The Doppelganger's Warning
The survival treasure hunt had been abruptly halted by an unforeseen accident. The moment the match ended, the paramedics rushed not only to Togun but to another as well.
"Are you really all right?"
"……."
At the paramedic's question, Chris checked his own condition with a blank expression. He raised his arms, hopped in place a couple of times, then nodded.
"Yes. I'm fine."
Though the Anti-Magic Sword had sliced across his chest at the very last moment, it had left no mental shock. More precisely, Chris was indifferent to any harm that might befall his body. Normally, the reason damage sustained in the virtual world manifested as mental trauma—like phantom pain—was because the brain registered the wound as real. There was no way Chris, who cared nothing for what happened to his own body, would suffer a shock comparable to Togun's from a single chest wound.
"Even so, just to be safe, you should at least get a thorough examination……"
"I'm fine."
Chris calmly refused the paramedic's suggestion and stared straight at him. Those pure white eyes held no trace of emotion; the longer one looked, the more unsettling they became. While the paramedic hesitated, Chris turned his back without another word.
"That won't do, Chris."
Just as the situation seemed to be wrapping up, the one who stopped him was Professor Repli, who had rushed into the arena the moment the accident occurred. He must have run with everything he had—sweat beaded across his skin like he had just been pulled from water. Wiping his forehead with a handkerchief pulled from his pocket, he approached with a worried gaze.
"Even traffic accidents often cause more trouble from aftereffects than the initial injury. If you skip an exam just because nothing feels wrong now, it could lead to bigger problems later."
"……."
Chris stared at Professor Repli the same way he had stared at the paramedic, then nodded. Turning back to the paramedic, he said,
"Let's go."
"Pardon?"
"For the thorough examination."
"Ah, this way, please!"
At Chris's words, the paramedic hurriedly guided him toward the recovery room.
"That guy never listens to anyone else, but he follows Professor Repli's words without question."
Shubi watched the scene and quietly shook his head. He glanced at Yura as if seeking agreement.
"……."
She either hadn't heard him or simply didn't respond, her shadowed face fixed on Chris's retreating back.
"What's wrong?"
When Shubi asked, Yura glanced at him before looking back at Chris.
"It's nothing."
She had simply been startled to see Chris in danger for the first time. She was only worried whether he could beat Aaron Dice after struggling against a single incompetent. Yet she forced that worry down.
'I was just careless for a moment.'
If he had fought with full strength from the beginning, he never would have been pushed to the brink by that brat. Chris, that unpleasant fellow, was a true genius unlike herself.
'I can't lose.'
She had cast aside even her last shred of pride to obtain what she wanted. Setting aside her jealousy toward Chris, she had resolved to support him wholeheartedly. Even if she herself could not shine, she wanted at least the honor of her team's victory.
'You absolutely cannot lose.'
Yura Aquiz's jealousy twisted in an uglier direction. Her hand, tucked inside her pocket, clenched tightly around the black stone Professor Repli had given her. A faint hiss sounded as something inside the stone fed on her vile emotions and smiled.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Arina?"
Marily, who had come looking for Togun just like Jeon, narrowed her eyes at the sight of Arina standing with them.
'What's this? Professor Clara was definitely with Professor Karlsen.'
Had she changed disguises again and returned? Marily stopped in her tracks, wary just like Togun, and spoke rather curtly.
"Did you already shake off Professor Karlsen and come back?"
"Huh?"
Why was Marily acting like this? Arina tilted her head in confusion at this unfamiliar side of her friend, who usually approached with excessive friendliness.
'What?'
Marily's tired-looking eyes trembled slightly. Reading the emotion within them, Marily glanced around on a sudden suspicion.
'There's no one else around.'
If others had been present, she might have suspected an act, but there was no reason for that troublemaker to put on such a flawless performance when they were alone. Unless a third party Marily hadn't noticed was hiding somewhere. Even then, if someone were hidden, that person would have sent a voice transmission telling her to play along by now.
After weighing the possibilities, Marily narrowed her eyes and asked Arina,
"Are you the real one?"
"What do you mean?"
"That dumb answer just now! So you really are Arina!"
"???"
Finally realizing this was the real Arina, Marily pulled her into a rough hug. Yet for some reason, while Marily was overjoyed, Arina's expression was complicated.
'Is my way of speaking dumb?'
Should she be happy about this, or annoyed? More importantly, what on earth had happened while she was gone that both Togun and Marily were reacting this way?
"Do you know how much I missed you all morning?"
The moment she woke up, a sudden message had arrived from someone claiming to be Arina's uncle. Then some strange person had shown up disguised as Arina. That person hadn't even lifted a finger during the match!
"I was so nervous wondering what would happen if we got caught!"
"Caught? Caught doing what?"
"Forget it! Let's just forget about that guy! Anyway, I'm really glad you're back!"
"No, I'd rather you explain first."
At this point, Arina could no longer contain her curiosity. What exactly had happened while she was away?
