Chapter 313: A mysterious examiner appears
Chapter 313: A mysterious examiner appears
Orlock Tweiss, the head of the Tamers’ Guild in Orbaume, was an old man who ordinarily appeared to be good-natured. In fact, those in the Guild knew him to be of gentle character.
In his youth, he had been a hot-blooded man who had gone on numerous adventures with his familiars. But with age and experience, he had gained composure and dignity, as well as the fortitude of mind to not be perturbed by anything.
Or at least, that was what he had thought, but he had apparently been mistaken. Currently, he was at a loss for words and unsure what kind of expression he was supposed to make.
Standing before him was a row of ten groaning Zombies with their sharp fangs bared… Blood Suckers.
No signs of intelligence were visible in their cloudy eyes, and they looked like they would attack at any moment. If that were to happen, he might have been able to fend them off if he were still young, but he was currently an old tamer with dulled senses who was currently unarmed and unaccompanied by his familiars. He would be drained of his blood and killed in the blink of an eye.
But the Blood Suckers showed no intent to attack him. They were wearing hats, vests, and gloves that made them look like gardeners, and they were obediently standing in a line.
“As you can see, I have tamed them. I’m planning to have them work as apprentice gardeners at my residence,” said the boy who was standing next to them.
It seemed that they were really going to be used as gardeners.
“You said your name is Vandalieu Zakkart-kun?” Orlock asked, too bewildered to make any expression at all.
This young Dhampir boy, a tamer, had inherited the name of the champion Zakkart – though how this had come to pass was unclear, and some Churches of Vida had announced that they would not acknowledge it.
“Yes,” the boy replied, just as expressionless as Orlock.
To be more accurate, his current full name was Vandalieu Ark Hillwillow Solder Zakkart. But it was likely that this would cause needless commotion and trouble at the Churches of Botin, Peria, and Ricklent in human societies if this were to become publicly revealed.
Thus, Vandalieu had decided to go by the name ‘Vandalieu Zakkart’ in the Orbaume Kingdom for the time being.
“These are Undead, correct?” Orlock asked.
“Yes, exactly as you confirmed for yourself moments ago, Guild Master.”
“Indeed, they had no pulse and were not breathing. Their body temperature is like ice. And despite that, they are moving. In other words, they are Undead. Is that right?”
“Yes, they are all Undead.”
“They are Undead, and you have tamed them, yes?”
“Yes, as I just explained.”
“I see… In that case… this is a brilliant achievement. Your name will be engraved deeply in the history of the Tamers’ Guild… no, in the history of all humanity. You may even be given an honorary court rank like your honorable mother… No, perhaps it would not be too far-fetched to say that you could become a real noble? The first person to tame a Dragon after Nineroad’s passing was apparently made a noble by the ruler at the time. No, perhaps that would be difficult. These are Undead, and that may not be so good for your image.”
As he rambled and blurted out whatever words came to mind one after another, Orlock was desperately struggling to maintain his composure. Everything he said was the truth – taming Undead was an incredible feat that deserved great praise.
It was not because the monsters that had been tamed were rare. In terms of their value in combat, ten Blood Suckers were not insignificant. But given that they were roughly equivalent to ten veteran D-class adventurers, they were not incredibly significant, either.
The reason Orlock praised this as a brilliant achievement was because nobody had ever tamed an Undead before.
With the exception of Live-dead created through ‘Life-Attribute Magic,’ there were almost no precedents of Undead being scientifically observed – only low-Rank Undead that could be captured and confined, such as Living Dead, Skeletons, Zombies, and Cursed Tools.
There were also Ghouls and Vampires, which were considered to be special kinds of Undead with intelligence and the ability to reason, but… these two races were different from Undead. They were special exceptions.
The observation of any monster was difficult, not just Undead – many monsters would actively try to attack and eat the humans trying to do the observing. The fact that their habitats were dangerous Devil’s Nests only added to that difficulty.
If a scholar wished to research monsters, they would either need to pay adventurers great sums of money to capture monsters alive and spend even more funds to construct facilities that could house them, or they would need to become an adventurer themselves.
The only other thing they could do was interview adventurers. But many adventurers had no interest in academic research. They were knowledgeable about the physical characteristics and special abilities of monsters, as this information was needed to fight against them, but they didn’t make attempts to learn about the monsters’ behavior and biology.
