Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: Heart Doubled
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Someday, the end always comes.
It's just a matter of whether it's long or short depending on the person, but everyone has to accept that final farewell. Mine just came a little early.
If anything, I should consider it a blessing. We're not parting due to some unfortunate mishap, but for each other's sake. I'll be absorbed into the main body and contribute to world peace, while the people of the Northern Grand Duke's household can carry on living as they are.
Of course... it's not without regret.
But I'm not going to throw a tantrum. Even a tiny bit of processing power is crucial for suppressing "that." If I escape, the happy ending with Yuna and Yuri slips even further away.
What meaning would happiness have if I shirked my duty and caused others to suffer? And, thinking coldly, my absence would actually benefit the North as well.
A perfect mad wizard will magically resolve all the incidents and vanish, so wouldn't it be better for me, the inferior copy, to disappear?
Yeah, I'll accept it.
It's not even a lonely, solitary end. People leave behind their names after death, and even if I depart, my name will remain. The memories we shared will linger.
So... to them, Heart will be me. I hope that's the case.
I gazed at the main body through the gap in the window, murmuring a farewell that seemed right and wrong at the same time.
"Neriel, thank you for everything."
"...What the hell is that ominous line? Are you connected to that guy somehow? Should I run to Elbillion and tell him to kick those bastards out?"
"No. I'll go talk to them. And... things won't change much, so don't worry."
"That's exactly what I'm asking about!"
I didn't respond and strode forward confidently. I descended the stairs to the first floor. Behind me, I heard Neriel hurriedly chasing after.
Her concern was plain on her face, stinging my tear glands.
What was this? Getting emotional over something like this. Being absorbed after separation from the main body was standard procedure for a clone. Objectively, I hadn't even been in the North that long.
...I see.
I've already become close friends with Neriel. More than I thought, I didn't want to let go of this daily life.
Closing my eyes, I could vividly recall scenes: drinking tea and chatting with her, or—sorry to her, but—the look on her face when I smashed her head into the picture frame. She had a completely stunned expression; it was hilarious.
Yeah. It was fun.
All the more reason, then, for Neriel's happiness.
I opened the mansion's front door and declared boldly.
"Welcome, everyone... to the Northern Grand Duke's mansion. I'm Heart, the lowly maid who manages the place. I've been waiting for you."
"...!!"
And then, my eyes met those of the main body disguised as Heart.
That's me, and that's me. We share the same thought patterns and flow. It's natural since we're the same person. So... we can communicate without a word.
My appearance conveyed the info: "The Mima fragment impersonated Heart in the North." Now, the next step was the issue.
I judged that spilling the plain truth wouldn't be good.
If I explained to Neriel that I was the main body's fragment, she'd just say, "Then don't merge." She'd try to hold onto me.
The spectating maids clustered at the window were whispering.
"What's going on? Does Heart have a twin sister or something?"
"Then now... the twin came to flirt with the Grand Duke?!"
"Oh no, Lady Neriel's position has shrunk to 25%...!"
Two identical women—assuming twins wasn't a stretch. But I didn't want a melodrama. I was here for Neriel and the Grand Duke's household.
So, how to smoothly navigate this? The first idea was doppelganger. Let's go with that.
The main body would've thought of it too. What do you say?
"... "
"... "
Good. Material: doppelganger. Confirmed with one second of eye contact.
For a clean farewell, it was easiest if I, the fragment, took the villain role.
Setting: I'm the escaped doppelganger, finally caught after the main body's relentless pursuit. I thought they wouldn't chase me this far and submit to my fate meekly.
After that, the main body would handle the explanation. That I'm the real Heart, the doppelganger from a magic experiment, etc.
Thought done. You too?
A tiny nod like a butterfly's wingbeat. Good, reconfirm. Alright, let's go. In sync, one shot, main body. Ready, one, two, three.
"...You tracked me all the way here. I thought fleeing to the North would hide me."
"...You dug a trap and waited? I thought fleeing to the North would hide me."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
No. Overlap. We both claimed the other was fake.
No, you bastard. I need to be absorbed, so I should be the fake!
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Why is this fragment acting up?
By the time we marched to the North, it should've realized we had business at the Grand Duke's place. In that situation.
If I went 'This doppelganger scum, finally caught you! I'll gobble you up!' and swallowed the fragment on the spot—look at the Grand Duke's lady glaring from the side. She'd be super friendly, right?
Just from those eyes, I could tell the fragment had built up solid goodwill in the North.
So, set the fragment as the main actor, me as the doppelganger, convince everyone of this bizarre two-person-same-identity setup, and wrap it up neatly. Perfect.
You should've gone along with it.
The fantastical lady Heart suddenly appearing at the Northern Grand Duke's was a trap to catch this impersonating doppelganger. Now I can finally stretch my legs! That vibe.
Fine, got it. It's tangled. Since I'm the main body, I'll graciously yield. Do whatever you want. You're the doppelganger villain, and I chased you here tracking your deeds, right?
Then scrap the earlier line. Again.
I cleared my throat, struck a detective-revealing-truth pose, and said.
"Finally caught you, doppelganger. I don't know what scheme you were plotting in my form, but—"
"Finally caught you, doppelganger. I don't know what plot you were plotting in my form, but—"
"Hey."
"Hey, damn it."
Overlap again.
