Chapter 192 Lucia's Sword
The "Ipsissimus" released in the [God's Remains Labyrinth] was unbelievably defeated.
Time passed, and the day drew near when the secret society Chronosphere would execute their plan to create a stampede again. This time, their grand plan was to remove all [God's Remains] from the labyrinth.
On the day the plan's execution was imminent, Ickle was summoned to an underground room, where she faced Chronosphere.
"Ickle, I need you to do something in secret during this stampede."
"In secret...?"
"Yes, something so important that even Noah must not know."
"'Magus-sama' wouldn't know about this either, would he...?"
"Uh-huh, if he finds out about this plan, he might get angry, so let's keep it a secret."
"Hmm...got it."
Although Ickle found it strange, she couldn't refuse the order from the top commander of the organization, Chronosphere.
However, when she heard the details of the plan, she couldn't remain calm.
"This time, during the stampede, we'll make sure to kill Aaron. To do that, we'll use Ail and Logan, who are traitors from the 4 families, to isolate Aaron in the [Temple] and exhaust him first."
"What?! Wait a minute, please!!"
Ickle was terribly confused.
"Ail and Logan, traitors, is that what you're saying!? And to think we'd isolate Aaron Gale in the [Temple] to kill him... But, Father, isn't the [Temple] a really important place? Why would wedo that?"
"Yeah, it's likely, but even with Logan's full power, Aaron can't be defeated. Logan's role is to exhaust Aaron. And if they're fighting in the [Temple], Noah, who's released the seal of [God's Remains], will show up soon, right? Most likely, the [Temple] will be destroyed in their battle, and an enraged Noah will attack Aaron. In other words, we're trying to exhaust Aaron further with Noah's help."
"...Wait, Father, wait!!"
The confusion only grew worse, getting more and more intense.
"If you want to kill Aaron Gale, why not ask 'Magus' for help and cooperate with him? That way, we wouldn't need to make the [Temple] a battlefield, would we? And, Father, your words sound like you don't care if the [Temple] gets destroyed...!!"
――She must not think about it.
Ickle was struck by an inexplicable, deadly sense of discomfort, as if she'd seen something that shouldn't be seen, and an unknown fear took over.
There were still many suspicious parts to Chronosphere's words.
Ail and Logan are traitors on the other side... Ickle didn't know. If she had accumulated life experiences honestly, she might have suspected something. However, the problem isn't that; it's that Chronosphere, who is convinced they are traitors, didn't tell her about it until now.
Moreover,
"Why does Father want to kill Aaron Gale so badly...?"
The 'Magus' has already acknowledged that killing Aaron Gale isn't necessary. If the entire plan is executed in this Stampede, the organization's goal will be achieved. Rather than sacrificing a lot to defeat Aaron, it's better to just keep him in check and avoid any trouble.
That's how it should be, yet Chronosphere is fixated on killing Aaron.
――Why?
Chronosphere looks troubled, forcing a smile as he answers Ickle's question.
"Aaron, you see, is 'Lucia's Sword.' Or perhaps he's a counter-fate prepared by humanity, who sense their own destruction, without realizing it... He's a singularity who emerged in this world, warping the original probability that shouldn't exist. That's why he can destroy [God]. I'm predicting that."
――[God]
What does Chronosphere mean by [God]?
Ickle naturally assumes it refers to Chronosphere himself.
(In other words, Aaron Gale is... going to kill Father? Destroy him?)
So, is that why Chronosphere wants to kill him before he gets killed?
"[Temple]'s situation is nothing to worry about, Ickle. I've got a detailed record of its completed state, so even if it gets destroyed, I can restore it with [Status Restoration]."
――[Temple] can be restored.
She felt a slight sense of relief at his words, but doubts soon began to creep in. Shouldn't they tell 'Magus' about this and ask for his cooperation.
"Father, why are we keeping this a secret from 'Magus'?"
"Ah, that's... Noah would definitely oppose it, and unfortunately, I don't have the confidence to convince him. If I explain it poorly and he figures out my true intentions, it'll be troublesome."
"............huh? Father...?"
She couldn't shake off the feeling that something was off.
