I Became the Abandoned Daughter of an Underworld Boss

“What did you say…?!”

“I sensed your energy earlier, so I’ve been remotely dealing with the ones inside and outside the annex. By the way, how’s Miss Yuriana?”

“Yuriana!”

Karas rushed over and touched Yuriana, who was wrapped in a sheet.

Ugh, it seemed to be her plump legs and bottom. Way too soft.

When the flustered Karas pulled his hand back, a tearful voice was heard.

“Uh… uh…”

While Lupedos was killing the assassins, Yuriana could barely breathe.

But then, when she confirmed that Karas, whom she worried about, was alive, she felt slightly relieved.

The boy, thinking the same as the girl, hurried to comfort her.

“Yuriana. Al says the barrier near this house is safe. Some high-ranking mage marked the coordinates to let them in. Al also destroyed the space gate, and all the enemies are dead. You can relax for now.”

“Le… Levina… Paul… Benny… and, and what about Dad? Is everyone okay?”

Al, who recognized the familiar names in her sniffling voice, smiled bitterly.

“Those two are on leave today, so they’re out. Levina is injured but resting after first aid. Her life’s not in danger.”

“…”

“And Lord Litus is not in the Dark House right now. He left for some work just two days ago. Damn it.”

Al realized he had been too careless.

“Wahh…”

They were alive. Levina was alive. Paul and Benny were not dead. And her dad! Thank goodness… thank goodness.

Yuriana buried her face into Lupedos’ back and sobbed.

“You were scared, right?”

Karas wanted to let Yuriana down from Lupedos’ back, but the beastman shifted slightly to avoid contact.

“No.”

“What…?”

“Indeed, Lord Litus has an animal worth keeping by his side. Lord Karas, the last enemy remains. The one who sent these arrogant assassins to the Dark House.”

Al answered instead.

“Who is it?”

“It’s not a human. Taking care of that one will likely bring the lord back. That individual is waiting near the Dark House for the assassins he sent inside to break the barrier.”

After explaining up to this point, Al asked Lupedos.

“So, by the way, is there a renowned priest in Dark Town, Lupedos?”

“Is there?”

“… I know, just in case. Maybe they came with a holy mission to rehabilitate you all.”

“Would any sane priest walk around here? If there was one, they’d have retreated a hundred years ago. Probably scattered holy water and salt before leaving.”

“Tsk.”

Not that he expected much!

Karas, who was listening to Al and Lupedos’ conversation, interjected.

“Who is this enemy? Tell me their weakness. I’ll ask my uncle if I need to find a solution!”

Karas had an orb for immediate connection to Harun and emergency scrolls.

If he requested help from the empire, he could get anything.

But Al was the same.

Whatever Karas could do, the adult and mage Al could do better.

“We must catch them immediately before they escape. Hmm… I can handle it alone, but…”

“Huh?”

“I’m concerned about leaving everyone with Lupedos and going alone.”

Lupedos, who heard Al’s previous insult, got angry.

“What? The same goes for me. I can handle it alone!”

“Oh.”

“But I felt uneasy about leaving this Dark House in your care. I also need to put Yuriana down!”

Yuriana, whose sobbing had lessened, elbowed Lupedos’s back.

“Mm…! Since it’s mentioned, put me down.”

“Got it.”

‘You told me not to touch her earlier?’

Karas stared blankly at Lupedos, who reversed his words like flipping a hand, then hugged Yuriana tightly as she was let down from the blanket.

“Yuriana!”

Struggling inside the blanket, Yuriana asked.

“Uh… so, what is this enemy? A dragon? Wyvern? Hydra? Demon follower?”

Lupedos and Al stared at each other.

“… no time for jokes. But this adorable little lady has read many scary books.”

“Indeed. She might wet herself.”

“Fetch the salt instead. It’s your fault for not supervising her.”

“Just tell me! I need to know who caused this mess.”

When Karas shouted, Al, who was about to change the subject, resigned and spoke.

“It’s a doppelganger, Lord Karas. From what we’ve deduced so far.”

What?! A doppelganger? But Alice and Aidan took care of them all! Another doppelganger existed?

Yuriana held her breath at the shocking news.

Why was the doppelganger story coming up here?

“In short, a highly intelligent entity, a doppelganger that copied a sage-level mage, is the main enemy. Enemy number one.”

