Chapter 154: Severed bonds
Volume 8: Clearing the Trial of Zakkart
Something was breathing heavily through its nose as it moved through a forest with no signs of life in it.
"Fuuuh! Fuuuh! Pafuooh!"
As if desiring some kind of scent, it inhaled the surrounding air aggressively and then exhaled, its nose letting out a noise that sounded like a trumpet.
"Fugafugofubuguh!"
Even so, perhaps unable to find the scent that it was looking for, the creature extended its nose and began pressing its nose against all of the objects near it.
Trees, the dirt, stones, everything that it could reach.
Of course, a creature capable of this would not be a human.
"Sceee…nt…"
To be more precise, this creature had once been a human, but had transformed into something that was not a human.
It had the face of a man with clearly unattractive looks, with scars across its forehead and cheeks. There were no abnormalities with the shapes or number of eyes and nose on this face. Other than the scars, it was the face of a normal human man.
But the location of this face was abnormal. The face was attached to the tip of an enormous human nose, so large that a grown Titan man would not be able to wrap his arms around it.
"SCEEEEENT!" the creature, which couldn't be described as anything other than a nose monster, shrieked in a high-pitched voice as it began moving again in an angry manner.
There were several thick tentacles… no, noses, protruding from the root of the enormous nose. At a glance, these smaller noses looked like tentacles, but they were all noses like the trunks of elephants.
This nose monster, whose bizarre appearance would cause an ordinary person to lose their ability to speak out of fear for it, continued through the forest that had no signs of any creatures living in it. It seemed that the animals and monsters that would normally be present in the forest had fled out of fear for the ominous aura emitted by the monster.
At that moment, the wind blew - a cold, clear autumn wind with a touch of the winter to come.
At that moment, the nose monster's entire body froze. It quietly inhaled the scent of the wind.
"Aaah…"
The nose monster's man-shaped face twisted in joy. It had finally sniffed out the scent that it had been desiring.
The nose monster turned and began moving in a ferocious manner towards the north. It mowed down the trees and boulders in its way with its trunks, letting out a trumpeting noise in joy at being able to get even a little closer to the scent it desired.
But as the monster came out of the forest, someone stood in its way.
"Stop right there!"
"We came here because we thought there were some unnatural noises of destruction and cries coming from the forest, and it seems we were on the mark. It's helpful that those who are absorbed by a fragment are stupid, but I don't like them because there's no point in having a scout against them."
"Edgar, save the talk for later… Vega, the self-proclaimed treasure hunter, I assume? Can you understand my words?"
The Five-colored Blades, led by the S-class adventurer Heinz, were standing in front of the monster - what had become of the man called Vega.
Vega, a petty thief who fancied himself to be a treasure hunter, went alone into a ruin that was believed to have already been completely searched, believing that there was a treasure slumbering inside. Several hours later, his thief friends reported to the city's guards that he had emerged from the ruin as a monster.
Upon receiving this news, the guards realized that this wasn't a problem they could deal with on their own and tried to send out a request to the Adventurers' Guild. Hearing this story, the Guild Master instinctively suspected that a fragment of the Demon King could be involved and sent out a request by name to Heinz and his companions, who had happened to be staying in the city at the time.
It seemed that the Guild Master had been right.
"Heinz, I'm certain he doesn't understand us," said Delizah, the female Dwarf shield-bearer.
"Unlike Ternecia, there's no trace of his original human form," said Jennifer, the female human martial-artist.
The Elf Diana who was a priestess of Mill, the goddess of slumber, was behind them and not saying anything. But that was because she was reciting an incantation.
Heinz knew that there was little hope as well, but he didn't give up. "You might be right. But if his consciousness is still somewhere in there, there should be a chance to save him," he said, then he turned to Vega again. "Vega, do you know your own name? Cliff was worried about you!" he said, mentioning the name of Vega's thief friend.
Perhaps in response to hearing that name, Vega's lips convulsed as he whispered something. "Guh… guh…"
A glimmer of hope appeared on Heinz's face.
But that hope was shattered as Vega let out high-pitched, ear-piercing scream. "BASTAAAAARD! GET OUT OF MY WAAAAY!"
Vega's face twisted in fury at having the path to his desired scent blocked, and he swung the elephant trunks that he had been using as legs in the direction of Heinz and his companions like whips.
"It's no good!"
"Yeah, let's put him to rest quickly!"
Around two years ago, when Heinz and his companions fought the Pure-breed Vampire Ternecia, she had turned the tables on them in an instant by activating the Demon King's horns and forced them onto the defense.
Just like back then, they were facing a fragment of the Demon King. But Heinz and his party members were not wearing grim expressions.
Because things were different from back then.
"My goddess Mill, grant us your protection! Great Invigoration!" cried Diana, casting a life-attribute spell that improved the physical abilities of her allies.
"True Steel Wall, True Steel Form!" shouted Delizah, stopping the elephant-trunk whips.
"Guillotine Slash!" Edgar severed the elephant trunks with his knife.
"BABOOOOOH!" Vega roared, continuing his attacks with more elephant trunks.
"Thousand Tip Thrusts!" Jennifer's rapid, sharp, bare-handed strikes repelled Vega and dealt some damage to him in return as well.
And Heinz seized the small opening given to him, wrenching it open. "Familiar Spirit Descent! Forgive me… Instant Shining Slash!"
The attack he unleashed cut Vega's face open in a straight line.
Heinz and his companions had improved their skills even further beyond what they had been two years ago, and as Heinz possessed the Holy Guider Job, a Guider-type Job, his companions had developed remarkably. Now, all of them had become capable enough to be worthy of being called S-class.
And two years ago, their equipment had been made of Mythril and Adamantite; now, each of them was equipped with Orichalcum Artifacts that could stand up to the Demon King's fragments.
"GEEEEH!" Vega screeched.
Vega, the enemy, was different to the one Heinz and his companions had fought two years ago. He was not like the Pure-breed Vampire Ternecia, who had manipulated the Demon King's horns skillfully with martial skills and high-level Skills such as Throwing.
He was a petty thief whose Demon King Encroachment Degree had reached its limit, completely taken over by the Demon King's nose. At this point, the quality of the host might have no relevance at all, but since Vega couldn't use martial skills or spells, he was no different from a beast that relied entirely on its physical strength.
"Alright, let's push him back!" Heinz shouted to increase the morale of his companions, certain in his victory.
"Wait, something's wrong!" said Edgar, stopping him.
Edgar had noticed that Vega's split face was letting out not only a scream, but a disgusting noise that sounded like mucus being inhaled through a blocked nose as well.
Heinz and his companions heeded Edgar's warning and made some distance between them and Vega. In front of them, the enormous Demon King's nose fell over backwards. For a moment, it seemed like Edgar had been worried over nothing. But the nostrils, which were big enough to fit a human head inside, pointed at them, and at that moment, they understood the enemy's intention.
"Everyone, get behind me!" shouted Delizah, stepping forward just as a red fluid sprayed from the enormous nostrils. She grimaced as she used her shield to stop the forcefully-sprayed liquid that gave off an iron-like stench. "This guy, using nose-blood as a projectile weapon, what is he thinking?!"
The Demon King's nose had slurped up its own blood like an elephant's trunk did with water, then sprayed it out at a high pressure. It was like a water cutter, or rather, a nose-blood cutter.
If it were anyone but Delizah stopping this attack, or if she were equipped with an ordinary iron or copper shield, she would likely have been cut in half.
"Get out of my way, get out of my way! I have to go! I have to go to where I am!" Vega's face shouted, elated with his apparent victory.
Delizah looked at him, not with anger, but with pity. "But this is as far as you go," she said.
Indeed, the struggle of the Demon King's nose ended here. The nose-blood cutter attack that sprayed nose-blood was astounding. But as the ammunition for this attack was the user's own blood, it was using up its own body.
