n

nFour carriages were moving along a highway in the former Sauron Duchy. The carriages at the front and back were packed with mercenaries, and the coachmen of these carriages were mercenaries as well. There were also more mercenaries on horseback surrounding the carriages, further strengthening their defense.

nAnd the two carriages in the middle were loaded with ‘goods.’

n“Really, the world has become a nice place.” The leader of this group, Padej Boctarin, had a cheerful smile on his face, paying no attention to the strict atmosphere. “Rumor has it that this region’s name will be formally changed soon. Oh my, what a happy event. With this, the Amid Empire’s rule will become firm.”

nThe leader of the mercenaries called out to Padej.

n“Is it really alright to say that, Danna? Aren’t you a pure-blooded citizen of the kingdom?” he asked.

nWas it alright for Padej to be so happy when his own nation, his birthplace, had been occupied and was now being ruled by an enemy nation? But Padej’s smile did not falter despite this question.

n“Of course,” he said. “Which nation I was born in does not matter. I am a merchant; I love anything that grants opportunities for profit. And the Amid Empire will bring more profits to my business than the Orbaume Kingdom. Please look at the commodities behind us.” Padej pointed at the second and third carriages. Each of them were carrying over a dozen people. “This quantity and quality would have been unimaginable in the Kingdom.”

nThey were slaves.

nExpensive slave collars hadn’t been put around their necks, but there were sturdy shackles around their wrists and ankles instead.

nPadej Boctarin was a slave trader. But slaves are allowed even in the Orbaume Kingdom. So why was he making more profits under the Amid Empire’s occupation?

nThe reason for this was the races of the slaves. The slaves in the carriages were Beast-people, Titans, Dark Elves, half-Elves and there was even a Drakonid among them. All of them were members of Vida’s races or those who shared their blood.

nIn the Amid Empire, the treatment of slaves of races considered to be people – humans, Elves and Dwarves – was strictly regulated. However, members of Vida’s races and those who shared their blood were discriminated against. Their treatment was essentially unrestricted.

nPadej had noticed this; he was gathering members of Vida’s races in the Sauron Duchy and selling them as slaves.

n“It is true that they are attractive women and sturdy slaves that look as if they could work anywhere,” the leader of the mercenaries agreed.

nThe carriage contained beautiful women that would even make the mercenary leader himself start drooling, sturdy men who looked as if they would be able to handle all kinds of harsh labor and young boys who were just at the perfect age to begin teaching them work.

nThe mercenaries were outsiders in this business other than the fighting, but they understood that there were large profits to be made if these slaves were all sold.

n“But didn’t the magistrate-sama announce that the Emperor would keep the laws regarding slaves in this region as they were now for another fifty years?” said another mercenary.

nAs he pointed out, Emperor Marshukzarl had not imposed the Empire’s discriminatory system in the Sauron Duchy.

nThis was a postponement for the citizens of the Sauron Duchy, and at the same time, it was a trap.

nIf the humans, Dwarves and Elves of the Sauron Duchy were to suddenly be told that their neighbors, coworkers, lovers, spouses and their own children were to become those who should be discriminated against, they would naturally rebel against the Empire. This could potentially cause a large-scale rebellion and a countless number of people would try to escape into the Orbaume Kingdom.

nBut if they were to hear that things would stay the same for fifty more years, some of them would feel relief rather than a desire to rebel. For the humans in particular, who were present in the Duchy in large numbers, fifty years from now was a distant future, where their children and grandchildren’s generation would have already begun.

nEven Dwarves and Elves, who had long lifespans, might think that the system would change or the Orbaume Kingdom might retake the Sauron Duchy within fifty years.

nSo then, wasn’t it best to see how things went for now rather than doing something as dangerous as defying the Emperor?

nThese fifty years were a long enough postponement to make the Dwarves and Elves think this.

nDoing this was effectively a measure to prevent the people of the Sauron Duchy from unifying.

nBut despite this being intended to be a trap, the law was the law. Breaking it would, of course, lead to severe punishment.

