Chapter 339: Failure to move on from being a lackey

The day after he was discharged from the hospital, Vandalieu went to school as usual. His hospitalization had lasted only seven days, just as his letter had said, and Meorilith and Randolf sighed, having known that things would turn out like this.

Dont even dare ask him what he did while he was hospitalized, Randolf warned.

I know, Meorilith said. The balance of power in the Orbaume Kingdom changed in just a single day yesterday, to a degree that it cant be concealed. The truth of what happened to cause that is beyond a mere princ.i.p.al of a school.

Vandalieu and Elizabeth hadnt said anything, but their silence was precisely why Meorilith and Randolf were troubled and making various speculations.

The house of Elizabeths patron, Earl Reamsand, had been succeeded by his son, and the now-former earl had been hospitalized. Duke Jahan, who had no connection to the Reamsand house, had become her new patron and guardian.

And Elizabeth herself was not even living at the mansion of the Jahan house; she and Mahelia had moved into the mansion of Honorary Countess Zakkart.

If we used common sense to think about this Even if we consider that common sense cant be applied to any of these events, it likely means that Duke Jahan has formed a connection to Duke Alcrem through the house of Honorary Countess Zakkart, and is now plotting something against the Sauron Duchy. He was likely trying to have Elizabeth become head of the Sauron house and strengthen the authority and influence of both the Jahan and Alcrem houses, said Randolf.

The other only possible option was that perhaps Duke Jahan and Duke Alcrem were considering the scenario of Amid Empires army being pushed back in the war, allowing an invasion of their territory, and they wanted to be in advantageous positions when it came to the distribution of the newly acquired land.

But no matter how I look at it, I can only imagine its not the Alcrem and Jahan houses that are behind the house of Honorary Countess Zakkart; its her house that is behind them. Or to put it a different way, Vandalieu is the mastermind behind all this, said Meorilith.

I agree, but dont think about it too deeply. I mean, thinking about it is fine, but dont speak those thoughts out loud, or youll find yourself in over your head, said Randolf. Its got nothing to do

It had nothing to do with them or so Randolf was about to say, but he stopped mid-sentence.

He suddenly felt uncertain as to whether he would be able to continue being truly uninvolved.

As an S-cla.s.s adventurer, he had formed connections with important n.o.bles through accepting their commissions. He stayed as uninvolved in politics as he could, and he had no interest in politics as long as the sparks created by political conflicts didnt land on him or those around him.

But the events of the past few years had been too large for him to remain uninterested.

Indeed, he had even disguised himself as a bard named Rudolf and gone undercover to investigate Vandalieu, even though n.o.body had requested for him to do so.

Its got nothing to do with us, but maybe we should at least prepare ourselves for the possibility that well get caught up in the storm. I shall get in touch with a contact and investigate, Randolf said, wearing an expression like the one he had worn when he was an active adventurer as he stood up to leave the room.

Wait! said Meorilith.

Theres nothing to worry about. Im just going to reach out to someone who usually is the one making requests of me, said Randolf. Its nothing dangerous.

n.o.bodys worried about anything. I know how skilled you are better than anyone, said Meorilith. What I want to say is you have lectures scheduled until the afternoon, so it would be problematic if you were to just disappear right now.

Youre right, said Randolf as he was reminded that he had been hired as a teacher.

Randolf and Meorilith werent the only ones being affected by Vandalieus actions. The students of the Hero Preparatory School were as well though many students didnt realize that they were being affected.

Have you heard? Duke Jahans house has become Elizabeth-samas patron.

Yeah, I heard. Apparently, the council suddenly convened at the royal castle yesterday, and Duke Jahan himself told the administrator of the Sauron house outright.

Are you serious? The administrator is Veedal Sauron, was it? The one whos Elizabeth-samas older half-brother?

No, thats not right. The administrator is a trusted servant of Duke Sauron; its not her half-brother.

