Chapter 96: The Fake
After pointing to three different people, Elijah turned to me with a raised eyebrow.
"You called each and every butler and maid just to single a few of them out? Have you done previous research on them?"
To be fair, I could get where he was coming from. Calling out all the maids and butlers was definitely a nuisance. I thought about also calling the guards, but I deemed it unlikely that the fake would be among them.
Still, it would be more effective if he didn't know, so...
"You may ask your questions after the performance. For now, just let me ask a few questions."
The first person that I called up was a maid. She had short blonde hair and blue eyes. She definitely wasn't the tallest either, but she had a rather defiant expression on her face. It seemed like she was beginning to lose her composure, grinding her teeth somewhat.
This person definitely didn't seem to have too large of a temper. Though, they were holding it in pretty well before.
The second person was a butler. He had a somewhat clueless expression on his face, still rather confused about what the hell this was all about. Rightfully so, but that didn't mean he couldn't have been the suspect.
Assuming that this person actually was innocent, he was probably just some unlucky person wrapped up in all of this.
The third person was another maid. She was on the taller side and had longer hair. She had a neutral expression for the most part and didn't seem to be particularly shaken up by this situation.
I gave a quick sweep between the three of them. Then, I turned to look at Elijah, who was still patiently trying to see my antics through.
"Now, what would you think if I said one of these people hypothetically wished to kill you?"
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
"It would be quite difficult for me to believe. None of the people here were forced to stay against their will. Besides, if they were to kill me, then who would pay them?"
I gave a few nods.
"Yes, yes, that is quite the logical thought process, and I would agree with that. However, that is only assuming that each of them is who they claim to be."
"That's ridiculous! What are you even here for other than to disrupt us? Do you really think we're afraid of you?"
The first maid with blonde hair suddenly burst out in anger. The butler cast his eyes aside, however, I could tell that he had the same thoughts from his expression. As for the other maid, she still wasn't reacting.
Elijah raised an eyebrow.
"I've seen all of my servants on a daily basis. Do you not believe that I would be able to spot someone attempting to disguise themselves?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
"Well, this is a world of magic after all. Who's to say that there isn't someone that could perfectly mimic someone's outer appearance?"
Elijah scoffed and narrowed his eyes slightly. He was beginning to lose interest.
"Someone that had that kind of magic wouldn't need to go through so much trouble to disguise as one of my servants."
I clapped twice.
"Of course, of course. But why don't we double-check just to make sure?"
Elijah gave me a long hard look before clicking his tongue.
"Very well, ask your questions then."
I nodded.
"My thanks. By the way, since I don't personally know any of them, I would like you to confirm the truth of their questions. Now, may each of you speak your names?"
The first maid crossed her arms and said it through clenched teeth.
"Denny."
The butler shyly uttered his.
"Um, Servant Baros."
And the maid calmly answered with hers.
"Noelle."
Elijah nodded.
"Those are all correct."
I gave a quick nod before continuing.
"Now when did all of you become maids and butlers for this residence? I'm not asking for an exact date, but a general approximation."
"What? Why do you want to know that?"
Denny spoke up with anger. As for me, I tilted my head to the side and stared her down.
"Oh? Are you unable to answer the question? That's a little strange, isn't it?"
Denny flinched before scoffing.
"It's been... two years or so."
"Five years now."
"One year."
"That's correct."
...Hm. It seems my credibility is starting to go down by quite a bit. Oh well, it shouldn't be too long.
"Why did you all become servants for this household?"
"...I have to support myself somehow."
"I've looked for work, and was able to find it here."
"The same as them."
Elijah let out a sigh and turned to me.
"Isn't this getting a little bit ridiculous? These questions prove nothing."
I held up one finger.
"Then let me end it with one final one. When was the last time you've been groped by Elijah?"
Elijah narrowed his eyes and stared at me with a bit of anger.
"What are you asking?"
A chuckle escaped me.
"You wanted this to go faster, right? This is the only way that I can do so."
Elijah gave me a hateful stare but let it continue.
"Answer his question and that will be the end of it."
The first maid clenched her fists.
"A-A few days ago."
