
⑤ — [Quest Continued] — Locate the [Elven Forest] and escort Anne Alek and Elf Astel back to their homeland (seems destined to end in failure).
——-
Rewards:
① — Guaranteed: [Root of the Incident]
② — Guaranteed: [Companion — Elf Astel]
③ — Guaranteed: [Companion — Anne Alek]
④ — Chance: [Elven Forest — Coordinates]; Guaranteed: [Elven Race — Friendly Marker]
⑤ — Chance: [Elf — Proof of Friendship]; Chance: [Alek — Proof of Trust]
