Chapter 315: Talk of other worlds

Randolf had thought that Vandalieu and his companions would never come to Orbaume.

The n.o.bles of the royal realm had thought the same thing.

An informal meeting was taking place in one of the council rooms in the castle of the king of the Orbaume Kingdom, the great nation that ruled the eastern side of the Bahn Gaia continent. Prime Minister Tercatanis and Marshal Dolmad were present as well.

The topic of discussion was how to deal with Darcia Zakkart and her son, who had approached them head-on.

To think that they would thoughtlessly come into our territory.

Should they not be more wary?! Or do they think that we are not worthy of their fear?!

There should have been plenty of other options available to them! They could have used Duke Alcrems p.a.w.ns to gather information, or attempted to make our own p.a.w.ns defect to them! Certainly, these steps should have been taken before they brazenly walked straight into us!

Thats right! Arent they supposed to be unwilling to come here unless forced by something they cant refuse, such as an invitation with the kings name on it?!

The n.o.bles were greatly shaken by recent developments. They were too accustomed to power struggles that were filled with conspiracies, where they had to constantly read the truth behind the truth behind the truth, and where allies and enemies changed by the hour. For them, this was the norm.

There was nothing more abnormal for them than for an adversary boldly approaching them head-on like Vandalieu and Darcia were doing.

Ah! Could he be colluding with well-connected n.o.bles and the governor from the Alcrem Duchy in the capital?!

Each duke family kept a mansion in the capital of the kingdom. The mansions were for the dukes themselves or their representatives to reside when important meetings were held regarding politics that would affect the entire kingdom, when elections were held for the next king, and during the times of the year where n.o.bles had their social interactions with one another.

They also served as emba.s.sies for each duchy year-round.

It was an open secret that they were used as bases for gathering information and conducting political maneuvers.

The n.o.bles here suspected that Vandalieu and Darcia could be in contact and collaborating with spies in Duke Alcrems mansion.

I had an investigation carried out, but there were no signs of that. Honorary Countess Darcia Zakkart visited the Alcrem familys mansion once as a formality, but no further exchanges have been seen since.

The n.o.bles of the royal realm had not detected any signs of any such conspiracies.

The truth was that Kimberley, Chipuras and the other Ghosts carried letters back and forth for exchanging information, but there were no Spiritualists in the intelligence organizations they were so proud of.

They may be using birds or rats. Vandalieu is a skilled tamer, so we should have a tamer spy investigate.

He might even be using bugs. Although this information is very recent, Vandalieu and his adopted sister have reported to the Tamers Guild that they have tamed insect monsters.

Bug monsters?! Are you being serious? Then we must quickly investigate whether that is true or not

Save that for after this meeting is over! According to our spy in the Tamers Guild, he has only registered worthless Rank 1 insects. The bigger problem is that Cursed Mansion!

The monsters registered by Vandalieu, Pete and Pain, were actually monsters that were over Rank 10, but it seemed that the n.o.bles spies didnt have eyes as sharp as Orlocks.

Before being afraid of the conspiracies he may be plotting, we must first be aware that he is sharpening his fangs right next to our very throats in the upper-cla.s.s n.o.bles district! said one of the younger n.o.bles Earl Jetavo, who currently served as the foreign affairs minister.

The other n.o.bles, who had been interjecting with their own opinions thus far, grimaced and fell silent.

Many n.o.bles had mansions in Orbaume, the capital of the kingdom. But even then, there was one district known as the high-cla.s.s n.o.bles district, where the mansions of particularly high-ranking n.o.bles were built. The former mansion of Duke Jahans younger brother, the one that Vandalieu and Darcia had purchased and claimed to have tamed, was one of them.

Naturally, the mansions of the n.o.bles gathered in this council room were also in the high-cla.s.s n.o.bles district close to Vandalieus mansion, which was haunted by dozens of powerful Undead that were under his command.

If he wished to do so, he could release those Undead into the high-cla.s.s n.o.bles district. We must avoid making hasty moves out of a fear of a conspiracy we are not sure about, Earl Jetavo said. If we drive them into a corner and they do something desperate, they will be finished. Even Honorary Countess Darcia Zakkart and her son cannot defeat all of the knights and adventurers in Orbaume. However, if it comes to that, we will suffer losses so great that we will be finished as well.

