Chapter Appendix 6: An introduction to the races - Arachne, Empusa and Majin + Extra
Regarding the strength of Vida's races (An excerpt from manuscripts held by the Mages' Guild branch of the city of Niarki in the Hartner Duchy)
In addition to their Jobs, those of Vida's races that originated from monsters have Ranks displayed in their Statuses like monsters.
Depending on these Ranks, their Attribute Values can become higher than those of races such as humans.
They possess both bonuses from Jobs and the physical abilities of monsters, and they are capable of equipping themselves with arms.
Thus, they are capable of undergoing repeated Job-changes, and if they are in an environment where they can equip themselves well, it is obvious that races like Arachne, Scylla and Lamia can become stronger than the average human adventurer. This is also the reason why Vampires and Majin are viewed as threats.
While there are many monsters that never increase their Ranks even once during their lifetimes, the members of Vida's races that increase their strength in these environments increase their Ranks at least twice on average. (The time required for this depends on the individual and the race that they belong to.)
Also, it is dangerous to judge the strength of members of Vida's races from their Rank alone. When they have bonuses to their Attribute Values and Skills from their Jobs and are well-equipped in addition to that, it can be assumed that they are more effective in combat than their Rank may suggest.
Whether for better or worse, members of Vida's races that originated from monsters are often restricted from becoming adventurers or members of the national army as soldiers and knights.
But caution should be taken, as there are Vampires who have penetrated deep into human society.
An introduction to races - written by Luciliano
The following accounts might differ in parts from those of the Adventurers' Guild and Mages' Guild, but I have written them after directly seeing and talking to members of each race within the Boundary Mountain Range and conducting my own investigations.
Arachne
One of the two races born between Vida, the goddess of life and love, and Zanalpadna, the evil god of carapaces and compound eyes.
They possess the upper body halves of beautiful women and the lower body halves of spiders. At present, they are divided into three types - large-build, medium-build and small-build - each with their own special characteristics.
Immediately after the birth of the race, it is thought that only one type of Arachne existed, likely the medium-build Arachne, and they diverged into three types after the war between Vida and Alda that took place a hundred thousand years ago.
Incidentally, according to materials that I borrowed from Zanalpadna's Chief Mage Bakota-shi, it seems that aquatic Arachne do not exist.
It is likely that the aquatic Arachne described in the Adventurers' Guild's manuscripts refer to Arachne that have developed cultural practices, such as using their thread to create pouches filled with air, that make an aquatic lifestyle possible. It seems that their biology is no different from other Arachne.
Because they are a race of only females, their upper halves are those of beautiful women from the perspective of humanoid races, and many Arachne resemble humans. They have compound eyes on their foreheads and backs, but if those are kept hidden, it would be difficult to tell whether they are Arachne just by looking at their upper halves.
Unlike Scylla, the features of their upper halves can vary greatly; individuals can have hair, eyes and compound eyes of a variety of colors.
But if they give birth to males of a certain race over multiple generations, it seems that the characteristics of those males appear in the upper bodies of the Arachne.
Their spider-like lower bodies have an armor-like exoskeleton and eight legs with strange claws at their ends. Small-build Arachne often have bright colors reminiscent of fish that live in tropical regions, while medium-build Arachne are divided roughly evenly into those with plain colors and those with venomous-looking colors. Many large-build Arachne have plain colors but have tufts of fur growing on their lower bodies.
Medium-build Arachne still have the traits of the race's founder and are the most common type of Arachne. Their base Rank is 3.
Their upper bodies look like those of women in their late-teenage years to their twenties, and they have lifespans of about three hundred years. They have a good balance of qualities for combat and magic. They are well-suited to become adventurers of all kinds.
Also, they are the type of Arachne that can produce the highest quantity of thread in a single day, and their threads are the most stable in quality as well.
Small-build Arachne are a type of Arachne specialized in using threads in an agile and dexterous way, and many of them have an affinity for the wind attribute. Their base Rank is 2.
They are even smaller in size than adult human men. Their upper bodies have the appearances of women in their early-to-mid teenage years, and they have lifespans of about two hundred years. They are well-suited to becoming scouts.
Many of them have childish personalities that match their appearance, often playing pranks with their threads. Even during my short stay in the nation, I witnessed Master falling for these several times.
They produce the highest-quality thread among Arachne, and they are adept in creating delicate structures with their thread. However, the amount of thread they can produce in a single day is less than the medium-build Arachne.
Large-build Arachne are the type of Arachne that are fewest in number, and they are powerful, heavy warriors. Though they do not have much talent for magic, they make up for it with exceptional physical qualities. Their bodies are about as large as a carriage, and they have considerable horsepower as well. Their upper bodies look similar in age to medium-build Arachne, but their proportions match their lower bodies; the upper bodies are about the same size as those of Titan women. They have lifespans of four hundred years, and with a heavy weapon in hand, they could easily scatter a group of average adventurers.
But as they are not good at tight turns, even if they become adventurers, there are many places that they cannot go… or at least, places that they would not be able to go in human societies. This does not apply in Talosheim or the region enclosed by the Boundary Mountain Range.
But perhaps because their ability to create thread has retrogressed, their thread is of low quality and they produce far less in quantity than small-build Arachne.
All three of these types are categorized as Arachne, and there is a chance of any of these being born to parents of any type. It is possible for a small-build mother to have a large-build daughter and vice-versa.
Also, the ability to cover ground quickly is another feature that all Arachne have in common.
In Zanalpadna and the rest of the area enclosed by the Boundary Mountain Range, there are almost no Arachne living as ordinary citizens, but it seems that they all generally become craftsmen that create cloths, clothing and arms from their own thread. This is the same for Arachne outside the Boundary Mountain Range as well.
The difference is that they acquire their own original Jobs such as Spider Tamer, Samurai and Kunoichi. The existence of these Jobs was not recorded in documents in the Amid Empire, Mirg shield-nation or the Orbaume Kingdom.
There is the possibility that the Arachne outside the Boundary Mountain Range are in hiding, but it is likely that the worship of Zanalpadna and the knowledge of the culture from another world left behind by the champion Hillwillow are the reasons for this.
Zanalpadna's citizens mainly live on materials hunted and gathered from nearby Devil's Nests and Dungeons, as well as grains such as wheat that is harvested in low-difficulty Dungeons such as the Shell-less Open Field.
But they generally enjoy meat and fish. It seems that mammoth meat is their soul food.
In Zanalpadna's case, their romantic behavior comes down to group marriages; it is ordinary practice for multiple men and women to live in the same tower-shaped dwelling. It seems that nothing is considered an affair as long as one dates one of the men or women within their group.
