The Doppelganger's Trap

"Ah—wait... ghk!"

Before the black silhouette could even get a word out, Encia seized her by the throat and slammed her into the floor.

The impact thundered through the chamber. The dark figure coughed up a spray of blood, and the entire room shuddered. It was monstrous strength—impossible to believe this person had spent more than a year confined to a bed.

"M-miss, what on earth are you—"

"Shut your mouth."

A cold smile played on Encia's lips as she pinned the black silhouette beneath her. The door burst open. Sheryl and the swordsmen poured in and lit the lamps.

"Huh..."

"I-it was real."

"Young Master Raon's words came true, exactly as he said..."

The swordsmen's jaws dropped at the sight of the young woman in a maid's uniform crushed beneath Encia.

"That's the maid who was always glued to Lady Encia's side!"

"Yeah. She's the one who waited on her constantly."

Marta bared her teeth. Burren scowled.

"Ah..."

Last of all, Encia herself entered, leaning on Michelle's arm. The moment she saw the maid sprawled on the floor, her chin began to tremble.

"Lo... Loren. It was you?"

Encia's sky-blue eyes wavered as if rain were about to spill from them.

"Why would you do something like this...?"

"M-miss, why are there two of you...?"

The maid called Loren whipped her gaze back and forth between the blue-eyed Encia standing before her and the red-eyed Encia pinning her down. Her eyes flew wide.

"Sorry, but I'm not your mistress."

The red-eyed Encia tapped her own cheek. A gray cloak slid from her shoulders, and Raon's face emerged underneath.

"Th-the Doppelganger's Cloak..."

Loren swallowed hard, staring from the fallen cloak to Raon. She seemed to have finally pieced together what had happened.

"I figured you'd come, so I put on a little performance."

Raon picked up the Doppelganger's Cloak and let out a dry chuckle. It was a legendary-grade artifact capable of transforming the wearer's appearance into someone else's. It had its share of drawbacks, but the effect itself was flawless.

"Loren."

"Why would you...?"

Encia and Michelle's eyes rolled like waves slamming into a shore. They looked as though they couldn't bring themselves to believe what they were seeing.

Raon, by contrast, gazed down at Loren with a calm that suggested this outcome had been inevitable.

It was obvious.

A Hell Worm had to be inserted directly through the mouth or nose, which meant the spy could only have been someone close to Encia. He'd suspected one of her two maids—and it was this one, Loren, who had stood at her right hand and attended her without rest. A shadow agent of House Robert.

"We'd been together since I was eight. How could you do this...?"

Encia clapped a hand over her mouth and sank to the floor.

Eight years old.

House Robert started using children for assassination and spy work between the ages of six and eight. Hearing the number only confirmed it.

Not that she probably even knows who she's really working for.

Derus ran his spies as a cell network, never telling them where they truly belonged. They simply followed orders, exactly as they'd been brainwashed to do.

"Young Master Raon. Is it Loren? Did... did Loren really do this?"

Encia finally found her voice. Her cracked lips trembled so badly it was painful to watch.

"This one is a spy."

"I'm not! I didn't do anything!"

Loren shook her head with desperate force.

"You were about to drive this into my forehead, and you still want to talk?"

Raon held up the bent needle that had fallen to the floor, showing it to Loren.

"Th-that's medicine!"

Loren screamed, veins standing out in her eyes.

"Medicine?"

Encia bit her lip as she stared at the needle, her expression clinging to one last scrap of hope.

"A skilled pharmacist visited the family a few months ago. This is medicine I received from him to bring down a fever."

"Then why smear it on a needle and sneak in here in the dead of night to stab her with it?"

"I-I was only following the pharmacist's instructions. He said if I coated the needle with the medicine and pricked her very lightly while she was asleep, the fever would go down."

Loren spun the lie without so much as a blink.

"Every I put the medicine in, whenever my lady was suffering too much in her sleep. I was only worried about her, I swear... hhk—"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she hung her head. To anyone who didn't know better, the performance would have been convincing.

"Th-that's..."

Encia's pupils surged. She seemed to be swaying under that pathetic excuse.

Can't be helped.

That was the most terrifying thing about a long-planted spy. If they leveraged years of accumulated affection to plaster over everything with forced excuses, judgment clouded whether you wanted it to or not. Encia had grown up with this woman since she was eight. Of course she would want to believe her.

But.

That might work on Encia and Michelle. It would not work on him—a complete stranger.

"If you'd only pricked her lightly, the needle wouldn't be bent like this. This is the mark of someone who tried to drive it in deep and failed."

Raon pointed to the crumpled tip of the needle.

"And if we examine whatever's coating this needle, we'll find out soon enough whether it's medicine or poison."

"N-no. This is a misunderstanding..."

Loren's eyes darted with frightening speed, hunting for a new excuse.

