Chapter 21 - 41-43

Chapter 41: Let's take life one step at a time without rushing things

Vandalieu was finding it difficult to level up. When he had consulted the former A-class adventurer, the[Sword King]Borkus tapped his fingers against his head as he answered.

『It can't be helped. The[Death Attribute Mage]Job is probably a specialized Job. The Dungeon you went to is Garan's Valley and those guys are the ones you brought with you. With that being the case, I'm sure leveling up would be hard.』(Borkus)

This knowledge wasn't something that had been properly quantified, but anyone who had progressed with their Jobs to a certain extent knew certain rules of thumb.

『You know that each Job requires different amounts of Experience Points to level up, right? Apprentice Jobs are easy to level, generic Jobs are moderately difficult and specialized Jobs are harder.』(Borkus)

As their names suggest, Apprentice Jobs are Jobs with the word「Apprentice」at the beginning of the Job Title. Basdia and Zadiris had reached level 100 for these Jobs in a matter of days; they are very easy to level up.

Generic Jobs are Jobs such as「Warrior」and「Mage」that give bonuses to a wide variety of skills.

And finally, specialized Jobs are Jobs like「Swordsman」, specialized for swordsmanship, or「Fire-Attribute Mage」and「Water-Attribute Mage」that are specialized for specific attributes.

『Since your Job is a newly-discovered one, I don't know the details about it either. But judging from the name, I can tell that it's a Job specialized for death-attribute magic. Still, it does seem that it provides bonuses to more skills than Jobs like[Light-Attribute Mage]and[Fire-Attribute Mage.]』(Borkus)

Apparently Jobs such as these required a lot of Experience Points to level up.

『Adventurers and even normal people only take specialized Jobs when they are aiming to become first-class in that field. With a Job like that, there's no way you can become stronger faster than a complete novice.』(Borkus)

Apparently, this is how it was.

Incidentally, the reason Ghouls have a Rank like monsters while Vandalieu didn't as a Dhampir despite both being races created by the goddess Vida is because of the different origins of the two races.

Races like Ghouls that possess the blood of both a monster and a goddess such as Vampires, Lamias, Scyllas and Centaurs have Ranks like monsters while also being able to gain Jobs like humans.

However, Vandalieu was a Dhampir born between a Vampire and a Dark Elf, so only a quarter of his blood originated from a monster. Because of this, he possessed a stronger constitution than humans while not having a Rank.

Borkus and the other Titans who had become Undead originated from the union between the goddess and the Colossus god Zerno, so they hadn't possessed Ranks while alive, either.

Having decided not to be worried about his level increasing more slowly than those around him after consulting with Borkus, Vandalieu proceeded through Doran's Aquatic Caverns.

The majority of the monsters appearing here were aquatic species. Past the fifth floor, fish-people who possessed pale limbs protruding from the bodies of fish called Sahuagin, the Flying Sharks that had been present in Talosheim's waterways, Big Cancers* that possessed pincers large enough to cut a human in half and enormous octopuses called Killer Octopuses would appear.

Sahuagin were Rank 2 demi-human-type monsters that were called the Goblins of the sea, armed mainly with spears, but they were small-fry.

「This isn't edible, is it?」(Vandalieu)

『I suppose they aren't, though they might taste good if you haven't had any food or water for three days.』(Zran)

It seemed that even their materials were Goblin-like.

They had fought Flying Sharks at the waterways of Talosheim many times, so nobody had any trouble dealing with them.

「[Quick Slash!]」(Braga)

As Braga dodged the jaws of a Flying Shark, he used a Short Sword Technique martial skill, cutting deeply into the Flying Shark's neck.

Braga had been born with a body built for agility, but it was training that had elevated that agility even higher. Braga had learned the techniques of a Scout with Zran as his instructor and gained the Short Sword Technique skill that relied on his speed more than his strength. His agility already matched that of a wild animal.

As Rank 2 monsters, the Black Goblins were the weakest among the new races created by Vandalieu, so even the weakest of the monsters in Garan's Valley that they used for training were at least the same Rank. By fighting the monsters in there, they were able to gain large amounts of Experience Points.

As a result, his Rank had increased and now he was a Black Goblin Scout, only half a year after his birth.

『I've raised quite the fearsome monster, if I do say so myself.』(Zran)

「I suppose so; the Flying Shark's head has been half-severed.」(Vandalieu)

『No, that's not what I mean.』(Zran)

Zran had a shrewd expression, brown brows furrowed and his mouth turned upwards into a smile.

『He's a monster Scout. He's a monster with stronger physical abilities than a human while possessing human-level skills. There are a lot of magical beasts that have special abilities that allow them to conceal their presence and catch their enemies by surprise. But that doesn't mean they're smart. They're just acting on instinct. But Braga would be able to do things like concealing his presence to tail a group of adventurers and assassinate the healer first, or infiltrating villages and towns to kidnap women and children.』(Zran)

「I see. You mean that Braga has a high potential to become a covert operative in the future.」(Vandalieu)

That was indeed a fearsome prospect. The Noble Orc Bugogan that Vandalieu had fought a difficult battle against had trained his skills to high levels. That was why Vandalieu had been forced to allow his own flesh and bone to be cut in order to win. If Bugogan had nothing but brute strength, Vandalieu wouldn't have even allowed Bugogan to cut the tip of his smallest finger.

Braga had the potential to become a monster as threatening as Bugogan. The possibility of him catching an enemy by surprise and stabbing them in the side instead of attacking from the front was particularly fearsome.

No, what was fearsome wasn't just Braga. It was all of the Black Goblins.

Braga was the fastest to develop among all of them, but according to Zran, all of them would increase their Ranks and become Black Goblin Scouts by the end of the year. In other words, all of the Black Goblins had the talent to be assassins and spies.

They would be a group of monsters capable of slipping past the defenses of humans to infiltrate their villages and towns. Though infiltration for long periods of time would be impossible due to their appearance, but they would at least be able to deal with the guards and open the gates from the inside to allow their comrades in.

「But you knew from the beginning that they would become fearsome when you were teaching them, didn't you? You were the one who taught them the Short Sword Technique, after all, Zran.」(Vandalieu)

『Hahahahaha.』(Zran)

「Wait, you're a monster as well, aren't you? You're an Undead.」(Vandalieu)

『Hahahahahahahaha!』(Zran)

「You really just wanted to act cool and boast about your student, didn't you?」(Vandalieu)

『Hahahaha, very perceptive, Holy Son!』(Zran)

「It's just that I know how you feel because I'm a person who likes boasting myself.」(Vandalieu)

Though Vandalieu wouldn't call himself a parent, he felt strangely old as he thought about how that tiny Braga had grown up to be so great.

It would be good if Braga became powerful enough to hunt monsters on his own and he would be a reliable ally to have if the Mirg shield-nation ever dispatched another extermination force.

「What are you talking about, King?」(Braga)

Braga was nimbly returning after retrieving some shark fins and placing the meat in a container in Sam's carriage.

「We were saying that you're like a ninja, Braga.」(Vandalieu)

Telling him outright would be too embarrassing, so this was the answer Vandalieu gave. But Braga and even Zran gave him puzzled looks.

『Ninja?』(Zran)

「Eh, you haven't heard of them? Even you, Zran.」(Vandalieu)

Zakkart had tried to spread knowledge and technology from his own world, so Vandalieu had thought that at least Zran would know what a ninja was. After that, the two of them began to pester Vandalieu to tell them stories about ninjas every time they stopped to rest.

Incidentally, Big Cancers and Killer Octopuses were Rank 3 and they were simply large crabs and octopuses, so they didn't have any trouble dealing with these monsters.

Apart from the marine products that could be harvested in Doran's Aquatic Caverns, there were also metals that could be mined. Precious metals such as gold, silver and Mythril couldn't be found here, but they could mine tin, copper and iron.

That was why miners would slay monsters with pickaxes while digging at the walls.

Vandalieu imagined that it might be incredibly difficult to carry large quantities of heavy ores outside the Dungeon, but it seemed that the metal originating in the Dungeon formed in large lumps. Even the purity was high enough that it could simply be used to make metal goods and armor straight away.

Upon learning this, Vandalieu had thought, "Other worlds are so convenient."

This was why Talosheim had blacksmiths but no smelters to turn ores into masses of metal.

After greeting the miners who were carrying these lumps of metal on their backs and taking a break to eat food with them, Vandalieu's party continued their journey to clear the Dungeon.

From the sixth floor onwards, Rank 4 monsters began to appear alongside the Rank 3 ones.

Squid monsters that could change the color of its own body to conceal itself to attack its enemies by surprise, Chameleon Squids.

Monsters that appeared to be one-and-a-half-meter-long lobsters that had sharp claws that were like bladed weapons, Blade Shrimp.

Monsters that looked like beautiful flowers on first glance but actually secreted paralyzing venom and possessed countless tentacles, Shark-eating Anemones.

These were just a little problematic.

Braga's[Intuition]and[Detection]skills as well as Vandalieu's[Danger Sense: Death]let them immediately know where monsters were hiding.

And though it wasn't like Garan's Valley, they had more than enough strength to get through.

『UOOOOOH![QUICK SLAAAAASH!]』(Zran)

With incredible force and enough speed to cut the air itself, Zran sliced the Blade Shrimp clean in two. He was just like a berserker as he ended its life with his short sword.

「GAAAAAH![Whip Axe!]」(Vigaro)

Writhing tentacles were severed by the axe swung by Vigaro's arm that was even more flexible than them. And then the Shark-eating Anemone's main body was sliced through as well.

It seemed as if Vigaro's desire for battle had increased since he had become a Ghoul Berserker. Was it just in Vandalieu's imagination?

『Bocchan, might it not be wise to stop those two? If I am not mistaken, they are supposed to be supervising you.』(Sam)

Zran as well as Vigaro in particular had high Ranks; defeating monsters that weren't bosses in a D-class Dungeon wouldn't gain them any reasonable amount of Experience Points.

Even if they wanted to improve their skills, their enemies were so far below them that this was nothing but a warm-up exercise for them. The enemies were simply too weak for this to be real training.