n“That is why I have chosen this road with no people, hired you gentlemen as guards and am smuggling these slaves into the boundaries of the Amid Empire, is it not? There are no military police who would begin an investigation for the sake of these poor slaves of Vida’s races,” said Padej.

nThe mercenary leader laughed. “You’re right about that. We’ll deliver these goods where they need to be, Danna. So…”

n“I know,” said Padej. “I will provide ample remunerations for your work.”

n“No, no, not that –”

nAs if pouring water on the black conversation between the slave trader and the mercenary, armed men and women with cloths covering their mouths appeared from the forest on both sides of the carriages, blocking the path ahead and behind.

nAnd then a female knight, who had a mask covering her mouth like the others, glared at Padej with a sharp glint in her eye and made a declaration.

n“We are the Sauron Liberation Front! Padej, you traitor who would even utilize the invaders to sell the people of our nation as slaves! Consider yourself a dead man!”

nLooking closely, some youth could be seen in the knight’s face; it was that of a girl who was in her later teenage years. But the strength of her voice contained no signs of inexperience.

n“I-it’s the Sauron Liberation Front!” cried one of the mercenaries.

n“M-mercenaries, it seems it is already time for you to work. I am counting on you!” Padej shouted at the leader. His face turned pale, but he didn’t lose his composure.

nThe mercenary leader’s face twisted in a smile as he raised his specials halberd. “Yes, leave the execution to me.”

nPadej wanted to ask, “Huh? What are you saying?” But what came from his mouth instead was his own blood. He gasped, coughed and then collapsed with his eyes rolled back.

nAs the mercenary leader removed his special weapon from Padej’s corpse, he bowed towards the female knight. “I’m finished, Ojou,” he said.

nThe other mercenaries tied up the workers that Padej had hired and then followed their leader’s example, lowering their heads.

n“Alright. Release the slaves from their shackles,” the knight ordered.

n“Yes, leave it to me.”

nThe mercenaries that Padej had hired were working with the female knight who led the resistance.

nThey removed the shackles from the slaves, who were still confused by the sudden events, and the members of the resistance began wrapping cloaks around the women and children.

nThe female knight called out to the mercenary leader, who seemed somewhat relieved.

n“Are you alright with this, Debis?” she asked. “Though he was indeed scum, mercenaries won’t be able to survive if they betray their employers.”

nDebis, the mercenary leader, gave a bitter smile. “Heheh, I don’t mind,” he said. “Mercenaries are just those of us who have no choice but to do this work because we failed to die on the battlefield. Discontinuing this business might be just what we need.” And then he gave the salute that he had learned when he was a part of the Sauron Duchy’s army before continuing. “We were already losers to begin with. If it means we can return to being soldiers of Sauron before we die, under Ojou’s flag, no less, we’ll cover ourselves in as much mud as we need to.”

n“The flag we wave is not my flag, but the flag of the Sauron family,” said the female knight. “I haven’t been knighted; I’m merely the eldest daughter in a family of knights.”

nThough she was happy that the former subordinates of her late father were placing their hopes on her, Iris Bearheart didn’t fail to remind them of this.

nThere were several other organizations in the resistance apart from the Sauron Liberation Front that she led, and there was also the Reborn Sauron Duchy Army, led by Duke Sauron’s illegitimate child and his younger brother. Though everyone present was an ally, it was best to avoid words and actions that could cause internal discord.

n“Also, the social status of my family is the lowest among those who are a part of the Liberation Front,” said Iris. “I am but a small shrine being lifted up by the others.”

nIris’s family was a family of knights, one of the lowest noble families that could name an heir in the Orbaume Kingdom’s aristocratic system. And all of the members in the Sauron Liberation Front were from families with higher court ranks than hers.

n“Iris-ojou is saying something again. Is she being sarcastic towards me, the fifth son of a baronet’s family?”

n“Who knows. Maybe she’s being considerate to me, an illegitimate child of an earl’s family.”

