《The Levels of the ‘Constant Mana Recovery,’ ‘Super Strengthen Subordinates,’ ‘Demon Thread Refining,’ ‘Augnted Vitality,’ ‘Augnted Attribute Values: Ruling,’ ‘Blood Rule,’ ‘Divine Alchemy,’ ‘Surgery,’ ‘Embodint,’ ‘Group Coordination,’ ‘Group Commander,’ ‘Thread-reeling,’ ‘Shadow Group Binding Technique,’ ‘Spirit Therapy,’ ‘ntal Encroachnt,’ and ‘Labyrinth Creation’ Skills have increased!》
《The ‘Strengthened All Attributes’ Skill has awakened into ‘Augnted All Attributes!’》
Even while searching for Rikudou, Vandalieu was still attending the Adventurers’ School. Naturally, there was a certain individual who was displeased with this, and she finally decided to directly voice her displeasure.
“Do you not have any intention of graduating right now?” orilith asked.
“Have you lost your mind, Principal orilith?” Vandalieu asked in response.
“… I never thought I would be having my sanity questioned by you, of all people,” orilith sighed.
Vandalieu froze for a few seconds, but began moving again soon afterwards. “I do think it was a little rude of to say that to my principal, whom I have great respect for, but–”
“I think you do doubt in terms of trust and things like that. And you don’t actually respect that much, do you?”
“I do respect you.”
Principal orilith had been tolerant enough to accept Vandalieu and Pauvina, who were complete outsiders, and although the teachers did have their own problems, orilith had been capable and well-respected enough to gather outstanding teaching staff at this school. She also handled nobles very skillfully.
Vandalieu held a certain degree of respect for orilith for having all of these qualities as a principal – to the point where he imagined that if he had her leadership skills, her managent knowledge, and political power, he might have been able to make so progress in protesting the construction of the Great Church, and even in protesting the construction of the enormous statue of himself, a matter in which he had been overwhelmingly crushed by public opinion.
“But I don’t have enough credits to graduate yet,” Vandalieu said. “I shouldn’t be able to earn the necessary credits to graduate until this September at the earliest.”
This matter was entirely separate from Vandalieu’s respect for orilith. Adventurers’ Schools had a credit-based curriculum, and students could not graduate until they earned the necessary number of credits. The Hero Preparatory School was no exception to this.
“I an, that is true, but… this is an ergency,” said orilith. “If I pull so strings –”
“That won’t do, Principal,” Vandalieu interrupted. “It’s important to uphold the system and follow the correct procedures.”
“… I never thought I would be having the importance of the system and correct procedures explained to by you, of all people.”
“Principal, I don’t make light of systems and procedures. I use them to my advantage and poke holes in them, but these are things that I can do only because the systems, procedures, and rules exist in the first place.”
Vandalieu had done what he wanted by taking advantage of the rules of the Tars’ Guild, the Adventurers’ Guild, and the Hero Preparatory School, as well as several of the laws of the Orbau Kingdom. But if those rules and laws didn’t exist, he wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of them. He had made the people of the city accept Eisen, Silkie, and the others – the rules hadn’t forbidden them, so they must be allowed. This wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t been able to take advantage of the rules and laws.
A lawless society wasn’t more convenient than a society with law and order.
“That’s why you don’t need to go and set a bad precedent for no reason,” Vandalieu said.
“But I an, there’s soone called Rikudou Hijiri who’s plotting sothing using the fragnts of the Demon King, isn’t there? I’ve experienced fighting against and sealing away a rampaging Demon King fragnt before, but Rikudou Hijiri has gathered more than ten of them, hasn’t he?” said orilith. “If this isn’t an ergency, then what is?”
“It is indeed an ergency, but it’s an ergency that can be dealt with without going to extre lengths,” said Vandalieu.
“So, it’s an ergency after all. Then personally, I would like you to deal with it without worrying about school… how about putting you on temporary leave from school?” orilith suggested.
“It’s alright. Whether I’m attending school or not, my asures to deal with the ergency won’t change,” said Vandalieu.
“That’s what you say, but–”
“orilith, give it up. This kid seems to have no intention of graduating,” said the third person in the principal’s office – Randolf ‘the True.’
