Chapter 72

King Mantis, I was reaching out to you, but I turned my body to face the source of the voice. It was not a person, but Yami Yoru. Without letting his guard down, he held a completely black, stylish sword he had never seen before, and looked at me with a stern face.

No matter how I looked at it, it was Mii-sama, but Yami Yoru had a wary expression. It seemed that things were going well, and I sighed with relief in my heart. If no one was wary of me, it would have been a problem. Yami Yoru's appearance was unexpected, but it was just right.

"Frigg-san?"

"Okay. I'm tailing you right now."

When I sent my thoughts to Frigg, I immediately received the response I had hoped for. You're doing great, Frigg-san.

"Plan L. Be careful, miss."

"No worries. Leave it to me."

I decided to enjoy the drop items later and turned to face Yami Yoru. Samurai and adventurers gathered in front of me, apparently having defeated the escaped Greater Mantises.

"Huh. My name is 'Jikufuunshin.'"

I puffed out my chest and answered with a "Mmm." My true identity is a secret, you know.

"Are you trying to deceive us with your cute appearance and a poor disguise? Are you mocking us?"

Yami Yoru asked in a stern, interrogating tone. The friendly Kongo-san and Martini-san were also on guard. Good, good, just as Frigg-san's plan.

"You! You're not Seina-sama!"

The samurai captain, who had confirmed the fallen King Mantis, stepped forward and shouted. I told you, I'm not Seina.

"Don't call me Mii-sama, please?"

Yami Yoru smiled, but her eyes were like a freezing blizzard. She's a bit scary.

"Oh, now that you mention it, it was obvious, wasn't it?"

Kongo-san, who had been convinced I was Mii-chan, scratched her cheek and joined the conversation. It seems she had explained to Yami Yoru that Mii was in battle. She looked uncomfortable.

I tilted my head, but Yami Yoru's eyes became sharper, indicating she wasn't fooled.

"Mii-sama came with me in the Teisei family's car. Do you understand the meaning of this?"

"Hmm, what do you mean?"

I leaned to the side and asked in return. Mii-chan, I don't get it, bup bup. When I asked in a mocking tone, the great detective Yami Yoru answered sharply.

"You didn't bring such a robe, and even if you did, you would have noticed the dagger and ring. I can sense the terrifying mana."

"Hmm? They just look like a slightly unusual dagger and a cheap ring to me."

To me, they really do look that way. A beautiful girl doesn't lie. However, Mii-chan's honest answer didn't reach Yami Yoru.

"Don't play games with me! I can sense the terrifying power of that magic item from a distance! If Mii-sama had such an item, I would have noticed. Who are you? And Mii-sama is missing. Where did you take her?"

Yami Yoru interrogated me. She clearly didn't believe I was Mii-sama.

It was a natural conclusion. No one would believe I was the world's cutest girl, Miharu, if they thought about it carefully.

The reason is that I am in a position where I cannot obtain such powerful items, and even if I did, I couldn't hide them. After all, this world doesn't have item boxes or infinite bags. I can't hide them in a treasure chest in my room.

I would definitely be found out. Unless I used a magic item that could hide mana. Moreover, Mii-chan couldn't possibly obtain such items.

Additionally, can a 10-year-old child defeat a King Mantis alone? It's clearly absurd. Moreover, since I occasionally delve into dungeons, Yami Yoru knows my skills. It's unimaginable that I could become a master swordsman during a stampede.

And in this world, there are characters who play such pranks. A jester who disrupts the scene, unique to novels. And one of them was here.

"Someone who suddenly wields great power, holding a powerful magic item never seen before, with the same power as a holy maiden, yet not being her... Do you kidnap people after pretending to help them? Changing your appearance... I've heard of it, Yami Yoru. The capricious 'Jester' called 'Loki.' A notorious mercenary mage!"

The captain pondered, muttered to himself, and then answered as if he had suddenly realized something. Oh, I was going to introduce myself, but this is fine.

Sherlock Holmes said that the result of excluding the impossible is always the truth. So, there was a possibility of reaching this conclusion.

"Who is 'Loki'?"

Yami Yoru's stern face made the captain nod bitterly.

"A mage who has appeared in this capital for several years. He causes chaos around the world, saving people in distress, helping revolutionary armies fighting against corrupt governments, or aiding dictatorships to crush revolutionary armies. He is an unknown mage who always causes chaos. It is said that he was first seen 15 years ago."

"I've heard of him! A mage who can transform into anyone."

Kongo-san, who knew the rumors of a famous mage she might have to fight, seemed to know the story.

"Yes, and he can use all the magic of the person he transforms into. Surprisingly, he can even use the latent abilities of the person."

Thank you, Captain. Ordinary mob mages can use powerful magic, and mediocre swordsmen can become masters when 'Loki' transforms into them. The author made 'Loki' too powerful.

