Chapter 326: The current state of the party members

Elizabeth Saurons mother, Amelia Sauron, was born as the eldest daughter of the Taura house of knights. The Taura house was one of the Sauron Duchys numerous knights houses, and Amelias father Orson was an ordinary knight with no outstanding features other than his seriousness.

Unlike the Bearheart house, where Iris was the only child, the Taura house had two children; Amelia and her older brother. And because Amelia didnt have any exceptional talent for combat, she was raised as an ordinary n.o.ble daughter.

Someone of a court rank of knight was indeed a n.o.ble, but their house ruled no lands, and the pay they received from the lord they served was their main source of income. Thus, it was difficult for most knights to live in large mansions with servants in their employment to take care of all the housework.

George Bearheart, the former head of the Bearheart house, had been known in the Sauron Duchy as a hero; he had lived a far more luxurious life than a poorer baron might. But knights serving poor n.o.bles who ruled over remote regions might even have to join the farmers to work in the fields.

The Taura house of knights served the Sauron house, so it had the money to hire several servants, but not quite enough to live the refined lifestyle of a n.o.ble. Thus, when Amelia came of age, she was sent to serve the Sauron house at their residence. This was nothing out of the ordinary for a knights daughter in the Orbaume Kingdom.

Having ones daughter serve their lord as a servant was beneficial for the lord, as it ensured that they could hire a girl from a respectable lineage and maintain their knights loyalty. It was also beneficial for the knights, as being a n.o.bles maid was a desirable status and led to favorable marriages.

Amelia Tauras life as an average knights daughter was derailed after she came under the employment of the Sauron house and Bahnrust Sauron, the head of the house at the time, set his eyes on her.

Elizabeth was in her mothers hospital room. Her mother smiled as she talked, and she looked energetic.

Is that so? Thats great. It seems that your new friend is an interesting one, she said.

Her energetic appearance was likely just because she had been hospitalized for such a long time. She was somewhat thinner and paler than she had been when Elizabeth was younger. But there was no discernable distress in her expression or voice.

Hes more than just interesting. The things he can do are crazy. He follows me around at school like a duckling, but for some reason, he joins the teachers side during training, said Elizabeth. He sings weird songs, and he has these strange, beautiful women with him that he insists are his familiars.

Duckling? Elizabeths mother giggled. When I imagine it, it seems kind of cute.

No, Mother. Its quite the grand sight. His adopted sister and the people that are his familiars come with him, too.

Thats the little sister whos taller than this ceilings height, right? Youve got a lot of new friends, havent you, Eli? As your mother, Im very happy.

The hospital room that had been provided for Amelia was a private room for n.o.bles, and it was even larger than the detached building of Earl Reamsands mansion the hut that Elizabeth and Mahelia were currently living in.

It had a high-quality bed and carpet. It was furnished with a closet, a dresser, a table, chairs, and even a tea set. The pot was a Magic Item that immediately turned any water poured out of it into hot water.

The windows were made of very expensive gla.s.s but were closed off by iron bars.

Mahelia, you should sit down, too, Amelia said to the attendant girl standing behind Elizabeth, gesturing to one of the empty chairs the one next to Elizabeth. The room had four chairs in total. I want to hear all about school from you, too.

Madam, I Mahelia began.

Youre family, too. Theres only us and Eli here, so its fine, isnt it? said Amelia, reaching for the pot.

Madam! Mahelia protested.

Its alright. Im quite good at pouring tea, Amelia said.

Mahelia, do as Mother asks. Its hard to talk if youre standing, said Elizabeth.

Mahelia was the daughter of an attendant of the Taura house of knights, not of Duke Saurons house. Thus, she had been raised alongside Elizabeth like they were sisters, since before the Sauron house formally acknowledged Elizabeth.

Mahelia sighed. Very well.

She sat down in the chair, and Amelias smile grew wider as she poured tea into an empty cup.

There were four cups on the table, and each was now in front of a seat, with steam rising from it.

Vandalieu-sama is smaller than Elizabeth-sama, but the teachers rely on him. And he is very good at cooking, said Mahelia.