He had interrupted, knowing that this conversation was going in circles.
orilith sighed, seeming to give up. “I went into this assuming that it wouldn’t work, but it really didn’t.”
“If he intended to graduate, he would have said so, after all,” Randolf said. “But are you sure about this?” he asked Vandalieu with a stern look in his eyes.
“Of course,” Vandalieu said, nodding. “It might not be flawless, but… whether I’m at school or not, I can deal with the ergency with the sa level of thoroughness. Even now–”
Vandalieu produced a small Demon King Familiar, right before orilith and Randolf’s eyes. They let out gasps of astonishnt as they watched.
The back of his right hand swelled unnaturally, forming a lump. The skin on its surface transford into solid bone, and compound eyes appeared as if being pushed out from within. The top of the lump split open, allowing dragonfly-like wings to erge, and then it took flight, separating itself from Vandalieu.
“Split entities of like this one, which are similar to familiars, are accompanying my companions while they work in my absence,” the newly-created Demon King Familiar said.
“If I’m attending lectures or practical training sessions, it won’t change anything,” said Vandalieu.
orilith and Randolf’s faces had turned pale, but they accepted this explanation.
“I see. You’re controlling parts of your body that have split off from you using the ‘Long-distance Control’ and ‘Parallel Thought Processing’ Skills,” said Randolf.
“You can tell?” asked Vandalieu, surprised.
“Yes. I’ve seen monsters that can do similar things. I never expected that a person would be able to do it, however.”
In truth, the Skills Vandalieu was using were ‘Group Control’ and ‘Group Thought Processing,’ the awakened versions of the Skills that Randolf had ntioned, but Vandalieu decided to move on without correcting him… for the purpose of making this conversation proceed smoothly rather than deliberately misleading orilith and Randolf, he told himself.
“But it’s not flawless, then?” Randolf asked.
“I can’t say for sure that there won’t be any deaths or injuries, after all. I can’t guarantee that there won’t be any damage to the buildings, either,” said Vandalieu.
“Nobody is asking that much of you. I don’t know who or what you are, but at the very least, it’s certain that you’re not in a position where you’re responsible for the Orbau Kingdom’s public order or the lives of its people,” said Randolf. “Well, if we’re going to talk about the system, you’re the son of a noble of the Alcrem Duchy, but…”
“The one behind this conspiracy is Pri Minister Tercatanis. It would be unreasonable to hold the son of an honorary countess responsible for everything,” orilith agreed.
Vandalieu and Darcia had turned to orilith and Randolf for help, giving just enough of an explanation for them to understand the situation regarding Rikudou Hijiri, as well as Pri Minister Tercatanis, who had beco his servant and was acting on his behalf. orilith and Randolf had promised to help him without any hesitation.
orilith had previously learned that Pri Minister Tercatanis had proposed to provide the army with weapons made from fragnts of the Demon King, and both she and Randolf knew that Vandalieu was no ordinary child. And because Vandalieu had brought letters from Duke Alcrem and Duke Jahan with him when requesting their help, they could not doubt that he was telling them the truth.
With that being the case, orilith and Randolf had accepted that Orbau would be devastated. No matter how much was done to prevent damage, the royal castle would be destroyed at the very least. Damage to important nearby facilities and the upper-class nobles’ district would be impossible to avoid as well. That was the assumption they had been working with.
That was how much of an impact the news of this conspiracy – one plotted by a dangerous person using fragnts of the Demon King – had on them.
If it was just a single rampaging fragnt of the Demon King, Randolf alone would certainly be able to deal with it. Even if a single fragnt rampaged in multiple different places simultaneously, there were others in Orbau with strength equivalent to an A-class adventurer or greater, such as orilith. There would be so casualties, but the entire city would not be at risk of destruction.
However, multiple fragnts of the Demon King rampaging while fused together… Randolf had previously defeated people infested by two or three fragnts and sealed the fragnts away. But the number of fragnts in this case was unknown, and certainly well above ten.
It would be wise to think of this as an enemy that was more powerful than the average resurrected evil god.
