Chapter 37
Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Doppelganger's Probe
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Time was running short for Mori to search for evidence linking Baron Grimhal to the disappearance of the followers.
One day, and half a day more.
Humming to himself...
The place Mori headed to while humming a tune was a space in the mansion akin to an attic. From his prior investigation with Bill, it was one of the few spots in the mansion untouched by watchful eyes.
Eyes were watching the group from all directions in the mansion. Well-trained eyes. They never revealed themselves, but their presence couldn't fool Mori and Bill.
Creak...
He opened and closed the door before any sound could escape.
"Have you awakened? Hm... no, ahem..."
Mori reverted to his original voice.
"Woken up yet?"
...Mmph! Mmmph!
There lay a maid who looked exactly like Mori in his current form, bound and collapsed on the floor.
The bound one was the original owner of the form he'd taken. Surprisingly, Mori had already kidnapped one of the mansion's maids even before Adelia's request.
In hindsight, it was a bold and chilling decision. If Baron Grimhal had no connection to the disappearances, it would have been a major problem.
This overflowing initiative might stem from Mori's confidence that he could clean it up somehow later.
As he removed the gag from the maid's mouth, a trembling voice spilled out.
"My... my face... Please spare me. Why... why are you doing this?"
"What do you think I am, standing before you?"
"I don't know..."
"Think carefully. This can't be some touching reunion with a twin sister you never knew about, right?"
The maid soon remembered.
The existence of a monster that steals appearances.
"D-Doppelganger?"
"Correct! Then you know the legend of the doppelganger."
Those who encounter a doppelganger wearing their own face die. The maid quickly recalled that fact too.
"Ah... no! I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."
All the maid could do now was beg for her life.
"...What are you going to do with me?"
"Nothing much, just ask some questions I'm curious about."
"Is that really all?"
"Yeah. But I don't have much patience. If you lie even once or claim you don't know something you do, I'll just find another way."
"......"
"You're just the easiest option among my choices. Now, time's short. Shall we start? I told you the rules, right? What was your name again... Sera? That's it?"
Nod...
Mori grinned.
"Sera, the baron has secrets, doesn't he?"
Nod...
"Do you know exactly what those secrets are?"
"No... not that far..."
First resistance.
"Hmm... Sera, then do you know why you and the head maid are the only humans among all the maids in this vast mansion?"
Flinch...
"That was a good question, huh. The rest are all subhumans. Weird, right?"
"That's... because the baron is kind to subhumans..."
"Sera."
"......"
"That kindness might have an ulterior motive?"
"R-Right?"
"And that motive is the annex basement?"
In an instant, Sera's face went pale.
As if all the blood had drained from her body.
"I can tell without you answering."
"There are... people imprisoned in the basement."
"Good attitude. I figured that much. Are any of the missing Beth Church followers among the prisoners?"
"I'm not sure that far. Going to the basement is extremely rare..."
"Can you get into that basement?"
"No, I can't."
The answer was immediate.
"Why not?"
"I know it's locked with a sturdy padlock. I don't have the key."
"If I forced it open, the whole mansion would come running. Who has the keys?"
"The h-head maid, the butler, and the baron."
"Too many eyes to approach the baron... Do the other two have guards?"
"No. This is Baron Grimhal's mansion—who would dare harm them?"
"The butler has signs of martial arts training, right?"
"I vaguely heard he used to be a mercenary..."
"Not shallow skills either. That one's tough too... Leaves the head maid."
Mori chuckled to himself.
"Time to coordinate with Bill. Alright, questions over."
"...Are you going to kill me now?"
"Why bother? Ah! Might cause issues, so I'll knock you out."
To the relieved Sera, Mori offered advice.
"If there's definitely something in that basement... you'd better find a new job as soon as you wake up."
Mmph?
As Sera, gagged again, widened her eyes in a questioning gesture, Mori's hand strike hit her neck.
Thud...
Sera flopped limply to the floor.
"The head maid, huh..."
* * *
"Sera! Where have you been all this time?"
"I'm sorry, Head Maid. The guest wouldn't let me go..."
"You're talking about that wench Adelia. I thought she knew her place and would stay quiet... Sera, did you give her any excuse, by any chance?"
"Oh, no. She just said she needed someone to talk to."
"Someone to talk to? She didn't ask anything suspicious? Questions about the baron or such..."
Sera shook her head innocently side to side at the head maid's question. Naturally, the one standing before the head maid was Mori, who had stolen Sera's appearance.
"No such questions. She asked if I was satisfied with life in the mansion or about my religion..."
"Hmm... That's a relief. Such a pain, those Beth Church frauds lurking around the master."
Through the brief conversation, Mori gauged that the head maid was fiercely loyal. The only way to get what he wanted from a woman like this in short order was deception.
"Um... Head Maid..."
"Something to say?"
"It... might be wrong information, but..."
"What is it? Spit it out, no beating around the bush."
Gulp...
"Adelia... I mean, the baron's guest said she heard strange moans last night..."
"...What did you say?"
"Apparently from the annex..."
The moment she uttered "annex," the head maid's eyes turned fierce.
"Shh... Lower your voice."
"Maybe... sounds leaked from there..."
"No way... that shouldn't happen. ...No, it's not impossible. It's just never happened before."
