Chapter 224: The screams of Vampires echo, a peaceful day

Death Mage 224 - The screams of Vampires echo, a peaceful day

The bases of the Pure-breed Vampire Birkyne were in the center of Devil's Nests far from where humans lived, and they were... not old.

As Eleanora had betrayed Birkyne to join Vandalieu, Birkyne had prepared some places several years ago as he had needed bases whose locations were not known to her.

It would have been difficult to build bases from scratch, so he had used bases that he had used before acquiring Eleanora and repurposed ruined buildings in the cities of countries that had been destroyed in the past.

This tower was one such base.

The ones who lived here were several Noble-born Vampires entrusted with managing the place and the several dozen Subordinate Vampires who served them. There were also around a hundred humans.

But most of the humans were children, and they were kept in cells like livestock. Their blood moistened the throats of the Vampires, and they also served as stock for sacrifices for magical rituals of some sort and the rituals used to request the evil god of joyful life for his divine protection.

There were facilities such as the orphanages, but it would be problematic to have to go directly to an orphanage every time a sacrifice was needed. This tower was one of the intermediate facilities that solved this problem.

"... I heard that one of the guys in the cell next to us had his blood taken," one cynical boy whispered to the others in his cell.

"Is he dead?" another child asked.

"No, apparently they only took a little."

"But they'll drain him of his blood until he's dead soon enough... and us, too," said a girl.

"Tch, of course they will. We're being kept here to become food for the Vampires. One day, we'll have our blood sucked from us until we're dead or be turned into Undead," the cynical boy muttered.

The children knew the truth about their situation.

It didn't need to be explained that Vampires drank blood. But they drank less frequently and took less each time than humans would think. And Vampires were capable of taking nourishment from eating normally rather than drinking blood.

Not drinking for years would harm their health and negatively affect their regenerative abilities, but there was no effect on their bodies even if they didn't drink blood for several months at a time.

But more powerful Vampires... such as those whose 'Bloodsucking' Skill had awakened into 'Bloodwork' had stronger impulses to drink blood.

Most importantly, drinking blood was one of Birkyne's hobbies. The children did not know this, but there were some who were sacrificed simply to be tortured by him as a method of stress relief... though he had recently restrained himself from killing victims lately so that he would not have too many spirits around him.

"Th-that's not necessarily true, is it?" piped up another boy. "They told us that if we serve them and show them our value, they'll let us become Vampires as well..."

"They did say that, but were they telling the truth? Even if we work for them, we might still end up being turned into Undead, right?" said the girl.

Another purpose of this place was to let the more obedient of the children live as Subordinate Vampires, and use the rest as materials to create Undead.

"But don't you dare think about trying to break out. Depending on what kind of monsters you run into, you might die a worse death than being toyed with by the Vampires," the cynical boy warned.

"... I know," the other boy muttered.

The children being kept at this tower had not been brainwashed by Birkyne. This tower was isolated from human society, and one step outside would expose the children to the dangerous monsters prowling around. Brainwashing them wasn't necessary.

"Either way, we don't know anything until we become adults. If that's the case, we don't know whether we'll be dead months from now or even tomorrow. Let's just enjoy ourselves until the time comes," said the cynical boy.

"Enjoy ourselves? We have nothing to enjoy except the food. They make us work in the afternoons," the girl said discontentedly.

The children were kept in cells and forced to live like livestock, but they ate better than when they had been in the orphanages. They weren't given anything extravagant, but they had dishes with meat, fish and vegetables, and they occasionally had fruit for dessert. During the day, they worked in the fields or tended to the fruit trees to produce that food.

It was likely that the Vampires wanted to improve the quality of their blood by making them eat balanced diets and get exercise.

"Eating until we're full is enough, right?" the cynical boy said.

"That's... Hey, it's kind of noisy," said the girl, suddenly noticing that there was a lot of noise around their cell.

"Has someone been taken from one of the other cells again?" the other boy wondered.

"No, this is... the Vampires?" said the first boy, trying to listen carefully. "Yeah, the Vampires are screaming!"

Indeed, there were loud, echoing screams that could not possibly have been made by the children being kept inside the tower.

There was the dying scream of a beast, and one voice was shrieking in terror.

"It's hopeless! It's over, it's over!" screamed another voice.