In fact, since the enemies were so much weaker, their skills and instincts would become duller instead.

So the reason the two of them were rampaging around at the front was -

「Well, they've been saying they're bored.」(Vandalieu)

They had grown tired of supervising without participating in the fights.

『Well, it is rather awkward to have the two of them do nothing.』(Sam)

「We can take a break while those two are fighting, too.」(Vandalieu)

「That's fine, but… can we really eat these?」(Kachia)

Kachia looked at the Killer Octopus legs, Blade Shrimp and sashimi made of fish and shellfish with a displeasured look on her face.

「Of course. Do the people of the Mirg shield-nation not eat octopuses and eels?」(Vandalieu)

Even on Earth, there had been countries without the culture of eating octopuses. Though he wasn't sure if this was true, Vandalieu had also heard that there had even been ancient civilizations who absolutely could not eat it or avoided doing so for religious reasons.

With that being the case, it was possible that there was a culture of not eating eels in Lambda.

「No, there's no eels because there's no ocean, and octopuses are just dried meat…」(Kachia)

Apparently Vandalieu was wrong. The fact that octopuses were used as dried meat meant that they could be eaten normally. So why was Kachia hesitating? Did she simply dislike seafood?

「Then do you at least eat fish?」(Vandalieu)

「That's not the problem! It's raw!」(Kachia)

「Ah, that's what it is.」(Vandalieu)

It seemed Kachia's apprehension was due to the fact that they would be eating marine products raw. In western countries on Earth there had been dishes like carpaccio where fish and meat would be eaten raw, so Vandalieu had thought that it wouldn't be a problem.

Did carpaccio not exist in Lambda? Or had Bellwood told everyone that eating fish raw was dangerous so that Zakkart couldn't spread the culture of eating sushi and sashimi?

「It's alright. Look.」(Vandalieu)

While Kachia was still apprehensive, Braga was enjoying the sashimi.

「Delicious! Delicious!」(Braga)

They ate eels, squid, shellfish and fish with fish sauce and wasabi. Normally soy sauce would be better than fish sauce, but soy sauce created from walnut miso and acorn miso had a questionable flavor, so they had only brought fish sauce with them.

Were the walnuts or acorns bad to use, or was there a problem with the fungus used for the fermentation process? Either way, Vandalieu really wanted soya beans.

「It's delicious! Kachia, have some too!」(Braga)

『The combination of this tender texture with the sharp spice of the wasabi is indeed marvelous.』(Sam)

Braga encouraged Kachia with joy on his face while Sam did the same with a report on the food.

「You might say that, but humans can't eat fish raw!」(Kachia)

「Kachia, you're a Ghoul now.」(Braga)

「Ah, that's right! But even Ghouls can't eat raw fish, can they?!」(Kachia)

Monsters like Goblins and Kobolds generally don't cook their food. They feast on meat and anything else raw. Other demi-humans might roast meat on a fire at most.

But the Ghouls had been using primitive techniques such as using skewers to roast meat and baking it in leaves since before Vandalieu arrived.

Like Titans, they were a race of people created by Vida.

「But it's alright. It's extremely fresh and I've even used[Sterilization],[Bug Killer]and[Disinfect], so there's nothing harmful left in it.」(Vandalieu)

Even if fungi and parasites had been present, they were all exterminated now and Vandalieu had even used the death-attribute spell[Disinfect]to remove any poison.

With this much treatment done, even poisonous mushrooms would become edible.

「I-if you've gone that far… Hmm? It's delicious?」(Kachia)

Kachia's eyes opened wide in surprise, and then she began greedily munching on the sashimi like Braga. Seeing how happy she was, Vandalieu also felt happy.

Incidentally, after Zran and Vigaro returned from their monster-hunting, Zran said,『Raw meat tastes delicious after you've become an Undead so I can't help it』, as he gleefully dug into the sashimi. Vigaro on the other hand rejected the idea like Kachia had at first, saying,「Raw?! We'll get stomachaches!」But then he began to eat after being reassured that it was safe to do so.

The mid-boss that appeared on the tenth floor was a Rank 4 Sahuagin Berserker with Rank 3 Sahuagin Pirates as subordinates. Since they didn't yield any valuable materials, they served as training partners for Vandalieu to improve his[Unarmed Fighting]skill.

From the eleventh floor onwards of Doran's Aquatic Caverns, Rank 4 monsters began to appear, leading groups of Rank 3 monsters. The frequency of traps also became higher.

There were pitfalls with poisoned spikes at the bottom, spears hidden amongst the stalactites in the ceilings and axes that came flying at them from the walls.

「King, there's a trap here!」(Braga)

「That's right. Can you disarm it?」(Vandalieu)

「I'll give it a try! … Ah.」(Braga)

Poisonous gas was released with a hissing sound, so Vandalieu neutralized the poison with[Disinfect.]

「Sorry, I failed.」(Braga)

「It's fine. Do your best next time.」(Vandalieu)

『… Why is it that the Holy Son who is at the back is the first to know where the traps are?』(Zran)

Depending on the types of traps, traps could be more dangerous than monsters. However, Vandalieu could detect traps that would kill with his constantly-active[Danger Sense: Death.]This allowed him to detect traps faster than Braga who was actually searching for them.

In addition, many of the traps in Doran's Aquatic Caverns were poisonous, so he could deal with them immediately with[Disinfect.]

『With the Holy Son here, aren't Scouts unnecessary?』(Zran)

「Don't sulk like that. Aren't materials and training the reasons we came here?」(Vandalieu)

That was why Vandalieu didn't say or do anything even after detecting traps, leaving Braga to search for them.

「And I can't detect traps that aren't deadly. For example, a trap that spits out oil that's hard to remove.」(Vandalieu)

『That would be more of a prank than a trap.』(Sam)

He would probably be unable to detect a trap where a blackboard duster would come falling from overhead.

『But wouldn't it be fine to not detect those? They won't kill you, after all.』(Zran)

「Well, that's true.」(Vandalieu)

In a Dungeon, half of the traps were designed to kill their victims. The other half would either immobilize or apply a status effect, making it easier for monsters to kill the intruders, so Vandalieu could detect most of them.

「But you know, it's not like I'll be around every time.」(Vandalieu)

『I suppose you're right.』(Zran)

And so they continued and set up camp. The next day, they finally arrived at the lowest floor.

There were apparently only ten floors two hundred years ago, but like Garan's Valley, the number of floors had increased after being abandoned. There were now eighteen floors to journey through.

Vandalieu was able to obtain the seaweeds and skipjack tuna that he had come here for on the fifteenth floor, so this was a happy surprise for him.

When he returned to Talosheim, he would make a room for smoking food and make katsuobushi. If that was too difficult, it might still be good to use the fish after drying it like it had been in the Warring States period*.

「By the way, does this turtle spit fire or anything?」(Vandalieu)

「『It doesn't!』」(Vigaro and Zran)

As Vandalieu asked this question with no signs of nervousness, Vigaro and Zran almost shouted in response.

The boss of Doran's Aquatic Caverns that was waiting for them was a Rank 5 Crusher Turtle accompanied by six Rank 4 Bullet Turtles.

Bullet Turtles were turtles with one-meter-long shells at first glance, but they were problematic monsters that could withdraw their limbs into their shells and use wind-attribute magic to spin through the air at high speeds in order to perform ramming attacks.

Their shells were harder than iron; their ramming attacks would be dangerous even for heavy warriors.

The Crusher Turtle was five times larger than a Bullet Turtle, but its ramming attack wouldn't be only five times as powerful. There were apparently numerous incidents in history where stone walls of towns were destroyed by the ramming attacks of giant turtles such as these, and it had a powerful defense as well.

They were monsters that were difficult to defeat among Rank 4 and Rank 5 monsters.

In fact, not only Braga and Kachia, but even Zran and Vigaro were having a hard time dealing with them.

「Nuh! It's fast!」(Vigaro)

『And they're coordinated, too!』(Zran)

With their heads withdrawn into their shells and spinning at high speeds, the turtles had begun to move in a coordinated fashion. As Vigaro made an attempt to reduce their number by one first, others attacked from the side and above him to interfere.

Half-hearted attacks would simply bounce off the spinning shells that were harder than iron.

This is where magic would come in handy, but Vigaro, Vran and Kachia couldn't use magic.

「Leave it to me!」(Kachia)

But Kachia raised her sword and stepped forward.

「Kachia, it's impossible!」(Braga)

「It's not impossible![Rapid Reaction!]」(Kachia)

Taking no notice of Braga as he tried to stop her, Kachia increased her reaction speed with a martial skill, dodged a Bullet Turtle's attack with the bare minimum required movement and released a deadly thrust into the side of its shell.

「[Pierce!]」(Kachia)

A swordsmanship technique that increased the speed and power of a thrust. Now that Kachia had become a Ghoul, she had more physical strength than she had possessed as an adventurer. Her attack pierced the Bullet Turtle's shell.

There was a sound of breaking metal.

「Eh?!」(Kachia)

Kachia's plan fell apart along with her sword.

As she opened her eyes wide, dumbfounded, another Bullet Turtle closed in on her. She noticed it, thanks to her[Rapid Reaction.]But though the[Pierce]she used was fast and powerful, it also left a large opening. Even though she had seen it, her body couldn't keep up.

「I'm done f -」(Kachia)

「I won't let that happen, don't worry.」(Vandalieu)

Though Kachia thought she was doomed, the Bullet Turtle crashed into the ground.

「Well, if I erase their Mana, they're just huge turtles.」(Vandalieu)

The Bullet Turtles that were using wind-attribute magic to fly through the air like bullets lost their ability to fly as they were engulfed in[Magic Absorption Barriers.]They crashed with full force into the walls and into the ground.

If they had wings, perhaps they might be able to glide through the air, but all they had were flipper-shaped legs.

「The amount of Experience Points gained will decrease if I interfere, but it can't be helped. Ah, everyone, please finish them off.」(Vandalieu)

「Yeah.」(Vigaro)

『Sorry about that, Holy Son.』(Zran)

They dealt with the turtles by thrusting their short swords and claws into the gaps in their shells. The Crusher Turtle resisted a little by attempting to bite them, but it joined its subordinates in death with one swing of Vigaro's axe.

