He Became The Most Insane Emperor Of All Time [EN]: Chapter 186

“That Spirit King is definitely a fake. A doppelganger in disguise.”

“That is certainly the case. However, it seems rebel forces are gathering around this fake.”

Hendrick’s words gave me a rough idea of the situation.

The Elf Kingdom had utterly collapsed. The tyrant Spirit King was dead, and the Dark Elves had taken control.

Neither the proud High Elves nor the vast majority of Wood Elves would willingly accept the rule of the Dark Elves.

Rebellion was inevitable. But rebellions don’t easily happen without a central figure.

“They’re attempting a restoration rebellion centered around that fake Spirit King? The ones gathering aren’t fools; they probably already know he’s a fake.”

“Indeed. What matters is the justification and the central figure.”

I had certainly killed the Spirit King.

Frankly, even the most brain-damaged elves couldn’t be unaware of that.

Yet, this was quite effective. Because there’s no better justification than ‘the dead king has returned to reclaim the country.’

It not only allows them to claim the kingdom’s legitimacy but also adds the religious sanctity of resurrection.

Of course, he had to look like the real Spirit King, but since a doppelganger was transforming, that wouldn’t be a concern.

“But even if they gather, they’ll have no weapons or food, will they?”

That was the part I questioned.

I had definitely left the Elf Kingdom in ruins.

The army was crushed, and I induced famine in the kingdom. The industry was entirely seized, so there was no way to properly manufacture and distribute weapons.

Even if they rebelled, wouldn’t the Dark Elves easily suppress them?

“It seems they are gathering weapons through smuggling.”

“From the Dawnlight Society?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It seems to be the work of those subcontracted by them again.”

“Hmph, as the country’s situation improves, so many poisonous mushrooms sprout.”

The fact that shadows also grew as the empire prospered was quite bitter.

“Anyway, even if they subcontracted, there must be a channel directly supplying the rebels.”

“We have already identified it. A nobleman who settled in Elvengrad about two years ago…”

Hendrick had already identified a strong suspect. He handed me a document containing various details.

“From a southern baronetcy. In his mid-30s. His family was ruined by pirate rebels during the civil war. Afterward, he supposedly moved to Elvengrad with his last remaining assets. Family consists of… a wife and a daughter?”

“His wife is presumed dead during the civil war.”

“Nothing too strange so far. Unless he harbors resentment towards the empire for losing his family.”

If that were the case, ‘The Throne’ would have detected it as soon as he planned treason within the empire, but Elvengrad wasn’t imperial territory, so he must have avoided detection.

“However… there is one suspicious circumstance.”

“Suspicious circumstance?”

“Yes, this individual was originally an extreme racial discriminationist. He was known to abuse the elves he kept as slaves, but…”

“But?”

“Suddenly, one day, he changed. He began treating the elves he hired as slaves and servants with great respect…”

“Hmm…”

Is this one also a doppelganger?

That was my first thought. Frankly, this was more troublesome than the fake Spirit King roaming around.

“Are doppelgangers secretly plotting within the empire? That’s problematic.”

Even I, who captured Mirror, find it difficult to detect doppelgangers.

Of course, if they infiltrated the imperial palace, I would somehow ferret out those audacious ones, but if they started operating secretly throughout the empire, stealing the appearances of others, it would be difficult to find them.

‘The Throne’ can detect rebellions by imperial citizens, but it cannot yet detect the secret operations of enemies who are demons from birth.

“This won’t do. The only way is to find out what kind of plot they’re hatching directly.”

“Your Majesty, shall we send troops?”

“No, sending troops is on hold. Otherwise, they’ll hide, unless they’re complete fools.”

Moreover, even if it was a defeated nation, the Elf Kingdom was still a foreign country. I couldn’t send troops recklessly now.

“I had a fake identity I used in the Southern Territory before.”

“Are you planning to go undercover again?”

“That’s right. Elvengrad also has imperial companies and capitalists advancing there. If I disguise myself as a capitalist from an old noble family, they won’t recognize me.”

I had seen great success with that method in the Southern Territory. I had completely deceived the Abyssals.

“Wait, Emperor. You can’t think so easily.”

Then, Mirror, who had been watching, spoke up.

“Ordinary people wouldn’t recognize you easily as you say. But doppelgangers have a keen eye. They’ll immediately recognize a fake identity. More than anything, you can’t wear a mask like you did in the South, can you?”

“Do you think my face is known?”

“Doppelgangers definitely know at least your facial features. The demons can’t be completely unaware of your face either.”

That made sense.

I hadn’t directly encountered demons that often yet…

But I had been outside so frequently, and there had been incidents indirectly related to demons.

Moreover, I had actually confronted demons directly in the North, so the ones there might have spread my face around.

“So, you need at least a disguise.”

“You said doppelgangers have a keen eye? Won’t they recognize me even if I disguise myself?”

“That would be the case with a typical disguise.”

Mirror said with a confident smile.

“The only one who can deceive a doppelganger is another doppelganger. I’ll teach you my transformation technique.”

* * *

“There are more types of transformation techniques than you think.”

The most commonly known is Polymorph.

It’s a transformation technique using magic.

