The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

91. Outing (2)

Elysium, the city of magic engineering, with the continent’s greatest mage tower, the ivory tower.

In this world, there are various cities and cultures. Many different species are scattered across the continent, living together with humans, which is a normal thing in this world.

However, if I had to pick the city with the most peculiar and unique atmosphere, it would be Elysium.

While other cities are just modern buildings with a touch of fantasy, Elysium’s entire cityscape is different from others.

Late afternoon.

I walked around the city with Rebecca. Every time I saw the towering spires and the floating airships in the sky, I felt like I was in a foreign city.

Elysium was a place I often visited when I was sent on a mission outside of Arsen, especially when I was using magic tech. It was almost a must-visit spot.

I had visited Elysium when I was training to be a magic ninja. And as a public figure, I had wandered around the city freely.

It was fun. Maybe.

Suddenly-

“…So, what are you going to do?”

Rebecca, who had been walking ahead of me, stopped. The student council members who had been walking with us had somehow disappeared.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the accommodations.”

Rebecca pointed to a building that looked like a medieval police station. It didn’t look like that at all, but it was our lodging.

“The student council members are staying together in a group. But you’re not part of the student council, are you?”

The student council had reserved a place to stay in advance for the Magic Expo preparation. They would likely stay up late preparing and then head to the expo in the morning as a group.

But Rebecca didn’t stay with the student council members. She wanted to get a separate room.

The reason was probably because Rebecca had become a Mine. If something unexpected happened, Rebecca decided to stay in a separate place from the student council.

“There’s no need to go to a different lodging since we’ve come this far.”

I took a step forward, leaving Rebecca behind.

“Rebecca may have become a Mine, but she’s not a bad person.”

“……”

“It’s not like she’s going to harm anyone. If that’s the case, then what’s the point of doing anything?”

If the Arsen side had already given Rebecca permission to leave, it meant they had already judged her.

The magic emitted by a Mine was of a contradictory nature to mana, so it would disable most devices that operated on magic power.

For example, watches would break if they were exposed to magic for too long.

However, the magic I sensed from Rebecca was so weak that it was almost imperceptible. Moreover, Rebecca had a special identification card made by the Hunter Association.

It was like a Mine-exclusive ID card that proved, “This person is a Mine, but they have official permission…” The Hunter Association had recognized Rebecca as a Mine, so there was no need to worry.

…So, in conclusion.

Rebecca was not a dangerous person, and her decision to stay separately from the student council was her own.

Of course, there were people in the student council who would dislike being with Rebecca. Rebecca must have taken that into consideration and decided to get a separate room.

But I knew that Rebecca was not a bad person and would not harm anyone. The Arsen and Hunter Association sides must have conducted a thorough investigation before releasing her.

And more than anything, Elysium’s nights were dangerous.

In this city, being alone could be poisonous. The student council was fine since they were together, but Rebecca had to spend the night alone in Elysium.

“I’ve come this far, so it’s okay to stay with Rebecca at least.”

I headed towards the lobby. Rebecca flinched as she saw me confidently walking towards her, but I already had the key card in my hand.

“The student council has a lot of people, so they can handle any problems that arise. But Rebecca is alone. If something happens to Rebecca, who will help her?”

“So, I booked a double room…”

“It’s a bit awkward to talk about here. Let’s go inside and explain further.”

Leaving Rebecca’s silent response behind, I pressed the button first. The steam-powered elevator started moving, releasing a white mist.

“There are people behind you. How long are you going to stand there?”

“…”.

Hmmph!

The intentional coughing sound from behind stopped Rebecca’s words. Rebecca, who had been silent for a moment, slowly approached and got on the elevator.

Gu-gu-gu-gung… Ting!

Until we reached room 505, where we had reserved our accommodations, Rebecca didn’t say a word. I didn’t have anything to say either, so I didn’t try to start a conversation.

Although the exterior and interior facilities of this city were different from others, the act of opening the door with a key card was the same as in other hotels.

Click.

I opened the door and went in first. It was Rebecca who closed the open door.

She naturally put down her luggage and hung her coat on the wall. Rebecca still stood by the door, looking at me. This situation seemed unfamiliar and awkward.

“This is, um…”

“Please, Rebecca, don’t misunderstand. Let’s talk.”

As I warmed up the teapot on the table, I finally started the conversation.

“Have you heard of Doppleganger?”

***

Magical City of Elyseum.

A place that every magician dreams of visiting at least once, and a paradise for magicians. If you’re a magician, you’d want to enter the Ivory Tower, but in reality, only a few magicians can enter, and it’s extremely difficult to get in.

Another unique aspect is that Elyseum is treated as an independent entity, unlike other cities on the continent. In terms of having its own military power, it’s similar to the Holy Church.

While the Holy Church has the Temple Knights, Elyseum has its own separate group, the Elyseum Defense Force. Unlike the Temple Knights, which require a complex process from gathering to deployment, the Elyseum Defense Force can take immediate military action with just the permission of the Elyseum Council.

In short, Elyseum is literally a kingdom of magicians.

The magicians of the Ivory Tower are the leaders of the magical world, and the Head of the Ivory Tower, the White Mage Tower, is treated like a god in this place.

The term “treated like a god” is literal.