n“No, no, I am sure that she is holding back for me, a former orphan who became the adopted daughter of a marquis’s family to be used for a political marriage.”

nThough all of these members came from such families, they were actually those who would normally never be able to succeed their families or gain significant positions, those who would have eventually become commoners unless they were adopted by another noble family or married to gain another noble surname.

nIn the previous war, many heads of noble families as well as the eldest and second sons who could have succeeded them had fallen in battle or escaped to other duchies. The noblemen remaining in the Sauron region now were those who had either allied themselves with the Empire or dummy replacements left behind bearing their names to reassure the people.

nAnd those who were not so important to the Kingdom that they desperately needed to escape, and yet were individuals that the Empire could not ignore because they did indeed possess the blood of noble families, had gathered under Iris’s command.

n“Heh, you’ll just be having me, someone who’s been a soldier for three generations, joining you, so there won’t be any problems,” said Debis.

n“That’s reassuring,” said Iris. “Alright, it’s about time we depart!”

nThe resistance, whose numbers had doubled now, as well as the slaves who had now become free citizens again, cheered as they began to move with the stolen carriages. The only thing left behind was the pool of the slave trader’s blood.

nThe voice of a boy leading a somewhat sinister-looking group of individuals echoed out in the refreshing air of this clear morning.

n“We’ll make this our camping ground,” Vandalieu declared.

nIf survivalists on Earth were to hear this, they might be exasperated, wondering what kind of camping ground this was supposed to be.

n“Get up.”

nThe ground surface was steadily transformed into Golems and the slope of the mountain changed into a flat, open space with a reasonable surface area. He didn’t forget to transform the bedrock and boulders into Stone Golems as well, to form pillars that would support the flat ground.

nAnd then bones began to join together with clattering noises in this newly-formed open ground.

nKnochen groaned as it transformed into ramparts and inhabitable buildings made of bones. The roofs were made not with tiles, but things such as the bone plates of Stegosauruses and tortoise shells.

nThe insides of the buildings were not empty; they contained tables, chairs and beds made of bone. Rita and Saria quickly carried in the sheets and mattresses that Sam had been carrying aboard and began making the beds.

nVandalieu used his Golem Transmutation skill to quickly dig a well and his Labyrinth Construction skill to create a small Dungeon for quick travel in emergency situations.

nLast of all, Eisen and the other Immortal Ents lumbered around Knochen’s surroundings, concealing the bone mansion so that it couldn’t be seen from outside.

n“Well done, Danna-sama,” said Bellmond.

nEverything was complete after less than an hour. Everyone began to rest, drinking the tea that Bellmond had prepared.

nWith just that much time and effort, a base that was very comfortable to live in with the defenses of a sturdy fort had been created. It even had food and water available from the well and the Immortal Ents, and there was an emergency escape option as well.

n“I’m sure it would be designated as a disaster,” Vandalieu remarked quietly, looking at Knochen (or rather, one of its Skeletons), who was the core of this base.

nKnochen gave a curious groan.

nA fortress filled with countless Undead had suddenly appeared in an unnoticed location. Any previously-prepared precautions and defenses were useless in such a situation.

nAnd because Knochen possessed the High-speed Flight skill, its mobility was incomparably superior to those of other Bone Forts.

nIf it wanted to, it could go over castle walls at night and form a fortress before morning while attacking the city.

nIt was an absolute nightmare from a defender’s point of view.

n“Now that it comes to this, I’ll have to consider that the Empire, Kingdom and the Pure-breed Vampires might use similar tactics and rework Talosheim’s defensive tactics,” said Vandalieu.

n“Van, don’t be scared~! Calm down~!” said Pauvina.

n“Relax, Vandalieu. There’s no need to be scared,” said Darcia.

nThe two of them were trying to calm him down now that he was feeling an irrational sense of danger and imagining things that were impossible.

n“Please look over here, my lord. I am managing to do this with more than usual,” said Bone Man, who had remove his own skull and ribs and started juggling them, perhaps in an attempt to draw Vandalieu’s attention away from such thoughts.

