Chapter 141: Strong meat offering
Having learned that Bufudin had been killed by an attack carried out by an unknown enemy, Gargya ordered that his army move out and took command himself.
But as a usurper, Gargya didn't have complete control over the High Kobold nation. Now that General Bufudin had been defeated, if he were to gather all of those loyal to him, it was possible that the rest of the nation would take the opportunity to stage a rebellion.
That was why Gargya had deliberately gathered those rebellious towards him and placed them on the frontlines. Behind them, he had placed units of archers and mages to act as slave-drivers.
He would use the rebellious High Kobolds as disposable war slaves, making them charge at the enemy as suicide squads, while having the other troops observe from behind to make them fight and prevent them from running.
"With this, they can't even run away, let alone disobey me!"
It wasn't unusual for nations outside the Boundary Mountain Range to use units of slaves as fodder, but in the area within the Boundary Mountain Range, where there hadn't been any wars of national scale for a long period of time, this was a revolutionary idea.
However, the attackers had already passed through the gate. Thus, the slaves were tightly-packed as they marched through the nation's main street at the front, with the slave-drivers and those protecting them behind the slaves, and the elite battalion commanded by Gargya's army behind them.
"It seems that the enemy is very confident. They're getting ahead of themselves," Gargya growled in the Kobold language in a displeased tone as he looked through a magnified image produced by a High Kobold Mage's light-attribute magic.
Behind the gate that had taken a humanoid shape for some reason, there was a Noble Orc standing at the front, with Ghouls and a small number of High Kobolds raising their weapons.
"Gargya-sama, the Arachne and Empusa that were mentioned in the howls are nowhere to be seen," one of Gargya's subordinates told him.
But Gargya merely snorted. "They're no doubt in hiding. Send the slaves out and smoke them out!"
At Gargya's command, the slaves charged forward. Unlike Bufudin's army, they hadn't lost their ability to reason. In their hearts, they wanted to become allies with the enemies that were apparently an allied force from the Ghoul nation and Zanalpadna, but the slave-drivers behind them were like beasts.
Even if they were to avoid the slave-drivers' arrows and spells to escape or muster their courage to rebel, the lives of their families and the citizens were in danger.
They didn't have morale, but they couldn't disobey.
But something emerged from within the ground, behind the slaves.
"… Garuh?"
Gargya's eyes grew wide as he saw a small silhouette… Vandalieu, emerge from the ground between the slaves and the slave-drivers.
The slaves carried on, not noticing Vandalieu who had appeared silently behind them, but the slave-drivers stopped for a moment in surprise.
"Become a wall," Vandalieu said.
And then, with a thunderous noise, a tall wall formed from the ground.
The slave-drivers and Gargya's main force behind them could no longer see the enemy army and the slaves due to the wall that was rising high into the sky.
Still, their movements only stopped for a moment.
"GAAAAH!" Gargya screamed, giving the extremely simple order to attack and tear apart Vandalieu, who seemed to be the cause of the wall's appearance.
Feeling an unbearable desire to see blood, the slave-drivers gleefully drew back their bowstrings and recited incantations. With the simultaneous attacks of these Rank 5 High Kobolds, Vandalieu, who appeared to be nothing more than a child, would break apart along with the earthen wall, and even the slaves on the other side of the wall wouldn't escape unharmed.
The slave-drivers released Archery martial skills like Consecutive Fire, Chaotic Fire and Powershot, as well as all kinds of spells such as Stone Bullet and Flame Bullet.
But immediately after they released their attacks, Vandalieu cast his Dead Spirit Magic.
"Bone Flame Jailing Destruction Bullet, Dark Thunderbolt, Death Ice Prison."
Enormous skulls made of black flames, lightning and coiling tentacles of ice that completely sapped their surroundings of all heat scattered the feeble arrows and spells, and then engulfed the slave-drivers.
"GYAIIIIIN?!"
The High Kobolds that were engulfed by the ice and froze to death within seconds were the fortunate ones. Those engulfed by the black flames or struck by lightning didn't die instantaneously; they received wounds that were clearly fatal at a glance and struggled as they let out dying screams.
"KYAINKYAIN!"
"WAUN! WAUUUUN!"
Seeing the miserable deaths of their comrades, the morale of the remaining slave-drivers crumbled, and they fled.
Though there had been around three hundred slave-drivers, this number had fallen sharply less than a minute after the battle began.
"… It's difficult to kill them with magic in a way that kills a lot of them at once, but still leaves the materials intact," Vandalieu whispered as his lungs were filled with the hunger-stimulating scent of creatures burning alive.
"Don't worry about it, Your Majesty! There are still plenty of them left!" said Princess Levia, trying to cheer him up.
"That's right, let's try again! It'll go well this time!" said Orbia.
Incidentally, Kimberley seemed to be busy chasing the fleeing High Kobolds about, electrocuting them to death.
The elite individuals led by Gargya were standing stock-still now, lost for words.
"Gah… gagah…?"
Vandalieu had released three Dead Spirit Magic spells. They knew that if any of them were to be hit directly, they would be fatally wounded.
If a Rank 7 High Kobold General were to activate Armor Technique and Shield Technique martial skills and then a High Kobold Mage cast an enchantment on him that increased defense against magic, then perhaps he would get away with heavy wounds.
Their instincts as monsters were supposed to have weakened over the past hundred thousand years. But they knew this because they had regained these instincts, even stronger than they were before.
"D… don't back down! There's no way he can use such advanced magic multiple times! Considering the earth-attribute spell that created the wall as well, that should be all he has!" Gargya growled in the Kobold language.
Upon hearing Gargya's commands, the High Kobolds remembered that this was likely the case and reconsidered the situation.
The instinctual fear that they had felt vanished, and even feelings of scorn and contempt for Vandalieu began to surface.
The one standing before them was indeed a user of advanced magic despite his small appearance, but he was a fool who had spent all of his Mana.
There were three monsters that seemed to be his familiars floating around him, but something could be done about just three monsters. They were an elite battalion of a thousand under Gargya's direct command.
"Come, kill him along with those useless fools, break through the wall and devour the enemies on the other side of it!" Gargya ordered, and the elite battalion made up of High Kobolds that were at least Rank 6 began their attack.
But even so, the fact that they could still activate martial skills and cast spells was likely because of the "what if" sense of danger that they still felt inside them.
Trampling down and knocking aside the surviving slave-drivers that had fled, they closed in on Vandalieu and the wall at his back.
But meanwhile, Vandalieu had used Spirit Form Transformation on his body.
"Well then, begin the counterattack," he said.
His transparent form took the shape of an enormous, gate-like rectangle.
And from within Vandalieu, who had transformed into a gate, Pete and the rest of the monsters, the Arachne and the Empusa emerged like a surging wave.
"GISHAAAH!"
"Samurai unit, intercept the enemy!"
"Kunoichi unit, move out!"
"Puh, going through that twice in a row is rough!"
"GURURU?!"
"GYAGYAWAHN?!"
The High Kobold's formation fell into chaos at the unexpected appearance of this large number of enemies.
"Dark Lightning, Ice Blood Death Water, Black Flame Spear."
Dead Spirit Magic spells flew from Vandalieu once more; these spells inflicted less damage but caused the High Kobolds' formation to fall even further into chaos, and then Pete and the rest of Vandalieu's forces charged in.
High Kobolds were a race that was proficient in group battles, and this was a battalion of elite individuals who had increased their Ranks at least once. They were under Gargya's command, and they had never been routed before. However, the situation heavily favored Vandalieu's side.
"Boulder Smash!" Kasim shouted. "Wait, UOH?!"
His mace smashed the head of a High Kobold Soldier who had lost his balance, but another High Kobold Soldier used the opening to thrust the pommel of his axe towards him. Kasim narrowly managed to stop it with his shield, but now he was the one who had lost his balance a little.
"Kasim!" shouted Fester, who had locked swords with another High Kobold to the side.
He tried to save his comrade, but he wouldn't make it in time.
"Don't get carried away!"
Before the axe could bury itself in Kasim's armor, a green sickle pierced the High Kobold Soldier's chest.
A large Empusa had used her sickle-arms to save Kasim.
"You saved me," Kasim breathed, thanking the large Empusa.
"Hmph… You men shouldn't push yourselves and devote yourself to defense like men should," said the large Empusa… Gaol, the Empusa Berserker who had been one of Princess Kurnelia's guards.
After saying these curt words over her shoulder, she engaged in battle with more High Kobolds.
She swung her two sickle-arms and protected herself against the enemies that slipped past them with the sword and shield held by her two hands, but the High Kobolds were pushing her back.
In terms of Rank, both Gaol and the soldiers of the High Kobold battalion were both Rank 6, but as an Empusa, a member of a race created by Vida, Gaol could acquire a Job. That was why she had an advantage in physical ability and skills over the High Kobolds.
But internally, she had lost her temper.
That's right, I can't be beaten by weak human men, especially such child-like men who haven't even lived twenty years!
In the southern region of the continent, Dwarf, Elf and human men possessed inferior fighting strength, so they were in the position of being protected.
That was why Gaol was displeased with the fact that Kasim and his companions were fighting as well as she was.
Logically, she understood that Kasim and his companions possessed great combat techniques and well-trained physical prowess, unlike the humans of Zanalpadna. High Kobolds were not such easy opponents that could be managed with mediocre skills.