If Vandalieu and Darcia really were to go to war with Orbaume, the city would likely be destroyed through overwhelming force before the knights and adventurers could be gathered, but there was no way that Earl Jetavo could possibly know this.

Even Marshal Dolmad had no choice but to agree with Earl Jetavo.

You are completely right, he said. They have entered the capital through official means, legally purchased a mansion, and legally gathered forces that are capable of fighting We cannot resist through a direct attack of our own, as we have not planned for these things. If we had known beforehand, then there may have been measures we could have taken, but it is all too late now.

To begin with, an honorary countess owning a mansion in the high-cla.s.s n.o.bles district is beyond all common sense. Did Senopa Company have some kind of ulterior motive in showing this mansion to her? one of the other n.o.bles muttered.

If thats the case, then should we hold them responsible for abandoning that cursed mansion for decades? If theyd purified it when they first purchased it, then it wouldnt have become a base for our enemy to gather their forces, said another.

This topic of determining who was responsible was a meaningless one that was being brought up as a way to escape from reality.

But Prime Minister Tercatanis, who was effectively in charge of this meeting, cut this topic short. Such insignificant matters can be discussed later. More importantly, we must urge the Churches to hurry with the purification of other Cursed Mansions. And raise vague objections with Duke Alcrem and Duke Jahan.

Hurrying the purification of other Cursed Mansions was one of the few options that were left available to them in order to prevent Vandalieu and Darcias power from growing even further.

Vandalieu and Darcia had no reason to complain about the purification of Undead that hadnt become Vandalieus familiars yet and haunted mansions that they did not own. This purification was simply for the sake of securing the citys safety.

If Vandalieu and Darcia did complain, it would likely be necessary to instruct the clergymen to simply carry their task out quietly and inconspicuously. No matter what, they needed to avoid telling Vandalieu and Darcia to do something about the Undead themselves.

It would be extremely troublesome if every cursed mansion in Orbaume and all their Undead were to be tamed by that boy, after all. If that were to happen, then there is also the option of making him an honorary n.o.ble as well and use him to maintain Orbaumes peace, but Im sure it is not so simple for him to tame them,

Prime Minister Tercatanis thought.

Vandalieu being told that by the clergymen and taking them up on it would be troublesome, and Prime Minister Tercatanis was right to think so Vandalieu guided Undead far more easily than he could imagine.

Prime Minister, will the objections you speak of be against the fact that Vandalieu Zakkart has taken Undead as his familiars? asked one of the n.o.bles.

Prime Minister Tercatanis frowned. No, it is against the fact that Darcia Zakkart has purchased a mansion in the upper-cla.s.s n.o.bles district. We must never raise objections against the Undead or against any of the familiars of her children.

An honorary countess, whose n.o.bility would only last for one generation, was not forbidden by law from owning a mansion in the upper-cla.s.s n.o.bles district. However, the custom was for honorary n.o.bles to purchase their mansions in ordinary n.o.bles districts, not the high-cla.s.s n.o.bles district.

It was merely an unwritten custom, and there was no punishment for going against it. However, customs in human societies were rules that must not be ignored. If customs were ignored, then all such rules would need to be written in the law, with punishments for breaking them. The result of that would be a society that was stiff and uptight.

It was only natural to raise an objection against Duke Alcrem for neglecting or ignoring his duty to teach this to Darcia Zakkart.

But are we going to let the boy run loose, using Undead as his familiars? another n.o.ble asked.

We do not have authority to judge that, said Prime Minister Tercatanis. There is no law or custom that forbids it. If the Tamers Guild has accepted it, then that is that.

None of the n.o.bles, not even Prime Minister Tercatanis himself, had any legal authority over familiars.

But in the end, he is just the child of an honorary countess. If we made strong claims against it, wouldnt he be forced to do as we say? another n.o.ble suggested.

The Orbaume Kingdom was not a democratic, const.i.tutional nation. Its king was selected in an election where n.o.bles cast their votes, but it was still an autocratic nation ruled by the royals and n.o.bles.

Indeed, those with power were able to enforce their wills over the weak, even if the laws didnt explicitly allow them to do so.