Come to think of it, the grilled skewers you brought for me the last time you visited were made by him, werent they? said Amelia.

Yes. He is much better at cooking than we are. I cannot recall how many times I had to stop Elizabeth-sama from making her own lunches to try and compete with him, Mahelia said.

Mahelia! Thats because Vandalieu is getting to everyones hearts through their stomachs Dont mention such unnecessary things! said Elizabeth.

Amelia seemed to be enjoying herself as she listened to the two of them talking. She turned towards the chair beside her which was empty.

Its good that you two are having fun. Isnt it, dear? Amelia said.

The person that Amelia called dear didnt exist. There was n.o.body sitting in the chair, and the cup that had been filled with tea and placed in front of it was simply growing colder without anyone to drink it.

Amelia giggled. Youre right. Being not as good at cooking as someone else isnt anything to be bothered about. Eli has many other wonderful things about her, after all.

Although the chair was empty, Amelia could see him there her husband, sitting in the chair and enjoying a friendly conversation with her.

Thank you, Father, said Elizabeth.

She and Mahelia couldnt see him. n.o.body could, other than Amelia.

Amelia Saurons mind was suffering from an illness.

At first, she had suffered from nightmares and, on rare occasions, visual and auditory hallucinations. She was aware that they werent real.

Upon learning this, Dratze Reamsand had pushed her to be hospitalized at a specialized facility this hospital.

There was no established effective method for treating her mental illness, and there were few who specialized in this field. At the time her mental illness appeared, the Sauron house was in the midst of a fierce struggle for succession. Perhaps thinking that she would be disadvantaged if her mental illness were to become known to Rudel and his advisors, Amelia had decided to do as Dratze suggested and secretly began her stay at this hospital.

Elizabeth had only become able to visit Amelia at the hospital because she had already been defeated in the struggle for succession, so it didnt matter anymore if Amelias condition became known.

By then, Amelias husband was already living inside her mind, invisible and unheard to any but her.

Elizabeth didnt know if that husband was Bahnrust Sauron. But she believed that it wasnt.

But Mother, youre good at cooking as well, arent you? Elizabeth said.

I wouldnt say Im

that

good at it. Your father praises my cooking but well, I suppose. You always talk about how delicious it is whenever I cook, dont you, dear, said Amelia.

Elizabeth couldnt imagine that Bahnrust had ever had the opportunity to eat her gently-smiling mothers cooking. He had been a powerful n.o.ble, and his mansion had a large kitchen with many skilled cooks.

But you are right, Madam. My lady is better at dancing, it seems. About half a month ago, she observed Vandalieu-samas dancing, said Mahelia, talking about something that had happened before the party at Duke Alcrems villa.

Because the dances of the high society of the Orbaume Kingdom were outside even Kanakos field of expertise, Vandalieu wasnt very confident despite possessing the Dancing Skill, so hed had Elizabeth check to make sure there wasnt anything wrong with the way he danced.

Perhaps because he is the child of an honorary n.o.ble, he has not received dancing lessons, said Amelia. But Eli, you werent very good at it either, were you?

Thats in the past! I received my dancing lessons and I can dance now, Elizabeth retorted.

Is that so? How splendid of you. Ive always been terrible at dancing, too, said Amelia. Yes, I stood on your foot at that party, didnt I, dear? But Im relieved to hear that you have gotten better. I suppose I shall have to thank Earl Reamsand for that.

Despite saying that, Amelia had never attended a party with Bahnrust. She had been a maid; naturally, there was no chance she could have ever danced with a duke.

Amelia often spoke of other memories with her husband as well, but it was impossible that any of them were real, given the nature of her relations.h.i.+p with Bahnrust Sauron.

That was why Elizabeth and Mahelia believed that what Amelia saw was not a hallucination of Duke Bahnrust Sauron, but her ideal husband.

In other words, Bahnrust wasnt Amelias ideal husband nor her beloved person.

Elizabeth and Mahelia had never heard Amelia speaking badly of Bahnrust. When Elizabeth was young, she had asked her mother what kind of person Bahnrust was, and she replied that he was an admirable duke and lord. But she had never said what he was like as a husband or as a father.

