Sieg's stepfather was Zorcodrio, a Pure-breed Vampire and member of the S-class adventurer party known as the 'Storm of Tyranny.' Though his mother was unaware, his real father was Marshukzarl, Emperor of the Amid Empire.
He had been born in a hidden village of Vida's believers, and he would grow up in Talosheim.
And yet, despite this complicated background, Sieg himself was an ordinary human boy. With the blood of the half-Elf Marshukzarl running in his veins, he was one-quarter Elf, and this could be seen in his slightly pointed ears. However, his pointed ears wouldn't be noticed unless one examined them closely.
No meteor showers had appeared in the night sky when he was born, nor had he manifested any special Unique Skills. He had been born under ordinary circumstances of hardship and blessing. According to Rachel and Zod, he was very smart and clever, but he was not a shocking child genius.
Sieg suddenly awoke from his sleep.
Mmm… Dad?
He felt at peace, knowing that he was being held in strong, gentle arms. He was about to return to his dreamland, but during the moment that his eyelids were open, he saw something that he had never seen before.
Who is that…? They're white?
Sieg's sleepy eyes took in the sight of numerous white people. In the center was a boy with unnaturally white skin, and there were two semi-transparent, faintly-glowing boys on either side of him.
The moment his blurry vision came into focus, Sieg instantly became fully awake.
"Mmm… Va –?!"
Vandalieu?! The Vandalieu who was Amamiya Hiroto, the Undead?!
Indeed, Sieg was another reincarnated individual sent to this world by Rodcorte.
On Earth, his name had been Tanaka Jin. He had been a student in a different class from Vandalieu, so he had barely known him at all. In Origin, he had been one of the Bravers, having been granted the cheat-like ability known as 'Skanda.' He had been killed during the chaos caused by the murder of the 'Gungnir' Kaidou Kanata at the hands of the 'Metamorph' Shihouin Mari, along with 'Perseus' and 'Urðr.'
And like the others, he had been reincarnated in Lambda after refusing to take on Rodcorte's request, but… as a result of Rodcorte making that request, he knew who Vandalieu was.
Vandalieu had become somewhat older than the image that he had been shown back then, but there was no mistaking who this person was.
A-am I going to be killed?! Sieg thought, squirming in Zod's arms and instinctively trying to get as far away from Vandalieu as possible.
Fortunately, Zod and Merdin comforted him and took him away from Vandalieu.
"There, there. Do not be scared," said Zod.
"It's okay, Onee-chan's here!" said Merdin.
Why, what's going on?! What's happening to me… Huh?! I have to close my mouth!
Sieg was panicking, but he hastily shut his mouth to stop himself from saying anything carelessly.
And then, as he was carried away to where Rachel was waiting for him, Sieg's memories as the 'Skanda' Tanaka Jin and his memories of his current life so far came together, and he was able to come to some conclusions regarding his situation… and then his consciousness began to drift away.
Will I be able to survive? he wondered dimly as he fell back to sleep.
This encounter with Vandalieu had caused his memories to come back considerably earlier than they should have, and combined with the shock of seeing Vandalieu, this had been too much for his young body to handle. It was the same thing that Sarua Legston had experienced.
The next time he woke, the memories from his previous life would likely be forgotten.
"Muh, it seems that he has gone back to sleep… I hope that it does not become a traumatic experience that makes him scared of Vandalieu-dono," said Zod.
"There are a lot of statues and accessories of him in this country, after all," said Merdin.
There was a small statue of Vandalieu even at the small shrine to Vida that had been built in this new urban district. There were even palm-sized miniature statues being sold at the district's branch of the Church of Vida.
This was mainly due to the fact that Vandalieu had protested numerous times against large statues of him being built, to which Nuaza, the current head priest of the Church of Vida, had responded: "So, you do not object to small statues?!"
"Most importantly, he will come into frequent contact with Vandalieu-dono himself in the future. I hope that he will be open to him," said Zod, sounding worried.
As Sieg had lost consciousness, Rodcorte and his familiar spirits could not hear these words.
"You did this again?!" Aran shouted angrily at Rodcorte, but Rodcorte did not respond, having already given up on Sieg.
When the 'Skanda' Tanaka Jin was reincarnated in this world, just after the 'Gungnir' Kaidou Kanata's defeat at the hands of Vandalieu, there were no problems with having him reincarnated as the son of Marshukzarl, the emperor of the Amid Empire that opposed Vandalieu and the races created by Vida.
By the time he was old enough to be conscious of the world around him, the Amid Empire and Talosheim would be on the brink of war… or perhaps the nations would already be truly at war. Thus, Rodcorte had expected that 'Skanda' would realize that he was unable to escape and be forced to help with Rodcorte's plan.
But something unexpected had happened. Marshukzarl had altered the memories of the pregnant woman who bore the baby that housed Tanaka Jin's soul, and sent him to the Storm of Tyranny, a group of secret believers of Vida. Even so, Rodcorte had hoped that he would be able to use 'Skanda' to gather information on Vandalieu, even if he didn't actually help with his plan.
He had been surprised that there was a Pure-breed Vampire among the members of the Storm of Tyranny, but he had expected that 'Skanda' would go unnoticed unless he made a big mistake.
… Until Vandalieu overcame the framework of the circle of transmigration systems, directly guiding souls from Rodcorte's system to Vida's.
Now that things had come to this, there was nothing to be done.
Rodcorte was able to give reincarnated individuals destinies and fortunes. However, these had no meaning other than making certain events more likely to result in intended or desirable results. He could not give them fixed destinies or fortunes, as these did not exist.
This was especially true in Lambda, a world where there were souls that were not governed by Rodcorte's circle of transmigration system.
Thus, there was nothing to be done about Sieg, who was under the protection of the Storm of Tyranny. The destiny that Sieg had been given might hinder them a little, but its effects would be like a drop in the ocean. Every single member was an extraordinary being that could easily twist a little destiny around.
If the 'Skanda' Tanaka Jin had held strong religious beliefs against Undead during his previous life, or held a strong sense of trust in Rodcorte, things might have been different… but that was clearly not the case.
Thus, Rodcorte had long since given up on the 'Skanda' Tanaka Jin… Sieg, even more than he had given up on the 'Perseus' Samejima Yuri… Sarua Legston.
Of course, he had not told the other reincarnated individuals like Asagi, Kanako and Murakami that Sieg was 'Skanda.'
It would be troublesome if they were killed while trying and failing to rescue Sieg, and it would be some time before Sieg's memories returned, so he would not be a hindrance even if he joined Vandalieu's side.
And so, Vandalieu accepted another reincarnated individual into his nation without realizing it.
Meanwhile, Vandalieu was trying to remove the seal on a fragment of the Demon King, under the observation of Schneider, Lissana, Dalton and Gufadgarn.
Schneider had held back while continuously attacking the Goblin that had taken in the fragment of the Demon King, weakening it without killing it, and then the Storm of Tyranny had wrapped it in a thin Orichalcum cloth like a mummy to seal it away. If everything had gone well, it would still be alive.
In fact, it had been struggling and groaning the whole time Schneider was carrying it… but it wasn't making a single noise now.
"Has it starved to death?" Dalton wondered.
"Come to think of it, it's been quiet ever since we came to Talosheim," said Lissana, looking suspiciously at the Demon King's fragment. "It's been about a week since we sealed it, too…"
But Schneider shook his head. "There are big differences between individual fragments so I can't say for sure, but hosts taken over by fragments don't eat, sleep or drink, and the fragment will infest a new host before the current one becomes unusable. According to records, unless the host is heavily wounded, it lasts at least a month. There's no way it's died from starvation or exhaustion."
"I remember that the Goblin that's hosting the fragment was vomiting blood when we were sealing it, though," said Lissana.
"Would tormenting the host until it cannot move not qualify as severely wounding it?" asked Gufadgarn.
Seemingly in a bad mood from having his notions questioned even by his own companions, Schneider frowned and looked at Vandalieu.
"It's still alive," Vandalieu said. "The fragment going out of control has altered the body's structure, so its heart isn't beating, but there's still a reaction from my Detect Life spell."