n“Bocchan, the chances of the Empire or the Kingdom throwing a monster like a Bone Fort onto the frontlines are… well, nil,” said Saria.

nThere wasn’t even a one percent chance. As long as Vandalieu was the only one capable of taming Undead, there was nobody who could manipulate monsters of the same type as a Bone Fort.

nIf they were to use large plant-type monsters or special Golems, it might theoretically be possible to achieve something similar, but… these would just be empty theories.

nEven if such empty theories somehow became reality, such large plant-type monsters would likely move slower than shellfish on land, and the manufacturing cost of making a moving fortress-type Golem with current alchemical knowledge would cause nations to go bankrupt ten times over.

n“Then what about the Pure-breed Vampires?” Princess Levia asked.

n“I do not know how much fighting strength Birkyne-sa… Birkyne and Gubamon possess, but I do not believe that they possess a Bone Fort,” said Bellmond.

n“Eh, is that true?” Princess Levia seemed surprised. “But I do think that Knochen-san is very convenient.”

nBone Forts were rare Undead monsters and only a handful of them had been historically confirmed to exist, but Birkyne and Gubamon had been alive since the age of the gods. As they were capable of taming Undead, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to set their sights on Bone Forts.

nThat was what Princess Levia had thought, but Bellmond shook her head.

n“Princess, you mustn’t use Danna-sama as a standard,” she said. “They are capable of taming Undead, but they are only capable of controlling Undead that they have created themselves using corpses as materials. They are unable to tame Undead that already move and exist. Thus, if they wished to possess a Bone Fort, they would need to create one, but gathering such a number of bones would be truly difficult*, in every sense of the word.”

nTLN*: This is a slight pun, because 骨

/kotsu, the Japanese word for “bone,” can also mean “difficult” and this is the word used here.

nAnd after they gathered the materials, they would need to perform a ritual to turn them into an Undead, so this would take a considerable amount of time.

n“Can they not steadily develop from Rank 1 Living Bones?” Vandalieu asked.

n“I do not believe that they did this,” said Bellmond. “If they wanted more fighting forces, increasing the numbers of Subordinate Vampires would suffice… and Danna-sama, the majority of Undead are not as intelligent as Knochen-dono and Bone-Man-dono.”

nIn other words, even after taking the effort to raise them, they would be left with Undead who would only be able to obey simple commands like, “Fight,” and, “Stay here.”

n“And they are not managing a nation or a large-scale mercenary band to begin with,” Bellmond continued. “They are a type of criminal organization. They do not even have any need to directly fight an enemy army.”

nThe Pure-breed Vampires who worshipped evil gods had survived up until now by spreading their roots beneath society. Thus, it was apparently unnecessary for them to conduct large-scale battles such as wars on their own.

nTo begin with, Pure-breed Vampires and high-ranking Noble-born Vampires each possessed enough fighting strength to scatter the army of a single nation. As they had no civilians that they needed to protect, just one or perhaps a few of them would need to go on a rampage or simply escape.

n“Then what about the evil gods?” Vandalieu asked.

n“The evil gods, you ask…? My knowledge does not extend that far,” Bellmond said, unable to answer his question.

nHowever, Vandalieu and his companions would one day do battle with the evil gods, including Hihiryushukaka, the Evil God of Joyful Life, the one who had given Gubamon and the other two Pure-breed Vampires his divine protection.

nAs long as this fact remained true, they needed countermeasures against these enemies.

n“Well, even if I want to come up with countermeasures, I can’t come up with anything other than defeating them through sheer force, so let’s prepare while trying to think of new ideas,” said Vandalieu.

n“My apologies. I have failed to convince him,” said Bellmond.

n“That’s not true, Bellmond-san,” said Darcia. “You did well!”

n“Jyuuh, there is nothing to apologize for,” said Bone Man. “My lord has returned to normal, after all.”

nKnochen groaned in agreement.