「Let's have a new sword made for you when we get back. If there's anything nice in the treasure room, you can simply take it… What's wrong?」(Vandalieu)

Kachia, who was sitting down with the broken sword still in her hand, had tears in her eyes.

Should Vandalieu have helped her quicker? Had he spent too long waiting to see what would happen?

As he panicked, her tears began to fall from.

「I… I'm shorry…」(Kachia)

Why was she apologizing to him?

Vandalieu wanted to ask her this question, but decided to console her instead for now.

「I felt my limits even before being captured by the Orcs… Uu… And then I became a Ghoul, but even so…」(Kachia)

「I see, so you were impatient.」(Vandalieu)

Kachia was a fast learner. She had grown strong rapidly after becoming an adventurer, catching up to her seniors… and then she had hit a wall.

It wasn't a hard iron wall, but a soft one made of mud. It gradually became harder to level up and no matter what kind of training and battles she went through, her skills were improving at a snail's pace. She couldn't even imagine when her skills might level up.

"I don't need to worry about it; the growth period for my strength has just passed. I just have to become stronger one step at a time from now on."

Even though she told herself this, she could only see the backs of the seniors that she was supposed to have caught up to and those who started training in the same year as her left her behind. Even her juniors were catching up to her.

She suddenly felt that the stories of retired female adventurers that spread throughout the Adventurers' Guild were real.

If Kachia had earned enough money, she might have retired in the same way. However, she had only just become a D-class adventurer and all of her money was going into her equipment, living costs and paying off the debt that her parents had left her.

Though she didn't live extravagantly, the amount of money she had was only several months' worth of living expenses.

She didn't have the connections to be hired as an exclusive escort. The Mirg shield-nation didn't employ female soldiers to fight on the frontlines, though some were used for office work.

That was why she had no choice but to continue as an adventurer, putting in hard work without knowing when it would produce results.

It wasn't that Kachia had become weak. However, the adventurers around her had become strong and left her behind. She was unable to find decent requests to accept, the monsters in Devil's Nests whose materials would sell for high prices were too much for her to handle and there were many cases where more skilled adventurers were already hunting them.

Perhaps it would simply be better to find a suitable man to run away with and marry.

She had been captured by Orcs while thinking this and fell into despair. She thought that she would be giving birth to a Noble Orc's children until she died. She would have been better off dying during her adventures, even when she still had dreams to accomplish.

However, Kachia was rescued by the Ghouls and decided to become a Ghoul at Vandalieu's suggestion.

After becoming a Ghoul, Kachia thought that she had been reborn.

She gained the[Superhuman Strength]and[Pain Resistance]skills and her Attribute Values increased. She was clearly more powerful than she had been as a human.

She could finally become stronger. She would regain her pride and her dreams. That was what she thought.

「But because everyone else was becoming stronger faster than you, you grew even more impatient.」(Vandalieu)

That was why she had grown impatient and done something like that, believing in herself.

「Eeuuh…」(Kachia)

These were Kachia's circumstances.

Hearing this, Vigaro and Zran thought that this was where Vandalieu would scold her.

After that, Vigaro and the others went to retrieve the items in the treasure room. And all of them began the journey back to Talosheim.

Kachia and Vandalieu were sitting together on top of a Golem that Vandalieu had created. This was because Sam's carriage was full with the harvested materials. Braga looked jealously up at them.

Vigaro didn't understand the circumstances of humans, but he knew how it felt to be frustrated with one's own lack of progress. However, allowing that to cause reckless behavior was not good. His death would cause the village to lose strength.

That was why Vandalieu had to scold her, even if he understood how she felt. He had to scold her and teach her so that she wouldn't become impatient again. That was his job as a leader of the village.

「I understand how you feel. I really do.」(Vandalieu)

But Vandalieu's words faltered.

「V-Vandalieu?」(Vigaro)

Vigaro called his name out, wondering why he wasn't continuing, but the words that came from Vandalieu's mouth weren't scolding or reprimands.

「I've thoroughly experienced that.」(Vandalieu)

It was sympathy. Vandalieu knew all too well why Kachia had felt impatient.

No matter how hard he had worked on Earth, his grades were just a little above average. He had always been scolded at his part-time job and he had been unable to make any friends. When he had finally participated in the school trip with the money he had saved, everyone else was having the time of their lives and he had to mask his feelings of being alienated by trying to enjoy the view.

His own worth shouldn't change, but as others rose above him, he had felt that his own worth was decreasing relative to them.

「I still feel impatient. Among my mother's enemies, Gordan is an old man, but judging from the sound of his voice, Heinz was still young. He'll have grown stronger by now, but meanwhile, this is how I am.」(Vandalieu)

Heinz had been B-class back then. It had been three years, so he might have become A-class by now. Even while Vandalieu was doing this, Heinz was undoubtedly becoming even stronger.

And Amemiya Hiroto and the others who would be reincarnated here were likely undergoing high-level training and fighting in Origin right now. They wouldn't have the[Experience gained in previous life not carried over]curse, so they would be able to make use of that training fully once they reincarnated in Lambda.

Vandalieu didn't know whether they were serving as soldiers or agents in Origin so he could only make vague guesses as to what kinds of things they would experience, but there was a high chance that they would possess first-class skills even without their cheat-like abilities.

「So how can you stay so calm?」(Kachia)

「I intend on using any method available to me. And no matter how strong they become, they won't be immortal.」(Vandalieu)

He would kill them, even if he had to use poison, spread diseases or catch them by surprise. He would have no qualms about making thousands of Undead and Golems to crush them to death with the strength of numbers.

He wouldn't care if he was called a coward. In the end, he just needed to be the one to stand victorious.

As for those who would reincarnate here… Well, if they insisted on killing Vandalieu no matter what, then he had no choice but to deal with them in the same way. They wouldn't be immortal, either.

However, he still wanted to avoid having to fight all one hundred of them. He didn't like them; emotionally speaking, he couldn't forgive them. But if he couldn't defeat them in the end, all of it would be meaningless.

He would talk to them. If they apologized, he would keep his distance and watch them work hard to develop this problematic world while enjoying a comfortable life eating delicious food with everyone else. That would be more than enough as revenge for him.

「So what should I do?」(Kachia)

Kachia seemed to have calm down. Vandalieu took a moment to think before replying.

「How about leaving swordsmanship aside for now and trying some magic training? Ghoul women are supposed to have a high aptitude for magic, after all.」(Vandalieu)

She might just end up as a jack of all trades and master of none, but she was currently not making much progress so it wouldn't be a bad thing to have more options.

「… Yes, I'll give it a try. But what if it doesn't work out?」(Kachia)

「If it doesn't work out? I'll be there to listen to you again if that time comes.」(Vandalieu)

Vandalieu felt that he was responsible for Kachia. He was the one who had suggested that she and the others become Ghouls. He had known that their previous lives would come to an end and this would be a step down a one-way road that they would never be able turn back on. That was why he thought that taking care of them was the obvious thing to do as a person, if he wanted to be considered a person.

Wanting to help others in need was how a person should act, wasn't it? He got the feeling that everyone said that the character for "person" was one person supporting another.

「I see. You'll be there to listen.」(Kachia)

「If magic doesn't work out either, there are other options like becoming a specialist in making fish sauce and acorn miso.」(Vandalieu)

「Hmm, try again.」(Kachia)

「Then how about becoming a maid with Saria and Rita?」(Vandalieu)

「A maid, huh… Well, let's go with that for now.」(Kachia)

Why did she add,「for now?」Could it be that she wanted to be a maid in the past? Was her childhood dream to become a maid leader?

「Mhmm, I've found my motivation. I don't know how far I can go, but I'll do my best with magic as soon as we get back!」(Kachia)

Leaving that aside, it was a relief to see that she had recovered.

「Basdia has a rival now.」(Vigaro)

『This is good, isn't it? Heroes are supposed to be popular with the women.』(Zran)

「I want to be popular too, like Berg.」(Braga)

… Had Vandalieu raised some kind of flag?

Vandalieu didn't care, since he was looking forward to making miso soup with kombu and dashi.

Name: Kachia

Rank: 3

Race: Ghoul

Level: 24

Job: Warrior

Job level: 77

Job history: Apprentice Warrior

Age: 19 years old

Passive skills:

Night Vision

Pain Resistance: Level 1

Superhuman Strength: Level 1

Paralyzing Venom Secretion (Claws): Level 1

Active skills:

Swordsmanship: Level 3

Armor Technique: Level 1

Shield Technique: Level 1

Dismantling: Level 1

As a human, Kachia possessed moderate strength for a D-class adventurer. But she had the flaw of having no skills other than swordsmanship, and hitting a wall in her growth made her feel even worse about not making progress.

She has gained passive skills after turning into a Ghoul and her Attribute Values have increased under the effect of Vandalieu's[Strengthen Followers], but the way she fought as a human is unable to make use of them and display her strength.

Chapter 42: Shadows of unrest approach unseen

「Hogyah, hogyah!」

The thing that was crying like a baby was no normal baby.

It had blonde hair that looked as if made of pure gold, and skin as white as the rock that this royal castle of Talosheim was built from. It had pink, triangular ears and there was a short tail growing from its bottom.

Incidentally, pig-beast-people apparently didn't exist in Lambda.

「Before we knew it, the Live-Dead had turned to ashes and this child was crying.」(Basdia)

「I see.」(Vandalieu)

Vandalieu came to check on the Live-Dead after returning from Doran's Aquatic Caverns to be greeted by Basdia holding a baby in her arms.

It seemed that while Vandalieu was in Doran's Aquatic Caverns, the fetus had developed sufficiently and the Live-Dead had run out of Mana.

「Well, I don��t really care about the Live-Dead. I was planning to bury it after it served its purpose anyway.」(Vandalieu)

Vandalieu turned the ashes into a Golem to gather them up. The Live-Dead had simply been a creature with a beating heart but no soul. It had existed only to nurture its reborn self in its uterus.