There was no problem with them fighting as capably as Gaol.
But emotionally, it wasn't something that she could accept so easily. That was why she was irritated. Perhaps this was reflected in her movements.
"Iron Rend!" Gaol shouted, cutting down a heavily-armored High Kobold Knight with her sickle arms, but she had failed to notice the small High Kobold Assassin hiding in the Knight's shadow.
Damn it!
The High Kobold Assassin closed in swiftly, slipping past Gaol's sickle-arms as well as her sword and shield. His dagger, held in an underhand grip, swept towards Gaol's side.
"Invisible Slash."
At that moment, a deep cut appeared in the High Kobold Assassin's neck.
"Wha-?!"
"We've stepped too far forward; let's fall back for now."
Gaol, who had somehow been saved by Zeno, was speechless with surprise at the fact that she hadn't noticed his presence at all.
Though he thought that Gaol's behavior was strange, Zeno took hold of her arm and took her with him as he fell back, throwing knives at the High Kobolds to keep them back.
"Thanks for saving Kasim," he said, and then he returned to where his companions were fighting.
As Gaol watched him leave, she realized that Zeno would have saved her even if she hadn't saved Kasim earlier.
But that wasn't important to her.
"I was… saved by a human man who hasn't even lived twenty years… protected."
That fact shook Gaol's heart tremendously, but it wasn't this shock that was making her heart beat wildly.
Immediately after Gaol watched Zeno leave, the wall that Vandalieu had created made a thundering noise once more as it returned into the ground.
"Follow me, honorable, true High Kobolds! Take your nation and families back from the hands of the beasts!" shouted Prince Budarion as he charged in, leading the Ghouls who had been joined by the High Kobolds that had been treated like slaves.
"UOOOOOHN!"
���Follow Prince Budarion! Defeat the usurper Gargya!"
While Vandalieu and his companions were fighting, on the other side of the wall, Prince Budarion had convinced the slaves to fight for him.
Bufudin had already been defeated, and the assailants were Prince Budarion who had regained his power and high-Rank Ghoul warriors. In the region enclosed by the Boundary Mountain Range, Eleanora's existence had been interpreted as the Pure-breed Vampires protecting Vida's Resting Grounds sending reinforcements, so this had worked out favorably as well.
And the noises on the other side of the wall were the dying screams of Gargya's subordinates and a large number of voices shouting in a language that wasn't the Kobold language.
Under these overwhelming circumstances, it hadn't taken more than a minute for the High Kobolds that had been slaves to be freed from their fear of Gargya.
Gargya understood that he was outmatched in both numbers and strength, but he couldn't surrender or run.
"GUWOOOOOHN! Now that things have come to this, I will kill you myself!" he shouted.
Considering the things that he had done, his surrender would never be accepted. And his pride didn't allow him to run away.
Even if I run away here, there is no future for me! Even if I'm lucky enough to escape, I would lose my power once Ravovifard abandons me!
With this in mind, Gargya would believe in the possibility of a turnaround and fight with everything he had.
I'm already Rank 10! Even if Budarion has regained his strength, he should only be on equal grounds with me! But what I need to defeat first is that unidentified thing!
With his plentiful fur standing on end, the High Kobold Beast King Gargya charged at Vandalieu.
"GARURURUH!"
"Don't get in our king's way!"
Regaining their morale from seeing their king move out, the High Kobolds of Gargya's army didn't hesitate to attack Vandalieu's forces to clear the path for Gargya.
… Before he could notice that Vandalieu's forces hadn't made any particular effort to stop him, Gargya was caught by Vandalieu's sight.
The leader of this army isn't Budarion! It's you! If I kill you, I have a chance for victory!
"RAVOVIFAAARD!"
Gargya activated his Transcend Limits skill and even used Familiar Spirit Descent to call Ravovifard's familiar spirit upon himself.
And then he used an Unarmed Fighting Technique martial skill to swing his claws, which were sharper than swords, down at a seemingly helpless, motionless Vandalieu.
"GUOOOHN!"
"Demon King's carapace, activate."
"GUGEAH?!"
Gargya's claws were blocked by the black carapace that grew from Vandalieu's skin and covered his whole body.
With a harsh noise, Gargya's claws made deep marks on the carapace, but the impact made his arm go numb. His previous self might have had his claws and the bones of his fingers broken.
It's unbelievably hard! But if it's simply hard…!
Gargya made a fist with his other hand and activated Penetrating Strike, a martial skill that could only be used with an Unarmed Fighting Technique skill at level 7 or greater. It was a martial skill that didn't increase the actual power of an attack much but allowed the impact of the attack to penetrate through defenses, dealing direct physical damage.
There was a loud, dull noise, and Gargya felt the sensation of his attack's impact reaching the target. Vandalieu stuck his head out of the carapace; blood could be seen near his mouth. Thinking that he had found the way to defeat this enemy, Gargya activated Penetrating Strike once more.
But though there was a dull noise again, the sensation was absent this time.
"I was a little surprised that you were able to inflict damage through the Demon King's carapace and my Dark Copper armor, but it's so small that it can be completely blocked if I activate Stone Form with my level 1 Armor Technique. So, do you have any way of powering up further than this?" Vandalieu asked, looking at Gargya with the eyes of a researcher conducting an experiment.
After the first attack, he had activated an Armor Technique martial skill with the liquid metal armor inside the carapace and a Shield Technique martial skill with the carapace itself as a shield.
"Hyuh… GARUAAAAH!"
Seeing something strange in Vandalieu's eyes, Gargya enveloped his fist in the flames of an enchantment spell and swung down at Vandalieu with Penetrating Strike, over and over.
His claws might have had enough power to even make mincemeat out of a Dragon.
"AAAAAGH!"
However, Gargya's repeated attacks resembled a frightened child flailing his arms wildly towards the thing that he was scared of.
Because even though Gargya looked scared, it was clear to everyone that his attacks were meaningless.
"… Ah, if you don't have any ways of powering up, then you don't have to force yourself, you know? It doesn't seem that you have any hidden techniques or trump cards, either," said Vandalieu with a cool expression despite the loud noises produced every time Gargya's fist collided with the carapace.
Gargya had attacked with an advanced martial skill, but only managed to inflict enough damage to cause a little blood to come from Vandalieu's mouth.
Vandalieu had strengthened his defense after that, and repeatedly using the same attack with a simple enchantment spell wouldn't cause any dramatic changes.
I knew that there was no reaction from Danger Sense: Death, but I suppose this is all he has.
Perhaps the effects of his Transcend Limits skill had stopped; Gargya's movements were becoming visibly more sluggish. Deciding that he would no longer be of any use, Vandalieu activated the Demon King's blood and horns.
"Fire."
A cylindrical gun barrel formed by the Demon King's frozen blood protruded from a gap in the carapace, and the projectile made of the Demon King's horns fired from it entered Gargya's body through his stomach and exited through his shoulder.
Vandalieu had attacked this way out of consideration for the buildings behind Gargya and the people that might have been inside them.
"GYABAAHN?!"
"――――!"
Gargya's scream and the scream of something else as well echoed out. The familiar spirit's presence, which had been emitted from Gargya's entire body, vanished. Gargya staggered as dark blood sprayed from his mouth and wounds, and then he fell onto the ground, face-up.
"It seems that I can kill the familiar spirit that an enemy is using with Familiar Spirit Descent if I use the Soul Break skill," Vandalieu noted. "Mhmm, this was valuable."
Satisfied with the results of his experiment, Vandalieu skewered the limbs of the still-gasping Gargya with the Demon King's horns.
Gargya screamed as blood sprayed into the air, but Vandalieu ignored him and turned his back to him.
"Kasim, Fester, Zeno. Go ahead," he said.
The lips of Kasim and his companions stiffened as they looked at the creature that would become a source of Experience Points for them, on the verge of death and fully prepared.
"Is this really fine? For us to have it, I mean. Wouldn't it be more of an achievement if you defeated him, Vandalieu?" Kasim asked.
"Well, it's true that we said we've hit a hard wall recently, making it hard for us to level up, but… I do feel that this is a bit terrible, you know?" said Fester.
Kasim and his companions had increased their abilities to be equivalent to Class adventurers, but they were now facing a trial that everyone faced, the so-called wall that made it extremely difficult to increase their levels and skills.
The ordinary way to overcome this wall was to steadily continue gaining experience without giving up.
But there was also the trick of defeating a monster far above one's own ability, gaining a large amount of Experience Points and breaking through the wall by force. This trick was normally impossible to carry out in practice.
But Vandalieu intended to utilize Gargya to allow Kasim and his companions to use this trick.
"Please don't worry about it," said Vandalieu. "Either way, I wouldn't get any Experience Points if I defeated him myself."
"Because of your curse, huh. Well then, we'll take you up on that," said Zeno. "Kasim, Fester."
"Well then, we won't hold back," said Kasim.
"Yeah, we're in your debt," said Fester.
Meanwhile, Gargya, whose limbs had been rendered useless and was unable to speak, was tormented by a maddening sense of humiliation as he listened to this conversation.
Someone as great as me! I, who has received Ravovifard's divine protection and was supposed to become a true king! I'm becoming food for some human brats?!
