The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time
chapter-314

About half a year before the entrance examination for the Hero Preparatory School.

People are often forced to do things they don’t want to, by ties of obligation that cannot be broken by a single individual.

In this case, it was the employment of Randolf ‘the True,’ the Orbaume Kingdom’s S-class adventurer, at the school.

“You want me to be a temporary teacher at an Adventurers’ School?” Randolf asked.

“That’s right. Of course, it is no ordinary Adventurers’ School. The school I serve as principal of is known as the ‘Hero Preparatory School,’ and I would like to have you serve as a temporary instructor,” said the Elf woman who was meeting with him.

For once, it wasn’t a powerful noble making a request of Randolf. The woman had well-ordered features and a dignified beauty, but she also had a wise and courageous air about her.

She was the principal of the school that was attended by many noble children, though many were the later-born children of their families, such as third-born sons or fourth-born daughters. Many who graduated the school went on to become C-class adventurers, and none could attend without a certain amount of talent or the hard work necessary to overcome a lack of talent.

She didn’t have any direct say in politics or military matters, but her voice was about as influential as that of the average earl or marquis.

“Just shut up and nod your head, Rand.”

“Don’t use a nickname that I haven’t been called by since my adventuring days, Meorilith.”

The Elf woman was a former A-class adventurer who had been active during the same period of time as Randolf ‘the True,’ and they had even formed parties together on occasion.

Randolf was well-known for often going solo, but it wasn’t that he had never joined forces with other adventurers before. In the past, Meorilith was known as the female adventurer that Randolf had formed a party with most frequently.

“How cold of you,” said Meorilith. “We spent many a passionate night together, did we not? The tea you made for me in the morning always smelled so special.”

There had always been plausible speculations that Meorilith was Randolf’s lover, common-law wife, or mistress, and these speculations were now considered to be half-open truths.

In plays where Randolf ‘the True’ was the main character, having Meorilith cast as the heroine was always a popular choice, and the songs of bards made the reasonable assumption that the two had never married because they couldn’t imagine becoming husband and wife and had decided that it was best to continue their current relationship as friendly rivals.

After Randolf’s public retirement from adventuring, many said that the Elf Meorilith was only appointed as the principal of the Hero Preparatory School by the royals and nobles in order for the nation to maintain a connection with Randolf.

And there was quite a lot of truth to that.

“Don’t lie to me,” said Randolf. “Every time I made tea for you, you would complain that the smell would make your nose crooked. Have you forgotten?”

As a man, Randolf had physical needs. Meorilith was in the same business as him and similarly capable; in many ways, she was a better choice of partner than women used by nobles and merchants plotting to form social connections with him.

Incidentally, the reason they had never married was because of the difference in their personalities. They got on well enough at night, but neither of them had imagined it to be possible for them to live together during the day as well.

“I said it was special – I never said it was good,” said Meorilith. “Anyway, the period of your employment will be two years. I’m counting on you.”

“Wait. I don’t remember saying that I’ll accept. Have you forgotten that the last time I did this, I told you that I’d never do it again?” Randolf reminded her.

He had worked at Meorilith’s school at her request once in the past. But he was a retired adventurer, and he wasn’t the kind of person who would want to get involved with current and aspiring adventurers.

Adventuring was a dangerous profession with a high mortality rate. No matter how much skill and talent one was blessed with, this was an unchanging fact.

Though it was better than some of the other work that nobles requested of him, Randolf gained no pleasure from the task of training young boys and girls so that they could enter such a profession.

There were also psychological reasons for not wanting to do this job.

“Do you hate seeing your past self in their young eyes, full of hopes and dreams?” Meorilith asked.

“… I do,” said Randolf.

He glared at her as if to tell her that if she already knew that, she didn’t need to say it out loud.

He also cursed his loud-mouthed past self who spoke loudly of his dreams for the future.

“I was a brat who knew nothing of how the world worked. I naïvely thought that if I had the skill and money, I could achieve anything… I could retake my homeland. That’s a past that I would rather forget.”