Incidentally, it is apparently also normal for individuals to leave their group and move to another group.
It seems that for a long time, there have been cases of Arachne leaving Zanalpadna and marrying into families of other races in other nations - Noble Orcs and the other main races of the other nations. The Arachne likely see this as a rare opportunity for themselves to find partners that are stronger than themselves - in other words, companions that they can rely on.
Outside of the Boundary Mountain Range, they form settlements like the Scylla and live together with males of other races.
They give birth about once every ten years, and they lay several eggs at once. They often repeat this process several times over their lifetimes. All Arachne children have similar appearances regardless of which type of Arachne they are, but as they repeat their yearly molting, their sizes and the colors of their exoskeletons change and their fur grows, allowing them to be distinguished.
This molting allows the healing and regeneration of any injuries in their legs or exoskeletons, as well as the compound eyes of the upper body. However, it seems that multiple molts are required to regenerate legs that have been completely lost.
In Zanalpadna, there is a culture of using the molted husks to create 'necklaces of deep affection,' which are used as presents to symbolize friendship and love. Accepting such a necklace as a male is equivalent to accepting a proposal, so caution should be taken.
There is a ritual used to turn a member of a non-Vida-created race into an Arachne. A priest of Zanalpadna blesses a special spider (which takes several years to raise), and the spider and the target (limited to females) are wrapped in thread. It is said that the target is reborn as an Arachne after ten years.
Many who undergo the ritual become medium-build Arachne. But there are apparently rare cases of the target becoming a small-build or large-build Arachne if a small-build or large-build spider is used for the ritual.
Incidentally, there is a race known as Andro Scorpions that live in deserts; could they possibly be related to the Arachne? I am interested in this topic, but it seems that at the very least, they do not exist within the Boundary Mountain Range.
I shall have Master assist me in researching this when he steps foot into human society.
Empusa
One of the two races born between Vida, the goddess of life and love, and Zanalpadna, the evil god of carapaces and compound eyes.
They have appearances that look as if praying mantises and women have been combined, and they have a pair of sickle arms in addition to a pair of arms that look like those of a human.
But like praying mantises, it seems that they have a limited ability to fly and they are unable to fly freely over long distances. Their wings are mostly used to glide.
Many Empusa individuals are tall compared to human women, and some have heights of over two meters.
Their existence has been forgotten outside the Boundary Mountain Range for a long time, but they are certainly a fully-fledged, Vida-created race.
Their exoskeletons are about as strong as those of small-build Arachne, about the same as leather armor. But the sickles of even Empusa children are far stronger and sharper than cheaply-made weapons.
The sickles of those who have increased their Rank multiple times are apparently not inferior even when compared to magic swords made of Mythril or Adamantite.
Empusa have a base Rank of 4. But they are a race with a meager talent for magic, so few of them use elemental magic.
They have lifespans of four hundred years, and in Zanalpadna, they co-exist with the Arachne and live in the same marital groups. It seems that when they marry into other nations, they adopt the marital customs of those nations.
There are even less Empusa living as civilians than Arachne; it is safe to say that they are non-existent. As their bodies resemble those of humans more closely, it is likely that they can work as adventurers in a greater variety of environments.
About half of Empusa choose to be scouts while the other half become frontline warriors, and there is no small number of offense-oriented shield-bearers who use their sickle-arms to attack and their other two hands to hold shields.
Like the Arachne, many Empusa individuals yearn to become Ninja and Bushi. Like the Arachne, they can acquire the Samurai and Kunoichi Jobs, but with Zanalpadna's divine protection, they can acquire the Mantis Tamer Job, a special Tamer-type Job that allows them to tame praying mantises rather than spiders.
The Empusa's view on love is… so strange that one cannot help but to question whether they are really women.
When appealing to members of the opposite gender, they put a heavy emphasis on showing how strong, attractive and rich they are.
This is the reason the Empusa Berserker Gaol invites Zeno to clear Dungeons and go hunting.
It would seem that the gender roles are reversed, but if one thinks about it rationally, the Empusa are a race specialized for hunting and combat as their sickles would suggest, and this might be only natural if one considers that they live within the Boundary Mountain Range, an environment surrounded by Devil's Nests.
I very much hope that Gaol and Zeno can overcome this cultural difference.
Empusa have the same culture of giving necklaces of deep affection as the Arachne; they symbolize friendship if given to members of the same gender and love if given to members of the opposite gender. They use the husks from their molts to create the necklaces like the Arachne, but as Empusa cannot produce threads, they request Arachne individuals with whom they have close relationships to provide threads in order to assist in the creation of the necklaces.
For the Arachne being requested to do this, this holds the same meaning as being given a necklace of deep affection.
They produce children at the same pace of once every ten years or so like the Arachne, laying clutches of multiple eggs twice or three times over their lifetimes.
The ritual to turn a member of a non-Vida-created race into an Empusa requires the same methods as the Arachne ritual. The difference is that a praying mantis is used instead of a spider, and they are wrapped in foamy mucus instead of threads.
Majin
Human societies, not only Alda's followers but Vida's followers as well, believe the Majin to be a race created between Vida and a powerful monster. They are believed to be evil and peerlessly cruel. They are thought of as manifestations of evil that enjoy every immorality there is in this world, and requests to exterminate them are sent out by the Adventurers' Guild as soon as they are discovered.
But the truth is that they are a race born between Vida and Zantark, the war-god of fire and destruction, who fused with two evil gods.
They are a separate race from the Kijin, whom human societies believe to be a single race with the Majin. It seems that this misunderstanding stems from the fact that the ancestor of the Majin race and the ancestor of the Kijin race are twins, just like the ancestors of the Arachne and Empusa.
They do not have particularly virtuous personalities, but they are not evil or peerlessly cruel, nor do they enjoy every immorality. They do have strong pleasure-seeking, hedonistic tendencies, but compared to Master or myself, many of them seem to be within the realm of being ordinary.
In the region within the Boundary Mountain Range, it is said that Zantark's child that inherited more of the evil gods' blood founded the Majin race, while the one that inherited more of Zantark's own blood founded the Kijin race.
At present, the Majin race is divided roughly into three types, but like the Arachne, only a single type of Majin existed before the war that occurred a hundred thousand years ago, and the other types appeared after the war. There are records of Pure-breed Majin left in the Majin nation, so I shall include them and describe the four types of Majin.
First, the Pure-breed Majin that were simply called Majin at the time, from which the current Majin race originated. From legends and such that are left, it can be concluded that they had a base Rank of 5. They apparently had the simple appearances of humans with blue skin and a pair of horns on their heads.