The students were boys and girls aspiring to become adventurers, but many of them were children from n.o.ble families. Thus, they were also aware of the big news that was flying around the n.o.bles society in Orbaume though they didnt know about the fragments of the Demon King, as those who had attended the council had been forbidden from speaking of them.

Either way, now that the Jahan house is her backer, we cant speak carelessly about her anymore.

Youre right. Lately, shes been a little how do I put it different.

Yeah, she doesnt walk around with her followers as much as before, and shes stopped trying to invite Alex to her party.

She

does

walk around with her followers, doesnt she? The members have just changed.

Huh? Those are her followers?

Although the students referred to Elizabeth with -sama, that wasnt a form of endearment; they were either admiring her from something of a distance or trying to curry favor with her.

Currently, she was at the center of conversation in a variety of ways.

Meanwhile, Alex, whose name was being spoken as he was one of the topics of conversation about her, was currently sitting in a cla.s.sroom with his chin resting on his hands.

Nothing had changed in particular for him compared to before Vandalieu came to this school. He hadnt been restricted from using his Demon Eyes of Great Appraisal. Hed only promised that he wouldnt tell anyone other than his own party members about Vandalieus Status or the Statuses of Vandalieus companions, including Elizabeth and Zona.

Thus, everything was the same as before He was still achieving exceptional grades, other than that one practical cooking training. He and his party members were still honor students at this school.

But it couldnt be denied that Elizabeth and her companions were catching up to him.

I wonder what it is Its true that Vandalieu knows my secrets, but thats it. Hes not threatening me or anything, but I still feel like Ive been driven into a corner, Alex muttered.

I think its because Elizabeth and her party are catching up to us. I mean, they

are

getting stronger at a terrifying rate, said Robin, the dual-spear wielder in Alexs party.

Yes. If we were to fight them, party against party, I think it would be hard for us to win. Of course, thats even without Vandalieu, given what you told us about him, said Anabelle, the mage.

Elizabeths party was catching up to Alexs party. Alexs party was still ahead in grades, but they didnt think that this would be the case for long.

That was how striking the improvement of Elizabeths party was.

Real-battle training with coaching from the Heart Warrior Brigade, and you know, that, said Robin.

He was being vague because of the promise made with Vandalieu. Alex had told his party that Elizabeth and her companions had received Vandalieus Divine Protection, but they couldnt talk about that at school.

Yeah, it makes sense that theyve been improving so quickly. Graduating at the top of our year might be hard. Not that I plan on giving up, said Alex.

If Elizabeth and her party continued to improve at their current pace, they would overtake Alex and his party. The only way to stop that would be for some G.o.d somewhere to give Alex and his party their divine protection, and even then, that would only work if Elizabeths party didnt receive further divine protections or start doing even harsher training.

Alexs goal that he wanted to achieve before graduating was to go from rivaling a C-cla.s.s adventurers strength to becoming just as powerful as a C-cla.s.s adventurer or better. But at this rate, it seemed that Elizabeth and her party would rival or become as strong as B-cla.s.s adventurers.

With that being the case, Alexs party couldnt compete against them, as they could only enter the training Dungeon where the Dungeon Boss was a Rank 5 monster.

Of course, grades werent determined by sheer fighting strength alone, but Elizabeth and her companions were being properly trained in the other areas by the Heart Warrior Brigade, who were their seniors when it came to adventuring, as well as Vandalieus familiars.

It would be difficult for Alexs party to retain their lead.

But they werent willing to give up and settle for second best after all, those who didnt aim for first place couldnt even achieve second or third.

And they didnt intend on giving up on achieving greatness as adventurers after they graduated, either.

Then lets change our plans and make sure we pile up achievements at an even steadier pace after we graduate, Alex said.

Ah, youve finally snapped out of it, said Robin.

Youve kinda been deflated ever since that incident, after all, said Anabelle. Well, I understand how you feel, but try not to make Towa-chan worry about you so much.

Sorry, Alex said. Ive overtaken a lot of people so far, but Ive never been on the verge of being overtaken by someone else before, so it seems like Ive been in shock ever since.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth was in an empty cla.s.sroom that she was using as a meeting room.