“Yeah.”

“And the doppelganger decided it needed to eliminate the Mirror of Origin that Lord Litus possesses. To execute a diversion, it split into two.”

“What?”

Karas’ small brain began to analyze.

Yuriana, who perked her ears up with a expression, did the same.

“Lord Litus is terrible at magic but has a powerful magic circle protecting the entire Dark House. It’s a secret spell that can protect all of Dark Town.”

That existed? It was the first time she’d heard of this.

Asil was a man with many secrets.

He must have them since he ruled Dark Town.

“However, only he can activate that protection magic. So… the doppelganger devised a plan to drive him out of Dark Town. They deliberately revealed the presence of an enemy assumed to be a doppelganger!”

Karas looked bewildered.

“If the Mirror of Origin could eliminate the doppelganger, the lord would’ve taken it when he left. Oh! Is that it? Drive the lord out of the safest Dark House, destroy the magic circle, then…”

“Correct. The doppelganger first eliminates the powerful protection Lord Litus can use. Once confirmed, the second enemy, the split doppelganger, will swiftly merge back with the original.”

“Ha…”

“A strengthened doppelganger then deals with the lord outside without falling to the mirror. That was the doppelganger’s strategy. Risky but close to success. Unluckily for them, the magic circle remains intact.”

Karas asked.

“Then, the second enemy is lurking around this mansion? Waiting for the assassins to break the barrier and destroy the magic circle from inside?”

“Yes. Even split, they’re weaker than the original. We must act quickly before they realize it. Hm, it’d be troublesome if Lupedos went alone and got caught.”

Al’s words ended with concern for Lupedos.

“What! I’m more worried about you, a guest and outsider!”

“…”

“Even a stray dog holds an advantage in its own yard! I’ll do it!”

Yuriana, who was fidgeting in the blanket, suddenly pulled out something.

“There… would this help speed things up?”

“What?”

“Huh?”

“No way…?”

The shiny Mirror of Origin, pulled from an album.

{{Mirror of Origin (★★★★★): A mysterious mirror that reveals the true form of those altered by magic, curses, transformation, etc. A replica was obtained when Asil was distracted. Rare collection item 3/12}}

Recognizing the precious item at a glance, Lupedos shouted in amazement.

“No way! Is it genuine? Yuriana, this adorable little girl already stole it…? Wait. The boss definitely took the Mirror of Origin!”

“Well, you see…”

“Heavens! This is maddening. The boss got fooled? No, that’s impossible. Yuriana, your dexterity is terrible. Tell me, who tricked you into giving a fake? That person is an accomplice!”

This wouldn’t do.

She needed to come up with a lie immediately!

“A s-star’s gift!”

“A star?”

“What?”

Yuriana closed her eyes tightly and began explaining the replica of the Mirror of Origin.

“Uh… that is. After I lost my memory, a star whispered to me. It said it felt sorry and would give me some memorable items from this world. When Dad showed me this, the star gave me the same one!”

A star, ugh. Couldn’t say Alice’s name, huh.

Should’ve said an angel whispered!

Yuriana regretted her impulsive lie. It was way too embarrassing!

Lupedos, pressed by urgency, grabbed the mirror.

“Damn. I don’t get it, but it seems genuine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Let’s go burn the doppelganger with this. Then I’ll take the mirror to the boss. We’ll check if there are two mirrors. No, honestly! The boss would’ve realized shortly after leaving.”

“Are you going to turn into a cat and run to the border?”

“Am I crazy? Of course, you’ll calculate the coordinates and send me with teleport magic! Get to work!”

Lupedos declared confidently.

“Tsk. To left magic with you…”

“Al! And you guard this damn Dark House. Don’t let even a cornerstone disappear!”

Al grumbled about the added workload.

“The windows of the entire house are already broken?”

“Shut up!”

“Just wait, beastman.”

Al stopped joking, signaled Karas, and carried Yuriana wrapped in a blanket to a nearby room.

This place also had broken windows here and there.

But it was a good choice since there were no assassin corpses.

Al placed Yuriana in a corner, grabbed Karas’s hand, and cast a spell.

“Ainna’s Shield.”

Shhhh–

A faint blue light surrounded the two children, protecting them with ample space.