When she was young, there had been no doubt in Elizabeths mind that her father was an upstanding n.o.ble and a good father who loved her and her mother from the bottom of his heart.

But she had come to the realization that this had never been true when she hit p.u.b.erty and saw Earl Dratze Reamsands true intentions in his gaze when he looked at her.

Yes, youre right. Ill convey our grat.i.tude to the earl myself, said Elizabeth.

When Bahnrust first met with Elizabeths mother, he had already had a lawful wife and concubines, and Rudel and his other children had already been born. And most importantly, he was already in his late forties. It was difficult to believe that Amelia, who was just fifteen years old and barely of age at the time, had sincerely fallen for Bahnrust, who was old enough to be her father.

And Elizabeths mother did not gain the position of a concubine; she was a secret lover. Their relations.h.i.+p could not be made public, and when she became pregnant, she was returned to her family and Elizabeth was raised in secret. Amelia had received gifts and support from Bahnrust, but that didnt make up for the hards.h.i.+ps they faced.

In addition to that, though Elizabeth had only learned this later, Bahnrust had fathered other illegitimate children in the past prior to her. Considering that, she could only conclude that Bahnrust had been quite the womanizer.

Perhaps because Elizabeth was a girl, she was formally acknowledged as belonging to the Sauron house, unlike her older half-brother Raymond Paris. But that wasnt a happy event for her mother.

If Bahnrust had made Elizabeths mother one of his beloved wives from the beginning, she could have safely escaped from the Sauron Duchy with plenty of guards protecting her.

If Bahnrust hadnt acknowledged Elizabeth as his daughter and Amelia as her mother, then they would have remained just a knights daughter and her child, and the Amid Empire wouldnt have pursued them so relentlessly, and Elizabeths grandfather and Mahelias mother might have escaped safely.

In reality, Bahnrust acknowledged Elizabeth as his daughter just a few days before the Amid Empires invasion, and not enough guards had been prepared for her and her mother. Most of the guards had been allocated to his children with his lawful wives, like Rudel, and his other children with his concubines.

Amelia and Elizabeth had only been protected by a handful of soldiers, Elizabeths grandfather, who had already retired from being a knight, and the servants employed by the Taura house.

When they fled from the Sauron Duchy, the Amid Empires army had sent a large number of pursuers to capture Elizabeth, as she was a daughter of Duke Sauron. Elizabeths grandfather and Mahelias mother died to protect them from these pursuers.

Elizabeth believed that her mothers illness was the result of the mental scars left behind by this tragedy, and it was something that she couldnt forgive.

That was why she could not continue to be treated as nothing more than an illegitimate daughter of the Sauron house. As long as she was, there was no hope for her mother.

She did understand that they would never have had to flee the Sauron Duchy if the Amid Empire hadnt invaded it, and it was the Amid Empires army that had taken the lives of her grandfather and Mahelias mother. But the Amid Empire had been an enemy since the Orbaume Kingdoms foundation. It was only natural for the two nations to kill each others people.

Elizabeths blame and bitterness were directed at Bahnrust, her father, who had failed to protect his own family.

Ive talked about all kinds of things, but it seems that Ive finally overcome the wall in my development, thanks to Vandalieu. Mahelia, Zona, and the others have all grown stronger as well, and it looks like well be able to improve our grades at school, Elizabeth said.

Im glad to hear that. Youre a good girl, Eli, but you never complain, so I was worried that you might be struggling, said Amelia. But dont overdo it, alright? Were just happy that the two of you are safe.

A staff member of the hospital entered the room.

Excuse me. Its time for your medicine, he said.

He was pus.h.i.+ng a cart with a pitcher of water and medicine placed on a small plate.

Oh my, is it that time already? said Amelia. Could we please have a little more time

Mother, its alright. We can visit you again later. So dont worry, said Elizabeth.

But

Persuading her mother against delaying her medicine intake, Elizabeth left the room with Mahelia. Ever since they began their special training with Vandalieu, they were able to make an income by selling the materials taken from the monsters they defeated, so they no longer needed to work in secret at night. They had more free time now, so they could visit Amelia again soon.

