On the evening of the day that marked two weeks since Vandalieu opened his food cart, the Deputy Guild Master Joseph of the Commerce Guild was in his office, his expression so bitter that the number of wrinkles on his face had doubled.
âGrr, that damned, impertinent bratâŚ!â he muttered.
Of course, he was referring to Vandalieu.
âItâs his fault for rejecting my offer and starting his stupid business. I made that offer for his benefit⌠How ungrateful.â
Joseph had made the offer of making contact with Aldaâs peaceful faction to Vandalieu, the second known Dhampir in the kingdom. This was because he wanted connections to the important figures in Aldaâs peaceful faction, which was steadily becoming the major faction in the Alcrem Duchy - In particular, he wanted connections with the Five-colored Blades.
Indeed, it was an effort that would benefit Vandalieu in the end as well, though the protection of Aldaâs peaceful faction and the backing of the S-class adventurers would be nothing but a nuisance for him. But Joseph couldnât be blamed for not being aware of that, as he had no way of knowing of Vandalieuâs circumstances.
But Josephâs offer to Vandalieu hadnât been for Vandalieuâs benefit in the slightest at the time he made it. He had simply altered his version of events in his own memory to justify the offer to himself.
Unaware of this, Joseph was so angry that he might scream out loud, so he pressed a hand against his mouth. He was from a family of earls, but as the Deputy Guild Master, his office was inferior to the Guild Masterâs in size, extravagance and soundproofing.
And no matter how much I educate him, he continues to disobey rather than apologize!
The âeducationâ that Joseph referred to in his mind was his harassment of Vandalieu. However, it was no figurative expression or sarcasm; he truly thought of it as education.
He thought that he was teaching an impertinent brat how cruel the world was and how important it was to listen to oneâs superiors. It was something that he had done to many ill-mannered youngsters in the past.
But Vandalieu showed no signs of regretting his actions or wanting to apologize to Joseph and accept his offer. He hadnât even visited the Commerce Guild once since completing his temporary registration.
Though Joseph had interfered with Vandalieuâs food cart business, Vandalieu had hunted and acquired meat on his own, and even associated other food carts with himself using astounding methods of preparing Goblin and Kobold meat for consumption.
Considering that he had already tamed and increased the Ranks of a stray dog and Giant Rats, he had been noticed as a promising newcomer by the Tamersâ Guild.
And although this was unconfirmed information, the monsters had apparently become members of new races after their Rank increases yesterday. Guild Master Bachemâs visit to the capital was also rumored to be because the Tamersâ Guild headquarters was planning to work on Vandalieu to take him in.
But I donât care about the Tamersâ Guild. The problem is the Goblin meat!
Since ancient times⌠Even from the time when the heroic god Bellwood was still alive, countless mages, alchemists, nobles, adventurers and city chefs had attempted to make stinking, unpleasant Goblin meat edible.
These had all resulted in countless failures. Some methods of processing or flavoring the meat had been discovered in the past, but all of them had been so expensive and resulted in tasteless dishes. Methods that spent a large amount of time, effort, flavorings and spices just to make Goblin meat not inedible couldnât be used in times of food crisis or for feeding the poor.
But Vandalieu knew a way to use Goblin meat in food. The method is apparently Ghoul knowledge, but⌠how in the world did he learn it? Did he tame them? Or perhaps his Dark Elf motherâs village interacted with Ghouls⌠No, I donât care about that. The products are for the filthy poor people, but that technology could be used to squeeze money from nobles that are having problems feeding their people! And yet⌠That damn wench and her brat! Do they even really want to do business?!
Vandalieu had not folded to Josephâs harassment, nor had he shown any weakness for Aggar and his companions, whom Joseph had paid, to take advantage of. Instead, he was continuing to make profits. On top of that, Darcia was being treated as a saint after summoning a familiar spirit at the Communal Church.