She didn't have time to think about what exactly was off, either. Chronosphere was slowly approaching her.
"It's almost time. We'll soon be able to grasp the point of probabilistic convergence. To bring about a future where 'Lucia's sword' can be killed, we have no choice but to do this. Even if we can't kill him, if we can just disable him, the 'possibility' of it interfering with our goals will disappear."
"Father...?"
Chronosphere placed his hand on her head, and she instinctively looked up at him.
The gentle smile on Chronosphere's face, which was always the same, somehow seemed like a creepy mask to her.
"This goes against the moral code imposed on me by the Pangaea government, but... with you as my opponent, who's barely human, I might just be able to get away with it."
"eh...?"
"'I, God, command you, Ickle, to obey my will under the contract we made beforehand.'."
"......Yes."
Ickle's eyes went blank, and her consciousness became hazy, as if she were dreaming.
This was a "compulsory order" using the [Testament (Contract before God)]. It was fundamentally different from setting boundaries on speech and actions or defining deviant behavior. It was an act that violated human rights, something that even the Gods had prohibited in the past.
In other words, it was an act that violated one's self, manipulating memories and recognition.
Chronosphere gave orders to Ickle, whose will had grown weak.
"'Obey the following commands. First...'."
It gave her numerous commands, including altering memories and replacing emotions. Each command was simple and clear.
Additionally, Chronosphere explained the flow of the operation in detail.
After a long time, Chronosphere finally finished giving all the commands and explanations, and whispered quietly.
"Well...now that it's all done, I really hope you'll die and make things easier for me...but what will happen, I wonder?"
* * *
And then the stampede began.
Ickle hid in a room deep underground, observing the situation on the surface――Necronia――using [Space Perception], waiting for the time to come.
When the time predicted by Chronosphere arrived, Ickle "teleported" herself.
She found herself above the Necronia [Seal Temple], several hundred meters in the air.
She stood on the [Space Barrier] she had deployed as a foothold, looking down at the ground below.
'Don't directly observe Fiona and the others with [Space Perception]. They'll get suspicious. Teleport to the sky above and confirm the situation with your own eyes from there.'
Chronosphere's order was clear.
'When I told you the time, they should have defeated Ignitor without a hitch and wiped out the remaining monsters, exhausting themselves in the process. However, the future I've observed is only a possibility. Make sure to confirm it with your own eyes.'
Ickle nodded in confirmation.
The monsters around the [Seal Temple] had decreased significantly, and there was no sign of Ignitor or the large guardians like Nord. It seemed that the situation was unfolding as Chronosphere had predicted.
'If Fiona and the others are exhausted, then you'll 'transform' into Aaron and make contact with them.'
Ickle double-checked her own appearance.
The clothes she was wearing were the same ones Aaron Gale had bought. They might be different from what he was wearing until just now (before Aaron parted ways with Fiona and the others), but Ickle didn't think it would arouse suspicion. After all, it was common for Aaron to change clothes after a battle.
In other words, even if they noticed the difference in clothes, she could just say "I changed," and that would be the end of it.
Additionally, she had the "Black Radiance" sword at her waist, which was ordered by someone cooperating with Chronosphere. Moreover, her appearance was perfect, having been observed from head to toe without any blind spots on the way back from the Hellem Wilderness. And her voice...
"Ah, ah...okay. Let's go, then."
After making sure that Aaron Gale's voice and tone were completely mimicked, Ickle activated the teleportation magic.
The location was the "Grand Temple Avenue" that led to the [Seal Temple] grounds.
From there, Ickle quickly moved to the grounds and approached Fiona and the others, who had just finished defeating the monsters.
"Hey, Fiona! You guys! Are you okay?"
As Aaron's figure approached at a quick pace, Fiona and the others noticed.
"Whoa! Master! You're safe too, I see!"
"The fight against the Sword Saint is over, it seems!"
"Huh? Master, did you change clothes?"
Owen, Zara, and Elliot called out to him one by one.
To which Ickle replied, "Yeah, I got my clothes ruined in the fight against Logan," while approaching them, when――
――Shing!
Fiona drew her sword at an incredible speed, pointing "Silver Peak" at Aaron's throat.