She was sitting next to Mahelia, with a lifeless look in her eyes. Zona, Macht, and the others were standing in a row in front of her.

Vandalieu was kneeling on his own between the two groups. So, Im the person who appeared in your dreams and granted you a divine protection. But the dream wasnt something that I did intentionally, so I dont remember what kind of dreams I made you have.

Vandalieukun? I can still call you that, right? Thank you for your divine protection. But the dream was very scary. You were enormous, and you were running away from a huge crowd of people that wors.h.i.+p you, and you stepped on me. I thought I was really dead, said Macht.

My dream was just going around picking up your decapitated heads to attach to your headless body, but I thought Id gone insane, said Taurus.

Im fine, I guess. I dont remember what kind of dream it was. But I think it was a scary one, said Yuzef.

The three of them were being reserved in their complaints about the dreams.

The original plan had been to explain the circ.u.mstances that Elizabeth had kept a secret to Zona, Macht, and the others her mothers hospitalization and her financial struggles and renew their unity as a party. After that, Vandalieu had been supposed to explain various things that he had kept from them but for some reason, things had turned out this way and he had been made to apologize for making them have terrifying dreams.

It wasnt entirely his fault, given that he hadnt done it intentionally, and it had been for the sake of giving them his divine protection, but he still did feel bad for doing such a thing to them while they were still of an impressionable age, so he wasnt particularly opposed to apologizing though he hadnt spoken a word of apology to G.o.dwin, the former Majin king for making him have a dream where Vandalieus decapitated head was chasing him around.

As for me, well, hmm, I slept well, but I cant help but feel weird that I slept well despite having a dream like that. Could you introduce me to a good doctor? said Zona.

I have one in mind, but hes currently in poor health and recuperating, said Vandalieu.

Well thats no good, is it?!

He is a very skilled doctor who works hard, except for the examination that he carried out on me, said Vandalieu. But it seems that he acc.u.mulated too much stress and he ate too much.

Vandalieu was unwilling to accept Dr. Hoovers examination of him, but he did accept his skill as a doctor.

So, if youre worried, I could examine you myself, Vandalieu offered. Ive gained experience and produced results at the hospital, so Im sure it will at least give you some rea.s.surance.

Hmm, I dont feel like having you examine me would solve anything, so Ill pa.s.s, Vandalieu-kun, said Zona.

More importantly, thanks to these events, weve really learned that Vandalieu isnt ordinary, havent we?! interrupted Elizabeth, forcibly redirecting the conversation.

With her eyes s.h.i.+ning with life again, she faced Zona and the others and began a pa.s.sionate speech.

Im sorry for keeping my situation a secret from you all. I would be glad if you were willing to continue being in my party. But that would mean being with Vandalieu for the rest of your lives! I mean, my mother is under the belief that Vandalieu is her husband, and n.o.body is denying it, and my Status shows a t.i.tle that calls me his daughter! I dont think I can ever escape from him for the rest of my life! If youre fine with that, then follow me!

Umm, by the way, it doesnt mean youll be having dreams every night or anything, Vandalieu added.

Vandalieu-san, please be quiet for a while. Following you is quite a big decision to make, said Mahelia.

Okay.

The previous day, Elizabeth and Mahelia had been greatly shocked to learn the truth, to the point that they were forced to accept that their lives had been changed completely after meeting Vandalieu, and there was no going back.

Of course, Elizabeth and Mahelia were grateful to him. But they hadnt imagined that he was actually a Demon Emperor with a son that was literally the size of a mountain, with the ability to do things that only G.o.ds could do grant divine protections and send split ent.i.ties of himself to his companions despite obstinately insisting that he was human.

I mean, I never thought that Vandalieu was just an ordinary child from an honorary n.o.ble house in the first place. He was clearly hiding his real strength and doing things that were clearly not something a normal person can do. To begin with, I knew that curing Mother, taking over that hospital in just a week, and brainwas.h.i.+ng that earl are all normally impossible But when I met Bakunawa yesterday, I felt like shouting at my past self for being so nave,

Elizabeth thought.