However, defeating the monsters was their highest priority, and their second highest priority was collecting materials from their corpses to take with them, so that information was enough for them. That information was all that was needed for the adventurers, as well as the knights and guards that wished to protect their towns and cities from monsters.
It was tamers that changed this. It was possible for scholars with no combat abilities of their own to safely observe monsters that had been tamed.
They wouldn’t be able to observe the monsters in their natural habitats, but they could learn what the monsters liked or disliked, whether they could become superior variants by increasing their Rank, and whether they could reproduce outside of Devil’s Nests.
The cumulated efforts of this research had resulted in the development of things like monster repellants made using scents that monsters disliked, as well as bait that could attract monsters. Tamers had played an important role in that.
It was now possible that such important results could be achieved through various forms of research on Undead as well.
“They are also an attractive form of labor. We at the Tamers’ Guild use our familiars for labor too, after all,” Orlock said.
Monsters were considerably valuable when used in place of horses and cattle. The chances of a traveling merchant’s wagon being attacked by bandits on the road decreased drastically if the creature pulling the wagon was a horse monster such as a Bicorn. Bicorns were also stronger than workhorses and had more than double the stamina.
They cost more money than ordinary horses, but hiring a Bicorn and its tamer wouldn’t cost much more than hiring adventurers or mercenaries for protection. However, tamers were far less commonly available than adventurers and mercenaries.
Even if tamers weren’t so uncommon, there was a high demand for demi-human familiars. The reason for this was because demi-human familiars were able to use the same tools as humans. Goblins and Kobolds would be of little use, but Ogres and Trolls were very useful for land cultivation and large-scale construction projects. It wasn’t uncommon for tamers who tamed such monsters to earn more than tamers who tamed monsters that were powerful in combat.
“Undead need no sleep or food, and they don’t tire. They’re also perfect for using as guards, since they can see in the dark,” said Vandalieu.
“Yes, you are right. As for the problematic image that Undead have, it could be improved once news spreads that you tamed them, and you teach this skill to other tamers as well,” said Orlock.
The negative image that Undead had was because they generally appeared closer to where they lived than other monsters, and because they were very dangerous.
Unlike other monsters, Undead often appeared inside towns and cities – like Silkie Zakkart Mansion.
And unlike other monsters, Undead attempted to kill as many living people as they could. They had no ability to reason, did not feel fatigue, and their stomachs were never filled. They continuously slaughtered people without growing tired of it.
Even the most ferocious Ogres would feel less inclined to attack humans once their bellies were sated, and they needed to sleep, which meant that there were parts of the day when they weren’t able to.
“That is true, but I think it will be difficult for society to accept them. Undead never appear outside Dungeons as long as the dead are properly buried, after all,” said Vandalieu.
Orlock was impressed. Indeed, when Undead appeared outside a Dungeon, it was because the dead were not properly buried… such as when funerals couldn’t be held for them, or when their corpses were defiled, or when a serial killer remained uncaught and their victims couldn’t be freed from their hatred.
In other words, Undead only appeared under bad circumstances. If all was well, no Undead would appear.
If someone was buried with a grand funeral conducted by a capable clergyman, and those attending properly mourned their deaths and sincerely wished for their happiness in their next lives, they would not crawl out of their grave as a Zombie to destroy their beautiful gravestone and the flowers offered to them.
If someone was happy and untroubled by illness, and passed peacefully in the presence of their loved ones, they wouldn’t become a Ghost.
That was why people had a negative image of Undead.
Vandalieu understood this and had the ability to view things objectively despite the fact that many tamers saw their familiars as friends and family. Orlock was impressed by this… though if he were more composed, he would likely have remembered that this was the same person who radiated a killing intent that caused the guards at the city’s gates to faint.
“You’re right. But that’s something that could be said about monsters other than Undead as well. Many people keep their distance from tamers’ familiars, and there are some people who refuse to accept familiars entirely because they’re monsters,” Orlock said. “If I am to be frank, there aren’t any monsters with positive images.”
Monsters were dangerous enemies for humanity. It wasn’t rare for adventurers to lose their lives fighting monsters, and countless villages and cities had been destroyed by monsters in the past.