The nose-blood's force gradually decreased, and the Demon King's nose fell easily to the counterattack from Heinz and his companions.
"Oh, oooh, another…"
The Demon King's nose let out an ominous burbling noise as it began transforming to try and infest a new host.
Heinz unsheathed the sword that he had been given by the Church of Alda. "You can't go anywhere. This is where it ends."
And then he thrust his blade into the Demon King's nose.
That action alone was enough to stop the movement and the transformation of the Demon King's nose. A clear expression of fear appeared on Vega's face.
"No, I have to go to where I am! Where I am! I must fuse with the main body! The main bodyyyyy!" the Demon King's nose screamed desperately, floundering around and trying to escape.
But it turned black and melted into a liquid, then was absorbed by the sword that had been thrust into it.
The only thing remaining was the remains of what had been Vega.
"Main… body…" whispered what was left of Vega, then it stopped moving as well.
"I'm sorry we couldn't save you. I hope that you can at least rest in peace," Heinz said, sheathing his sword and closing Vega's eyelids.
"How is the seal?" asked Diana, looking at the sword with an expression of worry.
The sword was an Artifact for sealing the Demon King's fragments that had been left in the care of the Church of Alda. It had no effect on fragments that had already infested their hosts, but when thrust into fragments that were trying to separate themselves from their soon-to-die hosts or fragments that were already separated from a host, the blade would seal the fragments away.
It was a weapon that originated from Bellwood.
"Can such a small sword really seal away a monster like that? Isn't it possible for something to cause it to escape from the sheath and come out again?" Jennifer asked, looking doubtful.
Heinz examined the sword for a while. "I don't think there will be any problems," he said finally. "It seems that the sword and sheath fuse together when the sword seals a fragment, so it doesn't seem like it's possible for me to unsheathe it accidentally."
"And although it looks plain, it's made of Orichalcum, so it won't break so easily. Once we have it enshrined in the holy grounds managed by the Church, we can rest easy," said Delizah.
"Only while the Orbaume Kingdom still stands," said Diana.
In this world, nations had been destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly, lasting only around a thousand years at most. On the surface, the Church was an organization with no connections with those of the outside world, but it wasn't as unconnected as it seemed.
It wasn't unusual for the anger of the poor, oppressed citizens to reach the Church, and there had been some who utilized the chaos caused by wars and revolutions to steal Artifacts and sealed fragments of the Demon King held by the Church.
This was what Diana, an Elf with a long lifespan, was worried about.
"But can the Elves manage this seal in this age?" Jennifer asked.
Diana gave a bitter smile. "It is certainly difficult. Peria-sama has gone into hiding and Shizarion-sama is dead, so we Elves do not have power like we possessed in the age of the gods. Perhaps if it were a large settlement in the Amid Empire, or…"
"But it's safer to leave the seal with a Church here than carrying it all the way to the Amid Empire, right? There's probably been nothing but chaos in the Sauron duchy recently, too. Let's go with the realistic option here," said Edgar.
"You are right," said Diana.
Even seals created by gods or the legendary champions could not last forever, so they had no choice but to be satisfied with the options that they could actually take.
"But it's strange. Just what kind of form did the Demon King have? I can't imagine that that nose could have been attached to a face just like that," Delizah muttered as the party headed back to the city.
Diana and Edgar tried to imagine what the Demon King might have looked like as well, but they couldn't.
"Even if he looked just like a human, what about that size?" said Edgar.
"And what about those elephant trunks?" said Diana.
The countless elephant trunks that the Demon King's nose had been using instead of legs. These were unnecessary parts for a nose that was in its proper position on the body - attached to the face.
The Demon King should have had more effective organs to use for attacking or using as limbs, such as his horns. Or did those elephant trunks have some other purpose?
"This is information from an old record, but the Demon King's fragments apparently don't correspond to the Demon King Guduranis's body parts," said Heinz, remembering a description in an ancient manuscript that he had once seen at a Church of Alda.
"What does that mean?" Edgar asked.
"According to the description in an ancient manuscript written by an ancient hero who sealed away multiple fragments of the Demon King -"
The legendary champion Bellwood, along with his companions, fought the Demon King Guduranis and tore his body to pieces, and the gods sealed away his evil soul.
But the repulsive Vitality residing in the Demon King's body, which had been divided into countless fragments, didn't fade even after the Demon King's soul was sealed.
The Demon King's fragments would always attempt to gather together and revive the Demon King. Realizing that they could not be destroyed, Bellwood and his companions separated the fragments one by one.
But even after being sealed, the fragments remained active; each of them transformed into a different organ and waited vigilantly for the chance to become whole again.
"That's apparently the reason why most seals don't have records of what kind of fragment has been sealed inside," Heinz explained. "Nobody would be able to know if the fragments transformed while sealed. The gods, especially the evil gods that came from the Demon King's world, can apparently tell what's inside a seal, though."
Delizah and the others grimaced.
"In other words, it can't be told what's inside without opening them… an unpleasant lottery. It seems that Vega put his hands on the fragment because he thought it was a treasure or something, but some people actually desire these things, and I can't understand them," said Delizah.
"You're right. No matter how much you want power, you might get a fragment like the Demon King's chest hair, right? I wouldn't even think about it," said Jennifer.
"Even the nose was that powerful, so even if you did get a fragment of the Demon King like that, I still believe that you would gain a significant amount of power," said Diana.
"You're right," Heinz said with a nod, then he looked north. "The main body, huh. Is there someone who possesses other fragments of the Demon King in the north? Maybe -"
"You're thinking that maybe the mysterious monster that appeared in the Sauron Duchy and destroyed the hero, the resistance and Duke Marme's army might be it?" said Edgar.
"… Edgar, do you think I'm worrying too much?" Heinz asked.
The events in the Sauron region had reached the Orbaume Kingdom, and, though faintly, the ears of Heinz, an S-class adventurer who was an honorary nobleman of the kingdom and involved in national affairs.
The 'Light-speed Sword' Duke Rickert Amid, a hero of the Amid Empire, one of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords. This man had been dispatched on a mission to exterminate the resistance, but contact had been lost.
As the one who had requested that the emperor dispatch Rickert, Duke Marme felt responsible and sent a large force of his elite troops into the former Scylla territory that was occupied by the resistance, where they apparently encountered fearsome monsters.
According to the little information available, one of those monsters was apparently an Undead Titan, a fearsome swordsman with a half-skeleton face, wielding an enormous black sword.
A single swing of his blade apparently sent knights and trees flying away like leaves.
He was likely a monster that had appeared after crossing the Boundary Mountain Range, and both Rickert and the resistance organization called the Sauron Liberation Front had probably been killed by him.
"That black sword… When I heard what the Demon King's nose made Vega say, I did think it possible that it's some kind of Demon King fragment," said Heinz.
"It's a bit late for it, but do you still want to accept the request?" asked Edgar. "The army's request for help to recover the Sauron Duchy."
The loss of the resistance was painful, but the military operation to take advantage of the chaos within Duke Marme's army and the Amid Empire would begin soon. Marquis Dramad, the current marshal of the Orbaume Kingdom, had contacted Heinz and his party through the Adventurers' Guild to ask him to help with the operation.
But Heinz had already refused once.
"No, forget about it. The Amid Empire has other heroes, and according to rumors, Randolf 'the True' is involved behind the scenes. Let's focus on the Trial of Zakkart and the problems within the kingdom," said Heinz, still looking north with a distant, worried gaze. "I hope I'm just overthinking things, but…"
Vandalieu suddenly felt a sensation like his chest was tightening, and instinctively looked south.
Saria and Rita noticed that something was wrong with their master and called out to him.
"Bocchan, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly holding your chest?"
But even Vandalieu didn't know why he felt this sensation.
