Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Imposter's Anguish
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The imposter Victoria, unaware that her body was composed of slime, was currently feeling a strange distance from Astal.
Why did she have to feel this sensation?
Even though he seemed to treat people fairly and without discrimination, the subtle differences she perceived were hurting the imposter Victoria.
The imposter Victoria had been the first to claim the seat beside Astal, watching Taryon and Anima's date, but...
"...I never thought they'd choose a place that sells lizard meat for a date."
"Don't say that, you'll hurt my feelings. The first food we ate after our contract relationship started was grilled lizard tail, you know."
Because Astal's gaze remained fixed on the amnesiac Victoria.
He must have judged the one who appeared later to be the fake. It wasn't a completely incomprehensible choice.
Astal had previously defeated a Chameleon Dragon that created a doppelganger copying his appearance, and he had broken through Bellamora's Illusionary Dream with his own power.
It could be an innate intuition, or perhaps he had a method among his unique magic to discern fakes.
Or perhaps he judged that the time it took to rescue Victoria was so short that the possibility of a swap with an imposter during that interval was slim.
"That's right. I don't remember, but we held hands for the first time while eating grilled lizard tail and wandered the streets together."
However, even though she understood it rationally, the pain welling up from the depths of her heart tormented her.
"...Perhaps, after all, memories are the most important thing in determining love?"
The imposter Victoria deliberately uttered words that undermined her amnesiac self.
She knew she shouldn't do this.
Even though she knew that if she was truly the fake and the amnesiac one was the real Victoria, she should accept it gracefully and help.
"Are you saying that for me to hear?"
"If that's how you felt, then I suppose so. I didn't particularly direct my words at anyone."
The amnesiac Victoria was annoyed by the imposter's behavior. It felt like watching herself, as she often spewed sarcastic remarks or provoked others.
"Even if you have memories from the past year, aren't you being too arrogant? You have no proof that you're the real one."
The amnesiac Victoria glared at the being who looked exactly like her, arms crossed.
No matter what memories the other possessed, the probability that the one who appeared late after Memoria disappeared was the fake was higher.
"After all, you have all the memories Memoria stole from me, and the time it took for Lord Astal to rescue me wasn't long enough for a fake swap to occur."
"...A cold and rational deduction. Worthy of one known by the epithet Flower Saint."
The imposter Victoria forced a smile while looking at the other Victoria.
The opinion voiced by the amnesiac Victoria was reasonable.
"That's true, actually. Judging by the amount of memories, you are closer to the real 'Victoria' than I am."
Memoria could mimic human form perfectly and even had the ability to imitate vast areas like territories.
Right now, suspecting that the later-appearing Victoria was a clone created by Memoria, or Memoria herself, was a more plausible opinion.
Most demons or monsters had different values or beliefs from humans, often leading to twisted behavior.
"Can't you two stop fighting? No matter how different your memories are, we need to work together now."
Astal pressed his temples with his fingers, trying to suppress the oncoming headache from the two women's argument.
Even though he possessed the ability to hear Victoria's inner thoughts, he wasn't certain the amnesiac one was the real one.
"I could decide whether to cooperate or not if that person showed a friendly attitude... But first, we haven't even confirmed if we can use miracles or not, have we?"
"......"
The imposter remained silent at the amnesiac Victoria's words. Unlike before, she could no longer hear the Heavenly God's voice, nor could she even use miracles.
What would happen if she were doubted further? She began to fear that Astal, who had loved her as his lover, might look at her with disgust and she would have to die.
'Actually, I'm not afraid of dying.'
It wasn't the sacrifice for defeating the Demon King she feared, but the worst outcome of parting ways after being exposed as a fake.
The imposter Victoria swallowed hard, desperately wishing this situation would just pass, when...
"Victoria, no miracles. It took a lot of work to fix the side effects."
"But isn't it worth testing? If she's truly a fake only mimicking my appearance, she might not be able to use Divine Power."
Astal shook his head slightly, voicing his opinion against using miracles.
"...What if Memoria stole your Divine Power too and gave it to another fake? No, first of all, we have no concrete evidence right now that either one is completely fake."
Astal, who usually showed a ruthless side when dealing with demons or monsters, was being cautious when it came to matters involving his lover, Victoria.
"I suppose promiscuous sexual activities will be impossible now that we are split in two. Since we don't know which is real, it could cause problems later."
The imposter Victoria, who understood this better than anyone, looked at Astal with grateful eyes, thankful that he was considering her.
"Or perhaps, are you deliberately causing trouble because you want to do lewd things with Lord Astal? Well, I am quite a greedy person when it comes to my lover."
"How could I do such a thing! I just want to quickly distinguish the real from the fake to defeat the Demon King!"
The amnesiac Victoria raised her voice as if unaffected by the imposter's words, but her slightly reddened ears revealed her embarrassment.
"You could be honest. Even if you lost your memories, your body might remember... You could just ask him to take you right now."
The imposter, having some grasp of the real Victoria's personality, could easily steer the conversation by provoking her like this.
"...Victoria 2, tone down the vulgar talk. You should know the time and place. Anima and Taryon will hear."
"So you call me Victoria 2. I think that's a good way to distinguish us."
"We have to distinguish somehow."
Astal sighed deeply, watching them. How could the mere presence or absence of a year's memories make such a difference in a person?
Of course, the one whose inner thoughts he could hear was the amnesiac Victoria, but the one who usually teased and sexually tempted Astal like this was the imposter.
Astal couldn't easily decide who the real Victoria was.
"You're so lucky, Astal. Some of us can't even meet our girlfriends and are just writing letters, while you're having fun with a clone..."
The Hero Kyle, who had noticed this quicker than anyone, gave Astal a slightly annoyed look and hinted.
It seemed like he would end up deciding to spare even the fake if things continued this way.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In a village of the Demon Realm not far from Oblivion. In a place ruled by horned demons, the only thing remotely edible for humans was grilled lizard.
"Taryon, to be honest, I'm not entirely pleased that we're enjoying a date like this right now. As Astal said, Memoria could attack us again..."
"...Well, isn't it fine? This was our daily life—spending time together in dangerous places."
Taryon and Anima were cutting their grilled lizard with fork and knife, sharing their personal impressions of this date.
In truth, their bond had deepened precisely because the Demon Realm was a dangerous place, as Taryon said.
"True, even with Astal's magic, scouting and detecting enemies was always our role."
"You never know. Astal warned us not to completely trust the Perception Hindrance Magic either."
Anima couldn't help but smirk slightly as she recalled past memories.
Anima, a bearfolk woman with bear ears, and Taryon, a male elf with long ears, often crossed paths because their areas of operation overlapped.
"We were a good match from the start. Unlike some people."
"Right, especially compared to Astal and Victoria, who are now split into two."
Taryon and Anima chewed their grilled lizard while subtly observing their companions dining behind them.
- You must eat what I give you first, Astal.
- My, isn't this something we often did? Be more relaxed.
They could see the two Victorias feeding Astal by hand, and Kyle watching them pointedly.
"They're really something. It's like nothing changed even though they split into two."
"That's the charm of Lord Astal and Lady Victoria. Their love probably couldn't be torn apart even by death."
Taryon, finding the sight too amusing, unknowingly curled his lips into a small smile and uttered words he normally wouldn't.