Randolf hailed from an Elf settlement in a forest. The settlement had various exchanges with human societies, and the clan living there had lived simple but comfortable lives with the nature around them.

The settlement’s peace was broken by a monster stampede from a Devil’s Nest that was far away from the forest. The horde of monsters, having grown too large and overflowing from their previous habitat, had set their eyes on the forest Randolf’s clan lived in to use as their next home.

The settlement had numerous capable archers, spiritual mages, lightly-armed warriors, and unarmed fighters. But the monsters were too many, and the settlement couldn’t withstand them.

After suffering many losses, the surviving Elves, including the then-young Randolf, fled from the forest. They then relied on the humans they’d had relations with… the Orbaume Kingdom, and moved there.

It was then that Randolf swore to himself that he would retake his homeland one day. And he was blessed with the talent that allowed him to always keep that vow in mind.

As an adult, he became an adventurer and improved his skills with his bow without ever experiencing a wall that limited his growth. It took little time for him to earn significant sums of money and become a B-class adventurer. But as he was an Elf, his development came slower than that of humans, and the forest that was his homeland had long since turned into a Devil’s Nest with a Dungeon in it.

Even so, the monsters were not so powerful that Randolf couldn’t defeat them on his own. He just needed more numbers to purify the Devil’s Nest and Dungeon.

In order to purify the Devil’s Nest and Dungeon, the monsters – which were the source of the miasma – would need to be thoroughly eradicated. Even if the most powerful monster ruling the Devil’s Nest and the bosses of the Dungeon were defeated, if even weak monsters like Goblins and Horned Rabbits were left alive, the miasma’s corruption would stop but never completely disappear.

A new powerful monster would one day rule the Devil’s Nest once more, and new bosses would respawn in the Dungeon several days or several months later.

Thus, the whole Devil’s Nest and Dungeon would need to be constantly checked for any monsters and maintained in a state of almost perfection. Then, the Devil’s Nest would become ordinary land, and the Dungeon would collapse. The amount of time needed for the purification would depend on how far the corruption had progressed.

For a Devil’s Nest like the Demon Continent, which had changed greatly from its original form, purification through this method would take an unfathomable length of time. But the forest that was Randolf’s homeland was mostly an ordinary, natural forest other than the monsters that spawned in it, so it would only take a few days.

Randolf had the connections and money to gather enough companions to work with him for the few days it would take. He solicited collaborators through the Guilds, donated large sums to the Churches in exchange for the aid of dispatched clergymen, and even reached out to the other Elves who had lived in the forest. He never doubted that he would be able to retake his homeland.

But all his expectations were cruelly betrayed.

A medicinal herb, one that could be used to create a miraculous medicine for an incurable disease, was discovered to be growing in the forest that was now a Devil’s Nest; and in the Dungeon was a floor from which Mythril and Adamantite ore could be mined.

Both became important industries in the duchy where the forest was, and Randolf’s project to purify it had to be put on hold.

With that, the Adventurers’ Guild became unable to support Randolf’s plan, even if he was a B-class adventurer. On top of that, the forest and its Dungeon had become hunting grounds for many adventurers, so there were almost no adventurers who were willing to help Randolf carry out the plan on an individual level.

Even the Church of Alda, which fervently preached for the eradication of monsters and purification of Devil’s Nests, showed a lack of resolve when it came to purifying the forest that was Randolf’s homeland. They told him that they couldn’t deprive the people of their livelihood, and that there were more dangerous Devil’s Nests and Dungeons that needed purifying.

And the most shocking thing of all was that the other Elves who had lived in the forest didn’t want to help Randolf either.

About a hundred years had passed since the forest became a Devil’s Nest. Even for the Elves, this was no short length of time; they had already built new foundations and were now living steady lives.

Even if they were to retake their homeland, living there would mean throwing away the new lives that they had put so much effort into building in order to start over. And even if they resolved themselves to doing that, there was no guarantee that the other Elves would follow.

The Elves therefore chose to continue their new lives, and none joined Randolf.

The day Randolf was forced to realize that he was the only one who had sworn to retake his homeland at all costs, he tasted a bitter disappointment that he would never rid himself of. He felt like his entire life that he had lived thus far, all of the training he had done, was all being rejected.