"Right?! I was careful to hold back! It was hard holding back so it took some time, but I wasn't really tormenting it or anything!" said Schneider, sounding relieved.
Vandalieu decided not to mention that the host was quite weak… that it had less than a day left to live.
"I've removed the seal," said Vandalieu.
He unraveled the Orichalcum sash, revealing the deformed Goblin underneath.
Its skin color, the shape of its head and its thin limbs were no different from any other ordinary Goblin. But its torso… the chest that was so thin that its ribs were visible, was abnormally large, and there were ominous-looking tubes protruding from it that were letting out breathing sounds.
It was as if a Titan's chest with ominous tubes in it had been fused with a small, thin Goblin.
Having been released, the Demon King's fragment stood up with the imbalanced body it possessed, and it showed as much joy as could possibly be expressed by a Goblin's face.
"… Main… body… unite… with… me…" the fragment groaned as it approached Vandalieu.
But Vandalieu held up a hand. "Can you unite with me while keeping that host alive?" he asked it.
The Demon King's fragment stopped in its tracks, and several whistle-like breaths came from the pipes in its chest before it responded.
"In me, there is… no knowledge. In me, there is… no memory," it said.
Each of the Demon King's fragments were a part of the Demon King Guduranis, who was torn into a countless number of pieces, and each of them had transformed in order to try and resurrect him. They could not be described as individual life-forms. All they possessed was an instinct to gather and resurrect the Demon King.
It might take some time to figure out how to absorb the fragment without killing the host, Vandalieu thought.
But the fragment continued speaking. "My will is not the main body's will. The will of the main body is my will."
"I see. In other words, you can be manipulated by my will. Well then, let's test it out," said Vandalieu, taking the fragment's words at face value.
He tried using the Group Control Skill to control it. He did his best to imagine the fragment leaving the host's body, returning it to its original state without damaging it.
The Demon King's fragment's entire body quivered, and a black fluid spilled out of its breathing tubes.
The black fluid gathered to form a single, unidentifiable mass of flesh, which leapt into Vandalieu's hands and let out a harsh-sounding noise as it fused with him.
"You have fused with the Demon King's lungs!"
"The Levels of the Demon King, Group Control and Group Thought Processing Skills have increased!"
It seemed that the fragment wasn't a group of breathing tubes or a life jacket.
As Vandalieu checked the state of his own body, he saw Schneider examining his face with a worried expression.
"… Are you alright?" he asked. "From our point of view, that looked like an unhealthy-looking mass of flesh making quite the horrible noise as it went inside your hands, you know?"
Dalton and Lissana were wearing similar expressions.
Vandalieu had previously absorbed fragments of the Demon King on multiple occasions, but Schneider and his companions were seeing this strange phenomenon for the first time, so their reaction couldn't be helped.
The first time Vandalieu absorbed a fragment of the Demon King, Eleanora had tried to make him spit it out, after all.
"I'm fine," said Vandalieu. "But it seems that the host is beyond saving, in the end."
Schneider and his companions looked at the Goblin that had hosted the fragment of the Demon King to see that it was still quivering… spasming. But the gaps between its spasms were growing longer, and it was gradually moving less and less.
"Is this a failure?" Dalton murmured, watching the dying Goblin.
"It is not a failure," Gufadgarn replied immediately. "The Goblin's body mutated too much, to the extent that its life cannot be sustained now that the fragment is gone. It is likely that there are no organs left inside its chest other than its lungs. If it were the limbs or skin that mutated instead… If it at least had its heart left, it would have been possible for it to stay alive a while longer."
"I see! Now that you mention it, Vandalieu was saying that he couldn't hear a heartbeat. So, it just means that this guy was a bit unlucky," Dalton said in conclusion, taking out his knife… and then a troubled expression appeared on his face. "So, what are we going to do with this corpse? If you think it's best to dispose of it, we can burn it with magic or something."
It seemed that he had been about to remove the Goblin's ears to take as proof of having killed it, then remembered that there wasn't an Adventurers' Guild inside the Boundary Mountain Range.
"For now, we'll buy it from you as a precious specimen. In terms of the fact that I couldn't undo the mutations to its body, it was a failure, so I need to put it to use and research it," said Vandalieu. "Ah, will you accept payment in this nation's Lunas? Keep in mind that you can't exchange it for Amids, and it's made of a unique metal so we'll take any funds you have for safekeeping when you leave the nation."
"No, we brought this as a present for you, so we don't really need money… Not only have you made your own currency, but you developed your own metal? You're pretty amazing in a lot of ways," said Schneider. "But if you can manipulate fragments of the Demon King in other hosts, then aren't you invincible against any enemy that has absorbed a fragment?" he asked.
"I don't think that's the case," Vandalieu replied. "The reason it worked just now was because the Goblin's mind no longer existed, as it had been swallowed by the fragment. It would probably be impossible for me to control a fragment if its host's mind is still intact and they are actively manipulating the fragment themselves. I might be able to have some influence on them, though."
He suspected that it would be difficult to manipulate fragments inside enemies whose Demon King Encroachment Degree had not reached Level 10 – as had been the case for the evil god of release Ravovifard when he possessed Bugitas's body, and the Pure-breed Vampires Ternecia and Gubamon.
The most he could probably do was increase the speed of the fragment's encroachment on the host or cause some disturbances in the host's mind.
"I see. Not everything can go so smoothly," said Schneider.
"… No, I think that's a pretty unpleasant way to attack," said Lissana.
It was already difficult to control a fragment of the Demon King, and Vandalieu would be able to influence the fragment externally. Lissana thought that it would be quite an effective way to interfere with an enemy's plans.
But Vandalieu and Schneider began carrying the Goblin's corpse away, not seeming to agree with her.
Even after uniting with Schneider and his companions, Vandalieu and his friends continued working.
Vandalieu completed a Dungeon that had certain floors on which no monsters appeared, and made them into beaches, grasslands and prairies so that they could be used as holiday resorts, farms and fishing areas. The spawn rate of monsters on the other floors was increased to compensate, so the Dungeon's monster population would need to be thinned more often than ordinary Dungeons, but it could be managed stably by Vandalieu's monsters and the explorers accepting requests made by the Explorers' Guild.
The Huge Gluttony Worms in particular were very active now that they had been given such large feeding grounds.
Incidentally, the Demons that Vandalieu had tamed in the Trial of Zakkart were also living in Dungeons that he had created.
Development was progressing on the Demon Continent, too. The monsters were being thinned by the likes of the 'Sword King' Borkus, the 'Divine Spear of Ice' Mikhail who had also recently gained the 'Strongest Dummy' and 'Founder Dummy' Titles, and Vigaro who had acquired the 'Death Axe King' Title.
The 'Majin King' Godwin and Tenma, the king of the Kijin nation, had paid visits to the Majin and Kijin ancestors. The Drakonid nation's messengers brought a reprimanding message from Tiamat to the Elder Dragons that were their nation's guardian deities… That message was, "Why have you acted so late compared to the other nations regarding that matter?" Meanwhile, Oniwaka's exchange was going well; she had increased her Rank and changed Jobs multiple times.
However, it became clear that the majority of the Demon Continent's numerous Dungeons were C-class, and there were only three confirmed A-class Dungeons. That was apparently because the remnants of the Demon King's army that had controlled the Demon Continent until about a hundred years ago, such as Ravovifard and Dargzobon, had frequently made the Dungeons release the monsters outside so that they could use them as pawns and believers, thus not giving the Dungeons a chance to develop.
This was rather lacking for certain individuals such as Borkus and Godwin, but… the confirmed existence of over three hundred C-class Dungeons made the Demon Continent a far more dangerous place than any human society.
However, there were only a handful of Dungeons that were D-class or lower. It was thought that this was because the monsters living in this expansive Devil's Nest were at least Rank 4 or above.
The remnants of the Demon King's army hadn't bothered making use of D-class Dungeons that produced monsters weaker than those living on the Devil's Nest on the surface, so the majority of them had developed into C-class Dungeons.
