Future Diary Survival Game

Chapter 84: Doppelgänger - 2

After reading the Diary Book, I rubbed both my arms roughly.

Goosebumps had broken out all over my skin.

To be honest, this was the creepiest future I had ever read so far.

Even those entries that had predicted my party members’ deaths hadn’t shaken me this much.

‘What the hell does that even mean? “Do you think your companions are real”...?’

[Well.]

‘I knew you’d say that.’

Let’s think this through calmly.

If Magireta had said something like that, then at face value, it meant that the party members in the Future Diary were fake.

But how was that even possible?

Could they have been replaced by impostors?

And the version of me inside the Future Diary hadn’t even noticed?

[Well, let’s put that matter aside for now.]

‘No, that’s not something we can just put aside.’

[Why don’t you check out the new function you’ve gained this time?]

At those words, I felt my curiosity stir a little.

The Encyclopedia lv.1 function, right?

‘Your functions are all so… remarkably straightforward.’

[Thank you.]

‘I meant that as an insult. Anyway, judging by the name, I guess it lets me look up various bits of information?’

[Yes. Since it’s only lv.1, you won’t be able to see all the information about a subject, though.]

‘Compared to the functions I’ve unlocked so far, it sounds a bit underwhelming.’

At that, the Diary Book fluttered its pages.

[You should at least try it before saying that.]

‘Huh?’

[Do you think ordinary human encyclopedias have entries on things like Hellfire Monsters or Altar Monsters?]

‘So you’re saying…’

[Yes. It means you’ll be able to access countless kinds of information that you otherwise could never have known.]

The Diary Book explained in detail.

The Future Diary never recorded anything that I, the one who wrote it, didn’t already know.

In other words, even the Future Diary wasn’t a perfect guidebook.

But the Encyclopedia contained detailed information about things that even the version of me inside the Future Diary hadn’t known.

Depending on how you looked at it, it was practically like solving a problem while peeking at the answer key.

I decided to test it out right away.

‘Then I want to look up information about the Altar Monster.’

[That’s not possible.]

‘Huh?’

[“Altar Monster” is merely a temporary name that you people made up. It’s not the creature’s true name. You must know its exact designation to access its entry.]

‘…….’

[Also, if you want to search for an individual being, you must know their true name. Searching for “human” will show things like the species’ average lifespan and characteristics, but if you want to find information about Mason, then you’ll need Mason’s true name.]

‘Then what’s the Altar Monster’s real name?’

[Well, that I don’t know.]

……

Useless.

When I looked at the Diary Book with clear dissatisfaction, it spoke up.

[You were just thinking something rude, weren’t you?]

‘Yeah, I was.’

[You’re supposed to deny that kind of question.]

‘You said earlier that an individual has to be searched by their true name… What exactly does “true name” mean?’

[It means the first name ever bestowed upon that being at the moment they were given life.]

Hmm.

Then if I searched Mason Gear, no information would show up.

After all, that was a name I had given myself back when I’d lost my memories.

The very first name I’d ever been granted must’ve been something else entirely.

The same logic would apply to Edgar Tyler.

He had participated in the game five times, and he’d said that he made a new name for himself every single time.

Edgar was simply the name he’d chosen for this round.

Unless I could somehow uncover the first name he’d received over three hundred years ago, the Encyclopedia would be useless.

‘Ah! Wait. I want to look up Magireta’s page.’

[No results found.]

‘……So Magireta isn’t her real name either, huh.’

Well, considering she always hid her face beneath that hood, that wasn’t too surprising.

If Magireta had turned out to be her true name, that would’ve been the real shock.

[That might be the reason—or it could simply be because it’s only lv.1.]

‘I see.’

I decided to let it go and began testing the function by checking the information of each of my party members one by one.

For example, in the case of Armelia:

<■ Armelia Kerr Dneroum

Species: Human

Gender: Female

Age: 22

Weight……>

Information like that continued to be listed one after another.

For reference, it even included details such as weight, bust, and waist measurements, but I didn’t bother to memorize them.

It just felt… impolite somehow.

<-Traits

: Possesses Perfect Recall. She can flawlessly remember anything she has seen, heard, or experienced once.

Holder of the Light of Healing. As long as the organ isn’t completely destroyed, she can restore most physical damage.

……

…….>

I turned the page with interest.

Most of it was information I already knew, but seeing it written out so neatly in text gave it a new sense of clarity.

‘So if I can just figure out the monsters’ true names, I’ll be able to find information on them like this too.’

This function would definitely have many uses. Google seaʀᴄh novel⁂fire.net

Rubbing my palms together, I organized my thoughts.

Then the Diary Book spoke.

[Lastly…… about the request you made before.]

‘Hm? Oh.’

[Yes. Before the Frozen Season Quest began, 163 people were registered on the administrator page. Of those, 41 have been eliminated, and 95 new ones have been added. There are currently 217 people registered.]

I had asked to be notified if any of “the people I had once saved” were to die after the Diet Quest ended.

I see.

I had given them advice before the quest began, but I guess it still wasn’t enough.

‘Read me the names of those who disappeared from the page. One by one.’

[Understood. First……]

Each time the Diary Book recited a name, I took a short moment of silent mourning.

After several minutes had passed—

[Next, Diana Mame has been eliminated.]

‘Alright. ……Hm?’

Something snagged in my mind.

If it was Diana Mame……

My mind raced quickly.

And soon, I realized the reason.

The reason why the Magireta inside the Future Diary had called my companions fake.