Darcia and Vandalieuâs popularity was continuing to increase among the cityâs inhabitants. It was to the point that Vandalieu was being called the âfood cart kingâ and âgenius tamer,â while Darcia was known as a âholy woman.â
In fact, Joseph was in the worse position.
He had never cared about what the poor people of the slums thought of him. But because Darcia was being treated as a saint, it wasnât just the people of the slums; the whole city was beginning to have a bad impression of him.
And once a negative image of Joseph spread throughout the city of Morksi, which was a city of commerce, it would then spread to the surrounding cities and villages through merchants and travelers⌠No, considering how famous Vandalieu and Darcia were now, it could even spread to other duchies.
At this rate, things would be bad for Joseph once the Guild Master returned.
According to recent rumors, people are calling me a lecherous old man who tried to court that Dark Elf, was rejected and is now harassing her in retaliation! At this rate, things will be bad for me⌠and yet there is no word from Aggar, even though he told me that he has a good plan. Heâs useless after all!
Joseph didnât trust Aggar very much. He was just a crooked guard in the end; Joseph had decided that he couldnât expect much after Aggarâs first attempts to find faults with Vandalieuâs business had failed.
Even so, Joseph had kept an eye on Aggar, thinking that perhaps he might come up with some ingenious idea, but⌠it seemed that it was time to give up on him.
â⌠Now that itâs come to this, I have no choice. Iâll apologize,â Joseph decided.
He would kneel on the ground before Vandalieu, say that he was wrong and stop his pressure on the wholesale stores, which he had left alone recently as Vandalieu hadnât been visiting them.
âI have heard that he has been donating to the orphanage and is caring for adventurers who have lost their limbs. He is either doing it to propagate his religion, or if that isnât the case, he is an unmistakably good person,â Joseph said to himself. âIf I bow before him with many people watching, he will likely accept my apology. It might be more effective if I mention Vidaâs doctrine during my apology.â
After that, he just needed to quietly continue his duties as Deputy Guild Master until something else happened. And once opportunities presented themselves, he would offer Vandalieu useful-seeming information and treat him favorably as a way of apology.
If he did this repeatedly, their hostile relationship would become hazier.
âVery well. Now that I have made my decision, I will go right now⌠No, the food cart is located in a back alley of the red-light district. I shall head there to apologize when more people gather in the evening,â Joseph told himself.
As he began thinking about how to word his apology to Vandalieu and Darcia, there was a knock on the door, as if timed to interrupt his thoughts.
â⌠Enter,â he said without looking at the door, thinking that an employee had come with documents.
But in the next moment, his eyes opened wide in surprise as he saw that it wasnât an employee who entered, but armed guards.
âW-who are you people?! What do you want with me?!â he shouted.
âDeputy Guild Master Joseph of the Commerce Guild. Youâre under arrest for inciting embezzlement and kidnapping by Aggar and three other rogue guards!â one of the guards declared.
Joseph was even more astounded by their words. âIâm under arrest?! Embezzlement and kidnapping?! What are you talking about?!â
He was panicked and confused by these charges that he had no knowledge of. It was true that he had paid Aggar and his companions to find faults with Vandalieuâs business and interfere with it if they found even the smallest excuse. But that was all.
If Aggar had embezzled the guardsâ funds and confiscated goods or plotted a kidnapping, Joseph had nothing to do with it. He hadnât asked him to do such things; he certainly hadnât incited such activities.
âWhere is your proof?! If you wish to arrest me, then show me your proof!â Joseph demanded, standing up from his chair as his panic and confusion turned into anger.
âSilence! Resisting will do you no good!â one of the guards said in response.
Having no intention of showing Joseph proof of the charges, the guards surrounded him, held him down forcibly and began to tie him up.
âYou bastards! Do you know who I am?! I-I am a Deputy Guild Master, the uncle of the Earl Isaac Morksi that you serve!â Joseph shouted. âDonât think you will get away with this -â
But the guards didnât respond; they simply dragged Joseph from the office that, until seconds ago, had been his. The reason for that was because they had been directly ordered by Earl Isaac Morksi to secure Josephâs safety.
