CHAPTER 33: WHO IS DOPPELGANGER? [2]

Time was passing by—much faster than I expected. The sun, which had been positioned at the exact center of the sky, had already disappeared into the distance.

’Which one of these is the doppelganger?’

Eden continued trying to accuse me of being the doppelganger, claiming far-fetched logic.

Frey didn’t come forward directly, but she continued to doubt me.

Even Frey had arrived here first.

To be honest, everyone was suspicious.

’If a doppelganger is a duplicate of the original’s memories and experiences, is it aware that it is a doppelganger?’

If it wasn’t aware of it, that was the worst situation imaginable.

Because that would mean it was truly acting like a human being.

In that case, the rule that you cannot tell lies might have no meaning.

I didn’t know exactly what the criteria for "true" and "false" were, but for example, if you asked a doppelganger who believed it was human whether it was human, it would answer yes—and this forest might recognize that as "true."

A rule that was nothing more than a play on words.

I regretted it again. If I had put a little more effort into making it, one by one, it wouldn’t have been this difficult.

Despite being the author who built the framework of this world, all I could do now was make guesses based on minimal information.

I had merely laid out the framework, but this world had fleshed it out and evolved, creating a new story. It was alive and breathing.

The world I created.

I was honored and ecstatic, but I couldn’t help feeling helpless.

"... Page. Captain?"

I came to my senses late when I heard a voice calling me.

"Oh, did you call me?"

"Yes. What are you thinking so hard about? Have you found a breakthrough to overcome this situation?!"

I shook my head.

"Unfortunately, it hasn’t occurred to me yet."

"Is that so. Captain, do you remember the fourth phrase among those written earlier?"

"... Are you referring to the phrase ’doppelgängers grow from recognition?’"

"Yes. What do you think about that phrase?"

"Grows from ’recognition.’" When I first saw that phrase, many possibilities came to mind, but none seemed convincing.

"I don’t know. It was so complicated."

"Yes. So I thought about it a little simpler. Because using my brain is not my forte. Haha."

"Sometimes thinking simply is closer to the right answer."

At that moment, Eden’s eyes flashed eerily.

"Yes. ’Grows from recognition.’ I wondered if that was the standard for the birth of a doppelganger."

Charlotte, who had been listening, asked with an interested expression.

"Birth criteria?"

"Yes. I think that the moment you ’recognize’ something, a doppelganger is born. What do we all have in common? A mirror. What the mirror reflects is the person looking into it—that is, you. When Charlotte and I looked in the mirror, nothing happened. I’ve never had a conversation with ’myself’ in the mirror. However, the captain clearly said that he had a conversation with ’himself’ reflected in the mirror."

"... Yes."

Eden looked at Frey.

"Ms. Frey, let me ask you just one question."

Frey nodded.

"Yes, go ahead."

"Did you look in the mirror there?"

"Yes, I did."

"Have you ever had a conversation with yourself in the mirror?"

"No... I looked in the mirror, and when nothing reacted, I just passed by."

After hearing her answer, Eden smiled and then looked at me.

"See? Among us, the captain is the only one who had a direct conversation with himself in the mirror. And he was also the one who arrived last. We all entered at the same time, but only the captain’s circumstances differed this much. It’s quite possible that something happened there."

Charlotte began to support Eden’s opinion.

"Yes. And a commoner gave an opinion about ’recognition.’ I think it makes a lot of sense. I’ve seen countless times while studying the science of magic that by recognizing something, that action becomes a catalyst, and an indefinable phenomenon occurs."

It’s a trap. This is clearly a trap. The doppelganger mixed among us is intentionally turning their suspicions toward me.

Eden continued speaking.

"My hypothesis is this: the captain ’recognized’ himself—or it—as a doppelganger in the mirror, and as a result, the doppelganger that met the conditions mimicked him. Didn’t you know from the beginning that the theme of this test would be doppelgangers?"

... Me? I’m a doppelganger?

"... Don’t be ridiculous. Are you kidding me? You really think I’m a doppelganger? That can’t be possible. I’m not a doppelganger—no one else!"

"The most suspicious person right now is the captain."

I ignored his words and looked at Frey.

"Frey! Do you think I’m a doppelganger too?"

"I... I’m sorry. I think what Eden said is reasonable enough."

Charlotte said,

"Well, I think I’ve decided enough at this point. Seeing you get so worked up, I don’t need to think any more. It’s clear now. If we keep going like this, we’ll all be eliminated in the end, right?"

"That’s correct. There’s no longer any choice."

There was no way to communicate. They were already convinced that I was the doppelganger.

"... I am not a doppelganger. You’re being deceived right now—by the real doppelganger. If you kill me here, we’ll..."

Ssshhhk—!

"—!"

My mouth fell silent before I could finish speaking.

I couldn’t tell what had just happened.

I felt a warm liquid flowing down the back of my neck. Instinctively, I reached behind it.

Bright red liquid.

It was my blood.

"Cough!"

The sound of air escaped weakly through the hole in the nape of my neck.

I looked at Eden with disbelief. In his hand was a red-stained dagger.

"... Eden?"

"Haha, sorry, captain. It can’t be helped, right? If this continues, we’re all going to be eliminated. I believe you’ll understand."

I felt my strength leaving me. My limp body fell to the floor like a doll with its strings cut.

Consciousness gradually faded. Frey’s voice could be faintly heard through the haze.

"Eden... that... doppel... ganger..."