This was an environment in which new members of an ordinary Adventurers' Guild would be killed before they could grow any stronger. The Maryujin, Kiryujin and Ghoul Amazonesses had maintained their populations of warriors in this land for generations. It was a testament to just how powerful they were and how much continuous effort that they had put in.
There were still many regions that had not yet been checked, it would be a considerable amount of time before the Demon Continent's danger was reduced to the same level as the region within the Boundary Mountain Range.
Schneider and the rest of the Storm of Tyranny had made a pilgrimage to Vida's Resting Grounds, visited the various regions of Talosheim and the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range, enjoyed the mud baths in the marshlands, and they were now back in Talosheim, talking to Vandalieu.
"The goddess is here, and it does seem easier to live a safe life inside the Boundary Mountain Range, but… there are many who can't abandon the land that they were born in, the land that was protected by generations of their ancestors. That's only natural, but some of the elders still don't believe in your existence. I'm going to go and convince them," Schneider said.
"It seems that there have always been old tales of a paradise for Vida's races beyond the Boundary Mountain Range. Apparently, it's hard to believe that it's recently become a reality, and there's an advanced space-attribute spell that would let them travel there with ease," said Lissana.
Many of Vida's races living on the Amid Empire side of the continent were very wary. They either lived in poverty or slavery in towns, or in hiding to avoid persecution. To them, news of Vandalieu's appearance and his invitation for them to immigrate to his nation sounded too good to be true.
"For the former group of people, please tell them that even if they don't choose to immigrate, there won't be any problems as long as I can give them communication devices to keep in contact and install a small Dungeon to be used in times of emergency," said Vandalieu. "As for those who doubt in us, should I take everyone to go and convince them? I might have to send familiars and messengers rather than going in person, though."
Schneider and Lissana imagined Vandalieu sending familiars… the strange creatures created from the Demon King's fragments, and messengers in the form of Gufadgarn, Zadiris, Basdia and Eleanora.
"… Well, we'll do our best to convince them on our own. We'll convince them," said Schneider.
"Yes, we have known them for a long time, so leave it to us. Leave it to us," Lissana repeated for emphasis.
And so, the Storm of Tyranny took the Goblin communication devices and returned to the lands ruled by the Amid Empire.
Incidentally, Vandalieu was still unable to move due to his growing pains, so he had been unable to receive training in Skills such as Unarmed Fighting Technique and Muscle Technique.
He turned his gaze back towards Talosheim to see that Kanako and her companions had finished making gunpowder. It had been completed by taking sulfur (or a substance similar to it) from the volcanic region of the Demon Continent that had become Zantark's Divine Realm, potassium nitrate created by Vandalieu casting Inanimate Aging on waste and corpses, and charcoal.
It had apparently been a troublesome process, as the required ratio of each ingredient was slightly different from that of Earth and Origin. Now, fireworks could be made even without Zakkart's gunpowder that Gufadgarn had been entrusted with.
Through this process, Doug had discovered a new Job called 'Telekinesis Power User.' It was likely a Job that had appeared through his continuous use of Hecatoncheir's telekinesis power rather than the Telekinesis spell.
Although the explosive power of the completed gunpowder was slightly less than the gunpowder created by the first Zakkart and entrusted to Gufadgarn. Thus, they were still lacking the powder needed to be used as direct weapons. Even a bomb with enough gunpowder to inflict a lethal wound on a Rank 3 Orc would only cause minor injuries to monsters Rank 5 or above.
The lethality of such bombs could be increased by adding metal fragments, but this would not be effective against monsters that were Rank 6 or above.
In fact, when testing these bombs against Lesser Demons with metal fragments included, the Lesser Demons had been surprised but almost completely unharmed, as the explosions did not contain any Mana.
But as Mana wasn't used during the gunpowder's manufacturing process, these bombs were difficult to detect and could be produced more cheaply than explosive Magic Items, so Vandalieu was planning to install them in the castle walls as anti-human defenses and put them in Golems that could charge into enemy lines and self-destruct.
And if things went well, he was also planning to install a cannon on Cuatro. It was one-quarter pirate ship, so a cannon was an essential part, after all.
Also, in many cases, firecrackers made for effective tools to ward monsters away.
Most importantly, the completed fireworks lit up the night sky above Talosheim with bright colors, captivating many of the citizens.
With this achievement, Kanako, Doug and Melissa had earned trust (though they had already been trusted since before the gunpowder was completed) and were allowed to act freely on their own.
They were allowed to do so, but… they willingly stayed in their original social position.
They were currently in the workshop beneath the castle with Vandalieu, whose body had finally become able to move again.
"… Really, why do you want to stay that way?" he asked.
"As your superior, even I don't really understand why. I can't imagine that we're that popular," said Legion's Enma, giving Kanako and her friends a puzzled look.
"It's not really that big of a reason. It's not like we've sworn heartfelt loyalty like Gufadgarn or been charmed as subordinates," said Doug as he performed the miscellaneous task given to him by Luciliano… Feeding a subject that was undergoing experimentation.
"I understand that… One Gufadgarn is enough," said Vandalieu.
Doug, Kanako and Melissa's attitudes hadn't changed. Depending on the time and place, they would be formal enough to call Vandalieu 'Your Majesty' and act as subordinates of Legion should, but they spoke to him normally at other times.
"But even if you say we've become free… Enma, as our superior and supervisor, you've given us so much freedom that we don't really feel any sense of liberation," said Melissa. "You've given us paid holidays, taken us out into the town when we got stuck and frustrated from working on the fireworks, and accompanied us into Dungeons."
Enma gave a little snort. "We were like that back in Origin, weren't we? We observed each other but didn't interfere… We just decided that as long as you're receiving the effects of the Guidance, then that's enough."
But Doug and his friends disagreed immediately.
"I'd say suggesting that we relax and leading us places is plenty of interference, don't you think?" Doug said.
"You backed us up inside the Dungeons, too," said Kanako.
"I heard that you even treated them to lunch in the town?" said Vandalieu.
Seemingly realizing that he couldn't pretend any longer, Enma let out a sigh… and then switched places with Izanami.
"Ah, he ran away!" said Doug.
"Well, it was almost time to switch anyway," said Izanami. "Not that I think it changes the fact that he ran away."
Due to the effects of Vandalieu's Mental Encroachment, Izanami had remembered the appearance she'd had before she underwent remodeling surgery in Origin. She now had the appearance of what she imagined she would have looked like if she had developed into a normal adult – an Asian, seemingly Japanese woman in her twenties with black hair.
Based on the birthday recorded in documents about her, she had been eighteen years old when she died in Origin, so it seemed that she had taken on a more adult-like appearance. Her thick eyebrows gave off the impression that she was strong-willed, but her personality was the same as it had always been.
The reasons she had given for her slightly tall, sensual figure were that her balance wouldn't be good if she was lighter than she was in Origin, and that it would be problematic if she didn't have enough raw material to use to create Yomotsushikome and Yomotsuikusa if she ever needed them.
"But I can understand why Enma was embarrassed. Feeling a sense of companionship with others under the same guidance is apparently one of the effects that guidances have, so it was probably to do with that. We only ever used each other in our previous lives, but we feel like you've become our allies now," Izanami explained. "Would you like some candy?" she added.
"Ah, yes please," said Kanako. "I'm happy about that, but… the word 'allies' has a heavy meaning for you, doesn't it?"
"Being parts of the same body, like family, together in life and death. That's all it means," said Izanami.
In Origin, the members of the Eighth Guidance had viewed all of humanity other than themselves as different creatures entirely. Even now, as Legion, the word "allies" had a deep meaning for them. Recognizing others as allies was equivalent to considering them to be family.
"It's heavy! That's pretty heavy!" Kanako exclaimed. "I mean, I suppose we feel closer to you than our previous lives as well…" She turned away from Izanami's affectionate gaze. "Anyway, returning to the original topic, what we wanted to say was that there is nothing for us to gain from quitting as Legion's subordinates!" she told Vandalieu.