“Principal orilith, Dandolip-sensei, I would like to thank you again for your cooperation. Within the next few days, preparations will be complete for finding where Rikudou is hiding, so sothing might happen then. I’ll make sure to contact you in advance,” said Vandalieu, putting the Demon King Familiar he had just created into his pocket… so that he could absorb it without orilith and Randolf seeing it.
I should stop making them in front of people who aren’t used to seeing it, Vandalieu decided as he left orilith’s office.
“Randolf,” orilith said.
“I know,” said Randolf. “The familiar that Vandalieu made and showed us was made of fragnts of the Demon King.”
He had realized that the Demon King Familiar that Vandalieu had created was made of fragnts of the Demon King. Ordinary familiars were pseudo-organisms created by mages using Mana or a catalyst, or living creatures that mages could share their senses with and give orders. But the Demon King Familiar had been far different from that.
“But it was completely different from the rampaging fragnts that we’ve seen in the past,” Randolf continued. “Rampaging fragnts of the Demon King are like lost children. They’re panicking, screaming and running around as they look for their parents… other fragnts. And yet, the fragnts of the Demon King that Vandalieu showed us weren’t rampaging. They were calm, and they weren’t looking for anything.”
That was Randolf’s thoughts on the Demon King Familiar created by Vandalieu, compared to the rampaging state of the Demon King fragnts he had seen in the past.
“Of course, this is just my personal observation, so there is no definitive proof,” Randolf added. “For all I know, he could be using a piece of Demon King equipnt that I don’t know about.”
“No, Randolf, that’s not what I wanted to ntion,” said orilith. “I wanted to ask, when do you intend to reveal to Vandalieu that you’re Randolf ‘the True,’ and not a teacher nad Dandolip?”
Still disguised as Dandolip, Randolf remained silent and avoided her eyes. Vandalieu, who had just left the office, and his companions, still knew him as ‘Dandolip-sensei.’
“… I am simply waiting for my students to see through my disguise themselves. Revealing my true identity to them will do them no good,” Randolf said.
“Randolf, it’s rather shaful for you to give a reason like that as if it’s just an afterthought,” said orilith.
Randolf fell silent for a few monts. “… Keeping quiet about my real identity won’t cause any problems. I’m sure Duke Takkard Alcrem and Duke Hadros Jahan haven’t ntioned to Vandalieu either because it’s not necessary.”
Randolf was acquainted with both dukes with whom Vandalieu had ford unofficial alliances – He had even t Duke Alcrem about a year ago; it was almost certain that Duke Alcrem would recognize who ‘Dandolip-sensei’ was if they were to et face to face.
“No, it’s not about whether it will cause problems or whether it’s necessary. I’m sure the dukes simply don’t know that you’re here, or they’re just avoiding talking about you. They’re being considerate of you,” said orilith.
What Randolf had said was unlikely to be true. Both dukes did indeed know Randolf’s face and how to contact him.
But it was unclear as to whether they knew where he was now. If they didn’t even know the na and face of Dandolip, the teacher who was being temporarily employed at the Hero Preparatory School, whether they would be able to tell that he was Randolf or not was irrelevant.
Of course, if they were interested in investigating who Dandolip was, they could. Duke Jahan had investigated Vandalieu previously, so it was possible that he already knew.
But even if they were aware of who Dandolip was, the dukes knew that Randolf disliked news about him being spread, so it was possible that they had not explicitly told Vandalieu about him for that reason.
“Even if they are keeping quiet about my identity out of consideration for , I’m sure they would have told him if they thought it was necessary. It’s a situation that will determine the fate of Orbau, you know,” Randolf said.
“I don’t know about that,” said orilith. “You’ll have to ask them yourselves. But maybe they’ve hinted at it. Maybe they told Vandalieu, ‘Try asking the teachers at the school you’re attending for help. How about your horoom teacher, Dandolip-sensei?’”
“If they did that, then I’m sure he would have realized my true identity… Could it be that he’s realized, but is waiting for to tell him myself?”
“I didn’t sense anything that suggested he might be doing that, but… even if he really hasn’t realized your true identity, I think you should tell him. Though I’m sure that’s complicated for you, given the long years you’ve spent doing your best to avoid getting involved with Churches.”
