Chapter 344: The potential heroes endure

From a certain day, a somewhat tense air had enveloped the Adventurers Guild in Orbaume, the capital of the Orbaume Kingdom It was like the atmosphere inside a fortress that was on the verge of a great battle.

Those with a certain amount of strength and the experienced employees of the Guild had all taken notice of it. They had investigated to see if there were any urgent commissions or whether relations.h.i.+ps between certain adventurer parties had become volatile.

But the commission board, where commissions were written on leaves and pieces of tree bark that served as paper, was the same as always; no new Dungeons or monsters that were designated as threats had appeared nearby.

As for the adventurers, there didnt seem to be any who were on the verge of engaging in fierce arguments or scuffles.

However, it was possible to notice that this strange sense of tension was centered on skilled adventurers that had improved in strength at a tremendous pace over the past few years.

But they would avoid the question if they were asked if anything was wrong, so this yielded no answers. The adventurers and Guild employees that were acquainted with them a.s.sumed that something had happened with their companions, and chose not to get too deeply involved.

And this was the correct thing for them to do. Even if they were to stubbornly demand answers, it wasnt something that could be so easily told to others and to begin with, the skilled adventurers in question the potential heroes chosen by the G.o.ds hadnt been informed of exactly what was coming, either.

Prepare for danger, a danger that could destroy Orbaume, huh? We dont know when this danger is coming or what kind of danger it is. Is this my fault after all, for being so unworthy that I cant correctly interpret the Divine Message? muttered a young man with somewhat elegant facial features, letting out a troubled sigh.

The others sitting at the same table offered words of comfort.

Hendricksen, it isnt your fault, one said.

Thats right, Hendricksen-san. Dont brood over it too much, said another.

The young mans name was Hendricksen Hazen. He was the potential hero who had been granted the divine protection of Elk, the G.o.ddess of the Holy Spear.

He had left the Alcrem Duchy to work as an adventurer in Orbaume. There, he had met other individuals who had been chosen by G.o.ds, more than he had ever met before. At times, he had competed against them, and at others he had cooperated with them. And here, he had made a name for himself.

After he left the Alcrem Duchy, he had regretted doing so when he learned of the disastrous incident that had occurred the attack on Alcrem by a resurrected evil G.o.d. But he was relieved to hear that the incident had been resolved through the efforts of a Dark Elf who wors.h.i.+ped Vida and was now an honorary countess.

He felt a newfound respect for Vida; he now believed that despite her past mistakes, she was as much a great G.o.d as Alda, the G.o.d of Law and Fate.

But that didnt mean that he felt no regret. Despite the fact that he had been working in Alcrem previously, he had contributed nothing to resolve the danger that Alcrem had faced.

That was why he had polished his skills and improved his strength, so that he could be of some use if a similar incident were to occur again. And now, the time for him to put that strength to use was coming.

Or so it should have been, but there were no concrete instructions from the G.o.ds. He didnt know if he was just supposed to wait inside the city, whether he was supposed to investigate the actions of criminal organizations, or whether he was supposed to focus on patrolling nearby Dungeons to ensure that monster stampedes didnt occur.

Given that a significant danger was approaching, he couldnt disobey the Divine Message he had received. But he didnt know what he needed to do in order to obey the G.o.ds true will.

Could he do nothing other than stay in this city and be ready to deal with whatever was to happen? Was it impossible to avoid or resolve the danger before it even occurred? No matter how much he thought about it, he didnt arrive at anything resembling an answer.

The people gathered at the table the adventurers that had been chosen as potential heroes, like Hendricksen, began to discuss the topic.

In any case, we do vaguely understand that its got something to do with the fragments of the Demon King but thats about it.

The parties that have connections to the Church are currently investigating it. Im sure theyll produce results that will help us learn something.

I mean, its possible that its not the Church thats plotting something, but a cult that wors.h.i.+ps evil G.o.ds or the remnants of the Vampire organizations.

The potential heroes gathered here, and most likely all the other potential heroes, had received the same Divine Message.