He used Out-of-body Experience and made more heads to think and search through his memories, but he concluded that there was nothing wrong with his body and couldn't find a cause for this sensation.
"I don't really know, but I suddenly felt an emotional pain," he said.
He turned his gaze south once more, but he couldn't see anything there other than a hill with trees growing thickly on its side. But something was happening far beyond that hill, in a distant place. He felt certain of that.
"Bocchan… I know how you feel," said Rita, putting her hands on Vandalieu's shoulders. "You're in a blue mood, aren't you?"
"Father often said that at turning points in life, one suddenly becomes uncertain and feels down," said Saria, putting her hands on Vandalieu's shoulders as well.
"Like marriage, pregnancy and childbirth," Rita added.
"None of those have happened in my life yet," said Vandalieu. "Also, I'll ask just to be sure, but you're talking about the pregnancies and childbirths of the people I'll marry in the future, right?"
But in response to this question, the sisters smiled and wrapped their arms around him to embrace him from both sides.
"It's alright!" said Rita. "There's nothing to worry about."
"We've been told that easing that uncertainty is important at times like this, so please don't worry, Bocchan!" said Saria.
The bikini armor Rita and high-leg armor Saria, who were exposing just as much skin as ever despite having more decorations than before, showed no signs of embarrassment as they sandwiched Vandalieu between them and hugged him as if to bury him.
Though the two of them were suits of armor, with the rest of their bodies having been created with the Spirit Form Skill, so perhaps it would be strange to describe them as 'showing skin.'
"You said that Quinn will be emerging from her chrysalis soon, and preparations for taking the Sauron region back are underway," said Rita.
"Most importantly, you've caught glimpse of the possibility of Darcia-sama's resurrection. This is a turning point in your life! So we'll give you plenty of skin contact to make you feel at ease," said Saria.
"Indeed, you could call this a turning point," Vandalieu said with a nod as he reflected upon recent events, still sandwiched between the two.
It was possible that this was the cause for his emotional instability.
"And I'll be going through puberty soon, too."
Vandalieu would become ten years old at the beginning of next year's summer. It was the age where he might go through puberty if it came early, what was known as the 'difficult age.' It was possible that puberty was already having effects on him.
Vandalieu searched his memories, trying to remember what puberty had been like in his first and second lives, but he didn't have many memories of his own mental state.
"Oh, what is the matter, Bocchan?" said Sam, whose carriage was pulling a bone wagon made from bones separated from Knochen.
"Oooohn?"
"Father, Bocchan seems to be in a blue mood," said Rita.
"I see, because it is a turning point in your life. It is not surprising… I felt very sad on the day before I gave my beloved spear that had accompanied me everywhere back to Mikhail-dono," Sam said to Vandalieu, whose head was barely poking out from between his daughters.
"Ooo~ohn."
The piled-up contents of the wagon that Sam was pulling… the corpses and equipment of the soldiers, knights and scouts of occupying army and Duke Marme's personal army who had stepped foot into the former Scylla territory and been killed by Vandalieu's Undead. These contents were discarded into an enormous magical circle that had been drawn on the ground.
The Undead, including Rita, Saria and Borkus, had been stationed here in the former Scylla territory where the Sauron Liberation Front was, repelling the soldiers of the occupying army and mercenaries that came into the territory every day.
Stone monuments and signs had been set up on the edges of the former Scylla territory, warning intruders, "Do not enter this place anymore." The helmets of the soldiers who had already been killed had been placed in front of these to make them more persuasive. Borkus and the other Undead had been slaughtering those who ignored these warnings.
But although groups of over several hundred soldiers were easy to deal with, the former Scylla territory was too large to deal with the scouts that entered stealthily in small units of only a few individuals.
Vandalieu had set up this automatic Undead-creating circle to ensure that there were enough defenses.
He had used the Alchemy Skill to imbue the effects of the Zombie Maker Job into this magic circle that was drawn with the Demon King's ink. There was a vase in the middle filled with the Demon King's blood, and an eyeball of the Demon King was floating in it. The power was provided by an enormous magic crystal that had been placed near the magic circle.
Spirits floating about near the magic circle were drawn to it by Vandalieu's Mana that was being emitted by it, and they would automatically become Undead by possessing the bodies, armor and arms that they had used while alive.
It was a convenient installment that automatically generated Zombies, Cursed Weapons and Living Armors as long as it had a steady source of Mana.
"By the way, is there enough Mana?" Sam asked.
"I can't seem to charge it up quickly enough," said Vandalieu.
He was replenishing the Mana of the enormous magic crystal, which was the power source of the installation.
Vandalieu had taken the Magic Stones of dinosaur-type monsters that could be hunted in large numbers in Borkus's Sub-Dragon Savannah near Talosheim and used the Golem Creation Skill to fuse them into one object to create this magic crystal; it was about the size of a house.
But the total Mana it could store was about 100,000,000 - not such a large amount for Vandalieu. The reason the charging of this crystal wouldn't end was because Vandalieu himself was near the magic circle, so the spirits floating about in the former Scylla territory were flooding in and turning into Undead one after another.
Even now, new Undead were being born, and the spirits that were unable to wait for more objects to be brought for them to possess were simply becoming Ghosts.
"Gegyah!" snarled a Living Armor that had been possessed by a Goblin spirit that had apparently wandered in.
"Wait! That's my weapon and armor!" said the spirit of the soldier whose equipment had been taken, leaving him no option but to become a Ghost.
"I set this up so that there would be enough forces here even without me, but it seems that I've become unable to leave," said Vandalieu.
"Bocchan, do you not think that we have enough forces now?" said Sam.
"… That's true."
"But Bocchan, you have become able to create Undead that are more powerful to begin with than before, haven't you?"
Before, Vandalieu had been creating Rank 1 Living Bones and Living Dead, and he was barely able to create Rank 3 Living Armors by spending ten times the amount of Mana needed for the weaker Undead. But now, things were different.
Now, he could create Rank 2 Zombies by using a third of the Mana it would have cost him before. Depending on the spirits and corpses he used as materials, he could create Rank 3 Zombie Soldiers and Rank 4 Heavy Armors.
"You're right, and once there are enough crudely-made Undead to watch the base while everyone from the resistance is absent, that will be enough," said Vandalieu.
"The plan to take back the Sauron region, isn't it!" said Rita.
"I am expecting great things from Mikhail-dono as he works in the battlefield. From my beloved spear as well," said Sam.
Having made an informal declaration of war against the Amid Empire, Vandalieu had decided to take back the Sauron region immediately. Of course, with the Sauron Liberation Front and Orbaume Kingdom. This was because if Vandalieu himself stepped onto the frontlines, even if he repelled the Amid Empire, the people of the Sauron region wouldn't follow him.
Thus, he would have the Sauron Liberation Front form connections with the Orbaume Kingdom and execute the plan while the Amid Empire was still restless. Borkus, Mikhail, Rita, Saria and the other high-Rank Undead, Bellmond and the rest of the Abyssal Vampires as well as Vandalieu himself would participate in the battle against the occupying army under disguise.
If disguised a little, Rita and Saria wouldn't be seen as Undead unless examined very closely, and there wouldn't be a problem for Borkus as long as he kept his head completely covered by a helmet.
People might think them to be strange, but nobody would suspect that Undead would be participating in an organized military operation, so they were very unlikely to be noticed.
Nobody would imagine that Bellmond and the other Abyssal Vampires were Vampires if they stood visibly in the sunlight.
And Vandalieu himself would be covering everyone from behind and standing by to deal with any unexpected enemies, like the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords.
The resistance's main base would be left virtually empty during this operation, so Vandalieu had been mass-producing crudely-made Undead to defend it.
Other than Vandalieu's Mana, the only other materials needed were intruding enemies' spirits, bodies and equipment, so it was environmentally friendly as well.