Realizing that these voices belonged to Vampires, the children looked at each other. They could not understand why the Vampires were screaming.

"I-is someone going around killing the Vampires?!" one of the boys whispered.

"Then we're going to be saved?!" the girl said excitedly.

Had someone come to the tower to exterminate the Vampires? Realizing that this was possible, the children's despair-filled eyes ignited with hope.

"You!" a Vampire shouted, appearing suddenly in front of the cell as if to extinguish that hope.

The children flinched and fell backwards.

They recognized this Subordinate Vampire. They didn't know his name, but he was one of the Vampires that looked after and supervised the children. He did his best to curry the favor of the Noble-born Vampire that commanded him, but would lash out horribly at the children.

But they didn't know his name.

"I-is there something you need, Vampire-sama?!" one of the children said in a high-pitched voice.

The Subordinate Vampire's face stiffened. "MY NAME IS ANDREW!" he screamed.

He had shouted his own name.

The children now knew his name, but they were totally bewildered as to why he had chosen this moment to introduce himself, and were frozen with fear.

"Did you hear me?! I'll say it once more, so listen closely. My name is Andrew!" the Vampire shouted once more, without waiting for a response from the children. "You got that?! Hmph!"

With that, he broke the cell's lock with his claws.

"Hurry up and get out! From now on, you... no, everyone, is free! You hear me? Do not forget that I, Andrew, saved everyone!" he said with a stiff, twitching, awkward smile as he freed the children.

The children's fear and bewilderment only deepened, but they were even more scared to disobey Andrew, so they left the cell to see that the same thing was happening at the other cells.

"Children, I, Barnio, will save you!"

"I, Citrin-oneesan, will set you free! Citrin-oneesan! Set you free!"

"Out of the way! The one to save these children will be me, Raikert! I will kill you if you try to stop me!"

"Don't get in my way! I, Felpo, will save you!"

Until minutes ago, the Vampires had been the children's fearsome captors, but now they were all frantically trying to be the ones to free the children from their cells and appeal their kindness to them.

The children were dumbfounded by this sight, but they understood that something big had happened.

The destruction of Hihiryushukaka, the evil god of joyful life, was known to all of Birkyne's subordinates in an instant. This included those who were scattered and working all over the continent and those who had originally been subordinates of Ternecia and Gubamon.

Ordinarily, such a thing would be impossible even for Vampires. Hihiryushukaka had been destroyed by Vandalieu in a Dungeon created by Gufadgarn, and all of Birkyne's confidants had been defeated as well. There was no way for that information to leak to the outside.

But although Hihiryushukaka was an evil god, he was still a god that had been worshiped by the Vampires.

Vandalieu had once destroyed the spirit clone of Yupeon, the god of ice. He had also devoured a subordinate god of Alda, the god of law and fate, and destroyed the Dungeon that he had created. Both events had affected the minds of Alda's clergymen greatly, immediately telling them that their god had been harmed. The priest of Alda in Morksi had even screamed out loud and lost consciousness.

The same thing had occurred in the Vampires who worshiped Hihiryushukaka.

Though their devotion was of a different quality from that of humans who worshiped gods, they had worshiped Hihiryushukaka, the evil god of joyful life, and the Pure-breed Vampires who served him.

The core of their devotion was fear. Though they worshiped the power of evil gods, they had prayed and worshiped so that such power would not be directed at them. Still, there were almost none who could interpret the Divine Messages of evil gods, the structures of whose minds were simply too different from those of humans. However, it was easy to hear his dying scream.

As a result, the majority of the Noble-born Vampires who had served Hihiryushukaka for many years understood his destruction and lost their minds. They felt a sense of liberation at being freed from a fearsome being. But at the same time, they felt a sense of loss as the bonds that held the Vampires together vanished, and a sense of fear at having lost the powerful evil god that protected them.

And the Vampires who had worshiped Hihiryushukaka now knew that there existed a being capable of destroying him.

"It's Vandalieu! There's no doubt that Vandalieu destroyed the evil god of joyful life!" one Noble-born Vampire shouted in panic.

"He possesses the power to break souls! He has used this to destroy the evil god!" shrieked another.

To be more accurate there were others capable of facing Hihiryushukaka. The Five-colored Blades and the Storm of Tyranny, the S-class adventurer parties of this continent. If they were to fight with all of their strength, their power would likely reach even the gods.