That was precisely why they were feeling a growing sense of tension, knowing that a great danger was approaching Orbaume.

All of them already possessed individual strength on par with that of A-cla.s.s adventurers. Many of their own party members had received divine protections like theirs over the past few years.

Ordinary dangers could be resolved if one of the groups gathered here made an effort. And yet, all of them had received the same Divine Message. This could only mean that the approaching danger was so great that it would need all of them combined.

All of them realized this.

Should we try talking to the Five-colored Blades after all? one of them suggested. Rumor has it that they faced Aldas trials, resurrected the heroic G.o.d Bellwood, and gained his divine protection. Its possible that theyve received more detailed information from their Divine Messages.

Everyone already knew the circ.u.mstances of the Five-colored Blades, the only S-cla.s.s adventurer party in the Orbaume Kingdom. Many of the potential heroes saw Heinz as the forerunner, as he had received Aldas divine protection long before they themselves received divine protections from the G.o.ds.

Incidentally, the potential heroes werent paying much attention to Asagis group. To them, Asagis group was nothing more than a group of adventurers hired by the Birgitt house. Some did wonder if they had received divine protections as well, but none had enough concrete information to go and talk to them.

Yeah It might be worth hearing what they have to say, one of the adventurers said. Im sure its no coincidence that theyve come to Orbaume at a time like this. But if thats the case, dont you think the Divine Messages should have told us to work with the Five-colored Blades?

Thats true, but maybe it was there, and we just failed to hear that, like everything else? said another.

Thats certainly possible. What do you think, Miriam? asked Hendricksen.

M-me?! exclaimed the female adventurer Miriam, leader of the Heart Warrior Brigade, pointing at herself with a surprised expression.

Recently, people at the Guild had been calling her Brigade Commander.

She had been partic.i.p.ating in these gatherings with Hendricksen and the others for the past few months about ten days after Honorary Countess Darcia Zakkart began staying in Orbaume, to be precise.

At first, Hendricksen and the others had been wary of Miriam and the Heart Brigade Warriors. The name of their party made it clear that they were wors.h.i.+pers of Vida, and they had made no attempts to hide their deep connections with Darcia Zakkart.

But none saw them as a danger. Hendricksen and the others were citizens of the Orbaume Kingdom, where the wors.h.i.+p of Vida was allowed, and they had no reason to believe that someone was dangerous just because they wors.h.i.+ped Vida.

The main reasons for their wariness towards the Heart Warrior Brigade despite this fact were the physical appearances of its members and the Divine Messages that they had received from the G.o.ds. The enormous swordsman that one would a.s.sume was their leader at first glance looked so extraordinarily ferocious that he resembled a bandit leader more than an adventurer. The female cleric who was apparently his younger sister was beautiful, but looked more like an evil woman than a cleric. The Dwarf mage simply looked sinister and terrifying.

The bearded, one-armed swordsman who had apparently been an adventurer the longest among all of them, and the female Beast-kin fighter whose limbs had all been replaced by artificial limbs, looked more normal. But the swordsman behaved somewhat like a thug, and the female fighter had a rough tone of speech.

And despite all this, their leader Miriam looked so ordinary that it seemed like she was setting some kind of trap.

The Heart Warrior Brigade had also received Divine Messages warning of danger.

But it would have been awkward to continue to blatantly avoid the Heart Warrior Brigade, and the Guild would reprimand them for behaving in such a way during commissions that required the cooperation of multiple parties.

That was why Hendricksen, who was from the Alcrem Duchy like them, had taken the initiative to make contact with the Heart Warrior Brigade. In doing so, he had learned just how wrong the preconceived views that he and the others had of the Heart Warrior Brigade were.

Yeah, I want to hear your opinion. From the looks of it, you seem to be the one whos staying the calmest about all this. If theres something youve noticed, Id like you to tell us, whatever it is, Hendricksen said.

