Depending on how we interpret this, this might become a large chance to kill Vandalieu. Samejima… Sarua will successfully infiltrate Talosheim and will be a family member of an important vassal. Nobody will suspect him. Information gathering will be smooth from now on, too…' You're not thinking anything along these lines, are you?" Izumi asked Rodcorte through half-closed eyes. "That's impossible," she added, before Rodcorte could reply. "You don't even need to ask for Aran's Calculation and Kouya's Oracle to know that. You know, us Bravers have no experience in long-term undercover investigations. Excluding Murakami and his friends, that is."
In Origin, the Bravers had originally been an organization that carried out rescue missions in disasters and accidents. With the extermination of an Undead that had appeared in a secret research laboratory of a certain military nation… Vandalieu, they had started fighting against terrorists and armed groups as well, but ordinary criminal investigations were carried out by the nations' law enforcement agencies.
Thus, Sarua didn't have the skills needed to act as an undercover agent for years at a time. The abilities that he had been given by Rodcorte wouldn't be of any direct use for this purpose, either.
"It seems that he has forgotten his memories and personality from his previous lives, so he's an ordinary baby, but… once he regains them, he'll be suspected right away," said Izumi.
Vandalieu's origins had been made public in Talosheim. If Sarua acted too strangely, he would certainly be questioned.
"I'll ask you just to be sure, but can't you do anything about it? You're a god, aren't you?" said Kouya.
Finally, Rodcorte spoke. "It is impossible. Not unless I use an extreme, irreversible method such as descending upon the world of Lambda with the resolve to use every ounce of the power that I have stored up, walking into the Mirg shield-nation's city and releasing Perseus's soul from his body to reclaim it."
"… That's something a space monster would do, not a god. And you said 'release,' but don't you mean that you're just going to kill him?" said Kouya.
"His soul will not be broken, so there will be a future for him. Of course, that would only be the case if I am not destroyed. The options available to me are limited because I am a god," Rodcorte said.
Sometimes, especially in worlds like Earth and Origin where the existence of gods hadn't been made clear, humans would deny that any gods existed, thinking that the irrational things that happened in front of their eyes would not be allowed if gods did exist.
But the opposite was true. It was because gods existed that irrational things were allowed to happen. That was just how it was.
"His memories, personality and power from his previous lives returned temporarily when he met Legion and heard Vandalieu's name, but he has forgotten them again. His Attribute Values have returned to those of an infant, too. Therefore, I cannot offer him any help from here," said Rodcorte. "Normally, the body would not be able to handle those until it is at least five years old, so he would be fortunate just to have returned to normal without any lasting damage."
It seemed that he had become careless from repeating the reincarnation process. This incident had taught Rodcorte that. He would be more careful from now on.
"Vandalieu is able to guide souls away from my system, into Vida's system. As an ordinary baby with his mind not having returned, Perseus's soul will certainly be led to Vida's system," said Rodcorte.
And once his mind did return, the fact that he was a reincarnated individual would quickly be discovered.
Needless to say, it would be impossible for the other reincarnated individuals to rescue him after that.
The other two who had been reincarnated at the same time as Perseus were babies like him; Rodcorte couldn't send Divine Messages to them.
Asagi and his companions had been reincarnated on the Orbaume Kingdom's side of the continent, so it didn't seem physically possible for them to reach him in time… and even if they did, it wouldn't be feasible for them to smuggle themselves into the country and then kidnap the eldest son of a family of earls.
The Legston family were even more unknown to Asagi and his companions than Vandalieu; they were nothing more than inhabitants of an enemy nation. It was questionable as to whether they would even be able to have a conversation with the Legston family, let alone convince them.
As for the 'Noah' Mao, she had already made her preparations to leave the Bahn Gaia continent and was waiting for her ship to leave.
There was no use in even trying Murakami and Kanako's groups, though each group had their own reasons for that.
"Thus, there is nothing I can do," Rodcorte concluded, giving up on Perseus.
There was a small hope. Perseus might not be guided before regaining his memories and power, or he could die in an unfortunate incident before being guided.
In such circumstances, Rodcorte would be able to reach out a hand and save him somehow.
As long as neither of these happened, Rodcorte had no choice but to treat Perseus as a precious sample.
Unlike Minuma Hitomi, who was one of Legion's personalities, none of Lambda's gods had laid hands on him. Would he still be guided?
