Mimic Awakening

Chapter 43: Face

The next morning, two people are sitting around a round metallic table under the shade of the octagonal gazebo right beside the edge of the stationary floating island. Azrael and Claire are having breakfast; Alina stands by the side, ready to take any orders.

"I have been wondering about something."

"Let me hear it, Azrael."

"Since I am taking the hero’s body, would anyone mistake me for the hero? He is dead, so I wonder if people would recognize me if they saw my face. Even though I changed my hair color, my face is still the hero’s."

"Hm... I think it won’t be a problem."

Azrael does not expect her answer. The hero is the face of the kingdom, a famous celebrity everyone always hears about. Azrael is convinced that he has one of the most recognizable faces in the kingdom.

"Really? Can I ask why?"

"It’s as simple as not everyone has seen or met him personally. As the hero, his security is tight, and the kingdom could not just allow him to roam everywhere. If you were asking about the images and illustrations, it may be true that many have seen his face somewhere, but the illustrations barely resembled him at all."

"So that’s it. But even so, he has a physically appealing look; it would be hard to forget that kind of face once you lay your eyes on him. Also, there should be a detailed portrait of him since he was a noble."

"You have a point. But let’s test it."

Claire turns her head to Alina, and the maid steps forward.

"Alina, you have seen the hero’s illustrations, right?"

"I do."

"Then, can you tell me he is the hero?"

Alina turns her head and takes a look at Azrael. No matter how she looks at him or from what angle, Alina fails to find Azrael has any resemblance to the hero in the papers.

"Well, if you were to ask me, I would not know that he bears the face of the hero."

"If you say so."

"I never saw the hero in person, so I really don’t know what he really looked like. But, if you have that kind of face, I think it’s hard to forget about it..."

Alina says the later words with a weaker voice, averting her gaze from him. Claire quickly notices her sudden change of behavior and begins to think that she might be into something.

"Well, Alina rarely goes out and meets people, so she might be flustered when it comes to engaging with some, especially with the members of the opposite sex," Claire clasps her hands to explain Alina’s circumstances, intending to cover her developing feelings.

"I understand. But if Alina wants someone to cuddle, I don’t mind opening my arms."

Azrael speaks with a grin as he leans further into his seat, putting his hands on the back of his head. His response somewhat irks Claire. In her mind, he implies that she is not enough for him, which piques her.

"Anyway, regarding your face, you can just avoid visiting the kingdom. That way, you have fewer chances to get recognized."

"You’re right. That makes sense." Azrael nods in agreement.

"Also, your magical signature is entirely different than the hero’s."

"Magical signature?"

"Yes. Every person has their own magical signature. It is the frequency of their own mana."

So like fingerprints or DNA, he thinks. "How do we perceive a person’s magical signature? Like smelling it?"

"I think that’s the best way to put it. As a person becomes more proficient with magic, they develop something we call the ’magic sense,’ a useful ability to recognize a person’s mana. It is working passively and doesn’t consume any mana at all, so many mages just never turn it off."

"I see. So I’ll be safe, then?"

"Anyone who has met the hero can recognize his aura eventually, so no one would suspect you as the kingdom’s hero. If you feared being recognized, why did you use his face to begin with?"

"Well, how should I put it? Maybe because he is the most good-looking man I have seen, and I want to bag women with ease."

What he says is partially true. Azrael, in his previous life, is not proud of how he looks. It is not that he thinks he is not good-looking; he considers himself a bit below average. In addition to his face, his height was below average, and his frame was thin, not lean but skinny.

Having given another opportunity to live, he decided to improve his life. After getting stronger, his next plan was to attain a decent body.

Seeing how beautiful Claire was, Azrael, who had made a deal with her, was motivated to get a good face so that he could stand beside her. Unfortunately for the hero, Azrael had his eyes on him.

After getting his body, he even makes a promise to himself not to turn into somebody else in human form, unless it is an emergency. He has fully accepted that this would be his new identity from now on.

"So you really are a lustful beast." Claire narrows her eyes.

"Setting that aside," Azrael leans his body forward and rests his arms on the table. "How long will it take to finish the house on this island?"

"If it was the same size, it probably takes a week, plus a few days for decorations and modifications."

"That’s too fast, as expected of magic."

"By the way, we are getting low on supplies. While I am building the house, can you purchase them as well as the materials for construction in the imperial capital since you can set foot on the kingdom?"

"I guess it can’t be helped. But entering a city, huh? It would be my first settlement to visit since."

"Don’t worry, Alina can accompany you. She knows the whats and hows of the city, if she doesn’t mind."

"I don’t mind, Mistress. I shall accompany Master Azrael."

"She is rather obedient."

"I raised her to be like that after all."

Claire has taken care of Alina since she was a child for the purpose of making Alina her next vessel. Alina has spent her life living in the villa. Claire occasionally trains her to improve her magic to the point Alina reaches the level of an elite magic knight.

One of the few times Alina went outside was when Claire brought her to an institution for training maidservants when she was twelve years old. Alina spent two years in the institution and came out as a wonderful servant graced with noble elegance.

Ever since, Alina has stayed in the villa for the rest of her life. Claire then implanted the usual doctrine into her mind, making her believe that she was meant to die for her. Her words blinded Alina like a devoted believer in the temple. She is so devoted to her mistress that she accepted Claire’s future use of her.

"Well then, I think it’s not bad to pay the imperial city a visit. After all, I need to gather as much information. I may learn a thing or two of how civilizations work in this world."