That's right. Such a mage exists. A character who disrupts the story, from a mysterious old lady who helps the protagonist to a senior who transforms into an enemy and causes chaos. A cheat character who can even transform into monsters.

In the hidden temple, the seal is broken by 'Loki' transformed into a royal. I learned this from a side story in the game. It was probably a setting in the original, but I only read up to volume 10, so I didn't know.

I remembered that the hidden temple could only be unsealed by a royal because there was a hidden treasure room there. Most of the treasure was stolen when it was first opened, but there was a small room with useful items.

An NPC mentioned this when I was on a side quest to retrieve the items. I forgot who said it. It was a suspicious 'monster tamer' who tried to trick me and steal the treasure, but ended up as an experience point character.

I originally planned to find and remove the seal before it was unsealed. Plan A. But I couldn't find 'Loki' with Munnin. 'Loki' couldn't be found with Munnin because they act in secret.

So, I discussed with Frigg what to do if the hidden temple was unsealed. If the sealed temple was unsealed, a stampede would occur. I couldn't act in the shadows since I didn't have the power yet. But I couldn't ignore people dying for such a reason.

I could also predict that my game-like thinking would become a weakness. I would probably rush in and try to complete the quest.

So, I discussed with Frigg what to do. The story and the types of enemies that might appear. We didn't know if it would happen in this party, but we prepared just in case.

One plan was proposed.

Show full power without holding back. Even if it looks like Miharu, the equipment and skills are not Miharu's. A doppelganger goes on a rampage. Who is this person?

"Hehehe, you know well. My name is 'Loki.' A mage who loves chaos and confusion. Nice to meet you all."

I bowed cutely and greeted them.

Operation Plan L. The plan to impersonate Loki. The good thing about this plan is that even if I imitate the real person, the other party will be confused by how similar I am.

Yes, imitating the real person is a bit confusing. But this plan fits me, a bit careless. I think I'm just a bit careless, so I should be fine.

I will blame everything on Loki, a character who disrupts the story and confuses the protagonist.

Thus, the cute and talented Miharu's greeting healed everyone, and they smiled.

But it didn't happen.

"Loki! Where is Mii-sama? Why are you pretending to be her?"

I can't say she's right in front of me, so I shrugged and answered.

"I'm quite busy this time. I have triple bookings. I think I was also asked to kidnap that girl. She's probably on a drive by now. She has a lot of talent. I was going to show myself briefly and hide, but I got carried away by her talent."

I answered in a polite yet teasing tone. 'Loki' has a habit of testing the abilities of the form they take, so the scenario is that I enjoyed being Miharu.

The talented actress Miharu was supposed to dash into the enemy's treasure transport vehicle and take a nap.

"Kongo-san!"

"Sure! Leave it to me!"

When Yami Yoru called out sharply, Kongo-san and others nodded and moved away. Some samurai also ran off.

"Hey, aren't you going?"

I laughed and called out to Yami Yoru. Am I not a great actor? Maybe I should debut as a genius actor.

"First, I must capture you! Transforming into Mii-sama is unforgivable!"

"But I helped people. I think I deserve a commendation."

"Then please come with us. Your deeds deserve a great reward from His Majesty."

The captain said sternly, and the surrounding samurai subtly surrounded me. Their actions didn't match their words.

But this is a template scene. The genius actress Miharu will act according to the template.

"Unfortunately, I must decline. I'll see you again sometime."

I bowed politely and said goodbye. Bye, old man.

"I won't let you escape!"

Yami Yoru lunged at me. But without the 'Magic Armor,' Yami Yoru's level is low and can't match me. I need to be careful of the captain and others, who are fully equipped and have high levels.

The Imperial Ant stepped forward to shield me. Yami Yoru's sword hit the shield, and sparks flew. The Imperial Ant's body sank, and its HP decreased slightly.

Huh? The Imperial Ant's HP decreased? Even though it was blocked by the shield? What's with that sword? It has too much attack power. The Imperial Ant is a level 45 holy knight with high stats and great defense.

"Uoh!"

The captain and others also attacked me. This is bad!

"Imperial Ant!"

'Pride of the Holy Knight'

The Imperial Ant immediately used the skill I commanded. The skill made attacks on me ineffective, but this is dangerous.

"Then, let's mix it up."

I panicked and stumbled, but if I couldn't escape, it would be bad. My parents would scold me for being a delinquent. Other problems would arise as well.

I raised my hand slightly and activated a skill.

'Hide IV'

It's impossible to see through 'Hide IV' without a level of 60 to 70. As I disappeared in front of everyone, Miharu frantically waved her small hands and legs and fled. The end was a bit uncool, but it couldn't be helped. There was no practice, and it was the real thing.

I quickly left the scene. Sorry, Ant. I'll give you a sugar cube when I re-summon you.

...By the way, the Imperial Ant didn't disappear even after the battle ended? I need to investigate the summoning system and its time limits.