Chapter 186: Overgeared (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: Overgeared (1)
The dwarf had said that without me, his side would have a much greater advantage. I was now seeing with my own two eyes that he wasn't just talking big.
Pababababat!
My body shot up like a cannonball despite the drag. Looking down from above, I could see the entire battlefield at once.
"We just have to hold out until Mr. Yandel gets back!"
No one was seriously injured or dead, but my teammates were struggling. With the team's backbone (me) missing, the burden on my teammates had multiplied several times. While Bear's summoning period had ended, the undead summoned by the priest of Karui stampeded at them from all directions.
"Huh?" It was then that Missha met my eye. "Uh, huh?"
"Miss Karlstein! What are you looking a—huh?" So did Raven. I was quite a distance away, but judging by her gaping mouth, she seemed to be thinking something along the lines of, Why is a barbarian flying?
To make one thing clear, I was not flying. "Falling down" would be the correct phrase. Or as I liked to call it, Barbarian Meteor Mode.
CRASH!
I tensed my back and found my balance before landing on both feet. Footprints, more accurately described as craters, were engraved deep into the ground.
Sting.
A sensation akin to electricity buzzed through my legs. Jeez, if I hadn't adjusted my Bone Strength stat, I might've just shattered my bones. With that thought in mind, I scanned my surroundings.
Whooom!
Dust billowed out from the point of impact in the form of rings. This was the side effect of a transportation skill.
[Your Jump Power stat increases by x10 for one jump and you inflict a powerful shockwave on the surrounding area upon landing.]
Damage had been dealt to the terrain around me. Of course, the amount of damage was negligible. I didn't classify it as a transportation skill for nothing. Except for the small area that I had crushed down with my body, it was safe to say there was no wide-range damage.
Shaaaaaa!
The undead army fell over from the wind pressure. Team Dwarf, meanwhile, was just taken aback by my sudden intrusion; they remained standing despite the strong winds.
[Your total weight is over 1100 lbs. Special terrain effect Recoil is applied to your total damage.]
Wait, sorry, I was in Giantization mode.
Boom!
Just like thunder comes after a lightning strike, as soon as the wind dissipated, the ground shook and flung everything standing on top of it.
"Kyaa!"
"What...!"
Hundreds of undead flew into the air along with Team Dwarf. My mouth curled into a wide grin at that overwhelming high.
Thankfully, it looks like it was enough weight.
I'd been a bit worried. With Union, Giantization applied to my equipment, too, but I still had a lot of pieces of equipment to get fitted for. But even without this weight bonus, the Leap skill had another big advantage.
[Your Threat Level has temporarily increased significantly.]
A Threat Level bonus was bestowed on the user for a short period after landing. This was important to me because it meant that aside from Giantization, I now had another skill that could increase my Threat Level.
"I-If that guy is here..."
"The dwarf! Is that bastard... dead?!"
"You said you could handle him!"
As the remaining members of Team Dwarf had already lost their fighting spirit just from seeing me, I shouted, "Behelaaah!" That was the activation code for Wild Outburst, after all.
[Your Threat Level has temporarily increased by x3, and your physical stats increase in proportion to that value.]
With a Physique bonus proportional to Threat Level, yeah, this was it. I felt like I'd really become an ogre.
"Grk!" Summoned beasts flocked to me greedily. On the other hand, the intellectuals were different.
"R-Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
"R-Run!"
As if they had fallen into a state of Fear, they abandoned formation and ran away. Or was this just a result of common sense rather than Threat Level?
Slam! Slam! Whoom! Smack!
With a giant mace and shield and two legs as dangerous as living weapons, I crushed and flung summoned beasts and pursued Team Dwarf.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of a large monster's footsteps that seemed to accompany my run was a bonus.
"Block him! Block! You're the warrior!"