But even if they had been able to seal Hihiryushukaka away, they would not have been capable of destroying him. That was only possible for those who possessed the ability to break and extinguish souls - the Demon King Guduranis... and Vandalieu.

Thus, the Vampires knew that Vandalieu had destroyed their evil god. And they were certain that they would be next.

Another Vampire screamed in terror. "We can't be in Birkyne's base! He'll hear the voices of the dead and come to kill us!"

Many of the Noble-born Vampires were aware that their hands were stained with countless evil deeds, and that they had been rewarded for them. On top of that, many of the Noble-born Vampires were among the higher-ranking members of the organization, so they couldn't use the excuse of having no choice because they had only done as they had been ordered.

Thus, many of the Noble-born Vampires capable of flying had done so to escape. As they were Rank 6 at minimum, it was possible for them to escape from the centers of Devils' Nests on their own.

But the same was not true for the Subordinate Vampires. Those who had been able to hear the evil god's dying scream had told the others about the situation in shock. They were aware of the situation, but they were unable to fly. On top of that, the weaker Subordinate Vampires were only Rank 3.

This base of Birkyne's was in the center of a Devil's Nest that was large and inhabited by powerful monsters so that adventurers could not easily reach it. In order for the Subordinate Vampires to escape from this base, they would have to run as fast as they could while constantly fighting monsters for several days straight.

Having decided that this task was impossible, the Subordinate Vampires had chosen a different option.

"So, that is why they released the captive children themselves... and the sight before our eyes is the result," murmured Eleanora.

Having used Gufadgarn's teleportation to visit this base, Vandalieu and his companions had expected that they would need to fight Birkyne's subordinates.

But what they found instead was several dozen Subordinate Vampires begging for their lives.

"Yes! I, Andrew, have had a change of heart! I am ready to offer my life to you in order to atone for my past!"

"I am known as Barnio. It has been several decades since I became a Subordinate Vampire, and I have been doing nothing but miscellaneous chores such as the cleaning and the laundry for this place. This is the truth! Please, spare me!"

"I, Citrin, am the one who made the food that the children are eating right now. So please, find it in your heart!"

Eleanora sighed. She was actually impressed by how spectacularly they had changed sides.

"Well, I don't think I can say anything, since I was also an assassin who changed sides... So, what shall we do?" she asked.

"I don't think that their words are sincere. But... it seems that some of them have already been guided by Danna-sama," said Bellmond.

In essence, the guidance of a guider manifested in one's thoughts. Thus, it would normally be impossible to determine whether one had been guided from their outward appearance. But Bellmond was able to tell that several of the Subordinate Vampires had been guided by Vandalieu. Some of them had a fanatical gleam in their eyes.

"If you insist on not leaving me alive, then please kill me right now! I, Raikert, shall swear loyalty to you as a spirit!" one of the Vampires shouted.

This was one such example.

"You're right. Those eyes are the eyes of people who swear a fanatical loyalty to Vandalieu-sama and would not even hesitate to become Undead," said Isla.

"Bellmond, Isla, I think you're right, but..." Vandalieu muttered. "Everyone, you freed the captive children in order to beg for your lives, right? Your goal seems to have changed," he remarked to the subordinate Vampires.

He had no recollection of creating fanatical worshipers but unfortunately, speaking to them seemed to only make them more fanatical. All of the Subordinate Vampires were a part of the organization who had worshiped Hihiryushukaka, the evil god of joyful life, and they had been at the bottom of that society. It was difficult to say that their minds were in a sound state.

There was no contact with human society here, so they had spent the majority of their Vampire lives obeying Birkyne and the Noble-born Vampires.

In summary, they had already been trained, in a way.

"Seeing myself reflected in your eyes is enough to make my hands tremble... Such overwhelming power...!" one of the Subordinate Vampires whispered.

Another was gasping for air. "So fearsome...!"

The Subordinate Vampires felt fear towards Vandalieu just from him speaking to them, and the fanatical gleam appeared in the eyes of more and more of them.

Vandalieu looked away in disbelief.

"Are all of these people related to you or something?" Isla muttered to Eleanora.

"Hey! Are you trying to say that you're any different?!" Eleanora retorted.

