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“Doppel… what?”

Upon hearing the term “doppelganger,” Ronan furrowed his brow. It was a creature he had only encountered in fairy tales he heard as a child—a mysterious being with the ability to change its appearance at will.

“Did those really exist?”

“…You didn’t know? Well, then you probably don’t know about their incredible ability either.”

“Their ability? To change their appearance?”

“Yes. But doppelgangers do it by reading the target’s mind. Alpha takes on the form of a loved one, and Omega becomes someone they hate. Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“What?”

Ronan’s face stiffened. Marya, absentmindedly twirling her hair, continued.

“They reveal a person’s innermost feelings that they themself aren’t aware of. None of us in our generation will be able to pass by without being affected.”

“…Turn into someone the target hates?”

“That’s right. Why are you more interested in Omega than Alpha?”

“Why bother knowing who someone loves? It’s pointless.”

“Hmph, you’re quite the cynic. You’ll just take whatever comes your way, won’t you?”

Marya pouted her mouth. Ronan’s interest was only focused on the Omega doppelganger. Although he was dissatisfied with pretty much everything, there was only one thing to which he could apply the grandiose expression of hatred.

‘…It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use it as self-improvement, I suppose.’

A fleeting image of Ahaiyute’s elusive smile crossed Ronan’s mind. Just that thought was enough to make his head feel hot. Suddenly, a question made Marya raise her head.

‘What’s going on?’

Marya treated the existence of doppelgangers as common knowledge, but Ronan had never heard of them in his previous life. If such a mythical creature existed, it would surely have stirred up gossip among his fellow poachers.

While Ronan was lost in thought, Marya, who was lightly tapping his shoulder with her head, suddenly chuckled.

“Hehe, well, thanks to the doppelgangers, the Beast Festival will definitely happen this time. The scent of money is already in the air.”

“The scent of money?”

“Yeah. During the festival, students can set up their own stalls. I’ve already secured a prime spot.”

Even in the midst of their conversation, Marya was thinking about business opportunities. It was no longer surprising to Ronan. The person who had become the number one merchant in the Empire had a different mindset from the rest.

Come to think of it, the scale of Karabel had grown significantly, as mentioned earlier. This was thanks to monopolizing the leftover martial arts equipment from Doron, the blacksmith, and turning a profit from the Baydian Mountains.

‘She’s amazing.’

Although he hadn’t been given any water, the wildflower, which had grown without any help, felt like a beautiful sight. Recently, he hadn’t been paying much attention to her, but she had been doing her job exceptionally well, both as a merchant and a warrior.

Suddenly, Ronan smiled proudly, and he gently stroked Marya’s head. His hand was rough and calloused, like a scarred battlefield and as soon as it touched the top of Marya’s head she jerked back in surprise.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Appreciating you.”

“But still, suddenly doing something like this…! Did you eat something wrong today?!”

Marya, who was already a couple of steps away, stuttered and spoke. Her face was as red as an apple, and she seemed quite surprised. Ronan frowned.

“Stop fussing about a little head pat. I washed my hands.”

“I’m not saying anything about that…! I mean, I haven’t even finished drying my hair…”

Marya was at a loss, patting her wet hair. It was somewhat amusing that she was making such a fuss about someone patting her hair when her own hair was still wet.

“I’m here, Ronan. What’s going on?”

Creak.

Just then, the clubroom door swung open, and Aselle entered. He was carrying several thick books, as if he had just come from a class. As he entered, his gaze fell on the two of them.

“…Huh?”

“Cutie you’re here? We were just waiting for you.”

Marya awkwardly chuckled and waved her hand, unsure of what to do. Having quickly read the subtle atmosphere, Aselle froze in place. The unique observation skills of a mage allowed him to instantly grasp the situation.

Marya’s once-pale face was now flushed, and her hair still dripped water. Following the trail of water droplets on the floor, Aselle’s gaze reached Ronan.

‘A lie.’

Aselle’s face stiffened. Ronan’s shoulders were soaked as if he’d been caught in the rain.

Ronan was still sitting at the desk, staring blankly into space. It wasn’t the expression of someone who had just experienced an overwhelming event or was completely exhausted, but rather one of bewilderment.

“Uhh… Uuu…”

Tears welled up unexpectedly in Aselle’s eyes. Between his weakened arms, books cascaded to the ground.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you. I’ll leave first.”

“Huh? You’ve just come, why are you leaving already?”

“I-I…”

Aselle raised his head. His large pupils glistened as if they could spill tears at any moment. Ronan furrowed his brow.

“Stop thinking about nonsense and come here. I called you here to give you a gift”

“…I’ll accept it next time.”

