An End Will Come Someday
For everyone, the end comes sooner or later. Some have a longer journey, others shorter, but everyone eventually faces their final farewell. For me, it just happened a bit earlier.
Perhaps I should consider myself fortunate. It's not a parting due to some unfortunate incident, but rather one for the sake of each other. I will be absorbed back into the original, contributing to world peace, while the people of the Northern Duke’s household can continue their lives as they are.
Of course... it’s not like I’m entirely free of regrets.
But I’m not planning to throw a tantrum. Every bit of computational power is crucial for suppressing "it." If I were to run away, the happy ending with Yuri and Yuna would only become more distant.
If my refusal to fulfill my duty leads to others’ unhappiness, how much meaning would that happiness hold? And, thinking rationally, my absence would likely be beneficial to the North as well.
A fully functional mad wizard could resolve incidents magically and disappear, so it's better if the less capable duplicate like me just vanishes.
Yes, I must accept this.
It’s not even a lonely or desolate end. They say people leave their names behind after they die, so even if I go, my name will remain. The memories we shared will remain.
So... in their minds, I hope they will remember me as Hart. That would be nice.
As I looked out the window at the original, I offered a farewell that was both sincere and ambiguous.
"Neriel, thank you for everything."
"What’s with that ominous line? Does it have something to do with that person? Should I run to Elvilion and tell him to chase them away?"
"No. I’ll go talk to them. Besides... nothing will really change, so don’t worry."
"What do you mean by that?"
I didn’t answer and confidently started walking. I descended the stairs to the first floor. I could hear Neriel hurriedly following behind me.
The concern on her face was evident, and it tugged at my heartstrings.
Why does this make me feel a bit emotional? It’s a rule that fragments detached from the original get absorbed. Rationally, I haven’t even been in the North for that long.
...Ah, I see.
I’ve already become close friends with Neriel. More than I realized, I don’t want to let go of this life.
When I close my eyes, the memories come back vividly. The scene of us drinking tea together, talking... Or, I’m sorry to say, the look on her face when I broke a frame over her head. She looked so surprised; it was hilarious.
Yes, it was fun.
All the more reason, for Neriel’s happiness...
Opening the front door of the mansion, I spoke confidently.
"Welcome, everyone... to the Northern Duke’s mansion. I’m Hart, a lowly maid managing this house. I’ve been expecting you."
"...!!"
And then, I locked eyes with the original, disguised as Hart.
I am them, and they are me. We share the same thoughts and flow. It’s only natural, as we are the same person. So... we can communicate without a word.
My appearance conveyed that the "Mima fragment had been posing as Hart in the North." Now the next step was the problem.
I decided it wasn’t wise to reveal the truth.
If I told Neriel that I was just a fragment of the original, she would definitely ask, "Can’t you just stay as you are?" She’d try to hold me back.
I could hear the maids gossiping from the windows.
"What's going on? Did Hart have a twin sister?"
"Then, right now... Is the twin here to seduce the Duke?!"
"What should we do? Lady Neriel’s position has now been reduced to just 25%...!"
It’s not unreasonable to think there are twins if there are two women who look exactly the same. But I don’t want this to turn into a love drama. I’m here for the sake of Neriel and the Duke’s household.
So, how should I steer this situation to resolve it harmoniously? The first idea that comes to mind is the doppelganger story. Let’s go with that.
The original must have thought the same up to this point. What do you say?
"..."
"..."
Alright. The theme is doppelganger. A brief eye contact confirmed our plan.
For a clean farewell, it’s easier if I, the fragment, play the villain.
Let’s create a backstory. I’m the escaped doppelganger, and the original finally caught me after a relentless pursuit. I’ll admit I didn’t expect them to chase me all the way to the North and then accept my fate.
The original can handle the rest. They’ll explain that I was originally Hart or that the doppelganger was created by some magic experiment, or whatever.
I’ve thought it through. Have you?
A nod. A small, butterfly-like nod to reconfirm. Alright, let’s go. In sync, let’s nail this in one go, original. Ready, one, two, three.