After becoming free, Kanako had begun her idol activities (in this world, she was treated as a minstrel when she sang and danced on-stage), but… even now, Legion wasn't giving her any orders and didn't interfere with her idol activities at all.
Kanako and her friends also received salaries and guaranteed meals as Legion's subordinates. They even got to eat Vandalieu's own cooking. On top of that, being subordinates of Legion, one of Vandalieu's aides, was quite a high position to have within Talosheim and the Boundary Mountain Range.
In fact, there would be more disadvantages than advantages to quitting as Legion's subordinates.
"And after receiving this precious gift, I won't ever leave your side!" said Kanako, smiling as she held up the transformation staff that she had received from Vandalieu. "With this, our unit is complete, too."
Incidentally, the "unit" that Kanako referred to included Zadiris and Zandia, who also had transformation staves.
"I created that because Zadiris asked me to make one for you, so I didn't really have any hidden intentions. I'm glad you're happy with it, though," said Vandalieu.
"I don't mind! I'm going to make good use of it!" said Kanako.
She had been given a transformation staff – an item that existed only in small numbers, as only Vandalieu could create them. This made it very useful for Kanako in her idol activities as well.
"As for money, we received a small base payment just for creating gunpowder, so we don't mind that," Kanako added.
"I didn't think that we'd be receiving royalties in this world, but with this, Doug wouldn't have to work for the rest of his life," said Melissa.
"Yes, it might be impossible for us, but Doug is sorted for life," said Kanako.
"Shut up! Don't mock me just because I'm the only human here!" said Doug.
Doug had chosen to be a human when he was reincarnated in this world, so he would live to be just over a hundred years old at most, but the other two had chosen to be Elves and would live for about five hundred years. In this world, the amount of money that one would need to be sorted for life differed depending on their race.
"And I'm going to become a member of one of Vida's races as well, you know!" said Doug. "Speaking of which, Vandalieu, when are we going to change race?"
"About that, Doug, talks with the other nations aren't going very well, so please wait about ten more years," said Vandalieu.
"So long?!" Doug exclaimed, surprised.
"To be honest, I already trust you three so I don't think you really need to become members of Vida's races," said Vandalieu.
"You're the one who suggested it and now you're backing out?!"
But to begin with, the reasons for transforming them into members of Vida's races had been so that they would be more easily influenced by Vandalieu's guidance and also to remove Rodcorte's influence on them. Thus, there was actually no reason to do so now.
"I-I'd already prepared myself for it quite a lot…" said Doug, hanging his head in disappointment.
"That just shows how much you're being trusted," said Izanami comfortingly.
At that moment, Luciliano appeared, having gathered together his reports.
"Master, I have the results from the reproduction experiments on the Undead with transplanted Life Gold," he said. "When one parent is Undead, offspring are born as ordinary living people up until the third generation and beyond, and when both parents are Undead, their offspring are born as Undead of the same race as one of their parents, developing like ordinary children would until they reach adulthood. Furthermore, when children are born as Undead, it seems that they require Life Gold transplants to reproduce, just like their parents."
Vandalieu listened to Luciliano's brief summary and took the written documents that Luciliano was holding. As he read them, he considered plans for future experiments. "I see… Then let's begin testing with people. Capture some bandits alive… Using the Live-Dead Ternecia as the female test subject would probably create a Dhampir that's too powerful to be called a sample, so let's use the rest of the corpses that we acquired in the Trial of Zakkart," he said.
It seemed that a cruel fate awaited yet more bandits. The futures of Borkus, Vandalieu's adventurer friend Kasim, Princess Levia, Zandia and Orbia were at stake, so Vandalieu couldn't hold back with his experiments.
"Quick decisions get quick results. Why don't we go outside the Boundary Mountain Range tomorrow to go and hunt some bandits?" said Doug.
"No, I don't think there are so many bandits that we'd be able to find them right away!" said Kanako.
At that moment, Vandalieu felt another consciousness enter his mind.
"It has been a while, Vida, goddess of life and love," he said to her telepathically.
"Uwah! I was going to send you a Divine Message, but you can talk to me with telepathy?! How come?!" Vida exclaimed.
This was a Divine Message from Vida. Normally, Divine Messages were a unidirectional message, but in this instance, bidirectional communication had been established.
"Well, you are my child, so I suppose it isn't that strange. And it seems we can't talk for too long, so I'll keep it short,' said Vida. "My child, your mother, will be resurrected today. Congratulations! You've accomplished something that was impossible even for a goddess!"
With the last of those words, Vandalieu felt Vida's consciousness growing distant. But he had no time to enjoy that lingering sensation.
"Luciliano, cancel the bandit hunt. Mom is going to be resurrected today," he said.
"The Level of the Labyrinth Creation Skill has increased!"
Name: Zorcodrio (Zod)
Age: Including duration spent sealed away, approximately 100,140 years old (40 years old)
Title: Muscle King, The Man with an Orichalcum Body, Omnipotent Muscle, Not Needing Claws or Fangs, Unyielding, Mysterious Bartender, Demon Continent Survivor
Rank: 14
Race: Abyssal Pure-breed Vampire
Level: 95
Job: Avenger
Job Level: 29
Job history: Warrior, Unarmed Fighter, Muscle User, Meat Shield, Berserker, Muscle Berserker, Steel Muscle User, Indestructible Muscle User, Roaring Thunder Muscle User, Dark Muscle User, Guardian Muscle User, God-Iron Muscle User, Carpenter, Bartender
Passive skills:Transcendent Strength: Level 10
Increased Attack Power while Unarmed: Very Large
Increased Defense Power while Unarmored: Very Large
Self-Enhancement: Faith: Level 10
Strengthened Attribute Values: Frontlines: Level 10
Dark Vision
Rapid Regeneration: Level 10
Magic Resistance: Level 10
Status Effect Resistance: Level 10
Sunlight Resistance: Level 5
Revenge: Battle against Alda's Forces
Active skills:Axe Technique: Level 1
Unarmed Fighting Technique: Level 5
Swordsmanship: Level 1
Shield Technique: Level 4
No-Attribute Magic: Level 1
Coordination: Level 10
Extreme Muscle Technique: Level 10
Transcend Limits: Level 10
Commanding: Level 3
Familiar Spirit Descent: Level 10
Bloodwork: Level 1
Carpentry: Level 5
Engineering: Level 4
Cooking: Level 5
Unique skills:Super Muscle
Vida's Divine Protection
■ァ■■■■'s Divine Protection [a]
Zod, a late-blooming A-class adventurer and the member who joined the Storm of Tyranny most recently. His true identity is Zorcodrio, a Pure-breed Vampire who was sealed away approximately a hundred thousand years ago.
In the human society of the Amid Empire, he disguised himself as a human and made only the bracketed information of his name and age display itself on his adventurer card. This is completely illegal, and was done with the collaboration of a Guild Master seduced by Lissana and a receptionist that Schneider is close to.
Before the Demon King Guduranis invaded from another world, Zorcodrio was a believer of Vida from the time that he was still a human, and used his muscular strength as a physical laborer in work such as woodcutting and construction.
When the war against the Demon King's army began, he tried to use that muscular strength to fight, but… he was not gifted with a talent in the use of weapons. Even in the Status System created by Ricklent, the genie of time and magic, that did not change.
He was barely able to use Unarmed Fighting Technique and Shield Technique, but he could not fight with anything else and his memory of magic was poor. Thus, during the opening of the war, he was delegated to tasks such as being the rear guard for non-combatants.
However, during the central stages of the war, his eyes were opened by knowledge regarding muscles that was taught to him by Solder, one of the champions summoned from another world. He developed Muscle Technique, discovered Jobs related to muscles and began a rapid journey towards being a superhuman.
His achievements in combat caused him to be praised as a hero who would succeed the champions. Botin, mother of the earth and goddess of craftsmanship, once said: "Even I cannot grant him armor that would be of any use." Thus, he gained the Title: 'The Man with an Orichalcum Body.'
After the Demon King Guduranis was defeated and the war ended, Zorcodrio worked with Vida like her other believers, and he became a Pure-breed Vampire through the blessing of the Vampire True Ancestor that she gave birth to.