The White Mage Tower’s words are revered like prophecies, and the will of the Ivory Tower becomes the will of Elyseum as a whole.

However, that’s why incidents that occur in the Ivory Tower can’t be easily resolved if they go wrong.

Elyseum is a place where all sorts of unethical experiments and magical deviations occur. Accidents always happen, and they’re quickly covered up by the Ivory Tower.

This is a place where chimeras that have escaped from laboratories roam the city, and malfunctioning magic devices explode and crash into buildings.

Elyseum is both a heaven and a hell of magic.

“Have you heard of Doppleganger?”

“I’ve only heard the name.”

“Then our conversation will be quick.”

I projected the watch onto the wall. It was a news report from Elyseum that I had found on the train earlier.

[Magical City of Elyseum, Another Incident?!]

[Another Chimera Riot Incident… Compensation for Victims?]

[Ivory Tower “It’s Just an Experiment” Spokesperson’s Statement Sparks Controversy…]

Among them, I enlarged an article that was further down.

[Elyseum’s Urban Legend, About ‘Doppleganger’]

The article was published by the newspaper ‘Bloody Arc’, which covers various urban legends and incidents.

They exaggerated all sorts of rumors, making the article seem like a collection of absurdities. However, there was only one article that was worth referencing. That was this one.

“…I heard that Doppleganger is just an urban legend.”

“It was just an urban legend. Originally, that’s what it was.”

Despite accumulating numerous pieces of evidence, Bloody Ark failed to grab the attention of the public, just like how a significant news story would be buried.

The media outlet, which was established for the first time, finally caught a real scoop, but it was completely overlooked.

As a result, the Doppleganger, which was only known as an urban legend, was actually discovered, but it was ignored and dismissed.

“To sum it up, the Doppleganger is real. It’s not an urban legend, but a creature that appears in Elysium at night.”

“Are you kidding me? You believe in such an absurd urban legend?”

“Well… I think it might seem that way. It’s just an article, and there’s no concrete evidence, so…”

From noble mtl dot com

Rebecca, who was sitting in the chair, looked like she didn’t believe it. It seemed like she was thinking, “Is this just a ridiculous urban legend?”

But that was a natural reaction.

There was no evidence of its existence, and the article I wrote was just a rumor, something that was easily dismissed by the media outlet.

However, I remembered the incident that happened because of the Doppleganger. In the original story, it was a random spawn, but I knew the process of its spawn.

Why did I know? It’s because the Doppleganger was the biggest obstacle when I was obsessed with the Magic Ninja concept.

The Doppleganger copies the appearance and characteristics of its opponent. It’s not just a simple copy, but an enhanced version.

It means I had to face a stronger version of myself, and even its magic power was infinite, with no penalties.

If I think about the build I had as a Magic Ninja, the answer becomes clear. The Doppleganger effortlessly overcame the biggest weakness of the Magic Ninja build, which was the imbalance between stats and growth.

“…It’s a terrifying creature.”

The evidence was scarce, and the process of convincing others was difficult.

But now, I had no choice but to push forward, even if it meant being stubborn.

“Just listen to me. You’ll understand if you listen until the end. Just trust me once.”

I manipulated the watch to project a blank screen on the wall. Using an app similar to a drawing board, I drew a picture on the white background.

“The Doppleganger is one of the Chimeras experimented on at the Ivory Tower. I don’t know what kind of thinking led to its creation, but that’s what magicians do. They try to find the truth and end up doing strange things, and that’s how this creature was born.”

The first proposition was that the Doppleganger was a Chimera.

“The Doppleganger copies its opponent, including their personality, abilities, and memories. Maybe the magician who created it wanted to replicate the opponent’s abilities.”

But that magician was the first to fall victim to the Doppleganger.

The Doppleganger copied its creator and took on the role of its creator, living its life. It blended into Elysium and appeared at night, searching for its next victim.

A significant number of people who disappeared in Elysium without a trace were related to this creature. Since it was a city of magic and science, the death of a magician was not a big deal.

The reason was that many magicians died in the process of conducting various experiments.

Rebecca, who was quietly tapping her finger, raised an eyebrow.

“You’re saying that the creature ate its creator?”

“Yes. That’s why there’s no evidence.”

It devoured its target and lived as that person.

But during that process, a witness appeared. However, no one believed them, and it was reduced to an urban legend.

The legend that if you met someone who looked exactly like you, you would die.

…That’s how the Doppleganger urban legend was born.

“What I’m most concerned about is that. This creature targets people who are alone. Since it’s already adapted to life in Elysium, its behavior is almost indistinguishable from a human.”

In reality, meeting the Doppleganger didn’t guarantee death. Most people were killed to erase the evidence.

There were people who survived an encounter with the Doppleganger, and that’s why the urban legend spread across the continent.

“As I said, this creature copies its opponent, including their abilities and memories.”

I looked up at Rebecca.

“If the Doppleganger were to meet you, it would copy your abilities. But your situation is a bit special, isn’t it? You’ve had your body’s control taken away before.”

Only then did Rebecca’s eyes gleam. She began to listen to my story with a slightly more serious attitude.

“No one knows whether the Rebecca now is the original or the Iana who merged with Rebecca and disappeared, or if she’s a copy created by the Doppelganger.”