‘Is this… a greatsword?’
The heavy impact I felt in my arm was reminiscent of the Titan’s Vision Swordsmanship that Atlas occasionally used during sparring.
Comparatively, my stance was rather clumsy, but there was definitely a similar feeling.
“How dare you block my attack?”
Feeling offended that Amy had parried his strike, ‘Atlas’ swung his staff again.
But it seemed like Amy wouldn’t fall for his trick twice; she casually dodged the flailing staff, cutting through the air with a menacing sound.
“Who are you calling a fake, you lowly wench? I… I am Atlas! I am the proud heir to the noble Titan family whom you should look up to. No one else but me!!”
Unable to land his hit, ‘Atlas’ stomped his feet on the ground in frustration, as if furious at the innocent earth beneath him.
He looked small and scrawny, appearing quite weak, but every time his foot hit the ground, it reverberated as if there was a mini earthquake.
“Well… since you both seem to know ‘me’, I’ll let it slide this time. I don’t want to cause such a commotion here.”
His fierce aura vanished in an instant.
Changing as if nothing had ever happened, ‘Atlas’ smiled like the real Atlas, but it was an unsettling sight for both of them.
“… Were you the one who caused the ruckus at the port?”
“Port? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
‘Atlas’ feigned ignorance at Amy’s words.
As if he had no idea about anything.
Yet, Amy clearly understood from the earlier attack.
“That staff reeks of blood. Not just that, but your shoes do too.”
The strong stench of blood had resonated from the staff when it had swung toward her just now.
It couldn’t be old.
The smell was less than a day old.
Given that it was not smeared, it was evident that someone had been savagely beaten with that staff.
Seeing ‘Atlas’ react with disgust at her deduction only confirmed her suspicions.
“You’ve got a keen nose. I thought you were just a pest, but it seems you’re more like a beast.”
The explosive vibrations I felt from the main building also matched the style of the greatsword.
But that raised questions.
This ‘Atlas’ was clearly an impersonator of Atlas, so how could he wield Titan’s Vision Swordsmanship?
“What’s your true identity?”
Amy, usually polite, delivered her question with a rare sharpness.
It was the kind of attitude one would expect when confronting a demon.
Hearing her question, ‘Atlas’ replied with a self-satisfied smile.
“Me? I just told you not long ago. Did you not understand? Ah, I apologize; with your limited learning, you might not grasp something so obvious. Let me say it again, I am…”
Thinking Amy simply didn’t comprehend his previous statements, ‘Atlas’ began to explain himself once more, but River interrupted him.
“I’m not curious about your status. Why… how are you mimicking that person?”
“I’ve never mimicked anyone. I am who I am. Can you even imagine how surprised I was to suddenly fall into this empty plain from the Academy?”
Suddenly fell into an empty plain?
The nonsensical words were starting to pile up.
‘Atlas’ didn’t feel like an impersonator at all.
Rather, it was as if he was simply showing his true self… like he really was ‘Atlas’.
A completely different ‘Atlas’ from the one River and Amy knew.
“Alright, if we’re asking questions, then I have one for you. You know the Atlas Titan here, right? I’m curious about him. Where is he? Is he perhaps a bit slow-witted?”
“What…?”
The two looked at each other in disbelief at the nonsensical question.
“I don’t know how much you know about ‘me’, but I am the eldest son and the natural heir to my family. No one doubts that I will become the next Marquess. But… what is this guy?”
‘Atlas’ began to lament about his situation.
“When I went back to the main house, my younger sibling had taken over as head of the family. Honestly… I will never experience such humiliation again in my life. How foolish must I have been to let my younger sister—my little sister no less—take the head position?”
Taken over, not really the right term.
When I followed Atlas to the Titan’s Mansion, what we saw wasn’t like that.
His younger sibling, Metios, was almost crushed under the weight of the responsibility she had assumed, and Atlas helped her because of that.
It wasn’t a matter of seizing and being seized; it was a story of a loving sibling bond.
And what further irritated me was how he could belittle Atlas’s situation without knowing any of the truth.
“Ah… now I understand why I’ve fallen into this completely unfamiliar place. Is it a revelation to ‘enlighten’ the Titan’s bloodline while putting me in my place…? That sounds fun enough.”
Who on earth was scolding whom?
The impersonator that Atlas desired had ventured into the Academy by himself.
Since he had said he would return today, if I just stalled long enough, Atlas would come back and see his impersonator in the Academy, which would infuriate him.
And now this fake was eager to meet Atlas; how convenient.
“Should I attack now?”
