Chapter 27 – Doppelgänger (3)

“Hello everyone. I’m sure there’s no one here who doesn’t know my face, but I’m Louis. At the request of the chairman, I’ll be conducting today’s lecture.”

It felt nostalgic to see the freshmen with their sparkling eyes outside the convenience store.

Isn’t it true that people feel better when they receive recognition and respect from others?

Despite the hot weather, not a single person skipped class, and everyone was focused. It made me want to share even more stories.

“The creatures living in Heljeb can be divided into two main categories: demons and monsters. The difference between the two is whether they possess intelligence and the ability to use magic.”

“……”

“……”

It would be nice to have some response.

Everyone was just quietly sitting, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Well, it’s understandable since the convenience store owner suddenly came out and started talking about the demon world. It might be hard to grasp.

“But there are rare instances where the distinction between them isn’t clear. For example, today’s subject.”

I pulled out a jar containing a doppelgänger larva and showed it to everyone.

Some students gasped, their faces turning pale.

It certainly looked quite disgusting. If it were only disgusting, it would be fine, but knowing what it is makes it even more alarming.

“This is a type of monster called a doppelgänger. In its larval state, it has a peculiar ability to replicate everything from the first being it contacts.”

For example, it eats hair or flesh and transforms into an identical being.

“In this state, it is classified as a monster because it lacks self-awareness. However, interestingly, when it transforms into a human or a demon, it not only gains intelligence but also the memories and abilities of the subject. So, it seems appropriate to consider it as something between a monster and a demon.”

—Clap, clap, clap…

A small applause was heard. Turning my head, I saw it was Adela.

It’s nice to get some reaction. I should give her a piece of bread next time.

“Anyway, the tricky part about doppelgängers is that it’s extremely difficult to distinguish between the real person and the fake. Let’s see…”

It was time to show a demonstration. I gestured to a familiar face standing in the back.

“You, come here.”

“Ugh…”

Ansen hesitated but cautiously stepped forward.

I took the doppelgänger from the jar and attached it to Ansen’s hair.

The creature quickly expanded and within less than ten seconds, it appeared identical.

Swoosh!!!

“Ahhh!”

“What is that!?”

“Ugh, hic…”

The reactions were getting better. The class attitude was excellent.

I’ll have to mention to the chairman to give them some kind of reward.

Do they still have a reward system? Or maybe a talent show?

“As you can see, the outfit and even the armor are identical. On the surface, there’s no difference. Even if you use the Lit-Vice test paper, it’s the same. It even replicates karma, making it a true mimic.”

Of course, it can’t use high-level magic, and special artifacts can only mimic their appearance.

While there are clear limitations, the real terrifying aspect of doppelgängers is something else.

“Until just before death, it’s impossible to tell who is real and who is fake. Even if you cut off a limb, normal blood will flow. Only when they die do they turn to ash. In other words, it’s impossible to confirm without killing them.”

The doppelgänger’s mimicry is perfect. It never reveals its true form unless pushed to the brink of death.

This is an extremely troublesome trait.

What if a commander or knight on the battlefield suddenly turns to the side of the demons?

It could not only lead to defeat in battle but also cause soldiers to distrust each other, leading to self-destruction.

The fear when a comrade who was laughing and talking with you just the day before suddenly turns into a demon and points a spear at you is beyond imagination.

The spreading plague of suspicion on the battlefield.

That is the terror of the doppelgänger.

But if there were absolutely no way to distinguish a doppelgänger, there would be no reason for me to leave the store in Liv’s care to give this lecture.

These students were very lucky today.

“Does anyone know how to identify a real doppelgänger?”

“……”

“Or has anyone ever seen a real doppelgänger?”

“……”

As everyone remained silent, Adela raised her hand.

When I pointed to Ansen’s doppelgänger standing on the left, she nodded vigorously.

I ignored her appropriately. It’s not the first or second time.

“I’ll now show you a surefire way to distinguish between a doppelgänger and a human without having to cut off their head.”

I drew the small sword attached to Ansen’s waist.

The small sword I handed him during our last fight. He seemed to remember the incident instinctively, as he was sweating profusely.

“Watch carefully.”

After checking the blade, about the size of a palm, I firmly grasped the neck of the doppelgänger next to me.

And then—

Stab!

“Gah! Ugh…!”

I stabbed the heart.

No, to be precise, just below the heart.

The doppelgänger larva, which begins its transformation to match the subject, has a specific order of creation.

The heart, the lifeline of all beings, is created first, so the larva’s core is located just below the heart, furthest back.

You stab diagonally from the solar plexus to remove only the doppelgänger’s core.

The human pericardium is quite thick, so you just need to avoid touching the lower vein.

The point is to set the angle correctly and stab as if you were going to pierce the end of the spine. The carapace is surprisingly tough, so if you miss, the blade could go astray and pierce the back.

“It hurts! Save me! Blood, blood…”

Since it wasn’t a vital spot, if it wasn’t a doppelgänger, it could be healed with magic.

If it was a doppelgänger, it would turn to ash from the head down and collapse.

The being that had been mimicking Ansen until a moment ago, screaming in pain and begging for mercy, crumbled to dust with a snap, like a villain hit by a finger snap.

