The Knight and the Prodigal (2)
Sick parents in bed. Tuskin Gabi flashed through Kriel's mind. Was he about to pull off another old-folks ambush? Elves had strong natural resistance to the abyss, but as a backlash, corrupted elves caused massive disasters when they fell.
Kriel's expression subtly hardened. Orishin could roughly guess what Kriel was thinking. Just before arriving at the Lir family estate, hadn't he thoroughly checked someone else's parents' well-being?
[This guy's thinking weird stuff again...]
[Insolent! My master's thoughts are not weird. He's merely contemplating a strategy for efficient victory!]
Alberik added that his mother had been suffering from an abyss attack for a long time and was now preparing for death. He even explained why he insisted he hadn't stolen the Chalice of Truth.
"If only Mother would change her mind, I could immediately douse her with the purified water from the Chalice of Truth. No matter how wild I live, how could I steal something like that and sell it? At the trial, they said, 'Your mother's life support was over anyway, so you thought you could sell it off.'"
"So? What's the point you're trying to make?"
"Remember that end-word game we played in the cells next door? I didn't bring up the doppelganger story for no reason."
Alberik himself had never approached the underground vault, yet the guards claimed to have seen him heading there that night. He suspected someone had impersonated him.
"The fake heirloom you found had mimicry magic on it, right? Someone mimicking my appearance. A replica mimicking the Chalice of Truth. Doesn't it line up?"
Once the Chalice in the vault turned out to be fake, it became certainty. The threads of the two incidents were indeed similar.
Kriel nodded. "I think I know what you're getting at. You want us to hunt down the culprit who impersonated you together?"
"Exactly. If I make excuses like gathering materials for spirit purification or finding a feng shui spot suitable for the ritual, I can access most of the estate's items and go anywhere!"
[But hey, I've got a question.] Orishin chimed in.
Alberik looked at the unicorn ghost and let out an impressed "Oh."
"That fur looks gorgeous. Hunters must've loved it back when you were alive."
[This lunatic? Anyway. Why Kriel? Sure, he's a skilled knight, but tracking expertise is another matter entirely.]
Alberik's face changed from his usual playboy smile. Not serious or embarrassed, but a bit sheepish, like a kid caught.
"Uh. Do I have to say it?"
[It seems suspicious when you think about it. What makes you trust him enough to suddenly say 'let's team up'? Even as a cell-neighbor buddy, that's less than ten hours of acquaintance.]
Uncharacteristic seriousness from Orishin. Kriel was impressed inwardly.
"Ooh..."
But the sound didn't come from Kriel. It was from Oipe, standing behind Alberik as if guarding him.
"Damn. Oipe says the exact same things. Are strict types alike across species?"
Scratching his head vigorously, Alberik threw up both hands.
"Fine! I'll be honest. Because he's cool!"
[Huh?]
"Knights are cool!"
[Huh???]
"You get it. From now on, I'll treat you like a friend."
[You madman!]
Tuon eyed Alberik and noted: Knows the 'coolness' of knights. Friend fee waived for one month.
Oipe glanced at the noisy room, then looked up at the sky.
Madam Pand. Elder Nawiden. It seems the young master has finally made a real friend. But those two are two peas in a pod. What do we do?
"You're serious, young master?"
Oipe asked Alberik, who was skillfully cooking rice with the saved grain and mixing it into meat soup.
Niam giggling while doing the same was raising her blood pressure even more.
"About what?"
"That you asked him for help just because he's cool."
"Do you know where a knight's 'coolness' comes from?"
"No clue."
"From not turning a blind eye to injustice and never breaking their convictions. You said it yourself—on the way here, he solved troubles in all six villages for just one coin each."
Alberik laughed, saying he was like a knight from an old fairy tale. No one in the family could be trusted. A doppelganger could mimic anyone. But that knight? Maybe worth betting on. Hadn't he already proven his honor by coming to the Lir estate?
Recalling the old stories his mother told him as a child, Alberik smiled.
"First things first. Let's see your mother."
"What?"
"When you visit a friend's house, you greet their parents, right?"
Did I pick the wrong guy? A headache seemed to creep into Alberik's mind.
Under Kriel's insistence, Alberik had no choice but to guide him to Madam Pand's sickroom.
In front of the firmly shut door, Alberik checked that no one was around before speaking.
"Alright, why do you want to see Mother? She can open her eyes, but even moving is hard for her. She won't be much help with spirits."
"About that doppelganger mimicking you. If it copied you, couldn't it copy those around you too?"
A brief explanation followed. Other Lir family members had established social ties. But what about Madam Pand?
"She's confined to her sickroom. Easiest to impersonate, no?"
"Wait. If that's true, then the real Mother is...?"
"Either stashed somewhere else, or killed in secret around when life support ended."
"...Our family's defenses aren't that sloppy."
"I'm saying we should be cautious."
"How do you plan to test for a doppelganger?"
"The surest way is blood. Does your family use bloodletting therapy?"
"That archaic treatment from history books? Does the Empire still have quack doctors peddling that crap?!"
Bloodletting involved drawing blood from the body. Extremely risky for severe patients—could lead straight to death. No wonder Alberik was shocked.
"It's used sometimes. For poisons and such."
"That's with a priest on standby. Just slashing flesh and draining blood raw? That's barbarian stuff for Dark Knights or black mages!"
Kriel mentally demoted Alberik from friend to "friend (realized)."
"But it's the surest method. Any pretext to draw blood?"
"We do blood draws for mana concentration analysis and such, not barbaric treatments."
But he hesitated. Her health was already irreversibly declining. Alberik agonized, yet couldn't ignore the possibility of an abyss-spawned doppelganger.
He finally nodded, tension evident. Kriel maintained a stoic face but was tense too.
Tuskin Gabi had thrown himself into the abyss, but he was merely human. Madam Pand was of the world tree's bloodline, closest to its primordial form among elves. If she had fallen to the abyss, her power would dwarf Tuskin's.
Creeeak.
The door opened. Top floor of the wooden estate. Warm but not harsh sunlight, cool yet not cold breeze. Considering it was winter just before the solstice, magic was surely at work.
In the soft backlighting, an elderly woman lay. Her once radiant golden hair had faded nearly white, yet retained the dignity of ages.
Her eyelids slowly lifted with a faint flutter.
"Alberik?"
"Y-yes, Mother. It's me. You're awake."
"Niam came by. Such a good girl. Who's behind you?"
"A friend. Met him in jail."
Orishin was appalled. What kind of friend intro is that?}
Madam Pand faintly lifted the corner of her mouth at her son's nonsense, as if accustomed to it.
Kriel bowed silently in greeting. Madam Pand tried to raise her hand but realized her weakness and merely nodded slightly.
Seemingly exhausted by that alone, she took several deep breaths.
"Pleased to meet you. Nawiden told me about the outside. I pray you find what you seek in the Lir estate."
"Thank you for the hospitality. Having made a friend, I've already gained more than I need."
"My. Alberik, is this really your friend?"
"Mother..."
Alberik pressed his temples like he had a headache.
"We're here for a blood draw. Can't access the usual herb storage for the relic theft inventory check, so we need to check your condition before adjusting the mix."
It was a pre-planned excuse, and partially true. Some rare herbs from the vault were in her painkiller prescriptions. Substitutes existed, but careful dosing was needed for her state.
"Oh. Niam already checked."
Alberik shot Kriel a look: 'What now?'
Kriel replied with his eyes: 'Figure it out.'