Isaac had heard a strange report from his spies⌠He was puzzled by the fact that Aggar and his companions had entered the orphanage through the back door and then vanished without a trace. He was puzzled, but Aggar and his companions were now missing. Isaac guessed that someone had somehow taken them captive and disposed of their corpses somewhere.
He had the feeling that this âsomeoneâ was Vandalieu or someone connected to him. There was no proof of this. He only had the vague idea that some advanced magic had been used, an idea that anyone could come up with that couldnât even be called a deduction. It was an irrational line of thought that all strange events were connected to Vandalieu.
But he couldnât think of any other reason that Aggar and his companions would vanish at that moment in time.
That was why Isaac had decided to secure Josephâs safety, as he was likely to be Vandalieuâs next target, and punish him.
He had been driven by the need to show Vandalieu that he was not an enemy by offering his own uncle as a sacrifice, even if it meant becoming indebted to the Commerce Guild.
âTh-this is breaching the Guildâs rights! Do you think the Guild will stay silent over this?! Iâm innocent; Iâm definitely being framed by someone! SOMEONE BELIEVE ME!â Joseph screamed.
But not a single person responded to Josephâs words as he was dragged out of the Commerce Guild building.
The morning after Vandalieu acquired the âDream Guiderâ Job, around the same time that Joseph was arrested, Simon was in visibly high spirits as he met Vandalieu for his training.
âListen, Master! The truth is⌠Iâve acquired a divine protection,â he whispered to Vandalieu and Natania.
â⌠I see,â said Vandalieu.
âO-oh reallyâŚ?â said Natania.
âAh, neither of you believe me! Itâs true! When I woke up this morning, I heard âYou have acquired a divine protection!â And when I looked at my Status, it was really there!â Simon said happily.
Neither Natania or Vandalieu knew how to respond.
Natania couldnât just say, âI have it too,â nor could Vandalieu tell him, âIâm the one who gave it to you.â
âSo, what kind of godâs divine protection is it?â Vandalieu asked.
Simon gave a bitter smile and scratched his head. âThatâs the thing⌠Even when I look at my Status, the godâs name is covered. All I know is that itâs six characters, and the last character is an extended vowel,â he said.
It seemed that Simonâs Status displayed ââ â â â â ăźâs Divine Protection,â so he didnât know that Vandalieu was the one who had given him the divine protection.This story is hosted at nĐžvelping.com.
Note: The ăź character indicates that the previous characterâs vowel sound is extended, but in this case the previous character is hidden, so vowel sound is unknown (to Simon).
âIt might be a subordinate god of Vida related to swords or battle. The truth is, Master, I had a strange dream last night. Someone put their warm hand on my back as I was training, and when I turned around, I had received a sword⌠and when I woke up, Iâd received a divine protection,â said Simon, describing his dream. âYouâd think that sleep is the specialty of Mill, the goddess of slumber whoâs one of Aldaâs subordinate gods, but I didnât get the feeling that it was her. Can you think of any of Vidaâs subordinate gods that might rule over dreams or swords?â he asked.
â⌠No, I canât think of a subordinate god of Vida who rules over dreams or swords and has a six-character-long name,â said Vandalieu.
He couldnât give any other response. He couldnât tell Simon the truth when the truth was that he had used the tip of his hanging tongue to touch Simonâs back rather than his hand, and the thing he had given him was a horn that had fallen off his body rather than a sword.
âI see⌠Then I suppose Iâll try indirectly asking at the Communal Church⌠Ah, maybe itâs better to go and visit the library for the first time in over a decade and look it up,â said Simon.
Fang gave a sigh-like bark in disappointment at Simon not realizing the truth, and the rat sisters gave him disappointed looks as well.
âSorry I canât tell you which godâs divine protection it is,â said Simon.
He couldnât tell what they were really thinking; he thought their disappointment was from not being able to hear which god had given him the divine protection.
