Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 91



Chapter 91 – Rugal

Grrrr…!

Boom- Crack!

“You b*stard!!!”

Even as tears fall, Ronan Ael stands, his murderous intent and fury unmasked, watching as Kali approaches, methodically dealing with the monsters.

He had witnessed their power firsthand. Each flesh monster possessed the strength of a being above rank three.

Yet Kali skillfully evades every attack, countering and systematically taking them down.

“…….!”

As the momentum of his intent to kill surges, he feels a tingling sensation coursing through his entire body.

Gazing into the eyes of the predator, it felt as if my entire being had frozen.

“Kr…Kuhah…!”

Yet, Ronan Ail laughed madly even in that dire moment. He stared at the bizarre eye artifact clutched in his hand.

‘If only I have this artifact given by Him…!’

His predictions had never been wrong, and it was by acting as He instructed that he had come to this very place.

Ronan Ail. A wanted criminal by all accounts. His true name was Rugal.

With his charming demeanor and silver tongue, he won the favor of many, gaining their trust only to betray them time and again.

He paid no heed to the tears and anguished screams of his victims. Instead, he reveled in the expressions they wore, twisted by despair.

The bounty on his head grew and grew. In the end, Rugal became a wanderer, unable to set foot in any village, a fugitive in his own right.

Frustration gnawed at him. It was the fault of those who had been deceived; he had done nothing wrong. If they were so upset, they should have scammed someone themselves.

As Rugal continued his life as a vagabond, he began to hear whispers of a certain place.

In the eastern village of Espilia, it was said that anyone could go. No one would be turned away; all would be welcomed.

For criminals who could not enter any village, this was truly a rare piece of news.

Rugal, cloaked in a robe, approached a young merchant who seemed well-versed in the area.

The young merchant, enchanted by Rugal’s boast of connections to the Adventurer’s Guild, divulged everything he knew.

Espilia. A small, peaceful village in the east.

Rich in resources, its people were kind. A place akin to a paradise where no quarrels arose.

By the decree of the current emperor, the beastfolk had been liberated. Yet, the hearts of the people did not change easily. The beastfolk still faced discrimination, and no village welcomed them.

The beastfolk wandered. Those who had left their villages, buoyed by the news of liberation, found themselves lost.

The only place that took them in was Espilia.

Surrounding villages and towns condemned Espilia. They claimed that welcoming beastfolk armed with the “Beastification” weapon would bring nothing but trouble.

But Espilia stood firm against external pressure. As word spread, beastfolk began to gather in increasing numbers.

Blending with the kind-hearted people, even the purest of beastfolk began to coexist. Yet, the village was too small for all beastfolk to thrive, so another settlement emerged beneath the heights of Espilia.

Had it remained thus, a paradise free of suffering would have endured.

However, where there is always light, darkness lurks in the shadows. Criminals, including Rugal, began to gather in the newly formed lower tiers of Espilia.

The pure beastfolk accepted them, unaware that what they had welcomed was a darkness so profound it could taint even them.

Criminals ran rampant. Espilia, once untouched by crime, began to descend into chaos.

Alongside this, the pure beastfolk began to be tainted by evil. Beastfolk who participated in crime began to emerge.

“Good. This is where I start anew…!”

A paradise on earth had been born for all criminals, including the heinous Rugal.

As usual, he deceived others and ran away. The underground city had risen, a refuge where no one could find him.

“…What is this?”

One day, while wandering the underground city, Rugal stumbled upon something glowing violet in the corner of a nearby alley.

Could it be worth money? Without hesitation, Rugal moved toward it.

Something resembling an eye with wings. The thing had its eyes closed—

“…An eyeball? What the—”

Flash—!

In that moment, the closed eye snapped open. Its gaze turned toward Rugal. The winged eye regarded the crouching figure before it.

“Gah… Hah… Wh-what—”

—Hmm. Is it you?

The voice echoed in Rugal’s mind, spinning his thoughts into chaos. It was not human… it felt as if a higher being was speaking.

—I sense a nauseating greed from you. Are you truly human?