“… I remember those times. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” said Meorilith.

“Stop it. You apologizing to me only causes me to lose face,” said Randolf. “I’m the one who reached out and asked for aid. And I’m the one who gave up on it. That’s all there is to it.”

If nobody had tried to help Randolf back then, he might have forsaken the Orbaume Kingdom by now.

But some nobles and several of his adventurer companions, including Meorilith, had shown understanding.

That was why Randolf had continued in the adventuring profession. He had lost his goal, but he knew no other way of living. He had only quit being an adventurer and stopped praying to any god a decade or two after reaching S-class.

Perhaps he had simply been tired. Or perhaps he had been displeased with the growing restrictions on his freedom as he became stronger and found himself in the company of more nobles of the kingdom. Or perhaps being in the company of these nobles had made him see too much of the negative aspects of humans. Even Randolf himself didn’t remember the exact reason why he had quit.

If he had never given up, and called for the purification of the forest that was his homeland as an A-class or S-class adventurer rather than a B-class one, then perhaps the duke and the Adventurers’ Guild would have cooperated with him. Even if the Elves who had once lived there with him didn’t follow him back, perhaps other Elves would have moved into the forest, drawn there by his reputation.

But Randolf didn’t wish for such things.

The reason I quit… Maybe it’s because I was finally able to give up and realize that the homeland I wished for would never truly come back, ever, Randolf thought in reflection.

“That’s enough talk about the past. Sorry for derailing the conversation,” Randolf said, forcefully changing the topic and the trajectory of his thoughts. “So, why is it that you want me to be an instructor? Knowing you, there has to be some kind of reason.”

“Yes, of course,” said Meorilith. “There are plenty of people who want to be instructors at my school, after all.”

Being a teacher or instructor at an Adventurers’ School was the dream job for a retired adventurer. But a teacher or instructor at the Hero Preparatory School would be paid several times more than those at other Adventurers’ Schools.

And if they formed connections with the students’ parents – nobles and wealthy merchants – they could even seek better employment as personal guards or combat instructors.

There were also passionate, currently-active adventurers who chose to take breaks to give instruction to talented youth. It was rare for the school to make a formal request for someone to temporarily work as an instructor, but not unheard of.

But it certainly wasn’t common for the school to make this request of an S-class adventurer with circumstances as complicated as Randolf’s.

“The truth is, an army is being put together to try and retake the former Scylla territory in the Sauron Duchy. And it seems that they’re planning to have you be a part of it,” said Meorilith.

“I already knew that… That youngster Rudel is behind it, is he? It seems that he’s a lot more brazen than I took him for,” said Randolf, remembering the young duke who had ignored his warning.

But Meorilith shook her head. “It’s the other dukes. I’ve heard that Duke Hartner, Duke Jahan, and Duke Farzon are particularly eager for this to happen.”

“… All of them are dukes of duchies where the worship of Alda flourishes. Hartner wants me to achieve some great things in the battle to retake the territory, and use that to turn the Sauron Duchy from a Vida-aligned duchy to an Alda-aligned one, I suppose.”

Darcia might have given a bitter smile if she heard this conversation, but the Sauron Duchy was a region where there was a strong desire to reject Vida’s races, despite many there worshiping Vida herself. They could be described as an anti-new-race faction of Vida worship.

The Hartner Duchy bordered the Sauron Duchy directly to its south; perhaps they wanted cooperative relations not only economically and politically, but in terms of religion as well.

The Jahan Duchy was originally a duchy where the worship of Botin flourished more than the worship of Vida and Alda, but it had begun to pour its power into the worship of Alda ever since the current duke became the head of the Jahan family.

It was possible that the current duke, who had been born as a Titan due to atavism, felt the need to unite the nobles under him by showing a strong devotion to worshiping Alda.

“As for Jahan… I can speculate about his motives, but I can’t say anything for certain. As for Farzon, I’m sure he wants to hire me in place of that youngster,” Randolf said.

He was almost entirely unacquainted with Duke Jahan, so he didn’t know much about him.