âI wonder if this kind of thing is common? Iâm sure itâs because Iâm not pious enough⌠I canât even think of a god whose name has six characters and ends with an extended vowel sound,â said Simon, his earlier bright attitude having turned into a depressed one.
Vandalieu wondered whether he should tell Simon, âDonât worry about it; it canât be helped.â
âBut still, the fact that theyâve given me a divine protection means theyâre expecting good things from me! If I do my best with the training, get my arm back and redo things, Iâm sure Iâll learn the godâs name!â Simon said. âNow then, letâs go and train!â he said, cheering up again and heading towards the gate.
Fang and the rats followed, likely thinking about what a hopeless junior he was and that he should notice soon enough.
â⌠Itâs surprisingly hard to realize the truth,â Vandalieu muttered.
âI think itâs something to do with the fact that he can only see the vaguest character, but I think itâs normal not to realize, Master,â Natania whispered back.
As far as the people of Lambda were aware, divine protections were granted by gods. The contents of oneâs Status was normally important personal information, but divine protections were such special Unique Skills that acquiring them would be happy news to share with those close to oneself.
In addition to reducing the difficulty of overcoming barriers in oneâs development and other tangible effects, they gave a sense of achievement in having been chosen by the gods.
It seemed that Simon would never even dream that he had received such a thing from his own master.
âI didnât think that the person in my dream was you either, Master⌠although I saw the âVâ in my Status when I woke up and thought it might be, and I accepted it after you told me straight away,â said Natania.
Sheâd had a dream of when she was used as bait by the Flaming Blades and attacked by the Minotaurs. It was a nightmare that sheâd had countless times, but in the middle of it, enormous black legs had descended from above.
The legs had crushed the Minotaurs and sent the Flaming Blades flying away with some kicks. Natania, lying on the ground, had looked up to see a grotesque giant looking down at her.
The giant had then picked her up with a bony hand and enveloped her in a warm fluid. That liquid⌠its crimson blood, was absorbed into Natania, becoming a part of her own blood.
When she woke up from that dream, she had received Vandalieuâs divine protection like Simon. Incidentally, Juliana had also received a divine protection in the same way, causing her to cry emotionally for some time, and it had taken some time to calm her down.
âBy the way, Iâm happy that I got your divine protection, but⌠is it related to the training, Master? It wonât have weird effects like making our tongues longer, right?â Natania asked, looking worried.
âHmm⌠Itâll probably be alright, wonât it? Well, you might become able to extend your tongue when you want to,â said Vandalieu, giving a rather uncomforting reply.
But Natania and Simon gained the âSpirit Formâ Skill in that dayâs training.
âWow! My arm, my arm is moving! I can move this metal artificial arm exactly as I want to, Master!â Simon shouted excitedly.
âMe too, I can walk! Iâm still a bit wobbly though!â said Natania.
Simonâs spirit form had inhabited his artificial arm, and it was moving at his command. Likewise, Natania was able to use her two artificial legs, and although her movements were still clumsy, she could stand and walk.
âCongratulations. Youâve cleared the first stage of the training,â said Vandalieu, clapping to congratulate them. âNatania, you have more parts that need moving, so youâll need more practice. But at this rate, you should be able to move your artificial limbs as if they were your real ones.â
Simon and Natania were moved to tears by these words.
âNow then, weâll begin the second stage of training right away. Weâll be alternating between combat training with me and free practice,â said Vandalieu.
âYes, Master!â Simon and Natania replied in unison, their hearts pounding with excitement.
When they returned to the city, a little after lunch, Simon was being carried by Fang and Natania by Vandalieu.
âM-master, youâre incredibly strongâŚâ Simon wheezed.
âI was mostly practicing stances⌠Am I going to be alright tomorrow?â Natania wondered.
The two of them were totally exhausted and surprised after having learned the difference in strength between themselves and Vandalieu by having practice battles against him.