Lovers, wives, and daughters being kidnapped and used for breeding by Goblins and Orcs. Friends and colleagues being feasted upon by an Ogre that attacked them on a highway as they traveled. Young siblings and children starving to death after a Huge Boar trampled over the fields and destroyed the harvest.
Stories like this weren’t rare in the slightest, and the harm caused by Undead accounted for only a small portion of them.
As an organization, the Tamers’ Guild did nothing for the victims of such monsters. The most they did was warn their members not to take monsters of certain kinds to regions that had suffered harm from them in order to avoid trouble.
If people said things like ‘Stop using this kind of monster as familiars’ or ‘Tamers who use these kinds of monsters as familiars should move to another Duchy’ every time those monsters caused harm, tamers would cease to exist.
That was why the Tamers’ Guild didn’t need to pay any considerations regarding the types of monsters it allowed. The former Scylla territory in the Sauron Duchy, which was far away from Orbaume, had been overrun by Undead. Several years ago, a monster stampede from a Dungeon had occurred near the city of Niarki in the southern region of the Hartner Duchy, and the city had been attacked by Undead, insect, and plant monsters. But none of that mattered.
Despite that, Orlock suspected that it would be difficult for Vandalieu to be granted a true court rank through his achievement of successfully taming Undead because improving the image of Undead with regards to politics and religion was far beyond the domain of the Tamers’ Guild. They would defend and support Vandalieu, but with the power the Tamers’ Guild currently had, doing anything more than that would be difficult.
“But my familiars have been accepted as mascots in Morksi and Alcrem,” Vandalieu pointed out.
“… There are exceptions for everything, but perhaps the Alcrem Duchy is special and the times are changing,” said Orlock. “In any case, everything we have discussed only applies if you truly have managed to tame Undead,” he said, his tone of voice becoming stricter and his good-natured face becoming sterner.
But Vandalieu didn’t feel intimidated by Orlock. Orlock spoke calmly, and he wasn’t someone that Vandalieu felt nervous to talk to.
“I take that as a sign that you’re suspicious that I might have used a special Magic Item or the divine protection of an evil god to forcibly subjugate them?” Vandalieu said.
“Y-yes,” said Orlock, a little taken aback that the young boy in front of him was unfazed by his stern and serious tone. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I have my suspicions. Under ordinary circumstances, I would acknowledge them as your familiars regardless, but… Blood Suckers are particularly dangerous monsters to humans. If your control over such monsters is unstable, I cannot overlook it, so I would like to check a few things.”
“So, something like me giving them orders in front of you so that you can see whether they respond or not? In that case… dance,” said Vandalieu.
Right before Orlock’s eyes, the Blood Suckers that were dressed as gardeners immediately began moving.
“Agh, agh, agh,” one of them groaned as it clapped its hands and spun merrily on the spot.
“Ugh… agh…” groaned another as it moved its body back and forth, swaying like a drunkard.
Two of the Blood Suckers even formed a pair to perform a surprisingly well-done ballroom dance, but both were performing the male part of the dance.
“Oooooh… You are teeerrible!” one of them groaned, baring its teeth.
“Ugiiih!” screeched the other.
… They seemed unaware of the fatal problem that neither was dancing the female part.
“What do you think?” Vandalieu asked, pointing at the somewhat foolish-looking Blood Suckers that certainly didn’t fit the image of ferocious Undead that were even more bloodthirsty than beasts.
“… Spectacular,” said Orlock.
Naturally, his remark wasn’t directed at the Blood Suckers’ dancing, but at Vandalieu’s skill as a tamer.
Each tamer had different methods of taming their familiars. Some took monsters that were still young and trained them like hounds or war horses. Some grew up with the young monsters while they themselves were children, forming a natural bond. Some partnered with highly intelligent monsters by forming an agreement.
Orlock had no idea how Vandalieu had tamed these Blood Suckers.
But his long years of experience allowed him to see that these Blood Suckers were not unwillingly obeying because they were forced to; they obeyed out of their own wills.
With that being the case, I can proudly defend them as the familiars of a Guild member! Orlock thought.
