The Magic Kingdom of Morian (6)
I asked Valkius, “Are there monsters that imitate people?”
“It depends on their level,” he answered, his face deadly serious. “Copying a voice or simply repeating sounds they’ve heard isn’t that difficult. But something intelligent enough to use actual language? That’s rare.”
“Why?”
“Intelligence is the issue. It’s hard to create or control anything with too much brains. That’s why most monsters emphasize physical prowess over mental ability. Trolls and ogres are classic examples. For a mage, it’s far easier to use a strong, regenerating idiot than a clever one.”
It was a perfectly logical explanation.
“Then what about whatever is inside here?”
“Under normal circumstances I would say it’s a person, but… given the environment, hmm. This is difficult.”
It didn’t look like his all-purpose reference knowledge would deliver a convenient solution, so I decided to call out to the voice beyond the cave.
“Hey, can one of you answer me?”
“What?! Hurry up and help!”
“Ugh, seriously, stop copying me! This side is the real one, you corrupt merchant!”
Pino’s voice rang out alternately from both forked paths.
“Fine. Since you won’t know left from right, let’s call the first one who spoke ‘Side 1’ and the second one ‘Side 2.’ Side 1, explain everything that happened from the moment you arrived until just before the lake. Start from entering Morian.”
Side 1 Pino answered.
“We stopped at the Pendevig estate first and received an absurdly warm welcome. The princess and the siblings got the actual hospitality—we were basically extras. The next morning another huge crowd showed up, and you beat every last one of them back when they rushed the princess. After that they had prepared way too many carriages, so we cut it down to two and split up!”
Hm. Nothing wrong so far.
“Side 2, tell me what happened after you entered the lake.”
Side 2 Pino answered.
“The two carriages were running side by side, but the next thing I knew you had all vanished! The area was covered in grotesque fog, huge waves were rolling across the lake like an ocean, and some flying goldfish in the sky was gesturing for us to pick a path! After we somehow chose the flower field route the carriage suddenly sank into the ground, and the next thing we knew we were trapped here!”
So every path except the lake had been a bust. Of course, this was all assuming the story was true.
“Good. What are the suspicious parts in each other’s stories?”
At my question, both Pinos answered at once, practically tripping over each other.
“That fake never mentioned how Eagle realized he couldn’t leave the carriage and tried to smash his way out, only to get scolded by Hau!”
“Don’t nitpick! You’re the one who left out how Sir Valkius sulked the entire banquet because nobody paid him any attention!”
“I was just protecting his honor! What good comes from earning the hatred of someone important?”
“That’s my line! Stop imitating me and spouting useless garbage! Who’s going to clean up your mess?”
I glanced sideways at Valkius, who wore an extremely awkward expression. Eagle was probably no better. Just as Princess Lyla had predicted, she spoke up.
“At least their speech patterns and personalities match what we know almost perfectly.”
Valkius grimaced as if he had bitten into something sour.
“The fact that both groups can hear each other is also a headache. They can listen to the answers and copy them. Why not make them answer simultaneously?”
It was a reasonable suggestion, so I gave it a try.
“All right, next is Eagle. Side 1 and Side 2, answer at the same time!”
“Do not command me, Midas!”
Wow. The imitation quality was incredible.
“What kind of farce is this from the start?! No matter how you look at it, my side is obviously the real one! That bastard’s voice is completely different!”
“Ha? That’s my line, you fake! How dare you impersonate me with that cawing crow voice! If you’re going to act, go back and learn the fundamentals!”
Uh… guys? Using that as evidence really doesn’t help.
“The voice you hear yourself and the voice others hear are naturally different…”
“You’re disgracing the family again. Well done, Brother Eagle.”
“Wha……”
Damn this lake. Launching an abdominal strike in the middle of a logic puzzle was just unfair.
Valkius tried to keep his dignity and control his expression, but the corners of his mouth kept twitching. The princess maintained a blank face, yet her shoulders were trembling faintly. Honestly, even I was in danger of losing it.
