The Clones' Warning
We stayed silent for a long time. The clone’s sudden appearance, its death, and everything it implied were anything but simple. This wasn’t a problem confined to us or this single village. No matter how you looked at it, the Demon Commander Raiburn had returned—and not as one, but as many.
“…Anak, Aegina. Bagloros and I will hurry on to the next village. You two follow at your own pace.”
“Wait, Rowell!”
I stopped him before he could dash off. I understood how he felt, of course. An entire village had been sacrificed. Countless lives wiped out simply to deliver a warning, to make their intentions known. There was no guarantee the other settlements were safe.
But without knowing their numbers or the extent of their power, rushing ahead blindly was too dangerous. True, Rowell and Bagloros together could handle most threats, but the fact that these beings had stayed hidden until now only to reveal themselves so boldly meant they were confident in their chances.
“Rushing in is dangerous.”
“But Anak, other people are in danger! Not just the nearby villages—our own village, and Medrufe, Lauti, Orcan…!”
“Calm down. They didn’t have to warn us before attacking. And the fact that one was deliberately waiting here for us makes it almost certain they already have a rough idea of our location.”
Of course, there were several ways to interpret that. It could simply be that the clones had inherited Raiburn’s personality almost perfectly. Or it could be a clever trap designed to shake Rowell’s resolve.
“We should assess the situation before we move. An hour won’t change much. Right?”
Rowell nodded reluctantly. Even though I’d said it, I knew better than anyone how many lives could be lost in that single hour. Still, there was no helping it. Haste would benefit neither side.
With Medrufe gone, I had to shoulder the role of strategist, even if I was only second-best.
“For now, let’s examine the area. I need a moment to think.”
There were definitely no more enemies nearby. Even setting aside the dark elementals or Aegina’s senses, it would be impossible for anyone to hide in the face of Rowell’s overwhelming presence just now.
We surveyed our surroundings. The first thing we checked were the corpses hanging from the walls. Given their condition and the local weather, at least two days had clearly passed. The scattered traces throughout the village made it obvious that many settlements had been hit.
“Can you follow the tracks?”
“No. There are no footprints leading outside anywhere.”
The fact that Bagloros’s answers were growing longer told me just how serious the situation had become.
“No footprints at all?”
That was terrible news. It meant they were capable of teleportation or portal travel, which in turn meant actually locating or pursuing them would be nearly impossible.
The burned buildings and crushed debris, combined with the first clone possessing only one of Raiburn’s forms, suggested the others had taken on his different shapes. I couldn’t be sure if they included the final five-headed dragon, but we had to assume they at least possessed the giant monster forms below it.
…….
The situation felt far more urgent than I’d first thought. I still couldn’t determine exactly why they hadn’t attacked us directly, but assuming it was merely pride would be reckless.
Judging from the first clone’s final moments, it was possible their adjustment wasn’t yet perfect. Yet if that were true, they probably wouldn’t have shown themselves so openly.
Raiburn himself wasn’t the type to devise intricate schemes, but there was no guarantee the clones shared his exact personality. In that case, they might attack random regions to rattle Rowell mentally, or perhaps they were using the attacks to gather materials for cultivating even more clones.
My head throbbed. Too many variables, too little information.
“…You three should head to the nearest city right away and inform Medrufe. He’ll be able to quickly learn what’s happening not only to our village but to many other places as well.”
At this point, the best move was to spread this information to Medrufe and the various nations as quickly as possible.
“Anak, you should come with us.”
“Yeah, or at least let Bagloros and me go…”
“No. There’s a chance—however small—that they’ve set up an ambush along the road.”
The reason they hadn’t finished things here might be to reduce our numbers even slightly.
“Besides, you three are faster than I am on horseback. And in the worst-case scenario, the three of you working together should have no trouble escaping. So it makes sense for you to go first.”
Well, if I simply reveal the library’s existence, I could escape too.
“But Anak. If that’s the case, they might target you once you’re alone.”
Seeing the worry on Rowell and Aegina’s faces, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Have you forgotten Raiburn’s personality? Their goal is you, after all. Besides, they didn’t even glance at me earlier. And since I’ll be following right behind you, there’s no chance of me walking into an ambush.”
They stared at me for a moment, hesitating. It had been a long time since I’d seen such concern in their eyes, but it only made me feel guilty. If they knew about the library, they wouldn’t be worrying about me like this.
“Trust me. The best thing right now is to spread this information quickly, and this is the optimal way given the circumstances. Besides, I need to reinforce the barrier here.”