Elizabeth had been transported to Silkie Zakkart Mansion in Sams carriage, which was far larger than anyone would imagine from its exterior appearance, and moved in her belongings while being confused by the somewhat complicated hidden mechanisms in the mansion. And after dinner, Gufadgarn had appeared, then teleported her to some place where she met Bakunawa In fact, Tiamat had been there as well, but Elizabeth didnt even remember that because she had immediately fainted.

Honestly, she and Mahelia wanted to praise themselves for being able to go to school today rather than staying in bed all day.

Vandalieu-san, perhaps I dont have the right to say this to you, as you are my ladys stepfather while I am a lowly attendant, but at least let us mentally prepare ourselves! Mahelia said.

Mahelia-san, dont worry about your social status and things like that. At school, were both students, and were members of the same party. Amelia thinks of you as her own daughter, so youre like family to me as well, Vandalieu told her.

The way this conversation is going makes it very difficult to be honestly grateful, but thank you very much! said Mahelia with tears in her eyes.

Macht and the others looked at Elizabeth, contemplating how they should respond.

Elizabeth-sama, I dont know what were supposed to say to that said Macht.

You know, it already became a problem before this point said Taurus.

To be frank Its too late for us, said Yuzef.

Too late? Elizabeth repeated. Could it be that you already knew?!

No, its not that said Macht. We already had a vague feeling that Vandalieu-san is not normal, not ordinary, someone that seems like hes not from this world, or however you want to put it.

But we really learned it clearly over the course of this week probably about the same time as you, Elizabeth-sama, said Taurus.

Its just Its kinda filled in the gaps. Our parents and siblings all believe we are part of Duke Alcrems side, which is more accurately described as Vandalieus side, so I feel like we dont really have a choice but to accept it, said Yuzef.

Macht, Taurus, and Yuzef were children from low-ranking n.o.ble families of the royal realm, who had been in a position where their lives were greatly influenced by the house of Earl Reamsand.

All kinds of events had been taking place in recent days. The rise of the Alcrem houses influence. The encounter between Katie, the eldest daughter of the Hartner house, and Vandalieu (even though that was all it seemed to be on the surface). Earl Reamsand being succeeded by his eldest son. The sudden involvement of the Jahan house.

In addition to that, there were rumors that if one tried paying an a.s.sa.s.sin or a.s.sa.s.sination organization for a commission, the a.s.sa.s.sin or organization would suddenly become unreachable. That was one of the tamer rumors; some said that the hired a.s.sa.s.sin would warn people trying to employ them not to get involved any further, or even come to kill their employer instead.

Indeed, numerous n.o.bles and merchants with connections to criminal organizations had gone missing in the past week.

Such events had made the parents of Macht and the others, who were low-ranking n.o.bles, tremble in fear. Even though their familial relations.h.i.+ps with Macht and the others were almost non-existent already, they had become even more distant, as if they were trying to avoid getting caught up in all this.

Ah, the people connected to the Alcrem house and Jahan house might have made them too worried. Im sorry for the trouble Ive caused. If youd like, I could visit to explain and clear up any misunderstandings, said Vandalieu.

No, dont worry about it. Were not that close to our families to begin with, said Macht.

Im just a backup for the backup to the eldest son that will succeed the house though Id like to think that they have at least some love for me, said Taurus.

And I think once we make a name for ourselves as adventurers, well be able to reconcile with our families I mean, from our point of view, theyre the ones who have created distance from us, said Yuzef.

n.o.body would have blamed Macht and the others for resenting their families and feeling like their families had cut them off completely rather than just creating some distance.

But ever since they started their special training with Vandalieu, they had gained enough mental fort.i.tude to make a living as adventurers. Thus, the distance their families had from them hadnt made them suffer to their limits.

Huh, you guys have grown up quite a bit, havent you? Zona remarked.