"... At heart, us three are likely the same as them," said Bellmond.

Just then, Seris and Vestra returned.

"We've heard the children's stories," Seris said.

Director Holly had been reunited with the children that had been sent here from her orphanage, apologized for not being able to save them and was now engaged in conversation with them.

"They're confused because they were freed by the same Vampires that held them captive and watched over them. Many of the children do not hold anything against the Vampires as long as their own lives are spared and they are free," said Seris.

"But there were also many children that said they wouldn't go near the Vampires, as they are scary and creepy. Also, as the children have told us, it seems that the Vampires have not killed anyone here for a while," said Vestra.

Birkyne had been wary of information reaching Vandalieu through spirits, so he had done his utmost to avoid killing the captive children. He had even found and abducted a human with the 'Spiritualist' Job that allowed them to see spirits, forcing him to work with him.

"Of course, it seems that the spiritualist lied to the Vampires. Birkyne and his subordinates had been taught that they could purify any spirits haunting them if they poured holy water on themselves, but in reality, there were so many spirits around them that they could not purify all of them with just that," Vestra added.

"It's because of that I was able to know that something had happened before I entered the orphanage, so I need to thank that spiritualist," said Vandalieu. "So, you people are slightly unpopular amongst the children, but... I've decided to take you with me," he told the Subordinate Vampires.

About a third of the Subordinate Vampires sighed in relief at this decision, while the other two thirds gave small cries of joy... Incidentally, the latter was the fanatical ones.

"I will have all of you convert to Vida's faction and live under supervision for a while. As for the supervision... I guess I'll ask the Black Night Knights' Order to watch over you," Vandalieu said.

"Please leave it to us, Vandalieu-sama. My subordinates will be able to train these fools well," said Isla.

The Black Night Knights' Order was the order of knights consisting of Vampire Zombies, with Isla as its leader. They upheld the rules of Talosheim, interacted with the people in a friendly manner and strived to improve their image through volunteer activities such as keeping the city clean. Thus, Vandalieu felt comfortable leaving the Subordinate Vampires' supervision to them.

"There will be some more from the other facilities we are about to visit... probably dozens more," said Vandalieu.

"... I just want to be sure, but will all of the Vampires be like that? Seris and I only just realized that we are Vampires today, so we don't really feel it, but will Seris and I become like that one day?" Vestra asked.

"No... or you shouldn't, but that doesn't sound very convincing coming from us," said Eleanora.

Vestra looked concerned; this answer was indeed very unconvincing coming from someone wearing a collar that they had received from Vandalieu.

The original reason for Vandalieu and his companions coming to this tower, Birkyne's main base, was because there were many children captive here. If the Vampires here guessed that they had been defeated from the fact that Birkyne had not returned, it was possible that they may kill the children in despair or simply leave, leaving the children behind.

Now that Vandalieu knew that this wasn't the case, he and his companions decided to use the Job-changing room in the base in order to change Jobs before going around to the other facilities. However, this didn't go very smoothly.

Eleanora only had Jobs containing 'Princess' available to her, and reluctantly chose 'Transforming Sword Princess.' Likewise, Bellmond chose 'Transforming Kunoichi' for similar reasons.

"This is clearly because of the transformation equipment that you made for us, but... it's too convenient to give up! Van-sama, what are you trying to do to us?!" Eleanora demanded.

"She's absolutely correct, Danna-sama. Please make your intentions clear, so that we may gather our resolve," said Bellmond, joining Eleanora in pressing Vandalieu for answers.

"You two still don't understand, do you? It is only natural for us servants to understand his intentions without him speaking them out loud," said Isla.

"My main objective is to have you use superior equipment and become powerful," said Vandalieu, realizing that Isla was trying to create a flag for trouble and trying to calm the other two down by repeating his true intentions. "Well, I can't deny that I am enjoying myself at times," he added.

Of course, Jobs such as 'Magical Girl' were useful Jobs with high Attribute Value growth rates according to Kanako and Darcia, so 'Transforming Sword Princess' and 'Transforming Kunoichi' were likely useful Jobs as well. Eleanora and Bellmond would likely grow even stronger.

"My 'Dream Guider' Job reached Level 100 too, from the Experience Points I gained from Hihiryushukaka's defeat... And there probably aren't any more facilities that we need to get to as soon as possible," said Vandalieu.