The fierce-looking swordsman Arthur was a pleasant, honest man with better manners than most adventurers. His younger sister Kalinia was a beautiful woman who could have been a saint, and her heart was equally beautiful. The mage Borzofoy, who was their childhood friend, was a considerate, wise fellow who did everything he could to help his friends despite his slim, frail const.i.tution that was unusual for a Dwarf.

Simon, the one-armed swordsman, and Natania, the female unarmed fighter with four artificial limbs, were individuals with tenacious, n.o.ble minds who had overcome the crippling injuries that they had suffered during their adventuring careers.

Hendricksen was also certain that Miriam, their leader, was someone who deserved respect. He couldnt yet explain in words what about her it was that deserved respect, but he believed that it was his own shortcoming that prevented him from understanding her true value.

And on top of that, they were all heroes who had been chosen by the G.o.ds, just like Hendricksen and the others. Arthur possessed the divine protection of Bashas, the G.o.ddess of Rain Clouds. Kalinia possessed the divine protection of Zelzeria, the G.o.ddess of Dark Nights. Borzofoy possessed the divine protection of Hamul, the G.o.d of Shadows. Simon and Natania possessed the divine protection of Vida herself. And most astounding of all was Miriam, who possessed the divine protections of all four of those G.o.ds.

That was why Hendricksen had personally started to believe that perhaps Miriam had been chosen by the G.o.ds to act not only as the leader for the Heart Warrior Brigade, but as the leader for all of the potential heroes who had received divine protections from the G.o.ds. The only reason he hadnt told anyone else about these thoughts was because it was unnatural that she didnt possess the divine protection of Alda, the G.o.d of Law and Fate.

Of course, Hendricksen was greatly mistaken. It was true that Arthur, Kalinia, and Borzofoy had originally been potential heroes chosen by G.o.ds belonging to Aldas forces, but Bashas, Zelzeria, and Hamul now belonged to Vidas faction. The three adventurers were now potential heroes of Vidas faction, and companions of Vandalieu.

As for Miriam, Simon, and Natania, they were simply Vandalieus friends, and Vida had seen promise in them.

But it wasnt as if they had abused Hendricksens mistaken thoughts towards Miriam to become spies among the potential heroes chosen by the G.o.ds of Aldas forces. They had simply gotten to know Hendricksen and the others when they interacted during commissions they completed together, and things had progressed from there until the potential heroes saw them as companions who were in the same situation as themselves.

Miriam was torn.

I feel really out of place. Its like were deceiving Hendricksen-san and the others, and I feel really guilty about it! But its not like we can tell them the truth. But simply replying, I dont know would make it seem like Im not thinking about anything, and Id feel bad for not telling Hendricksen-san and the others anything at all

What I feel is Err, you might find this unpleasant to hear, but maybe the G.o.ds themselves dont know what kind of threat is approaching? said Miriam, barely managing to put together an appropriate answer.

Those who were fiercely devout might consider this to be words of disrespect towards the G.o.ds they wors.h.i.+ped. But all of those gathered here were adventurers who had been granted divine protections from the G.o.ds. They certainly didnt lack devotion, but they knew of the realities of day-to-day life.

I see Now that you mention it, youre completely right, one of the adventurers murmured.

The G.o.ds arent all-powerful or all-knowing, another agreed. It seems we forgot that fact. Its pathetic that were so reliant on the G.o.ds despite having already received divine protections from them.

I suppose its because weve received divine protections and know of their effects that weve been so blindly trusting of the G.o.ds, said Hendricksen. Thank you. Youve opened our eyes.

Eh, ah, yes. Its an honor to be of service, said Miriam, surprised by their straightforward agreement with her statement.

But for Hendricksen and the others, it was very sensible to point out that there were things that even the G.o.ds did not know.

If G.o.ds were all-powerful and all-knowing, they wouldnt need to grant divine protections to humans in order to deal with monsters, evil G.o.ds that once belonged to the Demon Kings army, and fragments of the Demon king; they would easily deal with such matters themselves.

To begin with, they would have repelled the Demon King Guduranis when he invaded from another world without having to summon the champions.

