Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Correction of typos made on 6/21.

Additional notes added on 6/21.

This is Satou. They say there are three people in the world who look like you, but I think it must be incredibly troublesome to share a face with a criminal, even more so than a celebrity.

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"Good evening, Your Majesty."

I casually spoke in the purple hair Nana-shi tone. The person I was addressing was the King of the Shiga Kingdom. Two days ago, I had left a letter in his office stating my planned visit, but he was the only one in the room. I thought he might have left a body double inside while he watched from another room or had Paladins stationed around, but no—only the Prime Minister and the head of the Eight Swords of Shiga were in the next room.

It felt a bit too careless.

"It's been a while, Nana-shi."

His voice was exactly the same as the body double’s. It seemed the setting that I met the body double in the Duke’s Capital was effective.

"I had some business far out in the heavens."

"Hmm, to be summoned to the celestial realm, you truly are a hero, saint, and the hero who saved the Shiga Kingdom."

No, it’s not the celestial realm, it’s space. But I figured I wouldn’t correct him; the explanation would be tedious.

He subtly acknowledged me as the hero of the Shiga Kingdom (....) but I just let it slide.

"Sorry to bother you during your busy time, Your Majesty."

"It matters not. I have wanted to see you as well."

Thanks to Arisa’s supervision, his speech tone felt even more awkward. If the goal was just to avoid being mistaken for Satou, there could have been a better tone. It was a painful failure, but I’d endure and carry it through. Maybe I could say that Nana-shi got into a stalemate with the Demon King and a new Nana-shi number two was born. That might work.

"What is it, Nana-shi?"

Oops, my thoughts ran wild.

"The first task is this."

"Do you mean to reject the Sky Sword?"

The King frowned at the counterfeit Clausolas I had presented. Returning the Holy Sword was like declaring he had no intention to protect the Shiga Kingdom from the Demon King. I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding quickly.

"It’s a misunderstanding. This is a fake. Unlike the previous rushed one, it restricts ownership and can even fly using a sacred verse."

This counterfeit is made from almost the same material as the genuine Clausolas, so a superficial appraisal can’t distinguish it from the real one. It’s an alloy of Orichalcum and Tilsilver, and it even has an automatic attack function using the same sacred verse as the original. Its attack power is inferior and it cannot transform or separate, but as a fake, it has sufficient performance. The system restricting ownership incorporates a circuit taught to me at the Elf Village. Originally, this was something I sought to prevent Pochi and the others’ equipment from being taken by enemies.

Only the "King of Shiga" and those he permits can own this fake Clausolas. The procedure is like the knighthood ceremony. Only one person can be registered at a time, and the last person permitted is effective.

"It should seem more genuine than the previous one, right?"

"Indeed. To me, it looks genuine."

"You’ll be able to tell it’s a fake once you use the sacred verse later. I wrote the details on this paper."

I handed over the instruction manual. I left the neat writing to Tifaliza, who wrote it with a blank expression, but clearly enjoyed it. She must like paperwork.

"To think such a Holy Sword was produced in such a short time..."

The King stroked his white beard and gazed at the fake Clausolas thoughtfully. It’s better not to mention that it took less than a week including design.

Anyway, this was just a prelude. I wanted him to accept it quickly so I could talk about the next matter.

"Nana-shi, will you show me your real face beneath the mask?"

"Sure. But just a little, since it’s embarrassing."

I had expected this request, so under the mask, I was wearing a disguise mask. This version 2 disguise mask was specially made with circuits from magical artifacts that block clairvoyance and recognition. The mask itself also contains a magic circuit for recognition inhibition, blocking most detection-type magical artifacts.