“Gah… Hah…!”

—Well, it matters not. Very well. I shall lend you my power.

The eye closed, and the voice vanished. The unknown entity landed softly upon Rugal’s palm.

“Shit… Is this a dream…?”

—Do not wear that foolish expression. Make the creature before you meet my gaze.

It was no dream. Cold sweat trickled down, and his body trembled, yet for some reason, he felt that following this voice would lead to something good.

Rugal approached the beastman leaning against the wall of the alley he had entered, compelled by the voice.

“What are you, you pathetic piece of—”

As the fist rose, it seemed ready to swing at any moment. Rugal hurriedly lifted his gaze.

Piiing—!

At that moment, the beastman’s eyes met the opened eye. The vibrant spark in the beastman’s gaze dimmed.

“……….”

“What… What’s happening? What on earth is going on?”

—That creature is now your slave. Give it a command.

…A slave? Command it? What in the world is happening…?

A sense of unease crept in, but first, he followed the voice and issued a command to the dazed beastman.

“Hmm… That beastman passing by. Beat him until he can’t anymore.”

“………”

– What’s going on, you- b*stard!

Pfft-pfft-pfft!

The slave really grabbed the passing slave’s collar and started beating them to death. There was no one around to stop them. This was an underground city, a lawless zone.

Grrr…

“………”

In the end, the slave died. The slave, who had completed their mission, stood quietly in front of Rugal, gazing at him with empty eyes.

“Hah…hahahah…!”

Damn it. This is a reversal of life. If I have this, I can do anything.

Is this even possible? Just by gazing at their eyes, I can make them a slave who unconditionally obeys my orders.

-Now do you understand? If you follow only me, you can gain the world.

“Yes…yes…! I’ll follow you…!”

Rugal had become a god. He started following the god’s orders without question, as if they were absolute.

Money? With this ability, is there a lack of money? I can sit on a pile of money without even trying.

Women? If I want a woman, I just need to get permission from the eye and take her.

Subordinates? I can bring in capable people. I can even make them into beasts by manipulating their emotions, and they’ll still follow my orders.

Rugal started committing crimes left and right. It was as if he had the power of a god, making him the king of the criminal city.

Time passed. Many people gathered under Rugal’s command.

Of course, there were those who became slaves using the eye’s power, but there were also criminals who voluntarily joined him, drawn to his evil nature.

Every day was happy. I could do anything I wanted.

But one day, the eye gave Rugal an order.

-Lead the criminals and attack the upper class. Kill them all, no matter what.

It was a sudden order, but Rugal knew that the god’s orders were absolute.

He followed every order, and the result was the present moment. If he was a god, he must have a grand plan, right?

“Yes….!”

That night, when everyone was asleep. Rugal led all the criminals and attacked the upper class.

Rugal’s slaves started massacring everyone. Women, men, children, elderly – no one was spared.

Many people died. Not just the upper-class citizens, but also the lower-class ones.

What do I care? As long as I’m alive, that’s all that matters.

“Heh heh…heh heh…!”

The burning city of Espilia. The screams, the distorted faces, and the overwhelming… pain and sorrow.

What rewards await me this time? Perhaps I can now set my sights beyond this small village, even to the Empire itself?

“Stop. The moment you move, you die.”

“Huh?”

But then, suddenly, the Empire’s mercenary unit burst in. How they knew to come, I could not fathom.

The golden armor adorned with the blue insignia was a truth known to all citizens of the Empire; it was certain.

The situation began to unravel swiftly. Rugal’s slaves vanished into the shadows.

In less than an hour, all the slaves and subordinates under Rugal’s command lay dead. Rugal barely clung to life, following the sound of his own voice.

He hid his body in a drum placed in the corner of the underground city’s dump. When the clanking of the mercenaries’ armor echoed right before him, he thought his heart had stopped.

Oh, divine one. What in the world has happened? Was it not said that by doing this… I could enjoy the world?

As the situation settled and Espilia crumbled completely, Rugal spoke, clutching his eyes in the corner of the underground city.

