Chapter 57 – Human? (3)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 57 – Human? (3)
‘Is it a coincidence?’
The place he was in was a white snowfield, a mystical realm not belonging to the human world.
In contrast, the kingdom Aaron belonged to was a perfect human kingdom.
There should have been no connection.
But.
Something bothered him.
It was like having a stone rolling around in his mouth.
‘Come to think of it, it was the same with Aquaz.’
From a certain moment, the world started to twist and become strange.
And this twisting had been going on for about a year.
At the time, he didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking it was merely a coincidence.
But now that the distortion of the Lutein Kingdom was also said to have started a year ago, his thoughts changed.
‘That guy did say some strange things.’
A strange guy he met while progressing through the last quest.
He thought it was just the ravings of someone about to perish and ignored it, but was that not the case?
Ketal showed signs of being deep in thought, and Aaron looked at him.
Realizing Aaron’s gaze, Ketal shook his head.
“No, continue talking.”
It was a meaningless assumption to think about it now.
They needed to focus on the present. Aaron began to speak again.
“I don’t know who it started with. Probably, I guess it was one of the servants who went on vacation back then. The replacement began after they returned.”
The replacements happened really quickly.
Within just a year, almost all of the palace was replaced.
There wasn’t enough time to respond.
“The princess and I realized something was wrong and tried to figure it out. We secretly called in wizards and mystics from outside. But none of them could identify the problem. Instead, they ended up being replaced as well.”
“Infection?”
“A bit different. It didn’t feel like it was spreading widely. It was like each person was being replaced individually.”
“And there’s no evidence.”
Listening to the story, one could easily think, as Lukento said, that the princess and Aaron were suffering from delusions.
But this was a fantasy world.
Nothing was impossible.
Ketal asked.
“How did you notice it?”
“…I can’t explain it precisely, but the air is different in places where they gather. Even though they talk and move as usual, the sense of alienation is overwhelming.”
“Is it just a feeling?”
Aaron opened his mouth, as if to defend himself.
“It’s certainly unbelievable. So when the princess told me, I didn’t believe it either. But then, something incomprehensible happened.”
Aaron was the princess’s retainer, managing and supervising the servants in the palace.
Among them was a freckled girl with yellow hair named Cassie.
Cassie was timid and shy.
She often yawned while working because she couldn’t sleep after hearing ghost stories told by the other servants at night.
“Teasing that kid was one of my pleasures. But at some point, she stopped reacting to my ghost stories.”
She listened with curiosity but no longer got scared.
“At first, I didn’t think much of it. She could have simply outgrown her fear of ghost stories. But… the real problem came after that.”
Aaron continued with a trembling face.
Cassie’s job was to take care of the statues in the palace.
The statues were very heavy, larger than a human.
She often worried about being crushed to death by them.
And one day, an accident happened.
A statue lost its balance and fell on her while she was cleaning it.
Hearing the crashing sound, Aaron rushed over.
Cassie was trapped under the broken statue.
By some stroke of luck, she wasn’t seriously hurt.
The statue had fallen in a way that didn’t cause her significant harm.
But it was an incident that could have easily killed her.
“…She was fussing over breaking the precious statue, asking if she’d be punished.”
There was no fear or terror from nearly dying.
Only anxiety about being punished.
At that moment, Aaron realized.
The Cassie in front of him wasn’t the Cassie he knew.
“I see.”
Ketal stroked his chin.
The timid and shy girl no longer feared death.
“Her actions hadn’t changed. She still laughed, chatted, and conversed as usual. But… I could no longer see her as Cassie.”
Aaron tested it several more times afterward.
The result shocked him.
Most of the people he knew well had changed like Cassie.
“So you escaped.”
“I felt like I was going to become one of them.”
Aaron said gloomily.
“It’s certainly unusual. A doppelg?nger?”
“Doppelg?ngers operate as individuals, not as a group. They don’t move collectively like this. No known monster or species has such characteristics.”
“But it’s curious. Then why the Denian Kingdom? If they wanted to protect you, they could have chosen another place.”
“Because the King of the Denian Kingdom can declare humanity.”
Elenne said.
“A declaration of humanity?”
Interest lit up on Ketal’s face.
“What’s that?”
“Long ago, humans lived alongside other races. But there was a man who disliked this.”
The man wanted to create a kingdom composed solely of humans.
“He went to an unnamed god and expressed his desire. The god, seeing his wish in a favorable light, granted him a power.”
The power to separate humans from non-humans.
The man gathered like-minded individuals and formed a kingdom.
That was the Kingdom of Denian.
“That myth continues to this day. Those who inherit the bloodline of the Denian Kingdom can perform the Declaration of Humanity.”