If he was, would he still be able to use the cheat-like ability given to him by Rodcorte despite belonging to Vida's circle of reincarnation system?
Perseus was an experimental subject to investigate these questions.
Rodcorte was a god who ruled over reincarnation, in charge of maintaining and managing a smooth system. That was why he didn't take human emotions and circumstances into account like Kouya had suggested.
To him, humans were nothing more than resources that provided souls to pass through the conveyor belt that was his circle of reincarnation system.
Rodcorte had continued to exist this way long before the first organisms were born on Earth. Without even realizing it, he had become a god for whom it was normal to ignore the emotions of nature, humans and gods other than himself.
Even now, he was aware that Aran and his other familiar spirits were discontent with his decision, but he did not reconsider his thoughts.
The only thing Aran and the others could do now was pray that their companions' souls would not be broken.
Vandalieu flew through the night sky over the Mirg shield-nation's royal capital with Flight, holding a map in one hand.
He had completely covered himself with a black cloth just in case, but he was using Blind Spot, the Dark King Magic spell that almost completely erased his presence, so it was unlikely that he would be noticed.
… Though the spirits inside the royal capital always flocked to Vandalieu whenever he came here, so if there was a Spiritualist in the city, they would notice something abnormal.
Well, there was no way to conceal that, so it couldn't be helped.
I'll run away in the unlikely event someone interferes, and I just need to accomplish my objective and then go home.
If he was surrounded by guards or stopped by adventurers, he just needed to run; he was strong enough to do that. Knowing this, he looked down at the townscape below him, getting serious.
Indeed, there was nothing that caused a reaction from Vandalieu's Danger Sense: Death spell.
Well, being overconfident isn't good, so I've done everything I can.
He had set up surveillance Golems and Undead around the houses of the Legston family and their relatives to watch for any suspicious movements. He asked the spirits whether there were any powerful enemy forces like the Fifteen Evil-breaking Swords.
And the desertion of the Legston family of earls and those related to them was already complete.
They had gotten inside Sam's carriage, then Vandalieu had equipped Sam with Group Binding Technique, then Legion had used Teleportation to bring them to Talosheim.
After that, Vandalieu had come back here once more with Legion's Teleportation.
None of the things that Chezare and Kurt had worried about had happened.
They were likely giving a detailed explanation of Talosheim to the Legston family right about now.
… Come to think of it, Sarua-kun froze and stared at me. Am I really that scary? Vandalieu wondered, touching his own face as he remembered Chezare and Kurt's young nephew.
The reason for Sarua's strange behavior was that he had regained his memories and personality once more and become unable to move as he noticed Vandalieu staring at him. But Vandalieu had not yet noticed that Sarua was a reincarnated individual. He hadn't even expected such a thing to be possible.
That was because he assumed that even Rodcorte wouldn't be that stupid.
Since he was unaware of the situation on Rodcorte's side and also not particularly aware that he had gained power at an extremely abnormal speed, that was a natural assumption to make.
A reincarnated individual reborn into a noble family of the Mirg shield-nation, one involved with its army at that, could be killed before they even became old enough to be self-aware.
That was why neither Vandalieu nor Minuma Hitomi of Legion were suspicious of Sarua.
Now then, Earl Palpapek's mansion is…
Vandalieu followed the route he was supposed to take, looking at the map drawn for him by Cecil Legston. According to the information he had received from him and Alsard, Thomas Palpapek had placed his family in a second residence under the pretense of receiving medical treatment, and there should only be a few servants and guards in the mansion now.
It's very helpful that his family isn't in the mansion. It's because Mom's reincarnation is in sight that I have to dispose of him.
Vandalieu had to reduce the chance of Earl Palpapek plotting to kill his mother a second time to zero. That was why he had to kill him now while he still could.
With these thoughts in mind, Vandalieu looked at the mansion in front of him and noticed something strange.
The spirits were clamoring, telling him that it was dangerous. And he could sense an extraordinary presence inside the mansion himself, too.
But the reaction from Danger Sense: Death was dim.
Why? Is there a really strong enemy that I know inside? Vandalieu thought doubtfully as he changed the shape of the mansion's wall with the Golem Creation Skill and snuck inside.
As Thomas Palpapek entrusted his belongings and his life to an old man, he made an expression that was as if he was holding back a deep sadness.
"Don't make that face, old man. It's just in case, for a very unlikely situation," Thomas said.