I see. How very right you are. You are so courageous! None are more fit than you to be a n.o.ble of this kingdom, Marshal Dolmad sneered. Well then, you should be the one to order Vandalieu Zakkart and the Tamers Guild to cease the use of Undead as familiars at once.

M-Marshal, why me?! the n.o.ble asked, panicking.

It is obvious. Have you forgotten what I said just moments earlier? said Earl Jetavo.

The n.o.ble let out a small scream. It seemed that he had finally realized that Vandalieu was not in a position of weakness.

And I do not want to cause trouble with the Tamers Guild. Im sure you think of familiars as p.a.w.ns, but familiars are as dear to their tamers as horses are to their knights, said Marshal Dolmad. In war, I may order knights to go and die with their horses in battle, but if I told them to kill their horses during times of peace, they would resent me for the rest of their lives.

Many tamers were firmly tied to their familiars by strong bonds of trust and love. Many tamers considered their familiars to be members of their own family.

Marshal Dolmad had never been involved with the Tamers Guild, but having seen the bonds between his knights and their horses, he had a good idea of how tamers treated their familiars.

The current Guild Master is a man named Orlock, and I am sure he will not yield to our authority so easily. No matter what he personally thinks of using Undead as familiars, the Guild is certain to raise its objections, Marshal Dolmad continued. Depending on how things turn out, this might even cause issues with the Dragon Knights. And if that happens, we will have

you

take responsibility.

I-I did not suggest that we go as far as to order him to dispose of them said the n.o.ble.

Objecting to Undead being used as familiars is the same as ordering their disposal. After all, freeing the mansion and Undead from the boys control would be an even greater disaster. The state of the mansion is already beyond being sealed away by talismans and holy water.

The n.o.bles face turned white as a sheet as he realized what a dangerous suggestion he had just made.

But Marshal Dolmad didnt actually intend to sacrifice him in order to raise an objection against Vandalieus actions. I trust that you all now understand how dangerous it would be to raise objections related to the boys familiars, he said. And even without us expressing our concerns, Im sure the Churches will raise their own objections to the Undead.

Since they have approached us directly, let us take a direct approach as well. Of course, we are not currying favor with him, nor are we forming an unspoken agreement with him. Not unless the situation changes, said Prime Minister Tercatanis.

Earl Jetavo and the other n.o.bles nodded.

n.o.body wanted to be the one to voice disagreement.

What are we going to do about the Adventurers School? He is apparently going to enroll at the Hero Preparatory School

That is convenient for us, isnt it? Let him get closer to those who are in our pocket, and we shall try to gather more information and placate him.

Will Princ.i.p.al Meorilith, and Randolf the True, who is currently going by the name Dandolip, allow our interference? If they get in our way

Im sure it wont be a problem as long as its within the students autonomy. The Hero Preparatory School recommends that its students form personal connections. It wouldnt be unexpected for that to happen for them.

To Prime Minister Tercatanis and the other n.o.bles here, the information they could gain about him from the school was of more interest than Vandalieus objective for enrolling.

Meanwhile, a reincarnated individual, the one who was previously known as Urr Kay Mackenzie and now known as Katie Hartner, was in her room, worrying.

It was night-time, when there werent any maids waiting on her.

Well, things arent okay at the moment, but its okay, she said, saying self-contradicting things to herself with a sigh too heavy for a little girl her age.

The Hartner house had sent its own soldiers to aid the Sauron Duchy to the north in retaking the former Scylla territory.

This was a big problem. Through the information provided by Aran and the other familiar spirits of Rodcorte, she knew that the former Scylla territory was a part of Vandalieus nation.

If conventions were followed, Vandalieu was simply occupying land that belonged to the Sauron Duchy without permission, and that land shouldnt be recognized as belonging to his nation. But conventions were only valid when both sides were in the same position and viewed things with the same perspective.

Vandalieu and the Sauron house The difference between them was overwhelming. In fact, the Sauron house could be considered lucky that Vandalieu was occupying

only

the former Scylla territory.

The Hartner house had sent reinforcements to the Sauron house, which remained oblivious to that fact. From Vandalieus perspective, this was without a doubt a hostile act.

But its fine. Judging from his behavior thus far, Im sure he wont make any proactive retaliations,

Katie thought.

Leading a huge army of Undead in a counter-attack, sending a.s.sa.s.sins to each duchy to kill the dukes, or creating a plague to slaughter the people Vandalieu wouldnt do things like that.