"Shit, how am I supp—" The elven archer stabbed a dagger into the beast swordsman's thigh. "Ahh! You deranged bitch!" The swordsman tumbled through the dirt from the inertia. And then he was in my hand. "Uh, huh...?" My grip was roomy, even while holding a human head between my fingers. "...S-Surrender. I surrender—"
Slowly, I applied force. Was it because of Wild Outburst? I was sure this guy had Physical Resistance, but his head felt softer than a watermelon.
Crunch!
Moving on.
Before long, Wild Outburst ended and my fired-up vigor also disappeared, but the chase was no problem. We hadn't even finished the third stage, after all, so there was a barrier with a radius of about five hundred yards surrounding us. Plus, I now had a transportation skill.
Kwaaang!
Using Leap, I blocked their path. Team Dwarf dropped their weapons without hesitation and surrendered. I supposed they decided it was better to submit themselves to my mercy. Well, there was a sort of logic to it.
"P-Please don't kill us. We'll do anything. Y-You'll need us t-to take down the guardian. Right?"
I'd have to think about this one. First, with the help of my teammates who were following behind me, we disarmed the group. Now was a good time to turn off Giantization.
"Bjorn! What the hell was that!? Me too! I want to do that too!" I wondered if it was a barbarian instinct. After seeing Leap in action, Ainar's eyes exhibited a powerful hunger. Even the way she looked at cotton candy couldn't compare.
I didn't hide my amusement and made her a promise. "Haha, I'll find you something similar next time."
"Really!? Remember, you promised!"
"Yes, it's a promise." The cultivation tree I'd drawn up for Ainar had something similar to Leap on it. Though it was a rank-three essence, so it'd take some years to get it... but a barbarian really should be able to jump this high.
"E-Excuse me! P-Please help!"
Hm? The call came as we were taking the equipment off Team Dwarf. When I turned my head, I saw a woman.
"I-If that guy is here..."
"The dwarf! Is that bastard... dead?!"
"You said you could handle him!"
As the remaining members of Team Dwarf had already lost their fighting spirit just from seeing me, I shouted, "Behelaaah!" That was the activation code for Wild Outburst, after all.
[Your Threat Level has temporarily increased by x3, and your physical stats increase in proportion to that value.]
With a Physique bonus proportional to Threat Level, yeah, this was it. I felt like I'd really become an ogre.
"Grk!" Summoned beasts flocked to me greedily. On the other hand, the intellectuals were different.
"R-Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
"R-Run!"
As if they had fallen into a state of Fear, they abandoned formation and ran away. Or was this just a result of common sense rather than Threat Level?
Slam! Slam! Whoom! Smack!
With a giant mace and shield and two legs as dangerous as living weapons, I crushed and flung summoned beasts and pursued Team Dwarf.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of a large monster's footsteps that seemed to accompany my run was a bonus.
"Block him! Block! You're the warrior!"
"Shit, how am I supp—" The elven archer stabbed a dagger into the beast swordsman's thigh. "Ahh! You deranged bitch!" The swordsman tumbled through the dirt from the inertia. And then he was in my hand. "Uh, huh...?" My grip was roomy, even while holding a human head between my fingers. "...S-Surrender. I surrender—"
Slowly, I applied force. Was it because of Wild Outburst? I was sure this guy had Physical Resistance, but his head felt softer than a watermelon.
Crunch!
Moving on.
Before long, Wild Outburst ended and my fired-up vigor also disappeared, but the chase was no problem. We hadn't even finished the third stage, after all, so there was a barrier with a radius of about five hundred yards surrounding us. Plus, I now had a transportation skill.
Kwaaang!
Using Leap, I blocked their path. Team Dwarf dropped their weapons without hesitation and surrendered. I supposed they decided it was better to submit themselves to my mercy. Well, there was a sort of logic to it.
"P-Please don't kill us. We'll do anything. Y-You'll need us t-to take down the guardian. Right?"
I'd have to think about this one. First, with the help of my teammates who were following behind me, we disarmed the group. Now was a good time to turn off Giantization.