“Ahem. Next question! What is your current situation? Can’t you escape under your own power?”
“The entire carriage is floating in midair! No matter what we try we can’t reach the ground or move more than a certain distance from the carriage!”
“Was the other one there from the beginning? Can you talk to each other?”
“That thing wasn’t here until a moment ago! It only appeared after we heard your voice!”
“How did you get eliminated during the group project?”
“Are you mocking me, Midas?! That was your doing!”
This was getting complicated.
“It looks like it copied memories all the way up to before we entered the lake.”
“There are methods to read memories, but this is far too fast… Just what is behind this?”
Inferring from personality or speech patterns was impossible. Using facts only the real person would know was also impossible.
…Wait.
It copies memories?
“Hey, Rabaul!”
“Speak, Duke Chrome!”
“Ask me anything!”
I pictured Rabaul’s usual appearance—curly hair, muscular frame, scholar’s robe, and the book he always carried.
“The book you brought for this request was the one I bought you last time, right?”
“It is so!”
“And you only started reading it recently?”
“Indeed it is so!”
“Then what is the protagonist’s final line? Also, it’s on the third page from the very end.”
“…Wait, does he die?!”
Here we had something with identical personality, voice, and memories. So what about its belongings? What if the answer was information written there that even the owner didn’t know?
“Your memories might have been copied, so don’t open the book right away. If you’re ready, just say you’re ready. Don’t say anything else until I tell you to answer!”
“I am ready!”
“Please wait! The pages are wet and I cannot open it!”
Side 1 gave an energetic reply. Side 2 offered a hesitant excuse.
I said, “Sorry, but that book I gave Rabaul is processed with magic formulas. It’s waterproof paper. I’ve read it myself, so I know.”
Side 1 fell silent.
And Side 2…
The words repeated like a broken record, growing shorter and shorter until they dissolved into a grotesque shriek that no longer sounded human—or even alive.
I called toward Side 1.
“Rabaul, you don’t need to open the book.”
The group that Eagle had described—floating helplessly in midair—landed gently on the ground the moment we approached, carriage and all.
The door burst open.
“Well done, Midas! I shall personally reward—”
Eagle sprang out energetically, but the instant his foot touched the ground his body flashed and vanished. From the opposite carriage came an irritated voice, and the door that had somehow closed again told the rest of the story.
From the window of our carriage, Pino poked her head out.
“Thanks, Chrome! Even that rotten merchant brain of yours comes in handy sometimes!”
“Wow. ‘Thank you, Lord Chrome’ wouldn’t have been enough? Straight to insults?”
“Thank you, Lord Chrome! The owner of a gambling den really is on another level!”
Continuing the conversation would only damage me further, so I let it drop.
Then Rabaul’s upper body squeezed out the rear window behind her.
“I am truly grateful, Duke Chrome! When my impostor claimed the book was wet, my heart nearly stopped! To think it was waterproof—this is excellent news!”
Rabaul smiled brightly. I answered him.
“It’s not waterproof paper.”
His smile froze solid on his face.
Think about it. Who would waste magic formulas on every single page of a novel?
“If that really had been the real one, he wouldn’t have fallen for my trick. He would have kept insisting the pages were wet and been unable to answer.”
Apparently deciding that sticking her head out a window like Pino and Rabaul was undignified, Hau Pendevig spoke without showing her face. Her voice carried clearly despite the gentle tone—some kind of spell effect, perhaps?
“Even so, remembering the exact page with specific content is impressive. You must have been quite moved by the story.”
“Nah, I was lying. I have no idea whether the protagonist dies or not. Even if he had opened the real book, he couldn’t have given a proper answer. If he could, that would prove he was a fake who cheated somehow.”
……
A strange silence fell over the group. Then Princess Lyla spoke.
“I shall pray to the stars that you are not arrested for fraud, Chrome.”
Hey now. That’s a bit harsh for the greatest contributor, isn’t it?