Still Do you think hes noticed? Elizabeth wondered.

Was Vandalieu deliberately choosing monsters that were edible because he knew Elizabeth and Mahelia were selling their materials for income at the Adventurers Guild?

Who knows? He does seem like the kind of person who actually thinks about a lot of things despite looking like he doesnt think about anything, but he also seems like he really might not be thinking about anything at all, said Mahelia.

Either was possible.

The next day, Vandalieu would be joining Elizabeths party. Meorilith and Randolf werent the only ones discussing this.

Elizabeths four followers Macht Hamilton, the tall spearman; Yuzef Catalonis, the bespectacled mage; Taurus Zetts, the plump s.h.i.+eld-bearer; and Zona, the Dwarf axe-user were doing the same.

What shall we do? Tomorrow makes it one month since he enrolled, and we still dont know anything about him, said Macht.

To begin with, is it alright for us to keep doing what weve been doing? I know weve previously come to the conclusion that it is, but things have changed between then and now, said Taurus.

Youre right. What shall we do? Earl Reamsand is acting strange, too, said Yuzef.

When Elizabeth and Mahelia looked for party members after entering the Hero Preparatory School, these four had joined them, hoping to take advantage of them and reap the benefits.

After the party was formed, Earl Reamsand had taken an interest in them, and they were now something like spies for him.

You guys

trust

that old man? I definitely dont, said Zona as she put a piece of candy in her mouth and rolled it around with her tongue, filling her mouth with a refres.h.i.+ng aroma and sweetness.

It was understandable that Macht and the others had become spies for Earl Reamsand. All three of them were n.o.bles, but their families court ranks were all viscount or below. Their families could not match Earl Reamsand in terms of wealth or their official positions.

If Earl Reamsand were to send letters to their families saying, I hope our good relations will continue, they would have no way of disobeying him.

Of course, none of them had intended to disobey him in the first place. In exchange for their cooperation, the earl had promised that his house would hire them as privately-employed knights or mages.

Because they were born later than their siblings, they had no hope of becoming the heirs of their respective houses, so this was a very attractive offer.

As one could tell from their behavior, their families looked down on commoners even more than the average n.o.ble. They were proud of the n.o.ble, blue blood that flowed through their veins, and thought that commoners were lowly creatures that were different from them. They lived under the constant belief that it was only natural that commoners should serve n.o.bles.

That was the kind of environment Macht and the others had grown up in, and they feared becoming commoners themselves.

Because they had been born later than their siblings, if they werent able to marry into another family or be employed as a knight or retainer of a n.o.ble house, they would have no choice but to become lowly commoners. They had made desperate efforts to be accepted by the Hero Preparatory School in order to avoid that fate. Once they became adventurers, they would become commoners temporarily. But once they had some accomplishments to their names, they could become knights or mages employed by n.o.bles and if things went well, acquire court ranks and become n.o.bles themselves.

But the Hero Preparatory School hadnt been easy. With their current abilities, they hadnt been able to keep up with the practical training, and they hadnt been sure whether they would even be able to graduate.

Earl Reamsands offer had been equivalent to a spiders thread in h.e.l.l* though theyd never had the courage or power to defy the earls will in the first place, given that their families served him.

Still, all they did was give the earl the information he asked for. They hadnt been ordered to do anything dangerous or anything that would make them feel guilty about, such as directly setting a trap for Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth attempted to recruit Alex to the party, they had been ordered to inconspicuously interfere with that, but that hadnt even been necessary, as Alex had refused her offer himself.

But now, about a year later, Vandalieu had appeared, and Macht and the others had been given new orders to gather information about Vandalieu.

At first, the three of them had intended to enthusiastically carry out this order, but now their desire to do that was gone.

You dont trust the earl? Macht asked.

Of course I dont. There are plenty of stories of people getting screwed over because they relied on verbal promises, said Zona.

She was from a n.o.ble family, but her circ.u.mstances were complicated. On paper, she was the adopted daughter of a n.o.ble family, but her adoptive father was actually her biological father.