"Bjorn! What the hell was that!? Me too! I want to do that too!" I wondered if it was a barbarian instinct. After seeing Leap in action, Ainar's eyes exhibited a powerful hunger. Even the way she looked at cotton candy couldn't compare.
I didn't hide my amusement and made her a promise. "Haha, I'll find you something similar next time."
"Really!? Remember, you promised!"
"Yes, it's a promise." The cultivation tree I'd drawn up for Ainar had something similar to Leap on it. Though it was a rank-three essence, so it'd take some years to get it... but a barbarian really should be able to jump this high.
"E-Excuse me! P-Please help!"
Hm? The call came as we were taking the equipment off Team Dwarf. When I turned my head, I saw a woman.
Right, I forgot she was alive.
Team Hans G's rookie scout's name was... I couldn't be bothered to ask, so let's go with Scout Lady.
"Potion! Please lend us a potion. I gave him one of mine but..." When I turned to where Scout Lady was pointing, I could see the blunt-weapon warrior on the ground.
"Is he alive?"
"Y-Yes!" Apparently seeing a glimmer of hope, she nodded enthusiastically.
I pondered this for a moment. Saving him was the logical thing to do, but a potion might be a waste. Before long, I grabbed the priest of Karui.
"E-Eek!"
Don't be a chicken. Who said I'm killing you?
I dragged the priest with me and dropped him in front of the blunt weapon user. "Treat him."
"Y-Yes!" Although they worshipped an evil god, priests of Karui seemed to be capable of divine magic too. Blending in would be impossible otherwise.
Shaaaaaa.
As divine power filled his body, the burns on the blunt-weapon warrior slowly disappeared. His breathing quickly became much more stable.
"Thank you. Thank you. Really..."
"But what happened to the wizard?"
"H-He passed away."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. W-When I checked, his heart was already..."
"I see. We'll take care of the other side, so stay with this guy until he wakes up. He'll be very confused."
"Y-Yes! Thank you...!"
When I returned to where my teammates were, they had finished taking Team Dwarf captive. They were pretty much down to their underwear.
"...Where did you get the mouth gag?" I asked Raven.
"It's from my own possessions."
What? A gag? Why?
When I asked the reason out of pure curiosity, I received an unexpected answer. "I'm interested in this area of study as well."
"Uh... I-I see?" I was genuinely perplexed. However, a reaction like that could hurt Raven's feelings. "Yes. That's not... n-not bad?" I expressed my opinion to avoid any misunderstandings.
But, huh? "Not bad? Mr. Yandel, are you also interested in Monsterology?"
"Monsterology?" When I asked this in confusion, Raven also tilted her head. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Is the gag... for monsters?"
"Yes, why? If I got the chance, I had a mind to catch one alive and study it. Wait, then what did you think I used these for...?" Raven trailed off, then her face quickly flushed red. "...Don't come near me any longer."
"How close can I get?"
"One yard."
"...All right." We half-jokingly agreed on a distance and I approached our group of captives. Then I loosened Hans G's gag. There was something I was curious about. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Pardon? Ah, yes! A-Anything!"
"How did the dwarf figure out you're an evil spirit?"
"...Pardon?" Hans G looked at me like he found the question strange. But to avoid getting on my bad side, he answered meekly. The truth was truly unexpected. "H-He is also a p-player... No, an e-evil spirit."
Right, I forgot she was alive.
Team Hans G's rookie scout's name was... I couldn't be bothered to ask, so let's go with Scout Lady.
"Potion! Please lend us a potion. I gave him one of mine but..." When I turned to where Scout Lady was pointing, I could see the blunt-weapon warrior on the ground.
"Is he alive?"
"Y-Yes!" Apparently seeing a glimmer of hope, she nodded enthusiastically.
I pondered this for a moment. Saving him was the logical thing to do, but a potion might be a waste. Before long, I grabbed the priest of Karui.
"E-Eek!"
Don't be a chicken. Who said I'm killing you?