"Who are you?"
"――――!?"
Fiona glared at her, her words unwavering with conviction.
Ickle held her breath, remembering Chronosphere's words.
'Let's make Fiona and the others think you're Aaron... but Fiona will notice in an instant, won't she? But even if you're exposed, you mustn't show any signs of panic.'
It was too early to be exposed as an imposter. Yet, Ickle managed to keep her cool.
"Hey, hey, what's with the sudden attack, Fiona? You're not even laughing. Did you forget my face or something――."
"You're not Aaron."
That's a definite fact. At least, Fiona seems to be convinced of it.
Before Ickle could even open her mouth to object, Fiona continued. Her words were meant to prove that the Aaron in front of them was an imposter.
"You, you ruined your clothes, so why are you wearing them?"
――――!?!?
(What's going on here!?)
She had said she changed clothes because she ruined them, didn't she?
Ickle was mentally confused by the incomprehensible words. Meanwhile――
"Hah! Speaking of which, you got naked once, so why are you wearing clothes, Master?!"
"You... are you really our Master?!"
"Yeah, I thought something was off... and you're wearing clothes, that's just weird."
For some reason, Owen and the others nodded in agreement, directing suspicious gazes at Ickle.
Fiona continued, her sharp gaze piercing like a knife, explaining the absurdity of "wearing clothes."
"It's not like we're in a freezing place like Snowfield Floor, so why would Aaron, who got naked once, wear clothes? The Stampede hasn't ended yet... which means there might still be battles to come, and yet he's wearing clothes. That's not like Aaron at all."
"Exactly!!"
"That's right!!"
"It's ridiculous that Master is wearing clothes for no reason, even when it's not cold!!"
――――!?!?
(What are they even talking about!?)
It had already become incomprehensible to Ickle.
However, Fiona continued, saying "That's not all, though."
"You're wearing a Black Radiance on your waist, which was made by Aaron, but it's one of those decorative models meant for sale. He doesn't put too many decorations on the ones he uses himself. They're consumable items, after all. And that outfit, you probably investigated what Aaron bought and got the same thing, but you only got one set, and it got ruined during our last labyrinth exploration, so you shouldn't have it anymore. And those shoes you're wearing, Aaron bought them 3 months and 21 days ago. They haven't broken yet, but since he's worn them to the labyrinth several times, they should be more worn out. Furthermore, your walking style is different from Aaron's. Your center of gravity is too high, and your midline sways too much. It's not a warrior's walk. And to top it all off, if Aaron were here, he would be able to react to my drawn sword, right? And what's more! The body odor you give off is completely different from Aaron's!! You smell like a girl!!"
"""......"""
Silence dominated the scene. And then...
(Gross...)
"""......Gross."""
Ickle's inner voice and Owen's muttering coincidentally shared the same opinion.
However, Ickle, while trembling with fear towards the abnormal being (Fiona), remembered Chronosphere's words.
'Ickle, Fiona will soon see through your disguise. But don't worry. With my 'future observation', I've already found a future where Fiona will doubt you even for just a few seconds, thinking you're not the real Aaron. If you follow my instructions, Fiona will suspect you, get confused, and show an opening. If you take advantage of that opening, you can teleport her without being detected.'
'...Father, what should I do?'
'Hmm...okay? If she doubts you, don't get embarrassed, and take off your clothes. Everything, including your undergarments.'
'......What?'
'Ickle, you've observed Aaron's naked body many times, so you can transform into him perfectly, right? In reality, it's extremely difficult to fake his scars, and there are many complex details. If you can make it identical, even Fiona won't be able to tell it's a fake...'
'......'
This is the first time she has thought that Father is crazy.
But Father's words are absolute.
Ickle steeled herself and said,
"Fiona, if you want to know if I'm a fake or not...look at my naked body."
"Huh?"
"I'll take off my clothes right now...!!"
"Okay, if you insist you're the real deal, then show me."
Fiona lowered her guard, still wary, while holding the "Silver Peak" at the ready. And,
(What's going on...!?)
while doubting her own sanity, Ickle kept a serious expression and began to remove her clothes.
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