Because they didn't have wings, they could not fly through the air, but just like the Majin of the present, they possessed exceptional physical qualities and dispositions for the use of magic, so it seems that they were still a powerful race.
Next, the Battle-Majin Diablos. Godwin, the current king of the Majin, belongs to this category.
They possess two horns, membranous wings, a tail with a triangular tip and blue skin. They also have muscular bodies that are as large as those of Titans. They are a combat-oriented race, exceptional both in combat techniques and the use of magic, and their base Rank is 7.
The Adventurers' Guild fearfully refers to these Majin as Majin of flames; many of them are masters of Fire-Attribute Magic and possess a strong resistance to fire. There are eyewitness accounts of them swimming in lakes of magma.
Obscene-Majin Succubi… Males are referred to as Incubi. Iris Bearheart has transformed into this type of Majin, and Gerazorg, the one responsible for the failed coup d'état, apparently belongs to this category as well.
Features such as their horns, membranous wings and the color of their skin are the same as the Diablos, but their physiques are similar to those of humans, with many individuals having balanced bodily proportions… Also, there are rumors that many have tails with heart-shaped tips rather than triangular ones.
Their base Rank is 6, and though their physical abilities are not poor by any means, their magical qualities are more exceptional. However, the most characteristic thing about this type of Majin is that they all possess the Allure, Spirit Siphon and Illusory Transformation Skills.
It is said that Succubi use these Skills to seduce men while Incubi use them to seduce women, and they suck the 'spirit' of their victims.
But because their Illusory Transformation Skill does not work on members of the same gender, it was said in human societies that couples with poor relationships that slept in separate rooms were suitable targets for Obscene-Succubi.
When I said this to Obscene-Succubi, they told me that it would be more normal to target unmarried people living on their own. This is a very reasonable argument.
In addition, it seems that they have no problem in continuing to live without using Spirit Siphon. Human 'spirit' is apparently nothing more than a luxury item like alcohol to Obscene-Majin.
Beast-Majin Vandals. Other than having two horns and blue skin, they have little in common with the other two types of Majin. It is a mere coincidence that their name is similar to Master's.
Their bodies have beast-like characteristics … or rather, they simply possess beast body parts, and it is possible for two Vandals to appear to be completely different races.
Those who simply have fur, scales or shells covering over half of their bodies and those with beast-like ears, tails, fangs and claws are the plain ones. There are some with the upper bodies of wolves or tigers, and some with the lower bodies of enormous four-legged beasts or serpents.
Their base Rank is 6, and they have better physical ability than aptitude for magic. It seems that many of them have beast-like personalities as well.
What all Majin have in common is that they have no lifespans; unless they encounter unexpected accidents, become sick or die in battle, they continue living forever. Perhaps because of this, they have a strong sense of unity as a race.
They treat those who have relations with them with particular importance. Thus, they have strong bonds within the groups that they belong to. But as this is not limited to members of their own race, it seems difficult to say that they are exclusive.
As for Gerazorg, who betrayed the Majin nation, it is thought that he felt more of a bond with Bugitas and his subordinates than he did with Godwin and the other Majin.
There are generally no ordinary civilians among Majin. Those of the Majin nation believe it right to polish one's skills and fight, so all Majin acquire combat-related Jobs. However, as they have unlimited lifespans, it seems that many of them become absorbed in hobbies to keep themselves busy and end up becoming as skilled as first-rate craftsmen.
Their suitability for becoming adventurers does not even need to be written about.
Several unique Jobs that only Majin can acquire have been confirmed. The most well-known among these is the Demon Tamer Job. Demons are likely creatures that are coagulated masses of the contaminated Mana of one or perhaps both of the evil gods that fused with Zantark. This is likely the most well-known Job because the Majin with these Jobs can command Demons, or perhaps because the Demons resemble them.
Because of this Job, there is an overwhelming number of people in human societies who believe that Majin are a superior race of Demons.
To explain this as a former citizen of human society myself, Arch-Demons and Greater Demons do resemble Diablos, and Lesser Demons, which have the heads of goats, have many features in common with Vandals. While they are rare, there are also Demons that resemble Succubi, so I do not think that this misunderstanding is surprising.
There are many other unique Jobs such as Beast Majin Warrior, Majin Swordsman and Battle Majin General.
The Majin's views on love and marriage depend on the individual. While many live an ordinary married life with a certain man or woman, there are also those who assist each other in raising children and then separate once the children are raised. There are also some who do not stay together even with children, and the mother raises the children with her parents and siblings.
There is no marriage system in the Majin nation; they have a system where men and women can have relationships with each other as they like. In other words, the nation's official stance is, "Do what you like." But it seems that if one is too irresponsible, one will end up like Gerazorg.
Perhaps as a side-effect of Majin having unlimited lifespans, the race as a whole has difficulty creating children, and it seems that many of them do not feel the need to have children. As a result, many of them have more than one child, but it is not uncommon for it to take them many years to do so.
However, though this is an extreme exception, there was apparently an Incubus who had over a dozen children, so it seems that there are still large individual differences.
That applies for the development of Majin children as well; there are those who develop at the same rate as humans and become adults after fifteen years, and those that develop like Elves and half-Elves, their development slowing down in their early teenage years and requiring between twenty to thirty years in order to reach adulthood. There are also those whose appearances remain fixed as those of children.
That is why in the Majin nation, a system has been adopted where the individual and their parent must acknowledge that the individual has become an adult and the individual must pass an examination at a government office before they are certified as an adult.
As adulthood for Majin is a certification, it can be invalidated or revoked if individuals do very foolish things.
Incidentally, Gerazorg did such foolish things repeatedly, and planned his coup d'état after having his adulthood certification revoked multiple times… nobody approved of him.
Regarding rituals to turn members of other races into Majin. Majin are able to turn not only humans, Elves and Dwarves, but other races of Vida that do not originate from monsters (Those with no Rank in their Statuses), into Majin as well.
The most well-known ritual is… It is questionable as to whether it can be called a ritual, but it is the method of repeated intercourse with an Obscene-Majin. Simply having repeated, continuous intercourse with an Obscene-Majin over a long period of time can turn one into a Majin, so if one ignores the time and process, it is the simplest method.
It is thought that the Mana in the Obscene-Majin's body is transferred to the partner through intercourse, and once it passes a certain threshold, the partner transforms into a Majin.
The required time is… As no detailed records remain, it cannot be said with certainty, but it is a year at most. As for the required frequency… I will deliberately refrain from recording it here. It seems that the higher the Rank the Obscene-Succubus is, the less time it takes and the less frequent the intercourse must be.