「So this child was born safely, but… I've been troubled because it won't stop crying.」(Basdia)

「Hogyah! Hogyah!」(Baby)

「Can I see the baby for a bit?」(Vandalieu)

「Of course.」(Basdia)

Vandalieu took her in his arms. She stopped crying and stared at Vandalieu.

Vandalieu observed her as she gazed at him.

「… Mhmm, it does resemble her.」(Vandalieu)

Its face resembled that of the Live-Dead and its spirit, and it had a human's nose. And it was definitely a girl. It was not a Noble Orc whose race only had males.

「I'm going to have a good look at you, so bear with me for a moment.」(Vandalieu)

���Uu.」(Baby)

Using[Spirit Form Transformation]to turn a part of his body into spirit form, Vandalieu examined the inside of her body. Her organ count, the shape of her bones and the like were different from Orcs; they were close to a human's.

It was still impossible to tell whether her body would function the same as a human's. But she was clearly not an Orc or Noble Orc.

But it couldn't be said that she was completely human. She had the same golden hair as the Noble Orcs, and her eyes were blue. And her ears and tail made it very clear that she wasn't entirely human.

She was still just a baby; it was possible that she might develop more inhuman characteristics as she developed.

Was she a half-Noble Orc?

「Can you see your status?」(Vandalieu)

「Amu~」(Baby)

For now, it seemed that she wasn't going to angrily shout,「This isn't what you promised me!」because of her strange appearance.

「Umm, could it be that you��re hungry?」(Vandalieu)

「Van, I don't think a baby would be able to understand what you're saying…?」(Basdia)

As Vandalieu turned to face Basdia - or tried to, the baby put him in a headlock.

She was unbelievably strong for a child. With his head being held in place by both her arms, he couldn't move at all.

「I had my memories from quite early after I was born. I thought that she might be able to understand.」(Vandalieu)

「I see. But I don't think she understands. If she did, she would have listened to me and stopped crying. But she showed no signs of listening and kept crying until you arrived, Van.」(Basdia)

「Then it might take some time before she regains her memories.」(Vandalieu)

Vandalieu's memories had returned relatively soon after being reborn in Lambda. But that was because it had been the work of Rodcorte who was a god, while Vandalieu had used a new technique for the first time to carry out this baby's reincarnation.

It might take several months or even years for her memories to return.

Well, several months had passed after her death before Vandalieu used her spirit for the reincarnation, so it was definitely possible that her memories and consciousness might have parts missing, however.

「Well, I've asked Bilde and the others to provide milk in advance, so let's head over to them. You still can't produce any, right, Basdia?」(Vandalieu)

「Me?」(Basdia)

「Yes, you're pregnant. Please make sure you wear the Magic Item that protects the baby.」(Vandalieu)

「Is that true, Van?!」(Basdia)

「It's true, congratulations. Make sure you come to me regularly so I can check its progress.」(Vandalieu)

「Yeah!」(Basdia)

And so two auspicious events were celebrated at once.

Vandalieu dried kombu in the clear winter air and weak sunlight with the reborn girl.

「Now then, I'll begin the experiment.」(Vandalieu)

「Ai.」(Baby)

He slowly applied[Withering]on the kombu to remove its water content while also slowly applying[Aging.]

If he made a mistake it would dry out too much and fall apart, and if he took too long, it would turn into powder, so he needed to be very careful.

He continued controlling his spells for just a minute while enduring a headache and fever. It turned out perfect, so he stopped his spells and retrieved the dried kombu.

「Now then, time to actually taste it.」(Vandalieu)

「Ai.」(Baby)

He threw the kombu into a pot on a magical stove he had found in the ruins and turned the stove on.

Dashi began to come out steadily.

He removed the kombu when enough dashi had come out before the water started to boil and scooped some out with a ladle that the blacksmith Datara had made for him. He placed it onto a small plate, cooled it and tasted it.

「Mhmm, that's good dashi.」(Vandalieu)

Satisfied, he added ingredients like wakame and vegetables and then dissolved miso in it to make miso soup.

「It's turned out well.」(Vandalieu)

「Uu, uu.」(Baby)

「I think it's a little too early for you to be drinking miso soup, Pauvina.」(Vandalieu)

「Au…」(Pauvina)

Pauvina… the Live-Dead who had been reborn as a half-Noble Orc seemed dejected, so Vandalieu comforted her as he felt satisfied at having successfully made kombu dashi.

Applying the[Aging]spell that was originally intended to age living things to kill them through old age to the kombu and drying it, he was able to apply twenty-five years' worth of drying in a single minute to produce high-quality dried kombu. It was a groundbreaking discovery.

It was a process that shortened a twenty-five-year-long process to one minute. Incidentally, the reason it was twenty-five years was because Vandalieu remembered that kombu that had been dried and fermented for that long had been treated as a much higher-quality product than normal kombu on Earth. If he recalled, it was because the process changed the umami content in the kombu.

He had no spell that could confirm whether the umami content had really increased and Vandalieu had never tried miso soup made from high-quality kombu dashi, so there was no denying the possibility that Vandalieu was just making an assumption here.

「Au.」(Pauvina)

Though Vandalieu had originally thought that Pauvina hadn't regained her memories yet, she had in fact regained them to some extent immediately after her birth.

But as Vandalieu had feared, they were very broken memories and she hadn't even been able to remember her own name.

She only remembered that her corpse had been turned into a Live-Dead and that Vandalieu had saved her. The latter could be referred to as Vandalieu using her, but she felt thankful towards him and was emotionally attached to him.

「Mmuh…」(Pauvina)

But even after regaining some of her memories, her mental age was still that of a child. Unlike people who had been reincarnated like Vandalieu, she was simply a child who remembered a little about her previous life.

She would develop and become an adult for the second time.

… She would surely grow to be large. At three months of age, her height was almost the same as Vandalieu who was three years old. Even taking into account the fact that Vandalieu had a small build, she was growing incredibly quickly.

Was this because she had some Noble Orc blood in her?

As Pauvina lifted Vandalieu into the air, he wondered,「Am I trying to be some kind of mad scientist who creates new species?」

Nuaza and the other Titans seemed happy about it, however, saying things like,「It is just like how the goddess Vida gave birth to us; it is truly divine work!」He would soon become unable to ever get rid of the title of "Prophesized Holy Son."

Vandalieu thought that if he wasn't the Holy Son, it would be nice if the goddess could give another prophecy or something to say so.

「So far, everything is going well.」(Vandalieu)

「Uu?」(Pauvina)

「Mhmm, everything but the katsuobushi, I suppose.」(Vandalieu)

Pauvina was developing well. Vandalieu didn't know how long it would take for her to become an adult, but it would likely be ten years at most. She didn't seem to have any problems with her health, and they were getting along well.

Since he had used her and reincarnated her, Vandalieu had to take responsibility for her new life, so he planned to take good care of her.

Basdia's pregnancy had been discovered at the same time as Pauvina's birth, and that was also progressing well. She had only been pregnant for three months so Vandalieu had been carefully examining her, but the Magic Item had been exhibiting its effects with no problem.

It was even better that she liked the piercing.

Vandalieu had once again put a halt on his Dungeon-clearing so he could take care of Pauvina and Basdia, but he was still going into the Devil's Nests that were close enough to make a day trip into with everyone to continue his training. He assisted those training to acquire the[Chant Revocation]skill, played Reversi and Jenga and made fish sauce and miso. Everything was going well.

The only thing he was struggling with was making katsuobushi. It seemed that the concept of smoking food didn't exist in Lambda.

There was dried meat so Vandalieu had assumed that smoked foods existed, but this wasn't the case. Not even bacon, ham, sausages or wieners existed in this world, let alone roast beef.

He had asked Kachia and the others, but dried meat in this world was meat that had been salted and dried in the sun.

Because of this, Vandalieu had been forced to build a food-smoking facility using only his own knowledge.

Darcia had finally given Vandalieu permission to use fire, but the first real cooking that he was doing himself, using smoking tools based on his limited knowledge to make katsuobushi, was difficult.

「In Origin, I learned things from the spirits of western people who were knowledgeable about Japanese food, but they weren't experts in making katsuobushi.」(Vandalieu)

He dried the fish and charred it to make smoked fish. This process simply produced a burnt product or left the center raw; all of his attempts had failed.

To make fermented food, all Vandalieu had to do was prepare the ingredients and use[Fermentation.]

It seemed that Vandalieu would struggle to make bacon or wieners as well, even though he had ingredients for them in the form of Orc meat. No, he still lacked the spices to make them.

「First of all, put me down now.」(Vandalieu)

「Uu.」(Pauvina)

Pauvina refused. Vandalieu spent the fourth winter of his life being held in the air.

The search was extremely difficult.

A relatively safe route across the mountain range had been planned out, but in the end, a third of the Subordinate Vampires had been wiped out.

And the search for the Dhampir after crossing the mountain range was proving difficult as well.

「I didn't think that it would be this troublesome.」(Eleanora)

The objective of Eleanora and her party was to murder the Dhampir, but they didn't have any convenient Magic Items like a[Dhampir Radar]or spells like[Detect Dhampir.]

That was why they had decided to first find the village of Ghouls that he led. The Ghouls might have lost about half of their numbers while crossing the mountain range, but there would still be at least two hundred left.

A village of two hundred Ghouls would be quite large. And Ghouls weren't particularly adapted to living at high altitudes, nor were they good at navigating steep cliffs. There was no doubt that they would choose flat ground, similar to the Devil's Nest forest that was undergoing reclamation now.

Under those assumptions, they released familiars to search for them but… not a single Ghoul had been found.

「Jeez, just where have they gone? It's not as if they could have disappeared like mist.」(Eleanora)

Eleanora sighed as she poured holy water that they had brought with them over the defeated Subordinate Vampire at her feet. They were truly useless. Their master was useless as well, but just why was every single one of the Subordinates gathered here so useless?