What about your family, Zona? Macht asked.

I took the initiative to threaten my family before they could create distance from me, so Im fine, Zona replied. I told them that if they make too much noise, maybe Ill tell on them to Vandalieu-kun.

Now that youve said it, its not just a threat anymore, said Macht.

Now that youve told on them to me, should I do something about it? Come to think of it, I havent introduced myself yet. Should I make things convenient and ask your father, May I have your daughters hand in marriage? asked Vandalieu.

Zona laughed and shook her head. My real father and I dont consider ourselves to be father and daughter, so dont worry about him! And Ive already told my mother and the rest of my family.

I see. Thats good, said Vandalieu.

More importantly, whats up with Elizabeth-sama becoming your daughter? Im more curious about that, said Zona.

To tell the truth, were even more curious about that then our own progress said Macht.

Zona, Macht, Ill tell you the details later, said Elizabeth. And just to confirm, youre going to continue to follow me? she asked again.

She wanted them to follow her because they wanted to, not because they had no other choice.

Zona, Macht, and the others nodded and bowed their heads to her.

Im sorry, Elizabeth-sama. All of us had our own objectives for approaching you in the beginning, said Macht.

Im sure you were faintly aware, but we were obeying Earl Reamsands orders that he gave us through our families, said Taurus.

I never intended to trap you in a difficult situation or anything, and I didnt hold back in our practical training or do anything to help make your invitations to Alex-kun fail, but said Zona.

It might be impudent of us to ask you this, but please allow us to continue following you, Elizabeth-sama! said Yuzef.

Please.

Elizabeth nodded without hesitation to the five of them. Of course. Youre the party members that I chose, after all!

Thank you, Elizabeth-sama!

Ill follow you with no ulterior motives from now on!

Ill

follow

you.

Seeing Elizabeth and her companions bond grow even stronger, tears of emotion welled up in Mahelias eyes. She was certain that her lady, whom she had grown up with as a sister, had matured a lot in a short period of time.

But why are

you

standing there with them?! Elizabeth demanded the fifth person, who was standing next to Yuzef Vandalieu, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him back and forth.

Of course, its because Im going to continue to

follow

you as a follower or lackey, Elizabeth-sama, said Vandalieu.

How about you move on from being your own daughters follower or lackey,

Stepfather?!

Even if you say that If I stop being your lackey, I wont know what position I should take in this school, Elizabeth-sama.

Why not?!

Vandalieu had no intention to stop being her lackey. If he did, he wouldnt know what he was supposed to do at school or what kind of distance he should keep with Elizabeth and the others, who were his party members.

It had gotten to the point where he had started to relate to Gufadgarn, who was always

following

him.

Its fine, isnt it, Elizabeth-sama? Itll help us keep appearances up with those who dont know much about him yet, said Macht.

And Id be happy to hear an explanation about this stepfather and daughter thing, said Zona.

I think you should let this matter go, my lady, said Mahelia. Vandalieu-san has times where he listens to you and times where he doesnt. This is one of the times he doesnt.

Elizabeth made an annoyed noise. It looks like I have no choice. Ill give up for now! And I need to explain Mothers situation to Zona and the rest of you Is there enough time before the next lecture?

Ah, and I forgot to mention. I dont know when it will be, but there will be a big event that decides the future of the Orbaume Kingdom soon, so be prepared, Vandalieu said.

W-what?! Taurus shouted.

What is the meaning of this, Elizabeth-sama?! Yuzef demanded.

I dont know either! Elizabeth exclaimed. W-w-w-w-what are you talking about?!

Well, I dont know if its going to be

that

big of an event, but Prime Minister Urgen Tercatanis seems to be plotting something thats not anything good, said Vandalieu.

The mastermind behind this conspiracy was the person who was effectively the greatest political force in the Orbaume Kingdom. Upon learning this, Elizabeth and the others understood that this would determine the nations fate and, in the worst-case scenario, even split it into two or more separate nations.