nAs Vandalieu watched everyone thank Bellmond for her efforts, he wondered whether he was overthinking things, but he reconsidered and decided that it would be best to make preparations while not doing anything unreasonable.

nIt was thanks to Vandalieu’s persecutory delusions that Talosheim’s defenses had been increased to this extent.

n“Now then, we’ll be going now. Everyone, if bandits or Empire soldiers come and you can stop them from passing, please dispose of them. The same goes for the Vampires who work for the evil gods. But you mustn’t lay a hand on the people of the resistance. If they look like they will die, please help them.”

nWith these words, Vandalieu left his camp along with his companions.

nThe first objective was to make contact with the Scylla, but first he had to gather nearby spirits to gain information. That was why they were going for a little walk around the area first.

n“Well, I don’t have high hopes for this,” Vandalieu said.

nIn these nature-filled mountains and hills, there were countless forms of life and the air was restless with countless spirits appearing and disappearing. These spirits were very convenient for making Golems. However, it was difficult to say that they were useful as a source of information.

nThe spirits of plants were insensitive to their surroundings, and Vandalieu didn’t expect much from the spirits of insects, either. Animals would know a few things about the areas that their territories encompassed. Birds were the most promising, as they had good eyes and lived over wide areas.

nBut the spirits of such wild animals lost memories from when they were alive very quickly, and the vast majority of them lasted less than a year before returning to the circle of transmigration.

nThus, the only reliable ones were the spirits of intelligent creatures such as people or monsters. But this was simply a nature-filled mountain in the middle of nowhere. There weren’t even any signs of battle having taken place here, so it was unlikely that there would be spirits of people here.

nTherefore, the spirits of monsters should have been the ones to look for, but…

n“I wonder if there are any Goblins or something,” said Vandalieu.

n“Despite the fact that we are trying to find them, there aren’t any, are there?” said Princess Levia.

n“There really aren’t any,” said Pauvina.

nThe three of them were going along a mountain path, searching for monsters that could be used as sources of information, but this seemed to be a more peaceful mountain than they had thought. There wasn’t a single trace of a Goblin, despite the fact that Goblins were monsters that could be found anywhere.

n… Though it was entirely possible that they had simply fled in fear of the Titan Ghost who was over two meters tall and the enormous little girl.

n“This would be a relative success if we were just watching the autumn leaves fall, though,” said Vandalieu.

nThe trees here were separated by generous amounts of space, and the sunlight filtering through the leaves was very beautiful. There were no red leaves and few autumn colors, but it was not a bad view at all.

n“What are we hunting? Are Momijis monsters?” Pauvina asked.

nTLN*: “Watching autumn leaves fall” is literally “hunting autumn colors,” and “autumn colors” = 紅葉

/Momiji.

nPauvina had made a common misunderstanding for children first hearing about watching autumn leaves fall, so Vandalieu went to correct her, but Princess Levia responded first.

n“They’re deer-type monsters,” she said. “It was written on stone tablets that deer meat is called ‘momiji.’ This is correct, isn’t it?”

nTLN: 紅葉

/Momiji also means “venison.”

n“Yes, they’re deer,” said Vandalieu.

nIt was another world, so there wouldn’t really be any problems if watching autumn leaves falling had a different meaning.

nSuddenly, Pauvina began sniffing the air. “Au, I can smell water this way,” she said.

nDisplaying the sharp sense of smell of a half-Noble Orc, Pauvina did more work than the swarms of spirits gathering around.

n“Going to the water should give some clues, shouldn’t it?” said Princess Levia.

nLike Lizardmen, Scylla were a race that needed to be near water. Of course, that didn’t mean that all bodies of water would have Scylla living there, but they would at least get some clues.

n“I shall remain hidden nearby, then,” said Princess Levia.

n“Please do,” said Vandalieu. “Pauvina, where is the smell coming from?”

n“Hmm, it’s over there.”

nJust in case, Levia erased her presence. Vandalieu followed Pauvina, who was following the smell of water.

nAfter a short while, they arrived at a small pond.