Considering his past behavior, he would likely just observe the situation for now.

Of course, that doesnt mean theres no problem at all. The Hartner houses image is getting worse. It might not have made that much of a difference given that its image is already really bad, but its certainly going to be that much more difficult to restore it.

Things were fine for now. But in the future, they would not be fine at all.

The murder of the First Princess of Talosheim and the knights protecting her after they fled their destroyed nation two hundred years ago, and the enslavement of their people My ancestors in this world did some terrible things. And the enslavement only stopped a little before I was reincarnated, so I cant exactly say that it was something of the distant past.

The faces of her father, Lucas Hartner, and her uncle, Belton Hartner, popped up in her mind as she wondered how Vandalieu had resisted the urge to slaughter the entire family after finding out what had happened in the past.

It was likely because the duke at the time, Katies grandfather, had pa.s.sed away, and neither Lucas nor Belton were officially the current family head, as they were currently fighting one another over the position or at least, Katie prayed that this was the case.

If that isnt the case, Fathers life will be in even more danger than it already is.

After formally becoming the duke, Katies father had sent a battalion of knights with orders to ma.s.sacre all the villagers in the cultivation villages that Vandalieu had been friendly with.

Fortunately, none of the villages came to any harm, thanks to Vandalieu. The Red Wolf Knights Order were slaughtered and the order was yet to be reformed, but this was the best possible outcome for the Hartner Duchy.

If any of the villagers had died, Lucas would have been killed long ago.

If that had happened, perhaps there would be less worries on Katies mind. She wouldnt have had to fear for the life of a parent who had died before she was old enough to be aware of the world around her, and her uncle Belton would have become the head of the family.

But even though I can see the past, I cant change it.

If Katie was honest with herself, she had been repulsed when she learned through Urr that her father had ordered the ma.s.sacre of the villagers.

But she had seen, heard, and experienced all kinds of things, not only on Earth, but in Origin as well. She knew that good deeds alone werent enough to keep the world going. She had been one of the Bravers; she couldnt say that her own hands were clean, either.

She hadnt been proactively involved, but as one of the Bravers, she was responsible for the mental suffering of the Gazer Minuma Hitomi. The Bravers were also responsible for the Eighth Guidance becoming terrorists though she felt that the latter was different, as it had been unintentional.

She wasnt able to innocently respect her father like she had before awakening to her past lifes memories and personality, but that didnt cause her to lose all the emotions she felt towards him.

Well, I do think there were other ways he could have done things, but hindsight is 20/20, said Katie as she got out of her bed and used her Urr ability.

For the next hour, there would be an illusion of Katie sleeping peacefully in her bed an image from the past.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention That was the saying, right? In any case, its become easier thanks to my special training.

Katies cheat-like ability, Urr, was originally just an ability that allowed her to see the past. She could see events of the past that had occurred in the place she was currently looking at.

The special training she had done in Origin had allowed her to also hear the sounds of those past events as well, but that was it. She couldnt show those past events to others, nor had she been able to record what she saw.

But as a result of the special training she had done in secret after being reincarnated in Lambda, she had succeeded in becoming able to create illusions of the images of the past.

Its thanks to this worlds Status System, I suppose. Thanks to that, I have to constantly restrain my strength when I move, though.

Katie opened a window and, with agility that was impossible for such a little girl, she began climbing up the castles walls.

Its been very helpful that I was able to continue my special training for long periods of time with Fatigue Resistance, but I wonder what the average childs physical abilities are like in this world.

She climbed on top of the roof of the highest tower, then used Urr once more while activating Familiar Spirit Descent.

A pillar of light descended from the night sky, but n.o.body could see it other than Katie herself, who was bathed in the light. She had used an illusion of the past to conceal it.

This was how she was frequently exchanging information with Aran and the other familiar spirits of Rodcorte while living the life of a dukes daughter without raising any suspicions.

The army trying to retake the former Scylla territory has been defeated. Almost no deaths, but the Knight of Roaring Flames, one of the Alcrem Duchys Five Knights, fell in battle. The Knight of a Thousand Blades was wounded so heavily that it wouldnt be surprising if she never recovers, said Katie. Theres no doubt about it now. The house of Duke Alcrem is colluding with Vandalieu.