「They might have gone underground. I suppose we should search the caves as well.」(Sercrent)

Sercrent had a look of exhaustion on his face as well. He didn't care about some of his useless subordinates dying. But he was desperate because if he couldn't complete this mission, his life would be forfeit.

「But even then, the Ghouls would need to gather food, so it would be a cavern system with multiple entrances. Or perhaps… the Ghouls already served their purpose in helping him cross the mountain range, so he disposed of them?」(Eleanora)

Leaving aside whether that was really possible, if it was true, that would explain why the search using the familiars that had even cost a third of the Subordinate Vampires' lives had turned up nothing. That Dhampir had stayed hidden from the search of that renowned religious fanatic Gordan when he was less than a year old.

If he was on his own, he would obviously not need much food and living underground would be simple.

「More importantly, isn't there a possibility that the spirits of these guys who have just died have gone to give the Dhampir information about us?」(Sercrent)

Eleanora and Sercrent were conducting their search with a policy of not killing or dying any more than needed in order to deal with the Dhampir who was apparently a Spiritualist, but even so, the Devil's Nests of the Boundary Mountain Range weren't easy to deal with.

Unlucky encounters with Dragons and such had cost them another third of the Subordinate Vampires. They poured holy water on the dead bodies to prevent their spirits from lingering in this world, but they couldn't actually see spirits.

Only those with the Spiritualist Job can see spirits that haven't become Undead.

That was why they couldn't tell whether the spirits were in the vicinity of their dead bodies. The spirits could have rushed off towards the Dhampir and they would have never known.

「Even if the Dhampir is a Spiritualist, he wouldn't be able to summon the spirits of people whose names and faces he doesn't know. The possibility of him being able to do that is low… I want to believe that.」(Eleanora)

「I see… But what will we do? Where do we search from here?」(Sercrent)

「Let's see, how about we go to where the city of Talosheim once stood?」(Eleanora)

The nation of Titans that the Amid Empire used the Mirg shield-nation's army to destroy. The Pure-breed Vampire Gubamon had used the Amid Empire to do this, and Ternecia had been partially involved as well.

It would certainly be a ruin by now, swarming with Undead Titans.

「Even though they're ruins, there might be some usable buildings left, and it would be easier to establish a village there than to build a new one from nothing.」(Eleanora)

Though it was unlikely that the Dhampir was aware of this, there were Dungeons near Talosheim. If he used those, he would be able to gather food efficiently.

However, Sercrent looked doubtful.

「No, Talosheim should be overflowing with Undead. It would be impossible to build a village there.」(Sercrent)

Looking at Sercrent's face, Eleanora was overcome with an urge to kill him on the spot.

The reason Sercrent didn't want to go to Talosheim was an extremely insignificant one.

He didn't want Eleanora to gain leadership.

For Sercrent to erase his past failures and return to his original position in Vampire society, he of course needed to successfully kill the Dhampir, but it also needed to be his own achievement rather than Eleanora's.

Even if he completed his mission, doing so under Eleanora's command would mean that he had stooped low enough to become her dog, and it could even be interpreted as proof that he was an incompetent fool who couldn't even exterminate a single Dhampir without having instructions spelled out for him.

Those living in the society of the Vampires who obeyed the evil gods constantly tried to gain the favor of those who were on the rise while striking down those who were falling.

If Sercrent simply prioritized the completion of his mission, his social position wouldn't move an inch.

However, even though he understood that, there was a reason Eleanora couldn't allow him to have his way. Because that would mean that she, a member of Birkyne's bodyguards, had considered obeying Sercrent, which her Pure-breed master wouldn't accept.

She would be subjected to indescribable punishment and unhealable wounds would be inflicted upon her. She didn't want that. That is why Eleanora had decided that she would have the pitiful Sercrent fall as far down as it was possible to fall.

「I see. Then I'll go and scout out the ruins on my own.」(Eleanora)

Eleanora had only been working together with Sercrent up until now because she had needed the numbers. Birkyne hadn't given her permission to create new Subordinate Vampires, so the only pawns that she could use were her familiars.

However, it wouldn't make any difference not having such useless pawns whose numbers had even been decreased by the journey. She didn't mind separating herself from Sercrent to work on her own.

「What?!」(Sercrent)

Sercrent was greatly confused. If Eleanora disposed of the Dhampir while separated from him, that would be the same as him having failed his mission.

On the other hand, this was a chance to take the achievement all for himself, but Eleanora was superior to him in ability and the Subordinate Vampires who had been useless up until now were unlikely to suddenly become stronger.

「… Very well, let us search Talosheim.」(Sercrent)

Taking no notice of the Vampire who had lived many times the number of years she had as he meaninglessly pretended to give his permission for the search of Talosheim, Eleanora flew up into the night sky.

However, upon reaching the site where the ruins of Talosheim should have been according to the two-hundred-year-old records left by the Mirg shield-nation's army, Eleanora opened her eyes wide, dropped her jaw and stood stock-still.

Even before she became a Vampire, she had never imagined that she would be making such a foolish-looking face.

「I-impossible…!」(Eleanora)

「Isn't this some kind of illusion?」(Sercrent)

However, she had no need to worry about Sercrent and his subordinates seeing her like this. They were standing still with the same dumbfounded expression on their faces.

They were dumbfounded by the enormous walls illuminated by the light of the moon and stars. As Vampires, they could see the majestic walls as if they were in plain daylight.

There was not a single ivy branch growing on the white stone walls and not a single crack in the stone.

「What does this mean? The Mirg shield-nation's army and Mikhail destroyed the walls, didn't they?」(Eleanora)

「That's right, if I recall… Back then, the gate was broken and the wall had collapsed in two different places. Even if what we were told is a mistake, there is nobody repairing or maintaining them, so how are they so…」(Sercrent)

Sercrent continued whispering, still astonished, but he slowly regained his composure.

「I see, it was the Undead. The Undead of Talosheim repaired these walls. The Undead don't tire, so I'm sure they could do it, given two hundred years.」(Sercrent)

However, Eleanora couldn't imagine that the conclusion he had arrived at was correct.

「The Undead, repairing and maintaining the walls?」(Eleanora)

Undead were generally unproductive and didn't form societies. They did organize themselves in ways where the weak simply obeyed the strong or used the hierarchical relationships established while they were still alive, but in the majority of cases, they were simply disorganized groups of Undead individuals.

Even if the Undead had two hundred years, they might be able to sweep, clean and wash dishes, but would they be able to perform such advanced, large-scale work as repairing the city's walls?

It was difficult to imagine that this was possible. If it was, every haunted building and ghost ship in this world would be sparkling clean.

Nobody could blame Eleanora for staring at Sercrent as if he had gone mad.

「What other explanation is there?」(Sercrent)

But even Eleanora couldn't answer that question.

These walls were clearly not the work of monsters, and they hadn't received any information that the Orbaume Kingdom had occupied the ruins of Talosheim to build a new city.

Eleanora reminded herself that their objective wasn't to take back or occupy Talosheim. It was to kill the Dhampir.

「… We're going to look inside.」(Eleanora)

Fortunately, it didn't seem like there were any guards posted on the walls. It looked like there were several Undead Titans at the gate, but for the Noble-born Vampires who could fly through the sky, it wasn't a problem. They could simply fly over the walls and the Subordinate Vampires could climb over the walls with their claws.

However, the surprises continued even after Eleanora and Sercrent passed the walls.

The dark, silent Talosheim had a loneliness drifting from it that made it look like a ghost town. However, one glance was all it took to notice something abnormal.

「There aren't any collapsed buildings?」(Sercrent)

The buildings of Talosheim were lined up neatly against each other. Though they were large, stone buildings built from stone, they had been abandoned for two hundred years… after a terrible war, even.

「Are you going to tell me that this is the work of the Undead as well?」(Eleanora)

「Then who could have… That's it! I'm sure it's the Dhampir; he made his Ghoul subordinates…!」(Sercrent)

「Are you trying to say that the Ghouls simply repaired all of those houses as they were originally, in Titan-size?」(Eleanora)

「…」(Sercrent)

Sercrent fell silent at Eleanora's words, but even she had no idea who could have repaired the city.

Two hundred years ago, several hundred Titans had actually escaped from the Mirg shield-nation. The possibility that crossed Eleanora's mind was that those surviving Titans had returned and spent the past two hundred years restoring Talosheim with the Hartner duchy's assistance. But even that was hard to imagine.

If that was the case, then why was the city so quiet?

「Sercrent-sama, it's very faint, but I can see a light.」(Subordinate)

「What?! The direction of the royal castle, huh. Alright, let's go.」(Sercrent)

The Vampires couldn't help but to tremble as they thought about how strange all of this was, but even so, the mission took priority.

They renewed their resolve, but as they approached the plaza in front of the royal castle, they were surprised three times.

『It's not really going well, is it?』(Saria)

『But we can't really have Bocchan build this as well.』(Rita)

『Jyuh, Nuaza-dono and the others said that it will be finished by spring. Let us wait and look forward to when it is complete.』(Bone Man)

Strange-looking Living Armors and a Skeleton were looking at what appeared to be a half-finished stone statue.

『I'll definitely win this time.』(Young Titan)

『No, no, I cannot lose to a youngster.』(Old Titan)

Undead Titans were playing a game on a board the Vampires had never seen before with click-clacking sounds, eating baked sweets.

「Fugoh, it's cooked just right.」(Orcus)

「I want miso with mine.」(Black Goblin)

「Fish sauce for mine.」(Black Goblin)

Black Orcs and black-colored Goblins were cooking skewered meat on frying pans and eating it.

「This shark fillet has no flavor.」(Ghoul woman)

「But I heard it does wonders for your beauty. It tastes good when you use it to make soup, too.」(Ghoul woman)

Ghoul women were walking together with their arms linked.

「Paper, scissors, rock!」(Anubis)

「Face away, there!」(Anubis)

Monsters that appeared to be humans with the heads of dogs were playing some kind of game that the Vampires had never seen before.

「What exactly is the meaning of this? I can understand the Ghouls being here, but… Orcs and Goblins in colors I've never seen, and monsters with dog heads. And they're living in such a carefree way in the same space as the Undead; it's just as if it were a human town.」(Eleanora)

She knew that Sercrent wouldn't give her any response worth listening to, but she simply couldn't remain silent.

