Chapter 107: Moment of Chaos

’Ah!... Yeah, I can.’

Well, this will make things go more smoothly.

As a doppelganger created during a fusion, I can use two Skills—both Iris’s and Astan’s—regardless of whether it’s only Astan who controls the doppelganger.

It doesn’t really mean I’m limited to using only two skills; the restriction applies only to the abilities I can use simultaneously.

I can freely switch between skills.

Usually, I only use Morphogenesis to maintain my changed appearance. I use the rest from time to time, while giving Amarillys massages.

But now the one I wanted to use was the storage Skill, which, luckily, seems to be shared storage.

It wasn’t for nothing that it was a unique, unranked skills.

Now Iris and Astan could send me anything I needed, but more important were the cards from the Heart of Jester.

I was now right in front of Amy’s room. I had already taken on her appearance and was ready to pretend to be her, and I was about to use the two cards Astan had sent.

But just before I opened the door, I stopped in my tracks because I heard a voice from inside.

"Damn it, where is that idiot? This is no time for her to be off on one of her silly escapades." (???)

Amarillys’ quarters weren’t really surrounded by anything else; all around them was a courtyard, and they were separated from the area where her servants lived.

There were several rooms in this residence, and Amy’s was at the very back.

Generally, not everyone is allowed to enter.

The maids had a strict schedule for cleaning and housekeeping, and it would be unusual for them to loiter or be nearby.

And perhaps that’s why the person inside didn’t feel the need to hold back and wasn’t afraid of being overheard.

But there’s always a chance—like what’s happening right now—and that’s why I always tell Amy not to speak loudly to avoid any trouble.

Amarillys wasn’t stupid. She went out at a time when it didn’t matter if no one saw her for hours, and I even see a sign in front of her door that says:

{Do Not Disturb. I’m not hungry today; I’m sleeping.}

So it’s strange that Amy’s head maid is here.

Even with this incident, she doesn’t strike me as the type to report what’s going on around here to Amy.

What also surprises me is that she seems to be aware of Amy’s escapades.

But, putting that aside—and how rude she’s being—her frustration and anger seemed way too irrational to me.

Well, if the person she’s taking care of disappears and investigators show up, and she’s the one who has to explain it, that level of anger is certainly possible—but it struck me as odd, so I stayed and listened a little longer.

"Damn it, I should’ve checked before I started. The whole plan could go to hell now. How do I explain this to Her Highness? What do I do? What do I do?"

It doesn’t seem like the person she referred to as "Her Highness" was Amy.

No, that’s practically a given.

For starters, from day one I’d noticed she had bad intentions toward Amy.

Now, based on her words, all my instincts were telling me there was definitely something more going on—that this was no longer just about covering for Amy’s absence.

But I didn’t just rely on that feeling.

I quickly thought about everything I’d heard from Itsuki, people’s actions, and so on.

I pieced together all the information I had, and many possibilities and scenarios came to mind, but there was one in particular that really caught my attention...

I really couldn’t ignore it, so I decided to change my plans.

I needed more intervention from the other side, and they understood that and were ready to help me—both mentally and with tools—so the three of us quickly put something together.

It still needed some refinement. We can tweak the plan as we go.

This harem is huge.

At first, because of Amy, I thought there were only about twenty, but there are actually exactly forty-six concubines and five queens.

And each one has her own maids—at least dozens for each.

This place is basically a small town; it even had community and recreational areas, in addition to the residences.

Putting my envy aside, what matters is just how big this place is. The investigators seemed to be moving at top speed, but even so, there were dozens of servants in each courtyard, and sometimes they’d have to go to more distant places,

like the apothecaries, kitchens, and dormitories, where the maids would be resting.

Thinking about it that way, I figured I had enough time, so I took the first step by sliding open the door and entering the room.

Brrmm!

"Huh? What’s the head maid doing here?"

"There you are—where had you gone?"

I’d really like Amy to act with authority and power, to put that old woman in her place—the one I now know is some kind of capybara beast woman, which is quite fitting, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, since I’m Amy now, I have to act like her.

"I-I just went for a little walk out to the courtyard, but I heard some strange noises and came back. Do you know what’s going on?"

"...No, but I recommend you stay in your room until it’s over."

"R-really? I wanted to go see what was happening and..."

"No, that’s a very bad idea. You shouldn’t do that."

"Why?"

"Because you’re asking a lot of questions today, ...?" Anyway, what’s going on outside is none of your business, period."

Damn it, I really want to throw my axe right in her face, but I need to be patient.