If such a thing is possible, one might think it strange that the Majin population is not exploding. But a partner that an Obscene-Majin would have repeated, continuous intercourse with would naturally be someone who is special to that Obscene-Majin… so it seems that the population will not explode.
The next most well-known ritual is the one used by Godwin on Iris Bearheart, the Battle-Majin's 'Blood Cocoon' ritual. The required time period is as short as seven days and seven nights, but a special magic circle and a holy grail are necessary, and a great quantity of live sacrifices must be prepared. It is normally a very difficult ritual to carry out.
Thus, this ritual was not conducted very often in the Majin nation. Human societies are not even aware of this ritual's existence.
The last ritual is the Beast-Majin Vandals' 'Beast Majin Den,' but it is a bloody ritual that involves the candidate being placed inside a small, consecrated hole in the ground and then fed only the flesh and blood of Vandals to finally emerge as a Majin.
It is likely that the same effect as intercourse with Obscene-Majin is being used through the act of eating. There are even fewer cases of this ritual being conducted than the 'Blood Cocoon,' and there are almost no records of them, so the details are unknown.
The kind of Majin that the target of a ritual becomes is determined not by the race of the Majin that conducted the ritual, but the birth… the body of the target.
Those of races less than two meters in height, such as humans, Elves, Dwarves and Dark Elves, almost always become Obscene-Majin.
Those with heights of a little over two meters, like Titans, become Battle-Majin.
And Beast-people and those who have inherited remarkable beast-like characteristics often become Beast-Majin.
But the Majin nation also possesses records of Incubi with muscular, three-meter tall bodies, Battle-Majin as tall as the chest-height of an adult and Succubi with the ears of beasts being born as a result of these rituals.
Half-Noble Orc
A race born when Master conducted a pseudo-reincarnation for the first time… indeed, it is a new humanoid race rather than a new monster. She can acquire Jobs, so there is no doubt about it.
She is a young girl with special characteristics such as ears and a tail resembling those of a pig's, and an enormous… at this point in time, three-meter-tall, body. Judging from her current pace of development, it can be assumed that she will reach the appearance of a fifteen-year-old human by the age of ten; in other words, she will become an adult by that age.
Would she likely be mistaken as a half-Titan, half-Beast-person by those who look at her appearance? Boar-type Beast-people do not exist, so they may realize that something is strange about her afterwards.
She has possessed great strength since birth, and her stamina is exceptional. She is still six years old at present… in human terms, she would be just short of nine years old, but she already possesses the muscular strength to crush a Rank 3 monster with her bare hands.
But it seems that she is not adept with magic. It is unclear as to whether this is a characteristic of her race or whether learning magic is too difficult for her at this age.
… It is meaningless to compare her to Master, even if they are of the same equivalent age, so I shall refrain from doing so.
There is still only a single individual of this race, so investigating the race as a whole is impossible. It is also unknown as to whether males of this race can exist. After hearing that Master would advance into the Noble Orc empire, I had thought that this would be a chance for the birth of a large quantity of new half-Noble-Orcs, but…
Once Master works as an adventurer in human societies, I would very much like him to accept many requests to exterminate Orcs and Minotaurs.
If he does, we will likely know whether Orcs can become half-Orcs and Minotaurs can become half-Minotaurs.
Legion
They are a human. Some would disagree, but… they are a fully-fledged human that can acquire Jobs.
Their appearance is that of a sphere made of around a dozen mannequins made of flesh (different from being skinless with their muscles exposed) entwined around each other… and there are countless pieces of flesh that look exactly like human limbs and heads protruding from the sphere's surface.
Of course, this is only their original form; they can change their size and form at will with the Size Alteration and Form Alteration Skills.
Their body does not contain skin, hair, bones, viscera, hearts… or even brains; they are simply made of flesh.
They are like a Slime made of flesh, but even if they are to be compared to a Slime, Slimes possess a core inside their body. Legion does not even have such a core. In other words, there are no parts of their body that can be considered vital spots. In addition to this, they possess a tremendous amount of Vitality and astounding regenerative abilities.
They were weak to heat and lightning before, but as they have acquired a resistance Skill, it can be said that this weakness is now gone.
And the thing that I find most difficult to believe is that Master is not the one who caused Legion's birth.
Master simply created the 'base form of life' and the 'base form of spirit' that became Legion's foundation, and the ones mainly responsible for Legion's birth were Ricklent, the genie of time and magic, Zuruwarn, the god of space and creation and the god of the foreign world of Origin.
Have these three gods not surpassed Vida? However, I will deliberately refrain from recording which aspect they have surpassed her in.
Their personalities, or rather, their minds, are… extremely difficult to comprehend. They have shared memories and senses, so it is apparently similar to Master's clones that he often creates through Out-of-body Experience, though they all possess different personalities.
It seems that Pluto generally takes leadership of them most of the time, but this apparently does not mean that she is the center of their personalities. In fact, even when her personality separates from the rest with the Long-distance Control Skill, the remaining personalities of Legion can continue functioning with no problems in her absence.
According to Enma, one of Legion's personalities, "One person is everyone, and everyone is one person."
And since they are a race, they should be able to reproduce… produce children, but that is a mystery as well.
One could assume that it is highly likely that they can reproduce through fission like Slimes… In fact, there is a theory that Slimes can reproduce by laying eggs rather than through fission.
This is a theory that an egg of the same color as the Slime grow inside its body, and the egg hatches as it is laid, making the process appear to be fission.
As for which method Legion would use… I would certainly like to know.
Luciliano put his pen down and let out a deep sigh. "My lifespan is not long enough for me to find that out. Should I become a Vampire after all? I can't imagine my own appearance if I were to become an Incubus… But which of them would I choose a 'parent' from? I suppose for now, I will ask Master to increase my lifespan through Youth Transformation."
As if setting this matter aside, Luciliano set aside the paper upon which he had written details about the half-Noble Orc and Legion, and then prepared a fresh piece of paper.
"I must record the details of the Vida-created races living within the Boundary Mountain Range while I can. Master will likely not hold back in influencing them in a way that will greatly change their culture and lifestyles. Once that happens, it will be a lot of trouble to find out how things were before."
Luciliano was supposed to be an Undead specialist, so why was he making these natural-history-like records?
He did ponder this question himself, but he didn't think that this was a bad thing.
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Chapter Appendix 7: Luciliano's report 2 - Kasim's spring
In Talosheim's royal castle, a strange conversation was taking place.
"Can nothing be done about it, Master?" asked Luciliano. He had been persistently pestering Vandalieu over a certain strange difficulty.
"Zandia, can nothing be done about this apprentice?" asked Vandalieu, consulting Zandia as she passed by.