Gargya had been trembling in fear of being killed by Vandalieu, but now that he realized that an even crueler end was coming for him, he felt like his blood was going to boil.
He would at least have been satisfied if he were to be killed by someone stronger than him. That would have been within the rule that he believed in, the rule of survival of the fittest. But he couldn't stand becoming Experience Points for those that were clearly weaker than him.
DON'T FOOCK WITH ME, YOU BRAAATS!
In his anger, Gargya thrashed his skewered arms and let out an unintelligible groan through the frozen Demon King's blood that was covering his mouth.
"Ah, he's spasming! This is bad, we have to finish him off quick!" Fester shouted.
He had mistaken Gargya's movements for spasming.
"Alright, we have to go at the same time!"
"Ready, set!"
Vandalieu didn't correct Fester's misunderstanding, so a longsword, a mace and a knife were swung down into Gargya.
"This is survival of the fittest. Nobody cares about bad manners shown by the strong when they devour the weak," Vandalieu murmured. "Now then, everyone, shall we begin hunting down the remainders?"
The High Kobolds cheered at the death of the evil usurper, and then raised their weapons and ran with the Ghouls to hunt down the surviving slave-drivers and troops of the elite battalion.
For the High Kobolds, these were once comrades living in the same nation, but at the same time, they were traitors that had killed their relatives. And despite the usurper's defeat, the nation wouldn't be restored to the way it was before.
With the nation's power having decreased, they couldn't afford to leave any dangerous individuals alive.
And on top of that, there was no guarantee that none of the survivors wouldn't gain Ravovifard's divine protection and become a second or third Gargya.
"Here, Vandalieu-sama, wipe your mouth. Even for testing the strength of an enemy who has received Ravovifard's divine protection before fighting Bugitas, you were too reckless," said Eleanora.
"More importantly, you should have had your carapace out to begin with," said Basdia. "By the way, where are Gizania and Myuze?"
"It seems that the two of them went with Prince Budarion and some of the High Kobolds to the castle," said Zadiris.
As Vandalieu popped out of the carapace and had his mouth wiped by Eleanora, he was startled by Basdia and Zadiris's words. "Kasim, please head to the castle. It's very urgent," he said.
"Eh?!" Kasim had been drunk on the pleasant feeling from his sharp increase in level, but he was now surprised at being personally given an order. "Why me?" he asked, bewildered. "I can't tell the High Kobolds apart by their faces, you know?! I'm not acquainted with anyone, so is there any point in me going?"
"Don't worry, just please go. Dash there," said Vandalieu.
"Kasim, Vandalieu's said enough," said Zeno. "I'm sure there's a point to it!"
"Alright, let's go, everyone! We're dashing there!" said Fester.
Kasim was bewildered, but he was almost dragged off by Zeno and Fester as they ran to the castle.
"… Isn't it better for Fester to not go?" asked Eleanora.
"Well, it should be all right. Things could turn into a repeat of what Vigaro showed at the Ghoul nation, so now is the chance while he is busy dismantling the Noble Orcs' bodies," said Zadiris.
As Vandalieu watched Kasim, Fester and Zeno leave, he prayed that Kasim would have a fateful encounter.
"Van. Wouldn't it be better to make it a formal marriage interview setting?" said Basdia.
"Now that you mention it, you might be right," Vandalieu said.
『The levels of the Strengthen Subordinates, Golem Creation, Multi-Cast, Coordination, Commanding, Plant-Binding Technique, Dead Spirit Magic, Insect Binding Technique, Artillery Technique, Armor Technique, Shield Technique and God Slayer skills have increased!』
Name: Kasim
Race: Human
Age: 18 years old
Title: None
Job: Super-heavy Warrior
Level: 35
Job history: Apprentice Warrior, Warrior, Heavy Warrior, Guardian Warrior
Passive skills:
Augmented Stamina: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Augmented Vitality: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Night Vision (NEW!)
Pain Resistance: Level 3 (NEW!)
Disease and Poison Resistance: Level 2 (NEW!)
Strengthened Defensive Power when equipped with Metal Armor: Medium (NEW!)
Strengthened Defensive Power when equipped with a Shield: Small (NEW!)
Detect Presence: Level 1 (NEW!)
Active skills:
Farming: Level 1
Club Technique: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Shield Technique: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Armor Technique: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Surpass Limits: Level 4 (NEW!)
Surpass Limits: Magic Shield: Level 1 (NEW!)
Unarmed Fighting Technique: Level 1 (NEW!)
Name: Zeno
Race: Human
Age: 18 years old
Title: None
Job: Dagger User
Level: 37
Job history: Apprentice Thief, Thief, Assassin, Explorer
Passive skills:
Detect Presence: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Intuition: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
Dark Vision (NEW!)
Disease and Poison Resistance: Level 4 (NEW!)
Strengthened Attack Power when equipped with a Dagger: Medium (NEW!)
Active skills:
Dagger Technique: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Archery: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!)
Trap: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
Silent Steps: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Dismantling: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!)
Unlocking: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!)
Throwing: Level 1 (NEW!)
Armor Technique: Level 3 (NEW!)
Assassination Technique: Level 3 (NEW!)
Name: Fester
Race: Human
Age: 18 years old
Title: None
Job: Magic Swordsman
Level: 29
Job history: Apprentice Warrior, Warrior, Swordsman, Magic Sword User
Passive skills:
Enhanced Muscular Strength: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!)
Dark Vision (NEW!)
Strengthened Attack Power when equipped with a Sword: Medium (NEW!)
Active skills:
Fishing: Level 1
Swordsmanship: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Dismantling: Level 1
Armor Technique: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
Surpass Limits: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Surpass Limits: Magic Sword: Level 3 (NEW!)
No-Attribute Magic: Level 1 (NEW!)
Mana Control: Level 1 (NEW!)
Chapter 142: The king working in the nation three days after conquering it, and the emperor in the empire
The buildings and streets of the High Kobold nation, which had fallen into ruin after Gargya's coup d'état, were being repaired at an astounding speed.
The stone and wood of the buildings, as well as the stone pavement on the ground, appeared as if they were turning into a clay-like form, the broken parts and cracks vanishing in the process.
"The town is returning to normal before our very eyes!"
"Wow, thanks!"
"WANWANWANWAAAN!"
The High Kobold nation's people cheered as they watched this happen. Many of them were children, and the High Kobold children in particular were so excited that it was impossible to tell what they were saying.
They were wagging their tails, so it was clear that they were delighted, however.
Vandalieu was the one person waving to the people… or at least, he was supposed to be one person, but he had split himself into ten. He felt slightly dissatisfied.
"… I'd rather be cooking than doing construction work."
"Shea nuts… shea butter…"
"Açaí berries…"
"Numerous fruits that didn't exist on Earth, and the meat of animals that went extinct…"
Vandalieu's interest was so much more inclined towards food than construction and repair that his spirit clones were muttering these words to themselves.
Gargya had been defeated, and the extermination and dismantling of the remainders of his subordinates had been finished. The lookouts left at the castle and around the town had been defeated quickly as well, and the civilians had been safely freed.
There hadn't been any casualties on Vandalieu's side; some had been wounded, but none had sustained heavy wounds such as lost limbs, so Potions and the healing magic of Zadiris and the others was enough to treat them.
Fortunately, the High Kobold nation had been taken back less than half a year after Gargya's coup d'état, so none of the nation's citizens were in seriously bad states. Considering Gargya's behavior, he would have likely decided that anyone wounded and unable to make a full recovery wouldn't be of any use and turned them into food rather than try to treat them, so things could have become disastrous if this matter had taken much longer to resolve.
And Princess Lulu, the only direct descendant of the previous king whom Gargya had left alive so that he could make her his wife, had been freed by Prince Budarion and those with him (Kasim and his companions barely made it in time). There hadn't been any particular problems in this process, either… though spring didn't arrive for Kasim.
And then Vandalieu had done what nobody else could do - assisting in the restoration of the High Kobold nation with the use of his Golem Creation Skill.
"It's not really that it's boring."
"I'm happy that everyone is thanking me."
"The High Kobold nation's buildings have an unusual architectural style, so it's interesting, too."
"I can even learn all kinds of things about the High Kobold people, like how they like to live in groups and how the individual houses are large."
The High Kobold nation was a nation in which High Kobolds, as well as human, Dwarf and Elf citizens and a small number of members of other races who had immigrated from other nations, lived together. After Gargya's coup d'état, its total population was a little over ten thousand, and its population had decreased considerably, by a little over a thousand including those who had fled safely to Zanalpadna. Once those who had escaped to other nations returned, the population would increase a little again.
There were about ten thousand citizens. The humans were the most common race, while there were only about a hundred Elves. And there were a few hundred of the inferior Kobold race.
The society of this nation was similar to the Noble Orc empire's; the High Kobolds, who had a base Rank of 5, were in charge of the defense of the city as well as hunting and gathering outside the nation and inside Dungeons, while the citizens were in charge of production work inside the nation.
And the inferior race of Kobolds was in charge of providing low-ranking soldiers, guards and physical labor. The remaining Kobolds in the nation now were all manual labor workers, however.
The Kobolds that were soldiers in occupation had approved of Gargya's coup d'état, become like beasts and then loaned out to the Noble Orc empire ruled by Bugitas to be used as low-ranking soldiers.