He suspected that Duke Farzon wanted to hire him in place of Heinz, who was currently still inside the Dungeon as of the time of this conversation.

“That’s why I am offering to employ you. No matter what the other houses of the dukes may say, I can fend them off. It would be a problem if they were to formally protest my employment of you with a document bearing their joint signatures, but I’m sure it won’t come to that,” said Meorilith.

“If the dukes were on good enough terms with each other to do that, then they’d probably try to hire me with their joint signatures to begin with,” said Randolf. “Very well. I accept your offer.”

“It didn’t take very long for you to agree. Have you fallen on hard times?”

“No, but I personally would also like to avoid getting involved with the Sauron Duchy. And… I’m sure they won’t come to Central.”

“They?”

“The teacher that I have recently been receiving instruction from, and those connected to her.”

Vandalieu had not yet released Botin from her seal on the Demon King’s Continent. At this point in time, Randolf was unaware of Vandalieu’s intention to enroll at the Hero Preparatory School in Orbaume Central.

Likewise, Meorilith was unaware of this as well. The Adventurers’ Guild headquarters in the Alcrem Duchy had given Vandalieu a letter of recommendation. But they wouldn’t inform the Hero Preparatory School about that.

Thus, Randolf only learned about Vandalieu’s plan to enter the Hero Preparatory School after he had already chosen his new fake name and appearance.

These people… I mean, what do they even hope to learn by enrolling at an Adventurers’ School?

Randolf, who had changed his hair’s color to red and was now going by the fake name of Dandolip, gazed at where Vandalieu was with dead-looking eyes.

He had noticed Vandalieu immediately when he was lifted into the air by Pauvina, the tallest of the applicants.

Given the rumors that Randolf had heard about Vandalieu’s incredible deeds, and the power that he had sensed after actually meeting and speaking with him… No matter how Randolf thought about it, he couldn’t think of a possible thing that Vandalieu would need to learn at this school.

Is he here to make connections, or is this a camouflage to cover up something that he plans to do in Orbaume? Is this the first step of a plan to hold a concert in Orbaume like he did in Morksi and Alcrem to create even more fans of him and his companions? … That’s certainly possible.

Randolf had been partially guided down Kanako’s Artistic Path himself; he considered a concert to be a realistic and plausible goal for Vandalieu.

Merchants, adventurers, and mercenaries from all over the nation gathered in the capital of the Orbaume Kingdom, as well as the nobles of every duchy. On top of that, an election for the next king would be held next year.

If Vandalieu gained influence in the capital now, it would ensure that his influence spread across the entire kingdom.

And all he would be doing was holding a concert. He wasn’t using illegal drugs or performing rituals that were forbidden by the law. It was a perfectly legal entertainment event consisting of singing and dancing.

Nobody would conduct an investigation into such a concert, and even if they did, they wouldn’t find anything. There was no legal basis to prevent it from happening.

… Even if that’s his plan, I don’t have any desire to stop it.

This possible plan of Vandalieu’s wasn’t something that gave Randolf the motivation to interfere. After all, it was just an ordinary concert. And he didn’t feel motivated to interfere with any of Vandalieu’s other objectives that he was currently aware of.

It would be a different story if Vandalieu was plotting to subvert the state and conquer the world, but he was just carrying out religious activities and advocating for the rights of Vida’s races… in other words, political activities.

Neither of these were of any interest to Randolf. What worried him more was whether Vandalieu and his companions had realized his true identity or not.

I know that I can’t change my disguise or the fake name of ‘Dandolip,’ as the staff and students of the school already know me by these, but… I should have made a more elaborate disguise. I should have at least disguised myself as a human rather than an Elf, he thought regretfully as he watched Vandalieu.

But Vandalieu showed no notable reaction. It was difficult to imagine that he hadn’t noticed at all, but Randolf couldn’t afford to check that now. And so, he stepped off the stage and returned to his job of overseeing the entrance examination.

The purpose of the afternoon’s tests were to check the applicants’ ability in combat, as well as their basic skills and knowledge as adventurers.