"Lo... Loren..."

Encia forced her hands into fists. She bit down on her lip as if the pain might hold her together.

"I was only worried about my lady, I really—ghk!"

Raon didn't let her finish. He dislocated her jaw.

"You seem to have accepted enough of this by now. Allow me to show you proper evidence."

"Evidence?"

"Spies never know when their cover might be blown, so they keep poison hidden in their mouths."

"That can't be. I checked Loren myself before she was allowed in here."

Michelle shook her head, certain it was impossible.

"She didn't have the poison then."

"What?"

"At first, they genuinely act like members of the household. They do their jobs. They don't steal information. Only after they've built trust as ordinary children does the organization give them their mission as spies—and plant the poison in their teeth."

Exploiting human affection and psychology. That was how the Robert bastards ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠operated.

"You'll see for yourselves."

"Mmph—!"

Raon reached into the panicked Loren's mouth and plucked a white bead from the outer side of her molar. It was white, but the instant it was bitten, it would melt the organs and kill without fail. A vicious poison.

"Ah—!"

Loren stared up at Raon with the look of someone who had finally had enough. She seemed stunned by the mind that had predicted her arrival and found the poison in her mouth in a single motion.

Nothing to be surprised about.

Raon offered a bitter smile.

I know because I lived it too.

In his years as an assassin, he had always kept one of these poison beads packed into his teeth. He recognized it because he had been a slave forced toward death, the same as this woman.

"Loren..."

Encia's arms hung limp, as if even the strength to be angry had drained out of her.

"Why? Why would you do this?!"

"Miss! Please listen to me—kh!"

Even with her jaw dislocated, Loren tried to keep making excuses. Raon sent a shock through her heart and knocked her out cold. It was a precaution, in case a Rage Worm happened to be nested there.

"Steward Aron."

Raon called to Aron, who had been standing in the back with a grimace. Of everyone present, he at least still had his wits about him.

"Y-yes."

"It would be best to lock this one up for now."

"Understood."

Aron nodded hastily and hauled Loren out.

"Mm..."

Raon looked at Encia, who had collapsed. The violent tremor in her eyes was slowly settling.

She's accepted it.

He could have subdued Loren and extracted the poison from the start. He'd gone through this tedious performance so that Encia and Michelle would have no lingering attachment left for her. The shock had been severe, but they seemed to have chosen, thankfully, to face reality.

Interrogating Loren would be meaningless anyway.

Unlike assassins, spies were run as a cell network. For that maid to reach Derus or Temus, the message would have to pass through at least four or five separate channels. Neither of those names, nor anything about Encia's treatment, would ever come out of her mouth.

"We'll depart the morning after next rather than tomorrow. Please get some rest."

"Thank you."

"Young Master Raon. Thank you."

Raon accepted the exhausted thanks of Michelle and Encia and stepped outside.

"Raon."

Sheryl's voice caught him as he turned toward the lodgings. He looked back. The Heavenly Sword Squad and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Light Wind Squad were staring at him with expressions of pure disbelief.

"What the hell are you?"

Sheryl approached, her brow furrowed.

It wasn't enough to set a trap that would draw the spy out—he identified her and read her psychology too?

The plan had sounded plausible enough that she'd approved it, but she had never expected it to unfold this cleanly.

What kind of person is this?

Raw martial power? That she could accept. Innate talent fused with relentless effort had carried him to where he stood. But the trap design and psychological warfare he'd displayed tonight were steeped in a seasoned cunning that no swordsman on his second mission had any business possessing. The more she thought about it, the more absurd it became.

"I'd like to know what he's packing in that little head of his myself."

Econ let out a hollow laugh, equally at a loss.

"I knew he was sharp, but I didn't think it went this far."

"Raon. Amazing. Handsome."

"Well. He does know how to use his head."

Burren blew out a breath. Runaan stuck up a thumb. Marta gave a slow nod.

"Th-this is starting to get scary..."

"Right? It's like he's some kind of ghost..."

Dorian and Crain's chins were trembling.

"I just got lucky."

Raon shrugged at the stunned swordsmen.

"I wasn't certain myself."

"Looked pretty certain to me."

He only smiled at Sheryl as her eyes narrowed.

"I suppose you don't feel like answering. Anyway, good work. We caught the spy thanks to you, that's a fact. But spies usually operate through more than one channel, so pulling information back the other way isn't easy. Interrogation probably won't get us anything useful. Don't get your hopes up."

"Understood."

Raon nodded in agreement.

"Hah. I can't tell if I'm talking to a seventeen-year-old or a seventy-one-year-old."

Sheryl waved a hand as if she'd had enough and went back into Encia's room.

There was something she didn't know.

There was a gain.

A considerable one.

