Doppelganger (1)
The divine message came.
A precious thing will be buried under an unnamed dungeon in the western part of the continent.
‘Dig it out.’
It was an extraordinary oracle.
It was not an archaic language that had been forgotten over the years, nor was it a secret language whose meaning was hidden through difficult rhetoric.
It wasn’t even a prophecy whose interpretation changed occasionally with the passage of time.
It was a simple message.
Here, there is something precious, so dig it up yourself.
It was simple and clear words that both the officer who interpreted the denomination’s Bible and the fruit sellers of the street could understand.
Such an unusual oracle was given to all temples across the continent.
In the papal palace towering in the middle of the belief, to the small monastery in the mountains that cared for the elderly who were recuperating.
The contents of the oracle spread quickly.
From the mouths of the priests to the mouths of the believers, the Empire tried to stop the rumors belatedly, but it was impossible from the beginning.
When the emperor first heard about the oracle, many people on the continent had already heard of the oracle.
Even the emperor could not stop the rumors that had already spread.
For the sake of an instant change of life.
People started to leave their homes.
They set a nail to the front door of their house and started walking westward with a promise to return with gold.
In search of the treasure that may be sleeping somewhere in the western part of the continent.
One year has passed.
Those who were farmers, blacksmiths, bakers, and hunters in their hometown became adventurers in the west.
The adventurers flocked to the dungeon.
Many people died.
Contrary to the name, they were bad at adventures.
Even if a war broke out, this many people would not have died in vain.
However, there were more people coming to the dungeon than those who disappeared day by day.
A city for such adventurers was built near the dungeon.
There was no one to claim the wallets of those who died, for everyone had given up their lives for the sake of their dreams.
Three years have passed.
The dungeon on the west side of the continent was being attacked.
In the vicinity of the dungeon, a city for adventurers was formed without fail.
The hastily built city also declined rapidly.
The old money the adventurers brought from their hometowns had long since fallen.
Adventurers are no longer consumers.
They weren’t even producers.
They became thieves.
Five years have passed.
The seekers lost hope that one day they would find the treasure.
All that was left was the devastated western part of the continent, the family left behind in their hometown after losing their fathers, and a band of thieves.
By the time the vortex of desire that the oracle had evoked calmed down, and the ruins beneath it began to appear.
In the abandoned dungeon that had already been attacked before the oracle was issued.
A certain wizard, who was investigating the outer walls of the dungeon with detection magic, discovered that there was a long straight route beyond the small mouse hole.
It was an artificial straight passage that could not be formed naturally.
Upon hearing the news that a hidden path had been found, the remaining expedition team that had not yet disbanded headed for the unnamed abandoned dungeon.
‘… Can you dig it up?’
‘What, the treasure?”
‘No, the path.’
The hidden path of the dungeon was blocked.
It was in a deep cave, beyond a tunnel where a rock had collapsed and the road was blocked.
The hole that was thought to be a rat hole was a small gap in the ground where the ground collapsed.
Hearing the news, the magicians of the tower arrived at the dungeon, but they could not break through.
There was a risk that the ground of the dungeon itself would sink if they tried to penetrate the passage with magic.
In the end, the only way left was to remove the piles of stones one by one from the deep dungeon.
At this point, most of the adventurers who moved as individuals had left.
The main expeditions for the dungeon were run by the Order, the Royal Knights, the Magic Tower, and the Mercenary Guild.
They had enough time and money to invest in digging the dungeon’s path.
One more year has passed.
The expedition succeeded in expanding a tunnel the size of a mouse hole into a tunnel the size of a dog hole.
There was an opinion to use magic to temporarily lift the pile of stones, then put a few people in and explore the other side of the road.
Originally, it was planned to send in a few slender people first, but due to the complex interests of several expeditions, a representative of each expedition was selected one by one and they became the expedition team.
And now.
Five men were walking through a dark, small passage.
“Please raise the light.”
Said the adventurer who was leading the advance squad.
The wizard walking right behind the adventurer raised his staff higher.
That wizard was the tower owner of a famous magic tower.
A great person, who originally, an adventurer would not even be able to look straight at.
It wasn’t just the wizard.
The knight walking behind him belonged to the Royal Knights.
In fact, the adventurer wanted to become a knight when he was young.
Just like all the boys in their hometown.
Of course, it was an impossible dream.
Behind the knight was a glorious paladin who was respected by the church members, and at the end of the party, the ace warrior of the mercenary guild followed.
The adventurer felt good.
It gave him a strange pleasure to have such a great group of people standing behind him, as he led them.
The dungeon’s path was finally cleared, and the excitement, anticipation, and tension that came from the fact that he was included in the advance squad to search for the treasure was added.
So this experienced adventurer made a mistake.
Unlike an adventurer who had been eating and sleeping in the dungeon for ten years, he could not recognize the figure drawn under his feet.
As soon as the adventurer’s feet stepped forward, the figure began to glow.
“Tr……!”
The walls of the dungeon began to collapse before the adventurer could even finish the word trap.
The wall collapsed, revealing a large cavity, and the coffin in the center of the cavity began to open.
The ground shook and rolled down towards the cavity.
He tried to grab something in a hurry, but he was so confused that he couldn’t get any strength into his body.
While losing consciousness due to the effect of the stun magic trap.
The adventurer saw.