The butler kept his head down.
"I would prefer not to answer."
Then, the last maid spoke up.
"Never."
I then turned to Elijah with a smile on my face.
"Did you notice something strange?"
Elijah had a strange look on his face and was now staring rather intently at his servants. He eventually spoke up.
"Denny, what did you say?"
Denny flinched.
"W-What? Was I not supposed to say the truth?"
Elijah's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"...The truth?"
A sly smile formed on my face, though my mask covered it. I was starting to get a feeling that something strange was going on. For starters, it didn't seem like this person had any family around. Although that wouldn't be anything strange during modern times, I remember in these times people had families a tad bit earlier than usual.
It was a bit of a stretch, but I was willing to consider the possibility that Elijah was, to put it bluntly-
"Denny, I have never even gotten close to you before."
Gay.
Denny's eyes widened.
"W-What? But that's impossible!"
To be honest, I wasn't perfectly confident, because with people everything is rather uncertain. That's why I would always play with probabilities. Analyze certain factors about a person and find out the possible reasons. Though one of the biggest things was the fact that the real Elijah was still himself.
The entire time, it sat in the back of my mind as I thought of multiple explanations, this being one of them. It was too hard for the person to get close as a maid because the person in question wasn't interested.
I giggled and looked at Denny.
"I figured it was you from the start. The only problem was a way to convince everyone here."
"What? No... but... how?..."
That was kind of a lie, but I had my suspicions about her from the start. Under normal circumstances, a person with a brash and impulsive personality is very unlikely to hold onto secrets of any kind, unable to keep them even if they tried.
But the difference was that she was too calm at the start for someone with that personality. It seemed quite difficult for these people to control themselves considering how they acted in the game, so I figured that they would be one of the ones that would eventually crack.
Elijah pointed at her and yelled rather loudly.
"Seize her!"
Several guards came out all of a sudden like it was an ambush, and seeing this I immediately yelled out.
"DO NOT TOUCH HIM."
The guards froze up for a split second before turning to Elijah, trying to confirm things. This time Elijah looked at me with recognition, but also confusion.
"Didn't you say there was a fake? You found her, why are you trying to protect them?"
I raised my hand.
"I'm not trying to protect them, but rather you. Though it may be hard to believe, my friend and I have been tracking down this person for quite a while. His ability is strange mana that is able to steal another's body through physical contact."
Denny, or the person currently in Denny's body, widened his eyes significantly.
"What? How do you know that?"
I chuckled.
"As I've said, my friend and I have been tracking you for a long time. Of course, switching bodies makes it a bit harder to follow your tracks, but that's all. You can't escape our eyes so easily."
Elijah raised an eyebrow while looking at me.
"What? Are you sure? I've never heard of any magical spell that allows one to take another's body..."
I let out a small sigh.
"Say, which servant out of these is your least favorite?"
Elijah looked at me for a good few moments.
"What?"
He couldn't see my face, but it seemed Elijah noticed I was smiling from my eyes.
"We can just sacrifice them if you wish to see the ability, should you still have your doubts. After all, servants and the like are all replaceable folk."
Elijah rubbed his chin before nodding a few times.
"I suppose that is true... but if that really is the case, then it is better to be safe. How do we dispose of her safely?"
I held out one hand towards Nathan.
"He can simply burn her might finely. There shouldn't be a way for her to come back after that."
In the game, the best way to actually fight him was close combat at first, then backing off and using the fireball spell. That was because he wouldn't try to steal bodies at first, but the problem was when he starts to get low, he would then try to steal your body, after which it would be game over should he succeed.
Speaking of the game, I had already readied the blackout spell.
Denny stared at me with hateful eyes and was practically frothing at the mouth.
"Damn you!"
I saw the mana in his body begin to move strangely, which meant he was probably casting a spell. But I wasn't all that afraid.
The attention was not on me though, as basically everyone else was staring at Nathan, who had already conjured a fireball that was far larger than necessary.
I guess that's why nobody tried to stop Denny as her figure suddenly flashed forth.
RIght. Just because they were maids, didn't mean they didn't know any magic.
...But, this was what I wanted from the start.
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