Derus Robert was a perfectionist. He would have poured enormous time and manpower into devouring House Yonan—and now the whole thing had collapsed in a single night. He would drop the gentlemanly act and throw a screaming, frothing tantrum. That much was certain.

A shame I can't watch it in person.

Raon smirked, picturing Derus Robert somewhere in the south.

By the time Sheryl returned to the room, Encia had already fallen asleep. Michelle sat holding her daughter's hand tightly.

"I'll stand watch from here. My lady, you should rest as well."

Sheryl approached the bedside and looked at Michelle.

"Thank you."

Michelle bowed her head, still catching her breath.

"We're only repaying a debt."

"Even so, you've shown us consideration in so many ways. Young Master Raon especially."

As befitting the head of a house, she had noticed every courtesy Raon had extended them.

"What is he, exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"The way he thinks, the way he judges, that decisiveness—none of it belongs to someone so young."

Michelle shook her head, staring at the floor where Raon had pinned Loren.

"Does the Northern Annihilation King personally look after him?"

"No. He has a master, but he seems to have grown almost entirely on his own. And..."

Sheryl shook her head and glanced back at the door.

"I'm curious about that brat's true nature myself."

Just how far did his limits actually go?

Temus stood deep in the forest, watching the sun drive back the gloom of night. The face that received that brilliant cascade of light was twisted to a savage degree.

"Why hasn't there been any contact?"

Temus glared and smashed the massive tree beside him.

The earth groaned. The tree toppled outright and crumbled into black ash.

"Word should have come a long ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠time ago! Why is there no contact?!"

"I-I don't know, sir. The connecting cell says they haven't heard anything at all..."

Yufen bowed his head, his shoulders shaking.

"You delivered the orders clearly?"

"Yes. They should have reached her before evening."

"Then she got caught!"

Temus stamped his foot. Black energy boiled up from the ground, and the surrounding undergrowth withered and crumbled as if struck by drought.

"That stupid bitch! She couldn't even drive in a single needle without getting caught?"

The rage he had barely managed to swallow surged back up. Malice gleamed in Temus's eyes.

"Th-then I'll contact him at once—kh!"

"Have you lost your mind?"

The instant Yufen summoned a crow from the shadows, Temus seized him by the throat.

"Swallowing House Yonan is a plan more than fifteen years in the making. If this reaches his ears, both our heads will roll."

"Ah..."

Yufen clutched his own neck, teeth chattering.

"If we're going to report, we report with results. As it stands, we get nothing. Not even a corpse to show for it."

Temus drew a slow breath, forcing down the volcanic fury threatening to erupt.

"But we can't hide this from him..."

"That's why we finish this as fast as possible! Where are the Shadows right now?"

"They're already nearby. Even if the targets leave today, we can catch up."

Yufen answered quickly and bowed.

"Don't just call the Shadows. Call everyone in the area. No need to chase at speed. Slow is fine—have them strip every nearby branch of its weapons and poisons and bring it all."

"A-all of it, sir?"

"The opponent is the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader. If we want to pin that bitch down for even a moment, we dump every last drop of poison and smoke we have. That's the only shot."

Temus ground his teeth, thinking of the Heavenly Sword Squad Leader he'd seen today.

Killing her is out of the question.

While she'd been suppressing her presence she'd felt light as a feather. The instant she revealed herself, she'd loomed larger than a mountain. Her martial power exceeded even the rumors.

"Raon! We just have to kill Raon Zieghart for certain. Then we can recover everything."

Black energy seeped and coiled from Temus's grip.

"I'll peel that smug face of his off while he's still breathing."

The following afternoon, Raon headed to the family head's office. The room was still a disaster, but Michelle's expression was brighter than the day before.

"Please, come in."

Michelle greeted him with far more formality than yesterday.

"Are you feeling any better?"

Raon bowed in return.

"My chest is still tight, but Young Master Raon showing me Loren's true face helped me come to my senses faster. Shock therapy seems to work."

She gave an awkward smile, as if to say she could accept it now.

"Our steward interrogated Loren through the night, but nothing came of it. He said she doesn't seem to know anything at all."

"I see."

As expected. All Loren would know was how to contact the cell directly above her.

"In the end, we'll have to go to Letran for treatment. We still leave tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes. Now that the spy has been caught, it would be best to bring a maid along to attend Lady Encia as well."

"I'll have one prepared."

"And..."

Raon hesitated, as if weighing something.

"Please, speak freely."

Michelle sat forward on the sofa, inviting him to say whatever he needed.

"I'm afraid the road with Lady Encia may not be an easy one."

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"Seeing how openly they're targeting Lady Encia, those people clearly want something from House Yonan."

He wanted to say those people were House Robert, but he held it back.

"People like that won't let this opportunity slip by. They'll prepare thoroughly and come for Lady Encia and the rest of us. An ambush is all but certain."

"Then what should we do?"

