386 Death Mage V13 Chapter 313

Chapter 313
The mysterious examiner appears


Orlock Twice, the Guild Master of the Tamer’s Guild in Orbaume, is an old man who usually had a kind appearance. He is known in the guild for his calm and gentle personality.

When he was young, he was hot-blooded and achieved numerous adventures alongside his tamed monsters. However, as he grew older and became more experienced, he acquired composure, dignity, and an unwavering mental strength that wouldn’t be shaken by anything.

Or so he thought, but it seems that it was an illusion. He didn't know how he should present himself or what to say in this situation.

"Ah..."

In front of him were about ten Zombies lined up with their fangs bared... Blood Suckers.

Their clouded eyes showed no signs of intelligence, and they seemed ready to attack at any moment. If that happened, in his younger days, he might have been able to handle it, but now as an unarmed old tamer whose instincts have dulled, he would be drained of his blood and killed in an instant.

However, the Blood Suckers showed no signs of attacking. Like gardeners, they were wearing hats, vests, and gloves, and stood in line quietly.

"As you can see, I am taming them. From now on, I’m planning to have them work as apprentice gardeners in our estate," Vandelieu explained.

And it seemed like he genuinely intended to make them work as gardeners. Learning this, Orlock's face that was already devoid of any expression became even more blank from his confusion as he asked for clarification.

"You are Vandalieu Zakkart, right?"

The exact circumstances were unclear, and there were some factions of the Church of Vida that had announced that they wouldn’t recognize Vandalieu, a Dhampir boy who is also the ‘Genius Tamer’, inheriting the name of Champion Zakkart. He responded to Orlock with a mask-like expression of indifference.

"Yes."

To be more precise, his full name now is Vandalieu Ark Hillwillow Solder Zakkart. However, if it were to be revealed, there is a possibility that the Churches of Botin, Peria, and Ricklent would make a fuss and cause unnecessary troubles. Therefore, in the Orbaume Kingdom, he decided to keep his name as Vandalieu Zakkart for the time being.

"They are Undead, right?"

"Yes, as confirmed by Guild Master earlier."

"Ah, they certainly have no pulse nor breath. Their body temperature is also as cold as ice. Yet, they move. So, they are Undeads, right?"

"Yes, they are all Undeads."

"And you are taming them, despite them being Undeads?"

"Yes, as I have been explaining."

"I see... then… that's a remarkable achievement. Your name will be deeply engraved in the history of the Tamer’s Guild... no, in the history of mankind. Perhaps you might even attain the same honorary noble rank as your mother... no, maybe you could even become a genuine noble? It is said that after Nineroad passed away, the tamer, who had tamed a dragon for the first time, was welcomed as a noble by the rulers of that time. But well, that might be difficult now. The undeads have a negative image, after all."

While uttering such words, Orlock desperately tried to maintain his composure. Everything he said was true. Taming the Undead should be highly regarded as a great accomplishment.

It wasn't just about him taming rare monsters; the evaluation of their combat abilities was also significant. After all, Blood Suckers’ combat abilities were not considered low. However, when considering them as equivalent to ten veteran D-Class adventurers, their combat abilities weren’t remarkably high.

Even so, what Orlock considered a great achievement was the fact that he succeeded in taming the undead, something that no one else in the history of this world have been able to do.

With the exception of creating Live-Dead through life-attribute magic, there were very few academic observations of undeads. Undeads that were low in rank like Skeletons, Zombies, and Cursed Tools could be captured and contained. There were also special undead races with reason and intelligence like Ghouls and Vampires, who were considered as unique types of undead. However, those two races were actually fundamentally different from regular undeads; they were just special exceptions.

Studying monsters, not just Undead, was challenging. The reason being that monsters, as observed, often actively attacked and preyed upon humans. Furthermore, their habitats were dangerous Devil Nests, which made observation even more difficult.

Therefore, researchers studying monsters had no choice but to pay large sums of money to hire adventurers to capture monsters alive, build monster breeding facilities outside of town at considerable cost, or become adventurers and capture monsters themselves.

Alternatively, they had to rely on information gathered through interviews with adventurers. However, most adventurers were not interested in academic research. They were knowledgeable about the physical abilities and special abilities of the monsters they fought, but they rarely investigated the details of their habits and biology.

Their primary job was to defeat monsters, and their second was to bring back materials, so it sufficed. Moreover, adventurers, knights, and guards who protected towns and cities from monsters were often satisfied with that level of knowledge.

Tamers changed this situation. For monsters tamed by tamers, even researchers without any combat abilities could safely observe them.

Although they couldn't observe the monsters' true wild nature, they could study their likes and dislikes, the existence of higher-ranked species when ranking up, and whether they could breed outside of Devil Nests.

Through the accumulation of such research, practical applications such as liquids to repel monsters or bait to attract them, based on their preferences, have been developed. Tamers played an essential role in these developments.

Even in the case of undeads, significant achievements could possibly be made through such detailed research.

"Moreover, they are attractive as a labor force. In our Tamer’s Guild, we also use tamed monsters to help us work."

The value of using monsters as substitutes for cows and horses was quite high. If a peddler's wagon was pulled by a horse monster like a Bicorn, the likelihood of being attacked by mountain bandits along the way would drastically decrease. Not only that, Bicorns had more horsepower and more than double the endurance compared to regular horses.

Although they cost more than regular horses, the cost of hiring adventurers or mercenaries for protection and the cost of hiring a tamer with their Bicorn wouldn't differ much. The only exception was that there were far fewer tamers than adventurers or mercenaries.