“Why is this kid acting like this today? Do you want to get beaten up before you leave?”

“Wuuu… Uuu…”

Aselle sniffled as he approached. Ronan reached into his back pocket and pulled out a book, Vijra, which appeared freshly bound with its stiff cover and crisp pages. It was hard to believe that it had originally been worn and crumpled, almost like a piece of scrap paper.

‘It’s unpleasant. This is definitely a forbidden book.’

Just in case, he infused it with his mana, and this is how it turned out. It was an enigmatic mana that defied identification. Ronan handed the book to Aselle, who tilted his head in confusion.

“Wh-What’s this?”

“It’s a magic book you like. I worked hard to get it, so give it a read.”

“…Why is this book all black?”

Aselle, wide-eyed, began to flip through the pages. Ronan nodded in approval.

‘Only someone who knows how to wield a sword should swing it.’

No matter how hard he tried, Ronan couldn’t make sense of Vijra. It wasn’t a matter of difficulty in content or unfamiliar words. The knowledge within the book itself seemed to reject him.

So, Ronan passed Vijra to the clever Aselle. It was a bit frustrating to engage in something like this, but at least Aselle had a good head on his shoulders.

Perhaps, one day, he’d be able to understand Vijra and unlock its mysterious power. Aselle, who was still flipping through the pages, let out an excited exclamation.

“It’s… incredible. How did they structure this magic system?”

“Huh…?”

“R-Ronan, where on earth did you get a book like this?”

Aselle’s voice quivered. It hadn’t even been a minute since he had received the book.

“…Can you read it?”

“W-Well… I barely deciphered the first page, but I can manage it.”

“Deciphered?”

Aselle nodded and explained that all the text in Vijra was encrypted. The strange sensation Ronan had felt was due to this. Only those who understood mana logic could read the text and unveil the hidden content.

“To be honest, it’s incredibly challenging. It’s a structure that becomes more difficult the further you go.”

“It is to the point that it’s unreadable?”

“N-Not unreadable, but… with some time, I think I can decipher it somehow. However, decoding the code and comprehending the content are entirely different challenges…”

“You’re better than Tower Master for sure. I’m not joking, I mean it.”

Ronan chuckled softly. He hadn’t expected Aselle to be capable of reading Vijra. The day Aselle had joined the club with those blackened eyes, Ronan had feared the worst, that one day he might stand over the corpses of their fellow club members. But right now, he couldn’t ask for more.

‘Everyone’s doing well.’

A slight smile tugged at Ronan’s lips. His comrades were excelling beyond his expectations.

Not just these two, but also Braum and Ophelia. Even the unfortunate Shullifen was becoming stronger through his own efforts. Ronan rose to his feet and turned to Marya.

“Marya, it’s been a while. How about a practice spar?”

“Eh, right now?”

“Yeah. I can’t stand it anymore; I need to move my body. Come with me.”

“Wait a moment!”

Ronan grabbed Marya’s wrist and led her outside. Aselle, still engrossed in Vijra, completely forgot their presence and was focused solely on his reading.

“Argh! What did you trip over?!”

“Pull yourself together. Your sword has gotten slower.”

Beyond the partially open window, the sound of chirping crickets echoed. A dusky spider crept along the floor, completing its web. The noisy day came to an end.

****

Time passed quickly, and as the Beast Festival approached, the atmosphere at Philleon Academy became increasingly charged with excitement.

“There’s not much time left now. Can you believe we’re finally going to participate in the Beast Festival, an event we’ve only heard about?”

“That Manticore will be there again this time, right? Ugh…”

He could hear news about the festival wherever he went on campus. Students discussed the animals they liked or wanted to see, and their stories blossomed.

“I’m planning to go with my boyfriend. If it doesn’t transform into me, I might as well kill him.”

“Haha, are you going to the Omega Doppelganger? Then it’ll definitely transform into you.”

[Note: Omega is the one that transforms into the person someone hates.]

The most popular attraction by far was the Doppelgangers. Nobody disliked these mysterious beings that could read a person’s mind and transform accordingly. The fact that the Academy was the first place they were being showcased only added to the students’ excitement.

“Animal shaped biscuits… balloon stall… done… cutie, what’s left now?”

“Well, it seems like only street portraits remain.”

“Right. We found the person, but we couldn’t find the easel, right? Let’s go look for one!”

“Let’s go together!”

Marya pulled out all her connections and prepared nine different stalls. Those enjoying the festival would have no idea that all nine stores selling different items were owned by her.

However, in the midst of the preparations, there were bound to be people who couldn’t enjoy it.

On the night before the Beast Festival.

Even though Arena 1 was supposed to be empty, it was crowded with people. Adeshan asked with a quivering voice.