Zandia… the Titan Zombie girl who was Talosheim's second princess and had been praised as the 'Tiny Genius' when she was alive.
"Eh? Am I supposed to carry him away with an iron-claw grip like Jeena-nee?" asked Zandia.
She had become a Zombie at a young age, but as a Titan, she was two meters tall.
"But Master, I really am at a loss here," Luciliano insisted, despite Zandia picking him up by the head and lifting him into the air.
"What is this guy having so much trouble with?" Zandia asked, directing this question to Vandalieu rather than the still-lively Luciliano.
She had once experienced Luciliano peeping on her during surgery out of academic interest.
"He said he wants to hear from wild Undead… Undead that aren't under my influence, from Zombies in particular. He won't listen to what I'm saying," Vandalieu said.
"I'd think that might be impossible," said Zandia.
"You're right," said Vandalieu.
Zandia couldn't be blamed for immediately thinking that Luciliano's request was impossible.
"I do understand how he feels, since Undead change completely under your influence, Your Majesty. The research I do is different, but I am a mage," Zandia said.
Undead would undergo rapid changes from the moment they were charmed by Vandalieu and placed under his guidance.
This was particularly apparent in inferior, low-Rank Undead. Rank 1 Living Bones and Living Dead were Undead that simply moved around meaninglessly and didn't even possess much of an instinct, let alone wills. But even they would clearly recognize Vandalieu and obey his commands to the best of their abilities.
Rank 2 Zombies had heads filled with nothing but hatred for the living and a desire to devour their flesh, but ninety percent of that would be erased and replaced with feelings of affection, loyalty and fear for Vandalieu. This was even true for Cursed Weapons and Living Armors, which were considered to have nothing but a desire to kill.
And many Undead partially regained their memories and personalities from while they were alive as their Ranks increased under Vandalieu's influence, becoming able to speak words.
Undead in their natural state were completely different creatures.
Zandia assumed that as an Undead researcher, Luciliano would want to study not only the Undead that had undergone such changes, but Undead in their natural state as well.
Having finally been understood, Luciliano nodded… or rather, since he couldn't, he expressed his agreement by clasping his hands together and shaking them up and down. "Indeed, that's right," he said.
"But you know that there's no way you could hear what an Undead in its natural state has to say, right?" Zandia said.
"Indeed, that's right," Luciliano said again.
Undead in their natural state, especially low-Rank Undead, never communicated with the living.
Conversation was possible with Ghosts who possessed their memories and personalities from while they were alive in addition to their hatred and regrets. There had also apparently been very rare cases where Zombies and such would stop attacking those they had been close to while alive and express desires such as asking them to "run away" or "kill me"… assuming that these were not the delusions of the witnesses.
But even with these exceptions, the kind of academic investigation that Luciliano wished to carry out would be impossible.
"In other words, you want to conduct a detailed investigation on an Undead that isn't under His Majesty's influence, but in order to do that, His Majesty needs to 'guide' the Undead? That's impossible. There's a contradiction there," said Zandia.
"That's right. Ah, by the way, please let go of Luciliano, now," said Vandalieu.
Luciliano was released from the grip of Zandia's hand, which was relatively small compared to the rest of her body. He swayed on his feet, but he didn't collapse.
"So nothing can be done about it after all?" he said.
"I don't know any Undead in their natural state to begin with," said Vandalieu.
Most Undead were charmed by Vandalieu just by being near him. There was no way that he could be acquainted with any Undead in their natural state.
"And anyway, you can create Undead as well, can't you, Luciliano? Couldn't you just create one and ask it yourself?" Vandalieu asked.
"Yeah, you can make Live-Dead and stuff, after all. Isn't that a good idea?" Zandia agreed.
"You know that the Undead created by ordinary mages including myself are nothing more than puppets made of corpses with life forcibly embedded inside them," said Luciliano. "I am not sure what you are expecting me to investigate with such puppets."
As he said, the Live-Dead and other Undead he created were nothing more than puppets with no instincts or anything. Such puppets were unsuitable for pursuing his current interest.
"So please, do something!" Luciliano begged, not knowing when to give up.
"Muh…" Vandalieu seemed troubled as he shook his head.
Indeed, he really was troubled. As he didn't normally show any facial expression, he often deliberately made obvious movements to express his emotions to others.
"What is it about Undead that you want to research, anyway? Depending on what it is, His Majesty or I might be able to help you. Ah, but I'm not going to show you my body, okay?" said Zandia.
"… I was only interested in the remodeling that Gubamon had carried out in your bodies," said Luciliano, scowling at the fact that he was still being treated like a peeping tom.
"Leaving that aside, what is it that you're interested in now?" Vandalieu asked.
Luciliano's expression straightened up. "Something that is so fundamental that nobody thinks to question it. The heads of inferior Undead are filled with either nothing or a simple hatred for the living and a desire to kill, so they are completely unsociable. So then, why do they -"
Meanwhile, there were loud noises of battle echoing repeatedly across the training grounds that were a little distance away from Talosheim's town area.
This in itself was not unusual. The training grounds' dummies… or rather, Undead acting as dummies, were the heroes from nations that worshipped Alda and heroes that worshipped Alda personally among the hero Zombies recovered from Gubamon.
As Undead, they were weaker than they had been while alive and they were equipped with Obsidian equipment that conserved stamina, but their fighting abilities were undoubtedly first-rate.
And what was happening here was training through real combat. Of course, the Undead hero dummies attacked the trainees.
The walls of the training grounds had almost been broken several times before, so there were now restrictions on what martial skills and spells could be used. But even so, the fierce, echoing sounds of battle always made it clear just what kind of high-level training was taking place.
But today, the sounds echoing across the training grounds were not the sharp noises of swords clashing, but heavy, repeated crashes that sounded like a gong being struck.
"Shield Bash! Shield Bash!"
A female Elf Zombie, who was unusually lightly-equipped compared to the other dummies that had Obsidian equipment, used her round shield to unleash two Shield Bashes in quick succession.
"UOOOOOH!" roared the young man… Kasim, who was equipped with armor and a large shield made of Dark Copper, as he managed to use his shield to stop the Shield Bashes.
And as the Elf Zombie lost her balance, Kasim used the mace in his right hand to try and turn the tables on her.
But the Elf Zombie pulled her arm back quickly and unleashed a third Shield Bash. "Not good enough! Shield Bash!"
"GUAH?!"
A third thunderous, gong-like crash echoed out as Kasim's shield was finally repelled, exposing his entire body. But surely the Elf Zombie wouldn't strike with a fourth Shield Bash. Or at least, that's what Kasim thought.
