Shinka no Mi (Shiranai Uchi ni Kachigumi Jinsei)

“――――You are!”

“Elemina……!”

When Seiichi and his friends set out for the underworld, Seiji returns to Terviel with Elemina, and Gemper who has been restrained.

When Elemina came back safely, Ranze rushed up to her, and embraced her as it is.

“I’m glad …… I’m really glad ……!”

“I’m sorry, for worrying you ……”

“No, it’s good. If you’re safe, that’s ……!”

Seiji stared at Ranze and Elemina as they rejoiced in their reunion with a gentle expression.

Florio also looks at the state of the two while breathing in a reassuring manner.

The two were hugging each other for a while, but eventually, Ranze noticed Seiji’s existence and laughed embarrassedly.

“I,I’m sorry …… it’s just, I’m so happy ……”

“No, it’s okay, you know. I too am glad I was able to deliver her properly!”

To Seiji who laughs like it’s nothing, Ranze shakes his head.

“……No. You were really helpful this time. I’m always being helped by you…… I wish I could give even one thing back to you, but ….. I can’t think of anything.”

“There’s no need! I wasn’t asking for that kind of thing, and you don’t have to worry about it. I simply wanted to help, so I just helped.”

Seiji told him so that it’s nothing, but Ranze knew well that it was a troublesome thing.

Because of his position as a king, there are many things that he can give as much as he wants, such as title, territory, etc.

However, Ranze knew that it was only the Kingdom of Welmburg that would benefit from giving him, and that it was never what Seiichi wanted.

Ranze unintentionally had a difficult look on his face, but he suddenly noticed something.

“The one who’s lying there…… if I’m not mistaken, it’s Gemper. You seized this guy huh”

“Yes. I didn’t know what’s the right thing to do, so……”

“…… You, what did you do? This guy, is muttering something on top of being incredibly in tatters, but……”

As Ranze said, Gemper who he has carried so far remained tattered, and he kept muttering words with a hollow expression.

“……Impossible …… my power …… my,my piece …… my pieces…… attacked me…… Thi,this is a dream …… this must be a dream ……!”

“A,ahahaha…… I didn’t do anything, though……”

“If you haven’t done anything, why is he like this?”

Ranze told so in an amazed manner, but As Seiji said, Seiichi didn’t do anything.

After all, it’s simply the pieces he created that viciously beat him.

“……I don’t know what happened, but we should put him in prison huh. Florio”

“Hah!”

Florio detained Gemper, who was still muttering something, and took him straight to the castle.

“Well then, it seems that this case is over for the time being, but…… by the way, what happened to the young ladies? I want to thank everyone directly, but ……”

“Ah, Saria and the others are going to the underworld with Seiichi right now.”

“………………Nn?”

Ranze took a long time to comprehend Seiji’s words.

“Just now, what did you say? With Seiichi? Underworld?”

“Ah…… you won’t understand unless it was explained properly ……”

At Ranze’s natural response, Elemina smiles bitterly.

Following her, Seiji continued with a wry smile.

“I’m sorry, I, am not Seiichi.”

“Ha?”

“I’m Seiji.”

“…………That guy, was finally able to split up ……?”

“No, we didn’t split!? Usually in there, you’ll have no doubt that we’re twins!?”

“I’ve never heard of the story of a twin from him, and it’s more believable that he has split.”

“That’s your impression of me!”

Seiji unconsciously tsukkomi.

Being split is more believable than having a twin. This was Seiichi.

“The ability of that Gemper, who was just brought to the prison, with the power to create a fake with the same performance of the subject, he was created as a fake of Seiichi. However, unless Gemper used his power, the other fakes cannot be granted with ego, but he was, well…… being Seiichi’s fake, he had an ego since he was born, and he was also given a name because it would be really complicated as expected, and it’s like he exists like this now.”

“Isn’t that guy too absurd?”

Ranze’s tsukkomi was natural.