Simon had been aware that Vandalieu was no ordinary person, and Natania knew from what she had been told that he had the strength of an A-class adventurer or more.
But imagining something and experiencing it were completely different.
âMore importantly, how are you able to do those kinds of things? Materializing your spirit form, tearing it off and then throwing itâŚâ Simon muttered.
âAnd itâs so tricky that your spirit form moves after youâve thrown it,â Natania added. âJust what kind of spirit form do you have, Master?â
It wasnât simply that Vandalieu was stronger than the two of them had imagined; it seemed that the way he used his spirit form was inhuman.
âBecause itâs easier to improve your Skills by training against people of your own strength and those who are stronger than you. I might have been a little overenthusiastic though, since it was my first time trying to fight with this method as well,â said Vandalieu.
He had mainly trained Simon and Natania with his spirit form, not using any spells or weapons. He had thought it would be better for them to face the same Skills that they were trying to improve.
âAnd the two of you are the same as me, now that youâve gained the âSpirit Formâ Skill and are able to use them in combat. From the perspective of ordinary people, that in itself would seem quite inhuman,â Vandalieu added.
He was half-right and half-wrong.
Forcibly changing the shape of oneâs spirit form would have a corresponding effect on the mind, and in the worst-case scenario, it could cause insanity. The reason this wasnât the case for Simon and Natania was that their spirit forms were simply returning to the form they had when they had all of their limbs, so their shapes did not deviate from the shape of a human.
On the other hand, Vandalieu had altered the form of his own spirit form so many times that he was well past the point of deviating from the shape of a human. There was no way to describe it other than that it was in a shapeless, Slime-like state.
Natania and Simon did indeed alter their spirit forms like Vandalieu, but the extent to which they did so was very different⌠though Vandalieu did intend to eventually pull them up (if it could be described as that) to his own level.
âIn any case, once you acquire the âMaterializationâ and âLong-distance Controlâ Skills, increase their Levels and increase your Mana so that you can sustain your spirit form for long enough, both of you will be able to do the same thing,â said Vandalieu.
This was why he had shown Simon and Natania what their goal was, made them experience it through practice battles and made them believe that they could do the same.
Unlike the body, the spirit form was completely controlled by oneâs strength of imagination and will. There were limits to it, but one could do almost anything with it as long as they could imagine it and strive towards it.
âI see⌠It would be great just to have a body that can fight again, but if Iâm going to go for it, then Iâd at least try to become a C-class⌠no, a B-class adventurer or better!â said Simon.
âMe too. I donât know if Iâd be able to return the favor if I only returned to the way I was before. Iâd get left behind by Juli⌠Julia, too,â said Natania.
âYes, yes, thatâs the spirit,â said Vandalieu with a satisfied nod, looking at their sweaty faces as they reached the gate.
âWelcome back. Looks like todayâs training was rough,â said Kest, who was on duty at the gate by himself.
Those who knew that Vandalieu had taken the one-armed Simon and limbless Natania outside the city yesterday and today thought that it was strange. Just what were they doing?
But since Vandalieu and Simon would reply that they were training if asked, many misunderstood that Simon and Natania were training to become Tamers and were satisfied by this explanation⌠because Vandalieu was famous in the city of Morksi not as a mage, but as the owner of a food cart and as a Tamer.
Many adventurers who were Tamers would rely on their tamed monsters in battle, so one could imagine that it was a possible way for the one-armed Simon and limbless Natania to live their lives.
The two of them were totally exhausted, had removed their artificial limbs and were being carried by Fang and Vandalieu, so it wouldnât be until after the next day that this misunderstanding was cleared.
âYes. By the way, even if it is midday when less people enter and leave the city, isnât it a little careless to have just one person on duty?â Vandalieu asked.
âIs Aggar, that senior of yours, slacking off again?â said Simon.