This n.o.bleman had lavished money on a Dwarf prost.i.tute to make her his lover, but she had become pregnant, so hed made her marry one of his servants. And because her daughter had a reasonable amount of talent, hed adopted her and made her take the entrance examination to the Hero Preparatory School.

That was Zonas story.

Incidentally, Im not a spy for the earl, either, Zona added.

Wha?! What are you saying?! Macht exclaimed.

Yeah, I mean, youve also Yuzef began.

Ive never been with you three when you made your reports, have I? Zona said coolly.

Macht and the others gasped in shock as they realized that she was right.

Earl Reamsand had also made the same offer to Zona, and her adoptive father had told her to do as the earl said. But she hadnt given the earl an answer, and she hadnt done anything herself.

Th-thats a deceptive way to put things! Taurus shouted.

So if anything happens, youre planning to cozy up to Elizabeth-sama on your own?! said Macht.

Yeah, and Im going to sell you guys out in the process too, of course, said Zona.

Y-youre so sneaky, said Yuzef.

Despite the criticism directed at her, Zona looked at the other three with a somewhat unmotivated look. Leaving that aside, what are we going to do? she asked.

What are we going to do? About Elizabeth-sama, you mean? said Macht.

Umm Cant we just keep doing what weve been doing? said Yuzef.

The four of them didnt harbor any ill will towards Elizabeth. At first, they had been after her abilities and the potential benefits that could come with partnering with her, but after a year of being in the same party, there were some emotional attachments. And she was also one of the most good-natured people that any of them had ever met in their lives.

She spoke and behaved arrogantly, but not to the extent that it bothered them, and given her fathers lineage, it was only natural. She was also considerate and helpful.

They had continued to provide Earl Reamsand with information because this wouldnt lead to what they considered a bad future for her.

They didnt know what Earl Reamsands objective was. But they had sensed that he did not want her to achieve exceptional grades at the Hero Preparatory School and become an accomplished adventurer.

Thus, they had thought that the earl intended to give Elizabeth to some other n.o.bles house in a marriage of convenience. After all, most n.o.ble houses disliked their women going out into society because they wanted to keep them for such marriages.

Zona, Macht and the others didnt consider this to be a bad thing. In fact, they believed that it would be for Elizabeths own good to stop her from making some unwise hostile action towards Rudel, the current duke of the Sauron Duchy.

If Elizabeths objective was to make a name for herself as an adventurer and make accomplishments to gain a court rank of her own to begin a new n.o.ble family, then they might have earnestly supported her and if they knew that Earl Reamsands objective was to make her his own concubine, they would likely have turned their backs on him and become her allies.

Even in their eyes, becoming a new concubine for a n.o.ble old enough to be her father, who already had a lawful wife and numerous concubines, was not a good proposal for Elizabeth.

But the meaning of keep doing as weve been doing had changed over the past month.

At this rate Well, as things stand, it looks like graduating will be possible. Not just for Elizabeth-sama, but for us as well, said Taurus.

Yeah. Thanks to Vandalieu, said Yuzef.

Over the past month, Vandalieus training had considerably raised the abilities of not just Elizabeth, but Macht and the others as well. In their more recent practical training sessions, it had previously taken them everything they had just to complete their tasks, but they were now completing them with ease.

This wasnt just because of an increase in their Levels or Attribute Points, nor because of Job changes. It was because Vandalieu, his familiars, and his friends had taught them all kinds of things.

Ive started to get the feeling that at this rate, if I put in the effort, I really can become a knight. Vandalieu taught me how to use my s.h.i.+eld and how to prepare myself for battle, said Taurus.

Me too His Zombie familiar called Miha is incredibly skilled with the spear, and he taught me all sorts of stuff and told me that Ive got what it takes, said Macht. He wont tell me what his real name is though, no matter how many times I ask. Maybe he doesnt want to remember his life before he died.

Yeah, and Borzofoy-san taught me the basics of magic said Yuzef.

With Vandalieu and his companions giving them instruction, Macht and the others had started thinking that they didnt need to do as Earl Reamsand said.

Im leaving my family in a year or two anyway, so it doesnt really matter if I go against them, said Taurus.

Even if they kick me out, I can stay in the dormitory while Im a student at this school, said Yuzef.

