Chapter 131 – Punishment
#131.
Priscilla’s eyes trembled slightly as she turned her head again, though she didn’t know what caused the agitation in her heart.
She strode back on her way and looked down at Jake. There was great anger in her eyes.
“Daughter? A daughter?”
“N-Yes! That’s right. My daughter is waiting for me at home. When I die, I will be left alone!”
It was really unsightly to use her daughter to stir up sympathy, but that made her a good match for Jake.
Priscilla said, her eyelids fluttering as if her teeth were shaking.
“Didn’t you kill the boy’s real father? Do you think she deserves to say that!? Answer me!”
“Yeah, I think that was wrong too. But I couldn’t help it! The moment she was born, she was already infiltrated into this body! I didn’t want that!”
“This person… It’s like a devil!”
Perhaps the doppelgänger king chose to infiltrate his shadow into humans and then cut them off to give them spirituality.
If what Jake said is true, it means that the doppelgangers already took on their sins before they made a choice.
However, it may be unfair to them, but from Priscilla’s point of view, it was just hateful.
So great was her rage that she trembled her body, drew in her breath wildly, swallowed her saliva, and said:
“So, are you asking for help? Even if you’re not the father your child wants? Are you thinking of pretending to be for the sake of a child with a fake body forcibly occupied?”
“… You can’t tell the truth about her to your child, can you? You will get hurt.”
Priscilla has experienced the loss of her children. She did, so she could understand a little how painful it would be for her if the opposite happened.
She didn’t know that her child would lose the will to live her life if her father died as well, having already left her mother.
It was hard for her to open her mouth easily when she thought that a child would suffer the pain she had suffered.
‘It’s pitiful!’
No matter how long it’s been since he withheld judgment and blamed himself for Kaldran Orgius, now he’s hesitant to make a decision that could have been made with just one word because of his incomparable sympathy.
Revenge is her natural right. Even if she sent her people to her church and had her finally executed, even if her child would be left alone, no one could blame her.
However, Priscilla couldn’t get away from her worries that she was caught up in her anger and was making a pointless victim.
What’s wrong with the child Where is the reason why a child who is only a victim to the end will be unhappy?
Priscilla squeezed her eyes shut as the question that was littering her head.
In that state, she continued her worries for a while, but soon compromised. The last question. Let’s make a decision based on the answer to this question.
She opened her eyes and faced her Jake.
“Let me give you one chance.”
“Go, go, thank you!”
When Jake thought he was alive, he smiled. The despair lifted a little from the faces of all his doppelgangers except him.
Only Madame stared at Priscilla with her expression hardened even more.
Soon after, Priscilla made her offer.
“If you reveal to the child that you are a doppelganger, I will let you live.”
“… Yes?”
“I asked the child to reveal his identity. Then he’ll save you. I promise on my honor.”
…
The atmosphere, which had lightened up a little, quickly became bitter. Not only Jake, the person in charge, but also the other doppelgangers who were delighted rolled their eyes so much that they noticed.
The madam bit her lip hard as if she knew what it meant and looked at Jake.
Under everyone’s attention, Priscilla urged the silent Jake.
“Please answer me. Are you going to reveal her identity to the child? Or will you keep her secret and be dragged into the Order? Choose.”
“Should I? It’s not good to know from the child’s point of view.”
“So is it okay for her to keep cheating? Children have a right to know too. Isn’t deception enough? Go ahead and choose.”
Priscilla pressed coldly. As if she wouldn’t allow the slightest gap, Jake bit her mouth tight at the sharp staring in her eyes.
Priscilla felt impatience at the sight of her.
‘He said he’d tell me.’
Then she can stop lingering. I can send them to the church, convincing them that they are also vicious people. Of course, this would be a broken promise, but he was willing to give up his honor.
In the face of the child’s revenge, her face has no value whatsoever. If she could finish some of her revenge because of this, she would have a spare business.