Places with Vampires that could hear Hihiryushukaka's dying scream would likely already be aware of the situation, just like this place. Places without such Vampires would not even have realized that Birkyne and his confidants had been defeated.

Either way, there was no enormous need to hastily rush to the other facilities.

"And it would be troublesome in the... very unlikely chance that I were to be asked about my Job-change if I did it in Morksi."

And so, Vandalieu entered the Job-changing room in this base and put his hand on the crystal ball inside.

"... So, there are no new Jobs this time. Well then, I will go with my original plan and select 'Demon King.'"

Vandalieu had avoided the 'Demon King' Job up until now, but when he destroyed Hihiryushukaka and absorbed the Demon King's shadow, which was a fragment of the Demon King's soul, he had felt a different sensation from when he absorbed the Demon King's physical fragments.

In the end, nothing had actually happened, but it was possible that Vandalieu would absorb more fragments of the Demon King's soul in the future. He thought that it would be best to take the 'Demon King' Job, which could possibly prevent any potential problems that could arise.

This was just a thought, and there was no proof that this was the case, and he was naturally aware of the possibility that it could just make things worse. However...

It has been some time since the fragments began referring to me as the 'main body,' so it's about time.

With this train of thought, he believed that the risk was low. However, he had decided to use the Job-changing room in this tower, as it would be bad if his voice were to be heard by people in the city while he was choosing this Job there.

Vandalieu heard ominous bubbling sounds coming from within his body and felt like he could also hear the sound of his bones and muscles twisting, but he was more concerned about the announcer's voice in his head.

He had acquired some dangerous-sounding Skills, but was relieved that they had combined with his existing Skills, just like when he had devoured Hihiryushukaka's soul. But at the end, the announcer had said that he had reached Level 100.

"Status... I really am Level 100. Why? Is it because I've already gathered fragments of the Demon King?" Vandalieu wondered.

Just as he had gained Experience Points for 'Bestower' by causing mutations in people and creatures, perhaps the 'Demon King' Job could gain Experience Points by gathering fragments of the Demon King.

"In any case... Since I've reached Level 100, I need to change Jobs one more time. Next Job is... I wonder which I should take?"

'False Shadow User' had appeared as a new option; this was likely related to the Demon King's shadow. Taking this into account as well, Vandalieu chose a Job that was even more mysterious than the 'Demon King' Job.

"I select 'Demiurge.'"