n“There aren’t any Scylla-sans, are there?” said Pauvina, sounding disappointed.

nAs she said, there were no signs of Scylla at this small marsh that was about ten meters across.

n“But there is someone who used to be a Scylla,” said Vandalieu.

nHe could see the spirit of a Scylla.

n“It’s not here… It’s not here… It’s not here…” the Scylla whispered.

nHer expression was terribly depressed, and she appeared to be searching for something with both of her hands and the tentacles of her lower body. She was apparently searching so frantically that she hadn’t taken notice of Vandalieu’s Demon Path Enticement skill. She was what is known as a Jibakurei*.

nTLN*: A spirit that is bound to a certain location, such as the place where it died.

nIt was the most ghost-like spirit that Vandalieu had ever encountered.

n“What are you looking for?” he asked.

nAs Vandalieu spoke to her, the Scylla’s spirit raised her face and was taken aback. And then her expression loosened as she gazed at him. The shadow of sadness that had been present in her expression had dramatically receded.

n“An important… ring. I was only just given it, and… I went and lost it…”

nDeciding it was fine to show her to Pauvina, Vandalieu cast Visualization on the Scylla’s spirit as it began talking. She told him that she was a Scylla by the name of Orbia, from a clan that ran a village near this pond.

nScylla were an entirely female race, and Orbia had a secret relationship with a certain man. This man was a person who held a significant position in society, and their relationship could not be made known.

n“But he told me that he wanted to give me a symbol of our engagement and asked me to come out here alone, so I snuck out of the village. And then, right here, I received the ring from that person… I was so happy that I began to feel faint… and before I knew it…”

n“You had died,” said Vandalieu, finishing her sentence.

n“That’s right! Before I knew it, I’d turned into a ghost, that person was nowhere to be found and the ring was gone… and I didn’t know what was going on…”

n“You poor thing, you forgot what happened when you died, didn’t you?” said Pauvina.

n“It was painful when you realized that you’d died before realizing it, wasn’t it?” said Princess Levia.

nThe three of them had experienced death before; they nodded in sympathy as they listened to Orbia’s story.

n“Well then, I’ll help you look for the ring,” said Vandalieu.

n“Are you sure?! I’ve searched for days and haven’t found it, you know?” said Orbie.

n“Yes. I have to divide first.”

n“Divide? Uwah, you’re dividing?!”

nVandalieu used Out-of-body Experience to multiply himself and searched everywhere, even inside the mud of the marsh.

nWhile he was doing this, Princess Levia and Pauvina were asking Orbia how she had died.

n“Do you have any idea as to when you died?” Princess Levia.

nThere was the option of using Mental Encroachment, but there was a possibility of Orbia going mad and her mind crumbling if her memories were dug up forcefully, so it was best to ask her and have her remember.

n“No, I don’t remember anything…”

nThe appearance of ghosts were often influenced by how they appeared when they died. The spirit of a person who had been stabbed in the chest would have a knife protruding from their chest, so it would be easily to tell the cause of death in such a case, but Orbia had no external injuries.

nIt was possible that the cause of death hadn’t appeared on her spirit body because she didn’t remember how she had died.

n“I’m sure it happened in an instant,” said Pauvina. “You don’t remember what happened before you died? Maybe something strange happened.”

n“Now that you mention it… Recently, in a number of villages, there have been incidents where Scylla have been getting attacked in places where they were alone and killed in horrible ways… Could it be that I was killed by the person responsible for that?! This is terrible! What if that man was also put in danger?!” Orbia exclaimed.

n“I-it’s alright,” said Pauvina, reassuring her. “If that person’s spirit was nearby, Van would have noticed.”

n“That’s right,” said Princess Levia. “I am sure that your precious person is safe.”

n“You’re right,” said Orbia, regaining her composure. “That wouldn’t necessarily have happened to that person.”

nJust as she finished speaking, all of Vandalieu’s clones returned to his physical body.