As Jake’s silence grew longer, a doppelganger shouted.
“Hey Jake! Hey, just tell me! She keeps cheating isn’t good for the kid either, right? Wouldn’t it be nice if the child knew the truth and she could live with us!? Uh? That’s right! Isn’t everyone?”
At the words of a middle-aged man, the doppelgangers vomited one by one.
“No, that’s right! It’s a little pity for the child, but she can’t help it! Maybe you will understand!”
But not everyone was like that. Another doppelganger disputed their opinion.
“Yeah, but it’s not good to say that to a child! The shock will be great. It will remain in her heart for the rest of her life!”
“Then what shall we do? Are you going to quietly be taken to the church and die!? If so, why don’t you go alone?”
“Who said that!? Even if you want to live, you have to keep a minimum conscience!”
The doppelgangers split into two groups and fought. The guild members who were watching them immediately tried to block their mouths, but Gaon’s gestures made them look at them from a little distance.
After chatting for a while, they realized that there was no point in talking among themselves and stared at Jake.
With everyone’s eyes on him, Jake looked up and faced Priscilla as if he had made a decision after thinking about it for a few more minutes.
His mouth was open
“I can’t.”
“… I beg your pardon?”
“I can’t. Just send them to the church.”
“Are you serious? If you go to the Order, you will neither die nor live, you will die interrogated and tortured! Is it still good!?”
“… Of course I don’t like it. But, I don’t know. I can’t tell you.”
Priscilla’s face contorted.
‘Why!’
Iza is a doppelganger. All memories of the child were obtained by simply absorbing what the original owner had.
He can’t be attached to a child. He should have easily betrayed and abandoned for his own comfort.
Only then can she shake off her lingering feelings.
However, Jake’s choice was to keep the secret from the child and die. It was something she had never expected, and at the same time, she shouldn’t have stood up.
The doppelgängers around them, who were expressing their opinions about telling the child the truth about her, ran rampant against Jake’s decision, but were quickly stopped by the guild members.
Even in the midst of such an uproar, Priscilla was only looking at Jake. She met her clear eyes of her Jake facing her and then turned around her, gritting her teeth.
She quickly got out of the space without saying anything. Hearing the door close, she gazed blankly at the shadows shimmering in the light as she saw the empty hallway in front of her.
Soon, the shadows began to sway.
It twisted and blurred, and the shape collapsed. At the same time, your eyes heat up.
“Black… Whoops!”
Tears trickled down his cheeks and dripped down his chin. Priscilla clenched her fists and tried to swallow her cries.
Her Gaon, who followed her, looked at her and smiled bitterly at her. Honestly, if it was him, he would have killed all of them to avenge her.
It’s all about Priscilla being too nice to make harsh decisions. Gaon wondered if she could do this, but in the end he couldn’t stand it and patted her on the back.
Was it because of such consolation?
Priscilla grabbed Gaon’s chest, bowed her head, and cried like a child. As she trembled on her shoulder sadly, her warmth gently embraced her in her arms.
The sound of crying echoes through the long hallway.
.
.
.
Priscilla, who was crying out loud for the world to leave, as time passed, she carefully dropped her ears, dyeing her ears bright red, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed.
She then took her handkerchief from her bosom and put it on her back, carefully arranging her face, and then faced Gaon again.
Her slightly swollen eyes gave her an unusually cute look.
“Excuse me. Show me this ugly look…”
“It wasn’t ugly. When people want to cry, they cry. It is not good to be patient.”
“Whoops… Thank you.”
Certainly, Priscilla’s face was more comfortable than before.
If you just keep it inside her, it will eventually become bitter and rotten. Exploding her emotions was also a way of comforting herself until she felt relieved, as she does now.
Gaon was a little relieved, but made a complicated expression. Somehow she had to make her decision. Time is running out, so she can’t help it.
“Priscilla. I’ll ask again. What would you do with your doppelgangers?”
