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“When do you plan to find that demon and chop off its head?”

“What?”

“It’s been quite some time since it came over here. If it takes any longer, the fairy tale Princess Shione is worried about might actually come to pass.”

“How do you know that…?”

Shione couldn’t help but be taken aback by his words.

She had never told anyone the truth about this world.

How could Ray so casually say such things?

As her suspicion began to darken the atmosphere, Ray naturally lifted the notebook she usually left on the desk, unguarded since they were alone.

“The book that you always kept on the shelf when Lady Herrel was around. It seems you’ve relaxed a bit with me and left it open, instead of putting it away.”

“…Have you read it all?”

“I’ve read all the important parts… judging by your reaction, it seems everything in there was indeed true.”

“Sigh…”

Shione pressed her temple, exhaling deeply.

“If everything written in that book were just my delusions—”

“The first page, which seems to have been written almost two months ago, already mentioned my name. Plus, I saw in detail the things you experienced with me.”

“……”

“It seems it’s hard to dismiss this as mere delusions.”

Given the conviction in Ray’s eyes, Shione found it difficult to brush off his conclusion.

While she pondered how to react, Ray let out a small sigh and said,

“Rather than this magical world—”

“…?”

“Am I still alive out there?”

Hearing his strange voice, which seemed aware of his circumstances, Shione cautiously began to respond.

“It’s a rather dangerous situation. Enemies are everywhere, and you fell into this place without any warning.”

“I see.”

“You could hold out for about 15 minutes if needed. However, dragging it out would yield no benefit.”

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“What?”

“You wrote that I’m your most trusted ally, yet you left me to fend for myself in the middle of a battlefield and came here, didn’t you?”

“That was beyond my control—”

In response to Shione, Ray shook his head as if he wasn’t seeking a retort.

“This is an urgent situation, isn’t it? I’ll help you.”

With that, a look of resignation on Ray’s face as he once again promised to provide a solution.

Shione couldn’t help but feel intrigued at the notion of finding a single strand of the demon’s hair after being unable to find anything so far.

“Coincidentally, I’ve been in a similar situation quite a few times. I think I can be of meaningful help.”

“Really?”

“Yes, this place is a world of magic. Eventually, if you’re flung back out into the real world in a few months, this place will also be annihilated.”

As he spoke, Ray opened the notebook he had kept shut and began to speed-read the necessary content.

“After all, I’m a creature originally copied through magic, meant to die anyway. Helping the real body is a far better option.”

“…Even so, you would face death here once more. Are you okay with that?”

“What else can I do? Also, one more thing.”

Ray’s deep-set eyes met Shione Shianella’s clear ones.

Cold rationality suppressed Shione, so she began to listen more intently to what he had to say.

“All the characters in this world are replicas. Don’t invest unnecessary emotions into replicas. In the end, those emotions might hinder capturing the demon, our current foe.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Then I’ll continue speaking.”

The page Ray flipped to contained the conditions for completing the trials left by Shione’s ancestor, Shianella.

He handed the notebook to Shione and continued explaining.

“The success condition of the trials is to find and slay the demon of this world.”

“That’s right.”

“Then the story becomes simple. A world created by humans can only deal with a very limited background, and the powers of magic are most often employed to manifest sentient beings. Furthermore, it is common for demons to slowly infiltrate this world through the disguises of such beings.”

“…Are you suggesting to find a person? Not just any person, but specifically a demon?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

“However, there hasn’t been a single person responding to the powers that run in my blood…”

“The demons in this world are not real demons but merely tools that pretend to be demons, keys to the trials,” he explained.

Shione wore a thoughtful expression upon hearing his words.

While the explanation was lengthy, it wasn’t difficult to understand at all.

To achieve the success condition labeled as a demon by the ancestors, it would be a simple task to track down and slay one who was disguising themselves as an ordinary human among the manifested beings.

“Most of the saints enjoyed tormenting the mental strength of those undergoing trials, often evoking deep-seated traumas. It seems this dungeon… no, this trial will be somewhat torturous as well.”

“……”

“In light of your past experiences, it might be best to focus on those who have caused you significant pain.”

At that moment, a particular face unexpectedly popped into Shione’s mind.

“The demon, so-called, might have gained the memories of its hosts but will struggle to replicate their usual habits. If you pay careful attention, you will surely find them.”

“How do you know all of this, Ray?”

“Is that a surprise?”

“Then who else could be here other than you, Ray?”

Ray paused to consider her question before speaking again.

“It’s become my everyday routine to suffer and struggle. That’s how I ended up here.”

Knock knock knock.

Herrel had returned before they knew it.