I dragged the priest with me and dropped him in front of the blunt weapon user. "Treat him."
"Y-Yes!" Although they worshipped an evil god, priests of Karui seemed to be capable of divine magic too. Blending in would be impossible otherwise.
Shaaaaaa.
As divine power filled his body, the burns on the blunt-weapon warrior slowly disappeared. His breathing quickly became much more stable.
"Thank you. Thank you. Really..."
"But what happened to the wizard?"
"H-He passed away."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. W-When I checked, his heart was already..."
"I see. We'll take care of the other side, so stay with this guy until he wakes up. He'll be very confused."
"Y-Yes! Thank you...!"
When I returned to where my teammates were, they had finished taking Team Dwarf captive. They were pretty much down to their underwear.
"...Where did you get the mouth gag?" I asked Raven.
"It's from my own possessions."
What? A gag? Why?
When I asked the reason out of pure curiosity, I received an unexpected answer. "I'm interested in this area of study as well."
"Uh... I-I see?" I was genuinely perplexed. However, a reaction like that could hurt Raven's feelings. "Yes. That's not... n-not bad?" I expressed my opinion to avoid any misunderstandings.
But, huh? "Not bad? Mr. Yandel, are you also interested in Monsterology?"
"Monsterology?" When I asked this in confusion, Raven also tilted her head. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. "Is the gag... for monsters?"
"Yes, why? If I got the chance, I had a mind to catch one alive and study it. Wait, then what did you think I used these for...?" Raven trailed off, then her face quickly flushed red. "...Don't come near me any longer."
"How close can I get?"
"One yard."
"...All right." We half-jokingly agreed on a distance and I approached our group of captives. Then I loosened Hans G's gag. There was something I was curious about. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Pardon? Ah, yes! A-Anything!"
"How did the dwarf figure out you're an evil spirit?"
"...Pardon?" Hans G looked at me like he found the question strange. But to avoid getting on my bad side, he answered meekly. The truth was truly unexpected. "H-He is also a p-player... No, an e-evil spirit."
The dwarf was from Earth. That was why he had been able to deduce Hans G's identity just by his actions. "Tell me exactly what happened between you two."
I listened to the details. Minus his constant stuttering, it wasn't a long story. The dwarf had instigated a conversation with Hans G through a magical device during night watch and revealed something no one from this world could know. Hans G happily participated in the exchange, but it was a trap. What the dwarf had used was a magical device that recorded conversations. Threatened with his weakness, Hans G received an offer to take the guardian down with the dwarf and make good money. As a side note, the stick came with a carrot. Apparently, the dwarf offered to share the loot equally and if things went wrong, he would take responsibility and take Hans G to Noark.
"I-I r-refused. B-But—m-mm!" A lame excuse was going to follow, so I ended the conversation and put the gag back in his mouth. All my questions had been answered, anyway.
How the hell are four out of the fifteen of us players?
The elven archer, Hans G, the dwarf, and I... It was ridiculous, but in the end, I was the winner. However, the final battle remained. With that in mind, I moved on to a new item on the agenda after establishing a team voice link.
"I want to hear your opinions."
"About what to do with these people?"
"Yes."
I didn't mean a majority vote. If I made the decision, my teammates would follow it, but I wanted to hear their opinions before that.
"They attacked us! Of course they should die!" said Ainar.
"Hmm, I don't know. If we can clear the rrrift on our own, we should obviously kill them, but..."
"Will these people really cooperate with us?" said Raven.
Their opinions were mostly similar. It was hard to trust them.
"They say that an unreliable ally is more dangerous than an Ogre."
Even if we fought together, if we could not fight properly out of fear of betrayal, it would completely upend our plans.
"Still, the Noark team is better," claimed Raven.
"What about them is better?"
"Once we leave the rift, we'll never see them again. If we agree to save their lives, there's a chance they'll put their faith in that." Raven turned her gaze to the elven archer and Hans G. "But those two are different." An evil spirit was a creature that felt even more sinister and threatening than an underground adventurer.
