Chapter 117

“Where is that bastard now?”

“He’s probably next to the Saintess.”

Peter said dismissively.

“They must have all lost their minds. A Reincarnator? What Reincarnator? Where in the world would something like that be? They’re all definitely crazy.”

“And you?”

“I’m perfectly fine, of course.”

“Shut your mouth. Before I kill you right here.”

Peter shrugged as if to say, go ahead.

“Do you know? Even if it’s not you, I’ll be dead soon enough.”

It wasn’t a question that expected an answer, as the guy blabbered on by himself.

“The news of what happened in the other sectors will spread here in no time. All the bad things I’ve done will be revealed, too.”

“Good for you.”

“But it feels a bit unfair. There are more than a couple of guys who took bribes, yet I’m the only one dying. Can’t you kill them too?”

What was he even talking about?

This guy was definitely not in his right mind either.

“Shut up and lead the way.”

I changed into the clothes of one of the Holy Knights and disguised myself as Peter’s escort.

As I did, I was lost in thought.

Let’s just assume for a moment.

A Reincarnator.

Until a moment ago, I was so worked up that I thought it was obviously a lie.

But what if it wasn’t?

Considering Ian’s personality.

No, considering my personality. I don’t think I would have only one insurance policy.

The world is wide and vast.

The same goes for dimensions.

Among the many dimensions, would it be so difficult to find souls similar to Ian and me?

Would it be impossible to teach magic to a human with a similar soul synchronization?

It wouldn’t be.

If so, this isn’t a bad situation.

We could exchange information, and I might even be able to learn something.

Then we just go back to our respective worlds, and that’s that.

Well, the chances of that are slim, but in this situation, I have to hope for it.

Just then, my feet came to a halt.

I had entered a massive castle at some point.

Familiar faces were on the walls.

Isaac, Casilla, the Northern Grand Duke, the Eastern Mage Tower Lord.

The familiar faces were depicted in paintings.

It was a painting of them fighting Demons and Monsters.

The largest painting, of course, was of Ian.

Ian was fighting the Demon Kings.

The 7th in rank, Entesto; the 6th, Adramelech; the 5th, Verdele; and the 4th, Kaldrak.

The Demon Kings were suffering in Ian’s grasp.

They weren’t dead.

They were just temporarily sealed.

The mural was also warning of that.

And so, it concluded with the story of waiting for the Reincarnator who would one day come.

After a quick glance, I went deeper inside.

Even if he was a guy I’d been beating up all day, a Quartermaster who distributed supplies to the sectors was a valuable position here as well.

“I will report directly to the Saintess.”

At his single sentence, the iron-clad security was lifted, one layer at a time.

When we reached the end of the holy temple.

“You’ve done well, Peter.”

Sitting there. On a chair that looked expensive at a glance. Was Saintess Casilla.

“Thanks to you, the sectors can breathe.”

She looked similar to how she did 100 years ago.

The Saintess, still maintaining her youth.

However, unlike before, her gaze had deepened slightly.

There was no sign of naivety.

She looked solid.

But even seeing Casilla like that, I couldn’t greet her warmly.

Because of the human standing right next to her.

I almost let out a hollow laugh.

A man who looked exactly like Ian was standing imposingly next to the Saintess.

With a good-natured smile.

He was even strong.

Could my guess have been right?

When I looked at Peter, he quickly spoke to the Saintess.

“Thanks to the Saintess’s prayers, I have returned safely. More importantly, I heard a strange rumor outside. About a Reincarnator…”

As Peter said that, he glanced at the person next to the Saintess.

Meanwhile, I continued to stare intently at the man.

Even his Mana Pattern was identical to Ian’s.

Furthermore, he was stronger than me.

What is your identity?

Are you really me from another universe?

I couldn’t be sure so rashly.

What was certain was that I couldn’t reveal myself right now.

While I was thinking, Casilla said proudly.

“Come to think of it, you were outside. This is the Reincarnator.”

“…That person?”

Peter was someone who didn’t believe in the existence of a Reincarnator at all.

So he couldn’t help but show a lukewarm reaction.

“The verification is complete. You’ve worked hard until now.”

The fake Ian gave a good-natured smile.

“A pleasure to meet you.”

He strode over and took Peter’s hand.

Peter, looking dumbfounded, accepted the handshake.

I quickly said.

“Could you perhaps grant me the opportunity to shake the Reincarnator’s hand as well?”

“Of course. My hand is nothing special.”

I took the fake Ian’s hand.

I put on the most awe-struck expression I could manage.

“Thank you.”

The next moment.

Zzt-

As soon as I held his hand, I felt something inside me.

It was none other than Demonic Energy.

It was so faint and subtle that even I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t held his hand.

This bastard is a Demon.

No, a Demon King.

If I could, I’d want to give him a round of applause.

For his superb acting.

I was almost fooled myself.

The trustworthy smile he gave, his Mana Pattern, even his Mana.

Just as Ian had researched the Demons, they must have conducted an in-depth study of Ian.

The fake Ian.

He was likely the 3rd-ranked Demon King, Modres.

After all, those from 4th to 7th rank were all currently sealed.

More importantly.

How on earth did a Demon King get in here?

Did he notice me?

No. If he had, he wouldn’t have just stood there.

There was no change in the tracking rate.

“It’s about time you told me. What is your real identity?”

Peter, who had come out of the holy temple, asked as he looked at me.