At his question, Priscilla stared again at the shadow on her floor and said,
“Did you say Jake? Please hold back only those who have the same thoughts as the doppelganger. The rest is sent to the church. I think you know what I mean.”
“… Of course I know. Then, let’s send those who objected to Jake’s decision earlier and the mercenaries to the church.”
Priscilla’s mercy is limited to the good. She’s a doppelgänger, and since she knew that only bad people existed, she narrowed the scope of her revenge.
To be honest, the emotional part took a bigger part in these judgments than the rational decision. Jake’s mention of his daughter was a godsend.
If that wasn’t the case, Priscilla would have made the decision to send everyone to the Order without any regrets.
‘It was a bit surprising.’
I never thought that Jake would think of her daughter even as she gave up her own life.
I still don’t know if he really opened his eyes to fatherhood, or if he saw through Priscilla’s tendencies in that short amount of time and threw away the gamblers.
“Do by that way. So, there’s not much time left until things get resolved. If only the Guardians are dispatched, even Kaldran Orugis will be able to handle it.”
The Order of the Guardian Stars is made up of those who keep the Pope right by his side. As such, it was necessary to go through various procedures in order for them to vacate.
This will take several days. If you get permission to go out, you’ll probably be able to move through the teleport gate in an instant.
“That’s right. No matter how bad you are, you can’t escape the Guardians.”
“Thank god. So now go up. It took quite a while.”
“Wouldn’t you like to see your doppelganger in prison?”
“I don’t think anything good will happen if we meet anyway. Just send it to the church. Then please guide me.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Gaon said as he slowly climbed the stairs.
“I plan to lead them to the church sometime tomorrow. Even Khaldran Orgius will realize that we’ve figured out who we are. Maybe it’s aiming for Priscilla-sama. So be careful.”
“Of course. Except for the very occasional visit to Milius’s grave, I don’t leave the mansion, so don’t worry.”
No matter how crazy Carl Dran Orgius was, he wouldn’t try to mess with Priscilla from inside her mansion.
Honestly, if Gaon were in his position, he would have replaced everyone in the mansion with his doppelgänger, but there must have been a reason why he couldn’t.
‘Maybe it’s because of the lack of Magi.’
In the future, a lot of information about demons has been accumulated. So, Gaon was also quite knowledgeable about the ecology of doppelgangers.
Enough that Doppelganger King knows that without Magi, he cannot spawn a doppelganger.
He was a little relieved by Priscilla’s words, but said just in case.
“I’m glad that’s the case. But please tell me when you leave the mansion. I will escort you along with the guild members.”
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
While talking, they were able to arrive on the ground before they knew it. He touched the wall again to open the entrance and stepped into the reception room with Priscilla.
As they exited, the wall slammed shut. Glancing at the wall, which had returned to normal as if nothing had happened, Gaon opened the door and left the building.
Sergio, who had been standing in front of the carriage and watching the entrance, approached right away.
“Priscilla! You are here. What happened… Did you?”
As he was examining Priscilla’s condition, he saw her slightly swollen eyes, then looked at Gaon with a puzzled look on her face and distorted her face.
Gaon followed his gaze and looked at his front, but couldn’t find anything wrong.
And Priscilla’s reaction reminded her of the memory of her crying out loud while leaning on Gaon.
“Yes, I am fine. Rather, let’s go back. I am a little tired.”
“… All right.”
When he said that he was tired, Sergio’s gaze moved back and forth between Priscilla and Gaon. He turned to the carriage and walked away, trying hard to hide the look of defeat on his face.
Priscilla waved her hand at Gaon, greeted her, then rode away in her carriage.
Looking at the increasingly smaller wagon, Gaon thought as he entered the guild.
‘From now on, it’s a race against time.’
From the point of view of Kaldran Orgius, he would think that there is no way his identity would be revealed because there is a ban, but he will try to remove the Gaon somehow to reduce the variable as much as possible.
They had to hold out until the guardians were dispatched.