Randolf had beco secretive after retiring from adventuring, even more than that, he had beco an atheist… a man who believed that people should not get involved with any god or Church – regardless of whether the god was Alda, the God of Law and Fate, Peria, the mother of the Elf race, or Vida, the Goddess of Life and Love.
That was why Vandalieu, who preached Vida fundantalism, was soone he would normally want to keep his distance from.
“I don’t resent or hate people who pray to gods. Forcing others to worship your god or follow your doctrines is unacceptable, but I know that Vandalieu and his lot aren’t like that. I’m just hesitant because I know things will beco troubleso later on,” Randolf said.
Even if the people knew that Randolf had stepped forth to act when the city was in danger, nothing would happen right away. But once the situation was brought back under control, there would be people saying things that were troubleso to him – people with influence and money.
They would say that Randolf ‘the True’ had joined Vandalieu, who preached Vida fundantalism – in other words, the house of Honorary Countess Zakkart. They would use those rumors to make political moves.
One might wonder how Randolf could be thinking about such things when Orbau, a city with a huge population of people, and the entire kingdom, were at risk. However… the more Vandalieu managed to minimize the damage, the more his worries would beco reality.
“I know how troubleso politics are. But if you keep your identity a secret, and it becos revealed at an unexpected mont, it might get out of control. It would be wiser to reveal your identity to a few in advance, and have them cooperate to keep it a secret,” said orilith.
Randolf sighed. “… It’s just as you say. But before I reveal my identity to Vandalieu, I want to make things right. I need to apologize to Sensei for receiving instruction from her while deceiving her.”
“Ah, that one, the Kanako-sensei you ntioned. The one who’s scheduled to perform at the opening event of the new theater being built by the Jahan house, the Alcrem house, and the Tars’ Guild. Randolf, could it be that you’ve fallen for this Kanako-sensei?”
“No way. If I had a daughter, Kanako-sensei would be even younger than her.”
Randolf and orilith were Elves, and Kanako was a Dark Elf (as far as people knew). It was difficult to tell their ages based on their appearances. However, Elves and Dark Elves were able to vaguely discern each other’s ages.
Randolf felt that Kanako was far younger than himself, and although he respected her, he was unable to see her as a mber of the opposite sex… and in reality, they were about as far apart in age as a grandfather and his granddaughter.
“I see. Sorry for asking such a strange question,” orilith apologized.
“No, I am aware that I am rather obsessed with her. Sorry for making you misunderstand. Now then… I need to go to give my next lecture, so I will excuse myself,” he said, turning to leave the office.
As he turned his back to orilith, she said one last thing to him.
“It’s possible that the Dark Elf nad Kanako is a Guider. If she is, then I can understand why you’re so obsessed with her.”
“A musical Guider, huh. If she is, then maybe I wouldn’t mind lending her all my strength,” said Randolf.
anwhile, the ‘Kanako-sensei’ that orilith and Randolf were discussing was currently in the ‘theater’ that had been built beneath a warehouse owned by the Tars’ Guild in an urban area of the city.
“He did say that he built the foundation this morning, but it really is nothing more than a foundation,” she remarked, her voice echoing in the enormous but empty space. “Well, it is impressive that he even built the foundation. It looks like it will be much faster than digging up all the dirt from scratch, too. But I need to get the interior design sorted out, so the opening event will probably be around the ti Van and Pauvina-chan graduate.”
“Are you really going to perform here?” asked Orlock, the Guild Master of the Tars’ Guild, sounding surprised.
Even his familiar, a Crystal Elder Bear – a white bear with shard-like crystals growing on its body – gave a surprised twitch.
“I thought that making this space a ‘theater’ was just a pretext to build a place where people can evacuate when needed…” Orlock murmured.
Like Randolf and orilith, he had been told about Rikudou Hijiri. He had promised his help with creating a shelter where people could evacuate in the event that the fragnts of the Demon King gathered by Rikudou Hijiri went on a rampage and caused large-scale damage.
At this point in ti, it was a mystery as to whether Pri Minister Tercatanis would have any further contact with Rikudou, but it would be inconvenient if the pri minister were to find out about this place. That was why Orlock had assud it was being announced as a theater – to hide its true purpose as an evacuation shelter.