“We,well, you’re not Seiichi …… Seiji? I understood that. No, I don’t understand it at all, but I think that’s what it is. It is best to think so with Seiichi-related things. But…… the underworld, what’s that?”

“I’ll explain from there”

Elemina told Ranze about the stronghold of the 【Demon God’s Cult】 that she had collected before she fought Gemper.

Along with that, she also talked about the other S-class adventurers being captured in their base.

“What!? You found out the stronghold of the 【Demon God’s Cult】!? And the S-class adventurers were caught……”

“Yes. I managed to gather that information by following the apostles. Well, the apostles didn’t seem to be qualified to enter their base, so I had a hard time gathering that information, but…… it would’ve been the fastest if I could follow some of the Deities, but like Gemper, they have ridiculous abilities, so that was also difficult”

“I see …… but, if you knew where their headquarters is, we would be able to send in our force right away …… this is that kind of situation. The adventurers will also cooperate. After all, the S-class adventurers have been caught, right? Gassur and the others won’t forgive them”

As Ranze said, if the guild headquarters knew that the S-class adventurers, who are the same adventurers as them, were captured by the 【Demon God’s Cult】, it was easy to imagine that they would go all out to help them.

It can be seen from the fact that when Seiichi and his company transferred to the dungeon of the Black Dragon God with Al, and they went missing, everyone desperately searched for them.

“So, where is the vital stronghold of the 【Demon God’s Cult】?”

“……its location isn’t normal.”

“Isn’t normal?”

“Yes. Their hideout seems to be a dungeon, but it doesn’t exist in this world.”

“Ha? The,then how will they get to it”

“There is only one way to get to the stronghold of the 【Demon God’s Cult】…… that is, in the underworld I mentioned earlier.”

“Hah!? Th,the underworld…… is the place where you will go when you died, right!? The,then you have to die to get there!?”

Ranze was utterly lost for words about the content that is too unreasonable by any means.

“Each of the Deities has special powers, and they should have some kind of blessing from the Demon God, so they were able to go back and forth in the underworld without any problems. But, for people other than the Deities to go there…… As you said, there is no other way but to die. But this is not only for us, but probably for the apostles too, and only the Deities can actually go there.”

“What did you say …… what should I do …… wait. A moment ago, didn’t you say that Seiichi and his company went to the underworld……!?”

“I just told you”

“I just said it”

“Why are you so calm!? That, means that Seiichi and his companions literally died……”

Ranze has no choice but to be puzzled at the situation that is no longer understandable.

“Hmm…… But, Seiichi-kun, said that this isn’t the first time he has been to the underworld ……”

“That guy, has been dead once!? Isn’t that a lie!?”

“Ah, it’s correct to say that he hasn’t died, but was transferred directly to the underworld.”

“That’s even worse!? What is it, he transferred to the underworld without dying!”

More than just having died once, he couldn’t think that he could move to the underworld alive.

Ranze was already in a series of surprise at this stage, but Seiji continued.

“Ah, at that time, the ones who came back from the underworld together with him, was Zeanos, Lucius and the others, you know.”

“It’s too shocking ……! I thought they had strange titles, such as the first-generation Demon King or a former hero!”

“No, I think most of Ranze-san just heard, including those titles, were strange ……”

He normally wouldn’t believe it if he were told by that, but Ranze accepted them without trouble because they were Seiichi’s friends. This is also the result of him being poisoned by Seiichi.

“A,anyway, that’s why it wouldn’t be difficult to go to the underworld.”

“……This, if Seiichi wasn’t going to the underworld, this would be the remark of a guy who had a completely strange head, isn’t it?”

“Are you praising me……?”

Seiji couldn’t say anything.

“……Well, I understood that the location of their base is in the underworld, and Seiichi and his companions directly went there. But are Saria and the other ladies going to be alright? The ladies didn’t quit being humans like Seiichi, right?”

“Ah, Saria is originally a monster and not a human being, though……”

“What’s really going on with his comrades?”