"Right! The chieftain said so too! Evil spirits must be killed as soon as they are found!" said Ainar.
"Yeah... I didn't know this before but after today, I know it for sure. Why everrryone says not to trust evil spirits..."
"They will do anything to keep their identities hidden. It's wise to get rid of them as soon as the opportunity presents itself. That man is a testament to what happens if you trust an evil spirit," Mr. Bear said.
Each word was like a knife to my chest. How would they react if my identity were uncovered? Would they look at me with the same look in their eyes?
"So what do you think, Mr. Yandel?"
I brushed off those meaningless thoughts and gave them my decision. "I think it's better to kill them now."
I had no intention of letting them live in the first place. It was just a question of whether to kill them now or after we killed the guardian. I was already perfectly acclimated to this world.
The dwarf was from Earth. That was why he had been able to deduce Hans G's identity just by his actions. "Tell me exactly what happened between you two."
I listened to the details. Minus his constant stuttering, it wasn't a long story. The dwarf had instigated a conversation with Hans G through a magical device during night watch and revealed something no one from this world could know. Hans G happily participated in the exchange, but it was a trap. What the dwarf had used was a magical device that recorded conversations. Threatened with his weakness, Hans G received an offer to take the guardian down with the dwarf and make good money. As a side note, the stick came with a carrot. Apparently, the dwarf offered to share the loot equally and if things went wrong, he would take responsibility and take Hans G to Noark.
"I-I r-refused. B-But—m-mm!" A lame excuse was going to follow, so I ended the conversation and put the gag back in his mouth. All my questions had been answered, anyway.
How the hell are four out of the fifteen of us players?
The elven archer, Hans G, the dwarf, and I... It was ridiculous, but in the end, I was the winner. However, the final battle remained. With that in mind, I moved on to a new item on the agenda after establishing a team voice link.
"I want to hear your opinions."
"About what to do with these people?"
"Yes."
I didn't mean a majority vote. If I made the decision, my teammates would follow it, but I wanted to hear their opinions before that.
"They attacked us! Of course they should die!" said Ainar.
"Hmm, I don't know. If we can clear the rrrift on our own, we should obviously kill them, but..."
"Will these people really cooperate with us?" said Raven.
Their opinions were mostly similar. It was hard to trust them.
"They say that an unreliable ally is more dangerous than an Ogre."
Even if we fought together, if we could not fight properly out of fear of betrayal, it would completely upend our plans.
"Still, the Noark team is better," claimed Raven.
"What about them is better?"
"Once we leave the rift, we'll never see them again. If we agree to save their lives, there's a chance they'll put their faith in that." Raven turned her gaze to the elven archer and Hans G. "But those two are different." An evil spirit was a creature that felt even more sinister and threatening than an underground adventurer.
"Right! The chieftain said so too! Evil spirits must be killed as soon as they are found!" said Ainar.
"Yeah... I didn't know this before but after today, I know it for sure. Why everrryone says not to trust evil spirits..."
"They will do anything to keep their identities hidden. It's wise to get rid of them as soon as the opportunity presents itself. That man is a testament to what happens if you trust an evil spirit," Mr. Bear said.
Each word was like a knife to my chest. How would they react if my identity were uncovered? Would they look at me with the same look in their eyes?
"So what do you think, Mr. Yandel?"
I brushed off those meaningless thoughts and gave them my decision. "I think it's better to kill them now."
I had no intention of letting them live in the first place. It was just a question of whether to kill them now or after we killed the guardian. I was already perfectly acclimated to this world.
"Can we kill the guardian by ourselves?" Raven asked.
"We'll have to try."
It may have sounded irresponsible, but it wasn't a totally unreasonable decision. The blunt-weapon warrior, at least, had survived. Our manpower had increased to six people. Also, in addition to the Guard Corps Token, there could be more items we might be able to use right away. Above all, if my predictions were correct, we would have one more wizard.