The fact that the number of High Kobolds had dropped dramatically would make it difficult for a while just to maintain the nation. But fortunately, there were no high-difficulty Dungeons that would threaten the existence of the High Kobold nation if the monster numbers inside weren't reduced periodically.
There was a single D-class Dungeon inside the nation, and there was nothing more than a few other D-class Dungeons nearby, so even with their numbers decreased, it wouldn't be difficult for the High Kobolds to keep the monster numbers in check.
It would certainly be possible for the High Kobold nation to be restored once the biggest obstacle, the Noble Orc empire ruled by Bugitas, was gone.
If the buildings and walls could be repaired before then, the time needed for the nation's restoration would be shortened a little.
Incidentally, Vandalieu had suggested things like gathering the souls of the dead High Kobolds to resurrect them as Undead and using the Labyrinth Construction Skill to create a new Dungeon or move existing ones, but these would likely be considered by the High Kobold nation's new king and his aides one day, after Bugitas's defeat.
To the High Kobold nation, Vandalieu was the savior who had defeated the usurper, but at the same time, he was the king of another nation. It was only natural for them to be cautious of allowing a king of another nation to do things like create large numbers of his own supporters and leave them in the High Kobold nation, or creating shortcuts that he could use to move in and out of the nation freely.
"And it seems like the victory feast will be after we defeat Bugitas," Vandalieu said.
The Noble Orc empire's army hadn't established a network for delivering information. Bugitas was likely still unaware that the generals he had sent to various regions had been defeated.
The usurper Bugitas had been born in a land that hadn't seen even small skirmishes for tens of thousands of years; he had never read any books written about military tactics because they didn't exist, and now, he had started a full-scale war for the first time.
Before he started the war, the Noble Orc empire's army's duty was to defend the nation against monsters, as well as hunting and gathering outside the nation's walls and inside Dungeons. Thus, they had never thought that large groups of hundreds or even over a thousand would depart the nation for more than several days at a time.
And Bugitas hadn't seen the delivery of information or logistics to be a large problem, so there were almost no units acting as messengers.
Noble Orcs excelled in charging forward and were certainly not a dull race, but… they weren't a race that was proficient at covering long distances quickly, and there weren't many tamers that used monsters.
Bugitas was probably sitting on his throne right about now, waiting for reports from the now-deceased Budirud and Bufudin that would never come.
There was no way that this wouldn't be taken advantage of; the plan now was for the swift liberation of all of the nations that had been affected by Bugitas's evil influence and then close in on the nation just as swiftly, having Prince Budarion take Bugitas's head.
Once that was over, yakiniku would be made with Bugitas's ribs.
No, should I make roasted pork fillets? It's hard to give up the possibilities of miso katsu and pork curry, though.
Vandalieu was lost in these thoughts, but a voice called out to him from below among all the cheering, bringing him back to reality.
"Excuse me! Can I have a moment?!"
"What is it?" Vandalieu asked.
Perhaps he had repaired a building incorrectly because he had been too lost in his thoughts. Thinking that this might have been the case, Vandalieu hastily stepped back onto the ground, but the Dwarf woman who had called out to him didn't seem to be wanting to make a complaint or request.
"Umm, for repairing my house and… avenging Wan-san, I wanted to thank you," she said. Her expression was sad for a moment as Vandalieu descended to the ground, but it quickly changed into a smile as she offered him a basket. "These are the fruits that Wan-san liked! Thank you very much!" she said.
"Thank you very much for this," said Vandalieu.
Who was Wan-san? Before Vandalieu could ask, the Dwarf woman ran back towards her house.
As he watched her leave, he imagined that Wan-san was probably a High Kobold who had been in an intimate relationship with her.
"Monsters' spirits return to the circle of transmigration quickly, after all… and it seems that Bufudin and Gargya don't remember him, either," Vandalieu murmured.
It seemed that Bufudin and Gargya didn't remember. Wan was probably not an uncommon name among High Kobolds.
Leaving that aside, Vandalieu looked into the basket, thinking that he would gratefully accept these fruits, to see that they were fruits that Vandalieu had never seen or heard of before. He was perplexed by these red-skinned fruits with several hairs resembling catfish whiskers growing from them, about the right size to be held in one hand.
"Umm, how do you eat these?" he asked.
"Wanwanwanwan!"
"… Thanks."
High Kobold children were cute, resembling puppies standing on two legs, but it was impossible to tell what they were saying. The Kobold language was just as unintelligible as the Orc language.
Vandalieu tried cutting the skin of the fruit with his nails to see that despite its appearance, it was filled with smooth, white flesh. He tried eating it and found the flesh to be soft, his mouth becoming filled with sweet fruit juice.
"I feel like it's a little similar to lychees, which I ate on just one occasion on Earth. It seems that there are interesting fruits in Lambda, too. Wan-san, you have good taste," said Vandalieu.
As he thought of the late Wan-san, his surroundings suddenly turned dark without warning.
"Vandalieu, the extermination of the usurper who was ruling the High Kobold nation and the general that was dispatched here, as well as the liberation of the nation, is complete. Budirud's Zombie was very useful," said a voice.
Legion had silently teleported into the sky above Vandalieu.
"UWAAAAH?! MAMA~!"
"KYAINKYAIN?!"
The children ran away immediately. It seemed that the appearance of Legion, who appeared to be a three-meter-wide sphere made of multiple flesh mannequins entwined around each other, was too stimulating for them.
"… I don't think they need to cry as they run away. I even had fanatical fans in my previous life, too," said Pluto, looking shocked.
"It can't be helped; it's their first time seeing you," said Vandalieu. "How are Borkus and the others?"
"Borkus was complaining that things were too boring because the enemies are too weak," Shade replied. "He defeated King Gido who was ruling the High Goblin nation and Bone Man defeated General Bugyap who was stationed there, but it seems that they didn't put up much of a fight."
"Of course, both of them were strong enemies that we wouldn't have been able to defeat unless we made good use of Ereshkigal's Counter!" Valkyrie piped up.
"Valkyrie, I don't think you need to mention that," said Pluto.
Vandalieu's party had split into two armies, conquering the High Kobold and High Goblin nations at the same time.
This was because the two nations were close to the Ghoul nation, and because they had been under the complete control of the Noble Orc empire and used as sources of troops.
And though this had only been confirmed after defeating him, it was difficult to imagine that Gargya would reform after Bugitas's defeat, so it hadn't been a mistake to liberate these nations first.
According to Legion, it seemed that the one ruling the High Goblin nation and the general dispatched there were similar.
"By the way, what is that?" Pluto asked.
"A mysterious fruit," said Vandalieu. "It seems to be native to Lambda, and I didn't manage to ask what it was called. Would you like to try some?"
Legion took a fruit from Vandalieu and swallowed it whole, skin and all. And then another of their personalities surfaced to respond.
"… This fruit was on Earth and Origin as well. The appearance and taste is pretty much the same. Jack likes it, too," said Hitomi.
"They're called rambutan, right, Hitomi-chan?" said Jack.
"Seriously?" Vandalieu asked.
"Serious, serious," both of them replied.
Rambutan. It was a fruit native to Southeast Asia. As Hitomi said, it was a fruit that had existed on Earth, but Vandalieu had no memory of it.
However, this fruit had been produced in the High Kobold nation, which had a climate that was a little similar to Africa's, so it was likely to be a close relative of the rambutan, to be more precise.
Once Vandalieu had time, he wanted to create Immortal Ents to produce rambutan, but wouldn't it cause problems to produce a specialty product of a nation that Talosheim would begin trading with in the near future?
Vandalieu was pondering this inside the Job-changing room of the High Kobold nation.
As monsters, High Kobolds could not acquire Jobs, but a Job-changing was necessary for the citizens to acquire production-related Jobs, so there was one in this nation as well.
"I haven't done anything unusual this time, so I don't think there will be any new ones, but…" Vandalieu murmured as he touched the crystal.
『Jobs that can be selected:[Corpse Demon Commander][Disease Demon][Spirit Warrior] [Whip Tongue Calamity][Vengeful Berserker][Dead Spirit Mage][Dark Healer][Labyrinth Creator][Demon King User][Magic Cannoneer][Dark King Mage][Divine Enemy][Dark Guider][Creation Guider][Fallen Warrior][Insect Nin*]』
Note: This nin is the "nin" in "ninja"
"… Hmm, there are more. Are Guider Jobs supposed to be coming out like this so often?"
Isn't this Job system bugged? Is it alright? Vandalieu silently asked in his mind, directing his question at Ricklent, the genie of time and magic who was thought to have created Jobs and Skills, but there was no reply.
It was unknown as to whether Vandalieu's question hadn't reached Ricklent or whether he had been deliberately ignored.
��Still, the other two are… Fallen Warrior refers to a fallen warrior, doesn't it.* As for Insect Nin, maybe it's related to the Insect User Job? But for now, I've already decided on the next Job I'll take. I choose Corpse Demon Commander."
Lately, Vandalieu had often been commanding everyone or standing at the front in group battles. So if he acquired the Corpse Demon Commander Job, which was read in the same way as 'commander'*, perhaps he would acquire a Bonus to the Commanding Skill and things would proceed better. That was what he had thought.