The figure of a demon crawling out of the coffin with wriggling black tentacles.
* * *
I opened my eyes
With my eyes open for a moment, I did not move my body, but rolled my eyes and looked around.
Fortunately, a dim light was shining into the cavity.
The wizard’s wand was still shining.
Damn it.
Perhaps the ceiling had collapsed, and the way back was blocked.
They are trapped inside the cavity.
“Light.”
The wizard’s quiet words echoed in the cavity.
The light from the wand grew stronger.
The surroundings were clearly visible.
I lifted myself up after checking for safety.
“Are you okay?”
Someone’s arm suddenly came to my side.
Looking back, it was the mercenary.
The mercenary lifted me up.
While I was with the expedition team, I did not belong to any faction, so I was stuck in the mercenary guild.
The mercenary knew me and I drank together with him.
We weren’t even in the same party.
I had no memory, but the mercenary said he remembered.
I also pretended to remember.
“Let’s gather in one place for a while. Is there anyone you can’t see?”
The paladin approached the wizard holding the staff and said,
The wizard pointed his staff at the paladin.
“Stop, don’t come any closer.”
The paladin was bewildered.
The wizard explained that before he passed out, he had seen the appearance of a demon called a Doppelganger.
The paladin agreed to those words and stepped back.
“I also saw a doppelganger crawling out of a coffin over there just before fainting. It would be better for the mercenary and the adventurer to separate from each other. A demon called a doppelganger kills people and imitates them. I’ve heard it’s said to be so subtle that it can never be identified with the naked eye.”
The knight explained.
The explanation was easy to understand even for an ignorant person like the adventurer.
He was a better talker than I thought.
The paladin prayed for a moment, and then he put on a more serious expression.
He said.
“The doppelganger is still in here.”
Damn it.
Damn it.
Why is my life so twisted every time something is about to be unraveled?
If I had discovered the trap in advance, I would have been slowly approaching the treasure by now.
Instead, now we’re being locked in a cavity with a demon.
Damn it
“Isn’t it hiding using invisibility magic? The doppelganger is also a demon, so it should know how to use magic.”
I said.
It was also a personal wish.
If the demon were hiding in the common corner, it seemed that our great party could somehow kill it.
“Detect Invisibility.”
The wizard’s spell has been cast.
He shook his head quietly.
Then quickly took the magic tool out of his bag.
It was an artifact that sensed the magic being cast around it.
There was one reaction.
There was only one magic that was maintained in this cavity right now.
Light magic being cast from the wizard’s staff.
“All five of us here are in my sensest. It seemed that while we fainted, someone had already been killed and the doppelganger replaced them.”
the Knight said.
It was the worst.
I looked at the place where the ceiling had collapsed, feeling like I was chewing shit.
When I turned around, everyone in the party was looking at me.
“No. I think we will have to wait quietly for the rescue team to come. It will be difficult for us to clear this wreckage by ourselves.”
“The Lord of the Magic Tower is here, what can we not do?”
asked the mercenary.
“I don’t think so.”
This rubble poured from the ceiling.
Just getting rid of it doesn’t solve all the problems.
The more it is removed, the more it may fall, and it may be dangerous.
A number of wizards were needed, as we did when we entered this passage.
Enough to support the ground itself with magic power.
“The rescue team will come. The second expedition team will come in three days, if they find this place.”
the Knight said.
Then the wizard said,
“My apprentice must be included among them. The Memorial magic will be able to read what happened, so a rescue team will be organized.”
It was a relief.
At least I’m not dead yet.
I felt a sense of relief as if a stone in my stomach had passed through.
I had a wasteful life that no one would care about whenever and wherever I die, but for the other party, each one was a valuable person.
The expedition won’t just give up on this party.
The Paladin cleared his throat.
Like to pay attention to himself.
“There’s something more important than our escape right now. The doppelganger is a dangerous demon that should never be left out. We’ll have to work this out on our own before the rescue team arrives.”
That crazy bastard
Even though it was a very reasonable statement, swear words came out of it.
So, even if we all die, we should prioritize finding the doppelganger over that.
Does it make sense?
You have to live and see.
“However, it is very difficult to determine the identity of the doppelganger who has once stolen a person’s appearance. Doppelgangers cannot be easily identified because they steal not only the person’s appearance, but also memories and personality.”
The knight said.
Yes, how can you find a demon that is so hard to find?
When the rescue team arrives, there might be someone among them who can find the demon, so it’s better to leave it to that person.
“Does anyone here know how to find out the identity of the doppelganger?”
The mercenary shouted in a hoarse voice.
At the words of the mercenary, everyone in the party was immersed in their thoughts and pondered on how to do it, but everyone remained silent to see if there was anything that came to mind.
After a brief silence, the group began to share information and anecdotes they knew about the doppelganger one by one.
It wasn’t a fruitous story.
Rather, it was just a heinous story that only aggravated anxiety.
It was awkward
To think that someone here is a demon, not a human.
Unlike the rest of the party, when someone attacks, I have to face it.
I am the weakest here.
People around me began to be wary.
The one closest to me is the mercenary on the right.
And the paladin on the left.
The wizard standing in the center with the others surrounding him.
Damn it. Can I really survive here?
I was worried about that.
That was then.
Someone started whispering in a quiet voice I could only hear
[Hello, human friend? I guess you must have been talking about me.]
It was the voice of the demon.
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