The Doppelganger’s Secret

Wawalde, the hero, demonstrated his apology not merely through words; he extended his hand, offering the very spell scrolls he had taken earlier.

Previously, his act of seizing the spell scrolls had made Sovenia, whose soul was entirely demonic, feel utterly provoked and treated as a lesser being.

Sovenia was somewhat surprised by the “submission” of her powerful, head-lopping adversary.

‘Though my power might be weak, I am cunning. Even in the fields I most despise and am least skilled in, I can outwit a mere hero. A foolish dog remains a foolish dog.’

Pondering this, she accepted the three spell scrolls, then crouched once more, her mind beginning to churn.

The air within the cavern felt thick and cloying, a blend of sulfur and decay. From the distant slime swamp, the “gloop” of bursting bubbles echoed like a dull, subterranean heartbeat.

‘Devising methods of slaughter was far more straightforward than concocting lies.’

A short while later.

“Charging in directly would be difficult,” Sovenia stated, her voice crisp, stirring faint echoes in the darkened cavern. “You see, there are too many small slimes, and that massive one keeps splitting, as if laying eggs. If we were to rush in like that, we would surely be overwhelmed. Therefore, we must devise a plan for you to face it alone, undisturbed.”

Wawalde nodded, emitting a low “Mhm,” his gaze still fixed on the distant Slime King, as if intending to burn through its body with his stare and reclaim his comrade’s remains.

Sovenia sketched a diagram on the ground as she spoke. “I’ll go over there, throw stones at it, and really infuriate it. It might just crawl out of that gooey pit to chase me.”

Wawalde, without turning, replied:

“What if that behemoth doesn’t fall for it, and its offspring come after you instead?”

“That’s simple,” Sovenia rejoined without a moment’s hesitation. “Then we’ll just have to hit it with something powerful. I’ll blast it directly in the face with this ‘Ascendant Fireball Spell.’ If I can’t defeat it, I still have ‘Shadow Walk’ to create distance, and this ‘Force Sphere’ can hold them off for a while. I won’t die.”

‘Ascendant’ was a term used by spellcasters. The ‘Force Sphere,’ moreover, was a relatively rare spell, monopolized by the magical syndicates among mages, considered a forbidden technique not to be passed down. Unauthorized study of it would lead to pursuit by these very syndicates.

‘A captive elven princess, not only familiar with these spells, could also instantly devise such flexible combat applications.’

Finally, Wawalde turned his head and looked at her.

“You truly know a great deal, Miss Sovenia. This plan sounds quite good, very reliable.”

‘Fool! You foolish dog actually believe I am some frail female elf?’

“However, even if we lure it out, don’t imagine you’ll easily go up and fight it one-on-one,” Sovenia cautioned. “It will undoubtedly be accompanied by a horde of gooey bodyguards.”

“I concur,” Wawalde stated. “I also have a method in mind, but I’d still like to hear your thoughts first.”

“You should use your doppelganger,” Sovenia declared matter-of-factly, as if discussing common knowledge. “Find a dark corner to hide in. These slimes are foolish; if you smear some of their deceased brethren’s slime on yourself and then find cover to conceal your body,

“They rely on thermal vision and scent to track enemies.

“They certainly won’t detect you. Once I’ve lured that massive one near your doppelganger, I’ll use a fireball to blast away the smaller ones around it—that will be the signal. You can then swap places with your doppelganger and launch a surprise attack.”

Having finished, she watched Wawalde, her gaze expectant as he subtly raised his smooth chin, unconsciously anticipating yet another look of surprise from her head-lopping adversary.

“You said… doppelganger?” he repeated, his voice devoid of emotion, yet his emerald eyes seemed to chill slightly.

“Yes, a doppelganger,” Sovenia affirmed, perplexed. “You yourself will throw stones with me, which adds redundancy and provides a backup.

“Using a fireball to draw its attention is a last resort; I still need it to clear out the lesser foes.”

Wawalde slowly shook his head, his movements deliberate, as if burdened by immense pressure.

“Miss Sovenia, my question is… how did you know I could use a doppelganger?”

The air instantly congealed. Sovenia’s expression froze, and she inwardly cursed: ‘This foolish dog is sharper than I anticipated. Am I truly doomed to have my head fly a thousand miles today?’

‘Damn it,’ her mind went utterly blank.

‘As a powerful individual, information about one’s abilities was top secret, especially a trump card like ‘doppelganger’ that could create infinite tactical possibilities.’