But although the Elf had lost her blood from becoming a Zombie, her toned leg turned with the same skill that it had done while she was alive.
"Thrusting Kick!"
Her shoe, which was made of Obsidian and designed for unarmed combat, crashed into the stomach of Kasim's metal armor. Off-balance, he was unable to hold his ground and was sent flying backwards like a football.
"I-I've lost," Kasim gasped as he lay on his back, barely managing to voice his surrender.
Hearing these words, the Elf Zombie relaxed her stance and offered out a hand, going into coaching-mode. "Kasim-kun, you have to use your shield more proactively. Also, it's fine to take a defensive stance, but you can't shut yourself away. The enemy isn't a storm; rather than waiting for an opportunity, you have to go and create one."
Kasim gave a bitter smile as he took the Elf Zombie's hand to stand up. "I know that, but it's impossible for me to become able to fight like you right away, Gerda-san," he said. "As expected of someone who was called the 'Dual-shield Princess.' The way you handle your shields is amazing, and your footwork is like that of a master's as well, isn't it? You're really incredible."
Kasim was looking at the Elf Zombie, the hero Zombie Gerda who had once been known as the 'Dual-shield Princess,' with shining eyes.
"That's a Title. I'm just an Undead now," Gerda said.
She was an Elf hero who had lived in an era even before the foundation of the Amid Empire. She wielded two small Adamantite shields, one in each hand, using them for both offense and defense and finishing her enemies off with her kicks. Her unique fighting style had been well known in her time.
She was recognized as a shield-bearer by those around her, but she was actually more like a martial artist that used her round shields as weapons. However, because of her high proficiency with the Shield Technique Skill, her defensive abilities were beyond those of most shield-bearers.
"And in terms of just my physical strength, I'm stronger than I was when I was alive, you know?" Gerda said. "My Enhanced Muscular Strength Skill turned into the Superhuman Strength Skill when I became a Zombie. My movements have become slower as a result, though."
"But you're still amazing, Gerda-san," said Kasim, unable to conceal the way his eyes were sparkling.
Gerda, who had been staring at Kasim with dead, lifeless eyes, suddenly averted her gaze. Her eyes narrowed, as if she had looked at an object that was too bright for her. And she immediately let go of Kasim's hand. "You don't have to imitate what I do. You only have one shield, and your Unarmed Fighting Technique Skill is low Level, isn't it, Kasim-kun? With your shield, I think it's best to thrust the edge into your opponent's arms or legs to stop their movement. Try it against a demi-human-type monster," said Gerda.
Kasim's eyes followed the hand that had just let go of him with a disappointed gaze. As if avoiding him, Gerda turned around to return to her original position.
She was a training dummy; once she was finished giving advice, she would return to her original position and stand there like a statue, unmoving. She would wait there until it was time to change places or the next training candidate came.
"Can I practice against you again next time instead of a monster?!" Kasim shouted in her direction.
But there was only silence in response from Gerda.
Having washed away his sweat at the public bathhouse after training, Kasim met up with his friends Fester and Zeno in the plaza connected to the main road, where they engaged in a deep conversation.
In this plaza, where there were statues of Vandalieu of various ages lined up in a row, there were benches as well as tables and chairs for enjoying Reversi and shogi. It was a place for the citizens of Talosheim to relax.
Thus, there were a lot of people here, but the background noise naturally drowned out spoken words, so it was the perfect place to have a non-sinister confidential conversation.
"The truth is, I… like Gerda-san," said Kasim, confiding in his two friends.
"We know," Fester and Zeno replied quietly.
"Eh?! How, I haven't told anyone yet!" Kasim exclaimed, sounding surprised.
Zeno sighed. "Kasim… You go to the training grounds every day that we're not in a Dungeon or a Devil's Nest, and you only ever train with that Gerda-san."
"And you always boast to us about how great Gerda-san is," Fester said with a grin. "How she's so pretty, how her legs are beautiful and how her ears are so long… Even I'd notice after all of that."
"Was I that easy to understand?" said Kasim, his face falling as he realized that his two friends had already known about his feelings.
It seemed that Kasim had unconsciously spoken about Gerda very fondly. Meanwhile, Zeno and Fester looked refreshed.
"So, what are you going to do? It's not going to just end at telling us about it, right?" said Zeno.
"Wait, are you really alright with this? Gerda-san is a Zombie, right?" said Fester.
In ordinary human societies, this would be a big problem. It wasn't just a matter of love that transcended race. Someone in Kasim's position would be lucky to merely be chased out of their village or town. Depending on the nation, they might be interrogated and burned at the stake.
But this was Talosheim. The ruler of the nation himself was a user of strange Undead, the one serving as general and prime minister was an Undead, and the captains of several Knights' Orders were Undead as well. It was a nation where in this very plaza where Kasim and his friends were sitting, numerous Zombies and Skeletons could enjoy pleasant conversations under the watch of the statues of Vandalieu.
Vandalieu had completely stopped the Undead of this nation from decomposing and even erased the rotten smell of their bodies with Deodorization. It wasn't rare to see Zombies that couldn't be told apart from the living without being close enough to be breathed on.
And these Undead were the natives of Talosheim that had been living here since even before immigrants from the cultivation villages like Kasim and his friends came here.
And because Vandalieu had implemented plans to have the citizens interact peacefully… Things like seminars, board game tournaments and festivals, even the immigrants who had been emotionally distant from the Undead at first were now friends with them.
With that being the case, though this was just a natural course of events, there were some who developed romantic relationships with Undead. But this wasn't without its problems.
The largest problem was that Undead couldn't have children. The deed itself was possible, but as their reproductive organs had stopped functioning like the rest of their internal organs, this was the obvious result.
The desire to have children was not limited to royalty and nobles; even farmers and townspeople would naturally want to have children, raise them and have their grown-up children take over their farms and businesses. This societal notion was firmly-rooted in the world of Lambda.
There were problems such as when families had too many children and struggled to get by, or quarrels over who would succeed family businesses and farms, but this was necessary in Lambda, whose civilization still required people to perform large roles in every industry.
And even for couples who couldn't have children despite their best efforts, they could adopt the children of relatives or have their apprentices take over their businesses.
But when the inability to have children was made clear from the very start, there was a tough hurdle to get over, unless the couples sought out children to adopt or people to take over their businesses beforehand.
But there was also an occupation that was completely unrelated to such societal notions. That occupation was the occupation of being an adventurer.
"If you're talking about the issue with children, none of that has mattered ever since we became adventurers, right? I mean we're registered with the Explorers' Guild rather than the Adventurers' Guild now, but it's all the same in the end, isn't it?" said Kasim.