Name: Vandalieu Zakkart Race: Dhampir (Mother: Goddess) Age: 11 years old Title: Ghoul Emperor, Eclipse Emperor, Guardian of the Cultivation Villages, Holy Son of Vida, Scaled Emperor, Tentacle Emperor, Champion, Demon King, Oni Emperor, Trial Conqueror, Transgressor, Black Blood Emperor, Elder Dragon Emperor, Food Cart King (NEW!), Genius Tamer (NEW!) Job: Demiurge Level: 0 Job history: Death-Attribute Mage, Golem Transmuter, Undead Tamer, Soul Breaker, Venom Fist User, Insect User, Tree Caster, Demon Guider, Archenemy, Zombie Maker, Golem Creator, Corpse Demon Commander, Demon King User, Dark Guider, Labyrinth Creator, Creation Guider, Dark Healer, Disease Demon, Magic Cannoneer, Spirit Warrior, Bestower, Dream Guider, Demon King Attributes: Vitality: 235,503 (Increased by 110,525!) Mana: 5,799,760,020 (+4,623,808,016) (Increased by 1,371,958,437 in total!) Strength: 29,158 (Increased by 13,650!) Agility: 24,761 (Increased by 13,695!) Stamina: 31,520 (Increased by 14,537!) Intelligence: 41,375 (Increased by 17,848!) Passive skills: Monstrous Strength: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) Rapid Regeneration: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Dark King Magic: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!) (Merged with Forceful Vitality Enchantment, Soul Binding, Dominate Created Undead, Imitation Reincarnation and Servant Creation!) Status Effect Immunity Magic Resistance: Level 9 Dark Vision Dark Dream Demon Creation Path Enticement: Level 8 Chant Revocation: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Guidance: Dark Dream Demon Creation Path: Level 8 (Merged with Demon Element Encroachment!) Constant Mana Recovery: Level 1 (Awakened from Automatic Mana Recovery!) Super Strengthen Subordinates: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) (Awakened from Strengthen Subordinates!) Deadly Venom Secretion (Claws, Fangs, Tongue): Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) Enhanced Agility: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!) Body Expansion (Tongue): Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Strengthened Attack Power while Unarmed: Very Large (LEVEL UP!) Enhanced Body Part (Hair, Claws, Tongue, Fangs): Level 10 (LEVEL UP!) Thread Refining: Level 7 Mana Enlargement: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!) Increased Mana Recovery Rate: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Strengthened Attack Power while activating a Magic Cannon: Large (LEVEL UP!) Augmented Vitality: Level 1 (Awakened from Enhanced Vitality!) Enhanced Attribute Values: Reigning: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!) Active skills: Bloodwork: Level 10 Transcend Limits: Level 6 Golem Creation: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!) Hollow King Magic: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!) Precise Mana Control: Level 1 Cooking: Level 8 Alchemy: Level 10 Soul Destruction Fighting Technique: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!) Greater Multi-cast: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!) Surgery: Level 8 Embodiment: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!) Coordination: Level 10 (LEVEL UP!) Super High-speed Thought Processing: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!) Commanding: Level 10 (LEVEL UP!) Thread-reeling: Level 6 Throwing: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Scream: Level 7 Dead Spirit Magic: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Demon King Artillery Technique: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!) Shield Technique: Level 7 Armor Technique: Level 7 Shadow Group Binding Technique: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!) (Transformed from Group Binding Technique!) Surpass Limits: Fragments: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!) Spirit Therapy: Level 1 (NEW!) Unique skills: God Devourer: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!) Deformed Soul Mental Encroachment: Level 9 (LEVEL UP!) Labyrinth Creation: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!) Demon King: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!) Abyss: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!) Divine Enemy Soul Devour: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!) Vida's Divine Protection Earth's Gods' Divine Protection Group Thought Processing: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!) Zantark's Divine Protection Group Control: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!) Soul Form: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!) Demon King's Demon Eyes Origin's Gods' Divine Protection Ricklent's Divine Protection Zuruwarn's Divine Protection Perfect Record Technique Surpass Limits: Soul: Level 1 Mutation Induction (Merged with Life Erosion and Life Perversion!) Demon King's Body (NEW!) Demigod (NEW!) Curses Experience gained in previous life not carried over Cannot learn existing jobs Unable to gain experience independently

Looking at his Status, Vandalieu felt dizzy.

My Mana is finally over 10,000,000,000 and my Vitality has increased as well... and my Strength and Stamina almost doubled. But I don't have muscular pain like I did during my growth period.

Vandalieu walked around the Job-changing room a little, but there was no pain of creaking muscles and joints.

Perhaps it was because the Demon King's fragments had merged into the Demon King's body, or because of the clearly abnormal 'Demigod' Skill that he had acquired after selecting the 'Demiurge' Job.

"Well, it's entirely possible that crippling pain throughout my whole body will prevent me from getting out of bed tomorrow," Vandalieu mused to himself.

As he left the room, there was something of a fuss going on outside.

"Van-sama! We suddenly acquired the 'Familiar Spirit Demonfall' Skill, which is different from 'Familiar Spirit Descent!' What happened?!" asked Eleanora.

"Eleanora, you should be asking, 'What did you do?' not 'What happened?'" said Bellmond.

Before he replied, Vandalieu focused his mind towards Talosheim through his pseudo-main-body-type Demon King Familiars.

... The same thing had occurred there, too. It seemed that everyone who had acquired Vandalieu's divine protection had acquired the 'Familiar Spirit Demonfall' Skill.

The overexcited Luciliano was quite frightening. He was approaching the nearest pseudo-main-body-type Demon King Familiar, shouting, "You have finally become a god?! If that is the case, please let me examine you, Master!"

"... I guess it was careless of me to take 'Demiurge' after 'Demon King' after all. I should have discussed things with everyone before deciding," Vandalieu sighed, regretting his hasty choice.

Incidentally, Isla had apparently set about testing the 'Familiar Spirit Demonfall' Skill right away.

In his office, Earl Isaac Morksi signed and stamped a document with the sense of accomplishment that came with finishing a large project.

