Chapter 58: Shameless Doppelgänger
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: PlumSauce
To the other bloodkin of the Menkovár household, Danny seemed like an inexperienced child: slight in build, limited in power, and best suited to sit indoors for decades reading and learning bloodkin magic. Hunter Paul, on the other hand, appeared rough and uncouth — his beard often unkempt, weapons always at his side — the sort of person clearly inclined toward violence.
In reality, the opposite was true. Paul mostly handled research and integrating field data, and Danny often did the heavy lifting: crafting counter-weapons and dispatching most of the monsters they encountered.
Paul was an excellent hunter, of course. But in Danny’s words, humans lacked the visual precision required for true aim, had insufficient arm strength that limited the firearms they could use, and slower reflexes — they couldn’t outmaneuver prey the way a bloodkin could. Danny, being bloodkin, outmatched Paul in combat skill.
Now, Danny scoured the island, constantly in contact with Paul, who was monitoring Jibi Island’s security cameras from a computer, reviewing footage for anything relevant. The island’s surveillance coverage was sparse. The most useful feed came from near the sailboat dock, where two blurred figures darted toward the shore like bullets.
“We just finished searching three warehouses,” Danny said through his Bluetooth headset. “No sign of Master Arthur anywhere. Can you check the cameras on the sailboat dock?”
“The dock cameras are down. No connection,” Paul replied. “There’s one on the yacht itself, but I can’t access it from here.”
“Can’t you do something? Some human…hacker stuff? Satellite?”
“Danny, do you take me for Harold Finch?” Paul muttered. (Note 1)
After complaining, he added, “Do you really not want me there? You’re Arthur’s junior. From what I know, if something happens, you wouldn’t be allowed to take action, but I could, as a representative of the Hunter Society…”
“Take action?” Danny gestured to the other bloodkin, signaling them to spread out and continue the search. “What do you mean? Why would we…”
Paul said, “The Association claims they saw two Arthurs. If you actually find two, can you tell which one is real?”
“Do you trust that human?” Danny meant Coraci. “He can’t even hold his liquor! Look at him, drunk out of his mind — and you trust him?”
“What if it’s true? If you really face someone who looks exactly like Arthur, as a bloodkin junior, you can’t do anything to him.”
Danny refused to admit to having doubts. “The other bloodkin must be the Fallen One. Master Arthur already sensed it — the Fallen One is near Jibi Island.”
“Danny, have you ever seen the Fallen One?”
“No. He was ordered to be killed back in the Middle Ages. I’ve never encountered him.”
Before he could say more, a maid ran up, her face twisted, mouth open but silent, gesturing frantically.
“What’s wrong?” Danny asked.
She seemed on the verge of tears. “Someone’s found Master Arthur…”
In the shallow waters, two men clashed like battling lions, the sea slowly darkening with their blood — pure black, and bleeding far slower than a human’s. Their clothes were torn, their bodies covered in wounds, like beasts trapped in a cage. Realizing they were surrounded, they paused their fight, still glaring at one another.
The Menkovár heirs had formed a perimeter along the beach, most carrying flamethrowers; bloodkin know how to handle their own kind.
Seeing the two men, everyone was dumbstruck. Danny’s expression could be considered terrified. From his earpiece, Paul said he was coming over but Danny barely heard him.
The scene before him was too shocking. They were facing two men who looked exactly alike — both Arthur.
Not only their faces, but their hair color, messy mid-length hairstyles, height, and physique were all identical.
Danny had to admit: what Coraci said was true. The two half-naked Arthurs turned, scanning all the bloodkin around them.
“Master, please forgive our disrespect,” the butler said, addressing both of them. “We cannot lower our weapons. The creature before you…looks like you.”
The two Arthurs wavered slightly, their injuries making it hard to stand steadily. The butler waited for Danny to act, and Danny also kept signaling the butler to take action. They wanted to escort the “two Arthurs” back to the villa, but no one dared approach — doing so would violate the etiquette of high-ranking domain bloodkin.
“Need assistance?” a voice called from the far side of the beach.
Badge in hand, John stepped forward, showing his credentials to the bloodkin. He always enjoyed “flashing credentials” — it made him feel like an agent in a TV drama.
“I’m from the Unthreatening Creature Protection Association,” he said as he passed Danny and approached the two Arthurs. “Please cooperate.”
In truth, he wasn’t sure of himself. Having seen Burton’s power, he assumed Arthur would be equally formidable.
Fortunately, the two Arthurs were wary of each other, like predators watching prey, preventing either from fleeing — making John’s advance surprisingly smooth. He put on insulated gloves, pulled out silver handcuffs engraved with magical script, and recited the incantation from a small slip of paper.