She’s one of the rats I know about, and if I’m lucky, she might lead me to their lair.

"I-I see. Sorry for asking. Hmm, could you go find Rina? I think I want a massage."

"...I’ll go, but, Lady Amarillys, make sure you don’t go anywhere in the meantime."

"Yes, I’ll stay here and read while you bring Rina. Hmm, I wonder what kind of massage I’ll ask for today."

I acted as if I’d already lost interest in what was going on outside and was more focused on the massage.

I saw how the head maid looked at me with a certain disdain as she walked toward the exit.

But the moment she turned her back on me, a card—a four of Clubs—appeared in my hand, and I threw it at her.

The card hit her back and simply vanished.

She seemed to notice something and turned to look at me.

"Huh? Is something wrong?"

But I kept acting normal and innocent.

In the end, she didn’t make a big deal out of it and, without even deigning to answer me, walked out.

Go wash your neck, you fucking old hag. If you’re unlucky, this could be your last night...

That was way too easy. That old woman didn’t doubt Amy’s words for a single moment.

She must think Amy’s too stupid to lie or put on a front... It really pisses me off.

Anyway, I was done here, so I quickly opened the window and slipped out.

I ran across the courtyard and reached a small wall, and from the top of it, I noticed that...

"It’s such a beautiful night."

I was in such a rush that I hadn’t even noticed it had gotten dark.

I need to stay calm. If I get too excited, I might make mistakes...

I don’t know who orchestrated this whole situation, but they must not have taken me into account. I’ll make them understand that was their greatest mistake.

A moment of chaos always creates opportunities.

It’s time for the play to take its course. This snake needs to fulfill its role by hunting down a few rats and, if possible, flushing the fattest rats out of their holes.

With that in mind, I headed toward my first target, which was...

******

Third-Person POV

*****

"Stop!, wait a moment. I can sense the mana signature we’re looking for in that direction."

Suddenly, the man from the investigation team tasked with finding the culprit’s mana signature stopped the entire group, which had been going from residence to residence.

His profession gave him a set of skills that allowed him to easily detect a mana signature even from a distance.

He couldn’t be wrong. Every living being in this world had at least a little mana within them; it was inevitable, and that mana, upon entering the body, ceased to be pure mana and acquired unique properties.

Every living being has its own mana signature, which becomes clearer the higher its rank and power; and each signature is as unique as a fingerprint.

In fact, with enough experience and insight, anyone can spot those differences.

But in his case, the detection was even more precise, as it was a rank-five ability that was detecting it.

The group cautiously approached and surrounded the designated area.

It was the garden of one of the concubines; it had many bamboo trees—a reasonable place to hide.

Each of them was a high-ranking, elite, and well-trained individual...

And they slowly closed in to prevent the alleged assassin from escaping, but...

"There’s nothing here!"

The circle finally closed, and they all found themselves in the center of that spot.

There was no one there, so they turned to look at the man who had claimed to have sensed something.

"Don’t look at me like that! I sensed it here... I wouldn’t joke about something like that. Oh, I can still sense it. It’s coming from over there. What is that?"

The man pointed, and everyone looked. The only thing there were what appeared to be two pieces of paper.

A woman in the group who seemed to be the quickest picked them up in an instant and held them up for everyone to see.

It wasn’t a piece of paper; they were two playing cards—a three of hearts and a nine of Clubs.

The group didn’t understand what it was until they looked at the backs. On the three of hearts, something was written in ink.

[You failed, idiots. Better luck next time (≖‿≖)]

"💢"

That seemed to upset many of those present.

That card made it clear how the other side viewed them with amusement and contempt, as if their actions were a game to her.

But the leader just stared coldly and said:

"Don’t fall for these silly provocations. The fact that he did this means he’s still lurking around here."

"The leader is right. Most likely, just as we thought, the culprit can’t get past the castle’s barrier—this is just to throw us off the trail."

"Yeah, just as we thought, he probably snuck in as a servant. And those cards... Huh, weren’t there two of them?"

"Huh? Wait, what happened? It’s gone!"

At that moment, without anyone in the group noticing, one of the cards—the three of hearts—disappeared.

Not even the girl holding it seemed to have noticed until it was pointed out to her.

"Tsk, it wasn’t that important anyway—just a strange artifact that could hold mana. Just be careful with the remaining one. Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s keep searching."

"’Yes, leader.’"

In any case, the group didn’t stay there any longer.The only thing everyone knows right now is that the killer is someone annoying.

That added even more motivation to catch her, since the next step after that is to torture her.