âNo, about that, weâre a little short on hands today,â Kest replied vaguely. âHmm⌠Iâve been told not to talk about it, but I suppose youâre related, Vandalieu,â he said, seeming to decide to explain properly. âThe truth is, it was discovered that Aggar-senp - Aggar, and four other guards, were crooked. I know youâre thinking that itâs a bit late for that, but they smuggled poisonous substances that we confiscated, and⌠it seems that they were trying to kidnap orphans from the orphanage for human trafficking.â
âNo, no way,â Vandalieu said in a flat tone.
âNow that you mention it, it was quite noisy around the orphanage yesterday. To think that such a thing had happenedâŚ!â said Simon.
Kest gave a bitter smile and shook his head. âYou donât have to act surprised, Vandalieu. I know youâve been visiting the orphanage,â he said, assuming that the nuns or the orphans would have told Vandalieu the news. âFortunately, things ended with it just being a kidnapping attempt. There was apparently a nun who was there when Aggar and his friends leapt over the walls, and they ran away when she screamed. But even if it was just an attempt, kidnapping is a serious crime. Guards who do such things canât set an example for everyone else in the city. Theyâre going to be thoroughly investigated, and weâve been recruiting a lot of new people this morning.âThe source of this chapter is noveâlping.com.
âEven so, itâs dangerous to have only one person stationed at the gate, isnât it? From the way youâre talking, they havenât been caught yet, have they? How would you stop them if they were to try to leave the city?â asked Simon.
âItâs alright. Iâm the only one watching people enter the city, but thereâs an inspection point set up on the other side of the gate to check people who leave,â said Kest.
âWow, itâs a good thing we left early in the morning, isnât it, Master?â Simon said.
âYes⌠it is,â said Vandalieu, a little bewildered that his companionsâ disposing of Aggar and his companions had had more significant consequences than he had expected.
It was likely the command of the earl or someone close to him, but it seemed that they had made the story so that the masked men that Sister Seris had witnessed were Aggar and his companions⌠Just how much of the truth had he figured out?
I just told Gufadgarn and the others to wait until the very last moment, then dispose of them if they ever tried to enter the orphanage, but⌠to think that the spies would try to capture them just seconds later. Why didnât they capture them before they entered the orphanage? I wouldnât have done anything to them if the earlâs people dealt with them, Vandalieu thought. Maybe they had a different opinion on how to handle the children and nuns at the orphanage? I would think it best to avoid scaring everyone, but maybe the earlâs people thought differently⌠I know they have all kinds of circumstances, but if thatâs the case, itâs rather unpleasant.
âBut since Aggar and his friends havenât been caught yet, be careful. Thereâs no guarantee that heâs not plotting something bad out of resentment towards you,â said Kest, having finished explaining things. âTell your mother to be particularly careful.â
Aggar was currently wandering Gufadgarnâs labyrinth that had no way out, but Kest didnât know that; he seemed worried that Aggar was hiding in the city somewhere and up to no good.
âAlright. Weâll be careful,â said Vandalieu with a nod, feeling guilty because he couldnât correct Kest.
He considered having at least Aggarâs corpse be discovered somewhere.
Incidentally, Natania knew the truth; she was pretending to sleep on Vandalieuâs back so that Kest wouldnât suspect anything.
Upon entering the city and returning to his house, Vandalieu found that he had received a personal invitation to a tea party from the earl.
ăVandalieu has acquired the âFood Cart Kingâ and âGenius Tamerâ Titles!ă
ăYou have acquired the âSpirit Therapyâ Skill!ă
Birkyne mulled over the information that he had received from his puppets in the city of Morksi. âIt seems to be the perfect time to make a move,â he said to himself.
The information was extremely fragmented. However, Birkyne considered all strange and inexplicable events in that city to be related to Vandalieu.
According to the information, it seemed that Birkyneâs puppets had slipped into Vandalieuâs pocket better than he had anticipated.
With the puppets in so deep, Vandalieu would not be able to so easily cut them off. It was plenty to use as a negotiating chip and compensation.