“The examination is exactly as we were told,” Vandalieu murmured.

The difficulty of the tests was quite low for him – but a significant barrier to the other applicants.

“Hmph. Starting to get scared? Maybe you should just give up and go to an ordinary Adventurers’ School, then,” one of them sneered, having heard Vandalieu talking to himself.

Ordinarily, Adventurers’ Schools had no entrance examinations. After all, they were schools for those who didn’t have the combat ability, skills, or knowledge needed to be adventurers. But the Hero Preparatory School had no need for such ordinary students.

These tests could never be passed by ordinary children aspiring to become adventurers. The children of nobles hired private teachers and combat instructors in order to learn from them in preparation for these tests.

“Maybe you’ve received additional points for Unique Skills? Ah, that’s right, you’re a tamer, aren’t you? That must be it,” the other boy continued sneering.

If the tests served as nothing more than barriers, applicants who possessed Unique Skills would fail them if they were commoners. Thus, there was a system to grant additional points to those with Unique Skills and other talents.

It seemed that the boy had assumed that Vandalieu had received additional points through this system.

And he was right.

“Yes, you are correct,” Vandalieu said.

He hadn’t told the school about his Unique Skills, but the school valued him highly as a tamer who was skilled enough to possess the Title of ‘Genius Tamer.’ With that and the fact that he was a Dhampir, a rare race, he already had enough additional points if his goal was simply to pass the entrance examination.

Thus, Randolf and Meorilith had been giving silent hints that Vandalieu and Pauvina didn’t need to take the examination at all, but they had taken no notice of these.

“As I thought. This is why I hate you damned tamers, who rely on filthy monsters…” said the other boy.

He was of noble birth and had no real intentions of becoming an adventurer. He was the fourth son of a baron’s family, so he intended to join an order of knights after he gained some degree of prestige. Thus, he had the discriminatory way of thinking that was common among nobles.

He also had the craftiness to make use of the Hero Preparatory School’s unspoken rule that the families of students weren’t to get involved in things that happened at the school and during examinations, and the official rule that stated that all students were to be treated equally.

The boy believed that despite Vandalieu being the son of an honorary countess and himself being only the son of a baron, Vandalieu wouldn’t be able to retaliate here, and nothing could be done even if he ran crying to his mother later.

But the one he needed to be wary of was not Vandalieu, but Pauvina, who was staring down at him.

“… W-what? You got something to say?” he said defiantly.

“What tests are you taking?” Pauvina asked.

The boy had no obligation to answer truthfully, but perhaps he felt that refusing to answer would be seen as running away. “The s-sword test, the shield test, and the archery test!” he said.

“I see. Alright. I’m going to take the same tests, then!” said Pauvina.

“W-what?! What is the meaning of this?!”

“Well then, I’m going to get going, Van!”

“See you later,” said Vandalieu. “Do your best, but don’t overdo it.”

Pauvina put Vandalieu down and cheerfully headed towards the testing grounds, making heavy footsteps as she walked

“W-what was that?” the boy said in bewilderment as he walked off after her.

Vandalieu expected that Pauvina intended to surpass him in results for all of his tests.

“I had no intention of standing out any more than I already do with my appearance, race, and parentage, but I can’t help it if people come lashing out at me,” Vandalieu murmured. “I’m sure Pauvina will put him in his place without overdoing it.”

Believing that Pauvina wouldn’t do anything like completely pulverizing the dummies or incapacitating and seriously injuring the examiners, he headed for the place where his own tests would be held.

In the test which examined the applicants’ long-ranged attacks using Skills such as ‘Archery’ and ‘Throwing Technique,’ he scored slightly higher than the other applicants by using throwing knives.

During the close-quarters combat test, the examiner testing his ‘Staff Technique’ made a strange expression.

“Are you not going to use your claws?” he asked.

“No, because my claws are like this,” said Vandalieu as he extended his claws to show him.

The corners of the examiner’s mouth stiffened as he saw the razor-sharp claws that were longer than knives. “I’m sure those cut better than knives can. But I have heard that Dhampirs also possess the ‘Superhuman Strength’ Skill. It seems that it would be dangerous if an examiner were to test your ‘Unarmed Fighting Technique’ using training equipment rather than real armor.”