However, the war against the Demon King was already over, and the remnants of his army had gone into hiding. Thus, there were no enemies other than the wild monsters whose numbers were increasing in number, so Zorcodrio and the other Pure-breed Vampires poured their energy into creating a nation for Vida's races to live in.
It was then that Zorcodrio acquired the Carpenter Job and devoted himself to manual labor as he had done before the war. Relying on the strengthened Attribute Values that he had gained from becoming a Pure-breed Vampire, especially the Vitality, he calmly continued doing construction work even while being burned by the sunlight, thus acquiring the Sunlight Resistance Skill that would normally be impossible to acquire otherwise.
The first stage of the nation-building finished and the nation took form, and just as Zorcodrio began preparing to set up a store offering cocktails that he enjoyed, the nation was attacked by armed forces led by Alda and the champion Bellwood.
Zorcodrio fought on the frontlines, defeating many enemies with his Muscle Technique. Resisting the attacks of his enemies, he was sealed away at the beginning of the battle. The 'Unyielding' Title that he possesses was one given to him by the gods and believers of Alda's forces who saw his fighting.
After that, Schneider misinterpreted the Divine Message he received from Vida and undid Zorcodrio's seal, and Zorcodrio became a member of the Storm of Tyranny… On the outside, he did not appear to be a warrior or a mage. He was just a thin, middle-aged man (when his muscles were not pumped up), so he drew a considerable amount of attention when he suddenly joined this S-class adventurer party. It was on this occasion that he received the 'Mysterious Bartender' Title.
Of course, adventurers, mercenaries and other riff-raff frequently picked fights with him, but these were usually resolved simply by gripping their bodies lightly with his hand, so no large incidents occurred… One of them was a mercenary who was poorly-behaved but a first-rate fighter. Zorcodrio shattered the mercenary's weapon with his bare hands, broke his arm and grasped his head in a claw-grip until he lost consciousness. After that, nobody has picked a fight with him.
Zorcodrio currently possesses a Unique Skill related to his muscular strength, so others believe that this is what led Schneider to recruit him.
After that, he formed an emotional bond with and married Rachel, who was under the Storm of Tyranny's protection, thus becoming Sieg's stepfather.
There is a Dhampir inside Rachel's womb who carries Zorcodrio's blood, and it is thought that this child will be blessed with exceptional muscular strength as a racial trait.
It was a hundred thousand years ago when he became a Rank 13 Pure-breed Vampire. The reason he is still only Rank 14 despite that is because he had spent the century after his transformation into a Pure-breed Vampire as a manual laborer to build a nation, and he only fought against enemies of equal strength on one occasion – during the battle against Alda's forces.
When his seal was undone by Schneider and his party, he began training and fighting real battles, but only a decade has passed since then.
Schneider also possesses Familiar Spirit Descent and Vida's Divine Blessing which he did not have until very recently, but Zorcodrio acquired them while Vida was still active, during the war against the Demon King. (Thus, it was a Skill with no effects until Vida's recent resurrection.)
Additionally, he can fly as he is a Pure-breed Vampire, but he rarely uses this ability as he travels far faster running on his own two feet.
.
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Darcia would be resurrected.
This big news spread around Talosheim very quickly, and each of the nations inside the Boundary Mountain Range were informed through the Goblin communication devices.
"I'm sure Darcia-sama will be surprised to see us when she's resurrected," said Rita.
"Everyone's already here, after all," said Saria, looking around the underground workshop.
The underground workshop, which already normally half-functioned as a hang-out for Vandalieu's close aides, was packed with a large number of people.
The Storm of Tyranny members weren't here, as they had returned to the hidden villages of Vida's races on the Amid Empire side of the continent, but Legion and Gufadgarn had brought the important people from each of the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range.
Almost all of them had met and exchanged greetings with Darcia when she was a spirit. However, now that she was going to begin a new life, it was only natural for them to want to exchange greetings with her again.
The leaders of the Drakonid nation (the Drakonid Elders) and Rowen, a knight who represented the Drakonid nation, were making a fuss after having been brought here by Gufadgarn.
"We made it…! I thank you, Gufadgarn-sama," said one of the Drakonid Elders. "Who knows what Tiamat-sama and the other guardian Elder Dragons would have said if we were any later. I am relieved."
"This is no time to be relieved! There is no meaning in simply being here. There is only meaning once we exchange greetings with Darcia-dono once more!" said another of the Drakonid Elders. "We are relying on you, Rowen!"
"That is enough, Drakonid Elders!" said Rowen.
Tiamat, the Mountain Queen Elder Dragon, was putting pressure on the Drakonid nation. The nation's leaders were desperate because of the great influence that the resurrected Darcia would likely have.
Saria and Rita and everyone else knew this, but Vandalieu was quite the mother-con. This was in the sense that he had been protecting her because she was nothing but a weak spirit, but those mother-con tendencies were unlikely to be cured the moment Darcia was resurrected.
And in the political system of Talosheim, the nation that Vandalieu ruled, he faced no opposition as the emperor whatsoever. There were some figures who could warn him and stop him, such as the general-plus-prime-minister Chezare and the lieutenant Kurt, but every final decision came down to Vandalieu's will.
Despite that, Vandalieu certainly placed importance on Darcia's opinions, and unlike when she was a spirit, she would always be by his side. She would likely be more influential in Talosheim than a duke in a human society.
However, this was the area within the Boundary Mountain Range, a region that had been isolated from the outside world for over a hundred thousand years. There wasn't a single person who had come out of a sense of vigilance and fear for Darcia's political influence.
"What are you saying Rowen! Darcia-sama is the mother of His Majesty the Emperor, and this is our chance to greet her and become closer to her!" one of the Drakonid Elders said.
"Indeed," agreed another. "When it comes to occasions such as these, the first impression is important. If we let this opportunity go, the effects of that will be long-lasting."
What the Drakonid Elders were concerned about was the fact that Darcia's influence would influence Vandalieu's relationships with others, especially those with members of the opposite sex.
Vandalieu was currently approaching the development of his secondary sexual characteristics, and this fact was well-known throughout every nation within the Boundary Mountain Range. In other words, he was soon going to be of marriageable age. It would be several more years before he matured to adulthood, but this was the perfect age to form engagements.
Vida, the goddess of life and love, was the being ruling all of the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range, and her teachings advocated for freedom in love. However, there were cases where betrothals were decided by one's parents.
The thought process behind this was that even if a third party were to introduce the couple to one another, they could still find happiness by becoming closer to each other and fostering love. There was no saying which way was better or worse when it came to marriages that contained love.
Thus, it was not rare for marriage talks to be conducted among parents and superiors. Thus, everyone in the nations within the Boundary Mountain Range was thinking that Darcia may do the same for Vandalieu. The Four Drakonid Elders were particularly conscious of this fact, as Tiamat, the Mountain Queen Elder Dragon who was one of the parents of the Drakonid race, had reprimanded the Elder Dragons that were the Drakonid nation's guardian deities for being late to make a move… though there were several other nations that had not yet sent anyone to Vandalieu, such as the Merfolk nation and Lamia nation.
Even Rowen wasn't against the Four Drakonid Elders, the leaders of her nation, bringing her talks of marriage.
The problem was that the one she would be married to was Vandalieu.
"… I understand that, but there is no need for it to be me. Or rather, I do not believe that it would be a fair exchange. Even if I were to become one of his queens, I would simply be buried and forgotten among the others," Rowen said.
Vandalieu was already surrounded by a number of queen candidates. Rowen imagined that if she were to become one of them, her presence would simply be forgotten.
"Mmm, however… the marriage proposal has not been decided, and there are no girls as beautiful or skilled as you," said one of the Drakonid Elders.
"It is crucial to know when to give up," said Rowen. "If this proposal does not happen, we could search for a candidate from among our Kiryujin and Maryujin brethren on the Demon Continent, could we not? Or we could even ask Tiamat-sama herself."
"That seems like it would lead to the birth of a Vampire-Drakonid… Ah, have some tea," said a voice, and a pair of hands offered Rowen a cup of tea.