I ignored him and sank into thought.

One thing was certain.

The one that bastard was looking for was none other than me.

“That was a close call.”

“What was?”

“If I had revealed that I was the Reincarnator, that bastard would have picked a fight.”

The moment I showed any sign, that bastard would rush me.

If that happened, Sector 1 would be destroyed, people would die, my plan to find Ian’s Traces would vanish, and I would have to return to my original world bitterly, or perhaps wounded.

Just as I had prepared meticulously, they had prepared meticulously as well.

“Who is keeping Ian’s Traces?”

“How would I know that? You should know better… Gaaah! The Saintess! The Saintess is keeping them separately!”

So that’s why he’s sticking so close to Casilla.

“Then I’ll need to have a word with Casilla alone.”

The answer was clear.

I looked at Peter next to me and said.

“You arrange it.”

“M-Me? How?”

“Skillfully.”

Peter clutched his head and asked.

Trying to act pitiful was useless.

This guy had to die anyway.

“For now, let’s go to your house.”

I’ll wash up, rest. And if I wait while eating something delicious, an opportunity will come.

Slice-

The first thing to do was to kill Peter’s right-hand man.

Peter showed not the slightest bit of regret about it.

“He was a guy who should have died anyway. This is a good way to go.”

“Send the Holy Knights outside.”

“And after that?”

“Subtly spread rumors about the sins you’ve committed.”

Drrrk-

Next, I used Polymorph magic. A very powerful one.

I changed my face to that of his right-hand man. I changed my Mana Pattern too.

So that no one could suspect a thing.

“So all this came from exploiting the other sectors?”

Peter’s mansion was spacious and extravagant.

“Exploitation is a bit harsh. The term tribute is more fitting.”

“You’ve got no chance of going to heaven.”

“I’m well aware.”

I was starting to wonder how this guy ever became a priest.

Anyway, at Peter’s house, I took a hot shower for the first time in a while and ate some delicious food.

By then, rumors of my deeds were slowly spreading outside.

That I had saved the other exploited sectors, that Quartermaster Peter was a bad guy.

“It seems I won’t be dying peacefully.”

Surprisingly, Peter didn’t look disappointed.

He didn’t tell people it was a lie, nor did he deny his own wrongdoings.

He just seemed curious about the current situation.

Just how far would I go, what was my real identity.

That was all he was curious about.

“Shouldn’t you tell me by now? What is your real identity?”

“A Reincarnator.”

“Is there a Reincarnator who uses Dark Magic? It’s better to think the guy outside is the real one.”

“Do you believe that guy is real?”

“No. I don’t believe in such things.”

It was probably because he’d exploited people so much.

He justified it to himself.

There’s no such thing as a Reincarnator, so it’s okay to do this. What’s wrong with committing a few bad deeds in a life you only live once?

“It’s chaotic outside. They say the Reincarnator made a cripple walk.”

“Good for him.”

“Shouldn’t the real Reincarnator do something too? If you are the real one, that is.”

“Do what?”

“Yesterday, the Holy Knight Captain left me. He was a guy who had a monopoly on Buff Stones thanks to me. He suddenly started cursing me out. Whether it’s a little shit or a lot of shit, aren’t we all bad guys together?”

“Serves you right.”

“It’s about time you told me. What is your identity? If I die like this, I’ll be so curious I won’t even be able to go to hell.”

Peter’s eyes wavered.

I could see right through him.

Though he denied it with his words, he was truly starting to suspect.

That I might be Ian.

I spoke to his wavering eyes.

“You’re starting to suspect it too, aren’t you? That I might be the real Reincarnator.”

“I told you, there’s no such thing.”

“Let’s go get caught.”

“Yes. I guess I can finally die now. Will you tell me before we go? Just where did someone like you pop out from?”

Just as Peter turned to me with a face that said he was dying of curiosity.

The mansion doors burst open.

About a hundred Holy Knights swarmed in.

“Peter Ivan! For the crime of oppressing and persecuting the sector residents for over a decade, the crime of taking bribes from the sector chiefs, and the crime of betraying your duty as a Quartermaster, I am placing you under arrest.”

“You bastards. The amount you’ve taken from me is… Mmph!”

Peter was dragged away without the slightest resistance.

No, it would be more accurate to say he didn’t resist.

He might grovel before me, but this guy was also S-Rank.

If he had wanted to, he could have killed most of the Holy Knights here, but he didn’t.

Did this guy have a change of heart?

I wasn’t particularly curious. I wasn’t interested either. Focusing on what I had to do now was the top priority.

“Seize that man too!”

Naturally, I, who was disguised as Peter’s right-hand man, was also captured.

This, too, was part of my plan.

What comes next is important.

Stones were being thrown at Peter and me, who were tied up in the square.

Bad guy, damn bastard, do you know how many people died because of you, and so on.

“The people I should be cursed by are the poor in Sector 18. Not you. You all should be thanking me. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be so well-fed.”

Peter screamed at the top of his lungs.

Around that time, the Saintess, Casilla, came out to the square.

Her face was full of worry.

Next to her, of course, was the fake Ian.

The bastard’s eyes were gleaming.

He would know from the rumors.

Choi Gi-woong is definitely around here somewhere. Where is he? Who is he?

Is it that guy throwing stones in the square? Or is it Peter? If not, is it his right-hand man?

He would be confused.

Now. It’s time for him and me to start the game.