I shot a glare saying 'You moron, stay quiet and let me lead.' But the fragment shot the exact same glare back!
The fragment and I were subtly the same person. If completely identical, we'd divide roles cleanly, but the slight difference caused this error.
Thoughts tangled and tangled, always reaching the same conclusion...
The Grand Duke's lady's expression was weird, and the spectating maids looked confused. Listening in, their guesses were going off the rails.
"Maybe some new realm of aura battle we don't know? Perfectly mimicking the opponent's lines..."
"Doppelganger, she said! Clearly trying to steal Heart's spot and seduce the Grand Duke..."
"No, there's a hidden story. Look at her companions, that handsome guy with hair over one eye... He's the mastermind!"
From then, tension skyrocketed.
A foreboding instinct pierced my spine: keep fumbling, and the whole concept crumbles.
Standoff. If Yuna and Yuri stepped in to sort traffic...?
"Sh-should we help?"
"Looks tangled. But seems fun, so watch a bit more?"
"No, I'll help. To clear misunderstanding, first summon 100 Hearts here for a group flash mob..."
No, please stay put, Yuna. Just stay still.
The fragment Heart's face filled with tension.
Think. Way to break this. And... one step ahead of that fragment Heart's thoughts.
Simply, retry position switch. But if villain lines overlap again, boom. In this case... shatter the board.
No rock-paper-scissors—pull a gun.
Transformation release!
Smash the premise of two Hearts. I came in this form to build favor with Daisy Corps as Heart. No need to keep the appearance if fragment Heart already did.
Revert to original male form, all problems solved cleanly. I snapped my fingers to dispel the hologram.
Snap! Snap!
"Haha, just messing with illusion magic..."
"Time to reveal my true form..."
And both I and the fragment shifted to mad wizard form simultaneously.
"Stay still, you!"
"I said I'd handle it, what's your problem?!"
The situation rolled off in a completely absurd direction.
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Neriel, second wife of the Northern Grand Duke's house, couldn't keep up—two Hearts became two men—and her brain froze.
"You stay still. I'll follow, match me!"
"Already aggrieved at being absorbed, now this nagging too?!"
What the hell was this mess?
Wondering if only she didn't get it, she checked the maids' reactions.
"Heart was a man all along... then with the Grand Duke...? Reason he neglected Lady Neriel...?"
"No, transformation magic—originally woman pretending to be man now. How else explain detailed makeup tips?"
"I think pretending-to-be-man pretending-to-be-woman pretending-to-be—"
The more she thought, the less sense it made; just dizzying. But her close friend Heart had taught what to do in such situations: grasp the core.
Key point: Heart was in trouble now.
Time to help a friend. Neriel clenched her fist with rage and duty. Needed a tool.
While the mad wizard and Heart-turned-mad-wizard fought, she dashed to her husband's office. Tools there.
"Neriel, wait. Why grab her portrait? That's my treasure..."
"Borrowing it, Elbillion!"
"... "
Gripped the frame.
Heart's smiling portrait inside gave her infinite courage. Yes, the frame knew. She chanted the victory spell.
"Will this frame forgive you—"
This twisted mess, the frame would solve!
"Stay away from Heart, whoever you are—!"
"Wait, ma'am, misunderstanding... Frame? Frame?!"
As Neriel charged with the frame, the mad wizard felt threatened, grabbed the Mima fragment's waist, and hid behind.
The Mima fragment Heart panicked and screamed!
"Wh-where you touching, you jerk!"
"No, damn it, guys don't touch like... You think you're a girl?!"
"I said stay away from Heart, you pervert mad wizard—!!"
"Hyaak!"
Chaotic tag in the mansion yard. Neriel swinging frame with dress fluttering, mad wizard fleeing in panic.
Despite identical mad wizard and Heart appearances, Neriel distinguished sharply, aiming to smash the main body's head. Heart was slightly moved.
Yuna wavered on intervening; Yuri thought save mad wizard before frame hits; Bennett seriously considered force suppression. With little sister on death clock, no leisure for comedy?
Subduing the chaos was the North's master, Northern Grand Duke Elbillion Julius.
Chasing frame-thief Neriel, he appeared and quelled all with quiet words.
"Heart, and the person inside Heart. Doesn't seem solvable by lies, so how about stopping the fight and coming in."
"...??"
Chilling to the bone. Heart stammered.
"D-Daisy... Y-you knew? My identity?"
"Guessed in Holy City, confirmed just now."
Main Mima and Heart both stiffened. Exposed to Grand Duke. The lady Heart he'd known was really a man—red pill swallowed.
Angry? Probably. Learning a dark man hid behind fantasy Vtuber—swords wouldn't surprise.
Enter mansion, hidden assassin coming for neck? Serious worry.
But.
"In making friends, age or gender irrelevant. Just how well minds connect."
"...!!"
"Irrelevant... you say...!"
Before the gender-blind Northern Grand Duke's madness, the commotion ended.
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Arte Lopelman, up only at high noon after sloppy alchemy till late night, still drowsy-lashed, greeted the guest.
"Heart's... acquaintance? Seeking lifespan elixir?"
"Acquaintance or herself, bit complex to explain."
"Sorry, lifespan not so easily extended. Must compound herbs per individual's traits; at least 5 years investigating subject, parallel precise calcs..."
"Ah, whatever. Fine."
Before human computer, 5 years' calcs no big deal.