Chapter 276 |
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[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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[There is something fundamentally different between you and my Polymorph]
It was something that Zero had intentionally removed.
Of course, I couldn’t believe everything he said.
‘I don’t think he’s trying to deceive me and take over my body.’
After spending a long time talking with him in the mental world and having a back-and-forth argument, it was clear that he hated me.
However, he didn’t show outright hostility.
‘Rather, he seemed frustrated and appeared to try to preach to me about the evil of humans.’
Just by seeing how he provided clues to what I wanted, ‘Polymorph’s Growth,’ it was clear.
It could be considered a very slight favor.
‘I have a rough idea why…’
It must be because of desires that a doppelgänger cannot be free from.
‘He thinks that in the whole world, I am the only one who can understand him, even a little bit.’
It wasn’t wrong.
Unless one is a doppelgänger, one cannot understand the fundamental loneliness and emptiness that a doppelgänger possesses.
So he wanted to turn my positive view of humans around.
‘He thinks that’s how he can understand himself.’
He had surprisingly childish traits.
The moment I realized that.
I was no longer afraid of him.
‘He should be used well.’
Understanding the difference between the perfect polymorph he mentioned and my imperfect polymorph was essential.
That’s why I agreed to his proposal.
[How about it, do you want to try it once?]
Numerous doors appeared in my mind simultaneously.
As I approached them, I started to feel a strange gravitational pull.
[Hmm, yeah. This will do.]
There was no need to physically grab the doorknob.
The door creaked open on its own.
As I stared into the swirling darkness inside, my consciousness was sucked somewhere.
[It’s a bit old, but you should be able to realize it.]
With the arrogant but somehow excited voice of ???, my vision turned black.
.
.
.
When I regained consciousness.
The hero was lying next to a beautiful woman.
The problem was that she was in a state of undress.
‘What the heck?!’
Without delay, the hero jumped up and tried to move away from her.
‘!’
But his body didn’t move at all.
Rather, his body seemed to cling to the woman as if showing intimacy.
The warmth of their skin touching, the soft sensation of the bed, the faint scent wrapped around him at the same time.
Suddenly, he felt dizzy.
If it hadn’t been for the mocking voice, it would have taken him a little longer to come to his senses.
[Hah, look at this guy. After living for years, he’s still so clueless.]
The hero didn’t bother to reply.
‘This is….’
It didn’t take long for him to grasp the situation.
It was because it was too similar to when he reviewed ‘memories’ with Rosalyn’s help.
‘…??? is a past event he experienced.’
Could it be showing his experience?
‘It’s a surprisingly ordinary method.’
But there was another unexpected problem.
The problem was that his emotions were gradually starting to resonate.
The hero felt a surge of enormous love for this unfamiliar woman and equally massive fear.
…It was truly laughable.
‘You called me clueless, but aren’t you the same?’
[……]
Surprisingly, he remained silent for a moment and then blurted out one sentence.
[Yeah, that was the case then.]
After that, the two casually started talking, touching each other’s bodies playfully.
Talking about going to a nice bakery tomorrow, or how the weather was so nice that a picnic would be great.
But despite the mundane content of the conversation, ???’s heart was getting increasingly complicated.
A heart full of anxiety and restlessness.
His heart was beating fast, his hands were trembling, and sweat soaked his back.
‘Ah.’
He instinctively realized what he was about to face.
…Because he had been through it himself.
At the same time, a question arose.
‘Why is he showing me such a moment?’
At that moment.
“Kane, you’ve been looking troubled all day. Is something wrong?”
Kane was probably the name ??? used.
His mouth opened on its own.
“Susan, it took me a lot of determination to say this.”
“Kane….”
??? or rather Kane, blurted out words quickly.
“After hearing all this, can you understand me… or accept me? I am so scared and anxious.”
The woman’s expression suddenly turned worried, then quickly became determined as she shook her head.
“Don’t think like that. No matter what happens… even if you are a vicious criminal, I will stand by your side and continue to love you.”
An affirmation.
The tense muscles in his face relaxed.
With the woman’s warm and sincere voice, Kane gathered his last bit of courage.
His dry lips moved again.
“Actually, my name is not Kane. I am….”
Crack—
The familiar sound of Polymorph’s bones.
A short scream.
Words swallowed as an excuse.
The woman nodding, saying it’s okay.
A sense of liberation and relief.
…But as a third party, I could clearly see the fear and disgust in the woman’s eyes.
Did ??? see it too?
I couldn’t tell.
But he seemed to have decided to trust the woman, and just like that, the scene quickly shifted.
“Oh my god, such a monster actually exists.”
“Priest, that monster pretended to be human and deceived me.”
“We will hold that monster accountable for the defilement of your body and mind!”
“Capture him immediately for investigation! We don’t know what other harm he might have caused!”
What Kane faced was a group of Holy Knights dispatched from a nearby church.
Then there were the hateful stares of the villagers he had lived with, and finally, the fierce condemnation from the woman who had once whispered love to him.
‘…She reported him to the church?’
??? who had been silent all this time answered calmly.
[In the First Era, there was religion. The Church of the Lord rejected all non-humans.]
Come to think of it, I remembered.