While Shione still seemed to have more to say, Ray shrugged and said,

“After all, when you keep doing something, it inevitably becomes a skill, whether you like it or not.”

*

…I’m not the real deal but a replica made from that chubby noble’s trials.

Having experienced many traps of this kind in the dungeon, I had never encountered one with such a definite ego; it felt quite uneasy.

“Then again, during the last month in this mansion, there were numerous oddities I had noticed.”

A group of servants moving with excessively mechanical, predetermined steps. The attendants repeating only similar phrases day after day.

The only ones who had managed to breathe some life into my days were Shione, Herrel, and the head of this place.

These were sensations I could perceive only because I was a complete replica of the true entity.

“Anyway, tonight is the critical moment.”

If what I discussed with Shione, the contents from her notebook, and everything I heard from her were true, then that hidden demon would surely have a grudge against me.

It would likely be desperate to prevent Shione from successfully completing her trials before I could provide any more information.

“…Did I meddle too much?”

If I’d kept a low profile, I could have lived for at least three more months. Why did I insist on spilling everything?

Regardless, that demon of mine would come for me tonight, using the cover of darkness.

That was the nature of the trials I had endured so far, and this place wouldn’t be much different.

“I’ve got a sword just in case.”

Now that I had learned the truth about the world,

I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask Shione if she had anything else with which to assist me, so I had taken a simple sword; however, it wouldn’t be enough.

My physical state was utterly miserable compared to what I was like before in the dungeon.

It was hard to gauge how much I could withstand should that demon decide to take me out.

“…Stay alert.”

Returning to my quarters, I quietly passed the time until darkness began to settle.

If I had been by Shione’s side, I wouldn’t have had to deal with this. But these damn characters in this world insisted on upholding noble etiquette even if Shione said she was fine and sent me to this room.

It was likely all part of that demon’s scheme that a number of servants and attendants, who typically weren’t anywhere near my room, were stationed nearby.

Thanks to that, it seemed like tonight would be long.

As the cold wind grazed my skin,

whoosh—

A sudden gust blew out the candlelight flickering on the table in my room.

As the subtle light vanished and my vision adjusted to the darkness,

“…Tsk.”

I spotted an unwelcome guest at the entrance of my room.

“What a lunatic.”

It’d come with the intent to kill.

The moment I laid eyes on the sword glinting with moonlight through the gap in the window, chills ran down my spine.

Swoosh!

I couldn’t just stand there and take it.

Taking a stance alongside my legs, the intruder began to step closer.

“With a look like that…!”

It seemed as if the demon didn’t want its true identity revealed even in death.

Gone was the human face it had been mimicking; now it displayed only the head of a goat, glaring at me.

The shape of its body morphed to be indistinguishable by gender.

I gripped the hilt of the sword, preparing for an attack.

Twang!

The ground shook.

The gap narrowed more closely.

With a swift slash, I channeled a trace amount of mana into my strike.

Swish!

I struck true.

But the sensation of severing didn’t climb my hand.

Even with the demon’s arm lopped off and the sword embedded in its waist, it remained unfazed.

What was this?

“No, what the hell.”

This wasn’t happening. I pierced it, yet there was no sign of pain?

I twisted the sword, but there was no reaction, and the beast merely swung its blade as if it were its turn.

“……!”

The speed was monstrous! In my panic, I attempted to evade, but—

Clunk!

The demon’s hand, once lying on the ground, seized my ankle hard.

“Ah…!”

I bowed under pressure.

With a maneuver that could be deemed acrobatic, the demon’s sword whooshed past my face.

Given that I was already at my limit with mana just from the previous strike,

I felt the signs of mana exhaustion beginning to surface.

“This is insane.”

If I could just manage to sever its waist, I might buy a moment of time or, at the very least, escape to Shione’s room.

I pressed all my remaining mana into the sword still embedded in the demon’s waist.

Swish!

The balance was bound to falter for the demon.

It released my ankle and I burst out of the room.

Despite a heavy fatigue weighing down on me, I struggled to run toward Shione’s room.

However, my efforts didn’t last long.

“In your case, wouldn’t it have been better to stay as a good subordinate? Then this sister would have treated you so nicely.”

“You damn demon, stop talking—”

“…You’re unfit to be a servant.”

As the blade pierced through from behind, coming into view,

“Ah.”

My vision began to flicker.

My experience as a replica who had appeared in someone else’s trials was nearing its worst.

*

“…Princess Shione, my subordinate… it’s said that Ray was found dead in his quarters this morning by other servants…”

The mansion was in chaos.

Ray had been discovered as a cold corpse in his room.

“What?”

Shione was infuriated. Terribly so.

 

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