Chapter 217: 216 Twin Mirror Lake

??? He didn't even struggle—just admitted it outright?

Faced with the Aquarius Director's immediate surrender, the six branch directors who had stepped forward to accuse him all froze simultaneously.

Though they had gathered ample evidence specifically to leave him no room to deny guilt and drag him straight to memory extraction, Aquarius Director's calm confession still caught everyone off guard.

"But then~"

After glancing at the six branch directors, Aquarius Director's lips curled slightly as he spoke slowly and calmly:

"These acts were indeed done by 'me,' but not entirely by me. I am guilty, yes—but not enough to warrant memory extraction."

"Aquarius Director, please explain more clearly."

The Clearance Bureau Chief frowned and warned:

"Also, my time is limited—no more riddles.

If I haven't understood your meaning before the flow of time in the Old Lands returns to normal, I'll assume you're merely stalling to prevent me from voting—and my vote will go straight to the faction seeking your removal."

"Sorry, old age slows the mind; I always like to be thorough, heh."

Facing the Chief's blunt threat, Aquarius Director chuckled apologetically, then continued at his leisure:

"Gentlemen, I'm not as open as Taurus, nor do I enjoy being watched by so many eyes—I've never revealed my true identity.

But now that I'm cornered, I suppose I must reveal it myself… Aside from being Aquarius Director, I am also the former Chief of Gemini Branch."

…

The former Chief of Gemini Branch?!

Hearing Aquarius Director's words, all branch directors turned their gazes toward the current Chief of Gemini Branch, seeking confirmation from the incumbent. After a moment of silence, the Gemini Chief spoke without expression:

"According to bureau records, the former Chief died during peacekeeping between the Sea Folk and crustal beings—he was driven into the Great Rift beneath the Drifting Sea, got lost, and accidentally wandered into the Earth's core. He should be dead."

"I did die—but not completely. But that's irrelevant to what I'm trying to say. To avoid your votes to remove me, I'll leave those details for another time."

With a wave, he dispelled the thin mist obscuring his face, revealing his clear features, and said calmly:

"Just as the Virgo Branch Chief is tasked with guarding the Thirteen Ant Nests, the Gemini Branch Chief guards an Item-Class Anomaly—its name is the Twin Mirror Lake, cataloged in the Central Bureau as Item 021.

As the former Gemini Branch Chief, I was its guardian. You should be able to verify that—and you should recognize my face."

The Gemini Chief fell silent again, then nodded:

"Correct. It's true."

"Good. Then it'll be easier."

Aquarius Director nodded slightly and continued:

"Each drop in the Twin Mirror Lake is a two-faced crystal with virtually no thickness. Two billion drops stacked together are only as thick as a human thumbnail, so it could be carried on the person. When I went on that peacekeeping mission, I carried it with me.

The mission was extremely dangerous. Before fleeing into the Great Rift, I thought I was dead. If my corpse fell into the hands of the Sea Folk and they opened the container holding the Twin Mirror Lake, those two billion drops would merge with the ocean, spreading across the world via currents and evaporation."

Here, Aquarius Director paused briefly, then surveyed the faces around him, sighing:

"I mentioned that each drop of Twin Water is a natural mirror—but I didn't say that any sentient being reflected by these mirrors instantly splits into two identical copies. If those two billion drops had merged with the ocean, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

In desperation, I drank every drop of Twin Water, plunged straight into the deepest trench, and headed toward the Earth's core, hoping to vanish with it. But I failed…"

"You don't need to go further—I understand your meaning."

Interrupting Aquarius Director, the Clearance Bureau Chief frowned:

"You're telling us that after you drank the Twin Water, it cloned another version of you—and all those acts were done by that clone?"

"It sounds like an excuse, but it's true."

Nodding in agreement, Aquarius Director sighed helplessly:

"This was my negligence—and a personal shame. I never reported it to the Bureau. Instead, I pursued him privately, hoping to correct my mistake my own way.

Unfortunately, the clone I created has the same strength as me. I've chased him for years—and never caught him.

But his actions have been discreet, and the harm he caused in recent years was minor. Even the anomalies he created sometimes brought the Bureau extra resources. Out of self-interest, I kept it hidden.

I admit I violated bureau regulations. As penance, I'm willing to resign as Aquarius Director and continue leading the hunt for my clone. Is this punishment sufficient?"

"…"

…

Sufficient? Are you kidding? That's just cheating!

After hearing Aquarius Director's explanation, the Red-haired Chief's expression darkened. Lion Branch Chief Bevri nearly exploded with rage and stood up shouting:

"If this counts as an explanation, then anyone who does anything can just claim they have a clone and blame everything on him?"

"And how do we know any of this is true? You're the only one present. If I went to your house and killed you, would saying I have a clone let me get away with it?"

"Actually, that could work."

After patiently waiting for Bevri to finish, Aquarius Director, wearing a face like he was about to cry, smiled cheerfully:

"If you can produce a second Twin Mirror Lake and clone a version of yourself strong enough to kill me, then even if I'm killed by someone named Bevri, I'll firmly believe the killer is the clone—not you. Is that answer satisfactory?"

"You!!!"

"Besides, there are other ways to verify what I've said."

Aquarius Director smiled:

"You can open the sealing apparatus beneath Gemini Branch and check whether the Twin Mirror Lake has vanished.

Also, several of you who led the accusations against me—compare your own records. Do any of the timestamps conflict?

Could it be that when you found 'me,' the real me was elsewhere, doing something else?"

"No need to check."

The Red-haired Chief cut off Aquarius Director's suggestion and stopped Bevri from speaking further. Watching Aquarius Director's calm, confident smile, she sighed inwardly.

Checking would be useless. Since Aquarius Director dared to raise these points, he must have an alibi. Of the hundreds of records showing his appearances, if just two or three can confirm the clone's location, the rest become meaningless.

If I'm right, Aquarius Director must have planned his defense long before he began mass-producing anomalies—possibly even twenty or thirty years ago.

Over those decades, all he needed was to appear in two places simultaneously a few times to prove his clone's existence.

And with his status in the Bureau, without concrete proof, I can't drag him to memory extraction. As for the damage caused by the clone—he's already offered to resign. What else can I do?

This inquiry has been lost—defeated by our lack of preparation.

We gathered evidence for only a month. He prepared for this for at least twenty years. How could we possibly compete?