I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 279: One Step Closer

"You’re insane! Leave me alone!" Julian protests, shaking Liam’s hand off his shoulder.

"Come on, Jules. We need to exercise." Liam’s grip returns, firm on Julian’s shoulder.

"Let me go, Monfort!" Julian keeps trying to pry Liam’s hand away.

"Jules, we need to get back in shape. I mean you. You need to get back in shape." Liam tries to coax him, nudging him forward. "You’ve been stuck in that lab of yours for hours every day, barely moving. That’s not healthy."

"I know I need the exercise and I agree," Julian snaps. "But that does not mean I’m going to try clearing a level six dungeon with just you. Even if it’s on HB!"

He glares at Liam.

"But—"

"No but," Julian cuts him off sharply. "And we just cleared two level fours in record time, Monfort. I’m tired. I’m not staying here. I’m going back."

"To the lab?" Liam frowns. He knows the lab is basically Julian’s natural habitat, but this is getting ridiculous.

"No! Of course not." Julian scrunches his nose in disgust. "I’m going to shower. I’m all sweaty. I’m not going back to the lab like this."

"Just one more dungeon, Jules." Liam’s hand returns to Julian’s shoulder, gripping firmly again.

Julian slowly turns his head and looks at Liam.

He doesn’t say anything.

He just glares.

Silently.

"No," he says flatly after a moment. "I’m going back."

He turns away and starts walking toward the exit.

But before he can take more than two steps, Liam hooks an arm around Julian’s neck and tries to drag him back.

"Liam! What the hell?!"

The two immediately start wrestling right there in the middle of the training ground.

Shoving.

Pulling.

Laughing like idiots.

------------------------------

"That now the role is reversed. She’s now protecting me instead of me protecting her. As I should." Arthur whispers.

Silence falls.

Arthur II lets out a long, loud sigh.

"Thank you, Arthur. Thank you for finally saying it out loud. Thank you for finally acknowledging it."

He leans back in his chair, stretching his legs slightly.

"I am here because of this."

He shrugs faintly.

"I can’t say or comment on anything else, because you’re me and I am you. If you don’t know the answer, then I also don’t know."

Arthur II studies him for a moment.

Arthur is still staring down at his own hands.

"But, Arthur," he continues more quietly, "I want you to think about this."

He tilts his head.

"So what if the role is reversed? Who says the roles cannot be reversed?"

His voice grows thoughtful.

"Who assigned these roles in the first place? And when?"

Silence fills the room again.

Arthur doesn’t respond.

After a beat, Arthur II speaks again, but this time his voice turns colder.

"I also want you to remember something."

He leans forward slightly.

"Because of this guilt that you’re carrying, you’ve abandoned me."

Arthur II’s eyes narrow.

"You never listened to me. You never took care of me. You ignored me completely."

A pause.

"And for that, you owe me."

His tone is now laced with disdain, hurt, and blame.

The words hit Arthur so suddenly that he immediately lifts his head.

His gaze snaps toward Arthur II.

And what he sees makes his chest tighten.

He is staring into his own pair of bright blue eyes.

Eyes filled with accusation.

His own face is looking back at him.

Twisted with disgust.

And blame.

"What are you talking about?" Arthur scoffs.

He leans back in his chair.

"This is solid proof that you’re not me."

His eyes narrow.

"If you really were my deepest self, you wouldn’t say something like that. You wouldn’t even think about it."

His voice lowers, turning cold and threatening.

"You’re not me. You’re an impostor."

Arthur slowly leans forward.

"You might even be a product of a sliver of green mist that managed to enter my brain and is now trying to corrupt me."

He slowly gets up from his chair.

A reddish-orange flame flickers to life in his right hand.

Arthur II looks at it, stunned.

Then the next second, he laughs.

"You want to burn me?"

He sneers.

"Go right ahead."

His expression is full of mockery as he spreads his arms slightly.

"Let’s see if you can burn me."

He puts his arms down.

"I don’t care if you don’t believe me. I don’t care if you think I’m an impostor."

His eyes sharpen.

"It’s you who are the impostor."

A pause.

"It’s you who have been abandoning yourself."

He takes s step closer.

"It’s you who have betrayed yourself."

Arthur II exhales.

"Maybe I appeared because of the green mist. Even if that’s the case, you should be grateful."

His voice drops lower.

"Because I can finally show up and warn you."