I wondered if there was any need to wait for Amy.
Stalling meant needing to keep this fake ‘Atlas’ in sight to prevent him from fleeing to who-knows-where.
Because this ‘Atlas’ resembled Atlas, but was utterly different.
He had a knack for getting under people’s skin with extremely unpleasant remarks.
If allowed to run wild, who knew what kind of victims could arise from it?
“However… he does resemble Atlas. If he rampages within the Academy, that would lead to a troublesome situation for Atlas.”
Amy quickly decided that ‘Atlas’ was a fake, probably because the real ‘Atlas’ had never intended to hide his identity. Moreover, the voice only she could hear seemed to confirm it decisively.
[That’s Atlas.]
‘He’s definitely Atlas; I don’t need you to tell me that.’
[That’s not what I mean; he’s really Atlas. Just not the one you know.]
Even if I didn’t know this version of Atlas, I figured it could be true.
[This doesn’t make sense. How could that be…? Could it be possible? No, a demon couldn’t do such a thing…]
Amy was also confused by this ‘Atlas’ who looked just like the real one, but her companion seemed even more disturbed.
He usually spoke calmly, yet now he was visibly flustered.
[I have one question I want to ask him.]
After some deliberation, he urged her to pose a question.
No idea what he meant by that, but Amy followed along without hesitation.
“Do you know what year it is right now?”
“You think I wouldn’t know something like that? Right now, it is the year of the Empire’s strength…”
The year ‘Atlas’ boldly stated was significantly different from the current time.
It would only be returning in about two years.
I pondered why he had asked such a question, but as soon as I heard ‘Atlas’s’ answer, my companion shouted.
[Amy, draw your sword!]
“What?? Right now??”
I didn’t quite understand why I was suddenly being told to draw my sword, so I asked again, but my companion urgently repeated.
[You must kill him here and now!!! If not, it will be too late!!!]
“I think I have a rough idea now. I think I also know what needs to be done.”
As those words finished, ‘Atlas’ vanished.
One moment he was right in front of me, and then he felt like a mirage.
[To miss him right before my eyes… has he grown that strong already? Go back and gather your gear! He’s still inside the Academy.]
As ‘Atlas’ suddenly disappeared, my companion’s tone grew frantic.
It was odd, but why would someone go to such lengths for what was, after all, a person?
The instruction to draw my sword, and implying that ‘Atlas’ needed to die, was perplexing.
“Why are you so quick to tell me to kill him? Sure, he’s annoying and kind of a jerk, but is that really a reason to kill him?”
Sure, ‘Atlas’ was bothersome.
He resembled someone precious, yet acted completely different.
He was prejudiced, hated someone without knowing them, and lashed out without reason.
But that didn’t mean he deserved to die.
He didn’t seem like just an impersonator, so wouldn’t it be better to wait for Atlas to return before acting?
[No! You have no idea who he is!]
My companion seemed to think it was entirely irrelevant.
It was as if he knew who this fake ‘Atlas’ really was.
[That’s… a demon!!]
—————————-
A short distance from the main building, in a deserted area, ‘Atlas’ revealed himself once more.
Despite the ruckus at the port, no further uproar ensued, and it seemed that everyone was too busy with their own affairs in the main building to pay attention.
It was all different, but humorously enough, the Academy remained just as ‘Atlas’ had envisioned.
“Yeah… coming here has certainly clarified things for me. Should I just assume I’m in a completely different world?”
When he returned to the family estate, he had been skeptical, but being here solidified that understanding.
‘Atlas’ had washed up in a completely different world where another Atlas existed.
How he ended up in this situation was a mystery in itself.
“Becoming friendly with some nameless lowly noble and a test student… what a fool I’ve been.”
He recalled the two people he had just encountered.
They had somewhat decent looks, but their family background was meager.
They were people who never registered in his mind as influential figures across the continent—individuals he didn’t need to concern himself with.
In other words, they were utterly useless to him.
Thus, ‘Atlas’ considered spending his time on such people to be an enormous waste.
“Well, it’s no wonder I’d let such a little sister take over as head of the family.”
Building unnecessary connections was something he wouldn’t do; if they arose, it was better to cut them off quickly.
Seeing how cozy he was with those two just confirmed that the Atlas from this world was utterly different from him.
But this world’s Atlas was incredibly fortunate.
Since he had found himself in the presence of the ‘darling of the political world’.
“What can I do, then… I guess I’ll have to lend a hand.”
In the end, it seemed this was destiny itself.
He would extend a helping hand to this pitiful version of himself, who was just being mocked by nameless nobles.