In truth, Vandalieu possessed ‘Transcendent Strength,’ the superior form of ‘Superhuman Strength,’ and could easily slaughter an examiner wearing real armor even without using the fragments of the Demon King.

“That’s right. So I’ll be using ‘Staff Technique’ instead,” said Vandalieu.

But he showed no signs of his true strength, and he achieved a reasonably high score for his ‘Staff Technique’ test.

He also took tests such as differentiating medicinal plants from poisonous ones and identifying the races of monsters based on their footprints. He was told that any methods were allowed, so he inadvertently stood out in a bad way when he licked the plants to differentiate them by taste.

“Even if you lick the plant to check if it’s poisonous, there’s no use in knowing that if the poison enters your body in the process. But… Dhampirs possess the ‘Status Effect Resistance’ Skill from birth, so there should be no problems here. But those without resistance Skills, don’t try to imitate him. And even if you do have them, there are strong poisons that you won’t be able to resist, depending on the Level of your Skills. Do your best to differentiate the plants using your eyes!” the examiner said as a warning to all the applicants, indirectly scolding Vandalieu.

“Yes, sir,” said Vandalieu.

Due to the indirectness of the examiner’s words, he didn’t realize that he was being scolded, and simply thought that the examiner was offering instruction.

In truth, however, Vandalieu possessed ‘Status Effect Immunity’ rather than ‘Status Effect Resistance,’ so even drinking an entire cup of poison that could kill an ordinary person with a single drop would have no effect on him.

It would be problematic if people were to imitate me, so I need to be more discreet. The instructor even took the time to instruct the people around me. As expected of the Hero Preparatory School, Vandalieu thought, impressed.

And then came the magic test, the one that Vandalieu was the most apprehensive about.

“Now then, hit that target with an offensive spell,” said the examiner.

The targets he was pointing at were made of wood and positioned about ten meters away. One after another, the other applicants produced flames, ice, masses of rock, and blades of wind to hit their targets with.

All of these were rudimentary spells. One of the students surprised the examiner by producing a spear of flames that pierced straight through its target.

In order to not stand out, Vandalieu needed to achieve a lesser score than that without using death-attribute magic or ‘God Spirit Magic.’ But his overly vast quantity of Mana made it very difficult to do the same as ordinary people.

If an ordinary mage were to use ‘Mana Bullet,’ a no-attribute spell that simply created a concentrated sphere of Mana, it would be about the size of a fist, or perhaps a little smaller. But if Vandalieu were to use the same spell, it would become a sphere with a diameter of over a meter.

If a normal mage had a ruler to measure their Mana in millimeters, Vandalieu’s smallest ruler measured Mana in meters.

Of course, showing off such a spell here would cause him to stand out significantly. A high-ranking member of the Mages’ Guild would be sent within the day to deliver an invitation to join the Guild.

Vandalieu didn’t want such a thing to happen, so he decided to use a different spell.

“Examiner, may I use throwing knives or stones for this test?” Vandalieu asked.

“Hmm? This is a test of magic, you know?” said the examiner.

“I understand that. I am thinking of hitting my target with knives and projectiles thrown using ‘Telekinesis.’”

If he hit his target with projectiles using ‘Telekinesis,’ a spell that moved objects, the target would be pierced through, but at least it wouldn’t be blown to pieces.

The examiner made a dissatisfied noise. “Such a roundabout method… No, I see. So that’s it. Very well, go ahead and try.”

It seemed that he had mistakenly thought that Vandalieu had other intentions. Vandalieu was relieved that his request was accommodated, but curious as to what the examiner thought those other intentions might be.

“Unseen hand, strike my target,” he said, reciting an incantation to conceal the fact that he possessed the ‘Chant Revocation’ Skill.

He grasped a knife with his ‘Telekinesis’ and thrust it into the target that was ten meters away. ‘Telekinesis’ consumed more Mana the further away it moved an object, so this movement was more than enough, even with Vandalieu suppressing his Mana as much as he could.