"...You’ve finally caught up to me. I thought I wouldn’t be discovered if I fled to the North."
"...You set a trap and waited for me? I thought I wouldn’t be discovered if I fled to the North."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
No. We overlapped. We both ended up claiming to be the fake.
No, damn it. I’m the one who’s supposed to be absorbed, so I should be the one playing the fake!
What is this fragment thinking?
They should have understood by the time we arrived in the North that there was something the Duke’s household needed to deal with. So, in that situation...
If I had declared, "I finally caught you, you doppelganger! I’m going to swallow you up!" and then absorbed the fragment, how do you think the lady of the house would have reacted? She wouldn’t have been too friendly, that’s for sure.
I could tell just by looking at her eyes that the fragment had done a good job earning favor in the North.
So, wouldn’t it have been cleaner to make the fragment the main actor, play the role of the doppelganger myself, convince everyone of the strange situation of two identical people, and then wrap things up nicely?
You should have gone along with it.
If Hart suddenly appeared at the Northern Duke’s mansion, it would be a clever trap to catch this doppelganger impostor. Now I can finally rest easy! That kind of feeling.
Fine, I get it. I understand. It’s messed up.
Since I’m the original, I’ll be generous and go along with whatever you want. So, the fragment is the doppelganger villain, and I’m the one who tracked her down here, right?
Then, let’s pretend the previous lines didn’t happen. Reset.
I cleared my throat and struck a detective-like pose to reveal the truth.
"I’ve finally caught you, doppelganger. I don’t know what schemes you’ve been plotting in my form, but—"
"I’ve finally caught you, doppelganger. I don’t know what plots you’ve been scheming in my form, but—"
"Hey."
"Hey, what the—"
We overlapped again.
I shot the fragment a look that said, "Just stay still, I’ll handle this," but the fragment gave me the same look back!
The fragment and I are subtly the same person. If we were completely identical, it would have been easier to divide the roles, but the slight differences led to this mistake.
After overthinking it, we kept arriving at the same conclusion...
The lady of the house’s expression was becoming increasingly strange, and the maids who were watching were clearly confused. If you listen closely, even their speculations were starting to go off the rails.
"Is this some new form of mind game we don’t understand? Reading each other’s lines and perfectly mimicking them..."
"Didn’t they say it’s a doppelganger? I’m telling you, she’s here to take Hart’s place and seduce the Duke..."
"No, I think there’s a hidden truth behind this. Look at that group over there, especially that handsome man with one eye covered by his hair... He’s the mastermind!"
From that point, the tension started to rise sharply.
A foreboding sense ran down my spine that if we kept fumbling like this, the entire setup would collapse.
If Yuna and Yuri were to step in and sort things out now...
"Shouldn’t we help them?"
"It seems like things are getting tangled up. But this is getting interesting, so let’s watch a bit longer."
"No, I’ll help. To clear up any misunderstandings, I’ll summon a hundred Harts here and make them do a flash mob..."
No, Yuna, please, just stay put. Please just stay put.
The fragment Hart’s expression also grew tense.
Think. What’s the best way to resolve this situation? And... how can I get ahead of the fragment Hart’s thoughts?
Logically, we should attempt another position change. But if the villain lines overlap again, it’s over. In this situation... I have to break the game.
Neither rock nor paper, I’ll throw a gun.
Transformation cancel!
I’ll shatter the premise that there are two Harts. I came in this form to try winning Daisy’s favor, but if the fragment Hart has already done that, there’s no reason to keep up the appearance.
If I return to my original form, my male form, then all the problems should be neatly resolved. I snapped my fingers and canceled the hologram.
Snap! Snap!
"Haha, I was just playing around with some illusion magic..."
"It’s time I revealed my true form..."
And then, both I and the fragment simultaneously transformed into the mad wizard.
"Could you please just stay still?!"
"I’m trying to help, what’s your problem?!"
The situation spiraled out of control into something completely absurd.
Neriel, the second wife of the Northern Duke, was unable to keep up with the fact that there were two Harts, then Hart was a man, and then there were two men. Her brain essentially shut down.
"Can you please just stay still? I’ll take the lead, so follow my cues!"
