Chapter 212 : Chapter 212
Chapter 212
'Mimic Crumb' had left deep scars on the people of Schmeizen.
But the queen had said that Minister Belrsasal might be the mastermind behind it.
Regardless of the truth, the suspicion alone was enough to make the crowd vicious.
“My, they’re glaring quite frighteningly.”
Minister Belrsasal felt as if his entire body was tingling.
It was because the thousands in the crowd were glaring at him as one.
However, the old minister paid no heed and instead raised his voice.
“People of Schmeizen, do you believe such absurd words?
Why would this Belrsasal do such a thing?
In the first place, I do not have the ability to make that golden snow fall for 14 years.
There must be a limit to finding fault!”
As his words made sense, the crowd's fervor subsided.
“Was it wrong to find and bring Lord Yulan faster than anyone else?
How would I have known if he was a copy or not!
As Her Majesty said, he cannot be filtered out by any distinction method!”
The old minister did not stop speaking.
“That’s right, yes.
It is because I have been greedy in the past that I am receiving such suspicion……. But please, think again.
This old man has devoted his entire life to Schmeizen.”
Belrsasal knew well how to handle a crowd.
That appealing to emotion rather than reason was more effective.
At the old minister's few words, the crowd fell into confusion.
The queen's missing husband had appeared as two, and the queen and the minister were in conflict.
They were angry, but they did not know where to direct their anger.
“Your Majesty the Queen.”
Shion finally chimed in.
“Is it alright if I speak?”
“Go ahead, Shion of Merion.”
“First, how about we test the copy distinction method on the two Lord Yulans?
It seems you have already prepared for it.”
“You are quick-witted. You are right.”
The Widow Queen nodded.
She had already finished preparing the copy distinction method.
It was for the sake of showing the people.
She gestured from her high seat.
“The same person cannot be two.”
She recited the law of Schmeizen.
Dignity was embedded in her low, spreading voice.
“Therefore, we have a duty to filter out and isolate the fake for the peace of Schmeizen.
We carry out verification according to this duty.
There are no exceptions.”
Aida continued.
“Bring in the inspector.”
***
In Schmeizen, there exists a public institution dedicated to ‘Mimic Crumb’.
Among them, those called inspectors perform the task of distinguishing the real from the fake.
Andrew was an inspector outstanding enough to stand before the queen.
“I greet Your Majesty the Queen.”
Andrew knelt and prostrated himself very politely.
“I am Andrew Antibaum, Chief Inspector of the Copy Response Office.”
“Raise your head, Andrew.”
The Widow Queen spoke quietly.
Every word of their conversation was being heard by the crowd.
“There are two of the same person. What should be done then?”
“The same person cannot be two, Your Majesty. At least one must be a fake.”
“Then what shall we do?”
“First, we must filter them out.”
“Can you do it?”
“It is my mission.”
Andrew said confidently.
The Widow Queen opened her mouth with a satisfied face.
“Good.
Yulan Etgendorher, as the king's husband, holds the status of royalty, but I declare that until the fake is identified, he cannot enjoy any privilege based on that status.”
Normally, one could not touch or injure the body of royalty under any circumstances.
However, with the Widow Queen's declaration, Andrew became able to inspect without hesitation.
“Your Majesty, I have prepared three methods today.”
“Explain them one by one.”
“Yes.”
Andrew took a small bottle from his bosom.
“The first is distinction through a reagent.”
It contained a faint purple liquid.
“Utilizing the fact that ‘Mimic Crumb’ is ultimately a plant seed, we use a chemical that is harmless to the human body but brings fatal damage to plants.It is made by mixing various chemicals based on Majiro grass and Chyallo flower extract.”
Andrew carefully held out the reagent to Yulan.
Two Yulans, one was asleep and one was awake.
The one who was awake sprinkled the reagent on his own palm, and Andrew sprinkled it on the one who was asleep.
Nothing happened at all.
“…Like this, if there is no reaction, it means they are a real person.”
Andrew bowed his head.
“Both are real, Your Majesty.”
The Widow Queen rested her chin on her hand.
“How reliable is that reagent?”
“It is a reagent produced through the most precise process.
Out of 100 results, 85 can be trusted.”
“15 out of 100 cannot be trusted?”
“That is why it is necessary to cross-verify by conducting multiple tests concurrently.”
“Then try the next test.”
Andrew replied politely, “Yes.”
“The second is magic.”
Andrew Antibaum lowered his voice.
“Might I be permitted to display my trivial skills in front of Your Majesty?”
The queen nodded, and a light appeared behind Andrew's head.
It was the Halo, the proof of a mage.
Seeing that it had three focal points, he seemed to be a Three-Star Mage.
“We can distinguish copies through age-dating magic.Humans accumulate various traces of mana as they live and this was conceived from the fact that a newly made copy does not have such things.”
“How reliable is it?”
“When targeting a newly made copy, 95 out of 100 times can be trusted.”
It was originally magic used by archaeologists.
A white energy flickered from Andrew's hands.
He shot the white energy toward the two Yulans.
A grayish light with no particular difference was seen from both of them.
“……However, in the case of a copy that is 5 years or older, the reliability drops to 40.”
Andrew bowed his head deeply.
“Both are real, Your Majesty.”