And Commoners are a lot less lowly than Ive been told. I get the feeling that I can get by as an adventurer, said Macht.

Over the past month, Macht and the others had received special training from Vandalieu and interacted with his friends the Heart Warrior Brigade, Simon, and Natania as well as his familiars. Their view on commoners had changed.

Zona shared this new view, and even though she had the blood of a n.o.ble flowing in her veins, she had been the daughter of a former prost.i.tute and a servant before she was adopted, so she had almost no discriminatory views on commoners to begin with, though shed gone along with Macht and the others numerous times in the past to avoid conflict.

But that wasnt the problem at hand.

Im not talking about Elizabeth-sama; Im talking about Vandalieu, said Zona. Recently, that old man and the people in my family are all focused on Vandalieu. Its like they dont even care about Elizabeth-sama anymore. Are your families different?

Y-youre right! the three of them said simultaneously in realization.

Vandalieu had drawn so much interest from the royals and n.o.bles of Orbaume that it made the problems of Macht, Zona and the others seem miniscule.

For the past month, their families had been asked to investigate Vandalieu by even higher-ranking n.o.bles than Earl Reamsand, such as Marshal Dolmad, and pressed for any potentially useful information.

These demands for information had grown fiercer after the party held by the Alcrem house half a month ago.

It was said that many n.o.bles who openly or secretly held certain characteristics had attended, and when they left, they had become fervent supporters of Duke Alcrem.

It was said that Honorary Countess Darcia Zakkart was a woman of unmatched beauty, and she was sure to attract a large number of suitors who were after her in high society this year.

It was said that her son Vandalieu was surrounded and served by a large number of beautiful women that were his familiars. Among them was a plant-type monster named Eisen, and syrup made from her sap and sweets made with her fruit were exquisite.

It was said that Katie Hartner of Duke Hartners house had made contact with Vandalieu Zakkart. Would this trigger the Hartner house to convert from favoring Alda to favor Vida instead, like the Alcrem house had done?

There were countless rumors like these flying around. Macht and the others had been asked to verify whether they were true or not Earl Reamsand hadnt lost interest in Elizabeth, and did intend to acquire her in the end, but Macht and the others werent aware of that.

But gathering any more information than we already have is said Yuzef.

How about we join Duke Alcrems side, too? said Macht.

I was thinking about that myself, but are you really serious about this? said Taurus.

No, I mean Zona, what do you think? Macht asked. He gave you candy. Youre friendlier with him than we are, arent you?

Me?! Zona exclaimed. I Theres no way I can decide so easily, right?!

Macht and the others had become somewhat more open with Vandalieu over the past month. And although they believed he was probably about as strong as an A-cla.s.s adventurer, which was very far from the truth, they did have

some

idea of how powerful he was.

So far, they had only given Earl Reamsand information that anyone could learn with ease. They could sense that gathering further information and pa.s.sing it on would be a hostile act.

They were reluctant to antagonize Vandalieu. Although the special training hed been putting them through was extremely tough, their progress during this past month was all thanks to him. They were also grateful to him for saving them numerous times during the training, too.

But even so, it wasnt so simple for them to decide to become an ally and true companion of his.

Vandalieu and Duke Alcrem, who was pus.h.i.+ng for reforms, were considered to be completely favoring Vidas races. The extremity of their beliefs was already beyond the point of causing conflicts between factions, which were very common in the political world to the point that they surprised even the Church of Vida in Orbaume.

The reforms being pushed by Duke Alcrem had yet to spread to Central, where the main n.o.bles made much use of the Church of Alda, including the house of Marquis Tercatanis, which had filled the role of prime minister for generations.

Up until a month ago, many of the low-ranking n.o.bles and commoners had just thought that Duke Alcrem was saying strange things, that he was just making topics for people to talk about because he wanted to stand as a candidate in next years election for the king, that he was just grandstanding and making an embarra.s.sment of himself.

But over the past month, news had quickly spread that Duke Alcrem was serious.