Being an adventurer was a hazardous occupation with a high mortality rate. And many who took up this occupation were those who had already been defeated in the struggles to succeed their families or never had families to succeed to begin with.
Neither of these applied to Kasim and his friends, but they had already talked to their families and discussed the possibility of being unable to succeed their businesses when they became adventurers in the Hartner Duchy.
Kasim assured Fester that this wasn't a problem, but it seemed that this wasn't all that Fester was worried about.
"No, there's more. I've heard that they don't sleep at night so they have a different sense of time, that there are problems with their eating habits and that because poison and disease don't affect them, they either don't worry at all or worry too much if you get sick," Fester said, fluently listing the various problems that those having relationships with Undead faced. "You need to be prepared if you want to seriously date someone of another race."
Kasim and Zeno stared at Fester in disbelief.
"Fester, using his brain?! You sound like a proper, decent married person!" Kasim blurted out.
"To think that Fester has straightened up so much… Kuh," Zeno muttered.
"Kasim, I am a proper, decent married person! And Zeno, why do you have tears in your eyes! I'm just telling you what I happened to overhear at the Explorers' Guild!" said Fester.
While Kasim trained at the training grounds, Fester had been going to the Explorers' Guild to take simple requests that he could complete on his own, and also to visit Lina while she was working.
During the victory feast in the Noble Orc kingdom, a marriage interview had been suggested to him, and for some reason, as a result of discussing this with Lina, it had been decided that both of them would have a marriage interview with the girl that was looking to marry him. The girl, who was a good person even if one didn't take her circumstances into account, had got along well with Lina, so talks were proceeding in the direction of accepting the marriage.
But Fester still lacked the means to provide for both. He was working hard for the sake of his two brides and for the children that would come in the future.
Incidentally, Zeno was accepting requests, going to Dungeons and having practice battles with the Empusa Berserker Gaol, who had migrated to Talosheim. He was still unaware that Gaol considered these to be dates.
It seemed that Zeno was the most ignorant of the three when it came to love.
After calming down Fester, who was in a bad mood, Kasim began to think deeply about the problems one by one.
"Like Fester says, there are all kinds of problems," he said.
But all this did was reaffirm to him that the feelings for Gerda within him would not stop.
"But still, I don't think anything will start until I confess to Gerda-san," said Kasim.
"You're right," said Zeno.
"So, I think I'll confess to Gerda-san tomorrow!" Kasim declared.
"What a rapid development," said another voice.
"I see… Alright, I'm cheering for you!" said Fester.
"Yeah, do your best, Kasim," said Zeno. "But isn't it best to talk to Vandalieu about it first? Gerda-san is a training dummy at the moment, right?"
There was a partial slavery system in Talosheim. One of those forms of slavery was the role of the training dummies filled by Gerda and other Undead. The first training dummy, the 'Divine Spear of Ice' Mikhail, had become a criminal slave. Ever since then, the other Zombies who became training dummies had also been treated as criminal slaves.
It seemed that the strict surveillance system that Vandalieu had set up for Mikhail back then was really troublesome work.
Now, though they were still strictly monitored, these Undead were treated as people.
But as she had the social position of a criminal slave, Gerda was property of the state. Zeno's suggestion of consulting Vandalieu was a reasonable one.
"That's true, but I'm kind of shy…" said Kasim.
"Now, now, there's no need to be so reserved. I understand the situation, so do your best," said the fourth voice again.
"Uwah, this isn't a statue! It's the real one!" shouted Zeno.
The statue of Vandalieu standing closest to Kasim and his friends was actually Vandalieu himself, camouflaged as a statue!
"Disguised as a stone statue, its real identity is -"
TLN: Vandalieu is probably making some kind of reference here, but I don't know what it is.
"Vandalieu, isn't it? You haven't disguised yourself as a stone statue with the Demon King's ink recently, so why today?" Fester asked.
His bold declaration having been interrupted, Vandalieu's face fell as he climbed down from the pedestal. "I was hiding from Luciliano for a little while… Leaving that aside, I've been listening to the story. I'm sorry for eavesdropping. Though it's not really to make up for it, I'm cheering for you, so do your best with your confession tomorrow. I'll make it so that Gerda can converse with you normally, Kasim."
"Yeah, thanks," said Kasim.
And then the preparations for his confession to Gerda were made.
Vandalieu reserved the training grounds for that time and gave him a handwritten document. It was a form of written permission for Gerda to speak to Kasim freely during his confession.
And Vandalieu himself waited outside with Zeno and Fester. This was because if Vandalieu was personally present, Gerda might feel a non-existent pressure.
Incidentally, depending on the result, Gerda's status as a criminal slave could be lifted, but this was apparently more convenient for Vandalieu.
Mikhail was responsible for the destruction of the former Talosheim. But although the other hero Zombies that had become training dummies had just been followers of Alda or gained military fame by persecuting members of Vida's races, they hadn't been directly involved with Talosheim.
In Gerda's case, she had lived in an era when the letter 'A' of the Amid Empire didn't even exist.
With that said, it was unclear if she could simply be acquitted, and more importantly, the Undead were acting as training dummies because they had wanted a way to atone.
It wasn't like Vandalieu felt a strong desire to punish them, and there wasn't even a legal basis for making them criminal slaves, so if they agreed to stop, it was something to be congratulated.
Gerda took the written document, smelled it and tasted it. "This smell and taste; these letters have definitely been written in Vandalieu-sama's blood. I see… But Kasim-kun, I can't reciprocate your feelings," she said, shaking her head.
"No way. Why does even Gerda-san know?!" shouted Kasim.
He was surprised that Gerda used the smell and taste rather than the handwriting or the seal to confirm the authenticity of the document, but that surprise vanished before the shocking realization that his sweetheart had already known of his feelings before he could confess.
"I died unmarried, but I did live for over a hundred years, you know. For some reason, I can't remember very well, but I have dated someone before," Gerda said, seeming to struggle with her words a little. "And… When you collapse during training, you wait for me to reach my hand out to you instead of standing up yourself, and your face looks really happy when our hands touch."
"Ugh, so you knew…!" Kasim staggered as he realized that his ulterior motive had been seen through. But he didn't back down. "So, why? I won't do any of that in the training grounds anymore! And if there's anything else bad about me, I'll fix it!"
"No, it's not like I dislike it or that you're bad," said Gerda. "I'm very happy about your feelings towards me."
"Then -"
"It's impossible for me. I'm a Zombie; I'm dead! I might look like I'm alive because my body's decomposition has been stopped, but my cold hands could never offer you any warmth!" Gerda said.
A young man who came to her for training every day, far less experienced than herself. Gerda had feelings for that man.