âAre you sure about this? At this rate, it is likely that it will reach the region inside of the Boundary Mountain Range that is ruled by him. Would that not be too late?â said one of Birkyneâs close confidants.
âNo, we do not have that much time,â said Birkyne, shaking his head. âIf we take too long, it is possible that Aldaâs believers will make a move. Well, Iâm sure they didnât expect him to begin a peaceful food cart business in the city, so they are likely racking their brains for a way to deal with them as well, and they surely donât have the forces to defeat him. But itâs possible that the impatient fools will gather the heroes that are their pawns and attack as soon as he leaves the city.â
Birkyne was aware that there were fools even among gods. Alda, who had been incited by Bellwood a hundred thousand years ago, and Vida, who had been unable to see it coming. More recent examples would be Ternecia, who cornered herself and had her hand bitten by her own pet dog, and Gubamon who had gone mad and isolated himself by disposing of all of his own subordinates.
Pure gods were different from dragons, true Colossi and Pure-breed Vampires like Birkyne himself, as well as evil gods that could not maintain their existence without a physical body, but there was no difference in their foolishness.
âWell, it is difficult to imagine that they would force their own heroes to act like bandits. Still, I am not so sure about the reincarnated individuals. It is highly likely that they have acquired impossible powers from the gods,â said Birkyne. âMortor, have you learned what they are doing?â
Cold sweat appeared on the bald head of Mortor, one of Birkyneâs Four Confidants, a Noble-born Vampire who was once a Dwarf.
âAsagi Minami and his two companions are staying in the Birgit Duchy. They are researching the fragments of the Demon King that they have captured along with alchemists and mages who are connected to our organization, and they are showing no signs of moving away,â he reported. âAnd it seems that Kaoru Gotouta has left the Farzon Duchy from the port on a boat headed for the Laberta Archipelago. There have been no signs of her returning to the continent.â
The movements of âMage Masherâ Asagi and his two companions, who were clearly reincarnated individuals from the fact that they contacted Vandalieu and their characteristic names, were being reported by individuals in contact with them. Birkyne had also received information regarding the âSuper Senseâ Kaoru Gotouta, whose characteristic name also gave away the fact that she was a reincarnated individual. Birkyne had information on four reincarnated individuals in total.
âBut⌠Hajime Inui, Junpei Murakami and two others have disappeared,â said Mortor.
The tension in the air of the room increased immediately.
âAnd?â said Birkyne, indicating for Mortor to go on.
Birkyneâs other confidants began to break out into cold sweats as well.
âHajime Inui never came close to places where humans live, so it has always been difficult to track him, but since his presence has not been confirmed at any city, village or highway, we do not know whether he is simply inside a Devilâs Nest or Dungeon, or whether he is moving in secret while avoiding attention,â Mortor continued. âLike Hajime Inui, we are unable to confirm the whereabouts of Junpei Murakami and his two companions after they disappeared from the cities and villages that they were staying in.â
Birkyne had also correctly guessed that these two groups were reincarnated individuals from their names; they had evaded being tracked by his organization numerous times.
As the âMarionetteâ Hajime Inui stayed away from places of human settlement, it was difficult to even have someone make contact with him, let alone maintain surveillance on him. Murakamiâs group was simply very wary, so Birkyneâs organization could not make contact with them carelessly.
Though the reasons for each differed, it seemed that the organization had lost track of them.
âI see⌠Then they are either in hiding near the city of Morksi, or in the process of moving there and going into hiding,â said Birkyne.
Considering the timing of their disappearances, it was easy to guess their purposes. Thus, he did not rebuke Mortor⌠or go into hysterics.
His confidants all let out a sigh of relief.
âBut how did the reincarnated individuals sense Vandalieuâs appearance? Is it the special powers they received from the gods?â one of the other confidants said.