『You have changed Jobs to Corpse Demon Commander!』
『The Levels of the Commanding and Coordination Skills have increased!』
『You have acquired the Corpse Binding Technique Skill!』
『The Corpse Binding Technique, Plant Binding Technique and Insect Binding Technique have fused into Group Binding Technique!』
Name: Vandalieu
Race: Dhampir (Dark Elf)
Age: 9 years old
Title:[Ghoul King],[Eclipse King],[Second Coming of the Demon King],[Guardian of the Cultivation Villages],[Holy Son of Vida],[Monstrosity],[Scaled King][Tentacle King]
Job: Corpse Demon Commander
Level: 0
Job history: Death-Attribute Mage, Golem Transmuter, Undead Tamer, Soul Breaker, Venom Fist User, Insect User, Tree Caster, Demon Guider, Archenemy, Zombie Maker, Golem Creator
Attributes:
Vitality: 2541
Mana: 1,119,442,646 (+357,132,793)
Strength: 1071
Agility: 804
Stamina: 1203
Intelligence: 2475
Passive skills:
Superhuman Strength: Level 5
Rapid Healing: Level 10
Death-Attribute Magic: Level 10
Status Effect Resistance: Level 8
Magic Resistance: Level 6
Dark Vision
Demon Path Enticement: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!)
Chant Revocation: Level 6
Guidance: Demon Path: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Automatic Mana Recovery: Level 6
Strengthen Subordinates: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Venom Secretion (Claws, Fangs, Tongue): Level 5
Enhanced Agility: Level 3
Body Expansion (Tongue): Level 5
Strengthened Attack Power while Unarmed: Large
Enhanced Physical Ability (Hair, Claws, Tongue, Fangs): Level 4
Thread Refining: Level 3
Mana Enlargement: Level 3
Active skills:
Bloodwork: Level 3
Surpass Limits: Level 8
Golem Creation: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!)
No-Attribute Magic: Level 8
Mana Control: Level 7
Spirit Form: Level 8
Cooking: Level 5
Alchemy: Level 7
Unarmed Fighting Technique: Level 6
Soul Break: Level 10
Multi-Cast: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Long-distance Control: Level 7
Surgery: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Parallel Thought Processing: Level 6
Materialization: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Coordination: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
High-speed Thought Processing: Level 5
Commanding: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Plant Binding Technique: Level 6 → Combined with Group Binding Technique!
Thread-reeling: Level 5
Throwing: Level 5
Scream: Level 4
Dead Spirit Magic: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Insect Binding Technique: Level 6 → Combined with Group Binding Technique!
Artillery Technique: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Shield Technique: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!)
Armor Technique: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!)
Group Binding Technique: Level 1 (NEW!)
Unique skills:
God Slayer: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Grotesque Mind: Level 7
Mental Encroachment: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Labyrinth Construction: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Demon King Fusion: Level 4
Abyss: Level 4
Hostility
Demon King fragments:
Blood
Horns
Suckers
Ink Sacs
Carapace
Curses
Experience gained in previous life not carried over
Cannot learn existing jobs
Unable to gain experience independently
Vandalieu had expected the Commanding and Coordination Skills to increase in Level, but he had also acquired the Corpse Binding Technique Skill, which had fused into the Group Binding Technique Skill.
"I can imagine what effect this will have based on Plant Binding Technique and Insect Binding Technique. I wonder if this means I can equip Borkus and Bone Man, too?"
The results seemed to be better than expected. Vandalieu left the Job-changing room in a good mood.
And then Gizania rushed towards him. "Holy-Son-dono! Prince Budarion says that his transplanted eye and arm are throbbing, and his body is not feeling well! Come quickly!" she said.
Have I made a medical blunder? Vandalieu thought as he hastily headed to Prince Budarion.
The cup that the tyrant threw at the floor in anger made a clear-sounding noise as it shattered.
"BUGAAH! BUKYABUGAGAH?!" Bugitas shouted, asking whether there were still not reports,
His Noble Orc subordinates were huddled up in fear.
One of them, visibly reluctant, opened his mouth to speak. "Your Majesty Bugitas, there has been no report from General Budirud who is conquering the Ghoul nation. Our regular communications with Gargya-dono and General Bufudin in the High Kobold nation, as well as Gido-dono and General Bugyap in the High Goblin nation, have stopped has well. Also, there have been no reports from General Buburin, who was building the frontline base for conquering Zanalpadna," he reported.
Bugitas's mood grew worse and worse the longer the Noble Orc Mage's report continued.
The Noble Orc Mage didn't want to deliver this report, and there was nothing he could use to try and improve Bugitas's mood, but he couldn't simply stay silent, either.
"What about the guys we sent to monitor the Majin nation and Drakonid nation?!" Bugitas demanded.
The Majin and Drakonid nations, which had military strength equivalent to the Noble Orc empire's, couldn't send their armies to the empire because they were dealing with the monster rampages caused by Ravovifard, the evil god of release.
However, considering the military strength of those nations, even if dealing with the rampaging monsters took time, Bugitas didn't think that the nations would be overrun.
In fact, if a monster rampage on the scale that would inflict harm on the Majin and Drakonid nations would threaten the empire as well. Ravovifard had simply made the monsters inhabiting the Dungeons more ferocious; he was not controlling them. The monsters were simply attacking the enemies closest to them.
"About that, we have not heard from them after the first message they sent after they arrived… we believe it likely that they were found by a group of rampaging monsters and eliminated," the Noble Orc Mage said.
"Those useless fools! Send in the next scouting unit! We must have a clear idea of the movements of those two nations! What about Gerazorg and Bugoba that we sent to the Majin nation, and Bumogan who is dealing with the other small nations?!" Bugitas shouted.
Bugitas had an ally in the form of a Majin by the name of Gerazorg who had once studied abroad in the empire; he had sent Gerazorg to the formidable but distant Majin nation with the intention of starting a coup d'état. It was the same plan as with Gargya in the High Kobold nation.
Gerazorg, who had acquired Ravovifard's divine protection, was supposed to have gathered supporters within the Majin nation, join the army led by General Bugoba and, if things went well, take over the nation.
"They have gone completely silent… We believe that messengers were on the way, but they were unfortunate enough to encounter powerful monsters that eliminated them," the Noble Orc Mage said.
There hadn't been a single report. The nations were far, and the road in between was filled with danger, so there was nothing that could be done about that.
But suddenly, another Noble Orc Mage ran hastily into the throne room, falling over on his way in.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty Bugitas! The general, General Bugoba's…!"
"Has there finally been a report?!" Bugitas asked, standing up from his throne.
He thought that he would finally be able to hear a report. But what was delivered to him was the most terrible of news.
"No! The survivors of General Bugoba have returned!" the Noble Orc Mage said.
"WHAAAAAAAT?!" Bugitas roared like an enraged wild boar.
On the verge of soiling himself, the Noble Orc who had run into the room continued speaking. According to his report, the coup d'état in the Majin nation had ended in failure.
Gerazorg had tried to gather supporters in the Majin nation for the coup d'état, but surprisingly, he had been almost completely unable to gather any at all. There had only been a few supporters, and they didn't possess any special abilities or high positions in society. Though some conspiracy or a single planned act of terrorism might have been possible, subversion of the nation hadn't been within reach.
Despite that, General Bugoba had made a display of reckless loyalty, wanting to "live up to His Majesty's expectations," and attacked the Majin nation. With an army that was overwhelmingly outnumbered, he had put up a valiant fight, but in the end, he had been soundly defeated. General Bugoba himself had been killed in battle, and apparently the few survivors had returned to the empire.
Gerazorg was apparently among them, seeking asylum.
"… Impossible. It's true that he was unsatisfactory when I reached out to him, and he is a fool that deserved being exiled under the pretense of studying in another nation, but he possesses Ravovifard's divine protection. The High Kobold nation's Gargya and the High Goblin nation's Gido were similar, and things went well there!" Bugitas shouted.
But reality would not change. Bugitas would likely be able to hear the story from Gerazorg himself and the survivors of General Bugoba's army, but it would unlikely that he would hear anything pleasant.
Though one the saving grace was that the Majin race was few in number, so even though Gerazorg's coup d'état had failed, they wouldn't be able to send their army out so soon.
However, the Majin race was a warrior race that transformed into fearsome fighters once angered. Even if it took them time, they would certainly send their army to the empire one day.
So, it seems that the same method that I used with the High Kobolds and High Goblins doesn't work on the Majin race, who are nothing but whimsical individuals… Bugitas convinced himself forcibly, successfully managing to suppress his anger.
"Which means that there's no report from Bumogan?" he asked with bloodshot eyes.
"No! A report just arrived!" the Noble Orc Mage replied in a stiff-sounding voice.
"What?! It isn't a report that they've been routed and want assistance in retreating, is it?!"
"No! It's a request for reinforcements! The Lamia, Centaurs and Harpies were stronger than they expected, and for some reason, a small number of Majin have joined the enemy forces! The report says that they have sustained large losses of low-ranking soldiers, and that they are also lacking materials…"
Bumogan hadn't possessed a pawn to start a coup d'état, but he had been leading an army to suppress the countries that posed less of a threat, ensuring that they didn't form an allied army with Zanalpadna and the Ghoul nation.