That was how much the sight before her defied everything she knew.

Monsters as well as humans built societies that included multiple races, but almost all of them were systems where the strong dominated and the weak obeyed.

For Undead, even those kinds of societies were impossible to form.

Excluding some special cases, Undead were generally either superior individuals who had maintained their personalities from when they were alive or inferior Undead that indiscriminately tried to kill and consume any living thing, whether it was a human or a monster.

Such Undead were living calm, quiet lives.

Were all of them superior Undead? That was impossible! Even if their personalities had been preserved, they should still be ferocious.

「I-I don't know. What does this mean? Could they have been tamed by someone? Impossible; it should be impossible to tame Undead!」(Sercrent)

Like Sercrent whispered, Undead were impossible to tame. That was true whether the Tamer was a Vampire or a human.

In the past, many individuals with superior Tamer-type Jobs had attempted to tame Undead, but they weren't even able to tame the most inferior, Rank 1 Living Bones and Living Dead, let alone superior Undead such as Elder Liches.

As a result of these unsuccessful attempts, it became known in this world that like insect-type monsters, Undead were impossible to tame.

But the Vampires knew that there was an exception.

「Could it be that there's someone who has gained the divine protection of the evil god… No, the goddess?」(Eleanora)

It was possible that those with the divine protection of the goddess Vida who had revived Zakkart as an Undead or evil gods like Hihiryushukaka could create and command Undead.

「A Vampire from another evil god's… No, it's Vida. There is someone with the goddess Vida's divine protection.」(Eleanora)

Eleanora could see the Church of Vida that had been restored. If they possessed the divine protection of an evil god, there was no way that the church of the goddess would be restored.

「Impossible.」(Sercrent)

Sercrent trembled, his eyes open wide. If the one who possessed the goddess Vida's divine protection was one of the Pure-breed Vampires they feared, the ones who worshipped the goddess Vida, then…

「Sercrent-sama, we should escape while we still can.」(Subordinate)

「Nobody has noticed our presence yet, let us retreat!」(Subordinate)

Still hidden, the Subordinate Vampires began to talk about retreating. It was clear what would happen if they were discovered in a place where a Pure-breed Vampire who worshipped Vida was present.

A one-sided annihilation at the hands of that Vampire's overwhelming power.

The Noble-born Sercrent and Eleanora being here would make no difference. That was how great the difference between a Pure-breed and a Noble-born was.

If that wasn't the case, there was no way that Pure-breed Vampires like Birkyne and Ternecia who possessed personalities that would make them enemies very easily could have ruled hundreds of Noble-born Vampires for a hundred thousand years.

Sercrent who had been tortured by Birkyne and Eleanora who had been directly appointed by him understood this better than the Subordinate Vampires.

The two of them wanted to retreat immediately, but at the same time, they discovered the reason they couldn't do so.

「Wait, there are Ghouls among the Undead and Goblins. The Dhampir is definitely here.」(Eleanora)

They had searched everywhere other than Talosheim and hadn't found a single Ghoul, but there were numerous Ghouls here. Considering that, there was no doubt that these were the Ghouls the Dhampir had led across the mountain range from the Mirg shield-nation.

In that case, it was only natural that the Dhampir would be here.

「You know what will happen if we run away without dealing with the Dhampir, don't you?」(Eleanora)

The already-pale faces of the Subordinate Vampires who had been suggesting a retreat turned even whiter.

「We'll look for the Dhampir. If I recall, his name was Vandalieu. Eleanora, capture one of the Ghouls and make them talk.」(Sercrent)

「I don't need you to tell me what to do.」(Eleanora)

They would quickly dispose of the Dhampir and escape before they were noticed by the superior being who possessed Vida's divine protection.

Casting aside her exasperation and disgust towards Sercrent, Eleanora began to act in order to accomplish that difficult goal.

Chapter 43: Something that cannot be run from, cannot be disobeyed, that doesn't exist

Tarea was walking back home from the bathhouse, wearing a fur coat to keep out the cold of the winter's night.

「Fuuh… It has become cold as of late, hasn't it.」(Tarea)

Despite being known as the capital of the sun, Talosheim's winter was colder than the Devil's Nest forest that she had lived in previously. It wasn't that Tarea had become weaker against cold temperatures over the past few years.

Nevertheless, as Tarea watched the Ghouls and Undead entertaining themselves and eating food, it occurred to her just how affluent Talosheim had become.

Many would object to Tarea's opinion. In fact, the Ghouls' lives might not seem affluent at a glance.

Very few of the clothes they wore were made of cloth; the majority of them were made from tanned leather and fur that had been stripped from monsters, making them look like a tribe of savages. Because the economic environment consisted of primitive bartering, there were no stores of any kind.

There were no resplendent theaters, bookstores selling tomes containing knowledge, restaurants offering delicious foods or anything of the sort.

But the various things that Vandalieu had created surpassed these.

Though board games were considered as entertainment for the wealthy in human cities, Vandalieu had created the simple yet interesting Reversi and distributed it freely.

He had created numerous seasonings that were even more valuable than the Reversi boards.

The walnut sauce and acorn cookies that he had been making since when he had lived in the Devil's Nest forest weren't anything unusual other than the fact that he was making them in a Devil's Nest.

However, the fish sauce and miso that he had created… no, invented after arriving in Talosheim, were astonishing. In addition, he had turned ginger that had only been used as medicine and an unknown plant called wasabi into additional seasonings.

He had created these and then distributed it in significant amounts. Those who wanted more could trade for them at the remains of the Adventurers' Guild.

Vandalieu himself wasn't aware of how astounding these feats were. Even Tarea wasn't confident that she understood just how incredible it was.

However, in human cities, adding seasoning to food had been a luxury that only the wealthy could afford.

Poor commoners would use salt sparingly at most; they almost never tasted sugar. It seemed that things had improved in recent times, but two hundred years ago, when Tarea had been a human, that was how things were in the city she lived in.

But these seasonings were being offered at exchange rates that anyone could afford.

There was no doubt that miso and fish sauce would sell for soaring prices if sold in human cities. Recently, Vandalieu had even started to make kombu dashi and katsuobushi, though the latter was still incomplete.

Of course, the fact that he had solved the fertility problem that affected the entire Ghoul race couldn't be forgotten.

Personally, Tarea was most happy about the fact that he had repaired every public bathhouse in Talosheim. For commoners, being able to submerge their bodies in hot water up to their shoulders while bathing was as much of a luxury as seasoning their food.

「As long as Van-sama is here, the Ghouls will prosper for a thousand years!」(Tarea)

Vandalieu had performed deeds that made her believe this with confidence.

But that was also why she was feeling anxious.

「How should I close the distance between myself and the great Van-sama?」(Tarea)

Tarea was not a combatant, but an arms smith who created equipment using monster materials. When Vandalieu spent time clearing Dungeons and training himself in unarmed fighting, the amount of time that she could spend with him inevitably decreased.

Vandalieu's body was small so the only armor he could wear was clothes made of leather or fur, and he was using his own claws as weapons, so Tarea didn't even have any opportunities to create equipment for him.

He had said that he would refrain from venturing far from Talosheim until Pauvina had developed to a certain extent and Basdia had safely reached the three-month-mark in her pregnancy, but he would be going into another Dungeon before spring.

「I feel the distance, the distance between myself and Van-sama.」(Tarea)

Even while Tarea remained in the city, Basdia and the others were spending significant periods of time with him, fighting for their lives together. Kachia, a Ghoul who had formerly been an adventurer, had recently shown strange movements as well. And it seemed that Zadiris would be accompanying Vandalieu on his next journey into a Dungeon.

How unfortunate. What an unfortunate turn of events this was.

「If I had daughters, everything would be fine, but I have only had sons up until now… Would it be better for me to start having a daughter now? I am only just over two hundred and sixty years old, so it might be… Ah, it is impossible; I cannot give birth to another man's child in front of Van-sama!」(Tarea)

Vandalieu was currently acting as something like a maternity doctor. Because of that, if Tarea were to attempt to get closer to him by having a daughter, she would surely be found out.

That would be an unbearable shame. She had no idea how Basdia had been able to do such a thing.

When she had asked Basdia herself, Basdia had replied with a straight face,「It's not like I'm letting him see me during the act, so it isn't something to be concerned about, is it?」

Perhaps this was one of the differences between a natural-born Ghoul and a Ghoul who had once been a human.

「So should I do it personally after all? But it would be meaningless if it causes Van-sama to withdraw from me… Ah?」(Tarea)

Just as Tarea passed by an alleyway between two buildings, a pebble rolled in front of her feet with a small noise. And as she turned her face towards the alleyway, there was a woman there.

Ghouls could see even in this darkness where the only light was coming from the moon, so she could clearly make out that woman's crimson pupils.

「Could you tell me more about this Van-sama?」(Eleanora)

A woman with crimson eyes, red hair and white skin. This appearance was enough to tell Tarea with a single glance that this person didn't belong in Talosheim, but the emotions that Tarea felt right now were not caution or fear, but affection.

「Of course…」(Tarea)

「Thank you. Let's talk over here, shall we?」(Eleanora)

With a drowsy look on her face, Tarea was led into the alleyway by this woman… by Eleanora.

Among the Ghouls walking along the streets, Eleanora had chosen the Ghoul woman who had been speaking the name「Van-sama.」She hadn't appeared to be particularly strong and the fact that she was adding「sama」to the end of his name indicated that she was referring to the Dhampir. Both of these guesses turned out to be correct.

She had been successfully lured and captured by the effects of Eleanora's charming gaze without showing any signs of resistance.

And Eleanora was able to learn information about the Dhampir from her.

「Van-sama is inside the castle. He is in a room that was originally used by a cabinet minister or general or someone of that sort. He should be sleeping in there.」(Tarea)

Now we've learned the Dhampir's whereabouts. He lives in the royal castle, but he isn't using the king's room. Is this because there is indeed some superior being that commands the Undead?