If he used ‘Telekinesis’ like he normally did with his artillery technique, propelling objects that were close to him far away from himself, the knife would destroy not only the target, but the wall behind it as well.

“Keeping Mana expenditure to a minimum by repelling the knife while it is still close to you, and controlling the power with which the knife strikes its target while showing your ‘Mana Control’ Skill. Magnificent,” said the examiner.

Vandalieu had unintentionally received the greatest praise out of all the applicants – even though hadn’t even been trying to show any controlling skills.

“I don’t understand,” he sighed.

But the test was over. Even if he wasn’t satisfied with the result, he couldn’t redo it.

“Va~n, I’m finished!” said Pauvina, returning with a satisfied smile on her face.

There were no signs of that other boy. However, for some reason, Pauvina was holding the boy’s sword.

“How was it?” Vandalieu asked.

“I beat that kid in every test!” Pauvina said happily. “And then, for some reason, he said he’s offering me his sword. He got all flustered when I actually took it, though.”

“… I’m sure he meant that he will dedicate his sword to you figuratively,” said Vandalieu.

It seemed that the boy’s pride had not only been thoroughly broken, but he had yielded to Pauvina to such an extent that he offered her his loyalty.

“In any case, let’s go and give that sword back,” Vandalieu said.

“Yeah, alright. And Van, it turns out I like clubs more than swords after all.”

“Come to think of it, how did you beat that boy’s result in a test of swordsmanship? He looked pretty capable.”

His ‘Swordsmanship’ and ‘Shield Technique’ Skill were likely Level 2 or 3. Pauvina did not have the ‘Swordsmanship’ Skill at all. But the answer to Vandalieu’s question was a simple one.

“I picked up the biggest sword among the ones that are used for the exam, one with a flat blade. When I started swinging it around with one hand, the examiner told me, ‘You pass!’”

“… Ah. He didn’t have a choice there.”

The children applying to the school were unlikely to use a two-handed greatsword, but one had been available just in case, and it seemed that Pauvina had started swinging it lightly with one hand.

Even if her technique wasn’t there, there was no doubt that the examiner had screamed, ‘You pass!’ without thinking, fearing that he would be killed by her sheer strength if they were to spar.

Vandalieu truly sympathized with that examiner. Incidentally, for the ‘Archery’ test… the test for long-ranged attacks, Pauvina had apparently obtained a high score the normal way, using ‘Throwing Technique.’

“Now then, shall we head home?” said Vandalieu. “Let’s stop by the Tamers’ Guild on the way. Orlock-san is apparently back at his office.”

“Yeah! Is it Luves’ turn next? Can we take Rappie with us?”

“Just take Pain this time. I’ll only be taking Pete with me, too.”

And so, Pauvina passed the examination with a top-class score, and Vandalieu’s score was equally satisfactory.

As the two of them left the examination venue at a leisurely pace, the examination’s overseer, Dandolip… or rather, Randolf, watched them with a bewildered expression.

“What do they intend to do, getting scores like that?”

Vandalieu and Pauvina were clearly hiding their real ability. Even without knowing the true depths of their power, Randolf knew this. And yet…

“Even if they were trying to hide their ability, why did they do it in such a half-hearted way? Is there some purpose behind it, or was this the result of their best efforts to match the other students?”

Randolf furrowed his brow, but Vandalieu and Pauvina successfully finished their examination without the trouble of setting some new records or destroying the examination venue.

Pete’s learning of this Skill was unintentional. Pain had also learned the same Skill, and when asked, he answered that it had been unintentional for him as well.

And yet, their master… Vandalieu, and Pauvina, had both insisted that it was a useful Skill. They had said if they worked on the Skill more, it might be possible for them to spend time with them in human cities.

And so, Pete and Pain had done their best – and achieved results. And after several days of waiting in one of Vandalieu’s ‘Inner Worlds,’ the day to show those results had finally come.

“I see, so you’ve tamed insect-type monsters this time,” said Orlock.

Pete gave a gentle hiss, and Pain squeaked.