This was a plan made under the assumption that the Lamia and Centaur nations were small, not being of much threat unless they joined forces with Zanalpadna or the nation of Ghouls, of whom it was no exaggeration to say that they were all combatants excluding the elderly and the children.
However, the three nations had joined forces and become stronger than expected, and it seemed that the Majin nation, who had destroyed Bugoba's army, had sent a few elite units to aid them as a preliminary act of retaliation against the empire.
"Buguguh…! Give them the reinforcements! Tell Bumogan to not return until he forces the small fry back and overruns the enemy nations!" Bugitas ordered.
"But we do not know who we should put in charge of the reinforcements…"
"You go! Right now!"
"Hyih! As you will!"
"Get out!" Bugitas shouted at the rest of his subordinates, chasing them out of the throne room.
He felt like if he continued to look at their faces from up close, he would kill them in anger.
It was no simple task to become a Noble Orc Mage; they were different from women, who were easily replaced… There had been dozens of them to begin with, but most of them supported Prince Budarion.
Most of the mages remaining in the empire were those serving Bugitas reluctantly out of fear of his power. The only mages that had sworn loyalty to him and worshipped Ravovifard were the few individuals who had been in the throne room until moments earlier.
Thus, even Bugitas couldn't simply kill them as he pleased.
All of these fools are useless! Even though they have gained the power of my Guidance… are their heads nothing but decorations?! Bugitas cursed in his mind as he lifted a bottle of alcohol to his mouth and chugged its contents.
His throat felt like it was burning, but the heat suppressed his irritation.
That's right, there is a saying that no news is good news. The fact that there are no reports from Budirud, Bufudin and Bugyap is proof that things are going well. There's no doubt about that, Bugitas thought, nodding at the convenient delusions given to him by the alcohol.
But his happy moment came to an end.
"BUHIH?!"
Bugitas felt a sensation similar to when Familiar Spirit Descent was activated, but with an even more powerful being descending, erasing his drunkenness in an instant.
And through a Divine Message from Ravovifard, the evil god of release, he learned of a terrifying situation.
"Impossible… Is he that powerful a being?! So, what am I supposed to do?! … Is that even possible?! If I do that… I can win! Even if the enemy possesses the Demon King's fragments, I can win!"
Listening to the solution given to him by Ravovifard, Bugitas felt certain in his own victory.
Job explanation:
[Golem Creator]
The superior version of the Golem Transmuter Job. It can be selected by those who have experienced the Golem Transmuter Job and fulfill other conditions such as Level requirements in production-related Skills and having created new materials.
It provides low increases in Attribute Values, but provides a bonus to all production-related Skills.
The effect of the Job allows one to spend Mana to create new materials such as metal, but it is likely difficult to make full use of this ability unless the user possesses Mana that exceeds that of a human's limits.
However, the fact that one can acquire this Job means that one already possesses Mana that exceeds a human's limits, so this may not be much of a flaw.
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Side Story Chapter 22: The Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords and the sixth reincarnated individual
The Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords… a secret fighting force prided by the Amid Empire, comprised of warriors who possessed the highest skill in combat.
They were feared beings who were rumored to have used their power to turn the tides of numerous battles, stop monster rampages on their own and erase traitors to the nation, pulling out any roots of rebellion.
If one considered the S-class adventurer, the 'Thunderclap' Schneider and his party to be the greatest fighting force that didn't belong to the empire's government, the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords were the greatest fighting force that did.
"This is an unpleasant mission," muttered the 'Light-speed Sword' Rickert Amid, who belonged to the Fifteen Evil-breaking swords and had been assigned the number three, as he continued down the highway towards his mission.
Despite being as young as being in his late twenties, the Third Sword was such a master of the blade that he was said to be "faster than light." In fact, his abilities were equivalent to those of an A-class adventurer.
He was a handsome man with a shapely nose. While he was a member of a secret force, he was highly popular among the ladies of the upper class; there were endless marriage talks despite the fact that he was already married to three wives.
He even came from an excellent bloodline; he was the grandson of the previous emperor of the Amid Empire, with the current Emperor Marshukzarl being Rickert's uncle.
As an honorary duke, he owned no land, but he had received offers of recommendations to become the First Sword in the future, and he was in a position where his name would certainly be among the candidates to become the next emperor if something were to happen to Marshukzarl and the newly-born First Prince.
But Rickert knew that all of these were lies.
His sword was slower than light.
He had simply been chosen as a decoration among the Fifteen Evil-breaking swords because of his good looks and heritage. The position of Third Sword and the position of First Sword that he had been promised were simply for propaganda.
And nothing would happen to Marshukzarl during his lifetime.
That was how things had been up until today, and things wouldn't change from tomorrow onwards.
"Is it unpleasant?" asked Buss, Rickert's attendant. "The stable ruling of the former Sauron region is currently the greatest unresolved problem in the empire. The outcome of the war against the Orbaume Kingdom depends on it. If you can suppress things, my lord, your achievements will echo across the entire empire."
The Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords were a secret force, but Rickert's existence itself was an advertisement sign that displayed the empire's military strength. Thus, a carriage was used to transport him to places and he was constantly accompanied by knights wearing gaudy armor and Buss, who was his attendant and essentially his secretary.
Rickert was inside a carriage so extravagant that if he were to tell someone that he was going to a ball rather than to a mission, nobody would have doubted him.
"How can I be happy over being praised for a hollow achievement gained through something that is disguised as a mission?" he said with a sigh, his words dripping with sarcasm.
"My lord, you will be heard from outside. If you wish to complain, you must inform me in advance," said Buss, remonstrating his master as he activated a Magic Item that prevented sound from extending past a certain area, allowing private conversations.
"I did put thought into that. The armor and helmets that our empire provides to the knights that guard us have too many decorations, so those sounds are very loud. They can't hear my complaints as they're walking. You're wasting your Magic Stones," Rickert said.
"Putting thought into things is my duty," Buss said, thinking now more than usual that his lord had some kind of serious illness. "What exactly is it that you find unpleasant?" he asked, pressing his master to spit out all of his complaints.
Buss thought that it was also his duty to listen to such complaints.
Knowing that Buss thought this, Rickert spat out his complaints and the stress that had accumulated in his chest like sediment.
"What, you ask? It's the same as always. My own lack of talent that causes me to always be used as a decoration, while being fully aware of the reality of the situation… Apparently, those with sharp senses think that this incident was a ploy of His Majesty's to reduce the influence of the useless Duke Marme."
Duke Marme, who had been complaining that the rule of the former Sauron region was not going well, had been successfully deceived and placed in a position as the person now responsible for and in charge of the occupying army that would likely fail at their job.
And by offering a helping hand at the timing when Duke Marme would begin complaining, it would become widely-known that his ability for ruling and military strategy was worthless, thus lowering the power of the Marme family of dukes.
The discord between Emperor Marshukzarl and Duke Marme was famous enough to be known to any who were reasonably knowledgeable regarding matters within the empire. And any half-clever nobles could imagine that it was impossible for Duke Marme to rule the occupied land of an enemy nation.
And so, many thought that there was a power struggle going on between the emperor and Duke Marme behind the scenes of Rickert and the other Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords being sent out.
Indeed, it was possible that Marshukzarl did have such intents.
"But His Majesty's true aim isn't to wear away at Duke Marme's influence. The mission given to us isn't the extermination of the resistance, either," said Rickert. "We're to make contact and negotiate with the Dhampir Vandalieu, who slaughtered the Mirg shield-nation's expedition army of six thousand and went on a rampage in the Orbaume Kingdom as well. If the negotiations break down, we're to dispose of him."
Marshukzarl was after Vandalieu.
Marshukzarl, who had gathered information through a different network to the one used by the army occupying the Sauron region, knew that the resistance organization known as the Sauron Liberation Front had made contact with the Ghouls of the Sauron region.
And by adding together and analyzing other small pieces of information, he had become certain that Vandalieu was backing the Sauron Liberation Front.
That was why he had appointed Duke Marme as the new supreme commander of the army occupying the region. So that he could use him as a touchstone and bait for determining how hostile Vandalieu was towards the empire.
Duke Marme was someone with the blood of the imperial family, with rights to succeed the throne, and even among the empire's noblemen, he discriminated against Vida's races particularly harshly. On top of that, he was a passionate believer of Alda. And to Marshukzarl, he wasn't someone who would be considered a loss if he was killed.
Even if Duke Marme and the vassals that he had taken with him were to be killed, there were people who could succeed them, so there wouldn't be any great harm to his region's economy. The other noblemen who had moved with the duke were those that the emperor felt could be replaced or simply didn't care about if they were absent.
In truth, Duke Marme had yielded and asked for the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords to be dispatched sooner than Marshukzarl expected, but even if that hadn't happened, Rickert and the others would likely have been dispatched anyway.
In order to deal with Vandalieu.
"But are His Majesty's decisions not the natural decisions to make? At the age of six, the Dhampir slaughtered six thousand elite troops from the Mirg shield-nation, as well as the 'Vampire Hunter' Bormack Gordan, and even turned them into Undead to perform a counter-invasion, where he turned the cultivated land into a rotten sea of deadly poison," said Buss. "In addition to that, in the Hartner Duchy of the Orbaume Kingdom, he tilted a castle, destroyed a mine operated by slaves along with the entire mountain, buried a knights' order and kidnapped over a thousand villagers and disappeared somewhere. And he is manipulating the Scylla race and the resistance from behind the scenes… To be frank, all of this is difficult to believe."