In the past, many had suggested a theater or circus for familiars to perform so that people could gain a deeper understanding of familiars.
Such suggestions had never materialized due a lack of budget, failed negotiations with governnt officials, opposition from people who believed that familiars were companions and companions shouldn’t be used to put on shows for people to gawk at, and Orlock’s own opinions, as he doubted that a theater’s operations could be sustained even if it was built. Tars were few in number, and if the objective was to deepen people’s understanding of familiars, then familiars that were monsters would be needed rather than ordinary dogs, monkeys, or birds. And a theater or circus wouldn’t be a business run by one person; there weren’t any tars with the knowledge and skills needed to keep such a business running.
Thus, Orlock didn’t have any intention of actually running this place as a theater.
“Of course I’m going to perform here. It would be a waste if I didn’t,” said Kanako.
“Are you mad?! This is a Dungeon!” Orlock exclaid.
Indeed, this place was a Dungeon that Vandalieu had created. It wasn’t an underground facility that he had dug into the ground using ‘Golem Creation’; it was a labyrinth he had created with ‘Labyrinth Creation’ whose entrance he had placed at one corner of the warehouse.
Using ordinary construction thods to create this shelter would have taken too much ti. And the danger that would cause people to have to evacuate was not a natural disaster, but Rikudou Hijiri. If Rikudou were to unleash a shockwave of death as he had done in Origin, no building would be able to block it, no matter how sturdy it was.
But Vandalieu could temporarily create a Dungeon. This would need a wide space, but if he made it low-difficulty, manipulated the monster spawn rates and locations, and ordered them not to attack people, he could create Dungeon floors that were safe.
It would also be isolated from whatever happened outside it. Even if an explosion enormous enough to change the landscape occurred, or slashing attacks that could split mountains were exchanged, or hundred-ter-tall Colossi and Elder Dragons brawled, it would be entirely unaffected.
If Rikudou Hijiri was sohow capable of wielding the fragnts of the Demon King, it was possible that he would be able to affect the Dungeon in so way. But even so, it would be safer than any place on the surface.
That was why Vandalieu had created a theater-shaped Dungeon.
… After things were over, it would need constant managent so that monster stampedes didn’t occur, but its difficulty was E-class, so that wouldn’t be too hard. Orlock and the other tars that belonged to the Guild could clear it in turns to keep the monster numbers down.
Of course, if its existence was discovered, people would see it as a problem, but Orlock believed that if this occurred, he could take responsibility by resigning as Guild Master.
But he’d never thought that it would really be run as a theater.
“Of course I’m not mad. Ah, but we still haven’t written up a contract with all the legal stuff, so negotiation is still possible,” Kanako said.
“No, that is not what I am trying to say…” said Orlock.
“You’re right, it’s definitely inconvenient to have just one entrance. Guests will have to use the sa entrance as the stagehands, and the stage equipnt will have to be carried through the sa entrance. Not having a back entrance is tough.”
“No, no, I am not trying to point out problems with its function as a theater.”
“Ah, if you’re wanting to complain about its safety, it’s too late. If there was a problem with that, we wouldn’t be able to use it as a shelter, would we?”
“That is indeed true, but using it temporarily during an ergency is different from continuously using it as a theater, is it not?! And if we do continue to use it as a theater, people will find out that it’s a Dungeon!”
“You’re seeing the safety for yourself, aren’t you? And as for people finding out that it’s a Dungeon… I don’t think you need to be so worried about that.”
When Vandalieu proposed using a Dungeon as a shelter… he had found it difficult to believe that Vandalieu had the ability to create Dungeons in the first place, but… he had also only agreed to it on one condition. That condition was that he could confirm its safety for himself, as he was doing now.
That was why he had co here with Kanako. Just in case, he had brought his familiar that was most proficient in battle – his Rank 6 Crystal Elder Bear.
“Mmm, indeed,” Orlock said, calming down as he realized that Kanako was right. “I am convinced that it is safe, but what do you an when you say that I don’t need to worry about people finding out that it’s a Dungeon?”
