Chapter 54

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: FusionX

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There were plenty of strong races.

Compared to them, we were always in the position of the weak.

Back then, we could only change our appearance. And even that was discriminated against and despised for being repulsive.

But those who persecuted us back then, not a single one of them was alive now.

Because we killed them all directly.

Those who know nothing say that we are traitors.

I have no intention of denying it.

However, we had no choice but to do it to survive.

We swore allegiance to the demons and became their servants.

In return, we received power from them.

The power to be able to take revenge.

But that power was lacking to be called the strongest.

I, as the chief, managed to obtain power comparable to the demons.

But even that was nothing more than what I had honed myself.

My fellow tribesmen only had intelligence and strength at the level of monsters.

But still, it was fine.

Because as long as you’re alive, there’s a future.

Life is the driving force that moves us.

We do anything to survive.

And that became a little more solid over time as we accumulated experience.

First, if there is a being that might be stronger than you in front of you, don’t obsess over the fight.

There is no invincibility.

There are always weaknesses.

After finding out those weaknesses, just slowly deal with them.

Following that principle of action, it chose to retreat.

The opponent was the commander of the Royal Knights.

His strength was immeasurable.

Even assassination had failed.

Then, for now, step back and prepare for the next move.

It’s okay, the tide won’t turn with a single failure.

There are already too many things prepared.

There were plenty of those stronger than us.

But it was always us who survived.

And it will continue to be so in the future.

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Why did it suddenly run away?

That still remained a mystery.

I didn’t know why it suddenly fled, but anyway, this was a golden opportunity for me.

I quickly ran to the others’ rooms.

Just like how regrouping is important in a group battle, rather than being scattered and picked off one by one, it was safer to immediately regroup.

Moreover, that demon’s ability was disguise or doppelganger.

I had to quickly regroup and protect the others before it disguised itself as one of us.

I moved my feet swiftly.

Fortunately, I had them stay nearby in case of situations like this.

So it wasn’t difficult to regroup with the others.

Perhaps sensing the attack, by the time I arrived, most of the members had already finished arming themselves and were waiting in their positions.

I shouted,

“Everyone is present without a single absence, right?!”

“Our room is fine for now!”

“Same with our room.”

“Good, that’s a relief at least. Everyone, gather up!”

Since not a single one left their position, there would have been no room for that impersonator to sneak in.

Moreover, there was no way Yuren or Cluna would have stayed still.

After finishing the preparations quickly and going outside, the situation outside was already a mess.

The place we were staying at now was the Iron Fortress, the castle of the Dwarf Republic.

It wasn’t a figurative meaning, but it was literally made by sticking iron all over, hence the name given to it.

But that Iron Fortress was under attack now.

“They’re coming out more boldly than expected.”

“From the demons’ perspective, now is the right time when the fatigue from the long journey hasn’t been relieved yet.”

“But I can’t understand. Didn’t they put in so much effort to take over the Dwarf Republic?”

That’s true.

They had poured countless efforts until now to invade the Dwarf Republic.

But to abandon that effort so easily like this?

Thanks to that, we were caught off guard.

Since they had already laid out their tricks until now.

So I had calculated that they wouldn’t cause such a commotion from the first day…

Well, how could we predict the thoughts of the demons?

Since we can’t understand each other, that’s why we’ve been fighting non-stop until now.

“It seems they have some ulterior motive. For now, let’s focus on the current situation.”

“Yes~ Commander!”

“I’ll take the lead.”

“Commander Yuren?”

Her black hair swayed greatly.

At the same time, the foot she stepped forward on smashed the floor.

At the sudden explosive sound, I was taken aback, I could see it.

The thing crushed under Yuren’s foot, that is.

It was emitting a gray light, but it wasn’t a human face.

It was the face of a reptile.

If I had to specify, it was a face very similar to a chameleon.

I frowned.

These guys were probably the monsters called doppelgangers.

“Doppelgangers, huh.”

“As expected, you knew.”

“…I’m well-versed in monsters.”

“Doppelgangers? What are those?”

Clara tilted her head and asked.

Ruby and Helia also seemed to be unaware.