"Thank you… Vandalieu-dono?!" Rowen exclaimed, nearly dropping the teacup in surprise as she saw that it was Vandalieu himself who had given her the tea. "Eh, wait, it is not that I hate you or anything like that!" she said hastily, realizing that Vandalieu had heard their conversation.
"Th-that is right! We are merely being too persistent," said one of the Drakonid Elders.
"Now, now, please calm down," said Vandalieu. "I'm aware that there are a lot of women around me, so don't worry about it. There's no real need to conduct any political marriages. So… please don't try to persuade Tiamat to do anything like that."
"I-I see… Vandalieu-dono, do you find Tiamat-sama unpleasant?" Rowen asked.
"I don't," Vandalieu replied.
Tiamat was as large as the true Colossi. Her limbs and tail were covered in scales, and there were two horns protruding from her head. Her appearance was very different from that of a human. But naturally, Vandalieu did not think that Tiamat was ghastly or hideous.
In fact, he felt attraction to her calm demeanor, her overflowing vitality and the gloss of her vividly-colored scales.
"But I think that having dozens or a hundred children at once is a little… too high of a hurdle," said Vandalieu.
The Mountain Queen Elder Dragon Tiamat was known for her romances with true Colossi, beast-kings and even with gods during the age of the gods. However, she was also known for giving birth to many children.
Indeed, when she gave birth to the Kiryujin and Maryujin, she had apparently given birth to a hundred children each time. At the time, it was necessary to leave behind descendants as quickly as possible, and the children of Elder Dragons developed several times faster than other races.
"That is… true," said Rowen, finding herself nodding in agreement with Vandalieu.
The prosperity of one's descendants was something that ought to be celebrated, something that would bring stability to the nation. But a hundred was simply too many.
"Even if Tiamat-sama is known for giving birth to many children, would she not restrain herself…?" one of the Four Drakonid Elders wondered. "No, she would not," he said, immediately refuting his own idea.
Giving birth to many children was a part of Tiamat's nature, and deliberately suppressing that characteristic would be difficult.
But I have heard that even Tiamat-sama is unable to give birth to large numbers of children when the father is a true Colossus or an Elder Dragon. Would that not be the case with Vandalieu-dono as well? the Drakonid Elder wondered, but he decided to stay silent, as there was no proof that this was the case… though he decided to later go to the Demon Continent himself to be sure.
"So, as Rowen-san said, we shouldn't be hasty. I mean, my lifespan is between three thousand and five thousand years, and I'll still be plenty young in a hundred years' time," said Vandalieu.
Even though Vandalieu said that political marriages weren't necessary, the Four Drakonid Elders still didn't feel at ease. They suggested that this matter be left for later discussion, having no candidates other than Rowen.
"Now then, I'll guide you to your seats," said Vandalieu.
"Is it really necessary for you to guide us yourself, Vandalieu-dono? You are the one who wishes to be close to your mother for her resurrection, are you not?" said Rowen.
"I am close to Mom for her resurrection, ready for it to happen at any moment. Look," said Vandalieu, pointing at the capsule that contained the root of life in which Darcia resided.
Next to the capsule was Vandalieu, staring into it… his physical body.
Bone Man, a part of Knochen, Sam, Saria, Rita, Zadiris, Basdia, Tarea and others were gathered around him, emotionally recalling fond memories.
"The me here is a clone. There's all kinds of preparations to be made, so I've made a lot of clones, so this is just one of the tasks that I can do," said Vandalieu's clone.
Above ground, quick preparations were currently underway for a festival to celebrate Darcia's resurrection. A countless number of Vandalieu's clones were making food, while the people were making decorations and organizing a parade.
Up until now, Darcia had only tasted Vandalieu's cooking through Materialization and another spell that allowed her to share Vandalieu's senses. But Vandalieu had always wanted her to truly eat it for herself once she came back to life, and he was making enough for everyone.
"I see… can we be of help?" Rowen asked, realizing how much work Vandalieu was doing.
"No, no, you are guests here, Rowen-san," said Vandalieu. "My physical body was unable to move until recently, so I've become used to working with my clones, so it's alright."
Indeed, the familiars that were a combination of Demon King fragments and Possessed by Vandalieu's spirit form – commonly referred to as Demon King Familiars* – were scuttling around Talosheim these days with nobody paying them any attention.
TLN*: This is a play on words in Japanese. 使い魔/tsukaima = familiar, 魔王/maou = Demon King, put together it is 使い魔王/tsukaimaou = Demon King familiar.
They were mainly working in building construction, carrying heavy building materials in place of Golems and applying paint made from the Demon King's ink. They were also accompanying Borkus and Vigaro on their monster hunts, acquiring Experience Points for Vandalieu.
Recently, cannon-type Demon King Familiars which used the air pressure from the Demon King's lungs to fire projectiles from hardened blood vessels of the Demon King were popular for monster extermination… This method was considerably less powerful than the method of firing projectiles using Telekinesis, but it also required less Mana, which meant that it was possible for Demon King Familiars, which were separated from Vandalieu's main body, to fire projectiles repeatedly.
"I understand. Then we shall observe Darcia-dono's resurrection from here," said Rowen.
She and the Drakonid Elders gave a bow, and the spirit-form Vandalieu left to offer tea to other guests.
In contrast to the busily-working clones, the physical Vandalieu remained motionless in front of the capsule, waiting for the moment to come.
A spherical object covered in a thin, pink membrane floated inside the fluid-filled capsule. It was this object that contained Darcia's body.
A female silhouette with her limbs curled up was visible through the thin membrane, but it was showing no signs of movement yet. If it weren't for this membrane, Darcia's state would be more clearly observable. But the membrane was serving an essential function.
"Hmm, if it were not for this membranous pouch, we could have observed her development in more detail," said Luciliano, sounding a little disappointed as he looked over the summarized records of his observations… which included detailed sketches.
The membrane was essential for obscuring what he could see.
"Could it not be possible for your spirit form to enter the membrane and observe her?" Luciliano said. "I would not go as far as to ask you to tell me what you see."
"Gufadgarn told us, didn't she? The root of life is delicate, so another spirit getting too close to it might cause unforeseen complications," said Vandalieu. "I don't want to let another spirit close to it, even if it's my own."
Vandalieu was curious as to what kind of state Darcia was in, but he had heeded Gufadgarn's warnings and kept to talking to the capsule from the outside and making sure there was no reaction from Danger Sense: Death.
"Jyuuh… You do not know when to give up," Bone Man muttered to Luciliano. "Still, this is deeply moving… Knochen, it seems that we can finally achieve the goal that we held back then."
Knochen gave a happy groan.
As they waited on standby with large, black cloths, Bone Man and Knochen recalled the first objective they were ever given when they were created by Vandalieu.
Bone Man and Knochen, who was a fusion of Bone Monkey, Bone Bird and the others, were the Undead that Vandalieu had created and named in his first year in this world.
Their objective was to carry Vandalieu to Darcia. When they were created, Darcia had already been burned at the stake and reduced to a mere spirit, and they had succeeded in carrying Vandalieu to the site at which she had been executed.
But now, they had finally succeeded in bringing Vandalieu to a living Darcia. If they possessed tear ducts, tears would likely be flowing freely from their eyes.
"Indeed… Reflecting on the past, we have carried Bocchan a long way," said Sam, who was holding a black cloth as well (the carriage that was his main body was nearby).
"Not really distance-wise, but that's true," said Saria, who was holding a towel.
"When we met Bocchan and the others, we never even dreamed that we would have the forms that we have now," said Rita, holding a towel as well.
"Truly… I never imagined. I wonder if my wife would forgive me," Sam murmured as he gave a distant gaze towards his two daughters… the two Tartarus Maid Armors.
"Father, what are you saying all of a sudden? I'm sure Mother would not be angry at you," said Saria.
"It's just as Nee-san says," said Rita. "We only became weapon-wielding Undead that heal when we bathe in the blood of our enemies, right?"
The twins tried to cheer Sam up, but it seemed that this wasn't what Sam was concerned about.