"The only thing I'm worried about is that the kingdom hasn't responded to the Sauron Liberation Front yet, but there's a limit to how long we can continue waiting. Chezare will pop a blood vessel," said Vandalieu. "Since we have a lot of soldiers now, we have enough defenses and there's no more reason to keep waiting."
"You are right. Though I must say, there were no dependable-looking ones among the crudely-made Undead that you created," said Sam.
"Well, they were crudely-made, after all," said Vandalieu.
The quality of each individual Undead was a little low, especially when considering future use for them. They did gain some bonuses from the Dark Demon Path, however.
"There weren't any Living Armors, Zombies or Ghosts that looked like they would become maids," Rita said, sounding disappointed.
Bonuses for that weren't given by the Dark Demon Path.
"… Because there are almost no female soldiers or knights in the Amid Empire," said Vandalieu. "I'm sure mercenaries are mostly men, too."
There were quite a few women that were spies, but as scouts that did scouting in the field were soldiers, these weren't women.
"Bocchan, won't you take this opportunity to open the door to becoming a maid to men as well?" Rita suggested.
"No, I won't. Rita, just make them butlers and hall boys," said Vandalieu.
"Isn't it fine if they're cute enough to look like girls?" said Saria.
"Saria, I firmly refuse."
"You two, you mustn't trouble Bocchan," said Sam. "More importantly, your Ranks have increased, so focus on thinking about how to kill at least one enemy soldier at the opening of the battle."
"Yes, Father," the sisters said in unison.
Vandalieu put a hand on his chest in relief as Sam's dignified words put a stop to a very terrifying plan.
And then Bellmond appeared. "Danna-sama, a party of scouts have entered the area using a mercenary band as a decoy. I have disposed of the scouts, but the unit led by Bone-Man-dono is fighting the mercenary band. What should be done?" she asked.
"There isn't any unexpected backup for the mercenary band, is there? Then leave them for now. Mercenaries should be nothing more than training fodder for Bone Man," said Vandalieu. "I'll have an insect carry an eyeball of the Demon King there so I can have a look, though."
"Very well," Bellmond said with a bow, turning to leave.
But Rita and Saria called out to her.
"Bellmond-san, Bocchan is in a blue mood," said Rita.
"Please help us comfort him! Comforting the master is also part of a steward's job," said Saria.
"Eh?!" Bellmond exclaimed in surprise, looking at Vandalieu once more. "He does not appear that way to me, but…"
Vandalieu was sandwiched between Rita and Saria, expressionless as usual and appearing to be carefree just like he usually was. Even though he was apparently controlling an eyeball of the Demon King with the Long-distance Control Skill at the moment.
Bellmond's master Vandalieu was usually in a good mood when in the presence of others, so she had thought that he was in a good mood now.
"I'm super blue," said Vandalieu.
"… Is that true?" Bellmond asked.
"Sorry, that was a lie."
It seemed that Vandalieu wasn't depressed after all.
"But something emotionally painful apparently happened. I don't know what it was, though," Vandalieu added.
"That seems to be true…" Bellmond seemed to struggle with an internal conflict for a moment. "It cannot be helped, just for a little," she said, and then she offered her bushy tail to Vandalieu.
"Now then, Knochen and I will go and retrieve the corpses and belongings of these mercenaries," said Sam.
"Oooohn."
Sam and Knochen set off back down the road from which they had come, gazing at the beautiful sunset as they heard the dying scream of one of the mercenaries.
Name: Saria
Rank: 9
Race: Living Killer Maid Armor
Level: 28
Passive skills:
Special Five Senses
Strengthened Physical Ability: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Water Element Resistance: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Physical Attack Resistance: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Self-Enhancement: Subordinate: Level 7
Self-Enhancement: Murder: Level 6 (NEW!)
Murder Healing: Level 5 (NEW!)
Active skills:
Housework: Level 4
Halberd Technique: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Coordination: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Archery: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Spirit Form: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Long-distance Control: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Armor Technique: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Aura of Fear: Level 2 (NEW!)
No-Attribute Magic: Level 1 (NEW!)
Mana Control: Level 2 (NEW!)
Water-Attribute Magic: Level 1 (NEW!)
Name: Rita
Rank: 9
Race: Living Killer Maid Armor
Level: 29
Passive skills:
Special Five Senses
Strengthened Physical Ability: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Fire Element Resistance: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Physical Attack Resistance: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Self-Enhancement: Subordinate: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Self-Enhancement: Murder: Level 5 (NEW!)
Murder Healing: Level 6 (NEW!)
Active skills:
Housework: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
Naginata Technique: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Coordination: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Archery: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Throwing: Level 8 (NEW!)
Spirit Form: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Long-distance Control: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Armor Technique: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Aura of Fear: Level 3 (NEW!)
No-Attribute Magic: Level 1 (NEW!)
Mana Control: Level 1 (NEW!)
Fire-Attribute Magic: Level 2 (NEW!)
Monster explanation:
[Living Killer Maid Armor]
A Maid Armor can become a Rank 8 Murder Maid Armor by continuously robbing enemies of their lives, and then increase their Rank once more to become a Living Killer Maid Armor by harvesting even more lives, including those of humans.
During battle, they emanate an Aura of Fear that directly attacks the minds of their enemies, and they possess the Self-Enhancement: Murder and Murder Healing Skills, which temporarily increase Attribute Values and restore Vitality respectively when they inflict wounds upon others.
They are monsters that have not yet been recognized by the human societies of Lambda, but if their existence was known, they would likely be designated as calamities and requests to exterminate them would be sent out.
Rita and Saria have recently begun training in magic, so it is expected that they will develop further.
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Chapter 155: Bone Blades and ten left
Bone Man had walked the path of combat for about ten years… a considerable length of time, when he thought about it. It was about five times the lifespan of a rat.
He reflected upon his past as his mount, a Skeleton Horse made from horse bones turned into an Undead, walked towards his enemy.
"An Undead came out, just like we heard. A Skeleton Knight wearing black armor!"
"There are Zombies and Living Armors behind it; it might be a General! Don't let your guards down!"
Bone Man had been instructed by his master Vandalieu to protect this location, and there were a hundred or so men who appeared to be mercenaries, wearing matching equipment, who had ignored the warnings outside and stepped foot here.
According to the Undead that were once part of Duke Marme's army, this was a mercenary band called the 'Iron Rust Brigade,' known within the Mercenaries' Guild to be a fearsome group of brave fighters that would step onto any battlefield for the right price. There were quite a lot of them, but between a third to half were probably mercenaries that had joined the group temporarily.
The mercenary band apparently got its name from the fact that when they were encountered on the battlefield, they always smelled like rusted iron due to the blood of their many slain foes.
"Kakah."
It was an exaggerated name; it could only be said that they were failing to live up to it. Bone Man's teeth rattled as he laughed at the mercenaries; he could see the spirits of those that they had killed, who looked to be nothing more than civilians.
Kakakah, guguh, kukekeh. The laughter spread among the Undead under Bone Man's command, too.
"Are these guys laughing?" said one of the mercenaries.
"Don't respond to them; they're Rank 4 or 5 at most! With our skills and numbers, they're no match for us!" shouted another.
The Iron Rust Brigade mercenaries didn't live up to their name, but they did possess enough skill to be fairly well-known.
If their abilities were classified by the Adventurers' Guild, all of them would be at least D-class, and the higher-ranking members were equivalent to Class adventurers.
They were more adept at group battles than anything else, and they were even capable of exterminating Earth Dragons if they made full use of their strengths.
And they were a group that disguised themselves and earned their keep as bandits in times of peace in order to maintain their skills, morale and equipment.
That was why they had accepted a large amount of money for the request to rescue Duke Marme, who had been abducted by the resistance. Even though they knew that they were being used as decoys so that the spies and scouts could infiltrate the area.