n“Unfortunately, I couldn’t find your ring,” said Vandalieu. “It was either stolen by the one who killed you or it’s with your dead body. Or perhaps ‘that person’ has it?”

n“I see… thanks for searching for it,” said Orbia. “With this, I can give up.”

nSuddenly, Orbia grew fainter. Now that she knew that her ring wasn’t here, her lingering attachment had faded and she was trying to return to the circle of transmigration.

n“Orbia-oneesan…” Pauvina whispered.

n“Please find happiness after your reborn, alright?” said Princess Levia.

nThe two of them watched her with sad expressions.

n“Yes, thank you,” Orbia said to them with a smile as she disappeared –

n“Ah, excuse me, but it would be really helpful if you could lead me to the Scylla village.”

n“Come to think of it, I didn’t tell you where it is, did I?”

nOrbia came back before disappearing.

n“Also, do you have no intention of becoming an Undead?” asked Vandalieu. “You’ll be able to take revenge on the criminal with your own hands.”

n“Hmm, an Undead, not really,” Orbia said. “I suppose I don’t really care about revenge, and as long as that person is safe… ah, but while I’m at it, I might want to confirm his safety for myself.”

nAnd so she easily agreed to stay with Vandalieu. It seemed that she wanted to at least stay with him until she could make sure that her lover was safe.

n“I’m happy, but conflicted,” said Pauvina. “I kind of knew that things would come to this, though.”

n“It is conflicting indeed,” Princess Levia agreed. “Though I did think that things would come to this.”

nThe two of them, who had both been stopped from returning to the circle of transmigration by Vandalieu, glared at him with reproachful eyes.

nHaving Undead insects deliver a message to everyone else who was waiting, Vandalieu and his companions headed for the village that Orbia used to live in, following her lead. The village was apparently in the marshes in the mountains.

n“Eh, this child is Vida’s Holy Son?! Amazing! Us Scylla have been worshipping Vida all this time, but none of us have this Title!” Orbia exclaimed.

n“Fufun, that’s right,” said Pauvina. “Van is amazing. And what about that person that you love, Orbia-oneechan?”

n“I can’t tell you his name,” said Orbia. “But he’s really cool~♪ especially when he flicks his bangs to the side, like this.”

nHer lover was apparently a handsome person with characteristic bangs.

n“At this rate, it seems that we’ll be able to identify her lover straight away,” Vandalieu whispered.

nBut as they were drawing closer to a river that lay between them at the village, they heard a piercing scream.

n“It could be that someone is being attacked,” Vandalieu said.

n“Uwah, so fast?! But why are you using your hands to run as well?!”

n“Because it’s faster. Pauvina and Princess Levia, please follow me.”

nWithout waiting for a response, Vandalieu immediately began running on all fours towards the direction that the scream had come from.

n“Umm, that’s probably not right, but it might be… ah, your tongue extended?!”

nOrbia seemed bewildered, but Vandalieu used the Unarmed Fighting Technique martial skill, Tongue Blade, to cut through the branches that were in the way. He kept running, deciding that he’d think about things after finding the one who had let out the scream.

nIf they were being attacked by Orbie’s murderer, he would have to make heavy use of magic, so he wasn’t using Flight.

nIn fact, since he was traveling just to the nearby river, flying wouldn’t have been much faster than running on all fours.

nMonster explanation:

n【Living Maid Armor】

nSaria and Rita have become these monsters after Vandalieu added Dark Copper armor to them in the shape of frills and laces.

nIt can be assumed that the likely conditions for becoming Living Maid Armors are things such as possessing the Housework skill, being someone’s maid and being suits of armor that appear maid-like.

nAs there are no Rank 6 Living Armor-type Undead with the Housework skill that are aware that they are maids other than Saria and Rita, they are the first monsters of their kind to appear in Lambda.

nThus, there is a high chance that adventurers seeing them would mistake them for strangely-shaped Living Armors or Living Magic Armors.

nIt is not only combat abilities that receive bonuses; the Housework skill receives bonuses as well, so they have the potential to develop into exceptional maids.

n