“Move on to the last method immediately.”
“Yes.”
He whistled softly.
Hearing the small sound, barely audible, someone appeared.
They wore a long robe, and through it, legs with hooves like a deer could be seen.
“The third is the Forest-keeper tribe.”
Andrew smiled confidently.
“They can be trusted 99 out of 100 times.”
In the coldest land of Schmeizen, there is a forest sharp as a blade.
The Forest-keeper tribe lives there.
They resemble people but are not people, yet they are beings close to people.
They breathe mystery and walk in dreams.
And above all, they had the power to smell evil things.
“Hoerpa, my friend.Between those two Lord Yulans, can you distinguish which one is the fake?”
Andrew spoke carefully.
The Forest-keeper tribe does not talk with just anyone.
Even if the other person was the king of a country, if they were not a friend of the tribe, they would not exchange words.
Andrew Antibaum too could only become a friend of the Forest-keeper tribe after putting in constant effort.
“…….”
“Hm? What is it, tell me.”
“…….”
“……The stench is too strong? You don't know where it's coming from, but the smell of blood, the smell of screams, the smell of lies……?”
Shion smiled awkwardly.
It seemed it had smelled the stench wafting from inside his heart.
He pressed down firmly on the hunchback in his heart.
It hurt, but it didn't matter.
At that, Hoerpa's face brightened a little.
“Ah, is it a bit better now? Now I ask you, my friend.”
“…….”
“As expected, you’re reliable.”
Hoerpa approached the two Yulans.
When it took a step, it had a human face, but before long, it resembled a deer, and its snout elongated.
He brought his nose close to both Yulans and sniffed.
“…….”
“What?”
At Hoerpa's reply, Andrew let out a groan.
The Widow Queen asked.
“What does it say?”
“…Both of them……”
Andrew continued with difficulty.
“…It says it's real.”
A murmur flowed through the crowd.
The suppressed bewilderment flared up violently.
‘What? What is going on?’
‘Both are real? That can't be right! To think even the Forest-keeper tribe can't distinguish them…….’
‘Isn't that Forest-keeper tribe member lying?’
‘Idiot. The Forest-keeper tribe cannot lie.’
‘Then is it really the Minister's doing……?’
‘We don't know that either. If both are real, it means we don't know which one is fake.’
‘Both could be fake…….’
The thousands of people chattered amongst themselves.
A reality difficult to accept roamed and tore through them.
‘…More importantly, doesn't this mean it was possible that a fake couldn't be filtered out?’
Suspicion bloomed hazily.
The deeply buried anxiety leaped out excitedly.
The anxiety, which had grown in size as much as it had been ignored, firmly placed the blade of suspicion in each other's hands.
‘Beni.’
‘…What.’
‘…Weren't you copied 5 years ago?’
‘Hey! Why are you bringing that up! I'm real!’
‘…Why are you getting angry?’
‘Wouldn't you?’
Friends who had been close grabbed each other by the collar.
Nearby, there were parents who had brought their children.
‘You're real, right?’
‘What about you? Wait, why are you stopping Yubar from coming to me?’
‘…Don't come near the child.’
‘What!? Are you in your right mind?’
‘…You were copied last year too. You didn't even pass the reagent test.’
‘It came out that I was real in the test after that. I'm that child's father!’
Countless commotions broke out.
Commotion added to commotion, and it became chaos.
The thousands in the crowd each had their own lives, and suspicion shook all those lives at once.
The Widow Queen looked down at the division.
She just watched calmly.
It was a face so calm it was chilling.
Watching her unwavering eyes as her own people created a mess, Shion shook his head.
'She's not even thinking of stopping. She's really not in her right mind…….'
The Widow Queen turned her head.
I, who had been inwardly making a remark that wasn't quite slander, was slightly surprised to make eye contact with her.
However, I didn't show it and smiled brightly.
“Shion of Merion.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Now, what should be done?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“Because you started this.”
I realized the Widow Queen had no countermeasures for what came next.
She genuinely intended to push the aftermath onto me.
Even I couldn't help but be appalled.
To start something like this and then push the most important preparation onto a complete stranger!
The crowd of thousands could become tens of thousands at any moment.
There was even a high possibility they would become a mob.
“There is a way, right, Shion?”
“What will you do if I say there isn't?”
“The angry people will just tear us to shreds, I suppose. What can be done.”
The Widow Queen spoke as if her own life was nothing.
In fact, there were quite a few in the crowd glaring at the queen.
It was as if they were asking why she had to dig up something they could have lived with keeping covered.
Anger, by nature, often strikes at the innocent.
“So, is there a way?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Shion smiled.
“There is a way.”
***
“Shion, what are you trying to do by telling such a lie……”
Amethus whispered quietly.
“You said you didn't know what would happen from the moment we entered the prison.”
“Hm?”
Shion tilted his head.
“Ah. I didn't know what would happen.
But I did prepare a separate countermeasure for ‘Mimic Crumb’.”
“…You’re thorough.”
“It's basic. Isn't that obvious?”
“But I’ve never seen you prepare a countermeasure for ‘Mimic Crumb’.”
“Because there was no need to even prepare it.”
Shion patted Amethus's shoulder.
“You. You are my countermeasure.”
“……Me?”