“A,anyway! Seiichi is there in the underworld, so I think Saria and the others can handle being there without any problems. However, I don’t know how the underworld will react, though……”

“The underworld will react, you said…… what, do you want to say that the underworld also has an ego?”

“It has, you know?”

“No good, I can’t handle it”

Ranze covered his face.

No matter how he was thinking about it, it should’ve been a hopeless situation, but after he asked Seiichi, the tension disappeared all at once.

Ranze, who managed to swallow various thoughts, asks what he was suddenly curious about.

“Which reminds me…… do you want to meet Seiichi’s parents?”

“Eh?”

“You, are a fake of Seiichi …… I don’t know how to say it, but you aren’t Seiichi, are you? But you can talk like this, and you have an ego as an individual …… therefore, what will you do?”

“……That’s correct”

In response to Ranze’s question, Seiji had a lonely look on his face.

“As Ranze-san said, I’m Seiichi’s fake after all. I’m aware of my parents properly with my knowledge and memory, but …… still, those two people are not my parents, you know. If I must say, is it Seiichi himself and Gemper? …… I don’t want to think about it.”

Seiji who said it himself grimaces.

When neither Ranze nor Elemina can say anything to Seiji ……

“Uhmm, your majesty”

“Nn? What’s wrong?”

Florio, who detained Gemper and carried him to prison, came back.

However, he has a slight puzzled expression.

“There’s one thing I’d like to tell, but……”

“What’s wrong? What happened to the Gemper guy?”

“Ah, no, he’s still muttering something, and hasn’t taken any special action, but …… that’s, Seiichi’s parents are here. Thinking normally, I supposed they came here to see Seiichi, but apparently, they didn’t come to see Seiichi……”

“Eh?”

To his unexpected words, both Ranze and Seiji were taken aback.

For the mean time, he instructed Florio to bring them in, and after a while, Makoto and Kazumi came in.

“Oh, it’s Ranze-san. Long time no see”

“Ara, that’s your wife, Elemina-san, right? She’s still beautiful, and I’m envious ~”

As soon as they arrived, Ranze and Elemina smiled wryly at their unique atmosphere.

“Ah, it’s been a while. I’m glad the two of you haven’t change, but …… what happened? I heard that you don’t have something to do with Seiichi, but …… ”

“Yes…… it is, you”

“Eh!?”

Seiji didn’t know what to do with the appearance of the two, and when he became simply flustered, Makoto and Kazumi stared at Seiji with gentle eyes.

“I somehow feel like there’s a new family member in here.”

“Indeed! That’s why, we came to see them, but …… I didn’t think that Seiichi will have a younger brother.”

“Yup yup. I don’t know it somehow, but to have a younger brother who looks exactly like Seiichi appear …… I don’t know what life would be like.”

Surprisingly, the two people, Makoto and Kazumi, somehow sensed Seiji’s existence, and they came here to confirm it.

And, as they saw at a glance that Seiji isn’t Seiichi, they laughed cheerfully in their usual manner.

“Oh right, you were with Seiichi a while ago, weren’t you? Is he well?”

“Eh, ah, yes. He was fine as usual ma’am, but……”

When Seiji replied so while making his body stiffen, Kazumi showed a dissatisfied look.

“We’re a family, so honorifics are strange, right?”

“Eh!?”

“Yes, it is. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Wait Makoto-san, he’s Seiichi’s younger brother, so isn’t he Seiji?”

“That’s also true. Hahahahaha”

To the appearance of the two people who accurately guess even Seiji’s name, Not to mention Seiji, even Ranze and Elemina had their eyes wide open.

Only Florio was confused because he couldn’t swallow the situation, but he was quietly waiting behind Ranze.

Then Makoto struck his hand as if he remembered.

“That’s right. Seiji doesn’t have any task at the present time, right?”

“Ye,yes…… ah, no, yeah”

“If that’s the case, then come to our place.”