Fortunately, the head maid seemed the type who always carried worries.
'The fact that moans leaking out isn't that strange means it's not exactly a normal facility.'
He didn't know what was hidden in the annex basement, but it wasn't anything normal.
'Whatever's in the basement is living things barely clinging to life, and their condition... definitely not normal.'
The head maid muttered while biting her nails.
"If it's true, it's big trouble. If the Beth Church lackeys hear, it could blow up."
"Wh-What should we do..."
"Sera, I can't leave my post right now. Looks like you'll have to check the annex..."
The perfect scenario for Mori was unfolding.
"...No, on second thought, that won't do. I'll go to the annex myself when I get a chance."
"...Yes, Head Maid."
"Then keep watching Adelia. Our eyes don't reach her quarters, so your role is crucial."
"I'll keep that in mind, then..."
"Go on."
Mori, in Sera's form, vanished into Adelia's room.
Naturally, he and Adelia didn't exchange any special words. She just held her breath and quietly observed the actions of Faust's minions.
"Bill, come out."
Slither...
"Held the head maid's attention for quite a while, just like I said. You pulled it off, right? Otherwise, I'd be disappointed."
Jingle...
Bill handed over a keyring identical to the one dangling from the head maid's waist.
"One of these must be for the annex. She kept fidgeting with this bunch even while talking."
"Won't she suspect me if she notices the keys are gone?"
"No chance. To be precise, I swapped them—they didn't disappear. She won't notice unless she tries opening the annex door herself."
"Hmm... You duplicated the keys themselves? I'm no good at that sort of thing."
"I can disguise myself, but I can't steal faces. We all have our specialties. Whatever helps Him is fine by me."
Jingle...
"Fair enough. The guards?"
"Put 'em to sleep standing up. Won't notice even up close."
"You can do that too?"
"Infiltration 101. Might be faster to list what I can't do."
Adelia, the saintess of the Beth Church, who had been eavesdropping breathlessly on their conversation, chimed in.
"...What if the head maid heads to the annex sooner than expected?"
"No worries there. I asked the holy knights to start making a ruckus from now on."
"...Ah!"
"The head maid will be busy keeping the noise from reaching the baron's ears."
"You planned that far..."
Bill nodded and said to Mori.
"Mori, check the annex basement in His stead."
* * *
"Everyone alright? Any... issues?"
The guards stood motionless in place, not even glancing at Mori.
As if they'd lost consciousness.
"Knocked out? Flawless work. Gotta admit, the guy's got skills."
Mori, in Sera's form, boldly descended into the annex basement without any interference. What appeared was a massive padlocked door.
Jingle...
At the sound of keys, noises leaked from inside. Voices.
"Ugh... ugh..."
"It hurts..."
Mori's curiosity about the scene beyond the door grew as he tried keys in the lock.
Click... click...
"Not this one."
Click...
"Not you either."
Click... click.
"This one's no good."
Click.
...Smirk.
Creak...
Creeeak...
Mori whistled as he flung open the annex door.
"The blood stench is a masterpiece."
The metallic tang of blood filled the air everywhere, numbing his sense of smell.
The basement room was damp, shrouded in a bloody mist.
"Let's see... not many still alive."
What lay there were traces of all sorts of subhumans. Traces that weren't even subhumans anymore, because few retained complete bodies.
The atmosphere here was unique—not like some evil laboratory or brutal interrogation chamber. Mori instantly knew the intent of the one who created this place.
Amusement.
Purely for personal entertainment, they'd built this perverse, sadistic space.
Shelves were crammed with severed subhuman body parts floating in unidentified liquids. Eyeballs, hands, scalps, and more.
Not a single human part in sight. The basement's blood mist was probably a byproduct of creating them.
Even Mori, a monster familiar with blood-soaked life, hadn't smelled such an unsettling blood in ages. The blood of those unable to resist.
"Let's see, there should be some intact ones left."
If Mori the monster were here, he'd lose himself in the blood and do anything. But now, he was Mori, subordinate of Faust.
Just doing what needed to be done.
To avoid scaring the victims here, Mori shed Sera's form and took on the guise of an ordinary adventurer.
He approached one of the bound, groaning subhumans and asked the same question.
"Are you a Beth Church follower?"
"Ughhhh..."
"Wrong. This one's been rotting a while."
Beth Church follower?
"Save me..."
"If you're Beth Church, maybe."
"No... I'm not..."
Right then, someone nearby spoke to Mori.
"Did you... come to rescue Beth... Beth Church followers?"
"Are you a Beth Church follower?"
"Ahh... Lord Beth. Sob... You haven't abandoned me after all..."
"Hey, no time. Keep babbling nonsense, and your tongue joins the shelf art."
Mori asked.
"You're one of the missing Beth Church followers, right?"
"...Yes."
"The others? Where? Heard there were more."
"They were... here."
That wasn't wrong.
To his left, a decapitated corpse was bound; to his right, one with guts ripped open.
"...At least one survived. Lucky. Look, we're putting Grimhal on trial for religious crimes. He'll face judgment from Beth or whatever. Can you testify?"
"I'll... testify. But who could possibly judge Grimhal?"
Mori grinned.
"Who knows? If the math checks out, it should be possible."