The fact that they hadnt been able to do that was evidence that the G.o.ds were not all-powerful or all-knowing. The width and depth of their knowledge and the power they possessed was far greater than that of mortals, but they were still beings that were not all-powerful nor all-knowing.

Several of the G.o.ds who had granted Hendricksen and the others their divine protections had once been humans themselves, having become G.o.ds after performing great deeds when they were mortal. It would be foolish to think that such G.o.ds would know everything there was to know about this world.

The G.o.ds have sharper intuition and more experience than us, and thats probably why they know of the danger approaching Orbaume. But they dont know exactly what it is or when its going to happen. Thats why we need to investigate what this danger is while making the appropriate preparations to face it. Thats what all of this means, Hendricksen said.

Umm, well, yes, I was just thinking it was something like that said Miriam.

The fact that G.o.ds were not all-knowing nor all-powerful was something that she had learned recently. The G.o.d she was most well-acquainted with was surprisingly thoughtless, made mistakes from time to time, and often stubbornly insisted that he was human.

The demiG.o.ds that they had fought on the Demon Kings Continent were superior to humans, but they didnt transcend humans outright.

Of course, Miriam hadnt spoken based on her experiences alone; she also didnt want Hendriksen and the others to have much contact with the Five-colored Blades.

So even if we ask the Five-colored Blades for information, itd be pointless, huh one of the adventurers said.

No, asking them just in case isnt a bad idea. And Id rather get acquainted with them in advance, since we might have to work with them in the future, said Hendriksen.

In the end, Miriam couldnt tell them about the relations.h.i.+p between Vandalieu and the Five-colored Blades, and Hendriksen and the others decided on making contact with the Five-colored Blades.

The one responsible for that Miriam began.

Well do it, of course. You can rest easy, another adventurer said rea.s.suringly.

Yeah, it might become awkward if Miriam and her party had to talk to him, said Hendriksen.

Thank you. I appreciate it, said Miriam, breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that she wouldnt be responsible for acquainting the potential heroes with Heinzs party. Hendriksen and the others had been considerate of her and her party or rather, her master and friend Vandalieu. He was a Vida fundamentalist, and his religious beliefs would clash with Aldas peaceful faction.

Still, Alda and Vida If only people could put aside their religious conflict and work together. Even if its just the adventurers who dont belong to either Church, Hendriksen lamented.

Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder. That is a reasonable thought, Hendriksen-san. When the evil G.o.d Zer I mean, Forzajibal, was resurrected, it was not just Darcia-sama who stood at our side; people from the Church of Alda were with us as well. Once people learn of the danger that approaches...o...b..ume, Im sure everyone will stand with us.

In the city of Morksi where I lived, when a monster stampede occurred from a nearby Dungeon, adventurers, knights, and soldiers all fought with us, said Simon.

So let us do our best to prepare ourselves for now. Let us prepare for the moment we are needed, said Arthur.

Youre right, said Hendriksen, encouraged by these words. Let us build up our strength so that we are prepared for the moment we are needed, and ensure that we are ready to act at a moments notice! he said, restoring everyones morale.

A-are you sure about this? It kind of feels like were deceiving them Miriam whispered.

She couldnt count herself as being one of these adventurers. Arthur and Simon hadnt lied, nor had they misled Hendriksen and the others for their own benefit. However, they had laid the groundwork so that they would help once the moment they were needed (the moment Rikudou made his move) came.

Arthur and Simon could indeed be faulted for not telling the entire truth. However, information about the reincarnated individuals and so on would sound absurd to Hendriksen and the others; it was doubtful that they would actually believe this information even if they were told. And Arthur and Simon were not on the side that was conspiring dangerous events; they were on the side that wished to prevent them.

They werent trying to get Hendriksen and the others involved in this battle between reincarnated individuals. It was true that Rikudou Hijiri was only after Vandalieu. But considering what Rikudou Hijiri had done in Origin, it was difficult to imagine that he would only target Vandalieu and his allies and take measures to avoid getting unrelated people caught up in the battle.