As the Guild Master of the Tamers’ Guild, Orlock was the one in the position to be receiving the complaints and grievances from nobles and people related to the Church who had negative perceptions of Undead. If people were to shout at him, ‘Undead as familiars?! That cannot be allowed! What will you do if they go out of control?!’ He would have to drive these people away by shouting back, ‘The Guild will take responsibility!’
If there was a problem with Vandalieu’s taming of his Undead familiars, Orlock would be forced to refuse to acknowledge them, in order to protect the other members of the Guild. But given what he had just witnessed, Orlock was relieved and reassured that there were no problems.
“Thank you for that. I shall recognize these Blood Suckers as your familiars. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you,” Orlock said.
“Not at all. This is unprecedented, after all. I’m the one who should be thanking you, for being willing to inspect them at this time of night. It’s saved me a lot of trouble,” said Vandalieu.
Indeed, he was thankful to Orlock for how he had handled the situation. He had been quick to act and carried out the inspection in an unbiased way. He felt that Orlock was trustworthy, just like Berard, the Guild head in the city of Morksi.
“I have one last question… Undead do not need to eat, but Zombies do have hunger, don’t they? What do you plan to do about that?” Orlock asked.
“That’s already been dealt with,” said Vandalieu as he produced a hand bell from his breast pocket and rang it.
Saria and Rita appeared, alongside a group of beautiful women, girls, and boys who were dressed as maids and manservants. They were pushing wagons whose wheels rattled loudly against the floor.
“We’ve brought food for the Blood Suckers, Bocchan!” Saria said.
In no time, a wooden table was prepared and plates were laid out on it in preparation for a meal.
“W-who are these people?!” Orlock demanded.
The two at the front, who appeared to be sisters, looked like humans other than the fact that their faces were the same waxy color as Vandalieu’s. But the other maids following them were people whose eyes had been replaced by glass spheres and Ghosts who made no footsteps when they walked.
“These are the Living Armors and some of the Ghosts from the mansion, who were humans before they became Undead. I’ve tamed them, of course,” said Vandalieu.
“There are more?!” Orlock exclaimed.
“Of course. I don’t think there are many cursed mansions with only ten Blood Suckers.”
But in truth, Saria and Rita were Undead that he had brought from outside Orbaume, not Undead from the mansion. He had decided to use this opportunity to register them as his familiars, as it would be a bother to register them separately.
“N-now that you mention it, given the size of the mansion… I suppose that is not unexpected,” said Orlock.
The mansion in question had belonged to the brother of a duke, and it had been sealed for decades. It wasn’t unexpected at all for numerous Undead to be inside.
Even Senopa Company, the company that had owned the cursed mansion, hadn’t been able to keep a track of the details, as nobody had been able to enter the mansion’s grounds and return alive. They had only ensured that the seal remained intact; nobody had been sent inside.
So even if someone were to question whether there had been Living Armors at the mansion, or whether the mansion had ever had these underwear-like suits of armor displayed at all, Senopa Company wouldn’t have been able to answer.
It was possible that the house of Duke Jahan had kept a detailed list of all items that had been at the mansion. But even if such a list existed and these high-leg leotard and bikini armors weren’t on it, nobody could deny the possibility that someone had brought these armors inside after the mansion became cursed.
It was likely that the Jahan house would prefer to pretend that the mansion had never existed at all, so even if such a list existed, it might have already been disposed of.
Meanwhile, the preparations for the Blood Suckers’ meal were completed.
“The appetizer is dressed with blood taken from Blood-sucking Trees, served with blood soup. The bread is served with blood cream. The main dish is Huge Boar liver, served in blood sauce,” said Saria.
The aromatic scent of blood filled the room. The Blood Suckers’ eyes shone with anticipation, and saliva dripped from their mouths.
Orlock gagged and put a hand over his mouth as he staggered backwards.
“Dig in,” said Vandalieu.
With a dull roar instead of an ‘itadakimasu,’ the Blood Suckers began eating, using the forks and spoons provided.
They were eating greedily, but their behavior resembled that of humans more than beasts without the ability to reason.
“This is how I plan to satisfy their hunger for blood. Incidentally, starting from next time, I’m planning to use monster blood stored using special methods,” said Vandalieu.