“We haven’t decided how we’re going to conclude this incident, but no matter how it ends, Pri Minister Tercatanis will be ousted from his position,” said Kanako. “The pri minister has thick connections to the Church of Alda, so…”
“I see. The pri minister and the other nobles of the royal realm, as well as the Church of Alda, will lose influence. anwhile, Duke Alcrem and Duke Jahan, the ones to respond to the situation the quickest, and the Church of Vida, will gain influence.”
If that happened, it would be easy to silence the voices that would criticize the creation and use of a Dungeon in the middle of the city.
“I thought that this incident would be a good opportunity for to retire, but… it seems that I must hold my position for a while longer,” Orlock remarked.
Leaving aside the true purpose of the theater, it would be far too irresponsible to declare the opening of a theater and then retire imdiately afterwards, before the theater’s opening event, despite not having any health-related problems.
“Do you need so more V Cream?” Kanako asked.
“That hair growth dicine? I am not bald, but… I suppose it would not hurt to receive so more,” said Orlock.
Several days later, preparations were complete.
A map of the castle, including every hidden chamber and concealed passage, had been made. Enough spirits, Demon King Familiars, and Imp Mice had been gathered. Vandalieu even had the Staff of Five Sins.
And he had contacted the people he needed to.
《Jobs that can be selected: Fallen Warrior, Insect Ninja, Eclipse Cursecaster, Creator, Tartarus, Wild Spirit, Dark Battery Cannoneer, Soul Fighter, Qliphoth, Dark Beast User, Hollow Shadow Caster, Balor, Apollyon, Demigorgon, Soul Devourer, God Devourer, Nergal, Ravana, Shaitan, Chi You, Ouroboros, Rudra, Blood Ruler, Demon Electricity User, Yin Guider, Juggernaut, Underworld God Mage, Berserk Muscle User, Apophis, Azathoth, Taotie, Guiding Lord, Changing Guider, Spirit Guider, Hollow World God Mage (NEW!), God Spirit Alterer (NEW!), Pandemonium (NEW!), Dark Demon King (NEW!)》
“I select ‘Underworld God Mage,’” said Vandalieu, averting his eyes from the newly-appeared ‘Dark Demon King’ Job and simply choosing the most straightforward one that would make him stronger.
《The Levels of the ‘Underworld God Magic,’ ‘Demon Thread Refining,’ and ‘Precise Mana Control’ Skills have increased!》
Passive skills:Active skills:Unique skills:Curses
And with that, Vandalieu’s Job change was complete as well.
Due to his treatnt of Alia and the other forr patients of the Hospital of Psychotherapy, as well as so of the mbers of the assassins’ organization that had been absorbed into his forces, he had reached the maximum Level for the ‘Spirit Therapist’ Job. The Jobs he had chosen after that, ‘Magic Staff Creator’ and ‘Artisan: Transformation Equipnt,’ had quickly followed after he completed the transformation equipnt for the Moon Giant Deeana, which had taken a considerable amount of ti, and the transformation equipnt for Elizabeth, Macht-senpai, and the others.
“Now then, since I’ve finished changing Jobs… It’s ti to begin the plan to find Rikudou,” Vandalieu said as he erged after his Job change.
The spirits and Imp Mice gathered before him ford a swarm that rushed into the royal castle.
Job explanation:
Spirit Therapist
A Job that allows the adjustnt (reshaping) of a target’s spirit form. It allows the user to change the shape of the target’s spirit form with their own spirit form, and grants the target the ability to manipulate their own spirit form.
This has a high chance of allowing the target to use their spirit form to inhabit artificial limbs made of inorganic matter to control them like they were a part of their own bodies, and make the spirit form protrude from their physical body to act as a third arm or leg.
It would be difficult for anyone other than Vandalieu to acquire this Job, but if those who received the above treatnts from Vandalieu were to improve their ability to control their own spirit form even further, it is possible that they could apply the sa treatnt to others and acquire this Job themselves.
Job explanation:
Magic Staff Creator
A Job for craftsn who create magic staves – in other words, transformation equipnt.
Job explanation:
Artisan: Transformation Equipnt
A Job for craftsn whose skill in creating transformation equipnt reaches that of an artisan. Such artisans are capable of creating transformation equipnt for those whose bodies are vastly different from ordinary humans… a hundred-ter-tall Colossus, for instance.
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