But every time she saw her own pallid face reflected in his shining eyes, every time his warm hands touched her cold ones, she was painfully reminded that they were different beings… they were not an Elf and a human, but a dead person and a living one.
She was too different from him. She shouldn't get any closer to him than she already was. For his sake as well. That was why Gerda rejected Kasim.
But Kasim didn't give up.
"Then I'll offer you my warmth, Gerda-san!" he declared as he extended his hand to Gerda, his voice loud enough to be heard outside the training grounds.
Gerda instinctively tried to step back, but this was too slow compared to her usual movements.
"So please go out with me!" Kasim grasped both of Gerda's hands and pulled her close to him.
Gerda saw her own lightless, dead eyes reflected in Kasim's that were burning with passion.
"… You'll regret it one day. Whether that's in a year, ten years or fifty, you'll definitely regret it. Are you alright with that?" Gerda asked.
"Maybe I might, but I won't make you regret it, Gerda-san," said Kasim.
These were inexperienced words with no foundation to them, trying to convince an Elf Zombie who had lived for over a hundred years before dying. But despite that, they sounded attractive to Gerda.
As if Kasim's passion had infected her.
"Alright… I'll give you fifty of my years, a hundred, or even an eternity," Gerza said.
"Really?!"
"But can I make one request?"
"Yeah, anything! If it's something I can do, I'll do anything!" Kasim declared.
There were no lies in his words. If Gerda asked him to become stronger than her, then he would challenge himself for years without giving up.
"Then… if you can, get one, no, two more other than me. Both Undead," said Gerda.
"Alright! Whether it's two people or three… eh?"
This was an unexpected request for Kasim.
Luciliano was writing notes, outside for once, in the plaza crowded with people at that.
"Why do Undead form groups? If I think about it, this is actually quite the mystery. There are Undead that happen to become Undead in the same place or close to each other, or Undead that happen to group together by chance, and then there are Undead like Living Armors that often coordinate with others like them. But why do other Undead form groups?" Luciliano wondered.
"Is that right?" Vandalieu asked.
"Apparently," said Jeena. "Though I've never seen them personally."
"At adventurers' school, we learned that if we see one Undead*, we should assume there are more," said Fester.
"Come to think of it, we're counted as animals rather than people in the outside world," said Zandia.
(Note: Fester uses the counter for animals here rather than for people here.)
Incidentally, Zeno was looking at Kasim with a pitiful gaze.
Perhaps not caring about the response of his company, Luciliano continued talking. "Living Dead and Bones do not possess many of their memories, senses of self, knowledge or even their instincts. Their heads are empty other than the desire to attack and devour the living. So why do these Rank 1 or 2 Undead form groups? There is a strategic benefit. But I didn't think that such inferior Undead understood such strategy."
"You're right; Undead don't coordinate with the other Undead around them, and they don't cooperate with each other to find prey," said Zandia.
"Weak Bone Rabbits form groups, but I've heard that it's to increase their chances of surviving if they're attacked," said Jeena. "But Living Dead and Zombies have no self-preservation instinct. Even we feel pain differently from how we did when we were alive."
"I see, that's very informative," said Vandalieu.
"… Vandalieu, you seem like you'd be the most knowledgeable, so why are you the least knowledgeable?" asked Kasim.
"Because Master has apparently never seen Undead in their natural state," said Luciliano. "Leaving that aside, your passion has unraveled one part of the mystery. Kasim-kun, I offer you my heartfelt respect."
According to Gerda, the reason Undead formed groups was because Undead "felt kind of lonely," rather than for strategic reasons. It was such a simple reason that nobody had thought of it.
Luciliano, Vandalieu and Legion, who wasn't here, concluded that this was likely because spirits naturally desired the company of those similar to themselves.
Because the instincts of Undead were faint, their minds were like small islands floating on a sea of nothingness. Were they not trying to fill that void by surrounding themselves with others like them?
Weren't they stabilizing their hollow selves by acknowledging others that were in the same state as them?
At the very least, there was no doubting that they felt some kind of unconscious sense of fellowship with those around them.
Zombies, who thought of nothing other than devouring the flesh of the living, didn't distinguish between their prey and their companions. But they didn't think to destroy the bodies of other Zombies that got in their way in order to defeat them.
But when they had feelings of strong resentment and regret, this was just a weak behavior that could be ignored.
"That's how it is, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Well, more verification is needed, so it would be helpful if I could hear from you frequently," said Luciliano.
"You're saying it like it's someone else's business," Zeno pointed out. "Well, it really is someone else's business, though."
"Hmph," Luciliano said quietly, looking up from his notes. "Master, what if we simply choose a few partners for him? It would solve the problem immediately," he said, making a suggestion that was quite considerate towards Kasim.
But Kasim, who had simply been hanging his head up until now, rejected it right away. "Stop! It's true that it would solve the problem immediately, but what about my feelings?!" he shouted.
"Hmm, should we set up some marriage interviews? If you tell me what types and personalities you like, I can even choose from the corpses and spirits I have in stock to create Undead for you," said Vandalieu.
"… I appreciate the thought," said Kasim. "Ugh, Gerda-san. What am I supposed to do…"
Kasim had confessed his earnest feelings and received approval. But the condition of finding multiple other partners had been named.
"It's a complicated problem. When I gave Vandalieu a high-five outside the training grounds, I didn't think things would turn out like this," said Fester.
This was a problem that he hadn't expected despite being the one to point out all kinds of problems that would come from having a relationship with an Undead.
A frivolous man might come to a clear decision with ease, quickly calling out to other Undead and collecting partners. But Fester knew that Kasim didn't have such a shrewd personality.
Wasn't he feeling conflict over having to date other Undead girls while he still had feelings for Gerda?
"Is there any way? Other than Vandalieu's extreme method," Fester said, looking towards Zandia and Jeena.
But there was no favorable answer.
"Even if you ask if there's a way… there isn't anyone I can introduce to him," said Zandia.
"Neither do I," said Jeena. "Of course, I can't marry him. His-Majesty-kun is cuter, easier to carry around and he carries me around as well," she added, picking Vandalieu up like a kitten.
"That's true for me as well, but he's not asking for that, Jeena-nee," said Zandia, taking Vandalieu back from her.
"I feel like I've started to understand why Vandalieu is so popular with the Undead, other than his charm and guidance," Zeno muttered.
Though he and his friends couldn't see them, there were countless spirits floating around in Vandalieu's surroundings. There was nobody better than Vandalieu for Undead wanting the company of others like themselves.
And so, a page recording the young Kasim's struggle with love was added to Luciliano's research report.
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