In Zero’s memory, Zero was also concerned about his fairy wife.
The sorrow for the pain she endured and the regret for the difficulties their mixed-race child would face were vivid.
A sharp voice pierced my ears at that moment.
“What are you all standing around for? Capture him!”
Kane, no, ??? stood still.
——————
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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The hero held his breath, waiting for his reaction.
Surprisingly, his face didn’t look very hurt; it was rather expressionless, so I thought he might escape silently.
Fwoosh—
But the massacre happened without hesitation.
As ???’s hand rose, flames engulfed the people.
Neither holy power nor armor could withstand the inferno.
Looking at ‘Susan’ rolling on the ground with her melting flesh, ??? turned and walked away silently.
The vision turned black again.
??? was the first to speak.
[…In a similar situation, you chose to run, didn’t you?]
“I also know the pain of betrayal. The more you trusted, the more you hate and resent. But I didn’t kill indiscriminately like that.”
??? laughed out loud.
[You know the pain of betrayal? Really? Do you really think you do?]
“…What? You must have seen my memories in the mental world, didn’t you?”
[Heh, you’ll now find out why I had to kill them all.]
Before the hero could respond, creak—
Another door opened in the darkness, and his consciousness was sucked in.
The vision brightened again….
Looking around, the hero was momentarily speechless in shock.
‘What on earth….’
The previous scenes played in reverse.
Time flowing backwards.
When he regained his senses, the hero was looking at an unfamiliar man’s face.
It was the same bed as before.
The same memory… only one thing had changed.
‘Kane’ hesitated for a long time before speaking resolutely.
“Susan, it took me a lot of courage to say this. After hearing all this, will you be able to understand me…”
And so the hero watched and experienced the same event again from ‘Susan’s’ perspective.
Since he wasn’t just observing, the emotions Susan felt pierced him directly.
At first, it was confidence and love, thinking she could embrace any flaw of her lover.
But upon witnessing the Polymorph with her own eyes, these turned into betrayal, disgust, repulsion, and filthiness.
The hero was stunned, unable to shake off the shock.
‘This is your memory.’
[It is undoubtedly my memory.]
‘Then what are these emotions?’
[They are Susan’s emotions, but also mine.]
The implication of his words made the hero’s eyes waver.
‘Wait a minute. Could it be that perfect Polymorph….’
??? answered in a calm voice.
[Yes, it’s not just the abilities and appearance of the target that can be replicated. Even their memories and emotions… the most crucial elements that constitute a human can all be replicated.]
The hero finally understood why ??? had mocked him so much.
[You, wandering around with just a hollow shell of power, have quite the mouth on you.]
[Ha ha, the phrase ‘frog in a well’ seems to be made for this moment.]
[You know the pain of betrayal? Really? Do you really think you do?]
???’s replication was truly complete.
It was almost like an overlay.
He had experienced the emotions humans directed at him as if he had become them from beginning to end.
Therefore, he could boast of an exceptional understanding, but… his mind must have inevitably been worn down.
‘Is this truly an ability that one individual can handle?’
If a human were given the ability to read the innermost thoughts of others without any filter, they would go mad within months.
Or they would flee to a secluded mountain valley where no one else existed.
Humans are imperfect beings, and their raw inner selves are of a kind that others find difficult to bear.
Moreover, ??? was a powerful doppelganger who could replicate others just by looking at them.
For him, he would naturally absorb the emotions of everyone he encountered.
What must he have felt in that horrific whirlwind of emotions and thoughts?
???’s Polymorph was already more of a curse than an ability.
The hero asked weakly.
“…You already knew, didn’t you? That Susan would betray you. So why did you reveal your true identity?”
[…Hope. I hoped this ability was incomplete.]
Yes, everyone must have seemed ugly and evil to him.
Every expectation must have been betrayed, and every path he walked must have felt like a thorny road.
??? sneered.
[Zero, that impudent bastard, deliberately removed part of the ability from you. Because no one with a perfect Polymorph could possibly like humans, it’s truly enviable.]
As soon as he finished speaking, the surroundings were flooded with bright light again.
The hero froze.
Because what appeared before his eyes was a place he knew too well.
“…Rosenstark.”
The time was when he had just subdued Yol.
It was frozen at the moment when he revealed his non-human nature to the world.
Expressions of shock were spreading among the children and staff.
[Yes, I could disable Zero’s safety mechanisms. I could help your Polymorph grow to the point where you could stand against the Demon King. But do you have the guts to ask me for that?]
For the first time, the hero couldn’t immediately answer ???’s question.
??? seemed to relish that.
[Do you trust the humans you’ve seen and experienced? Are you confident you won’t come to hate them when you see their innermost selves? Do you believe in the complete love and trust that you think exists?]
“…….”
[You lucky bastard. Thanks to your incomplete Polymorph, you just haven’t been able to properly see humans.]
Sizzle—
The vision darkened again.
In the pitch-black mental world,
There was no longer any halo of light.
The hero looked at the silhouette standing before him.
[Call me when you’re ready.]
…It was time to wake up.
* * *
Meanwhile,
The hero ‘Arpheus’ proclaimed himself as the new Hero.
——————
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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