"Is it not enough that I have to be absorbed? Do I really have to endure this too?!"
What kind of mess is this?
Wondering if she was the only one who didn’t understand, she listened to the maids’ reactions.
"So, Hart’s actually a man... Does that mean...? Is that why the Duke has been neglecting Lady Neriel...?"
"No, it’s probably some kind of transformation magic. He was originally a woman, but he’s pretending to be a man now. If he were a man, how could he have taught us makeup so meticulously?"
"I think it’s a man pretending to be a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be..."
The more she thought about it, the less sense it made, and it only gave her a headache. But her dear friend Hart had once told her what to do in situations like this. Focus on the essentials first.
The important thing was that Hart seemed troubled right now.
So, it was time to step up for her friend. With anger and determination, Neriel clenched her fist. She needed a tool.
While the mad wizard and the Hart transformed into the mad wizard were arguing, Neriel dashed to her husband’s study. There was a tool there.
"Neriel, wait. Why are you grabbing that portrait of her? That’s one of my prized..."
"I’ll just borrow it for a moment, Elvilion!"
"..."
She grabbed the frame.
Inside the frame, the portrait of Hart smiled back at her, filling her with infinite courage. Yes, the frame held the answer. She whispered a victorious spell.
"May this frame forgive you—"
Even this tangled mess could be solved with the frame!
"Step away from Hart. I don’t care who you are—!"
"Wait a minute, Lady, this is a misunderstanding—wait, a frame?!"
As Neriel came running with the frame, the mad wizard, sensing danger from her movements, grabbed the fragment Hart and hid behind them.
This greatly flustered the fragment Hart, who shrieked in panic!
"Hey, get your hands off me, you bastard!"
"Hey, man, I’m not interested in guys—wait, is your consciousness female?!"
"I said, get away from Hart, you perverted mad wizard!"
"Ahhh!"
A chaotic game of tag erupted in the mansion's courtyard. Neriel, with her dress billowing, swung the frame, and the mad wizard frantically dodged.
Although the fragment and the original Mima looked identical, Neriel was determined to distinguish them and was dead set on smashing the original’s head with the frame. Hart was slightly touched by this.
Yuna was hesitating whether to intervene, while Yuri decided that it would be best to save the mad wizard just before the frame struck his head.
Bennett, meanwhile, seriously considered using force to subdue everyone. After all, with his sister's life hanging by a thread, he had no patience for such a farce.
The chaos was finally quelled by the Duke of the North, Elvilion Julius.
Chasing after his frame-stealing wife, he appeared and silenced the commotion with a single, quiet statement.
"Hart, and the person inside Hart. It seems this isn’t something that can be resolved with lies, so why don’t you both stop fighting and come inside?"
"...?"
It was a chilling and shocking statement. Hart stammered.
"D-Daisy... Y-You knew? About my identity?"
"I suspected it at the Holy City, and now I’m certain."
Both the original Mima and Hart shrank back simultaneously. The Northern Duke had figured it out. He had swallowed the red pill that the woman he knew as Hart was actually a man.
Would he be angry? He’d probably be furious. It wouldn’t be surprising if he pulled out a sword upon learning that a dark male figure had been hiding behind the illusion of a virtual woman.
If we go inside the mansion, will an assassin be waiting to cut our throats? It was a genuine concern.
However...
"Age or gender shouldn’t matter when making friends. What matters is how well your hearts connect."
"...!!"
"You... don’t care...?"
Before the Northern Duke’s broad-mindedness, the chaos came to an end.
Arthe Roffelman, who had stayed up late conducting alchemy experiments and had only risen when the sun was already high, greeted the visitors with drowsy eyes still heavy with sleep.
"You’re... a friend of Hart’s? And you’re looking for an elixir to extend someone’s life?"
"Friend, yes, and... explaining would be a bit complicated."
"I’m sorry, but life isn’t something that can be extended so easily. You need to tailor the ingredients to the individual’s unique traits, which requires at least five years of research and precise calculations based on that..."
"Oh, that’s fine."
What’s five years of calculations to a human computer?