"I told you, there's nothing to worry about! Someone just disguised themselves as you and participated in the match in your place. Nothing special about it."
"That sounds extremely special!"
Someone had disguised themselves as her? And it hadn't been discovered? Arina's eyes widened. Judging by Marily and the others' attitudes, it seemed they had gotten away with it.
"Who disguised themselves as me?"
At the question, the three fell silent. Jeon had no idea who the person was beyond being Togun's teacher, so he couldn't explain. Marily had promised not to tell Arina, so she kept her mouth shut. The only one who could answer was Togun Masao.
Togun was organizing his thoughts on how to explain his master when—
Whoosh!
Something shot past Togun at incredible speed. It moved faster than sound, too quick for him to properly perceive. All he registered was the object grazing his earlobe, followed by the sound of air tearing. The aftershock violently tousled his sideburns.
—Shut your mouth. Next time it'll be your face.
A voice transmission pierced Togun's eardrums. External mana dug into his ears, bypassing his mana-rejecting constitution and stabbing straight into his brain. Cold sweat ran down the back of Togun's neck as he looked behind Arina.
And there he saw it: a doppelganger with Arina's exact appearance, glaring viciously at him while making a throat-slitting gesture.
'Ah, so it was a secret.'
He had been wondering why Marily wasn't saying anything. If that was the case, he should have kept quiet from the start. Togun unconsciously touched his earlobe.
'Huh, it doesn't even hurt.'
The cut had been so clean that not a single drop of blood had spilled. Not one person present had noticed he had been sniped. Togun couldn't help but admire his master's skill.
"What's wrong?"
Arina must have sensed something odd in Togun's gaze, because she turned around.
"There's nothing there."
But Jealousy had already slipped out of sight with quick thinking. Passing behind Arina's blind spot, he reappeared and smacked the back of Togun's head.
'That really scared me for a second. Seriously.'
The timing had been a godsend. It was fortunate he had been passing by disguised as the young lady. One wrong move and this damn brat would have exposed his existence to her.
'Either have some sense or keep your mouth shut!'
Of course the young lady wouldn't know what had happened in his absence—because his existence was supposed to be a secret from her! That was only natural. The underworld had one absolute rule: never create any connection between the young lady and the underworld. Anyone who dragged the ever-bright young lady into the mud would face direct punishment from the Seven Deadly Sins.
That was why Jealousy maintained his role as secret guardian even in a situation like this, where he had already been discovered by the master.
"If you tell the young lady about me, you're dead."
Yes, it didn't matter if his existence was exposed to everyone else around the young lady. But to the young lady herself, the secret must be kept at all costs—even if it meant physically silencing their mouths.
At Jealousy's direct threat, Togun nodded frantically, his face pale with fear. Jealousy glared at him for a long moment before vanishing into thin air like smoke. Togun swallowed hard as he met Arina's eyes again after turning his head.
"Nothing happened."
Right. Nothing had happened. Arina, you were never absent this morning, were you? You even participated in the match with Jeon.
Under Jealousy's threat, Togun had reached the point of distorting his own memories.
"Come on, you haven't eaten yet, right? Let's go get some food. Ah, I'm starving."
Togun pushed Arina's back with stiff, awkward movements. Marily and Jeon, who had witnessed Togun getting smacked on the head right beside them, exchanged glances.
"Just who is that person, really?"
They had glossed over his identity in the morning because he was supposedly Togun's teacher, but now there were far too many suspicious points. More accurately, he had always been suspicious, but realizing his connection to Arina made their anxiety spike. That was why they had brought him along in the morning and asked Marily, who seemed to know quite a bit. But—
"You'll get hurt if you find out."
She ignored the question and simply followed behind Togun and Arina with heavy steps. She had no intention of answering. Jeon frowned at that, but his expression soon relaxed. If the person posed a serious threat to Arina, that princess wouldn't have let it slide so easily. The words were probably her own warning that getting involved would only bring trouble, and Jeon accepted it. In noble society, there were many cases where ignorance was bliss.
'It must be related to that uncle of hers.'
Back when they had faced Arina's birth mother, the man who appeared claiming to be her uncle had clearly been no ordinary person. Jeon already knew Arina's family had secrets, but he didn't particularly care. In fact, he welcomed it. The more special Arina was, the easier it would be to bridge the gap between commoner and noble and connect with her.
Jeon stood there for a moment, blankly imagining a hopeful future with Arina—complete with a son and daughter—before belatedly chasing after the three who had walked ahead.
"……."
By chance, he encountered Chris coming around a curve. Had Chris come for a thorough examination like Togun? Chris walked indifferently behind the paramedic. Their eyes met briefly as they passed, and Chris muttered quietly,
"I'll win this afternoon. Tell your friend that."
"……."
At those words, Jeon stopped in his tracks. With cold, sunken eyes, he replied to Chris's back as the latter entered the recovery room.
"No. This time, I'm the one who'll win."
He wouldn't just take it like yesterday. Watching Chris's indifferent back that didn't even glance his way, Jeon clenched his fists tightly.