âMore importantly, if the reincarnated individuals are going to make a move on Vandalieu, would it not be best to wait and see what results from it? If they are victorious, we profit greatly. If they are defeated, it does not affect us at all.â
âWe canât do that. We donât know when or with what purpose they will make contact with Vandalieu. Itâs possible that they will become his subordinates like Kanako Tsuchiya and the others⌠though thatâs pretty hard to imagine.â
Hajimeâs actions were those of someone undergoing repeated harsh training in order to face a powerful foe, and Murakamiâs group clearly saw Vandalieu as a target.
It was unlikely that things would end up like they had with Kanako, who had become Vandalieuâs subordinate, or Asagi, who had withdrawn after just speaking with him.
Considering that, it was ill-prepared of them to have their identities revealed just by their names⌠but perhaps not so much, if I consider that the god who sent them to this world also wanted them to dispose of me? Well, I can think about their circumstances and purposes later, Birkyne thought, turning his attention away from them.
He tapped his finger on the city of Morksi on the map of the Alcrem Duchy on the table.
âIf the reincarnated individuals decide to get rid of Vandalieu with an extreme method such as blowing away the entire city, there is no telling what will happen to my puppets. It would be foolish to wait and watch, only to lose the pawns that are necessary for my plan,â said Birkyne.
He did not underestimate the power of the reincarnated individuals, or at least that of Hajime and Murakami. If they intended to kill Vandalieu, then they likely had power equal to or greater than that of A-class adventurers.
If such individuals were to act violently without considering the victims, the city of Morksi would suffer great losses. There was no guarantee that Birkyneâs puppets would remain intact if such a thing were to happen.
âAnd⌠if we take too long, there may be effects on the puppets themselves. He is likely to be a guider, after all,â said Birkyne.
A different kind of tension from before appeared on the faces of Mortor and Birkyneâs other confidants. It was not one of mere fear; it was one of dread.
âEven if he is a guider, he could not shake the control over Birkyne-samaâs puppets⌠or is that really possible?!â Mortor exclaimed.
âIt is. After all, Vandalieu is gathering the fragments of the Demon King, although it seems that there are no effects on the puppets for nowâŚâ Birkyne stopped mid-sentence.
Perhaps the puppets had already been affected.
The puppetsâ behavior towards Vandalieu⌠Birkyne had prepared them in a way that they would approach and feel positively about individuals that met a certain description, in a way that would not be unnatural. As a result, Vandalieu and the puppets had a good relationship with one another, but⌠would the guidance not affect those positive feelings?
No, even if there were effects, they will be within an extent that I can control, so it is not a problem. My fragmentâs main part is within me, and the parts I cut off remain residing inside the puppets. There are no problems, Birkyne told himself repeatedly.
âNow then, let us go to make a deal. Vandalieu will obtain our puppets, and we will obtain our safety. If he refuses, battle will ensue, but⌠even if that happens, it will go in our favor so long as he is unable to sacrifice the puppets,â he said to his confidants.
Title explanation: Food Cart King
A Title that can be acquired by one who is associated with multiple food carts and is a leading figure in the streets and regions in which they operate. There are many other related Titles (For example: Food Cart Queen, Food Cart General).
It is often acquired by chefs who have trained multiple apprentices or influential figures who represent other food cart owners. There is at least one Food Cart King in most busy cities.
It provides a bonus to the âCookingâ Skill, though it is small.
Title explanation: Genius Tamer
As the Title suggests, it is a Title that can be acquired by gifted Tamers. Having incredible achievements or displaying incredible potential as a Tamer is a requirement for acquiring it. Due to the nature of this requirement, it is easier for relatively young Tamers to acquire.
It is a rarer Title than âFood Cart King,â but in the Orbaume Kingdom, there is only about one âGenius Tamerâ in each duchy every dozen or so years.
One would have sufficient Tamer-related Skills by the time they acquire this Title, but they receive bonuses to some extent.
But someone with this Title becomes a candidate to be one of the higher-up members of the Tamersâ Guild⌠the top of a branch, at the very least. This is more significant than the bonuses it provides to Skills.