He had succeeded in creating a friendly connection with that Dhampir boy who was very extraordinary in various ways. This was a great accomplishment for him, equivalent to signing an important peace treaty with another nation.

An individual who possessed a tremendous power that could decide the fate of nations... This was what Isaac thought Vandalieu was. He wasn't entirely sure why he thought this, but he felt very strongly about it.

Just then, Isaac's retainer entered with a report from his spies.

"Danna-sama, there has been a report," he said.

"Let me hear it," said Isaac.

"It seems that the boy headed for the orphanage in the slums today. His mother is making preparations for the food cart, and the Beast-kin girl who attended the tea party and a man named Simon who lives in the slums are helping her."

"Hmm? What about the boy himself and his beasts?"

"The beasts are guarding his house, and the boy still seems to be at the orphanage. Apparently, he is helping with preparations for a festival tomorrow."

Isaac was puzzled by his retainer's report.

The Commerce Guild did not have any problems with the food cart's owner not being present during business; the requirement for turning a temporary registration into a full membership was the business owner being able to run a sustainable business. Even if the registered owner was not there, it was fine as long as the business kept operating.

But Isaac felt a sense of discomfort towards the fact that the boy, with whom he had discussed things just earlier today, was acting in a way that he had never done before.

"Is there a festival for Vida tomorrow? I don't recall there being one," said Isaac.

"My apologies, my lord. I do remember the ones that are held at the Communal Church, but I am not aware of any..." said the retainer, unable to answer his question.

This was just a sign of how little interest they had taken in the orphanage in the slums.

Isaac did donate some things to the orphanage as a part of his slum welfare policy, but this was all in most times. If not for Vandalieu, there was no reason to take notice of it.

"Shall we try asking the inhabitants of the nearby areas?" the retainer suggested.

"... If we did that, he would take notice," said Isaac. "It's a good opportunity. Tell the spies that from now on, they are to stop monitoring and investigating Vandalieu Zakkart and instead start to monitor and investigate whether there is anyone attempting to approach him, especially anyone who intends to cause him harm."

"Are you content to stop investigating his identity and intentions?"

"Yes," Isaac said with a nod.

He had managed to create a connection with Vandalieu during the afternoon's tea party. If he had his spies investigate any further and they were later discovered, the connection would go to waste.

And I do not believe that my family's spies will be able to discern his identity and motives, even if they were to investigate further, Isaac thought, but he did not voice this out loud.

"More importantly, his existence should now be known not only to the main cities of the Alcrem Duchy, but to the other Duchies as well. It would be troublesome if the fundamentalists were to make a move. Caution is needed," said Isaac.

Vandalieu's identity was unknown, but he had no ill intentions and followed the law. It was likely that he would bring about development in this city and the Alcrem Duchy. Isaac believed that the fanatics who sought to take the lives of Dhampirs were far more deserving of caution. Being fervently religious was all well and good, but it would be troublesome if they were to cause some incident.

That was how Isaac thought after today's tea party.

"I do not believe that he requires the protection of my house, but... it would be a mess if the fundamentalists were to try and set his house on fire or something. We must take preemptive action," Isaac said.

"As you wish," the retainer said with a bow, and then he left to relay Isaac's orders to the spies.

Alone in his office once more, Isaac put his seal on the final document on his desk and then stretched his body.

"Now then... I suppose I should get an early night's sleep tonight," he murmured to himself.

To many people including Isaac, today was yet another uneventful day in the city of Morksi.

Job explanation (Written by Luciliano): Dream Guider

A Job that does not represent a guider with dreams, but one who appears in dreams to guide his followers... Guidance manifests as thoughts, but can dreams be considered thoughts?

In that sense, it is the most unusual among all of the currently-known guider-type Jobs.

It does not seem to provide much growth to physical Attribute Values such as Strength, Stamina and Agility, but it did provide much growth to Intelligence and Mana.

Job explanation (Written by Luciliano): Demon King

Can 'Demon King' be considered a Job?

This is a Job that throws everything we know about Jobs as a concept into question. It is likely a Job that can only be acquired by those who can successfully fuse the Demon King's fragments into themselves rather than being parasitized by them.

It seemed that this Job provided a large growth to all Attribute Values.