Paradigm Parasite

　Why are you with me?”

 

　I popped him on the forehead with my finger because he was being so noisy.

　First of all, I had to make sure.
I have a bad feeling about this.

 

　”I'm sorry to confuse you, but can you tell me your name first?”

　”……My, my name is…”

 

Biting his lips, as if he were trying to remember, he said his name.

 

“I am Rothfeld.
I am the Rothfeldt Oratorium.”

 

　”…you mean.
That he had taken the body of my daughter and was living as her?”

 

　We decided to rearrange the conversation and to take care of Hoffer, who was frozen in his office, and we moved the place to the reception room on the first floor.
The stairs were broken, so it was difficult to get down, but we managed.

　Hoffer talked to the people in the mansion and sent them away.

　We all sat down on the sofa and talked.

 

“Yes, your daughter is already dead”.

　”Then they tried to take your body and failed.
Somehow, she's got the old you in her.”

　”That's true.”

　”I'm not sure I understand this old you…”

 

　Hoffer looks at the one who used to be his daughter sitting next to him.

 

　”I was killed a while ago and then revived…”

 

For the time being, the two of us were miraculously revived at the time of our deaths, and the persona that was born at that time was me.

I explained to them that the person who was born at that time was me, and the person who was replaced this time was the original me.

　I'm sure they wouldn't understand if I told them I was reincarnated in another world, so I'd like to keep my constitution as secret as possible.

 

　As it stands, it's not known.

I want to take advantage of the benefits of keeping it under wraps.

It's the only reason I've been able to win.

 

　”Wait a minute.
Does that mean I have to live like this?”

 

　Lili…no, Rothfeldt looks at me with an expression more like she is about to cry than bewildered and clutches at her eyes.
I'm sorry, but I'm not going to give you this body back.

 

　”Don't be so sure.”

 

　I busted out.

 

“If this continues, the Oratorium territory will not be able to accept the people returning from Liard…”

 

What is this guy saying?

That's long over and done with.

 

　”Oratorium…?　Are you the lord of Oratorium?”

 

Oh, Hoffer picked up the story.

　Oh, by the way, what's going on with Oratorium now?

　I wasn't interested, so I didn't gather any information at all.

 

　Hoffer is looking at Rothfeldt with a kind of complicated face.

　After all, it's not every day you get to talk to a stranger with your daughter's face on after hearing that your daughter has turned into a different person.

 

　”Yes.
I don't really know what's going on right now, either.
I think I ended up in my office at home, drinking tea, and then…no.
I can't remember.”

　”That's right.
The tea was poisoned.
That's how you died.”

 

　Rothfeldt's eyes widen.

 

　”Poison?”

　”You were dumped in the wilderness near goblin territory afterwards.
That's where I switched places with you.”

　”Wait a minute.
If my drink is poisoned, that means it was done by…”

　”As you might have guessed, it was Zubel, the butler-in-chief.
Oh, and by the way, the client is Zubel, too.”

　”Oh, no.
Why would that Zubel do this to me?”

 

Wow, he still believes him?

　What is this guy? How much of a happy-go-lucky guy is this guy?

 

　”No, think about it calmly.
It was Zubel who created the whole situation.　And if you include the story of the cession of territory to Liard, you see what I'm talking about, don't you? Laird and Zubel set you up.”

 

　Rothfeldt opened and closed his mouth as he recognized the facts…
and then he dropped his head.

　I urge Hoffer to continue.

 

'Oh, ah, I haven't heard that much detail myself, but I'm told that the lord is currently recuperating and that his fiancée, Laird's daughter, is managing the place on an interim basis.

 

　I see.

　I guess they'll just assume he died of illness and take over after a suitable amount of time has passed.

　Or she could be replaced by a token marriage before that.

 

　This reminds me of Rothfeldt's fiancée from memory.

　Fatima Rose Liard.

　She was a beautiful girl in a different vector from Lillinette.

　Cool sounds good, but I can't help but notice those eyes that don't show the same amount of heat.

 

　I think she's beautiful, but she's not my kind of girl.

Rothfeldt, congratulations, interpreted her lack of speech as shyness and good-naturedness.

　I'm sure our memories are the same, but maybe he and I see things differently.　

 

　”…Fatima…how could she do this to me?”

 

　Rothfeldt mutters with his face down.

 

　”I don't know.
If you want to know, why don't you ask her?”

　”How could I possibly meet her like this?”

 

　He was silent again.

　I don't have anything special to do with him, and I've given him the information.
The rest would take care of itself.

 

　”Now it's time to settle this.
What do you want with me?”

　”…”

 

I've been on a rampage, and I even killed his servant.
I don't think there's nothing to it.

　I'm willing to take the punishment that comes with it.

　Hoffer looked at me and let out a heavy sigh.

 

　”No problem.
You've done a lot of damage to the mansion, but thanks to you, my family's problems have been taken care of.
Now that the head is gone, the hunter will disappear.”

　”Maybe another head will come, you know?”

　”Maybe so, but at least we have a reprieve.
I'll use this time to think of a countermeasure.
If you promise not to mention this to anyone, I'll bring this matter to my grave.”

 

　What are you going to do? He speaks to me with his eyes.

He'll just shut his mouth and pretend it never happened, that's a good deal.

　I don't even have to think about it.

 

“All right.
I'm not going to tell anyone about what happened here.
I didn't come here.
Is that clear?”

　”Yeah, you do that.”

　”We have a deal.
Then I'd better get going.”

 

　We've done our business, and there's no point in staying here.

 

　”What are you going to do now?”

　”Oratory and liard for now.”

　”You're not going to run away?”

　”I'm not sure I can.”

　”I can't help you, but you take care.”

　”Thank you.”

 

　I was about to sit up to leave the room when…

 

　”Wait a minute.”

 

　Rothfeldt, who had remained silent, stopped me.