Rita and Saria resided in a high-leg leotard-shaped and bikini-shaped armor, and had bodies with appearances based on when they were alive with the Spirit Form Skill. The hairbands and laces did help a little to cover their bodies, but… they were showing a lot of skin, even though it was pale. Even their plentiful, feminine curves were on open display.
"Bocchan, please continue to take care of my daughters. I beg you, for many years to come," said Sam as he desperately clutched Vandalieu's hand, thinking that his wife would not forgive him after all.
"Okay… Mom is going to be resurrected now, so please take care of both me and her," said Vandalieu.
"Danna-sama, I do not think that is what he means," said Bellmond, Vandalieu's steward. "… No, that is not for me to say," she said, stopping herself from saying any more.
Meanwhile, Pauvina's large eyes were shining with anticipation.
"I wonder when Darcia-Mama is going to be resurrected!" she said.
The Patchwork Zombie Rapiéçage, who was made from the combined corpses of multiple humans and monsters, and the Patchwork Hydra Zombie Yamata, whose nine heads had been severed and replaced by the upper bodies of beautiful women of different races, were nearby as well.
"Mama…?" Rapiéçage repeated, seeming a little confused by Pauvina's words.
It wasn't Darcia who had given birth to Pauvina; thanks to Vandalieu, she had been given birth to by her own Live-Dead body from her previous life.
But that didn't matter to Pauvina.
"That's right. Mama," she said, pointing at Darcia's body inside the capsule. "I'm Van's little sister, so Darcia is my Mama. Mama said that I can call her that, too. Didn't she, Van?"
"Yes, I remember," said Vandalieu.
The truth was that Vandalieu was more like Pauvina's parent than her older brother, but their ages were similar, so their relationship had become something close to a sibling relationship. Thus, there was nothing strange about Pauvina calling Darcia 'Mama.' Darcia herself had been happy with it, and Vandalieu supported it as well.
"So Rappie and Yamata, you should call her Mama as well!" said Pauvina.
"… Huh? I don't remember anything about that," said Vandalieu, confused.
Rapiéçage and Yamata's ten total faces all looked confused as well.
"Ma… ma? Me… too?" Rapiéçage groaned.
"Yamata… too?"
"Yeah! You two were born and reborn thanks to Van, just like me, so we're all the same!" Pauvina said cheerfully.
It seemed that Pauvina thought that Darcia was Mama to all of them, as they were all something like younger sisters to Vandalieu.
"Ma… ma… Mama… Mama… Mama…" Rapiéçage muttered repeatedly.
"Mama~♪" sang Yamata.
It seemed that the two had taken a liking to the word.
"Does that apply to me and my daughters, then? Yes, that sounds good," said Quinn, the queen of the Gehenna Bees.
"Mama… Fufufu…" said the Skogsrå Eisen.
The two of them were happy to jump on this bandwagon. It was true that both of them had been pseudo-reincarnated by Vandalieu, so they met the same conditions as Pauvina and the others, but… no matter how one looked at it, they were not Vandalieu's younger sisters.
Legion was using a strange technique where they remained in their meat-sphere form but only their heads appeared in human form, allowing them to talk at the same time.
"What about us? I suppose it would be better to ask her first?" said Pluto.
"Don't ask her that! There's no way we could ask her something so embarrassing!" said Baba Yaga.
"I'm not embarrassed, though. Should I ask her in your place? I'll tell her, 'Baba Yaga is too embarrassed to ask, so I'm asking in her place. Please, let us call you Mama,'" said Shade.
"Shade! You damn brat!" Baba Yaga cursed.
Vandalieu had created Legion using the base form of life, so they had things in common with Rapiéçage and the others.
"At this rate, every Undead and pseudo-reincarnated person that His Majesty created will be Darcia-san's children. Not that I mind that," said Princess Levia.
"Nee-san! It's still too early to decide that! We're royalty, so we should find a proper time and follow procedures, shouldn't we?!" said Zandia.
"What should I do? I wonder," said Jeena, seemingly undecided.
"In that case, Orbia-neesan can call her mother-in-law before me," said the Scylla Privel, looking jealous.
"Privel, I think that has a different meaning. And I'm not really like your older sister, am I?" said the Scylla Ghost Orbia.
"No, no, it is possible that Privel-dono, I and Gizania-dono have the right to refer to Darcia-dono as such, if we are to accept Pauvina-dono's argument," said Myuze, a member of the Empusa race that had the characteristics of praying mantises. "Our appearances have changed greatly after receiving Vandalieu-dono's guidance and divine protection, after all."
Myuze had become a Crystal Empusa with her entire exoskeleton and sickles-arms turned to crystal, and Privel had become an Origin Scylla, with dragon heads on the ends of the eight tentacles of her octopus-like lower body.
As for Gizania, who was a large-build Arachne with the characteristics of a spider, she was now an Ushioni, with horns like those of a bull.
"That might be true, but… We should wait for the right time. I think that it is disrespectful to our own mothers, and we are being too pushy," said Gizania.
"Serious as always, Gizania-dono," said Myuze. "Still, waiting for the right time is indeed essential."
"Yeah, I'm going to wait too," said Privel.
"Ah, I'm not gonna be so reserved, though!" said Kimberley, talking to Darcia who was still inside the capsule.
"Iris, you're still alright with being our daughter, right?!" said the Majin king Godwin.
"Wait, Godwin… that depends on what Iris wants," said Nemesis George, Iris's father.
"Father, Chichi-ue, stop asking for my opinion on everything!" said Iris.
"What're you gonna do, kid? You're gonna end up with a lot of siblings at this rate," said Borkus; none of this applied to him.
Vandalieu's response was very easy to foresee.
"We did it, Mom. Our family's grown bigger," he said.
"It's no good, the kid's ready to accept anything!" Borkus exclaimed.
"Holy Son, why are you giving up… Ah! Perhaps if I ask now, you would grant permission to erect a statue of Darcia-sama alongside a large statue of you, Holy Son?! Holy Son, I beg you, please consider it!" said Nuaza.
"Hey, don't go looking for weaknesses in the one you're supposed to be worshipping," said Borkus.
Meanwhile, Zadiris was breaking out into a cold sweat nearby. "… This is no laughing matter," she murmured with a grim expression. "I do not need even more reasons to appear young."
"It's fine, isn't it, Mother?" said Basdia. "We don't meet the criteria that Pauvina mentioned… or do we? Now that I think about it, you and Tarea have had your aging reversed, and I could be said to have been reborn after the fertility treatment," she said, blurting out a strange notion.
"Mom, should I call Darcia-san 'Mom' too?" said Jadal, Basdia's daughter.
"Wha –?! Why are you saying such ominous things?!" exclaimed Tarea. "What will you do if I am also stuck with this young image and the 'magical girl' thing infects me?!"
"Wait just a moment! I agree with the first part, but I cannot agree with the second! Are you trying to say that we are some kind of disease?!" said Zadiris, flaring up at the way that Tarea had worded her sentence.
"It has already infected Zandia-san and the newcomer Kanako-san, has it not? Kanako-san has even asked Van-sama for a transformation staff," said Tarea, showing no signs of hesitation or remorse. "And even though I despise magical girls so much, she wishes to form what she calls an 'idol unit'… You said that you dislike magical girls yourself, but the truth is that you wish to fill Talosheim with magical girls and rule over them as the founder of all magical girls, is it not?!"
"That actually sounds interesting, doesn't it? Talosheim, the city-state of magical girls," murmured Vandalieu, still in a state of being willing to accept anything.
"Please give up that idea. I'll do anything," Eleanora begged Zadiris, having only just recently acquired the 'Eclipse Emperor's Loyal Dog' Title.
"What is this nightmarish depiction of the future?! Who is going to rule over who?! Boy, do not agree with this! Eleanora, I would not do this even if it were asked of me! It is just… Kanako seems to be knowledgeable in a variety of things, and her songs and dances will be far more popular than someone who is half-hearted like me, so I thought that if I switched places with her at the right time, most people would forget about me," Zadiris explained, having put a lot of thought into this. "And it was Kanako who told me that if three people are in the spotlight at the same time, nobody will care who the first magical girl was."