「I see. So is there someone with the divine protection of the goddess Vida in this city?」(Eleanora)

「Divine protection…?」(Tarea)

Tarea gave a puzzled look in response to Eleanora's question. Under the effects of the charming gaze, she treated Eleanora as if the two of them were close family members, but she was unable to answer what she didn't know.

But this was a question from someone「close」to her. Her mind worked in order to answer the question as much as she could.

「I am sure that would be Van-sama.」(Tarea)

That was why it was only natural for her to give this response. As Tarea had ceased to be a human over two hundred years ago during her teenage years, she was unaware that Undead could not be tamed. For her, it was only natural that Vandalieu was able to tame the Undead. He had Undead among his companions ever since she met him, so she had no reason to inquire further about it.

And when she remembered that Nuaza and the other Undead Titans showed respect towards him by referring to him as the Prophesized Holy Son, it seemed even more obvious to her that Eleanora was asking about him.

「Wha - ?! That Dhampir is…?!」(Eleanora)

This statement made a huge impact among Eleanora and the other Vampires.

The Dhampir that they were trying to dispose of already possessed the divine protection of the goddess Vida. In that case, not only the Ghouls, but every single Undead Titan in Talosheim were the Dhampir's pawns.

「Not good… This is not good. We must dispose of him at all costs…」(Sercrent)

One of the only things that the Vampires who worshipped the evil gods feared, a Dhampir building up an organization, had already come to pass.

With the countless Undead added to the Ghouls, their numbers would easily exceed a thousand.

Such great numbers were located in a sturdy fortress city. Their defense was still full of holes, but a defensive net that even Vampires could not easily sneak through would be complete once the number of undead under the Dhampir's control increased.

If Birkyne learned of this, Sercrent would not be able to avoid harsh punishment even if he completed his mission as he was the one who had given the Dhampir enough time to build such an organization in this location.

This was a huge failure that even Gubamon, who was normally indifferent to the activities of his subordinates, might simply purge Sercrent immediately.

So Eleanora could understand why Sercrent was making noise, but she silenced him with her hand.

「Dispose? What are you disposing of?」(Tarea)

Tarea had heard Sercrent's voice and reacted to it. Eleanora's「Charming Demon Eyes」weren't powerful enough to instantly brainwash their target permanently.

We've learned everything we wanted to, but it would be unfortunate if this woman were to become restless now.

「You don't have to worry; he's just talking to himself. Thank you for telling me all these things; you have been of great help.」(Eleanora)

「Ufufu, I am glad to have been of use to you.」(Tarea)

Fortunately, Eleanora was able to successfully divert Tarea's wandering attention back to herself.

「You're tired now, aren't you? Stay in my room for tonight. Here, lie down.」(Eleanora)

「Now that you mention it… My eyelids have grown rather heavy. Well then, excuse me…」(Tarea)

Tarea gave a yawn as she lay down and quickly fell asleep in this vacant stone house.

And then a Subordinate Vampire drew his sword and swung it down at the defenseless Tarea.

「Gugyah?! Eleanora-sama, what are you -?!」(Subordinate)

But before his blade reached Tarea's body, Eleanora broke his arm with her slender hand.

「What is the meaning of this, you bastard?! This Ghoul has already served her purpose; what is wrong with disposing of her?!」(Sercrent)

「Of course it's wrong to do so, Sercrent. What have you been listening to all this time?」(Eleanora)

「If this is about her spirit, we simply need to pour holy water on her after we kill her!」(Sercrent)

As Sercrent expressed his rage, Eleanora put a hand to her forehead and let out a sigh. She could no longer become ill or feel physically weak now that she was a Vampire, but talking to him gave her endless headaches.

「You know, this is different from when your subordinates were the ones dying. The Ghoul adores the Dhampir. If she dies, she will happily rush off to the Dhampir. If we pour holy water on her and purify her spirit before that happens, we can prevent her from telling the Dhampir about us. But that Dhampir can tame the Undead. How can you be so sure that another spirit will not inhabit her body to turn it into an Undead? There are hundreds of Undead here… Possibly even more than a thousand.」(Eleanora)

Even if they poured holy water on the Ghoul's corpse to purify her spirit, there was no guarantee that the corpse wouldn't become an Undead. Unless they held a memorial service or destroyed the body thoroughly, the body could be taken over by other spirits and become an Undead.

It is easy for dead bodies to become Undead when there are other Undead nearby.

「That is true, but there would be no problem even if it were to become an Undead. It would be a Living Dead at most; what is a puppet that cannot even speak capable of doing?」(Sercrent)

If the spirit inhabiting Tarea's body is not Tarea's, it would not be able to warn anyone about Eleanora and Sercrent's presence. However, Eleanora already knew this.

「What do you think will happen if this Living Dead were to be discovered by the other Ghouls and Undead? As far as I can tell, even the Goblins seem to be able to speak and seem quite intelligent.」(Eleanora)

They had learned through the questions they had asked that Tarea was a Ghoul with a prominent position in this community. It would cause a large commotion if such an individual was seen wandering around as an Undead.

They might be able to use the confusion caused by this to find an opportunity to kill the Dhampir. However, it was questionable as to whether they would be to escape the city alive afterwards.

Of course, there was also the option of burning the body so that it could not become an Undead and then pouring holy water, on it, but there was another reason that this was out of the question.

Neither Sercrent nor Eleanora knew of a technique that could silently burn a body without producing any smoke. Being discovered through the smoke produced by burning the body would defeat the purpose of burning the body in the first place.

As for the holy water, they simply didn't have much left. Either way, by the time this Ghoul woman woke up, they would already have escaped. With that being the case, they needed to save it in case they needed it after killing the Vampire and escaping.

「… Tch, hurry and fix your arm.」(Sercrent)

As if he had finally realized this, Sercrent clicked his tongue and spat these words towards the Vampire who was groaning and clutching his broken arm.

I was considerate enough to break your arm instead of your sword which would have been irreparable, so you could at least thank me. But I'll stay silent for now. I can't expect anything from you anyway.

「We're leaving.」(Eleanora)

Leaving behind the peacefully-sleeping Tarea, Eleanora and her party headed towards the royal castle in which their target resided. They were certain that by the time Tarea woke up, everything would be over and they would have already made their escape.

Getting into the royal castle was a simple task. There had been nobody acting as guards.

Was the Dhampir that confident in his own ability, or did he simply have no sense of caution?

「How are we going to dispose of him?」(Sercrent)

「If we make any noise, we will be noticed by the Undead outside. And now that we have come this far, we need to confirm whether the[Sword King]Borkus's remains are here. I will use my Demon Eyes to charm him, and lead him here, and you will decapitate him.」(Eleanora)

Eleanora needed to maintain eye contact with her target while using her Charming Demon Eyes. If eye contact was broken for a moment, their effects would be undone. To guarantee success, it was best to have someone else deal the finishing blow.

And Sercrent's parent, Gubamon, had a habit of gathering the corpses of those known as heroes, raising them as Undead and adding them to his collection.

Even during the war in which Talosheim was destroyed two hundred years ago, numerous corpses of heroes had been gathered. However, the Vampire assigned with the task of retrieving the[Sword King]Borkus's corpse had unfortunately encountered the[Divine Spear of Ice]Mikhail, so he had failed.

Eleanora didn't really have any reason to help Gubamon with his hobby, but he was not someone that she wanted to put in an ill mood. She at least needed to put some thought into the task.

「I think there is a high possibility that he has already turned into an Undead, though.」(Eleanora)

「I agree. But we still must confirm that. Even though he was defeated by Mikhail, he is still an Undead hero. He should still be of a considerably high Rank even after becoming an Undead. With that being the case, he shouldn't be serving as the subordinate of a mere Dhampir, but the Dhampir may know where he is.」(Sercrent)

「I know; I will ask the Dhampir while I'm luring him out.」(Eleanora)

If Sercrent was able to obtain even a fragment of one of Borkus's bones, he may be able to avoid being purged by Gubamon. Perhaps as if holding onto that hope, Sercrent's eyes had the dangerous glint of someone who had been driven into a corner.

If I grow desperate, I might be joining him. It's best to cooperate with him.

Eleanora slipped through the completely unguarded door silently and entered the room.

「?!」(Eleanora)

And in the next moment, her eyes met the Dhampir's.

She opened her eyes wide in surprise, but now that she thought about it, this was convenient. She had activated her「Charming Demon Eyes」before entering the room just in case, so the Dhampir had been put under its effects immediately.

As proof, his own will had faded away from his eyes and become like those of a dead fish.

「You are Vandalieu, aren't you?」(Eleanora)

「Yes, I am Vandalieu.」(Vandalieu)

He answered honestly to her question. He had white hair and odd-colored eyes that were a manifestation of his mixed lineage. And his name, too. There was no mistake that this child was the Dhampir the Vampires had been targeting.

However, Eleanora felt like something was out of place. She wondered whether this Dhampir was really under the effects of her「Charming Demon Eyes.」

Those under the effects of her「Charming Demon Eyes」normally loosened their face muscles as if drunk, and their tone of speech became relaxed.

However, this Dhampir's face was completely expressionless and his tone was normal.

And she could feel some kind of strange power in his eyes that were supposed to be hollow and vacant. Looking into them made her feel a chill, as if she were peeking into the depths of some abyss, and yet she experienced some kind of mysterious feeling.

Could it be that my Demon Eyes have been resisted? That should be impossible without a high level in the Mental Resistance skill. Even with the Dhampir's[Status Effect Resistance]and the[Magic Resistance]skill of a Dark Elf… The[Mental Corruption]skill is a possibility as well, but if he had that, it's strange that he hasn't become some kind of madman who can't even hold a conversation. He doesn't appear to be insane. But I suppose it's best to be sure.

Eleanora had absolute confidence in her own Demon Eyes, but this Dhampir was someone who possessed the goddess Vida's divine protection. He was an opponent that warranted caution.