“Eh”

“Indeed! I missed Seiichi~. But in this way, we have more fresh members of the family, and I wish we could eat with everyone again~”

“That’s right. At that time, let’s also call Saria-san and the others……”

“Ah! Speaking of which, there was a sign of a new family member besides Seiji, and it would be nice if that child was with you.”

Somehow, Makoto and Kazumi perceived not only Seiji, but also Seiichi’s womanized figure.

“So, how about it? Why don’t you live together with us?”

“…… Is that really fine? I, am not real, though……”

Seiji said so with his face down, and the two looked at each other.

“? Seiji is real, right?”

“Eh?”

“No matter what anyone says, you’re one of our most important family members. Right?”

“Ah”

Makoto nods as if to say that it was natural.

“It doesn’t matter if you were real or not in the first place. We’re saying it because we want to be with you.”

“……”

In response to the warm words of the two, Seiji naturally shed tears.

When he got the name Seiji, he knew that he was only Seiichi’s fake in the end, so he was saved by the words of the two.

“……Can I live with you? ――――Otou-san, okaa-san”

In Seiji’s words, the two nodded with a smile.

◇◆◇

“What can I say…… Seiichi’s parents are ridiculous ……”

“Yeah……”

Looking back on the two people who went back with Seiji, Ranze muttered unconsciously.

“I don’t know what they meant to have their family suddenly increase, and in addition, that member is two peas in a pod with their son …… if it was me, I wouldn’t accept him simply because of the confusion.”

“I’m not great enough to cheerfully accept him like that ……”

Involuntarily replacing the two with themselves, Ranze thinks about Makoto and his wife.

“Oops …… I felt loose just now, but it’s not over yet…… Seiichi and his companions, what do you think will happen to them?”

“…… I’ll do something about it, that’s what I thought”

To Elemina who answers so with an indescribable expression, Ranze silently urges her to continue.

“Honestly, I was pierced by the fact that I was caught looking skillfully at the power of the cult. In fact, even the other S-class adventurers have been caught ……”

“That’s right. I still can’t believe that even that Eust was caught.”

“But the cult has the power to make that possible …… No, the Deities possess it.”

“I don’t understand it well, but is the Deity different from the others?”

“Yes. The general members of the cult are called apostles, and their abilities are very high because they were given power from the Demon God that the cult worships, but we, the S-class adventurers, and the top fighting power of each country like Louise in this country, should be able to deal with them without any problem. However, the Deities are different. The Gemper we caught has no fighting power at all, but his special ability is very troublesome.”

“The power to create an infinite number of beings that are exactly the same as you, is it …… It’s ridiculous hearing it again.”

Ranze, as he remembers Gemper’s ability which he heard, grimaces.

“If that guy alone used his power skillfully, this country …… No, he can rule the world, right? But there are other Deities too……”

“I couldn’t find out the exact number of them, but as you said, they have many people who have the same rank as Gemper. Moreover, with a different power than Gemper.”

“……Which reminds me, Seiichi, Saria and the other ladies used to say that they had caught a member of the cult, and brought them to my place, but…… that guy, has healing powers, and he made them have exactly the same status like that of a stone you can find everywhere, but they were weird guys. Seiichi said they were executive-like people, but those guys were the Deities huh …….”

“I,I didn’t expect that, I guess? What kind of people are they in the first place……”

Elemina smiled wryly at Ranze’s words, but the people of the cult who was brought by the hands of Seiichi and the others …… Destra and Vitor, were undoubtedly none other than the Deities who were the supreme forces of the 【Demon God’s Cult】.

However, their powers were lost just after being involved with Seiichi, and since they all became harmless human beings, no matter who saw them, no one could think that they were executives of such a dangerous organization.

“Oh well. The people who he has brought, couldn’t speak or was mentally broken, so I couldn’t collect information properly from them in the end. I have a thin hope this time, but if I can get some good information ……”

The moment Ranze said that much, one of the soldiers suddenly came inside in a hurry.

“Your majesty! There’s something I’d like to report urgently ……!”

“What the, what’s wrong?”