“I-I see,” Orlock muttered. “That’s… Hmm? Did you say ‘next time?’”
“Yes. I didn’t have any today, so I used my own blood.”
“Your own blood?!”
The taming of the Undead at the cursed mansion, including these Blood Suckers, was a situation that Vandalieu and his companions hadn’t foreseen. Vandalieu had only been drinking the blood of Darcia, Bellmond and the others recently, so no monster or animal blood had been available to feed the Blood Suckers.
That was why using his own blood was the obvious thing to do for Vandalieu. And that was why he was bewildered by Orlock’s reaction, unable to understand why he was surprised.
“Yes. I’m a Dhampir, so my injuries heal quickly, after all,” Vandalieu said promptly.
Suddenly, the Blood Suckers stopped eating and began convulsing.
They groaned loudly with their eyes wide open, their backs arched and their bones creaking loudly. Their eyeballs turned blood-red, and mouths tore wide open until the corners were at their ears, and their teeth and claws grew significantly longer.
“W-what is this…?!” Orlock uttered.
“It seems that their Ranks increased,” said Vandalieu. “Guild Master, do you know what the superior race of Blood Suckers is?”
“Yes. If I recall, they become a race called Deep Blood Suckers. They are even more dangerous Undead than Blood Suckers, as they are more ferocious, intelligent, and cunning…?!”
As Orlock recalled this knowledge, he suddenly froze in fear, thinking that this Rank increase might have caused these Undead, which were now Deep Blood Suckers, to escape the effects of Vandalieu’s taming… to forget their bond with their master and revert to being ordinary monsters.
“Deep Blood Suckers aren’t a new race, so it seems like an ordinary Rank increase,” said Vandalieu. “Let’s celebrate by adding blood pudding for dessert.”
The Blood Suckers cheered with joy at this decision.
Seeing this, Orlock realized that his fears had been misplaced.
“Now then, could you please inspect my other familiars?” said Vandalieu.
“Hmm? Ah, those people,” said Orlock, turning towards Saria and the others who had brought the Blood Suckers’ meal.
The Deep Blood Suckers had drawn his attention due to their dangerous and threatening presence, but the others were Undead as well. It was necessary to inspect them too, as quickly as possible.
… Orlock couldn’t imagine that there was any need to worry, given that they had been obedient enough to prepare a meal, but it would be best not to give the nobles and the Churches any reasons to complain.
“Yes, but there are still more. Blood-sucking Trees from the garden, Living Statues, and Zombie Dogs,” said Vandalieu.
“More?!”
“Yes. Eisen, please bring them in.”
Eisen walked into the room. “Here they aaare,” she said.
She was followed by several Blood-sucking Trees, moving statues, and dogs who had parts of their skulls and rib cages visible.
Incidentally, the insect-type monsters had been stored in Vandalieu’s ‘Inner Worlds.’ He had decided that with them included, there would be too many for the Guild Master to inspect at once.
He could just have the insect-type monsters inspected along with Pete and Quinn on another day.
Orlock stared speechlessly at the familiars before him.
“Once this is finished, I would like you to come and inspect the Undead inside the mansion. And I would like you to check the steps we’ve taken towards the hygiene of the Undead as well. Should I prepare dinner and a room for you to stay?” Vandalieu asked.
“… That would be best,” Orlock said, resigning himself to his fate of having to work overtime tonight.
The next day, Orlock decided to take some time off, citing mental exhaustion as the reason, so Vandalieu and his companions decided to postpone the inspection of Pete and the other insect-type monsters until after his enrollment at the Adventurers’ School.
The Adventurers’ School in the city of Orbaume, capital of the Orbaume Kingdom, was special… It was attended by the later-born children of nobles who couldn’t become heads of their families, the children of influential merchants, and the children of high-ranking adventurers; it was also known as the ‘Hero Preparatory School.’ And today was the day of its entrance examination.
Those who graduated from this school were sure to gain prestige, whether they entered a knights’ order or became adventurers afterwards. The curriculum was of higher quality than ordinary Adventurers’ Schools, and the survival rate of its graduates was higher. For the children of commoners who had the necessary talent, enrollment at this school was potentially the first step to a life of success, as they would have the opportunity to form personal connections and gain valuable skills.