His eyes narrow, jaw clenched.

"You are killing yourself," he says through gritted teeth.

He suddenly turns away.

And then he disappears.

But his voice lingers in the room.

"Answer this: what are your hobbies?"

The words echo faintly.

Arthur is frozen, then shouts,

"Come back here! Don’t disappear! Come back and explain what you mean!"

Silence.

Nothing answers him.

Arthur curses under his breath.

"What the hell do you mean?"

He runs a frustrated hand through his hair.

"What kind of question is that? My hobbies?"

His eyes scan the empty room.

"Are you taking me for a fool?"

Arthur is talking to thin air.

"You really think your question will stump me? Me?"

Arthur continues to shout.

"You are insulting me by asking what my hobbies are. You think I don’t know?"

The room is still empty.

"Come out, you coward! You’ve been haunting me and poking me every day. You literally begged me not to ignore you."

"Well, here I am! Come on! Talk!"

The room is silent and empty.

No trace of Arthur II.

Arthur paces around the room.

Frustrated.

He goes to the bathroom and splashes cold water on his face, trying to calm himself.

When he lifts his face and sees his reflection in the mirror, he freezes.

For a second, Arthur thinks the reflection is Arthur II.

But it doesn’t have that smug expression.

Or tears in its eyes.

Or that look of admiration.

Or disgust.

The one in the mirror has a cold, distant, almost villainous expression.

Arthur II’s expressions are softer, gentler, more alive and animated.

Someone that he’s been trying to be his whole life.

Not the cold, harsh man in the mirror.

Is Arthur II really the real me?

He looks at his mirror image.

Are you the impostor?

He scoffs.

"You have definitely gone crazy. Look at you, talking to the mirror. Go out and do something useful."

Arthur sighs.

He stares at his mirror image for a few more seconds, then leaves the bathroom.

He changes into his exercise clothes.

"If you have time to talk to yourself, then you have time to exercise," he mutters as he heads to the gym.

------------------------------ 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Arthur hears commotion inside the gym.

His reflex takes over. He opens the gym door, ready for anything.

Only to find Liam and Julian rolling on the floor, trying to pin each other down. And right now, Julian is actually sitting on top of Liam. He twists one of Liam’s arms and locks it.

Julian is actually not a bad fighter, but he is definitely not Liam’s equal. So for him to be able to get the upper hand like this surprises Arthur.

But as Arthur observes more closely, he notices that both young men are laughing.

Ah, so Liam is not taking this seriously.

And right on cue, in an instant, Liam flips the situation and now pins Julian on the floor.

Both of them are still laughing like madmen.

Arthur crosses his arms.

"What in the world are you two doing?"

Both men freeze and turn their heads toward Arthur.

"Hey there!" Liam grins widely.

"Hey, Art!" Julian greets happily, like one of his arms is not twisted behind his back.

Arthur just tilts his head.

"We, uh... exercising," Liam grins.

He releases Julian and helps him stand.

"Since when are we sparring and laughing?" Arthur’s face remains serious.

Both Liam and Julian scramble to look serious.

"Yeah, we weren’t sparring for real," Liam starts.

"Yeah, we were joking around and suddenly we wrestled," Julian adds, like he was getting caught doing something bad by his father.

"Hmph." Arthur scoffs.

Julian notices that Arthur is not in a good mood.

He bows slightly to his older brother and says, "Well, I’m tired and sweaty. I’ll just go shower and rest."

He slowly moves toward the door and pulls Liam with him.

Liam understands immediately.

"Ah, you’re right. We’ve been exercising for hours. Too much exercise is not good."

He follows Julian’s pace.

Arthur’s eyes narrow.

He moves at lightning speed.

He grabs both men by their shoulders and smirks.

"You two are going to clear a level eight dungeon with me."

He drags them both to the HB panel.

"Hm." He orders Julian without using any words.

Julian doesn’t dare to protest. He knows that when Arthur is in a bad mood, he better not refuse him.

Now is one of those times.

So Julian can only pout and move his fingers on the panel, setting up the HB according to Arthur’s wishes.

Liam doesn’t really mind. He agreed with Julian earlier because he also felt it was better to leave than stay with a bad-mood Arthur.

The panel chimes.

And the whole gym room transforms into a dungeon.

Arthur smiles. He taps the younger men on their shoulders.

"Let’s go, boys."