While Dignitas' answer to the question posed by Hauser was his new skill, there were in fact a few other factors that assisted in drawing the conclusion.
For one, Bigsby's behavior was drastically different from his original. His tone was almost always vulgar sounding, but that didn't mean he didn't care about Dignitas. For the person known as Byrie Mortem, "get out of my way!" could very much translate to "don't interfere, it's for your own good."
But for the first time since their meeting, Dignitas noticed Bigsby speaking kindly to him. Words like "sit back" weren't in his dictionary, for he would always relish having more comrades to help beat his opponents up.
Secondly, and perhaps the most glaring flaw in Hauser's terrible impersonation of Bigsby, was the sudden disappearance of the word "kid" in the veteran's sentences. When talking to anyone younger than him, Bigsby never could resist adding it to his statements.
That alone was enough to convince Dignitas the people who came to their aid were fake.
"Plus… Alicer strongly advised me to leave the Lockheart straight away. If he saw me here, the first thing he'd probably do is drag me out as promised."
By now, the illusion of Bigsby was starting to disappear. Dainsleif had managed to pierce through where its heart should've been, dealing maximum damage.
"Though I wonder why you decided to put on a show. You know what I mean, you hermit. Why did you fight with the illusion you created when you could've simply ganged up on us?"
"It was to gain information on you, Dignitas Qwerdan."
That was the first time they had ever heard Hauser speak. Safe to say, it wasn't what Dignitas had expected. The voice was feminine.
"This… thrall of mine, is only one of the thousands under my control. You do not know much about us, but we know a lot about you."
"Malphasia…!" John suddenly blurted out.
This surprised Dignitas even more. A Demon General personally appearing, albeit through a puppet, was already an honor few people could boast having experienced. But hearing John mutter a name he should not have heard even in his past regressions was even more shocking for him.
"Ah! Another human–I wasn't prepared. John Ailey… was it? Valtor has his eyes on you."
"Wait." Dignitas raised his hand. "This is an illusion, yes? Everything here?"
"Indeed. The girl's voice, along with the two men… are illusions of the mind. They have never once been real. But the moment you stepped inside this room, they very much did."
She snapped her fingers. In an instant, Alicer's unmoving figure disappeared. It was as if he had never been there.
Hauser–or rather, Malphasia, randomly started walking. Her sudden movement caught Dignitas off guard, and he raised his sword.
This, in turn, caught Malphasia's attention. She stared at the sword in the author's hand very intently, as if trying to dig a hole through it with her mere eyesight.
"Paradox Blade Dainsleif… fascinating. A blade holding the power of Divinity and Devil Ashra inside of it."
"What…? How do you know of this sword?"
"That is not the point, Dignitas. The point is, we know you. From the moment you entered this Lockheart, you have been subjected to my Domain's will. With the flick of a finger, I could erase your ability to think."
"In fact… the only reason I am not doing so is because His Majesty's Oracle has declared you a key character in her vision."
She continued. "So struggle, Dignitas. Struggle so that you may give His Majesty excitement. That mysterious barrier you have that blocks me access will not save you."
"I will let you do as you wish now. Sever my link to my thrall and this Lockheart, if you want."
In the next moment, Hauser's body fell to the ground, lifeless. John didn't hesitate to approach him.
Placing his finger on his neck, he sighed in relief. Hauser's heart was still breathing. With a heavy look on his face, he brought his sword forward and released the Severance Style.
"Go ahead. The strings are still there, right?"
Dignitas urged the protagonist on. The latter nodded, before swiftly slashing the area above the unconscious mage's head with his sword. A subtle *shwip* sound could be heard, and from there they could feel Hauser's body start to circulate Mana instead of Devil Ashra.
John's expression changed to that of joy as he brought the mage up.
"Good job. Here, I'll help you carry him."
"Thank you."
With both of them on the sides, they carried Hauser outside, planning to look for Bigsby and Curie. Now that the issue of the voices was repaired, they now could continue on their main goal.
If they were to believe Malphasia's words, then she most likely vacated the Lockheart already. No more monsters would seek to kill them when they tried to sever any demonic traces.
As John and Dignitas carried Hauser upstairs, they conversed with each other in a somber tone. Neither seemed to have the energy to talk in long sentences.
"How did you know the demon' name was Malphasia, John? Who's that?"
"Oh… I, um, read about her in a book."
"Really now…"
The other topics would be talked about later. John could not find the time to talk to Dignitas, due to the latter being abnormally quiet.
Little did he know, the author was fiercely gritting his teeth and gripping his fist with so much intensity that it was bleeding.
'Struggle, she says?! This is my world. You should be the one struggling.'
***
In the end, Dignitas left early.
Once he and John found Bigsby and Curie, they went outside. Alicer was e nowhere to be seen, and the both of them testified that they hadn't seen a person like him even once.
Curie and Bigsby managed to break out of their respective rooms without much effort, although it did take a bit more time.
They also sensed that there indeed was nothing else in the castle. The repulsive stench of Devil Ashra was nowhere to be found, and even the atmosphere seemed fairly normal. And as such, Dignitas volunteered to be the one to leave first, bringing Hauser along.
While it would normally be impossible to escape a Lockheart without first clearing it off all demonic traces, thanks to Malphasia completely surrendering control of the place to John, the barrier around the area weakened drastically that John could cut a way through with the Severance Style.
That was how events had transpired. Once Dignitas successfully made it out, he brought the unconscious Hauser to the nearest hospital at John's request. Coincidentally, it was the hospital Lorelai was admitted to before.
"I should get back home… I'm not of right mind."
After making sure Hauser had been admitted safely, Dignitas made his way back home, to his dorm room.
"Wah! Welcome back, Diggy!"
As expected, Lorelai was there, waiting for him. She seemed to be in the middle of cooking food, but stopped to greet the author.
The two exchanged a short hug, with Lorelai forcing skinship a bit more tightly than before. Once they separated, she stared at Dignitas with a worried look on her face.
"Hmm? What? Is there something on my face?"
"Your hug felt forced, Diggy. Did something happen today?"
"It's kinda creepy how you can tell that from a hug. Don't worry about it, it's just a slight annoyance." He reached over to pat the girl's head, which she accepted happily.
"Well… alright. But don't hesitate to tell me if there's something troubling you. I want to help you the way you helped me."
"Enough about that. What's for dinner? I'm kinda hungry."
Lorelai's expression suddenly turned bright. She wrapped her hand around his and led him into the dining room. "I'm glad you asked!"
"Oh, right!" She stopped. "Before I forget, there was some mail for you. I left it on your desk."
"Really now? I wonder why they didn't just message me." Dignitas replied, staring at his smartwatch.
"Um, I think it came from outside. There was some kind of symbol… What was it? Ah, right! It was a dagger embedded into some kind of gem."