– Just as planned. Cleanse your identity, and do only as I say.

…Indeed! The divine one had been weaving a grand tapestry all along. I, the lowly one, had failed to notice it.

Rugal cleansed his identity, following the sound of his own voice. Those who knew Rugal’s face were all dead now.

Using all the hidden money, he purchased the title of a ruined noble. Once prosperous, now shattered due to the head of the family’s gambling— the Ael family.

Ronin Ael. Rugal was reborn as Ronin Ael.

After turning his hidden subordinates in the underground city into slaves, they too bought noble titles and conspired.

Dressed in clean clothes, hair neatly combed, he headed towards the residents of the fallen Espilia.

“Greetings, everyone. I am Ronin Ael.”

He offered them homes for free. He provided them with food.

Our ‘noble faction’ was akin to gods for the residents of Espilia.

He bought their goodwill with his voice. He played the part of a clean noble.

The remaining residents of Espilia. And the resources still overflowing. My slaves, unknown to anyone. Espilia began to rebuild rapidly.

In less than a few months, Espilia was completely restored. No, it had advanced far beyond its former glory.

Following the sound of his voice, he created his own new technology. He named it, “Magic Stone Engineering.”

Using it, he spread electricity throughout the village and generated power to create new devices. The citizens praised him, delighted.

…That magic stone engineering. Do they truly believe that the power comes from mere magic stones? That with those tiny stones, electricity could be supplied to the entire village?

It’s laughable. The ignorant citizens happily use the power generated from their vanished friends or acquaintances, ground into nothing. This truth remains unknown to all.

In any case, I have gained power. More potent and more rightful than in the days of Rugal.

“From now on, if you do not follow the noble faction, I will control everything.”

Naturally, the citizens rebelled. But what could they do? They could no longer leave this place, even if they wished to.

—

Everything in this Espilia is under my dominion.

The citizens have bound themselves with their own cheers, support, and contributions. It’s quite funny, isn’t it?

Any rebellious forces or those who defied me were ground into the village’s power source using slaves. The expressions and emotions they showed just before dying were truly amusing.

I became the king. The king who controls everything in the empire’s most prosperous city, Espilia.

– Kidnap that beastman and make him your battle slave.

I follow the god’s command that allowed me to achieve everything. I descend to the lower levels and kidnap beastman children for experiments.

As soon as I met their eyes, their small bodies transformed into monsters. It was truly ecstatic. It was so beautiful that I wondered if this was the true humanity.

I make the children chosen by the god my limbs. And among them, the one who showed the most outstanding performance was this child.

Was the name… Kalea? It looks like it has cat ears at a glance.

Following the god’s voice while wandering the lower levels, I kidnapped the beastman who was sitting there after shifting the debt onto them.

This beastman was reborn as a monster far stronger than other beastmen. Much larger, much stronger.

Well, as soon as I kidnapped this beastman, a beastman who seemed to be its kin caused a commotion.

What could it do alone? The anger and hatred it showed were truly ecstatic to the point of being delicious.

Some time has passed. Through experiments, I also found out that the beastmen who had settled as monsters could be returned to their original state.

And the most shocking fact. My most outstanding slave, Kalea, could not only return to its original body but also regain its sanity.

“…Huh? What was I doing…”

It wasn’t pretending. It could really act exactly as it did with its original appearance and memories.

From noble mtl dot com

How… is this possible? Is there something special about this beastman?

And then. The kin of this beastman and a certain noble came to me. The name was… Venice, I believe.

And then they handed me gold coins. Asking me to return this child.

Could I give it back? This child is my most powerful… Wait a minute.

…I think I have an interesting idea?

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen something fun. Well then, I hope we can see each other again next time. ‘Venice Raul’.”

I took fewer gold coins and sent them back. Watching the tearful reunion.

And that noble… I remembered clearly. I heard they do meaningless things like counseling and supply.

They wouldn’t know. That child has already changed and can turn into a monster at any time.

For the day that will come someday. I wait to taste the endless emotions of despair and pain.