They had no intention of doing as they were told and continue fighting as decoys until they were all exterminated. The success condition of their mission was vague; it was the acquisition of the duke himself or significant information regarding his whereabouts. If they just went wild and captured a few resistance members alive, that would be enough.
They were just decoys after all, so their employers were likely not expecting much from them. The mercenaries figured that if they achieved enough to save face, there wouldn't be any trouble.
And they thought that they were capable enough to achieve this.
They knew that a thousand members of Duke Marme's army, including many elite individuals, had already been lost. They had also heard that several other mercenary bands had been wiped out.
But so what?
Even if a thousand cowardly 'elite' soldiers who had never experienced real battlefields and only gone on expeditions within their realm under the command of a nobleman were wiped out, even if other lowly mercenary bands were wiped out, there was no way that true fighters like themselves would suffer the same fate.
The mercenary band had members who had earned their keep by fighting monsters just like adventurers, and they had come prepared with anti-Undead equipment.
There was no way they would lose.
"Raise your shields and hold your positions," said Bone Man, ordering the crudely-made Undead under his command to solidify their defenses.
But he himself was riding towards the overconfident mercenaries.
"Fire! Don't use your martial skills yet!" one of the mercenaries shouted.
Thinking that Bone Man was mad to do such a reckless thing, the mercenaries let their silver arrows loose. They expected Bone Man to be struck down by these arrows.
Indeed, Bone Man collapsed. His skull, both arms and even his ribs, every single bone above his hips, fell apart along with his armor.
The mercenary band's leader scoffed. "Hah, it was just a small�� fry?!"
The separated pieces of Bone Man stopped mid-air, not touching the ground.
"JUOOOH!"
The floating bones suddenly flew forward rapidly and attacked the mercenaries.
The mercenaries immediately raised their shields and tried to strike down the flying bones with their weapons. But Bone Man's parts slipped between them skillfully, piercing the mercenaries' necks and eyes with their pointed ends and crushing their heads and chests with the armor that they were wearing.
Though it wasn't on the level of Adamantite or Mythril, the equipment that the mercenaries were equipped with was quite high-quality. But with Bone Man's Unique Skill, 'Bone Blades,' his bones had transformed into blades and pointed weapons that were sharper than steel.
"When I was driven insane by Ravovifard, my murderous intent and destructive impulses were heightened beyond their ordinary levels and I attacked by separating all of my bones to attack. I knew then that this was my true state of combat!"
When he was driven mad by the evil god of release, Bone Man had separated all of the bones in his body and used the effects of the Spirit Form and Long-distance Control Skills to their maximum potential, fighting using his separate bones, a method of attack that a Skeleton should not possess.
He had managed to hinder Ravovifard, but in the end, all of his bones except for his skull had been broken before they could deal any significant damage.
But after the battle, Bone Man had awakened to the truth that this was the greatest method of combat available to him and trained diligently.
"Don't falter, smash him to pieces!"
"You idiot! He's already in pieces!"
Because Bone Man had split into pieces, attacks that were normally effective against Skeletons, such as smashing their joints, were now useless, and he was causing chaos in the enemy's ranks.
But the most effective thing about it was that it allowed Bone Man to increase the variety and number of his attacks.
"Quadruple Thrust, May Rain Cutter, Gale Force Thrust."
The mercenaries fell one after another to the consecutive thrusts of Bone Man's pointed ribs, the slashing attack of his arms and the gale-force-wind-like thrusts of the sword being held by his right hand.
Even with their shields raised, even with their anti-Undead equipment and talismans, these were negligible defenses before Bone Man.
"JYUOOOOH! I shall offer your souls and flesh to my lord! Hollow Bone Swordsmanship martial skill, Scattered Bones!"
Bone Man had become a Rank 10 Skeleton Blade Duke with an awakened superior version of the Swordsmanship Skill, Hollow Bone Swordsmanship. His martial skill unleashed a chaotic barrage of stabs from his bone blades, smashing the head and chest of the leader of the Iron Rust Brigade and scattering blood and bone fragments backwards.
The mercenaries of the Iron Rust Brigade weren't even small fry to Bone Man. They were simply being hunted, unable to put up any meaningful resistance.
"Retreat! Retreat!" one of the mercenaries shouted.
The mercenaries threw holy water over Bone Man, causing white smoke to emerge from his bones, but upon seeing that Bone Man's attacks were not relenting in the slightest, they finally realized the difference in strength between themselves and their foe.
The moment their leader was defeated, the mercenaries' confidence in themselves fell to the ground and they began trying to scramble away to save their own lives. These were mercenaries that were skilled enough to maintain order while retreating during a lost battle, but it seemed that this ability had been erased by their fear of Bone Man, the one who was slaughtering them.
And Bone Man lost interest in them as well. Even small fry would at least offer combat practice if they faced him, but the same was not true for those who showed him their backs and tried to flee.
But that didn't mean he would spare them.
"Clean them up," Bone Man said.
Obeying this command, the crudely-made soldiers that had been holding their shields and standing by let out a battle cry as they pursued the mercenaries.
The crudely-made Undead led by Bone Man were Rank 3 at most. And they had high morale as well. This was because they would be openly accepted as citizens of Talosheim if they gained achievements here in the former Scylla territory.
Even those who had been cowardly soldiers of Duke Marme's army were now a pack of bloodthirsty hounds. They would turn the fleeing mercenaries into Experience Points for themselves, and their flesh and equipment would become new crudely-made Undead.
"Jyuuh… If the Sauron region's people could accept us Undead, my lord would have taken this land long ago," Bone Man sighed.
"No, I think it would be cruel to expect that of them," said Sam, who had come to transport the corpses.
"Sam-dono, our lord's time is limited, as he intends to clear the Trial of Zakkart next year. Will things not become troublesome if we do not have the Orbaume Kingdom retake the Sauron region quickly and acknowledge our rights?"
"To be more accurate, it is the rights of the Sauron Liberation Front that are to be acknowledged."
Even in the Orbaume Kingdom, Vampires and Undead weren't likely to be acknowledged as people. Knowing this, Vandalieu, Chezare and the resistance members had discussed this and decided that after the Sauron region was retaken, the resistance would have the Orbaume Kingdom and the new Duke Sauron acknowledge their achievements and give them land.
What they wanted was this former Scylla territory, in which Vandalieu had set up camp. And on paper, the lords of the land would be the later-born and adopted nobles of the Sauron Liberation Front. They were people who had been abandoned by their own families when the Amid Empire invaded the Sauron Duchy. But that didn't change the fact that they were still officially nobles.
And although the former Scylla territory encompassed a wide area of land, much of it was wetlands that were not suited for anyone but Scylla to live in, as well as mountainous land that even Scylla did not make use of.
As for Dungeons, there was only a single D-class Dungeon and its floors had wetland and aquatic layouts, so it was difficult for anyone other than Scylla to clear as well.
And now that the Scylla race had left this land, there were no people living in it.
It was difficult to think of it as being profitable.
For the new Duke Sauron, it was land that he would not mind giving away. The families of the Sauron Liberation Front's members wouldn't bother opposing the land being given away, either.
And this would allow Vandalieu and his allies to have a position between the Amid Empire's sphere of influence and the Orbaume Kingdom's sphere of influence while gaining land that was difficult for the Orbaume Kingdom to interfere with. And since his allies were officially noblemen of the kingdom, it was possible to get involved with things on the kingdom's side.
It would be ideal if in the future, Vandalieu could gain even more allies, build up his status so that society couldn't simply exclude him, have the countries within the Boundary Mountain Range acknowledged as nations and conduct business with other nations.
"Jyuooh… But if the kingdom could accept us Undead, such roundabout measures would not need to be taken," said Bone Man.
Indeed, if Undead were accepted, things would become very simple. Vandalieu and his allies would simply need to fight the Amid Empire, performing a reverse invasion on just one nation.