“R-Ronan, are you really going to do this? Won’t there be too many participants?”

“It’s alright, Sunbae. I need to do at least this much to improve my skills.”

To be precise, the only ones considered human were Ronan and Adeshan. Ronan was surrounded by knights in full-body armor, originally a training tool available only to students in the 3rd year or higher.

“S-So… you want to do this?”

Through the narrow slit in the helmet, a pair of azure eyes shone. It was the same kind of armor Ronan had faced during the entrance exams, called a Magitech Knight. Adeshan tightly shut her eyes and chanted a spell to command the knights.

“…Move.”

In an instant, the knights’ eye-slits all turned red. Ronan swiftly rolled to the side.

Bang!

Simultaneously, nine blades struck where he had been standing.

Instead of confronting them head on, Ronan dealt with the knights mainly through evasion or defense.

Swish!

The shimmering blades barely grazed between Ronan’s arms and legs. Seeing that the knights had gathered in one place, Ronan stomped his right leg.

“Take this!”

Thud!

A wave radiated outwards from him, with roots that clung to the legs of the knights within its range.

Clang! Crash!

The off-balanced knights collided with each other and fell over.

“Su-success!”

Adeshan clapped her hands and shouted, in excitement. It had only been a few days, but Ronan had improved his skills significantly.

Swoosh!

Ronan shot this sword energy towards the immobilized knights.

The knights who suffered damage exceeding the limit stopped moving. Ronan let out a chuckle when he saw that the roots had stuck to all nine knights.

“Whew… damn… finally.”

His mana was depleted almost to the brink, but he didn’t seem to mind. What mattered was whether he had achieved his goal or not. Panting heavily, Ronan sat down on the ground..

“Oh, damn… I’m… I might die…”

“You did well.”

He had invested all his time in training the second Core and the awakened Aura. Fortunately, the growth rate wasn’t that slow.

In fact, it was growing much faster than his own mana. Was this the feeling of awakening the Shadow Mana? As Ronan looked around at the fallen knights, Adeshan clapped her hands together in admiration.

“You’re really amazing. To achieve this in just 15 days…”

“Ughh… it’s thanks to you, Sunbae… Was the balance okay this time?”

“Yeah. But I felt a little excited. I think it’s safe to lower the output a bit.”

Ronan nodded his head at Adeshan’s advice. After listening to it, it certainly seemed so.

“Really… Thank you.”

“Hehe, I’m glad I can help.”

Adeshan smiled. She knew Ronan’s secret, the fact that he was the only one who could copy an Aura. Ronan decided to reveal it to her after careful consideration.

“Do you think I’ll be able to copy Professor Nabirose’s Aura someday?”

“Damn, I can’t even handle the tree roots properly yet, so I don’t think I’m anywhere near that level.”

“I’ll help you. Let’s take it one step at a time.”

“Heh, thank you.”

Ronan let out a chuckle and laid back on the ground. The ceiling, shrouded in darkness, caught his eye. Every word they spoke echoed through the emptiness.

Adeshan, who had been assisting Ronan’s growth with her unique insight, sat down next to him. Most of her advice, based on her advanced insight, had proven immensely helpful. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke.

“The Beast Festival starts tomorrow. Time sure does fly, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it really does.”

“It’s strange. Since I met you, it feels like everything that should have taken ten years is happening all at once.”

“It’s probably because of my mood.”

Ronan replied dryly. Adeshan just smiled warmly and didn’t say anything in return. After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

“…Ronan, are you going to just train during the festival?”

“Well… I’m not sure. Wouldn’t it be nice to just look around once in a while? There are things I want to see.”

“I see.”

Silence fell between them again. It was so quiet that it felt like they could hear the sound of dust particles in the air. Adeshan, who had been hesitating, began speaking cautiously.

“Then… maybe you could… go with me…”

Just as she was about to continue her words. Bang! The door to the arena suddenly swung open, and the lights, which had been off, came on all at once and a familiar voice rang out.

“Amazing! What are you two doing here in the middle of the night?”

“Pr-Professor?”

Startled, Adeshan rose to her feet. Ronan looked toward the source of the voice. A figure stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and it was none other than Professor Navirose. She spoke.

“Last time, you were massaging her feet in the middle of class and now you’re having a secret affair in the middle of the night? You’re bold for your age.”

“S-secret affair…? It’s nothing like that…”

“What happened?”

Ronan picked up Lamancha and got on his feet. The expression on Navirose’s face didn’t seem suitable for joking around. After a moment of them staring at each other, she let out a sigh.

“…I guess it’ll be fine if it’s you. The Doppelgangers have disappeared.”