Orlock had a somewhat all-knowing look in his eyes as he cast his gaze over Pete, who was wrapped around Vandalieu’s arms, and Pain, who was sitting on Pauvina’s hand.

“Guild Master Orlock! This is the greatest discovery of the century… A great achievement!” one of the Guild’s employees exclaimed.

“I mean, compared to taming Undead… Yes, it’s still amazing,” said Orlock.

“How are you so calm?! This is a historical moment!”

“I mean, I am surprised, but…”

The Guild employee was clamoring over this news, but Orlock remained calm.

“Mmm, yes. So, you are saying that you tamed a Great Centipede and Giant Butterfly that were living in the garden of that mansion?” Orlock asked.

“Yes,” Vandalieu and Pauvina said simultaneously.

But Pete and Pain certainly didn’t look like Rank 1 monsters to Orlock.

Comparing Pete to a Great Centipede, he had horns; sharp, powerful-looking teeth; and he was emitting sparks of electricity from time to time.

The pattern on Pain’s wings simply looked too venomous. When he had asked if it was alright to touch him, Pauvina had replied, “He’s holding his venom back, so I think so.”

But their sizes were the same as ordinary Great Centipedes and Giant Butterflies.

Pete gave another small hiss.

They had used the ‘Shrink’ Skill to make their bodies smaller. Pete was normally larger than a Dragon, but with this Skill, he could wrap himself around Vandalieu’s arms and hide in his sleeves.

“Well, I suppose they are mutated variants. From what I have seen, they are able to reciprocate communication… I shall acknowledge them as your familiars,” Orlock said. “You may have a visitor from the Mages’ Guild. At least hear what they have to say.”

“I will,” said Vandalieu. “By the way, have you been sleeping poorly recently? You seem a little tired.”

Orlock gave a weak laugh, the all-knowing look still in his eyes. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. I took a break from work until yesterday, after all.”

Vandalieu took a wooden box from his breast pocket. “This cream is a local specialty of the Alcrem Duchy. It’s effective for skin problems caused by stress and stiff shoulders, so give it a try.”

Perhaps sensing a risk that Orlock might suddenly announce his retirement, he handed the box, which contained V cream, to Orlock.

• Name: Pete
• Rank: 13
• Race: Dark Steel Roaring Lightning Sovereign Centipede
• Level: 77
• Passive skills:
  • Hunger Resistance: Level 3
  • Super Self-Enhancement: Following: Level 1 (Awakened from Self-Enhancement: Following!)
  • Deadly Venom Secretion (Neurotoxin): Jaws: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Wind Attribute Immunity (Awakened from Wind Attribute Resistance!)
  • Super Strengthened Body: Exoskeleton, Horns: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Monstrous Strength: Level 6 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Self-Enhancement: Guidance: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Rapid Healing: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Strengthened Attribute Values: Predator: Level 7 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Night Vision
• Active skills:
  • Silent Steps: Level 1
  • Ferocious Charge: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Transcend Limits: Level 4 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Armor Technique: Level 10 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Roaring Lightning: Level 5 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Coordination: Level 8 (LEVEL UP!)
  • High-speed Travel: Level 2 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Familiar Spirit Demonfall: Level 3 (LEVEL UP!)
  • Shrink: Level 5 (NEW!)
• Unique skills:
  • Elder Dragon Devourer: Level 1 (Awakened from Dragon Devourer!)
  • Zanalpadna’s Divine Blessing
  • Vandalieu’s Divine Protection

Skill explanation:

Shrink

A variant of the ‘Size Alteration’ Skill that is specialized for becoming smaller. It allows the creature using the Skill to shrink to the same size as its biologically smallest, most immature form.

With this Skill, a chicken can become the size of a newly-hatched chick, and a dog can become the size of a newborn puppy. It does not reverse aging; it merely changes the body’s size to the same size as the immature form.

Thus, some insect-type monsters, such as butterfly and moth monsters, may become butterflies and moths that are the size of caterpillars, but they will not actually become caterpillars.

While this Skill is active, Attribute Values other than Vitality, Mana, and Intelligence are decreased.