“That’s …… it’s about Gemper that we’ve restrained, but……”

“What!? What happened!?”

If Gemper escaped, they would be in danger again.

The two, who were worried about it, waited for the soldier’s words with a tense look, but the soldier said something in a confused state.

“Err…… he’s dying”

““…………Eh?””

◇◆◇

The time Seiji and Ranze were having a conversation, Gemper was taken to the prison and chained.

While the other prisons are common prisons of iron bars, the prison which was prepared for Gemper, unlike the others, was a robust and huge metal box completely covered with metal on all sides.

It has a minimal hole for breathing, but it has nothing else that it’s impossible to even see what’s going on outside.

Moreover, the huge metal box exists in the stone chamber at the basement, and that functioned as a double prison.

The lookout soldiers regularly entered the stone chamber, and although they looked inside the metal box, they basically stood by outside the stone chamber, so they didn’t know what was going on inside the metal box.

However, since the materials used for making the metal box and chains have the effect of depriving and scattering magic power, escape by magic was impossible.

Gemper, who was confined in such a secure place, suddenly returns to his senses by being alone.

“Hah!? Tha,that’s right! Now that that monster isn’t here …… My power didn’t work well at that time, but it’s different here …… it’s because of that monster. So it’s not like my power will not reach in here……!”

It was Seiichi’s fault that he couldn’t communicate with his own power, and Gemper tells himself that he’s not by no means weak.

It was the correct conclusion that because of Seiichi, he was unable to communicate with it, but Gemper’s power isn’t that strong.

Of course, Gemper’s power will be overwhelming for beings other than Seiichi.

After all, Gemper’s power is, as long as he recognizes the other party face-to-face, he can generate an infinite number of copies of them unconditionally and at no cost.

Even with the Demon God he worships, Gemper is confident that he can copy him perfectly, and that perception is actually correct.

However, Gemper could only recognize him indirectly, so until the Demon God was fully resurrected, it would be impossible to copy the Demon God, since he wasn’t directly recognizable even now that he has resurrected.

Each of the Deities of the 【Demon God’s Cult】 have absolute confidence in their power, and some people who belonged to the Cult thought in their hearts that even they could defeat the Demon God.

That’s exactly what Destra and the others have in mind, and although Gemper didn’t have an attitude as easy to understand as Destra, in his heart, he thought he could defeat the Demon God.

Of course, the two knew that such thoughts weren’t exposed to the Demon God.

On top of that, even if they end up fighting the Demon God, they thought that it would be easy to defeat the Demon God.

Even so, they became a member of the cult, because they were interested in a God of the highest rank, such as the existence of the Demon God.

“Shit …… I didn’t think this me will go through with something like this …… Until now, I had listened quietly to the cult, but if I knew that this was going to happen, I should have withdrawn early……! It’s a pity that I can’t get a new piece called Demon God, but …… this is not the time to think about that. Let’s just think that there was a need to belong to the Cult simply because I could use the pieces of the other Deities.”

Calmly concluding so, Gemper looks at the chain that’s restraining him.

“Fuhn …… it’s very ridiculous that they thought I can be restrained at this degree. This chain, my power can create an existence that can liberate me as much as possible from this. If that is so, I have to run away from here right now …… No, before that, my anger won’t subside unless I slaughtered the people in this country who have made me had this kind of encounter ……!”

Before anything else, Gemper thought about escaping, but thinking about the Kingdom of Welmburg, which gradually led him to have this situation, he trembled with anger.

“If they quietly presented their people, I should’ve gotten a piece called Demon God without encountering that monster ……! I won’t forgive, I won’t forgive them ……!”

Gemper’s words were just him venting out his anger, but such a thing didn’t matter for the person in question.

Then, to see if Gemper had returned to his sanity even a little, the soldiers came.

And, when they looked through the confirmation port of the metal box, they found Gemper with a look of wrath.

“Tu! …… Apparently, he has returned to his senses.”