"Indeed," said Sam, but he shook his head. "However, that is how humans are. You must not forget that the people within the Boundary Mountain Range are an exception."
The people of the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range had easily accepted Bone Man, Borkus and the rest of the Undead. That was because unlike wild Undead, the Undead serving Vandalieu could be communicated with.
And within the Boundary Mountain Range, there was already a basis of recognizing monsters such as Noble Orcs and High Goblins as people to begin with. However, the biggest factor was Vandalieu, who was the 'Holy Son of Vida' and the 'Champion' recognized by the gods.
Thus, Borkus, Bone Man and the rest of Talosheim's Undead had been accepted as people by Zanalpadna, the Noble Orc kingdom and the rest of the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range.
But it was unreasonable to expect the same from the people of the Sauron region. Historically, the region had always had more followers of Vida than Alda, but at the same time, they had kept their distance from Vida's races like the Scylla, whom they had forced into their own territory separate from the rest of the region.
Unlike Beast-people and Titans, they were not accustomed to races that had very different appearances from humans. Accepting Undead would be impossible.
Whether Guidance: Dark Demon Path worked on a living person or not depended largely on the person, so it couldn't be relied upon.
In fact, Vandalieu saw Duke Marme and the vassals that had been kidnapped with him every few days, but they would not be guided while they were alive.
"I think there is some chance if the people from the resistance could mediate, but…" said Bone Man.
"Only a few have sufficiently deep connections to the resistance," said Sam.
Even the Liberating Princess Knight's title and the activities of the Sauron Liberation Front would not be enough for the people of the Sauron realm to overcome their one-hundred-thousand-year-old fear of Undead.
Bone Man's face fell as he accepted that things had to be taken steadily, while Sam tried to cheer him up. The crudely-made Undead returned, and they began recovering and transporting the corpses and goods with the help of Knochen's separated entity.
Suddenly, a former crude Undead whose Rank had increased came running. "Emergency, emergency! Please return to His Majesty's side at once!" he shouted.
"What in the world has happened? Have the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords come again?" Bone Man asked, knowing that this could not be any ordinary news.
The Undead messenger announced an unexpected development. "The Sauron region has apparently been retaken by the Orbaume Kingdom!"
"… Huh?"
The upcoming battle to take the Sauron region back had ended sooner than expected.
The Orbaume Kingdom's army, headed by the orphaned son of the now-deceased Duke Sauron, had retaken the Sauron Duchy, which had been invaded by the Amid Empire and occupied for several years.
This was a long-awaited victory for the Sauron Liberation Front and those who had supported them and their activities.
However, the inside of the camouflaged Knochen fort had the atmosphere of a funeral.
"I'm truly, truly sorry!" shouted a man who was in the prime years of his life.
His name was Cubas. He wasn't a member of the resistance, but he was the chief of a village who had supported Iris and her companions since before they formed the Sauron Liberation Front. He and his village had been helped numerous times by Iris's father George, and he was a supporter that could very nearly be considered a member.
That was why he had continued to stay involved with the resistance's activities like the other central members even after Iris and her companions received Vandalieu's support and moved their base to the former Scylla territory.
Of course, he knew about Vandalieu, the fact that George was a Cursed Weapon and that Iris had transformed into a Majin.
Village Chief Cubas had described the unbelievable events that had happened in the Sauron region.
Several resistance members were standing next to him, silently crying tears of frustration. Borkus was kneeling on the ground, staring blankly into space, and Bone Man made no attempt to pick up his jaw that had fallen onto the ground.
Incidentally, the reason Bellmond was facing away from Cubas and the others with red cheeks was not because she was trembling in anger and frustration, but because she was being subjected to Vandalieu's relentless brushing.
"Umm… For now, it's a good thing that the Sauron region has returned to the Orbaume Kingdom, isn't it? And Cubas-san, please stand up," said Vandalieu.
"Yes, it should be a good thing. There's nothing to blame this person for, is there?" Eleanora asked Debis and Haj.
"Well… I think you're right," said Debis.
"That's right, isn't it?" said Haj.
Vandalieu nodded with them, still in a daze.
"We've dreamed about this for years, but… it's pathetic that things have come to this. But Cubas, His Majesty and Eleanora are right, so please raise your head," said Iris, comforting Cubas, but her shoulders were low and her tail was hanging wistfully.
"Cubas… you are not responsible for this," said George.
As a Majin, Iris would have been unable to directly participate in the battle to retake the Sauron region. That was why she had at least planned to help from behind the scenes, but… that was why she felt so pathetic.
"But George-sama, Ojou-sama, I'm so pathetic and frustrated…" Cubas cried.
"Well, let's sort out the situation first," said Saria.
"We've made tea, too," said Rita.
Vandalieu and the others began discussing the situation in which they and the Sauron capital found themselves in.
Things had all begun when the Orbaume Kingdom, having sensed the chaos in Duke Marme's army, swiftly executed an operation to take the Sauron region back. They had moved quickly, so it was likely that they had made preparations long in advance. They had simply not informed the Sauron Liberation Front of this.
Ignoring the suggestions of the Sauron Liberation Front, who had wanted to cooperate in retaking the Sauron region, they had invaded and taken the Amid Empire's occupying army by storm.
And one of the late Duke Sauron's orphans, the second son Rudel Sauron who had received support from many of the dukes in the Orbaume Kingdom, had taken the position of the Sauron region's duke.
He was gathering the support of the people, having sworn to rule and protect the Sauron Duchy in place of his late father, his knights and the 'Liberating Princess Knight' who had stood up against the Amid Empire's tyranny until the bitter end before finally being defeated in battle. His coronation ceremony would likely take place with no troubles in several days' time.
Indeed, in the kingdom that supported Rudel Sauron, the 'Liberating Princess Knight' was known to be dead.
And the former Scylla territory had been designated as a dangerous Devil's Nest in which the mysterious monster that had defeated the 'Light-speed Sword' Rickert lurked, along with a large number of dangerous Undead. Even adventurers had been forbidden from entering the territory until investigations were complete.
"Why in the world has the kingdom done something like this? I do not understand," wondered Bellmond as she twisted her tail, her cheeks no longer flushed.
As she had spent ninety percent of her ten-thousand-year-long life as a guard for the hideout of her previous master, she was more ignorant to the ways of the world than she appeared. It was no wonder that she couldn't understand why the kingdom had treated the resistance so poorly.
"First of all, it is probably to make sure that they don't need to give medals to the resistance for their past achievements or the achievements that they would have had," said Eleanora. For a Vampire, she was just a little girl who had lived for less than a hundred years, but she had worked as a spy before.
"I'm sure the new duke didn't want to decrease the rewards that his own vassals would get as he set up his rule over the Sauron Duchy," said Kimberley, who had been a scout for the Amid Empire when he was alive.
Most of the people present here had already guessed this much.
But Bellmond, Princess Levia, Orbia and Vandalieu still didn't seem satisfied with this explanation.
"Would they go to such lengths for those reasons?" asked Princess Levia.
"Yeah, it would have been way better for them to ask for our help," said Orbia.
"We're ignorant in this matter, so please explain in a little more detail," said Vandalieu.
"Umm… Let's see. I think the Orbaume Kingdom valued the actions that the Sauron Liberation Front had already taken more than we thought. I think they were thinking that at the very least, they would have been forced to give the leader and the upper members of the resistance court ranks and land," said Eleanora.
The resistance had continued fighting for years, wearing down the occupying army and causing chaos among their ranks, and they even had the support of the people. If the resistance's actions were not acknowledged, the new Duke Sauron would have actually lost support from the people.
"Well, it's true that we initially intended to have this former Scylla territory given to us as land and have several people made nobles, but…" said Vandalieu.
"Boss, the kingdom and the new duke don't know of our goals. And some of our members are nobles - nobles unable to possess court ranks and land because they are too low in the line of succession or married for political reasons at that. That was likely our downfall here," said Kimberley.