"… Doesn't that just mean that you were taken for a ride?" said Eleanora.
"Muh… Now that I think about it, I think that may be the case," said Zadiris.
It seemed that she had merely been deceived by Kanako's skillful words.
"You should try not to be manipulated so much… seriously," Eleanora muttered.
"The one who made transformation staves for you and Bellmond was Vandalieu-sama, wasn't it?" said Isla.
"Isla, do you not have to become Danna-sama's younger sister as well?" asked Bellmond.
"I am Vandalieu-sama's loyal servant, and certainly not his younger sister," Isla replied.
"Be quiet. It seems that the time has come," said Luciliano, scribbling something on a piece of paper as he observed the membrane inside the capsule which was now making large, swaying movements.
Beyond it, Darcia had clearly started making conscious movements.
The soft membrane was torn from the inside, and a pair of thin arms emerged.
"Open the capsule," said Vandalieu.
In response to Vandalieu's command, Gufadgarn immediately appeared out of thin air.
"Certainly," she said.
Gufadgarn waved an arm, and the preservative fluid drained from the capsule as it opened.
And from within the membrane, Darcia –
"Everyone, in formation!" said Bone Man.
Knochen groaned.
"Puhah, everyone – Eh?! What is this?!" exclaimed Darcia.
The moment she emerged, Bone Man, Knochen and Sam surrounded her on all sides with the black cloths they were holding, concealing her from everyone else.
"Darcia-sama, here's a towel!" said Rita, as she and Saria stepped past the black cloths to wipe the preservative fluid from Darcia's body.
"Here is your clothing," said Bellmond, handing her clothes.
"Th-thank you. Everyone, you're so coordinated…" Darcia said in bewilderment as her body and hair were wiped clean and clothes were put on her.
Suddenly, she let out a small groan as she clutched her head.
"Darcia-sama?!" Saria exclaimed.
"Mom?! What's the matter?" asked Vandalieu, flying to her immediately.
"It's alright, it's just that my Status… The announcements were kind of too much… They came all at once, so I feel dizzy," said Darcia, teetering on the spot.
It seemed that she was dizzy from all of the announcements informing her of the various Skills that she had acquired.
"Phew, I might have worked a little too hard with Vida-sama… Well, Vandalieu… You've grown quite big in the short time it's been since I last saw you in person," Darcia said, looking at her son with her gentle, bluish-purple eyes and touching his head.
Perhaps because he was in his growth period, Vandalieu had grown about ten centimeters taller. He had originally been small for his age, and he was still a little shorter than Zadiris, but he was far bigger than he had been when Darcia last held him in her arms.
"I'm sorry for making you go through so much up until now. Thank you for bringing me back," Darcia said. "From now on, we'll always be together."
"Yes, Mom. Thank you for coming back," said Vandalieu.
It was that warmth. The warmth of the first unconditional love that Vandalieu had ever experienced in his third life. Tears flowed from Vandalieu's eyes as he felt that warmth in Darcia's hands.
At the same time, he made a vow. "I won't let anyone take you from me again," he said.
The fact that he had brought Darcia back meant that she could be taken from him again. He engraved this fact into his soul. The Demon King Familiars that had been deployed around Talosheim were on maximum alert.
They were ready to prevent any intervention from Rodcorte or Alda's forces.
"You've become such a worrywart, haven't you?" said Darcia as she smiled and embraced Vandalieu reassuringly, knowing what her son was thinking. "But from now on, I'm going to fight and help you, Vandalieu. Because of all the reckless things you did, my race has become a strange one called 'Chaos Elf Source,' and my Skills are amazing now! I've become something like an incarnation of Vida-sama!"
"Chaos Elf… Source? An incarnation of Vida…" Vandalieu murmured.
Darcia's new body didn't appear much different from her previous one. Her skin had become a little blacker than it had been before, but that was about it.
"I can feel Vida's presence, but I think you're you, right, Mom?" said Vandalieu.
"Yes. Even though I'm her incarnation, my consciousness and personality are my own," said Darcia. "It's like I'm still myself, but I've become Vida-sama's incarnation."
It seemed that rather than having fused with Vida, Darcia had become Vida's incarnation through direct contact with her.
It effectively seemed to be equivalent to having received an extremely powerful divine protection.
"Ah, I've finished changing! I want to greet everyone, so could I do that?" Darcia asked.
"As you will," said Bone Man; he and the others had read the mood and remained silent up until this point.
Now, they took the black cloths away. A large cheer erupted from those who had been waiting as they saw the resurrected Darcia, who was still embracing Vandalieu.
"Everyone! Thanks to Vandalieu and everyone else here, I've been resurrected! Please take good care of my son and this country from now on!" Darcia said to the crowd.
The crowd gave another large cheer. At that moment, Darcia acquired the 'Empress Mother' Title.
Next, for some reason, Darcia addressed Kanako and Melissa. "Also, are Kanako Tsuchiya-san and Melissa J Saotome-san here? I have something to discuss, so could you come over here?" she said.
"U-us?" said Kanako, surprised and bewildered.
She and Melissa had been observing from some distance away, but the people around them urged them to step forward before Darcia. Doug was following behind them, wearing the same expression of bewilderment.
"U-umm, how do I say this… S-sorry?" said Kanako.
"W-we apologize," said Melissa.
"Eh? I don't know what you're apologizing to me for, but…" said Darcia.
Kanako and Melissa ended up apologizing due to the strange sense of uneasiness that they felt, but it did not seem that Darcia had asked them to come forward to reprimand them for trying to curry favor with her son.
"You two, and Doug-kun back there want to become members of Vida's races, don't you? That hasn't changed, has it?" Darcia asked.
"Eh, ah, yes! That hasn't changed! But if possible, I'd like to become a race with an appearance that isn't too different…" said Kanako.
"I-I want to make the same request as Kanako!" said Melissa.
"Then perhaps you would be alright with your skin becoming a little darker?" said Darcia.
"Yes! We'd love to become Dark Elves!" Kanako and Melissa said simultaneously, standing up completely straight.
"Well then, it's the perfect opportunity, so maybe I should just do it," said Darcia, giving them a smile. "You won't be Dark Elves, but… blessings upon the two of you," she said, putting Vandalieu down and embracing Kanako and Melissa instead, placing her lips on their foreheads.
"Ah… AAAAAH!" shouted Kanako.
"Haah… This is… amazing…" gasped Melissa.
"Your skin is turning black?! Have you become Dark Elves?!" Doug exclaimed in surprise, pointing a finger at his two friends.
Kanako and Melissa's white skin was turning black from their foreheads, where Darcia's lips had touched them. Vandalieu was observing their life functions just in case, but considering how fast the transformation was, it didn't seem that there was too much of a burden being placed on their bodies.
"No, they're not Dark Elves, they're Chaos Elves. The same race as me," said Darcia. "So, everyone! I've gone from being a Dark Elf to a new race called Chaos Elf! I'll say it again – Please take good care of me!"
"My word… In the absence of our founder, we were unable to conduct the ritual to transform individuals into Dark Elves, but now, a new Elf race is born… How marvelous! This is the goddess's will!" exclaimed the Dark Elf king Gizan, welcoming the birth of a new race.
People from the other nations celebrated the birth of the Chaos Elf race as well.
Relieved to see this reaction from Gizan and the others, Darcia turned to Doug, still embracing Kanako and Melissa whose bodies were completely relaxed from the pleasant sensation of the transformation.
"So, Doug-kun… What shall we do?" Darcia asked. "Unlike these two, you're a human, so it would take some time and we might need to do it multiple times."
But Doug noticed the gaze coming from Vandalieu, who was standing next to Darcia. "I'm sorry! I respectfully decline!" he said, hastily turning Darcia down.
And so, Darcia was resurrected and a new race created by Vida was born in Lambda.
"Vandalieu's race has changed from Dhampir (Dark Elf) to Dhampir (Goddess)!"
"Oh?" Vandalieu murmured in surprise.
It seemed that his race had changed as a result as well.