The school was an attractive choice to many; large numbers of children and youths gathered to try and earn their entry once every half-year.
Of course, the competition wasn’t quite as fierce as Japanese university entrance examinations on Earth – there were only a few hundred applicants.
“There are less than we thought, aren’t there, Van?” said Pauvina.
“Unlike ordinary Adventurers’ Schools, enrollment is limited to those under 25 years of age, so that might be why,” said Vandalieu.
Pauvina stood over a head taller than anyone else, drawing curious gazes from those around her. Some of the applicants were Titans, but Pauvina was the only one who was three meters tall.
The other children were whispering about Pauvina amongst themselves.
“So that’s the adopted daughter of Darcia Zakkart… Is she really a beast-kin? I’ve never heard of a pig-type Beast-kin.”
“She apparently has some Titan blood in her as well, which explains her size. I’ve never heard of anyone like that, but… I guess she’s just a rare kind? She apparently lived in a hidden Dark Elf village, too.”
“Hmph, she may be of a rare race, but it’s our skills that are going to be tested. I’m sure that large body of hers gives her a lot of power, but I’m not so sure if she has anything else.”
Pauvina seemed to be unbothered by these whispers, however.
“Then where’s the Dhampir? The rumors say that he’s going to take the exam as well, right? Wait, is it that doll that she’s holding?”
“That thing? It’s pretty big for a doll.”
“Oh my gosh, it moved!”
Vandalieu did draw some attention but few noticed him due to him not having much of a presence.
Soon after, the bell signaling the start of the examination rang, and the applicants all entered the school grounds. First would be the tests that were common for all applicants.
These tested for the basic abilities that adventurers needed… Stamina and a basic ability to learn.
A marathon while carrying weights equivalent to leather armor and some other baggage. A test for the arithmetic abilities needed to calculate the usage of one’s own Vitality and Mana, as well as one for the reading and writing abilities needed to read posted commissions.
Forcing paper tests immediately after a physical one was harsh, but it was necessary to be aware of one’s own Vitality and Mana even during tense, physically demanding battles, so this was the standard for this school. Those who couldn’t perform these tasks could simply attend an ordinary Adventurers’ School.
“It’s quite difficult (to not stand out), isn’t it, Van?” said Pauvina.
“We did practice beforehand, but still…” said Vandalieu.
Naturally, the examination itself was extremely easy for Pauvina and Vandalieu. It was so easy that even going at a pace that felt like a light jog for them would make them leave the other children in the dust, so they had no choice but to restrain themselves to a significant degree.
The examiners were able to perceive how easy it was for them, to some extent.
I see. They’re preserving their stamina so that their minds will work better for the paper test. This examination isn’t a competition of speed, after all; completing all of the tasks is all that’s needed to pass. It’s a good strategy, they thought, impressed.
After the paper test was a break until the afternoon. After lunch, the applicants would take different exams depending on the Skills they had and what they aspired to become. This was because those who wished to become front-line fighters with combat Skills, those who wished to become back-line fighters who could use magic, and those who wished to become scouts would all need to acquire different qualities in order to achieve their goals.
“Attention!” a voice said loudly.
Having finished their lunch boxes, which had been handmade by Darcia, Vandalieu and Pauvina looked towards the person who had come to the examination venue.
He was a red-haired Elf, and his sharp features and well-trained body were the spitting image of a powerful and experienced adventurer. There wasn’t a single opening or vulnerability in his movements. Even Vandalieu could tell that this was no ordinary adventurer.
But he looked rather tired; his eyes were particularly lifeless and resembled those of a dead fish.
“I’m Dandolip, and I’ve been made the supervisor of the latter half of the exam. If you manage to enter this school, I’m sure you will receive instruction from me. I don’t care whether you’re a noble or whatever, so keep that in mind as you face your next tests,” he said in a stern tone.
“Van, what’s wrong?” Pauvina asked.
The other students had already stood up and begun walking to their tests, but Vandalieu was just standing there, looking confused.
“It’s nothing. I just thought that the voice of that Elf named Dandolip is similar to Rudolf-san’s,” Vandalieu said, remembering the blue-haired Elf bard who had received lessons from Kanako in the city of Morksi. “Maybe they’re brothers.”