And the Five-colored Blades, the heroes of the Orbaume Kingdom, are my enemies and we will have a battle to the death in the future, but

We were already aware of that, Elizabeth interrupted. When we mentioned the Five-colored Blades during our special training, Eisen-san and Zadiris-san would get moody all of a sudden.

Weve already heard that youve actively kept your distance from the peaceful faction, added Mahelia.

Well, we didnt imagine that youd actually be trying to kill each other, but muttered Zona.

More importantly, tell us more about the prime ministers secret plot! the others said in unison.

It seemed that Elizabeth and the others had already been mostly aware of the hostile relations.h.i.+p between Vandalieu and Heinz. Indeed, given how Vandalieu and his companions behaved and spoke, anyone would notice that they had a poor relations.h.i.+p with Aldas peaceful faction, which Heinz belonged to.

And to Elizabeth and the others, a future battle to the death between Vandalieu and a hero was less of a threat to them personally than a plot by the prime minister that could end the nation as they knew it, so they were more interested in the latter.

Im still investigating and dont have any definitive proof yet, but given the timing, I dont think its completely unrelated to us, Vandalieu said.

A group of people in black clothing were hiding in the shadow of Orbaumes royal castle.

They were all former a.s.sa.s.sins those who had attempted to kill or kidnap Vandalieu or someone connected to him.

As one would expect of a.s.sa.s.sins hired by n.o.bles and wealthy merchants, they were very experienced in their profession, and they even knew routes into the royal castle, which was normally impenetrable.

But even they werent capable of entering and leaving any place in the castle. In fact, they were only able to reliably enter a limited part of the castle, and nothing out of the ordinary had been happening there.

I apologize. Infiltrating any further will require us to take risks, one of them reported an a.s.sa.s.sin who had been killed by Vandalieu and his allies and turned into an Undead.

We exchanged some of the exterior barriers for fakes and broke others without being noticed, but it seems there are double and triple layers set up inside the interior of the royal castle, said another, who was still alive but had sworn loyalty to Vandalieu.

I see. Good work, said the one receiving their reports.

This flat-toned voice was pleasant to their ears, but seemed somewhat displeased. The a.s.sa.s.sins took this to be a sign of their incompetence, and were quick to try and prove their loyalty.

If you order it, we shall show you even greater results, a living a.s.sa.s.sin said.

We can even bring you the prime ministers head! an Undead living murmured.

Dont say such foolish things, the voice refuted. Your worth has already been determined by the great Vandalieu. The great Vandalieu is reluctant to sacrifice you here. That is his will. You must obey the will of the great Vandalieu.

Vandalieus will was being relayed to them by Gufadgarn. Indeed, the a.s.sa.s.sins had accomplished plenty.

They had broken some of the exterior barriers. Some barriers activated upon the usage of a certain quant.i.ty of Mana, including s.p.a.ce-attribute teleportation, and other barriers raised an alert when spirits, Undead, Demons, and other monsters tried to enter. But due to the a.s.sa.s.sins efforts, teleportation could be cast and entry was possible, though only to certain parts of the castle.

And with Gufadgarns entry inside, she could open teleportation gates and allow her allies to enter and leave as well. The a.s.sa.s.sins had done more than enough.

Even without their help, the same thing could have been accomplished if Duke Alcrem or Duke Jahan had a.s.sisted with the infiltration. But this way helped things to proceed while allowing both dukes to avoid risking suspicion from Prime Minister Tercatanis as well as other n.o.bles who werent on his side.

The reason Gufadgarn was displeased was because she had to separate herself from Vandalieu, even though it was only temporary.

I shall do the rest, said Gufadgarn.

The beautiful, silver-haired Elf girls body split in two, and spider-like legs extended from within, along with the King Slayer and Head-hunting Demon Sleygar, the Black Goblin ninja Braga, and Legion.

Leave the rest to us, said Sleygar.

This is where the ninja comes in, said Braga.

Pluto laughed cheerfully. Were all working together today.