“Polymorph is the simplest. It distorts existence with a spell using magic power. It’s an easier concept than others.”

“It doesn’t seem like an easy concept at all. Why is it easy?”

“Because magic power and means are the most common. It’s the most powerful. Of course, that’s a relative assessment, but it’s the easiest concept, like making a shape with clay.”

Because it’s a principle of distorting existence, it’s convenient for the one transforming. Even if a wizard transforms into a giant dragon, they don’t feel any particular discomfort. Conversely, the same is true even if a dragon transforms into a human.

“But this method is easy to get caught if the transformation is clumsy. It’s also easy to get caught by detecting magic power.”

“So, there are other methods?”

“Yes, there’s another one called Transformation, as the name suggests. It’s mainly used by druids, werewolves, or shadow assassins of the Dark Elves. It’s literally transforming.”

A method of transforming by directly changing the body.

It’s a somewhat crude method, but it has its own advantages.

“This method can evade detection most easily. Unlike Polymorph, there’s no distortion of magic power, so it’s difficult to detect. Moreover, this transformation technique can help in combat depending on the application.”

It’s not just for infiltration transformations; there are also ways to apply it to combat, such as hardening the skin, sharpening nails like blades, or lengthening arms.

“Then what are the disadvantages?”

“It’s very difficult to use.”

“That’s a fatal flaw.”

“That’s right. The more delicate the transformation, the more difficult it is, so it’s not really suitable for transformations for infiltration.”

Mirror said up to that point and then raised her third finger.

“So here’s a question, which of these transformation techniques do doppelgangers use?”

“You mean one of those two?”

“……Hmm, maybe?”

Mirror smiled with a mischievous expression. I recalled the characteristics I experienced when I captured Mirror.

“Hmm… First of all, it wasn’t easily detected. So it’s not just simple magic. But it’s not just physical either.”

Doppelgangers transform so perfectly that they’re indistinguishable. They even show the skill of stealing memories.

Even when she transformed into my mother, the Grand Empress Dowager, I was only able to figure it out by deducing from the assumption that ‘emotions cannot be replicated.’

So, from what I’ve experienced, the doppelganger’s transformation technique has both of the preceding characteristics.

“Is the answer perhaps both?”

“80 points for that answer.”

“I think I did pretty well with that. But how does that happen?”

“A doppelganger’s transformation clearly has both the properties of distorting existence and changing substance. But there’s one more thing.”

As Mirror said that, she transformed into my appearance. The transformed appearance perfectly resembled everything from the clothes to my detailed features and atmosphere.

But there was something more than that. It felt like Mirror had taken something unique that I possessed.

“It’s about copying the uniqueness of the soul.”

“……Stealing the uniqueness of the soul. It reminds me of the saying that doppelgangers kill each other when they meet.”

“That’s nonsense. Of course, seeing a doppelganger who stole your appearance makes you feel murderous, but simply encountering one doesn’t create murderous intent. People who feel murderous intent when they look in the mirror… well, it’s probably not common?”

Mirror said that, concentrating magic power in her hand. Then, a small flame arose in her hand.

“……The Flame of Purification.”

“That’s right. And this is, Imperial Soul.”

“Can you use my abilities?”

“To the extent that my soul’s vessel allows. Of course, it’s impossible to perfectly copy you. You’ve become as strong as a god since we first met.”

Mirror soon scattered the flames and pure white light, adding.

“Because it’s copying the soul, you can steal concepts beyond what’s visible like this. In that sense… you were the first to find the flaw that ‘the emotions of that time’ cannot be stolen. Unlike memories, which are engraved in the soul, emotions are… a bit ambiguous. To be precise, they are engraved, but they are concepts that are not well remembered.”

So that’s what Mirror missed back then.

“Anyway, I’m going to teach that to you.”

“Can I really use that?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you teach me sooner?”

“Because it wasn’t possible before. Because this ability is a dark power. Unlike me, who is a demon by birth, you are… closer to light. It’s hard to believe just by looking at your actions.”

“……”

It feels a bit sarcastic. Well, it’s not wrong, so I decided to move on.

“But recently, you’ve gained a powerful dark force.”

“……Kerebres’ Dark Blood.”

“I don’t know what that is, but I feel a powerful dark force from you, enough to make even a decent demon take a step back. What happened?”

“It’s complicated to explain. So, how do I start?”

“It’s simple, even a doppelganger can learn it easily. If you let me feel just one thing. It’s a kind of trade.”

It somehow felt like a devil’s deal.

“What should I think of?”

“Doppelgangers are obsessed with ‘uniqueness.’ We always want to feel that uniqueness. So think of the ‘only unique existence in the world’ that you think of. So that the uniqueness can be conveyed.”

“……”

After hearing the reason, it was truly a doppelganger-like reason. Is the greatest joy for a doppelganger witnessing ‘uniqueness’?

“It doesn’t have to be yourself. But it must be a figure that no one can easily figure out. Because that figure will be your weakness.”

“What happens if I get caught?”

“If you get caught by another doppelganger……”

Mirror said with a bitter smile.

“The uniqueness of your soul will disappear as it is. It will be taken away by the one who imitates that figure.”