But the expression on the face of the old man, the steward who had been serving the Palpapek family since Thomas was a boy, didn't change.
"… Bocchan, why not assemble all of the knights serving your family right now… all of the forces that can be mustered from the Adventurers' Guild? No, should you not escape to the royal palace instead?" the steward said.
"I can't do that, old man," said Thomas.
But the old man didn't stop speaking. "You are someone that is absolutely needed by the Mirg shield-nation now; no matter what the circumstances that you cannot tell this old man are, His Majesty the king should not refuse you. He should do everything in his power to help you."
The old man's words were mostly correct. Thomas was someone who was necessary to rebuild the shield-nation's army, and he was the most capable among the people of the military-related families of earls.
The Mirg shield-nation's king would do almost anything to protect him. The old man was confident that even if Thomas had stained his hands with criminal acts, the king would cover it up.
And if the circumstances that Thomas faced were enough for a king to abandon a man that was essential for his nation… if Thomas were the leader of a large-scale criminal organization, or if he had assassinated an important person in the empire that the Mirg shield-nation served, the steward would have taken notice of such circumstances, no matter how well Thomas had hidden them.
Since that wasn't the case, Thomas should be able to get through by clinging to His Majesty the king.
"It is true that this would become a large debt to the royal family, and things may become difficult in the future as a result. But it would all be worth it if it means that you live on, Bocchan," the steward insisted.
But Thomas's answer didn't change.
"Old man, I can't do that… That would mean exposing His Majesty the king, and the entire royal palace, to danger," he said.
The old man was astonished by this response. And then he felt a hunch. The master he had served had stepped past a line that he shouldn't have; he had stepped on the tail of a being that he shouldn't have disturbed.
"How… How could this be… Bocchan… this old man is filled with regret," the steward said.
"Don't say anything more, old man. If you can't confirm that I'm alive tomorrow, follow what's written in this will and take care of my wives and children," said Thomas. "If I'm still alive tomorrow, burn the will and continue serving me as you have done until yesterday."
"… As you wish," said the old man as he took Thomas's will, and then he left the room.
When the old man's footsteps could no longer be heard, another voice spoke.
"It's like you're bidding goodbye to this life, Earl-sama. Is that how little you trust us?"
The voice spoke in a rough tone that was unthinkable to direct at Thomas, who was an earl. Normally, such an insolent person would be reprimanded on the spot.
But Thomas didn't raise his voice as he responded. "I do trust you," he said. "It's because I trust you that I've paid you a great sum of money to protect me, without going through the Adventurers' Guild, keeping your existence a secret from the old man and my wives."
The owner of the voice undid his spiritual magic spell and revealed himself. He was one of the people who had sent Thomas a letter about ten days ago. They had offered to protect Thomas from Vandalieu in exchange for a great sum of money and keeping their existence a secret, and Thomas had seized this chance as his last hope.
"And it was you people who said that something is coming today. You even told me to send the servants and knights out of the mansion until then," said Thomas.
"It's not like I've forgotten. I'm still sober today, see," said the other man. "It's only considerate to send away the servants and small-fry that would only get in the way, isn't it? Even we wouldn't be able to win while protecting more people in addition to you. But… couldn't you have had everyone leave?"
There wasn't a single servant left inside the mansion. But there were still about ten knights that served the Palpapek family.
Thomas had sent several of them outside the mansion to protect the steward, but the rest of them hadn't left the mansion, stubbornly refusing to obey even Thomas's orders.
"That really is not because I don't trust you people, but because they are knights, they cannot leave this place," said Thomas.
Even if he were to explain to them that they might die, leaving their master alone because they valued their own lives would be more problematic for knights.
"I think a living dog is better than a dead lion, but I suppose the adventurer business is different from being a knight," said the other man.
Knights were defined by their honor; their families' meals and their social status were provided by that honor. Thus, the knights that served Thomas, the marshal that was building the nation's army, could not leave his side.
"More importantly… is he actually going to come?" Thomas asked.
A short while ago, a man had appeared in Thomas's office and given a warning: "I don't know what it is. But it's definitely coming this way. It's probably the Dhampir that you're afraid of, Danna."
"Yeah, it's not something as unreliable as a gut instinct. The spirits are withering. Nobody would notice other than spirit users that are as skilled as me, but… it seems like you've made an enemy of someone terrible," the man said.
Thomas gave a bitter smile. Someone terrible indeed.