“You guys, locked this me in a place like this……”

“Indeed. Since it’s a place made up of special metal. It’s no use trying to escape here using magic. Moreover, if the person himself is strong, we will use items that further deprive him of his physical strength, but you don’t seem to be particularly strong. It’s impossible for you to escape physically. We have a lot to ask you. Be prepared.”

“Be prepared, is it? That’s what you need to do.”

“What?”

The soldiers look suspiciously at Gemper, who smiles with confidence.

Because, the members of the cult that have been carried by Seiichi and the others until now are, already been brought in a harmless state, not in their normal state, so they thought he couldn’t do anything in the same way as them this time.

However, Seiichi didn’t seal Gemper’s ability.

“Don’t think I can be restrained with something like this, lower creatures……!”

“Wha!?”

The moment Gemper shouted, black haze gathered around Gemper one after another, and it became human figures.

They have the appearance of powerful people such as the S-class adventurers and Vitor.

However, the reason why there was no copy of Seiichi who should be the most powerful piece he has, is because he was afraid of being revolted by producing a copy of Seiichi again.

Nonetheless, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Welmburg didn’t know that, but they became very panicked just seeing some S-class adventurers they knew.

“No,no way, you can use your power in this space!? And that’s the S-class adventurers…… they may be fakes, but if their ability is the same as them, this is bad ……!”

In order to somehow cancel Gemper’s abilities, the soldiers hurriedly unlocked the metal box, and went inside, but Gemper remained smiling.

“It was regrettable!? My power is neither magic nor skill! It’s impossible to seal it! Now then, after escaping from this place, I’ll show hell to this country that has beaten me like this!”

Spreading both his hands, Gemper was intoxicated by himself.

In front of the fakes that have already been created in perfect condition, the soldiers couldn’t reach out.

The reason for that is because the signs drifting from the fakes are exactly the same as the real ones, and their pressure alone was so strong that the soldiers couldn’t move.

In front of such soldiers, Gemper with a cruel smile, says loudly.

“Come now, my pieces! Kill all the people in front of you as the beginning of hell!”

『……』

When the fake S-class adventurers enter their battle postures ――――.

“Fuhahahahahaha ―――― Guborua!?”

――――they send Gemper flying.

Gemper crashed into the wall of the metal box as he was heavily blown away, and he touched the part he was hit with his hand while being stunned.

“Eh? Ha? Wh,why?”

Gemper, who was unable to understand what happened, simply got confused.

It was not only Gemper, but also the soldiers are in the same state of mind.

“O,oy? Th,the enemy is over there! Fo,fo,fo,for me――――”

『……』

“Guhera!?”

Gemper was receiving a relentless pursuit.

He couldn’t understand what was going on at all.

“Wh,why!? Tha,that monster isn’t here!? And yet ……!”

『……』

“N,no …… sto,stop…… Gyaaaaaaaaaah!”

――――From there, it was a storm of violence.

It’s as if he was hit with all the grudge he acquired in the past vigorously, and Gemper was torn apart by the pieces he created.

He tried to erase the pieces many times along the way, but the imitations he had created had no sign of disappearing at all, and rather, they viciously beat Gemper while increasing their numbers steadily.

“Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Hooooooooooooooooowww!?”

Gemper screams, but the silent fake people savagely beat Gemper indifferently, and if he’s close to death, one of the fakes will heal him and viciously beat him again …… The exact hell that Gemper himself told them was waiting there.

There was nothing wrong with him.

It’s just, the fakes who wanted to prevent Gemper from taking a hostile action against Seiichi as a result of being used by him, wish to tell the people around them that they are Seiichi’s ally……. and it was an act they took to tell the world.

Without being able to understand the mentality of such fakes for the rest of his life, Gemper, who suffered the violence after violence of them, couldn’t even recover at the end, and he was on the verge of death while lying on the floor by himself; and then, the fakes disappeared.

Thus, although Gemper’s abilities haven’t disappeared, he could never use that ability properly again.

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