“Few people know the details of my doppelganger ability,” Wawalde’s voice was terrifyingly calm. “Aside from my closest comrades and mentor, only one enemy knows: my former adversary, humanity’s nightmare, the Demon Queen’s First Heavenly King—Jimi the Cruel.

“So, Miss Sovenia, could you perhaps satisfy my curiosity?”

‘Right.’

‘A captive, amnesiac elven princess could absolutely not know.’

‘The only explanation was that I wasn’t an elven princess at all. I was the one who stood against the hero.’

‘Jimi the Cruel!’

Sovenia’s ears shot up in terror.

‘I’m going to be decapitated again!’

Fear, like an icy hand, clutched at her heart.

She could almost feel Wawalde’s hand tightening on his sword hilt; that scorched longsword, once drawn, could sever her beautiful elven head in an instant.

‘Honestly, despite my frail body, this head is quite pretty, not bad at all.’

‘She was rather fond of this head; she didn’t want it to fly off.’

Sovenia’s throat went dry as she desperately scoured her mind for a lie, yet found nothing.

Gazing into Wawalde’s eyes, she felt that if she didn’t speak immediately, her head might be the next thing to take flight.

In her desperation, she blurted out.

“Well… what Jimi the Cruel knows, I also know, so—”

The words had barely left her lips when she snapped her mouth shut. ‘What foolishness am I spouting! This is practically a self-incrimination.’

However, the anticipated flash of a blade did not materialize.

Wawalde chuckled, “So you are Jimi the Cruel? Ha, that’s rather amusing.”

Sovenia’s brain completely crashed. ‘He saw through it? He actually saw through my disguise! Is he using laughter to conceal his murderous intent?’

‘As expected of the human hero capable of severing my head! I truly underestimated you before; you foolish dog are actually so clever!’

The alarm in her heart shrieked at its highest pitch, and her body braced for a swift dodge. Yet, out of habit, her face remained a mask of icy calm.

Wawalde glanced at her face, immediately reining in his smile, an apologetic expression replacing it as he said:

“My deepest apologies, Miss Sovenia. I shouldn’t joke about your painful experiences. How could you possibly be Jimi the Cruel? His disgusting, terrifying appearance would give anyone nightmares.”

Sovenia’s taut nerves suddenly relaxed.

‘Disgusting? Terrifying? What do you know of aesthetics! That is the perfect fusion of power and slaughter! The most fashionable killing aesthetic! Look at that skull cloak, look at those blessed scales impervious to blade and sword—full of strength and beauty, aren’t they!’

She roared silently in her mind.

Seeing her silence, Wawalde’s demeanor grew even more sincere, believing she was still angry.

“So, Miss Sovenia, can you forgive me? And satisfy my curiosity: how did you come to know about my abilities?”

The question had circled back.

Sovenia keenly felt the man’s “cleverness” and “persistence.”

‘She couldn’t attempt another unprepared ‘lie.”

Thus, she reached out again, taking Wawalde’s rough hand. Wawalde could detect the faint scent of pine needles emanating from her.

Sovenia listened to his inner thoughts.

Wawalde’s thoughts flooded her mind:

‘[How on earth did she know? Did Jimi do something to her? Some rumors say demons can refine living beings into ‘combat maids,’ allowing them to share the caster’s knowledge… Oh heavens, if that’s true, how much suffering has she endured…]’

‘Ah, yes, yes, yes, you’re so good at thinking, truly clever.’

Sovenia released his hand and spoke directly:

“I… I don’t know… my mind is a mess… it’s just, it’s like… sometimes I just know things… as if I’m a weapon? Yes, a weapon… what Jimi the Cruel knows, I also know… perhaps, that’s it…”

Her words were fragmented and illogical.

Wawalde, however, nodded, finding profound sense in her explanation.

“Again, I apologize, Miss Sovenia. I shouldn’t have reopened old wounds. Please forgive me for making you recall those unpleasant memories. That demon, I have already severed his head; he paid the price for his atrocities.”

‘Heh heh, you’ll soon pay your dues, you foolish dog—no, I should call you clever dog now.’

Sovenia released his hand, feeling that this deception was only slightly easier than assassinating the Demon Queen.

“Your plan is excellent, truly, it aligns perfectly with my own thoughts,” Wawalde declared, his tone filled with affirmation. “We’ll proceed exactly like this. Never judge a book by its cover; you and I think quite alike, Miss Sovenia.”

Sovenia lowered her gaze, her long, silver eyelashes concealing the mockery in her eyes.

‘Excellent. It’s time for you to take the bait, you foolish dog.’