Humans were creatures that measured others using their own standards. The new Duke Sauron and the Orbaume Kingdom had measured the resistance members using their own standards and then assumed that they would want court ranks and land as rewards.
After all, it was these lower-born and adopted children of noble families, who would normally be unable to succeed their families or possess land, that had made such achievements. It was natural to think that they would want to become proper nobles.
And it was certain that the kingdom and the duke had assumed that the nobles who had participated in the resistance would want richer, easier-to-rule land rather than low-value land like the former Scylla region.
"In fact, several noble bloodlines of the Sauron Duchy were ended in the previous war. And once the noble families who truly changed sides and joined the occupying army's side are crushed in punishment, it would be simple to set up ten or twenty new noble families. Not all of them would have land, though. But that's probably what they thought we were after," Miles spat.
Princess Levia blinked in surprise. "But even if that was the case, would they ignore us and then pretend that we were dead? After all, there is room for ten or twenty new noble families to form, isn't there?" she said.
"I'm sure the kingdom has already decided how the new court ranks and land will be distributed. I was on the kingdom's side before, so I have overheard some things, and it's apparently quite fierce. The power struggle between Duke Sauron's orphans, the second son Rudel and the fifth son Veedal," said Miles.
"In other words, the brothers each gathered supporters by offering them rewards in exchange for their support," said Sam, who had once been a nobleman's servant.
For the noble families of the kingdom's other duchies, the land of the Sauron Duchy was distant, and there would be no direct benefit for them to obtain this land. However, it was good for the second or third sons of their families to rule the lands as nobles of the Sauron Duchy. It would lead to the prosperity of their own families.
That was why the distribution of court ranks and land had already been decided, with none left to be given to the resistance members.
With that being the case, it would have been fine to just give them the former Scylla territory, but… there was the possibility that Duke Sauron would receive a flood of criticism from the people for giving these heroes such remote lands.
Thus, it had been more convenient to say that they were dead.
Now that the initial explanation was complete, one of the resistance members crying in frustration… an adopted daughter of a noble family, the one who was supposed to become the Liberating Princess Knight in Iris's place, spoke up.
"That's not all. They're just displeased with it; they're scared to admit that we've achieved more than them!" she shouted.
"It can't be helped that the guys from our families want to interfere with our rights to succeed our families," said the fifth son of a family of baronets, speaking his mind. "They feel indebted to us from abandoning us when they fled to other duchies…"
"They thought that we would resent them and try to do something when they returned to the Sauron Duchy. How could they distrust us when we didn't say anything like that in our letters!" spat the youngest son of a family of earls.
These two were members who had tried to coordinate their activities with the kingdom through their family members who had escaped the Sauron region.
They had used a mixture of the truth and some lies, telling their family members that the Liberating Princess Knight and Sauron Liberation Front were still going strong and that although a part of the former Scylla Territory had become a Devil's Nest haunted by Undead, they were using this to keep themselves protected from the occupying army.
But they were feeling frustrated because, as a result of their communications with their families, they had given the Orbaume Kingdom the information that the occupying army was in chaos and that there were still no reinforcements from the Amid Empire or its vassal states.
They likely felt a strong sense of betrayal at this fact alone.
These explanations were very easy for Vandalieu to understand.
"I see," he said.
He knew very well that people, including himself, were creatures that could become very cruel based on their emotions.
The nobles that were the family members of the resistance members would have had significant involvement with the operation to retake the Sauron Duchy. And they had ignored the existence of the resistance members. It was likely that they did not want the children and adopted children they had abandoned to gain achievements, and that if they gained the power to succeed their families, they would become political enemies.
If that wasn't the case, the least they would have done was tell the nobles in the resistance, "We'll tell everyone that the Princess Knight is dead but you managed to miraculously survive, so get out of the resistance and meet up with us"… although whether they would accept this suggestion upon receiving it was another matter.
"Umm, these are different nobles of the kingdom than the ones that Rick was in contact with, right? But considering what's happened, maybe the duke's second son is no different." said Orbia, who had fallen victim to a conspiracy to utilize the Scylla race as a fighting force against the occupying army.
"The kingdom's nobles are scary," Princess Levia said in agreement. "That isn't true for anyone here, though."
"It's true that there aren't any decent ones…"
Now that Vandalieu thought about it, he got the feeling that other than those who were members in the Sauron Liberation Front, all of the kingdom's nobles were horrible people. The Hartner family of dukes, the Paris family of knights from which Raymond and Rick had come…
It was a large difference from the Amid Empire's nobles, like Kurt Legston and Cuoco Ragdew.
Vandalieu could feel his opinion of the Orbaume Kingdom dropping further and further.
"Though I get the feeling that I don't need to make excuses for them… I will say that there is a possibility that they really think that the resistance has been destroyed," said Eleanora. "The fact that members of the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords died and the fact that the members of the duke's army and the mercenaries that were sent in afterwards haven't made it back alive have been blamed on a powerful monster that has crossed the Boundary Mountain Range, after all."
"Now that you mention it… it might be natural for them to think it more likely that only a small portion of the resistance are alive," said Vandalieu.
It was impossible for the resistance to be going strong given their usual fighting capabilities.
"I'm sorry… It's because I got carried away…" Borkus muttered with a dumbfounded expression, lowering his head as if collapsing.
Having gained even more power under the effects of Vandalieu's Dark Demon Guider Job, he had become carried away and gone on a rampage against Duke Marme's army. His roars and the thunderous sounds produced by his slashing attacks had echoed all the way outside the former Scylla territory. And it seemed that he had left several survivors, so Borkus's appearance had been known to the occupying army and to the Orbaume Kingdom's army as well.
With knowledge that an abnormal Undead was rampaging around the former Scylla territory that the resistance was using as their base, it wouldn't be strange for them to think that the resistance had been wiped out.
"But there should have been warning signs outside that had clearly been made by people," said Bellmond.
"Wouldn't it be assumed that the resistance was wiped out after the signs were built? And Bellmond, we are just talking about a theoretical assumption that there was nothing malicious in the kingdom's actions," said Kimberley.
It was likely that between Duke Sauron and the rest of the Orbaume Kingdom, there were both those who had announced that the resistance members were dead because they were an obstacle to them, and those who believed that they had been wiped out by monsters.
"Leaving that aside, what shall we do from here on?" Vandalieu asked.
It was still quite an unsatisfactory outcome for Vandalieu and his companions, but the Sauron region had been retaken by the Orbaume Kingdom, and an orphan of the late Duke Sauron had taken the position of duke. For the majority of the people of the Sauron Duchy, this was a joyful turn of events.
The resistance couldn't do anything more. After all, the invaders were no longer here.
Of course, it was possible to announce that the Liberating Princess Knight and the Sauron Liberation Front were still alive, denying the new duke's announcement and telling people the truth.
But it seemed that Iris had no intention to do this.
"Your Majesty… it seems that there is no need to create a new Liberating Princess Knight to take my place," she said. "Further actions would… only endanger my companions as well as Cubas and his village who have supported me. It is frustrating, but doing any more would not be acting as a resistance, but a mere rebellion."
"Ojou-sama! We do not care about that!" Cubas exclaimed.
"Calm yourself, Cubas… We are happy that you feel that way, but the people are not likely to support us," said George.
As Iris and George said, even if they told the truth to the people, the vast majority of them would not support them.
The Liberating Princess Knight was someone who kept her true identity hidden and acted as a symbol of the resistance, so even if they insisted that she was still alive, the people had no way of knowing whether it was the real one or a fake.
And, of course, the new Duke Sauron and his administration would denounce her as a criminal pretending to be the Princess Knight.
"Cubas, have you not already been forbidden to speak about us?" Iris asked.