Katie had heard that since last year, the number of people who couldnt be observed by Aran and the other familiar spirits of Rodcorte had grown explosively in the Alcrem Duchy.

Thus, shed already had an idea of the truth, but it seemed that the relations.h.i.+p between the Alcrem house and Vandalieu was deeper than she had suspected. It had gone past the point of being a relations.h.i.+p of convenience; they were likely allied accomplices now.

Katie couldnt think of any other reason why the troops sent in support by Duke Alcrem would suffer even greater losses than the troops sent by Duke Hartner, or even Duke Farzon, who was deeply involved with the Five-colored Blades that were Vandalieus sworn enemies.

The extent of the losses suffered is all just a pretense. Theres no doubt that the Knight of Roaring Flames is still alive, and they have a way to heal the wounds of the Knight of a Thousand Blades. If thats the case It was the right move to limit the number of men father sent.

Lucas Hartner had initially planned to send half of the duchys most elite fighting force, which had been re-organized and renamed from the Six Hartner Spearmen to the Nine Tempered Spears of Hartner.

In addition to the appearance of the Dungeon near the city of Niarki and the ensuing monster stampede, the destruction of the slave mine and the reconstruction of the castle after it tilted had imposed great burdens on the Hartner Duchys people. In order to regain the peoples sentiments and the duchys prestige, and to secure ample anti-Vandalieu fighting forces, the Six Spearmen had added more to its numbers and been trained even further. They were the duchys trump card.

It seemed that he had tried to show their power to the other forces that had been sent by the other dukes but Katie suspected that the Nine Tempered Spears of Hartner wouldnt have shown anything other than their own gruesome ends.

Lucass decision to not send them was Katies doing but not through persuasion.

She had used Urr to create an illusion of the past, making it appear as if there were Dragons and other powerful monsters roaming the mountains of the Boundary Mountain Range.

Lucas had hastily canceled the dispatch of the Nine Tempered Spears and a.s.signed them to the duchys defense, along with some high-ranking adventurers.

In order to produce this illusion, which was from thousands of years ago, Katie had been forced to use Familiar Spirit Descent and spend almost all of her Mana, but her efforts had paid off.

With this, I can at least say that Ive done all that I could. All thats left is making accomplishments that Father and the other n.o.bles will acknowledge.

Currently, Katie was nothing more than an exceptional dukes daughter who was mature for her age and had a promising talent for magic. That wouldnt be enough for anyone to listen to her opinions on politics and military matters. The most she could do was make a few selfish requests to the maids attending to her or the soldiers that were her guards.

That was why she needed accomplishments one that would make it so that adults couldnt ignore what she had to say.

Without that, she wouldnt be able to persuade her father and the other n.o.bles that the Hartner Duchy, which was currently leaning towards Alda, should lean towards Vida instead. She wouldnt be able to persuade them to publicly reveal and apologize for the act of savagery that the duchy had committed against the refugees who had fled here from Talosheim two hundred years ago.

Theres a limit to what I can do in secret, so I need to at least have them pay me some consideration. Ah, I want to become an adult already.

With that, the troubled daughter of the duke climbed down from the towers roof to return to her bed.

While the meeting between the n.o.bles of Orbaume was taking place in the kings castle, Vandalieu was quietly making preparations.

He had gradually been capturing criminals the kind that had power in the hidden side of society, that even the city guards couldnt touch and was now putting them in boxes, one by one.

Please! Spare me! If its money you want, I can give you plenty of it! one of them shouted.

No! I dont want to have my face torn off! another screamed.

Bellmond, please take care of these ones as well, said Vandalieu.

Yes, Danna-sama, said Bellmond. Now then, turn to stone.

Bellmonds Demon Eye of Petrification turned them into stone statues. The final step was putting labels on their boxes.

Labor after interrogation, human experimentation, human experimentation, labor since the population is larger, there are a lot more awful people here than Alcrem and Morksi, Bellmond remarked as she put labels on the boxes that marked what these people would be used for.

The people being packed in these boxes were the most fiendish of criminals. They also had various forms of connections with n.o.bles. Vandalieu had been hunting these people down, listening to spirits that provided him with information and requested that they take revenge on their behalf.