On top of all of that, according to the information, Vandalieu was capable of creating new Dungeons.
Immediately after a Dhampir thought to be Vandalieu was sighted in the City of Niarki in the Hartner Duchy, a Dungeon had appeared in the forest to the direction in which Vandalieu had fled the city.
After that, many Dungeons had been discovered in the Hartner Duchy. Other than the one discovered close to the city of Niarki, they were all F-class Dungeons with only a single floor consisting of a single room, however.
"Buss, it's not that I'm dissatisfied with being sent out to hunt one Dhampir child. Even if we ignore the unconfirmed information that you just mentioned, he's someone that many Ghouls and Undead obey. If all of the unconfirmed information is true on top of that, he's so dangerous that he won't be a problem of just the Sauron Duchy," said Rickert. "If we don't deal with him right, in the worst-case scenario, the Amid Empire could be destroyed."
"My lord, you must not say such careless things."
"It's not careless, Buss. It's unknown as to how much fighting strength Vandalieu possesses as an individual, but he destroyed an elite force of six thousand of the Mirg shield-nation's elite three years ago. We should consider him to be capable of destroying at least one of our vassal nations, including the Mirg shield-nation. And unless the Orbaume Kingdom's power is severely harmed, it's clear that they'll come to take advantage of that as well."
The Amid Empire's vassal nations - the maritime nation of Kalahad to the south, the mountain-nation of Marmuke to the north, the grain-nation of Yond to the west and to the east, the Mirg shield-nation that possessed the greatest military strength among them all.
The army of elite individuals from the Mirg shield-nation had been unable to defeat Vandalieu. If he were to set his eyes on one of the other three nations, in the worst-case scenario, the damage would be so great that they would stop functioning as nations.
Vandalieu was capable of contaminating the earth with a poison that lingered for a long period of time… it was unknown as to what methods he used to create that poison, but if it was possible for him to spread that poison across large areas of land or ocean, he could destroy nations without even having to fight them.
Marshukzarl would be a failure of an emperor if he were to not pay attention to such a dangerous individual.
"But my lord, making contact and negotiating with this Vandalieu is part of our mission. I find it difficult to imagine that the negotiations will go well," said Buss.
"Really? Actually, I feel the same way," said Rickert.
"… My lord."
"That's what I personally think. But it seems that His Majesty and the others of the Fifteen Swords have ideas."
Considering the things that Vandalieu had done in the Mirg shield-nation, it was certain that he didn't have any favorable thoughts towards the Amid Empire that governed it. Considering that he was a Dhampir, it was only natural to think that it would be impossible to build a friendly relationship.
In fact, wasn't it more likely that he would curry favor with the Orbaume Kingdom, a nation that was the Amid Empire's enemy? At first, that was what Rickert had thought.
However, based on the various incidents in the Hartner Duchy thought to be caused by Vandalieu, Marshukzarl and his advisors had concluded that Vandalieu would not join the Orbaume Kingdom's side without conditions.
With that being the case, it would be possible to make him an ally, depending on the conditions. That was what they seemed to think.
In fact, even in the Sauron region, Vandalieu hadn't directly caused large harm to the army occupying the area. It seemed that he had destroyed a fort, but considering the things that he had done up until now, he should have been able to destroy the entire army.
Around the same period of time, the higher-ranking members of the Reborn Sauron Duchy Army had been destroyed, its remainders being absorbed by the Sauron Liberation Front to form a single large organization led by the Liberating Princess Knight.
If this was Vandalieu's handiwork, the one that he had inflicted harm upon was actually the Orbaume Kingdom.
"Based on his actions up until now, it seems that the Dhampir named Vandalieu doesn't intend to side with either the Amid Empire or the Orbaume Kingdom. The emperor likely thought that he intends to build his own power made up of Undead. It does indeed seem like the kind of thing that a child who possesses power would think of," said Rickert.
Vandalieu would rule over a group of puppets that would work for him loyally without disobeying or having any opinion at all. The tyrant of a small hill.
"A game played with dangerous dolls," said Buss. "Such a person would never yield to the empire no matter what conditions are offered, would he?"
"That's what I think, but I'm not in charge of the negotiations," said Rickert.
"That's right, Ricky-boy," said a new voice that suddenly echoed inside the carriage.
Rickert showed no signs of surprise, but responded in a sour voice. "… Five-headed-Snake-dono. Could I ask you to stop calling me that?"
This was the 'Five-headed Snake' Ervine, the Fifth Sword, a true member of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords.
He was a man who had already been a member of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords by the time Rickert joined them.
Ervine chuckled. "What else would you have me call a youngster who has not even lived a hundred years if not 'boy?'"
"Ervine-sama, I believe that my lord is more displeased by your nickname of 'Ricky,'" said Buss.
"Ah, I see. My apologies; I'll call you something else if I remember."
"Incidentally, it is the seventh time that I have heard those words."
"Oh my, is that so? I'm sorry, Ricky-boy," Ervine said, speaking to Rickert once more in a disagreeable tone. "I'm very forgetful, you see. After all, I am an 'old geezer,' as you like to call me."
… Going on and on about something that happened years ago. An unpleasant man as usual! Rickert thought.
Immediately after Rickert joined the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, he had met Ervine on a mission. On that occasion, Ervine had been acting in an unpleasant senpai-like manner, and Rickert had once called him, "old geezer."
It seemed that Ervine still held a grudge towards Rickert for that.
"Now then, back to the topic, Ricky," Ervine said. "Your duty is your mission on the surface… acting as the cool, strong hero that eliminates the resistance. We'll have you work up until a certain point, and if the negotiations with the Vandalieu brat break down, you and I, along with the others, will dispose of him."
"The others? You're not the only one?" Rickert asked.
"I'm honored that you think so highly of me, but even I am not enough to face thousands of Undead. If he hunts down the dimwits of the occupying army, they could all be killed and turned into Undead."
Each of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, particularly the true members like Ervine, possessed the strength to fight over a thousand enemies at once. However, no matter how powerful they were, they would always be fighting from a disadvantageous position if they were facing large numbers of enemies.
In this mission, they had to force Vandalieu, who was likely hiding behind the Sauron Liberation Front, to the surface to negotiate with him, and then dispose of him if the negotiations failed.
It seemed that the emperor and the Zero Sword, the leader of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, had decided that it would be too dangerous for anyone to chase Vandalieu on their own if he left the Sauron Liberation Front to die and refused to come out, or tried to flee after negotiations broke down without fighting.
"Me and two others," Ervine said. "The 'Insect Swarm' Bebeckett, the Fifteenth Sword, and the 'King Slayer' Sleygar, the Eleventh Sword, are participating."
"Wait, why are you telling me that?" Rickert asked.
Because Rickert was merely a decoration to be shown off to society, he didn't have detailed information on the true members of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, including Ervine. The only one whose name and face he knew was Ervine, and as for the other true members, he had only heard the Titles that the emperor had given them, which were almost like codenames.
Rickert found it strange that Ervine would go out of his way to reveal their names.
"Of course, it's because you'll meet them on-site," Ervine replied. "With this mission, there is almost no information that we can gather preemptively. We can't scout from the sky, and even when people were sent in directly, they went missing."
"I knew that Duke Marme's army's reconnaissance didn't go well, but what about the Hilt guys?" Rickert asked.
Among the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, there were some members originating from the 'Hilt,' which was comprised of capable covert operatives and spies. At the very least, they should have been more competent than Duke Marme's soldiers.
"Ah. After sending information that there are strange stone monuments, they all went missing," said Ervine. "That's why we're going to conduct a power search once we arrive on-site. Either way, if we capture, interrogate and kill resistance members or Ghouls, the mastermind or someone who knows him will come out eventually."
"Isn't it a bad idea to kill the subordinates of someone we're trying to negotiate with?" Rickert asked, thinking that this would take a lot of time and effort.
"It's not like there are any problems with that, is it? Considering the methods that he's used so far, no matter how you look at it, he's the kind of guy who thinks of his subordinates' lives like consumable goods. Are you saying that I'm wrong, Ricky-boy?"
Rickert closed his eyes and recalled the methods that Vandalieu had been using so far.
Leaving aside the fact that he had slaughtered the expedition army, he had turned them into Undead, attacked a city and rendered the cultivated land there uninhabitable.
The image of Vandalieu that one could gain from all of this was one with a coldhearted, cruel personality that didn't hesitate despite the fact that civilians could get caught up in the conflict and that the hearts of the deceased expedition army soldiers' families would be deeply tormented for a long time… no, he had likely even taken this into account and taken these actions on purpose.
Considering the Dungeon creation incident and the destruction of the slave-run mine in the Hartner Duchy, it didn't seem that he had any compassion or mercy.
And the deliberate murders of the top-ranking members of the Reborn Sauron Duchy Army, carried out in order to increase the power of the Sauron Liberation Front, led by the Liberating Princess Knight who he had somehow turned into his subordinate.
Given all of these, Vandalieu didn't care if innocent lives were put at risk as long as he could erase those who opposed him, and he would use the lives of his subordinates like consumable goods; it wouldn't bother him in the slightest if they were killed. That was the kind of image that could be put together.