The expression on Cubas's face made it clear that he had apparently been forbidden from speaking on this matter by the Orbaume Kingdom's army. It was probably correct to assume that the other supporters had been forbidden from speaking as well.
Borkus, who had been sitting in a daze, suddenly stood up. "Damn it! Now that things have come to this, I'll just beat that new Duke Sauron to death!" he shouted.
As if his voice had sparked a fire, a portion of the resistance members, Rita, Saria, the representative of the Ghouls who lived in the Devil's Nests of the Sauron region, Bone Man, Knochen and the crudely-made Undead began clamoring.
"That's right! We can't just sit here quietly and accept this!"
"We'll go as well!"
"Let's go, everyone!"
"UOOOOH! We'll offer their heads to King!"
"We shall cleanse this humiliation with the blood, entrails and spinal fluid of Rudel Sauron!"
"UOOOOHN!"
Vandalieu used his Scream Skill for the first time in a long time. "SORRY, BUT IGNORE THAT!" he shouted.
If he hadn't stopped everyone, the Sauron Duchy would likely have turned into a ghastly, hellish landscape.
"Why, kid?!" Borkus demanded.
"If we did that, it would mean we'd have to rule the Sauron region by oppressing it with military force, wouldn't it? And our relationship with the Orbaume Kingdom would definitely become worse," said Vandalieu. "Now that we've declared war against the Amid Empire, we can't afford to be on hostile terms with the Orbaume Kingdom as well."
If one took the fighting forces present here and added the fighting forces in the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range, including Talosheim, it would not be impossible to face both great nations at once.
But that would cause Vandalieu's army to suffer great casualties. Vandalieu didn't want the Sauron region that badly.
Iris and her companions had opposed the Amid Empire that had invaded the Sauron region out of their love for their homeland; it wasn't that they wanted to rule the Sauron region for themselves.
And even Vandalieu would hesitate to face the remaining Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords, the equivalent organization in the Orbaume Kingdom, the S-class adventurer Randolf 'the True,' and the Five-colored Blades led by Heinz all at once.
The reincarnated individuals were certain to get involved as well.
"That's how it is," said Vandalieu. "In the end, we succeeded in achieving the objective of preparing an environment that allows us to focus on the Trial of Zakkart, and I understand your frustration, but let's turn that around on the next opportunity we get. Two out of twelve were no good, but there are still ten left, so let's recover with those."
There were twelve duchies in the Orbaume Kingdom. The Hartner Duchy and the Sauron Duchy were the two that Vandalieu had decided to give up on.
He would just need to choose a good ally out of the other ten, increase Talosheim's international presence through exchanges with that duchy and make the others regret having treated him poorly.
That was what Vandalieu thought, but Cubas seemed to have taken this in a different meaning. Turning ghastly pale, he pressed his forehead against the ground once more.
"Please, please have mercy on us common people!" he shouted.
"… Even though I said the regions are no good, it doesn't mean I'll directly do anything to them," Vandalieu said.
Cubas was indeed acquainted with Vandalieu, but it seemed that he had become anxious after seeing his large masses of Undead."
And the crudely-made Undead had been supposed to become citizens if they gained achievements and defeated enough enemies to increase their Ranks. With that opportunity now gone, they looked at Vandalieu with the gazes of abandoned puppies (though they simply looked like the eyes of corpses to everyone other than Vandalieu).
"… What's going to happen to us?"
"Gegigih…"
"Achievements…"
Saria and the other Undead were depressed as well. Bone Man looked particularly down. Having just awakened his superior Skill and gained a Unique Skill, he had been very enthusiastic, but his opportunity to be of use had been delayed.
"… Our chance to shine," Saria sighed.
"We'll be put on hold at a time like this?" said Rita.
"Jyuooh…" Bone Man murmured. Finally, it was not only his jaw, but his shoulders that fell to the ground as well.
"Well, there is still the Trial of Zakkart," said Princess Levia.
"It's dangerous for the resistance to stay here in the Sauron region, so perhaps it's better to have them migrate to Talosheim? If Cubas and his village are going to have trouble living here, why not have them come as well?" Miles suggested.
"It would be perfect to have the crudely-made Undead maintain the former Scylla region," said Eleanora. "They were made as defensive forces to begin with, and it would be a waste to just abandon the rice paddies."
"Now then, Danna-sama, I will leave the comforting of Rita and the others to you," said Bellmond.
"Okay," said Vandalieu. "Here, don't physically drop your jaw and shoulders*; make yourself look proper," he told Bone Man.
And so, Vandalieu gave up on the Sauron Duchy.
There were ten remaining duchies in the Orbaume Kingdom.
Title explanation:
[Demon King]
A Title given by gods. It has the effects of the 'Second Coming of the Demon King' and 'Monstrosity' Titles, and it gives bonuses to the growth and development of monsters obeying the Title holder as well as bonuses to the creation of new monsters. When this name is given by the gods of Alda's faction, Vida's races are included among the monsters that gain these bonuses.
Also, the damage taken by the Title's holder from attacks using Artifacts, including Orichalcum weapons, is increased. When a champion possesses this Title, the increase in damage taken is even greater.
And those with the divine protections of the gods who gave the Title holder this Title have bonuses when fighting the Title holder.
In addition, as an effect that Alda and his followers did not expect, fragments of the Demon King that have never interacted with Vandalieu before acknowledge him as their main body.
But as the Title holder already draws sufficient attention from those who have given him the Title, the effects of 'Monstrosity' are lessened; those in the underworld who are drawn to the title of 'Demon King' are likely very few in number (Either because it is so difficult to believe, or because he has been recognized as a monster with a person's appearance).
And because the Skill System categorizes Vandalieu as a 'person,' the effect of gaining subordinates more easily is not applied.
Name: Bone Man
Rank: 10
Race: Skeleton Blade Duke
Level: 3
Passive skills:
Dark Vision
Superhuman Strength: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
Strengthened Attribute Values: Loyalty: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!)
Spirit Form: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Strengthened Attribute Values: Mounted: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!)
Active skills:
Hollow Bone Swordsmanship: Level 1 (Awakened from Swordsmanship!)
Shield Technique: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
Archery: Level 6
Silent Steps: Level 3
Coordination: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Commanding: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
Armor Technique: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
Mount: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
Long-distance Control: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
Aura of Fear: Level 2 (NEW!)
Unique skills:
Bone Blades (NEW!)
Xerx's Divine Protection (NEW!)
Monster explanation:
[Skeleton Blade Duke]
The Rank 9 Skeleton Duke Bone Man fought Ravovifard, the evil god of release, and awakened a superior Swordsmanship Skill. He also received the divine protection of Xerx, the god of battle flags. Through these processes, his Rank increased and he has become a Skeleton Blade Duke.
An ordinary progression would have caused him to become a Skeleton King, but he has become distinctly more powerful than a King of the same Rank.
Normally, it is extremely rare for even demi-human monsters to awaken combat or magic-related superior Skills other than those boosting physical abilities such as Monstrous Strength; almost no monsters have achieved this. An exception is the small portion of races such as the Noble Orcs and High Goblins that possess near-human levels of intelligence.
Also, there are a few exceptions accounted for by those who possessed superior Skills while alive and then became Undead.
Bone Man does not fall into either of these categories; he began as a Rank 1 Living Bones with rat spirits possessing the bones of a human, and now he has reached Rank 10 with an awakened superior Skill. He is such a rare case that it would be fitting for his name to be left in history.
Skill explanation:
[Bone Blades]
A Skill that allows the simultaneous use of every bone of the user's body as bladed weapons. It does not simply unleash stabbing and slashing attacks; they receive bonuses from combat-related Skills and it is possible to activate martial skills.
Also, Bone Man is able to use the Long-distance Control Skill, separating all of his bones and manipulating them individually to attack his enemies.
Like Form Manipulation, it is a Skill that allows the user to change the form of their own body, and it is specialized for using blades.
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