「Hey, what do you think about me?」(Eleanora)

「Huh… I think that you're a beautiful person.」(Vandalieu)

「I see, that makes me happy. Will you be my friend?」(Eleanora)

「… If you're fine with me being your friend, it would be my pleasure…?」(Vandalieu)

「Well then, would you praise the evil god Hihiryushukaka that we worship? Say that he is a wonderful god.」(Eleanora)

「Sure…」(Vandalieu)

As Eleanora requested, the Dhampir pressed his hands together in prayer and said,「The evil god Hihiryushukaka is a wonderful god.」

And then he looked at Eleanora in silence.

It seems that I was worrying needlessly, thought Eleanora.

If the Dhampir was conscious, he would have immediately realized that I'm a Vampire and been on guard. And there is no way that someone with the divine protection of Vida would praise an evil god in a normal state.

The Dhampir would definitely not have complied with my last request if not for the effect of the Demon Eyes. This Dhampir is still an infant, but according to the information we have, he's supposedly intelligent and is referred to by his subordinates as "King" and "Holy Son". He should be a proud individual.

Eleanora had initially thought that he looked ominous, but now she smiled, thinking that he was rather adorable. Now all she needed to do was question him and then bring him to where Sercrent and the others were waiting.

「You have tamed the Undead, haven't you? How did you do it? When did you receive the goddess's divine protection?」(Eleanora)

「That's right, but even if you ask me how I did it… Well, in any case, I'm able to tame them. As for the divine protection… Are you talking about the prophecy?」(Vandalieu)

What a surprise. Not only has he received the goddess's divine protection, but her prophecy as well. There's no doubt that the goddess had taken notice of him and is watching over him even now.

Wouldn't it be dangerous to dispose of him? This thought occurred to Eleanora, but she couldn't go against Birkyne's orders even if that was true, so she drove it out of her mind.

「I see… Well then, I wonder if you know about the[Sword King]Borkus? Can you tell me where he is* right now?」(Eleanora)

「Borkus should be* in the audience chamber.」(Vandalieu)

「Should be…?* Has he turned into an Undead?」(Eleanora)

「Yes.」(Vandalieu)

As expected, it seems that the[Sword King]Borkus has turned into an Undead. But judging from the fact that he's still in the audience chamber where his body should have been, it's likely that this Dhampir hasn't managed to tame him. I suppose an Undead hero is beyond even this Dhampir's abilities to tame after all.

It would be best on giving up on retrieving his remains. If Sercrent wants to attempt it, I'll just have to let him do what he wants on his own.

「Also… How did you repair the castle and the city? It should have been considerably damaged; did you make the Undead repair them?」(Eleanora)

「No, I made Golems to repair them.」(Vandalieu)

Golems? Is he saying that possesses not only the Spiritualist Job, but the Alchemist Job as well?

It would be best to question him in more detail -

「Oi, how much longer are you planning to take?」(Sercrent)

Sercrent had entered the room without Eleanora noticing. The Subordinate Vampires were behind him.

「You have asked him everything that needs to be asked; there is no more use for him.」(Sercrent)

「… I believe we decided that I would lead him to you.」(Eleanora)

「Silence. We came because you wouldn't come no matter how long we waited.」(Sercrent)

「How impatient of you.」(Eleanora)

In the corner of her vision, Eleanora could see Sercrent grinding his fangs without even trying to conceal his irritation. Is he trying to threaten me?

I would appreciate it if you don't do such unpleasant things, considering that I have to maintain eye contact with the Dhampir so that he stays under the effect of my Charming Demon Eyes.

「This child might be beneficial to us. It would be useful to ask him how he tamed the Undead and how he used Golems to repaired the ruins.」(Eleanora)

If this Dhampir is indeed using the goddess's divine protection to tame the Undead, killing him could incur the goddess's wrath and cause movements from the Pure-breed Vampires who worship Vida hiding in the far depths of distant Devil's Nests.

And if I can find out how he used Golems to repair the ruins and this method could be applied elsewhere, it would definitely be useful. Not even one year has passed since this Dhampir came to Talosheim. If this method could repair an entire fortress city in that short period of time, it might be possible to build small towers and castles in the space of a single month.

The strategic value of such a method is immeasurable. Surely even this man would understand that.

「… Eleanora, have you gone insane? The mission we received was to kill that Dhampir. That takes priority, and everything else can come after we have accomplished that. Any secret knowledge or rare skills he might have are irrelevant.」(Sercrent)

However, what Sercrent was advocating was that they uphold the rule of their society, the rule that the commands of the Pure-breeds must be obeyed without question.

And that was also correct. As Sercrent said, what both Birkyne and Gubamon emphasized above all else was that their orders should be carried out. Anything other than that was unnecessary; praise would not be given if their orders were not carried out.

「I wonder what you mean when you ask whether I've gone insane?」(Eleanora)

「Those words mean exactly as they sound. Could it be that you have developed some affection for him? To me, it looks like you are hesitating to kill him and repeating your questions in order to delay the inevitable.」(Sercrent)

「There is… no way that is true. You dare ridicule me?!」(Eleanora)

She raised her voice unintentionally, but that was not because of anger but because she was trembling. And as Sercrent made this accusation that was supposed to be completely off the mark, she was surprised by her own trembling.

Impossible; are you saying that I'm feeling guilty only now, after all this time? I was supposed to have discarded these emotions when I swore loyalty to Birkyne-sama!

She had been abandoned by her family, captured by the lower members of Birkyne's society and raised by them. She had received training while witnessing those with poor results being drained of their blood, many of them being her friends.

She had endured being forced to kill her comrades who were raised together in the same environment, being encouraged to betray them and repeated torture conducted for absurd reasons in order to finally become a Vampire.

『Listen, Eleanora. There are only two kinds of people in this world, the rulers who stand at the top and the weak who are trampled underfoot. If you want to become a ruler, you have to trample someone beneath your feet. After all, a ruler only becomes a ruler when there is someone beneath them. There is no such thing as a king who doesn't even rule a single commoner, is there? So if you don't want to be oppressed and exploited, you have to oppress and exploit someone else.』(Birkyne)

Those words that Birkyne had spoken remained in her ears. Steal if you don't want to be stolen from, persecute others if you don't want to be persecuted, kill if you don't want to be killed. This was the only way that Eleanora had been able to protect herself; this was supposed to be an absolute truth.

So there's no way that I can hesitate to kill the Dhampir before my eyes. I've killed countless people up until now. I've been betrayed by friends and comrades, almost killed by them and then I killed them in return. Considering that, why would I hesitate now of all times?

「If you're willing to say that much, then you and your subordinates can just do it, can't you? Are you just going to stand there like scarecrows while making me do all the work on my own?」(Eleanora)

As Eleanora provoked them, the Subordinates began to tremble, looked at each other and then took a step. A step backwards.

Nobody tried to approach the Dhampir. It was as if they were being overpowered by something.

「Eleanora, you do it. If you don't, I will report to Birkyne-sama that you refused to kill the Dhampir.」(Sercrent)

「! You bastard…」(Eleanora)

It was only through great strength of will that Eleanora resisted looking at Sercrent. What was he playing at, trying to brush aside his numerous failures in the past? She felt an urge to tear his throat out with her claws.

But it's just a matter of killing the Dhampir. That's all I need to do.

「Can you come here?」(Eleanora)

She called out to the Dhampir who had been staring at her the whole time. His eyes were endlessly empty.

She would kill this child. It was simple. Once he came closer, she simply needed to stab him with a sword or swing her claws at him; it wouldn't even matter if she kicked and tore through his soft belly with the claws of her toes. Eleanora was strong enough to kill even a heavily armored knight with brute strength alone.

Killing this child is like crushing an insect.

The Dhampir approached her at a brisk, casual pace. Eleanora couldn't stop her heart from throbbing violently, and her breathing was becoming irregular.

He was within range for her to kick him. She felt a painful sensation in her chest. That's right, I won't finish him with a kick. My claws, I'll dispose of him with my claws.

He was within range of her claws. My hands are trembling; he needs to be a little closer. But if he walks any closer, we'll break eye contact. Sercrent and the others are in the way behind me, so I can't step back.

Eleanora decided that there was no other choice but to lift the Dhampir up. She would simply need to grab hold of his head, thrust her fangs into his neck and drain his blood until he died.

And then Eleanora was staring into Vandalieu's eyes at point-blank range.

There had been no change; there was still no light in these eyes. They were empty, devoid of anything.

But she sensed something that existed inside that emptiness.

Something that Eleanora couldn't run from no matter how much she tried, something she couldn't disobey no matter what she did, something that didn't exist.

No! I must not disobey this person!

Instinctively, Eleanora became unable to move. She stood completely still, still breathing heavily, unable to pierce the Dhampir with her fangs.

At this moment, Sercrent shouted.

「Do it, you bastards! Dispose of the Dhampir and Eleanora as well! Just like we did to that piece of trash, Valen!」(Sercrent)

「Wha -?!」(Eleanora)

Swords were pointed at Eleanora and the Dhampir. Before they could pierce her back, she flew as if pulled forward by something.

She dived onto the bed that the Dhampir had been sleeping on and rolled forward.

「Tch, she avoided it instinctively. As to be expected of one of Birkyne's bodyguards, even if she is rotten. But with that wound, it's now impossible for her to defeat us.」(Sercrent)

There was a wound in Eleanora's back so deep that it might have grazed her heart. Even though she was a Noble-born Vampire who wouldn't die so easily unless her heart was completely destroyed or her head was cut off, her movements would be slowed from taking damage.

「If I kill you along with the Dhampir and seal your mouth, Birkyne and Gubamon will never know about my failures! Die!」(Sercrent)

Sercrent could feel that the Dhampir was emitting an unusual presence. Though it wasn't as powerful as his or Eleanora's, the reason he had been talking so much might have been to shake himself and his followers free of that presence.

However, those words would lead to Sercrent meeting the most terrible of fates.

「What did you say just now?」(Vandalieu)

Ah, the Demon Eyes weren't having any effect after all.

Even as she stared at the Dhampir, petrified with fear, Eleanora forgot the pain of her wound and felt a strange sense of relief.

Relief at the fact that those eyes were not looking at her.