Thus, they could not be blamed for asking for the aid of Henriksen and the others so that they could prevent innocent people from being exposed to danger.

Its alright. Theyll learn the truth after everything is over, said Kalinia.

Borzofoy sn.i.g.g.e.red. The G.o.ds who granted them their divine protections have not told them about us because the G.o.ds expect them to prevent the people of Orbaume from being harmed. It is nothing that you need to fret over, is it, Miriam?

Yeah, Natania agreed. Its not like were trying to turn them against the Five-colored Blades. I dont think were doing anything wrong.

I-I suppose thats true, said Miriam, feeling slightly less guilty.

The G.o.ddess of the Holy Spear Elk and the other G.o.ds who had granted Hendriksen and the other potential heroes their divine protections hadnt sent Divine Messages that would create hostility, such as instructing them to work with the Five-colored Blades or to be wary of Miriam and the one she answered to Vandalieu. The reason for this was because Vandalieu and his companions hadnt gone after the potential heroes so far; they wanted to maintain this stable state for as long as they could.

Their original goal was to have them fight against Vandalieu, but if the one behind the actions of Prime Minister Tercatanis was indeed Rikudou Hijiri, doing this would allow Rikudou to benefit from the conflict.

The G.o.ds wished to prevent this, and the result of that was that their potential heroes in Orbaume were simply left on standby.

Furthermore, the Five-colored Blades and Asagis group had already arrived in Orbaume.

However, the Five-colored Blades had only visited the Adventurers Guild once, and Asagis group hadnt even visited.

Heinz and the rest of the Five-colored Blades were spending their time gathering information by contacting the Church of Alda and n.o.bles from Aldas peaceful faction rather than the Adventurers Guild, as well as attempting to unite the peaceful faction into a more cohesive organization. Or to put it more accurately, the clergymen and the n.o.bles of the peaceful faction were demanding that they spend their time this way.

Vida fundamentalism had spread significantly, so Aldas peaceful faction was desperate to use Heinzs emergence from the Dungeon as an opportunity to make a comeback. And because Heinz needed their cooperation to gather information, he was unable to keep them at bay.

As for Asagi and his companions, they had avoided the Adventurers Guild because they feared that there would be trouble if they were to unexpectedly encounter Vandalieu or his companions there.

The ironic result of this was that the potential heroes were able to maintain their ability to work for the sake of the people.

Meanwhile, Vandalieu was pondering and thinking about wriggle-wriggles.

Was wriggle-wriggle an adjective or a verb? What thickness and numbers were needed to be considered wriggle-wriggles? Should their surface be slippery? Should they be s.h.i.+ny? But despite much discussion, there was only one answer.

Wriggle-wriggle! Mei squealed happily as she played in a sea of billowing tentacles.

Vandalieu, Banda, the Scylla Privel, Queen Tanato of the Lamia nation, Mari, and Yamata nodded amongst themselves as they watched her.

Meh-kun seems to be happy with anything thats string-shaped and wriggly, Vandalieu remarked.

In that sense, it seems that she has no preferences. However, it seems that she has become able to tell people apart using their wriggle-wriggles, said Banda.

Hmm, shes determining who they are by looking at their tentacles. I think she can tell from the presence or absence of things like suction cups and scales, as well as the way they move, said Privel.

I was seriously surprised when she first guessed me correctly, said Queen Tanato.

Did she really? Vandalieu asked.

Yes. Even if I transform my body, I cant fool Mamas eyes, said Mari.

Maris wriggle-wriggles are stiff to begin with, said one of Yamatas heads.

Theyre more like wavy-wavies than wriggle-wriggles, three of her other heads added.

Mari made a frustrated noise. I mean, humans dont have tentacles or tails One day, Ill definitely produce wriggle-wriggles that Mama will be satisfied with! she said, swearing that she would improve the transformation ability of her Metamorph even further.

Hey, Vandalieu, didnt you come here for another reason? asked Hiros.h.i.+ from behind, looking unimpressed.