"Then we just have to find the doppelganger."
"Yes. The Stone of Truth won't show up for a long while and since we decided not to cooperate, I think we can just kill them all. If we offer them to the altar, they'll just end up being released later."
"Turn off Voice Control."
After asking Raven to turn off the team communication spell, I approached the group of prisoners. The silence seemed cold yet strangely warm. Eyes full of hope mingling with anxiety focused on me. Well, I was sure they were aware that the meeting was over and a decision had been made. No lengthy explanations were necessary.
"It won't hurt."
Probably.
"Mm—mmp! Mmm!" As soon as I opened my mouth, the prisoners wriggled and tried to say something, like flickering candle flames struggling to stay alight. I swung the mace without hesitation, starting with the priest of Karui at the end.
Crunch!
Then the sorcerer.
Crunch!
Hans G.
Crunch!
And even the elven archer. I struck hard enough to kill them instantly, even if the doppelganger dwelt inside them.
Crunch.
The entire process took only about five seconds. Their violent wriggling stopped as if it had never happened in the first place. Four bodies with crushed heads fell to the ground. At the sight, just one thought filled my mind.
Good thing they were gagged.
"Mr. Yandel! You can't just hit them like that!" Raven exclaimed.
Hm?
"Even if they're for monster use, you could break the gags like that!"
Ah... Is that important right now, though?
"You're rather calm."
"Pardon? What do you—"
"You're the only doppelganger candidate left."
There had been nine people on whom verification magic did not work. Among them, Raven and I were the last ones standing. And since I had used the Stone of Truth, I had been eliminated as a possibility.
She belatedly realized what was going on. "Ah...!" Raven's eyes went wide, and she shouted, "It's not me! Why would I be a doppelganger? No, it can't be... There must be a mistake..."
So, that's how you're going to play this.
"Raven is the doppelganger. Everyone, get back!"
At my cry, the trio next to Raven jumped back in surprise.
"Y-You'rrre the doppelganger? I never dreamed of it."
"Give back Aruru! She may be human and a wizard, but she's my precious teammate!"
The melee sisters couldn't hide their astonishment.
"I-It's really not me. Please believe me. I'll confirm it with the Stone of Truth as soon as it appears tomorrow! Okay?"
"Even now, after everything is over, you're still trying to take the Stone of Truth... you really are a clever monster." Mr. Bear quietly raised his crossbow and stood alert.
Raven looked like she was going to cry at any moment. "I-I'm not..." So she could make an expression like that, too, huh? "I-It's really not me!"
Come to think of it, hearing her scream this loud was a first, too.
This... is rare.
Since this wasn't something we got a chance to see often, I was tempted, but any more of this and she might really cry. So enough joking around. "The only one left is you. But if not you, who the hell is it?"
"Th-that's...!"
"Didn't you tell us that if the host is killed, even without being offered up on the altar, the doppelganger will be released?" Pretending to drive her into a corner, I dropped a hint, judging that our wizard would be able to use this to come up with an explanation.
"M-Maybe someone is still alive! Pretending to be dead is a doppelganger's specialty!"
That was the line I'd been waiting for. "Still alive, huh?"
When I started moving, Raven let out a bewildered shout. "W-Where are you going?"
Step.
Soon, I paused where Parteian, the unfortunate wizard whose shoulder had been destroyed by the dwarf, lay on the ground. First, I bent over and tried to find a pulse.
"...I-is he alive?"
"Hush."
His heart wasn't beating. His breathing had also stopped.
Tap, tap.
I got up and kicked the wound with my foot. He didn't even flinch. Hmm, was this bearable, then? I took out a bottle of potion and poured it on him.
Chhhhhh.
The wound boiled and began to heal.
"Keeeeeek!"
Yeah, even you can't stand a potion.
"Can we kill the guardian by ourselves?" Raven asked.
"We'll have to try."