Coraci had taught him this spell, and it could simultaneously lock up to five pairs of handcuffs on multiple targets — a precaution for handling multiple captures without error.
Danny stared at John, astonished, as if a blue box had fallen from the sky. (Note 2) He clearly hadn’t expected a wild bloodkin to not only have the nerve to handcuff high-ranking nobles but also to cast magic on them.
John was secretly proud; when Coraci had taught him to read the magical script, they had both put in considerable effort.
The Menkovár family was desperate to prevent their guests from seeing “two Arthurs.” Yet most of their guests didn’t need to sleep. Having nothing to do all night, they had quickly noticed the bloodkin’s movements and had immediately called their friends to go watch.
The two Arthurs were confined in separate rooms. Ordinary rooms couldn’t hold vampires, but fortunately, these energetic guests included exorcists, ancient-magic researchers, and demons. Like twelve fairy godmothers blessing a newborn princess, they cast various protective spells on the temporary cells, ensuring the fake Arthur couldn’t escape.
One Arthur said, “It’s fine, my dear friends. I don’t mind your precautions — they’re sensible.”
The other also expressed, “I’m not worried at all, for I am the real Arthur. My body alone is proof.”
Though both Arthurs had identical hairstyles and features, their bodies were slightly different — moles, subtle angles in muscle lines, and so forth. But no one had seen Arthur fully nude before; these distinctions weren’t enough to tell them apart.
The Menkovár family, afraid of offending the real Arthur, didn’t dare act as interrogators. In the end, they decided John and Paul would speak with the Arthurs, while the Menkovárs only observed and judged. The conversations were conducted separately, to prevent the fake Arthur from imitating the real one.
Both Arthurs projected nearly identical auras. Their wounds had completely healed, and they tore off their tattered clothes without hesitation, confidently revealing their bodies to assert themselves as the real Arthur.
“I can give you a list,” one Arthur said, “of my lovers and paramours. For example, there’s Jeff, an Abyssal demon — I have his number. There’s also Lady Sophia, from the Amutz family. Bring them here; they can confirm that I am the real Arthur.”
“Why can they confirm?” John asked.
The elder bloodkin gave a suggestive smile. “Sophia is familiar with my size and touch. Jeff and I know each other’s gland positions…”
John’s fingers nearly cramped under the table. He tried his best to maintain a serious expression… There were still Menkovár juniors nearby! How could Arthur — ignoring whether he was real or not — talk so casually about this?
The other Arthur wasn’t much better. He even suggested a surf contest or beach volleyball, claiming he excelled in sports, unlike the fake one.
As they left the cells, John patted Danny’s shoulder. “Maybe asking a few more questions will make someone slip up.”
Danny asked, “What about your companion, Deville Coraci? Doesn’t he have Eyes of Truth?”
“Yes, we can wait until Coraci wakes up.”
“Wait until he wakes up?” Danny narrowed his eyes. “It’s almost dawn — go get him now!”
“No, he’s drunk, and just fell asleep a short while ago. He can’t…”
“Compared to a human’s few hours of sleep, Master Arthur is more important! He’s a high-ranking Menkovár elder!”
“But I’m not a Menkovár heir,” John shrugged.
Danny stayed silent. Domain bloodkin often felt superior when dealing with wild ones, but they couldn’t command these wild peers.
A knock came at the double doors of the hall. Coraci stood there.
“I’m here,” he said, looking lethargic. His hair was messier than usual, his upper body clad in a T-shirt, his lower half still in the suit pants from the party. “The guest rooms are a circus. Everyone wants to see the ‘two Arthurs’ and they’ve formed a line outside.”
Coraci clearly remembered what he had seen with his spell: there were indeed two Arthurs, not an Arthur and a shapeshifter.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, walking to each room. Bloodkin opened the doors, letting him see the magically restrained Arthurs.
He stared at both Arthurs for a long time, shaking his head in confusion.
“What’s wrong? Not feeling well?” John asked.
“No, I’m fine, just a slight headache,” Coraci said, shaking his head. “I…can’t see through the disguise.”
“Can’t see through it?” They closed the doors and returned to the hall. John poured a glass of water for Coraci.
Coraci took the glass, looked down at his hands, then lifted his gaze to the bloodkin servants who filled the room. Finally, he blinked hard several times and looked at John.
John looked as he usually did — except his complexion was more like that of a typical human, not like the faint grayish tone he’d shown before. Danny, the butler, and every bloodkin in the room had…
Coraci set down the glass, stood up, and could hardly believe what had just happened. His Eyes of Truth ability was gone.
Author’s Notes:
Note 1: Harold Finch is one of the main characters in Person of Interest (POI).
Note 1: “…the blue box flying through the sky” is really hard to explain — does it even need an explanation? (Seriously, what kind of note is this…?) 1
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