Ah, thats right, said Vandalieu, coming back to his senses. I came here to ask Mari and the others about Rikudou because I want more clues to help find him.

So why are we talking about wriggle-wriggles, then? asked Hiros.h.i.+.

How embarra.s.sing, said Vandalieu, who had numerous tentacles protruding from his sleeves tentacles of all kinds some with suction cups on the surface, some with scales, some with fluffy fur, and so on.

Hiros.h.i.+ sighed. So, what did you mean to ask about Unc I mean, Rikudou? I dont know that much about him

Things like how he hides the fact that hes doing bad things when he does them, said Vandalieu.

Uhh, yeah, I dont think I can answer that, said Hiros.h.i.+, quickly raising a white flag.

Until Bandas appearance, Hiros.h.i.+ had respected Rikudou Hijiri, having been completely fooled. He knew almost nothing about his real personality or his habits.

I have thought about it, but I dont know much, either. However, he was something of a perfectionist. The kind of person who would make preparations that seem like theyll crumble in an instant if anything unexpected occurs, but are perfect if that doesnt happen, said Mari, who was clumsily waving around the tentacles she had created with Metamorph.

Bokor laughed unnaturally as he crawled out of the sea of tentacles. His preparations in Origin would have been perfect, after all. Thanks to those preparations, we were not able to rush to our G.o.d and G.o.ddesss side until after he made his move.

Mari had been used as a body double for Rikudou Hijiri, who had taken advantage of Metamorph, her transformation ability. On many of the occasions when Hiros.h.i.+ met Rikudou Hijiri, it had actually been Mari disguised as him.

Bokor was one of the experimental subjects used in Rikudous research into death-attribute magic. Although he hadnt spoken to Rikudou personally, he knew that Rikudou was a cunning, meticulous planner.

Hiros.h.i.+ shouted in alarm. Why are you crawling out of

there

?!

Because I threw myself in here to receive the blessings of our G.o.d together with our G.o.ddess, of course, said Bokor. It seems that Gabriel and Yukijoro have yet to emerge, however.

Hiros.h.i.+ shouted in alarm again. Gabriel?! Yukijoro-san?! Wait, Matthew?! Why are

you

in there as well?!

I mean, it looked fun, so I couldnt help myself By the way, get these suction cups off me said Matthew.

Ah, sorry. Those are the suction cups of my tentacles, said Privel.

It seemed that there were a number of people inside the sea of tentacles. Like any other sea, it accepted all who dove into it, not just Mei.

So, about Rikudou Im afraid I dont actually know much. I can imitate his personal habits, his tone of speech, and his facial expressions, though. Like this, said Mari, using Metamorph to transform from a human with tentacles for arms into Rikudou Hijiri. Where would I hide important objects and hide myself Guessing that would be difficult. In Origin, you might suspect that I would be inside a submarine that has been recorded as decommissioned, or a small hidden house in Antarctica, but surely n.o.body is more knowledgeable about Lambda than you are is all I can say. And it seems that my personality changed significantly when I took the form of what I called Arch-Avalon.

Mari had been speaking in Rikudou Hijiris human form, and now, she transformed to become three meters tall taking the form of Arch-Avalon.

I know no more about Rikudou after he took this form than you do, Mari continued. I dont know whether it would be better to say that his true nature came out, or that some screws came loose

You are imitating not only his form but the way he speaks as well, but you cant imitate his memories or thoughts, so that cant be helped. I cant understand what Rikudou is thinking at all either, trying to become a G.o.d, said Vandalieu.

Well, I suppose you wouldnt, Mari said with a nod, still in the form of Arch-Avalon, looking at the G.o.d who insisted that he was human.

Are you going to protest the construction again? I think you should give up on that, said Privel.

You cant beat public opinion, after all, said Tanato.

But Vandalieus will was firm. I will strongly object, of course. Just because Im in the minority doesnt mean I can afford to stay silent and not speak out.