In this game, doppelgangers had a slightly different setting.

Originally, doppelgangers were described as mutants of lizardmen, with similar habits, but possessing a special power to transform into different appearances.

Due to that power, they were ostracized by the lizardmen.

In the end, in order to survive, they ended up siding with the demons.

So, it was only natural for them to not know unless it was a special case.

Because there were very few people who had directly seen the true form of a doppelganger.

Most people probably didn’t even know what a doppelganger itself was.

“The leader is probably the chief of the doppelganger tribe.”

“Even I have never seen the chief in person.”

“Even Mother has never seen him in person?!”

It was understandable for Clara to be surprised.

If even Cluna had never seen him directly, it meant they had been thoroughly concealing their identity.

I quickly racked my brain.

The enemy were doppelgangers who could steal appearances.

That meant we couldn’t trust the people around us…

For now, whether Rain Emerald was originally that doppelganger, the real Rain Emerald’s life or death status, and so on.

There were too many things I needed to find out right away.

If the real Rain Emerald was already dead and they had been manipulating everything from the beginning, the plan prepared by Ambassador Viral would naturally fail.

In the first place, Ambassador Viral had prepared all the plans with Rain Emerald.

Naturally, those plans wouldn’t work on the doppelganger disguised as Rain Emerald.

Now I finally understood.

Why the Dwarf Republic had fallen.

Even though there were voices trying to change from within, the doppelganger secretly dealt with them.

And they started filling those empty positions with doppelgangers again.

With them doing that, how could the Dwarf Republic possibly stop it with any means?

“First, we secure Ambassador Viral.”

“Certainly, it seems that’s the only thing intact right now.”

“If we scatter, we die; if we stick together, we live. Move swiftly!”

“There’s no need to go that far.”

Cluna smiled and snapped her fingers.

It felt like the wind was blowing from somewhere.

That wasn’t just the wind.

It was a thread of wind.

A thread made of wind was extending somewhere far.

When I looked at Cluna with eyes asking what this was, she said to me with a smile,

“There’s always a chance, you know?”

“Protecting and securing the most important person is the basics of the basics.”

At Cluna’s words, Yuren nodded as if it was natural.

I see, I had no idea.

Looking around, most of them seemed to know.

Goodness.

“Phew, excellent. Thanks to you, I’m saved.”

“It’s thanks to the Commander trusting me.”

“What? Did the Commander directly ask you to do it?”

“Someone of the Commander’s skill level would have noticed long ago. Even so, not saying anything and letting it slide was already a silent affirmation, right?”

Hmm, I see.

It seems that Hans from the parallel world is quite an amazing fellow to that extent.

I’m starting to want to see his face at least once to see how great he is.

I desperately avoided Clara’s respectful gaze and quickly ran along the wind thread Cluna had created.

Eventually, we arrived at the ambassador’s lodging.

Originally, Ambassador Viral had his own residence.

But for safety reasons, he decided to stay here instead of his own home.

As I was pondering whether to knock or not, suddenly, Yuren kicked the door of the lodging with her foot.

With a crunching sound, the iron-made door of the lodging screamed and was torn like paper.

“It seems the answer was right after all.”

“DADE PALL TK5 MME1…”

“H-How did you know to come here…?!”

It was

“Interesting. It’s a language system I’ve never heard before. In that state, can it only utter such sounds?”

“Cluna, restrain your academic curiosity.”

“DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”

“That’s clearly a demon.”

Demons.

Monsters with powers on a different level from mere magical beasts.

Moreover, that wasn’t just a low-level demon, but a blood demon.

Unlike the low-level demons who are despised, the real monsters that belong to the ranks of monsters.

It roared and spewed out black tentacles.

The tentacles that sprung up from the floor engulfed us at an incredible speed.

But unfortunately, we weren’t just any ordinary bunch either.

Bayard and Clara sliced all the tentacles that came close to us like cutting vegetables.

At the same time, Ruby, who had been preparing in the back, charged forward and swung her hammer, striking the doppelganger.

Thanks to that, Ambassador Viral was finally able to become free.

I was just watching all of that.

Because I couldn’t react.

Damn, they’re fast as hell.

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