“……”

“……”

“……Hiccup!”

The students, witnessing such a mysterious scene for the first time, were all gaping and frozen.

They were so moved they could barely breathe.

Thud!

A few even collapsed, possibly from holding their breath too long.

But it wasn’t as bad as Ansen trembling next to me.

I patted his shoulder and opened another jar.

“Now then.”

And announced the beginning of the real lesson.

“Let’s take turns stabbing this friend.”

Seeing Adela clapping like a seal quietly in the back, it seemed today’s class was a great success.

Kind explanation, accurate knowledge delivery, and a neat practice session.

Maybe being a professor was my true calling?

***

“Phi! Quick! Fly! Go get someone, anyone, right now!”

This wasn’t a class. It was something conveying madness, fear, and utter despair.

Thinking it was just physical training, students who had left their staffs behind now found themselves trembling, holding blood-stained swords.

“No, you need to stab right here. Your friend is in pain.”

Stab, stab, stab!

With Louis kindly guiding their hands on the angle and force, another doppelgänger disappeared from this world.

However, hearing its dying screams, one female student fainted from the severe trauma.

Conducting such barbarity and calling it a class.

With her lips turning blue, Erzebert looked on in horror, while her guard, Everett, stared at Louis with eyes wide as saucers.

“Incredible. That’s the method Captain Wiblet taught us…!”

Due to their nature, doppelgängers were hard to detect, and there was hardly any known information about their physiology or ways to exterminate them.

Even as a member of the Hook’s Claw Knights, Everett had only heard a few explanations about them.

Louis’s lecture mirrored exactly what Wiblet had taught.

The method was a bit rough, but when dealing with demons and monsters, a moment’s hesitation could mean death.

New recruits, hesitating with their sword tips, were trained similarly to remove any reluctance towards demons disguised as humans.

That murderous intent I felt earlier, there’s no way he’s an ordinary man.

Louis, is that his name?

Everett recalled the academy rules she had read while coming to Farencia.

In case of major disturbances at the academy, seek help from the convenience store owner.

“Next, Adela. You give it a try.”

“This way!”

“Ah, this is the real Ansen. Stab the doppelgänger, not him.”

“This is right!”

Of all those present, she alone realized the importance of the rules meticulously crafted by Lehel.

***

Louis’s first lecture for the freshmen at Farencia Academy didn’t quite conclude successfully.

During the lecture, the administrative manager ran in, urgently stopping the class due to a mix-up.

After escorting the students in need of immediate mental stability to the temple, she quickly ordered the class to disperse.

She couldn’t even look at Louis and hurriedly left the field herself.

“Jeez, this academy has a habit of canceling classes suddenly.”

Louis grumbled as he stood next to Ansen, who was drenched in cold sweat.

Louis handed back the small sword to Ansen, who had remained behind to help clean up the jars.

“Hey, this is yours, right?”

“Yes, it is…”

“Watch your tone.”

“Yes, it is…!”

Ansen remembered. He recalled who had caused him to collapse in the temple for a month.

And now, with the small sword in his hand, he also remembered that this monstrous man in front of him had once blotted out the sun.

I need to report this. I must…

Ansen had never heard of such a terrifying presence lurking in the kingdom. Should he report to the city guards? Or to Viscountess Darling?

As he tried to quickly leave, Louis grabbed him by the neck.

“Oh, right. There’s one left. You should give it a try.”

Louis pointed to the last remaining doppelgänger, which was mimicking Ansen’s expression perfectly.

“You’ve seen it up close, so you should be better than the others. Remember what I taught you? Go on, stab it.”

“No, don’t! Put that sword away!”

Like the other ones that had turned to ash, this one also begged for its life.

Ansen hesitated for a moment, but the fierce look in Louis’s eyes made him decide.

Stab!

Following Louis’s instructions, Ansen angled the blade just below the heart and pushed with all his strength.

As a second-year student aiming to join the knights, the result was surprisingly clean.

“Guh…!”

The horrific sensation of piercing through flesh.

The warm blood flowing down the handle.

In a state of panic, Ansen heard Louis’s voice, almost like a soliloquy.

“You’re quite lucky. Nova has done extensive research on doppelgängers.”

Nova? Who is Nova?

“It was discovered that if they haven’t had contact with demons in their larval state, they retain only survival instincts without malice towards humans. So, although it’s unpleasant, consider yourself fortunate to be almost the only exception.”

Ansen watched as the hot blood flowed from his hand.

The doppelgänger in front of him was on the brink of death.

Louis, looking at it indifferently, spoke.

“Do you know why it’s so hard to tell a doppelgänger apart? They don’t realize they’re fake until the moment they’re about to die. That’s why they react and behave exactly like the original. It’s only in the face of death that they recognize their own existence.”

What an utterly horrifying monster.

“I don’t need to tell you. Now you know what you should and shouldn’t do.”

Louis’s thick arm was on his shoulder. The dreadful sensation of all mana disappearing was like death itself to a mage.

“Live quietly. Don’t get caught.”

Facing the remains of the doppelgänger that didn’t turn to ash, Ansen nodded mechanically like a broken doll.