It was clear that the outcome would be the same as with the construction of the enormous statue of Vandalieu. The rulers wishes would be overridden, lacking the support of public opinion, and the construction of the Great Church theme park with Vandalieu as the theme would not be halted.

Come to think of it, more enormous statues of me were built in the Lamia nation and the great marshlands where the Scylla moved to, werent they? said Vandalieu.

Ah, you found out, Privel and Tanato said sheepishly.

The Echo Ulrika, who had come to see what all the commotion was about, screamed as she saw Arch-Avalon. Rikudou?!

Ah, sorry, sorry. Ill undo my transformation now, said Mari, returning to her normal form.

It was you, Mari. You scared me Why did you transform into him? Ulrika asked.

Actually

Ulrika gave an understanding nod once she heard an explanation of the various things that had been discussed. Naturally, she had no information regarding Rikudous hiding place or how he was making his moves, either.

Hes still got a really high sense of pride, so maybe hell come out if Mari dances one of the dances that Kanako taught her while in that form? Ulrika suggested.

I refuse. I feel shame, too, you know, said Mari. Dance while in

that

form? Im not a criminal who deserves to be shamed in public. Theres no way I can do that.

It seemed that dancing in the form of Arch-Avalon specifically, not the dancing itself, was humiliating for Mari.

Then the only thing I know is that hes hiding in a place where Vandalieu and everyone else cant find him, using methods so that he cant be found, said Ulrika.

Aunt Ulrika, doesnt that mean that theres nothing we can do? said Hiros.h.i.+.

Hiros.h.i.+, we were completely fooled by Rikudou and didnt notice anything was wrong until Banda told us the truth, Ulrika reminded him.

Ah, yeah, thats right. I didnt suspect a thing until Banda told me, either, said Hiros.h.i.+.

Everyone from Origin had learned of how perfect Rikudous acting and pretending had been. Of course, n.o.body could blame Hiros.h.i.+ for not suspecting anything, as he was still just a child.

But Vandalieu seemed to have realized something. I see. I might be able to find Rikudou. Thank you, Ulrika, he said.

Huh?! What does he mean, Banda?! Hiros.h.i.+ exclaimed.

Hiros.h.i.+, my thoughts are not constantly connected to those of my main body, said Banda.

Its not really an ingenious idea or anything. Ill just be using the sheer force of numbers, said Vandalieu.

Name

: Tadano Nezumi

Rank

: 1

Race

: Imp Mouse

Level

: 5

Pa.s.sive skills

:

Night Vision

Strengthened Olfaction

Endless s.e.xual Stamina

Strengthened Body Part: Front Teeth: Level 3

Intuition: Level 2

Rapid Healing: Level 1

Strengthened Attribute Values: Vandalieu: Rank 10

Strengthened Attribute Values: Guidance: Level 1

Active skills

:

Silent Steps: Level 5

Detect Presence: Level 5

Surpa.s.s Limits: Level 1

Coordination: Level 1

Leaders.h.i.+p: Level 1

Unique skills:

Vandalieus Divine Protection

Monster explanation (Written by Luciliano):

Imp Mouse

These are mice that have become Demon-type monsters after being given Vandalieus flesh and blood. Imp means small demon, and they are weak in combat considering they are monsters, but their intelligence has grown considerably.

Because their bodies remain the same size as when they were just mice, their ability to spy is remarkable.

Because they do not possess any special abilities such as secreting venom, it would be nearly impossible for them to inflict fatal injuries even on ordinary people, let alone adventurers, but they do possess enough physical strength to avoid being easily defeated by an ordinary cat.

They possess Strengthened Attribute Values: Vandalieu Skill at a high Level, so it is possible for them to explosively raise their physical strength by consuming Vandalieus flesh and blood. In Tadano Nezumis case, he would be able to best a medium-sized hunting dog.

However, Imp Mice are still monsters that are specialized in covert activities. They also reproduce just as quickly as ordinary mice.

For now, it seems that the only Imp Mouse that possesses Leaders.h.i.+p and Vandalieus Divine Protection is Tadano Nezumi, the ancestor of the Imp Mice.