That news had spread after the party that had taken place half a month ago, which had caused a great increase in the number of n.o.bles who supported Duke Alcrems reforms. And the other thing that had caused this news to spread was the information about Vandalieu that had been provided by none other than Macht, Taurus, and Yuzef.

As more n.o.bles came to support the reforms and information about Vandalieu became more known, the reforms themselves were becoming more well-known as well.

Macht and the others had met Zadiris on multiple occasions, and after speaking with her, they were forced to realize that she was indeed a person.

But even so, it was a big decision for them to become a companion of Vandalieus, because other n.o.bles would judge them as supporting Duke Alcrem. In the worst-case scenario, a great number of n.o.bles would become hostile towards them. Macht and Zona were prepared to lose their positions as n.o.bles and become commoners, but even then, they were second-guessing themselves.

None of them had made a major decision in their lives; they didnt have the determination that Katie Hartner had shown.

We cant be at ease without at least cozying up to him a little more, can we! said Zona.

They were the kind of people to be led by others who were stronger than them.

This was a little less true for Zona than the others, but she didnt have any significant goal or strong conviction like Elizabeth and Mahelia.

Really? It looks like youve cozied up with him plenty already, said Macht.

Stop joking around, said Zona. Unlike you simpletons, he doesnt respond at all though thats only natural, since he has people like Eisen and Zadiris-san waiting on him. Well, he did give me this candy. But youre right in saying that it wouldnt be good if things continued as they are.

If they didnt give any useful information on Vandalieu, all the n.o.bles, including their own families, might consider them to be Vandalieus allies. It would be quite dangerous if that were to happen when they werent truly Vandalieus allies.

Zona crushed the candy in her mouth with her teeth the candy made from Eisens sap. And then she made her decision. Now that its come to this, I dont have a choice. Even if I have to push it, Ill cozy up to Vandalieu so we can really be in his pocket!

Wheres that confidence coming from?! I mean, Vandalieu has all those beautiful women waiting on him, so even if you cozy up to him, I mean Its kind of a pitiful result, isnt it? said Macht.

Your eyes are already pitiful, arent they?! If youre going as far as to say that, then go try and cozy up to Vandalieu, his familiars, or Pauvina-chan and the others! Youre men, arent you?!

Dont ask the impossible of us! Macht protested. The other day, he was mumbling something about the darkness or whatever, like some mysterious incantation!

And those people are in a completely different category from the women we know! said Taurus.

Pauvina-chan treats us like small children for some reason, and Miriam-san and Natania-san treat us like actual children and Kalinia-san is scary, said Yuzef.

Then Ill do it, so shut up and watch Wait, no, you dont have to watch. Just wait for me to deliver the good news, said Zona.

Even she herself didnt believe that she had a high chance of succeeding, so she didnt want to be seen if her efforts ended miserably.

The four of them remained completely unaware that Vandalieu was actually quite simple-minded. Although he had thought they were hopeless when he first met them, his opinion about them had changed, and he now believed that they had some good things about them. He had long since begun seeing them as his companions.

And one more thing that they were completely unaware of was that the increase in their Attribute Values was not simply a result of their Levels rising due to the special training they had also been guided by Vandalieu.

Meanwhile, Vandalieu was having a discussion with Pauvina about the companions that they would have the Tamers Guild acknowledge as familiars tomorrow.

Incidentally, the snacks accompanying their tea were

manju

. They were filled with hand-made darkness or rather, red bean paste.

Van, I want to register Luves soon. He hasnt learned the Shrink Skill, though, Pauvina said.

Indeed. I suppose Ill take Sam, Bone Man, and Oniwaka with me, said Vandalieu.

Van, Oniwaka is her childhood name, Pauvina reminded him.

Ah, yes. It seems that its become a habit to call her by that, said Vandalieu as he packed something into a box.

He wrapped the box and attached a card with a message written on it.

Van, whats that? Pauvina asked.

Its V Cream, as a present for Orlock-san for everything hes done for us. My apprentice squeezed it out of me, and I thought I was going to lose weight. Ive truly put my heart into it, Vandalieu said.

Orlock, the Guild Master of the Tamers Guild, would only be facing more troubles, but it seemed that his hair follicles and skin would remain safe.