290 From Afar
Inside a glamorous chamber, three men assembled for a meeting in the middle of the night. An opened bottle of vinaceous red wine could be seen on the low glass table alongside the half-drunk glasses of wine. Warmed by the flickering flames of the fireplace, which was also the only source of light that illuminated the room, the gentlemen did not seem to be acting verbally; rather, they were engrossed in the stationary scene that was magically projecting in the air. Bang!
Along with the bursting sound of a fired gun, Prince Paul's body slightly flinched when a deadly bullet gorily pierced Rick's skull on the screen. Currently, Paul and Robert were watching the live feed of Rick's apparent death, except that Rick was actually watching the scenes with them. ((Hmph. I'll admit that you are quite a formidable opponent. But it doesn't matter as long as you are dead. So, farewell.)) On the screen, Austin commented before Rick's corpse. He then spun his gun on his index finger several times before putting it back in its holster and turning around. ((We will be going how. Carry that sleeping fellow out there.))
((Yes, sir!))
Per his order, one of his henchmen lifted the body of his unconscious companion and carried him on his shoulder. When they started walking away from the scene, the Projection gradually lost its light and eventually disintegrated in the air. "Damn, that was horrifying," Paul mumbled as he sternly stared at the footage. "Indeed." Robert nodded in agreement. "Even though he's not actually Rick, seeing someone look like a confederate being killed sent pain in my heart, grieving."
"So, that one is not the real Rick, right?" Turning his face to Rick, Paul anxiously asked. What he just witnessed in the footage gave him chills in his spine. Even though he was impressed by the performance of that Rick, there was still an uncanny feeling that lingered in his mind. Not only him, but Robert felt the same way as well. "Yes, Your Highness, that man is not the real me," Rick responded as he swirled his wine inside the glass. "Like I explained earlier—"
"—He is just a homunculus." Paul cut Rick's sentence. "Even so, he is still a part of you." Earlier, when Austin was still deploying the barrier, Rick had been laying out his plans as well. In the carriage, Rick instantaneously created an exact replica of himself on the spot, having the same level and skill set.
However, what he made was not created the same way as Raphael or Rick himself created their clones, which were the embodiments of their Parallel Profiles through Alter Ego unique skill. Rather, that clone was created by 3D printing a human body using the Organic Domination unique skill. In order to make one, Rick just needed raw materials from humans and monsters he had slain as filament for the printing, which he already had. Also, he already had an anatomically detailed 3D blueprint of his body. Combined with his ultra-fast thinking process and multiple minds, Rick was able to create a perfect human body from scratch. In spite of being similar physically, there was a vast difference between the bodies made using different methods. As the ones that were created through Alter Ego had a copied profile of the user in it, which was also their soul, a 3D-printed clone was soulless, basically a hollow vessel. That was how a homunculus was made.
To give life to the empty body, Rick separated one of his Parallel Thinking via Clairvoyance before assimilating it with the body using Dark Magic Level 7: Marionette, a body possession spell. Since he was just a homunculus, Rick would not feel physical pain. Rick also did not feel any remorse, even if the homunculus died, though it would ruin his reputation. As long as he could gather as much intelligence as needed, it did not matter if his creation was destroyed.
While Austin was busy with the barrier, Rick created a homunculus, dressed it, and possessed it in a matter of milliseconds. He instantly teleported to the Prime Minister's office in the palace and remotely controlled the pupper from afar. So Austin had been fighting a mere puppet the whole time.
Earlier in their secret meeting, Rick already told Paul and Robert that he was being scouted, and he then elaborated on his plans to deal with it. Both Paul and Robert were genuinely confused about the details of his plan due to its peculiar nature. But when that time came, they were slightly terrified of Rick as they saw how that puppet fought the group of Austin. In addition to their shock, they were taken aback when they knew the one who scouted Rick was Austin, who was personally confirmed by Paul to be one of the Paladins. "Thank you for your concerns, Your Highness, but it's already been fine," Rick reassured the prince. "Once a homunculus dies, its memory will immediately be recalled to the owner." Rick then pointed to his right temple with his index finger.
"But he is still a human, you know? Though just a replica," Paul continued. "Don't you care about him?" "Well, honestly, for me, he was just a disposable pawn to achieve my goals."
When an Alter Ego clone died, the soul would go to the afterlife as well, ready to reincarnate again. That meant the user would not be able to get the Profile back again. However, that was not the case for the homunculus. When a homunculus died, the borrowed mind would go back to its origin along with the memories. That being said, Rick remembered every detail of the clone's fight with Austin's group. Thanks to that, he was able to analyze the poison, which paralyzed his entire body, and make an antidote for it.
"But the coachman was killed in the process. Can you do anything for him?" "Don't worry, Your Highness, other than myself, I don't want anybody to become collateral damage for my own good. As soon as he was about to lose his breath, one of my minds had been secretly healing him, making sure he was alive while being unconscious." "Phew. That's good then." "To think that you could save his life while fighting Sir Austin simultaneously. Sir Rick is really an incredible man."
"Thank you, everyone. Cheers."
""Cheers.""
Rick raised his glasses, which made the two do so and clank with one another's glass. They took a small sip before Rick tackled what they discovered. "So, do you think what Austin revealed was true? "I don't want to believe it, but knowing him and his motives, it might be true." Paul narrowed his eyes. "I know the evidence is lacking, but Sir Austin is a man full of himself; he was confident that you were dead, so there was a high chance that he was telling the truth." "I do believe in your speculation, Your Highness." Robert agreed, putting his glass on the table. "Even if Rick is a really popular person, he does not care as long as no one is obstructing his way." "Yes. To think that it was the king, my father, who wanted to get rid of Rick and any threats to his position."
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