Yes, Vandalieu agreed. There is a particularly large number of hired killers and drug dealers. It seems that there are not many slave traders, but that may be because I havent been able to examine the information Ive been given too closely yet.

Much of the information provided by the spirits were fragmentary, and many of them only spoke of the person that they had the most hatred for.

If someone was kidnapped, sold off as a slave, then killed by their owner, their spirit would speak of the person who killed them, but would have forgotten about the organization that had kidnapped and sold them in the first place.

That was why it was important to interrogate the captured criminals.

Well, Im sure Luciliano and Isla will be able to get more information from these guys, said Vandalieu.

Do you think you can lay your hands on me and get away with it?! Ill make you wish you were never born! And not just you! Your family, your servants, and anyone else who is even slightly related to you! shouted the man that Vandalieu was currently carrying.

But neither Vandalieu or Bellmond were bothered by his threats; they just continued their task of packing these criminals away.

Bellmond, put this one in the smallest box, that one over there.

Yes, Danna-sama.

The man screamed in agony as Bellmond carefully folded his limbs in order to fit him into the small box.

It was, of course, possible for Vandalieu to ignore these villains threats as they had no chance of ever becoming reality, but they were still unpleasant.

Well, theyll be suffering plenty when they arrive at their destination, said Vandalieu. Legion, Im counting on you for their delivery.

To Luciliano, yes?

Legion vanished along with the boxes that were filled with stone statues, including the one whom Bellmond had turned into something resembling some radical new form of art.

This whole process wasnt concealed by walls or darkness. This was all taking place inside one of Vandalieus Inner Worlds.

It is easy to forget that we are inside you, Danna-sama, Bellmond remarked.

Lush green trees had been planted, and newly-sprouting crops were growing. This place certainly didnt look like the inside of a living person.

Its easy for me to forget as well, but you get reminded of it if you look up, said Vandalieu.

There was a Magic Item providing light and acting as a replacement for the sun, but beyond it was a pink, pulsating ceiling.

They were inside one of Vandalieus Inner Worlds after all.

Of course, even I dont know what part of my body this is, Vandalieu said. When I had Isis have a look, she couldnt find it.

Even when Vandalieus body was examined through surgery, it had been impossible to find where the Inner Worlds were from the outside.

I am sure that this place is different from ordinary s.p.a.ce. I believe that even if you are stabbed or struck, there will be no effect on these Inner Worlds though I am not so certain that would be the case if you were to sustain a significant injury that damages a large portion of your body, said Bellmond.

Thats very convenient. There would be a lot of problems with making use of the Inner Worlds if they were affected every time I was injured, said Vandalieu.

That does not mean that it is fine for you to become injured, Bellmond reminded him. We have given up on stopping you from severing your own limbs to use as projectile weapons, but please do your best to take care of yourself.

Vandalieus way of fighting often involved cutting off parts of his own body, relying on his regenerative abilities. His limbs would regrow right away, and even if he was beheaded, putting his head back on his neck would cause them to rejoin, so this wasnt a terrible tactic.

However, he was the emperor.

If you do anything reckless or dangerous, I shall be reporting it to Darcia-sama, Bellmond warned him.

It was important to stop him from overdoing it.

Anything but that. Ill give you a brus.h.i.+ng, okay? said Vandalieu.

Danna-sama, that will not work as a bribe! And it is time to sleep. You have promised Darcia-sama that you will sleep every night

Bellmond, the person in front of you is the Inner World me. My real body is already asleep.

C-curses!

Each of Vandalieus ten Inner Worlds had their own Vandalieu. Unlike Demon King Familiars, these had the same appearance as the real Vandalieu, and they were able to use the fragments of the Demon King. But they were unable to leave their Inner World.

Thus, there were no problems with carrying out the packing of the abducted criminals or the brus.h.i.+ng of Bellmonds tail in this Inner World while the real Vandalieu slept.

Now then, lets get started

Vandalieu produced a brush with Demon King fragments and set his sights on Bellmonds bushy tail then suddenly froze.

D-Danna-sama? Bellmond called out to him apprehensively.

It seems that there are large movements in Origin. It may be time to use my off-limits world, said Vandalieu.

In Origin, the final battle the greatest thus far was about to begin, caused by Rikudou Hijiris quest to attain death-attribute Mana.