“Is there such a thing?”
Ketal laughed.
It was truly an endlessly fascinating world.
“You plan to use that power to find definitive evidence? That’s a good idea.”
“…That’s all we know.”
They had told him everything they knew.
Elenne closed her eyes.
From here on, it was entirely up to Ketal’s judgment.
“…What do you plan to do?”
“As I said before, nothing changes. I will escort you to the Denian Kingdom.”
“K-Ketal…!”
Elenne was moved to tears.
“However, since the nature of the task has changed, the reward must also change. This won’t come cheap.”
Ketal said lightly with a smile.
On the other hand, Elenne was very serious.
“Of course. If we succeed in this task… whatever you wish for, as long as I can do it, I will make it happen. Whatever it is.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Ketal spoke without much thought.
* * *
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Ketal stood watch by the campfire.
Both Aaron and Elenne were asleep.
Considering the situation, they needed to leave quickly, but they also needed sufficient rest first.
Sensing someone behind him, he spoke.
“Patrick. I’ve dragged you into something strange.”
“Indeed.”
“It’s safer if you come along to the destination. I’m sorry about this.”
“It’s alright. I was prepared for this when I left home.”
Patrick sat across from Ketal.
“You’ve gotten yourself into something strange as well, Ketal.”
“Indeed.”
He had known they were hiding something.
He realized she was a princess during their journey.
But to think it involved such mystery and otherworldliness.
Ketal laughed.
What is fantasy?
It is the mystery that defies understanding.
The exploration of the unknown.
And the challenge of it.
That is fantasy.
Seeing a Swordmaster, a demon, or aura, which he had only known through knowledge, was interesting enough, but understanding the unknown was also enjoyable.
It felt like catching two rabbits.
After watching his expression for a moment, Patrick spoke.
“Do you believe her words?”
“I’m not certain. But it’s possible.”
“The Green-Blue Knight Order are humans. You should know best since you fought them.”
Lukento wielded aura, and so did his knights.
Aura is a human power.
Non-human beings cannot use it.
Even if it were possible, replacing that many knights was impossible.
“I think so too.”
Lukento was undoubtedly human to Ketal.
“But it might not be the case. We can’t deny the possibility. After all, I didn’t realize how they got here.”
Patrick didn’t deny it.
He also didn’t know how the knights got here.
However.
“Whether her words are true or not, this is not something a mere mercenary can handle.”
Patrick’s eyes darkened.
“Ketal, you’ve now made an enemy of a nation.”
A princess’s escape.
The knights came to retrieve her, but the mercenary escorting her drove them away.
Ketal had become an enemy of the Lutein Kingdom.
“Even if her words are true, it’s a problem. They’ll try to kill you to keep this secret.”
“Is that so?”
“Did you accept this task just to fulfill the contract?”
“That’s part of it.”
That statement was not a lie.
But it wasn’t the whole truth either.
Ketal smiled.
“This is such an interesting story. It would be a loss to miss it.”
“…Interesting, is it?”
“What more could be necessary?”
The Tower Master realized.
To the being before him, gold, power, beautiful women, and worldly goods held no meaning.
For Ketal, only his own interest mattered.
If it could be fulfilled, he would gladly take on any loss, but if not, he would reject even the most profitable endeavor without hesitation.
‘This is…’
Definitely human.
But not with the usual human mindset.
That must be a value system formed in the snowy wilderness.
Ketal spoke with evident joy.
“A being that replaces others without anyone noticing. Interesting. Very peculiar. It will be fun.”
The Tower Master couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
‘A barbarian who can catch aura with his teeth talking about this.’
Aura is the crystallization of mystery.
It can easily tear through steel and even cut through magic.
In this world, no ordinary material can block aura.
Only materials inherently imbued with mystery, like mithril or adamantium, can barely withstand it.
He caught that aura with his teeth.
And his teeth didn’t get a single scratch.
Ketal had once caught the aura manifested by Cain with his bare body and emerged unscathed.
However, the Tower Master couldn’t believe that Ketal didn’t comprehend the mystery behind it.
A warrior capable of subduing a Swordmaster without using mystery?
That was impossible.
He assumed Cain hadn’t realized it, but thought Ketal must be using another method to harness mystery.
But it wasn’t so.
Ketal didn’t use any mystery.
He withstood manifested aura with his bare body.
Cain had brushed it off, being a swordsman who utilized rather than understood the principles.
But the Tower Master was a wizard.
One who delves into the mysteries of the world.
One who seeks to understand and contemplate the principles.
Therefore, he couldn’t help but marvel.
A body that could withstand mystery.
That body itself was a mystery.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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