However, there was information that didn't quite match this image.
"No, it's difficult to imagine that you're wrong, but… I thought there were some strange reports," said Rickert.
Vandalieu had apparently assisted the cultivation villages of the Hartner Duchy, and around the time period where he appeared there frequently, there had been a mysterious phenomenon in the farming villages near where small Dungeons were discovered, where the villagers were visited by 'Vida's clay dolls' filled with valuable metals, money and food if they gave their aged livestock as an offering.
And if the reason the Ghouls of the Hartner Duchy had vanished like the ones in the Mirg shield-nation was because Vandalieu had gathered them, then something was strange. If he wanted fighting strength, Vandalieu could create Undead, so he wouldn't have needed to go out of his way to gather Ghouls.
"Considering that, wouldn't you say that he controls the Undead to use as disposable soldiers, feels no mercy and even sadistic tendencies towards his enemies, but possesses the kind of personality with enough compassion to provide charity to those he feels he should protect?" said Rickert. "It's exactly as if you swapped the humans and Vida's races in Duke Marme's views."
"That might be true." Ervine didn't even try to deny Rickert's conclusion. "But either way, they're likely just accessories for him to feel pleased with himself, thinking that he's doing good things. Or maybe he's just using them and keeping them until he turns them into Undead. Like fish in a tank. It's possible that the upper ranks of the Sauron Liberation Front, including the Liberating Princess Knight, have already been turned into Undead and the underlings are continuing to move, oblivious to it."
"That's true, but…"
"And it's not like we're going to be friends with him. If we can take him in, we will, and if that seems impossible, we dispose of him. If he has precious people that can be used as a weakness, then it's actually convenient. We can use them as hostages. Ricky-boy, don't you worry about it. Just lift up the Liberating Princess Knight's head and think of a speech to calm the people, telling them that everything's all right thanks to His Majesty, the great emperor, who dispatched the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords."
And with those words, Ervine's faint presence vanished. Rickert wasn't sure whether he had left or whether he was lurking around somewhere, but either way, the conversation was already over.
"… That old geezer, guessing all the things that I find unpleasant and then ending the conversation like that," Rickert muttered.
What he found unpleasant was not the methods employed by the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords or the emperor's intents, but the contents of this mission that made him fully aware that he was nothing more than a decoration, through and through.
Rickert's role was to carry out his official mission of eliminating the resistance and make his 'success' clear to the occupying army, regardless of whether the negotiations with Vandalieu and his possible extermination were successful or not.
Whether the Liberating Princess Knight's head was the real one or a fabricated fake would depend on the negotiations with Vandalieu, however.
"My lord. I believe that your mission is also a necessary duty to provide the Amid Empire with a thousand years of prosperity," said Buss, offering Rickert a black tea made with water boiled by a Magic Item.
Rickert responded with a sigh.
"But can Ervine-dono and the others really defeat that Dhampir?" Buss continued. "It is not that I am doubting everyone's abilities, however."
"They probably can," Rickert replied, his shoulders relaxing as the scent of the black tea filled his nose. "If what he says can be trusted, Ervine himself is capable even among the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords. And I've heard rumors about the Insect Swarm and the King Slayer."
Insect Swarm was the only confirmed Bug Tamer in the empire. He had once cleared a group of monsters overflowing from the shallow layers of the Trial of Zakkart, all on his own.
The King Slayer originated from the Hilt, and he had slain numerous monsters with the title of King that had been protected by hundreds or thousands of underlings.
Rickert, who was an advertisement for their achievements, knew of their strength.
"And among all of the information that we have gathered about Vandalieu so far, there is nothing that mentions his individual fighting strength. It's likely that he's a special Tamer. He tries to increase the number of pawns under his command because he himself is weak. His attack on the slave-run mine in the Hartner Duchy, his gathering of Ghouls, Scylla and the resistance as his underlings, it's all probably for that reason. Judging from how he polluted the cultivated land, he probably has poison and disease-related ways of attacking, but if they are wary of that, then he won't even put up a fight."
Rickert found this mission unpleasant, but at the very least, he wouldn't fail it. That was the kind of mission it was.
The 'Noah' Mao Smith's cheeks relaxed as she felt the warmth of sunlight and the tickling sensation of a breeze against her skin for the first time in a long time.
"Even in a different world, the sun and wind aren't any different, are they," she murmured. "But still, I'm really naked… am I supposed to cover myself with leaves?"
There was nobody else around her… Seeing that she was in the grass-covered plain, Mao decided to examine the state of her body in her third lifetime.
Chestnut-colored hair and tanned skin. Her height was far shorter than it had been on Earth or in Origin - to put it bluntly, she was a midget.
As if to compensate for that, her limbs had muscle on them. Mao curled her hands into fists several times, did jumps on the spot and tried walking and light running.
"Hmm, I don't have scales or a hand dynamometer so I can't tell for sure, but I get the feeling that my physical strength has increased. But considering that, my body feels heavier. I suppose that's because I chose this race," she muttered.
Those who knew her from her previous life would recognize her face as having traces of its previous appearance, but it was younger overall. It might have been possible to convince them that she was a much younger sister with completely different hair, eye and skin colors.
But that would be difficult in Lambda. Because she was a member of a different race.
The race that Mao had chosen for her third life was the Dwarf race.
It wasn't that she'd wanted to be a Dwarf no matter what. She had simply wanted an appearance that was as different as possible from the one that Vandalieu knew.
It was impossible to request for Rodcorte to simply change her face. Her physical body would be influenced by her soul that carried its memories and personality from her previous lives.
It was possible to minimize that influence if she were to have been reborn as a baby like she had been in Origin. But when reincarnated in a directly-created adult body, it was impossible.
Thus, Mao had chosen to become a Dwarf rather than a human or Elf.
She had actually wanted Rodcorte to make her a man, but that was impossible.
"You know that the brain structures of men and women are different, do you not? If the body and soul do not match, there will be large effects… in the worst-case scenario, you could die within several days, so I advise against it," Rodcorte had said.
Of course, the 'Inspector' Shimada Izumi had confirmed that this wasn't a lie.
"Well, my name can't be changed in my Status, and I'll be found out when I'm found out, so I don't really care. I'll get used to my body eventually… Status. Wow, it really comes out."
Mao examined her own Attribute Values and her transformed Skills. She could see her Unique Skills - The God of Reincarnation's Fortune, Target Radar: Owner of over 100,000,000 Death-Attribute Mana and Unique Skill Concealment.
With Unique Skill Concealment, her Unique Skills wouldn't be seen by Demon Eyes of Appraisal or when she registered at a Guild.
This was a modification made by learning from Kaidou Kanata's mistakes, thought of by Izumi and Aran. With this, the fact that she was a reincarnated individual wouldn't be revealed, even if her Status was looked at.
"Still, seeing my driving and piloting ability turned into 'Mount'… I was a pilot, you know. And my other Skills' Levels aren't very high… Just what kind of monsters are the people who live in this world? Well, I'll stop the naked monologue here… Yes, yes, this way, right? Hmm, it's quite hard to walk with these short legs~"
Listening to Rodcorte's voice that was playing inside her head, Mao began walking. She was heading towards a small group of bandits, and she would defeat them to defeat them and get clothes and other things that she needed.
And by the time she was ready for her journey, she would have become a Level 100 Jobless, also commonly known as a "Commoner," from the Experience Points gained from killing the bandits.
Once she continued to a nearby city, registered at a Guild, received identification, fabricated a suitable background and finally went through a Job-change, nobody would suspect anything.
She was fifteen years old, a Dwarf who had just become an adult, so some might think it strange at first that she hadn't possessed a Job until coming to the city, but if she kept changing cities, countries and continents as she repeatedly changed Jobs, she would be able to fool them.
"Now then, once I save enough money, I'll bid farewell to this continent and begin a business in another continent."
Mao had no intention of getting involved with Vandalieu whatsoever. She had no intention of trying to kill him like Murakami and the others, nor did she intend to try to convince him and stop him like Minami Asagi.
She intended to flee to a place far away from Vandalieu and spend her life there. That was why she had chosen to be reincarnated earlier than the others.
Though she had reached out to the other reincarnated individuals, like the 'Clairvoyance' Tendou, the 'Ifrit' Akaki and the 'Oracle' Endou Kouya, they hadn't followed her.
But they had supported her. They had told her that there might be more reincarnated individuals who didn't want to fight Vandalieu, and that Mao should lend them her help when the time came.
Incidentally, she would be contacted by Izumi and Aran when such individuals appeared, or in situations of emergency.
Rodcorte had allowed Mao's decision. Reincarnated individuals had the role of developing Lambda as well, not just the role of killing Vandalieu.
One day, a Dwarf adventurer by the name of Mao, who was unusually adept at wind-attribute magic despite her race, would eventually come to do a little work in the Farzon Duchy of the Orbaume Kingdom, which was known for its fishing and shipping industries.
She would reach Class around a year after her registration, far faster than ordinary adventurers, but soon get on a ship and journey away from the Bahn Gaia continent.
The 'Noah' Mao Smith has been reincarnated in a Dwarf body created by Rodcorte.
Remaining reincarnated individuals:
Rodcorte's Divine Realm: 12
Origin: 79
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