The next day.

My companions gathered around the table, moving sluggishly.

I had told them to get plenty of rest, but it seemed that hadn’t been possible.

Not a word was spoken throughout breakfast.

Eventually, Berseum cleared his throat and spoke first.

“I thought about it all night…… If we win the final victory, we can make our wish come true, right?”

“Yes. That’s what Magireta said.”

“Phew. Then let’s aim for victory. No matter what happens along the way, or what we have to do to get there, we’ll endure it all.”

Though he avoided being specific, I understood what Berseum meant.

Even if the coming quests forced us to fight monsters—

Even if it meant killing them—he was telling us to grit our teeth and push through.

After all, the wish could undo everything in the end.

It might not be an optimistic mindset, but it was certainly a realistic one.

I smiled and nodded.

“My goal has been victory from the start, so your words aren’t news to me, brother.”

“Hmm.”

“Whatever the case, we’re trapped in the middle of a game where lives are constantly at stake. Let’s put aside all unnecessary thoughts for now and focus on surviving until the very end—until we win.”

Everyone nodded.

Their expressions looked far more relaxed than they had the night before.

I continued, riding the flow of conversation.

“And soon, Diana Mame will come looking for us.”

“……?”

“What’s with that face, Aina?”

“It’s just such a random topic change. Who even is Diana, anyway?”

“You……”

“Don’t you dare say I’m stupid.”

I hadn’t even said anything yet.

Benjamin comforted her.

“Aina, as I always say—you’re a smart one. You just don’t study.”

“Uh…… That doesn’t really sound like a compliment.”

Armelia spoke up.

“If it’s Diana, wasn’t she the one who participated in the Pop Quiz Quest with us? And afterward, during the Kanesella incident, she helped us dispel the magic.”

“That’s right, Your Highness. For reference, Aina was there that time too.”

“Ah, come on. I’m just bad with names, okay?”

“Anyway, she’ll be showing up soon. Or rather—someone wearing her face will.”

My odd remark made everyone tilt their heads in puzzlement.

I recalled the Future Diary I had seen before.

It was from before the Frozen Season Quest began.

In the Future Diary I had checked for hints, it said Diana had used a compass to find me.

That timing was after the Frozen Season Quest ended.

In other words — now.

‘But when I looked at the administrator page yesterday…’

[“Diana Mame had been eliminated.”]

Right. She had been eliminated.

She was no longer in this world.

Then who was the woman who had come to find me in the Future Diary?

I couldn’t tell her identity, but I was sure it wasn’t Diana.

‘Thinking back now, it’s a strange story.’

Diana wasn’t the type to snatch a compass from Edgar, who repeatedly died and revived.

Even if that had been possible, there’d be no reason for her to travel across continents just to seek me out.

I sighed and said, “Diana is already dead. She was probably eliminated in the Frozen Season Quest.”

Armelia closed her eyes gently.

Aina and Berseum did the same.

Those three had met Diana in person, and she’d been a great help during the Kanesella incident.

After a moment, Aina said, “I remember who it is now. It’s unfortunate, but many of the people we met before were probably eliminated. As I said earlier, let’s focus on the main objective.”

“Phew. Right. Mason, Diana is dead, so what do you mean she’s going to come looking for us?”

“In short, it means it won’t be her.”

“Could it be a disguise?”

“Hmm. That’s possible… but let’s imagine a bit more. For example, they might have used magic.”

Berseum interjected.

“You mean there’s another magician besides me?”

“Only a hypothesis.”

“Hmm… With an illusion magic you could deceive the eyes. Of course, assuming I’m not absent.”

“I see. Then we’ll leave that to you, brother.”

If someone had used magic to conceal their appearance, Berseum could dispel it.

If it was an ordinary disguise, Aina or Benjamin wouldn’t be fooled.

The reason I had been deceived in the Future Diary was that I had lost all the party members who could have seen through the deception.

Only Sienne had survived, but she had never met Diana and couldn’t see.

“Let’s set aside how they changed into Diana’s appearance. What matters is why.”

“Hmm.”

“The opponent will come to us with a clear purpose. Whether it’s hostile or friendly, we should remain on guard if they approach while deceiving us.”

“…….”

“There’s another reason to be careful.”

I said cautiously, “If the opponent can transform into anyone’s appearance, they could take on the form of one of our party members.”

Everyone’s breath stopped.

Indeed.

This was why Magireta in the last pages of the Future Diary had said she hadn’t been able to gather all the ‘possibilities’.

Her question — did I really think my companions were genuine? — meant that one of the party members beside me in the diary had been fake.

We couldn’t take that risk going into a quest.

“If Diana approaches, capture her alive without question. We must find out why she visited.”

“Mm.”

“But if capturing alive is impossible—”

“Then we kill her.”

At Sienne’s words I nodded silently.

The others seemed to agree as well.

After three days of preparing ourselves, there came a brisk knock early one morning.

Knock knock.

“Is Mason here by any chance?”

We all looked at each other and nodded.

The voice was unmistakably Diana’s.

I whispered in a small voice, “Even the voice is identical.”

“Is there a magic that can mimic someone’s voice as well? Lord Berseum.”

“…….”

“Lord Berseum?”

“That is not magic.”

Berseum’s voice lowered.

It sounded slightly shaky.

“I can feel no movement of mana whatsoever.”

“But if it’s not magic, then how could the voice be—”

“I don’t know either.”

“What should we do? Mason.”

There was no need to be asked.

I said firmly, “Let’s capture them.”