They finally nodded, their resolve firming.
“We’ll wait for you in the next city. Follow carefully.”
“Don’t worry and just go. I’ll catch up soon.”
“Be careful, Anak.”
“Take care.”
They glanced back one last time, then leaped away. A golden flash and a swirl of black mist vanished from sight in an instant.
Once again, I was reminded that unless they were traveling long distances, these people had no reason to ride horses at all. I walked over to where the horses were tethered. The half-hearted barrier I’d set up still bothered me, but I had delayed entering the library in case Rowell or Aegina changed their minds and came back.
Raiburn’s clones… I wonder how Rofena will react.
She would probably be just as shocked as we were. Or maybe she wouldn’t react at all.
That curiosity was resolved almost immediately.
“Raiburn’s clones?”
She couldn’t hide her astonishment at my report.
“That bastard cloned himself?”
“Yes. They aren’t perfect copies, of course.”
But her expression was strange. It wasn’t mere surprise—there was clear disgust mixed in.
“Are you feeling all right? Even if you weren’t close, a fellow Demon Commander has returned.”
“That is not Raiburn!”
Her sharp tone actually made me flinch.
“A clone can never be the original! The souls of our kind return to the gods and are reborn within them. Creating clones is nothing more than a new birth where memories and certain traits are forcibly imprinted onto the soul. It can never truly be the same person!”
It seemed this matter was far more important to demons than I had realized. And it was precisely because of reactions like hers that Raiburn had hidden the existence of his clones from the other Demon Commanders and the Demon King.
“…Well, I don’t consider the clones to be the originals either.”
Even if someone created a being with identical memories and appearance, it wouldn’t change anything about my own existence. No matter how many clones lived, the one who would die at the moment of my death would still be me. The death of a clone wouldn’t kill the living me, either.
In the end, even a perfect clone with the same memories and form should be regarded as a completely separate existence from the original.
“So those clones declared they would kill the hero?”
“Yes. They said they would surpass the original that way. But what’s with that smile, Miss Rofena?”
She was wearing an odd little smile. It could have been mockery, but it also looked like relief.
“What smile?”
She feigned ignorance, but the smile remained.
Don’t tell me you’re relieved because Raiburn is only targeting Rowell?
“Is that not allowed?”
Well, it wasn’t exactly forbidden, but…
“No matter how many clones there are, there’s no way they could defeat the hero that the original Raiburn couldn’t beat. You won’t have to deal with any trouble, either.”
She spoke with absolute certainty that the clones could never surpass the original Raiburn. After all, she and Raiburn had held the same rank as Demon Commanders. If the clones surpassed the original—even if there were many of them—it would be tied to her own pride.
“So you’ll be traveling alone for the next few days?”
Please don’t make it so obvious that you’re happy about it. You look way too cute.
“Well, probably for a few days. Rowell might return after delivering the news, but I’ll still need to travel alone for at least two days.”
Driving three horses by myself wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t particularly difficult, either.
“What will you do now? Are you going to wear those artifacts again?”
She pointed at the artifacts I had set aside. I shook my head.
“No. Rowell or Bagloros might come back.”
Given their personalities, it was entirely possible. Wearing famous ancient artifacts in that situation would be too risky.
“Of course, I’ll need to reinforce the barrier. There are still a few layers left, but their effectiveness is fading.”
I reached out and began dismantling the existing barrier one layer at a time before applying new ones. She spoke casually, but from my perspective, the appearance of the clones was not something I could easily dismiss.
Although I had told Rowell there was no need to worry, clones had to be regarded as separate beings, just as she said. I couldn’t be certain how closely their personalities and tendencies matched the original. If even one of them possessed a slightly more vicious nature, there was no telling what they might do.
Even if they claim they’ll defeat the hero, there’s nothing stopping them from dealing with his companions first.
Lauti’s face flashed through my mind for a moment, but I shook my head. There was no need to worry about her. Her holy power was tremendous, and she was constantly surrounded by priests and paladins. Besides, no matter how many clones there were, if they were preparing to fight the hero, they couldn’t afford to waste them the way they had earlier.
Among the companions, I was the only one who could be dealt with without a major sacrifice. So as long as I stayed cautious, there wouldn’t be any problem.
I relaxed my slightly stiff expression—only for her to suddenly ask in a lowered voice.
“Who were you thinking about?”
No, seriously—how does she keep noticing these things?!