It may have sounded irresponsible, but it wasn't a totally unreasonable decision. The blunt-weapon warrior, at least, had survived. Our manpower had increased to six people. Also, in addition to the Guard Corps Token, there could be more items we might be able to use right away. Above all, if my predictions were correct, we would have one more wizard.
"Then we just have to find the doppelganger."
"Yes. The Stone of Truth won't show up for a long while and since we decided not to cooperate, I think we can just kill them all. If we offer them to the altar, they'll just end up being released later."
"Turn off Voice Control."
After asking Raven to turn off the team communication spell, I approached the group of prisoners. The silence seemed cold yet strangely warm. Eyes full of hope mingling with anxiety focused on me. Well, I was sure they were aware that the meeting was over and a decision had been made. No lengthy explanations were necessary.
"It won't hurt."
Probably.
"Mm—mmp! Mmm!" As soon as I opened my mouth, the prisoners wriggled and tried to say something, like flickering candle flames struggling to stay alight. I swung the mace without hesitation, starting with the priest of Karui at the end.
Crunch!
Then the sorcerer.
Crunch!
Hans G.
Crunch!
And even the elven archer. I struck hard enough to kill them instantly, even if the doppelganger dwelt inside them.
Crunch.
The entire process took only about five seconds. Their violent wriggling stopped as if it had never happened in the first place. Four bodies with crushed heads fell to the ground. At the sight, just one thought filled my mind.
Good thing they were gagged.
"Mr. Yandel! You can't just hit them like that!" Raven exclaimed.
Hm?
"Even if they're for monster use, you could break the gags like that!"
Ah... Is that important right now, though?
"You're rather calm."
"Pardon? What do you—"
"You're the only doppelganger candidate left."
There had been nine people on whom verification magic did not work. Among them, Raven and I were the last ones standing. And since I had used the Stone of Truth, I had been eliminated as a possibility.
She belatedly realized what was going on. "Ah...!" Raven's eyes went wide, and she shouted, "It's not me! Why would I be a doppelganger? No, it can't be... There must be a mistake..."
So, that's how you're going to play this.
"Raven is the doppelganger. Everyone, get back!"
At my cry, the trio next to Raven jumped back in surprise.
"Y-You'rrre the doppelganger? I never dreamed of it."
"Give back Aruru! She may be human and a wizard, but she's my precious teammate!"
The melee sisters couldn't hide their astonishment.
"I-It's really not me. Please believe me. I'll confirm it with the Stone of Truth as soon as it appears tomorrow! Okay?"
"Even now, after everything is over, you're still trying to take the Stone of Truth... you really are a clever monster." Mr. Bear quietly raised his crossbow and stood alert.
Raven looked like she was going to cry at any moment. "I-I'm not..." So she could make an expression like that, too, huh? "I-It's really not me!"
Come to think of it, hearing her scream this loud was a first, too.
This... is rare.
Since this wasn't something we got a chance to see often, I was tempted, but any more of this and she might really cry. So enough joking around. "The only one left is you. But if not you, who the hell is it?"
"Th-that's...!"
"Didn't you tell us that if the host is killed, even without being offered up on the altar, the doppelganger will be released?" Pretending to drive her into a corner, I dropped a hint, judging that our wizard would be able to use this to come up with an explanation.
"M-Maybe someone is still alive! Pretending to be dead is a doppelganger's specialty!"
That was the line I'd been waiting for. "Still alive, huh?"
When I started moving, Raven let out a bewildered shout. "W-Where are you going?"
Step.
Soon, I paused where Parteian, the unfortunate wizard whose shoulder had been destroyed by the dwarf, lay on the ground. First, I bent over and tried to find a pulse.
"...I-is he alive?"
"Hush."
His heart wasn't beating. His breathing had also stopped.
Tap, tap.
I got up and kicked the wound with my foot. He didn't even flinch. Hmm, was this bearable, then? I took out a bottle of potion and poured it on him.
Chhhhhh.
The wound boiled and began to heal.
"Keeeeeek!"
Yeah, even you can't stand a potion.