"There's a chance they'll use strange powers or poisons, the same way they used them on Lady Encia. Would you be willing to help us a little, my lady?"

"Of course!"

She spread her hands as if that went without saying.

"Artifacts are the pride of our house. Ask for as many as you need."

"That's fortunate."

Raon smiled faintly and drew a sheet of paper from his coat.

Michelle recited the endless list item by item, her voice growing shakier as she went.

"U-um, do we really need all of this...?"

"We do. The Poison Immunity Artifact in particular is critical."

Detoxification treated poison after it had already taken hold. Poison immunity ignored poison entirely. It was far superior to detoxification—and far more expensive.

"A few of these look like they might not be strictly necessary..."

"If we want everyone to come back alive, we need them."

"What kind of nonsense is that!"

Wrath crawled up onto the bracelet, shouting as if the whole thing were absurd.

"The Poison Immunity Artifact I can understand, but Strength Enhancement and Agility Enhancement? Those are completely unnecessary!"

Those are for me.

"So you're scamming her!"

Not at all.

Raon shook his head calmly.

If I get stronger, I can protect the others better, which raises everyone's odds of survival. I didn't lie.

"Ghhhkkk!"

Wrath couldn't find a retort to that strangely logical piece of illogic, so he glared at Michelle instead.

"Hey, woman! Don't you dare hand those over! This brat is a worse demon than Greed!"

Contrary to Wrath's hopes, Michelle already seemed to have made ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up her mind.

"Everyone coming back..."

She murmured the words about bringing everyone home alive, and nodded.

Yes. This man I can trust.

Thanks to Raon's plan, they had rooted out the spy, and she had been able to stop her heart from swaying. Whatever this man said, she could believe it.

"Very well. I'll have these ready by tomorrow as well."

Michelle nodded.

"Ghhh!"

Wrath narrowed his eyes at her.

"She's giving him everything! Is money growing on trees around here?! Why does everyone trip over themselves to give this brat whatever he wants?!"

He huffed out a stream of cold air, thoroughly displeased.

"As I said a moment ago—if Encia makes a full recovery, and everyone who left returns safely, I will grant you whatever you wish."

Michelle clasped her hands together, the picture of sincerity.

"N-no!"

Wrath's eyes flew wide.

"This brat will actually ask for everything!"

"Do you mean that?"

Raon pushed the frantically waving Wrath aside and smiled faintly.

"Yes. I swear it on my name."

"I'll remember you said that."

Raon rose with a pleasant smile.

If she's offering of her own accord, there's no reason to refuse.

He was confident he'd wrung enough out of her today that even that list would look like a kindness in hindsight. He could guarantee it: Michelle was going to regret those words.

"This King is going insane!"

Wrath shook his head violently.

"Why do suckers walk right up to you of their own accord?! Teach This King how to attract suckers too!"

Who knows...

Raon smirked at the thrashing Wrath.

Maybe it was because the King of Easy Marks was standing right next to him.

He couldn't even stop at giving everything away himself—he had to go and drag other suckers in too. As expected, Wrath, who gave without holding anything back, was the best.

When Raon came down from his meeting with Michelle, Runaan was getting ready to go out.

"Where are you headed?"

"There's a bead ice cream shop."

She muttered that a new flavor had come out and she absolutely had to go.

"R-Raon."

Wrath crept up onto his forearm.

"Why don't we go too?"

Why would I?

"Ice cream is delicious. Eating it would improve your mood."

Not really.

Raon shook his head. It tasted fine, but training put him in a better mood.

"You insufferable training maniac..."

Nothing else to say?

"W-wait, then how about this?"

What?

"This King shall assist you in matters that do not involve using wrath!"

Assist?

"Yes. Like reading cards at a gambling den, or warning you when someone approaches."

Wrath rolled his eyes in desperation. He wanted that ice cream badly.

Looks like I get to use him for free.

He'd been planning to go out with Runaan anyway, since they weren't leaving until tomorrow. An extra benefit on top of that was enough to make him smile.

Fine.

Raon nodded and walked over to Runaan.

"Let's go together."

"Okay!"

Runaan nodded, the corners of her lips curling up in a thin smile.

They headed for the main gate of House Yonan together.

The moment they asked the gate swordsmen to open the doors, Wrath's face twisted.

"The timing is unfortunate."

Yeah.

Raon clicked his tongue as the gates of House Yonan swung open—and a silver-haired man came walking toward them.

"Ah..."

The instant Runaan saw him, she stepped back, her lips trembling.

"So the rumor that you were here was true."

The silver-haired man—Siria Sullion—smiled brightly and waved.

"Runaan. It's been a while."

"Yeah. It has."

Raon stepped in front of Runaan, a cold smile on his face.

"Raon Zieghart..."

A hairline crack split Siria Sullion's pleasant smile.