If he had known this ten years ago, he would have cut ties with the Pure-breed Vampires and tried to support Vandalieu.
If he had done that, perhaps the Mirg shield-nation's independence would have been merely a small problem.
Now that Thomas thought about it, not having done that might have been the greatest of the mistakes that had led to the current situation.
"Oh, he's come into the mansion. He's skillfully putting your loyal knights to sleep and headed this way right now," the man said.
Hearing these words, Thomas stood up from his chair and shook off the impossible delusions in his mind. A nervous, sweaty hand grasped the handle of the sword at his waist.
The sword was a high-class Magic Item, worthy of the head of a family of earls that controlled the nation's army. It was a top-class item among magic swords below legendary-class that could currently be created by humans. But even this weapon and Thomas's ability to fight provided no peace of mind against the enemy that was approaching now.
"Where are the other four of you?" Thomas asked the man.
"One is hidden and focused entirely on defending you. The other three are a little further away, as a part of a strategy to defeat the enemy. And I'm waiting here with you, exposing myself, to draw his attention," said the man.
These words provided much more relief to Thomas than his weapon. The five most powerful people on the Bahn Gaia continent were with him.
"Now that you've calmed down, he's here," the man said.
Before he even finished speaking, the door opened without warning. A white Dhampir boy silently entered the room.
Thomas's mind froze in response to the fact that Vandalieu had arrived with no introduction whatsoever other than the man's brief words.
Meanwhile, the Dhampir boy… Vandalieu, looked from Thomas to the other man in confusion.
"I'll ask just to be sure. Between the military-nobleman-looking person and the person with the nice body and mohawk, which of you is Earl Thomas Palpapek?" he asked.
"Wait a second, there's no way someone like me could be a nobleman. And what do you mean, nice body?!" protested the man… the dark-skinned man with a mohawk and leather clothes with sharp, aggressive-looking decorations.
Vandalieu stared intently at him. "I thought it could be possible," he said.
He thought that if there was an emperor like him, it was possible for a man with a nice body and the fashion sense of a 90's punk could be a nobleman.
"No, there's no way. I've never seen even the stupidest, most useless of noblemen have hairstyles like mine," the man said.
Thomas's mind rebooted and he interrupted the words of the man… a member of the S-class adventurer party known as the Storm of Tyranny, the spirit-user by the name of Dalton.
"Dalton-kun… keep your jokes in moderation. Though I suppose if one is as strong as you are, making small talk with the enemy is something like a greeting," he muttered, looking at Vandalieu once more.
Vandalieu's special features matched the description given by the adventurer from seven years ago. He was small for his age, and his size coupled with the paleness of his skin made him look frail.
But if one looked past the fact that his presence was so weak that it felt like he would vanish with a blink of the eyes and the fact that he was as expressionless as a doll, they would see that the lack of openings in his movements was abnormal.
It was clear that he possessed high-Level combat-related Skills.
"I'm the Mirg shield-nation's marshal, Earl Thomas Palpapek," Thomas said. "So you're the 'Ghoul King' Vandalieu?"
"Yes. I'm the 'Ghoul Emperor' now, though," Vandalieu said, swallowing his saliva and looking up at Thomas.
Other than being a little more well-featured than most, Thomas appeared to be an ordinary military nobleman. He was quite skilled, but it seemed that Vandalieu would be able to beat him to death quite easily without even using the Demon King's fragments or even any magic.
The reaction from Danger Sense: Death was quite dull, too.
That was the great difference between Vandalieu and Thomas's first impressions of each other.
"So, why are you here, Dalton-san? Are the other people of the Storm of Tyranny here as well?" Vandalieu asked.
"Of course, they are protecting me –"
"Protecting this old man," Dalton said, cutting Thomas off. "Incidentally, I'm the only one that's in this country right now."
Thomas looked at Dalton, startled.
Dalton took no notice of this and continued speaking. "Ah, by the way, I'm a Dark Elf, not a dark-skinned human. Look," he said, removing a Magic Item that disguised him and revealing his long, thin ears.
Thomas stumbled backwards in shock, but neither Dalton or Vandalieu even glanced at him.
"Oh, so you were a Dark Elf after all. By the way, is that hairstyle and that fashion for your disguise as well?" Vandalieu asked.
"Hmm? No, they're just my own tastes, but… are they old-fashioned? The elders of my hidden village told me that this was the latest fashion of their own generation," said Dalton.