Even if such rare monsters were excluded, there was still a high demand for demi-human tamed monsters as well. This was because demi-human tamed monsters could use the same tools as humans. Goblins and Kobolds aside, Ogres and Trolls were highly useful for land development and large-scale construction. It’s not uncommon for tamers who tamed such monsters to earn higher incomes than tamers who tamed monsters with high combat power.

"Undeads don't need sleep or food, and they don't experience fatigue. They also have night vision, which makes them ideal as security guards as well."

"Ah, you’re right. Regarding the issue of negative image, if you spread the fact that you were able to tame the undead and make your knowledge available to other tamers, we might be able to improve it."

The negative image associated with the undead that Orlock mentioned was because the undead were not only more familiar to humans compared to other monsters, but they were also considered dangerous. Unlike other monsters, Undeads were widely known monsters that could manifest in towns and cities themselves, like in the case of Silkie Zakkart Mansion.

Moreover, unlike other monsters, once they manifested, they would continue to kill any living beings they encountered until they were destroyed. They had no reason, didn't need to satiate hunger or rest, and didn't get bored of their slaughter.

Even an aggressive Ogre would lose its will to attack humans when its hunger was sated, and it couldn’t kill when it slept.

"That's true, but the same can be said for tamed monsters other than Undead. Many people want to keep their distance from tamed monsters, and some even argue that they won't accept tamed monsters because they are still monsters. Frankly, monsters with a good image do not exist."

Monsters were dangerous enemies of humanity. It was not uncommon for adventurers to lose their lives in battles against monsters, and there were countless villages and towns that had been destroyed by monsters.

Goblins and Orcs kidnapped lovers, wives, and daughters and turned them into breeding vessels. Ogres appeared on the highways and devoured friends and colleagues. Farm fields were trampled by Huge Boars, causing farmers to lose harvest, leading to younger brothers and sisters and children to starve to death.

Such stories were not uncommon. The damage caused by Undead was just a part of it.

The Tamer’s Guild did nothing as an organization for the victims of these monsters. They would only issue warnings to their members not to bring tamed monsters of the same species to towns or villages that had suffered significant damage to avoid any trouble.

Every time there was significant damage caused by monsters, they would request, "Please refrain from taming monsters of this race," or "Tamers possessing tamed monsters of this race should relocate to another Duchy." However, if they kept making such requests every time significant monster damages occurred, all the tamers would eventually be gone .

Therefore, even when the former Scylla Autonomous Territory in the Sauron Duchy, far away from Orbaume, was occupied by undeads, and a Dungeon that emerged in the southern part of Hartner Duchy's in the city of Niarki a few years ago had run amok, causing undeads, insects, and plant monsters to attack the city, it's not something they needed to take into account.

What Orlock meant when he said it might be difficult for Vandalieu to become a noble through this achievement, was that improving the negative image associated with the undead in politics and religion was beyond the scope of the Tamer’s Guild. They could support and defend him, but anything more would be difficult for the Tamer’s Guild's power alone.

"At Morksi and Alcrem, my tamed monsters are accepted as mascots though, right?"

"...There are exceptions to everything. Perhaps Alcrem Duchy is special, or times are changing. Anyway, these discussions are based on the assumption that you truly have tamed Undead monsters," replied Orlock, his tone suddenly becoming stern as he tightened his previously affable, grandfatherly expression and stared at Vandalieu.

"Does that mean you suspect I am using some special magic item or an evil god's Divine Protection to forcibly control them?"

However, Vandalieu did not feel any intimidation from Orlock. Speaking in a calm tone, he did not see Orlock as someone he needed to be nervous about when talking.

"Well, yes. I apologize, but that's correct. Normally, we would recognize them as tamed monsters but... Blood Suckers are monsters that are particularly dangerous to humans. If you are taming those monsters under such dangerous conditions, it cannot be overlooked. So, I would like to check a few things."

"Are you suggesting that I give them commands in front of Guild Master to see how you’d reacts? If that's the case... Dance."

In front of Orlock, who was taken aback by the attitude of a mere ten-year-old boy that his own imposing presence and dignity didn't affect, the Blood Suckers in their gardener attire quickly began moving as if on cue.

"Ah, ah, ah."

Clapping their hands, one of them spun around on the spot with cheerful steps.

"Uuaaaa..."

Another swayed and wobbled their body as if drunk.

"Ooohh... You're terrible at this!"

"Ughiiii!"

There were two Blood Suckers that danced a surprisingly coordinated ballroom dance as a pair. One of them attempted to perform the male part, but then it started to bicker and bare its fangs midway. It seemed it hadn't realized the fatal issue of its partner not dancing the female part.

"What do you think?"

Vandalieu asked Orlock, pointing to the Blood Suckers who displayed a rather foolish and far from the image of undead who were associated with being more bloodthirsty than wild beasts.

"...It’s wonderful."

Naturally, this was not in reference to the Blood Suckers' dancing skills, but rather to Vandalieu's skill as a tamer.

The methods tamers use to tame their tamed monsters differ from tamer to tamer. Some capture young monsters and train them like hunting dogs or warhorses. Others acquire the same young monsters, having lived together since childhood, naturally fostering a bond. Some may engage in making deals with highly intelligent monsters.

Orlock had no idea how Vandalieu had tamed the Blood Suckers. However, based on his many years of experience, he could tell that the Blood Suckers were not reluctantly obeying Vandelieu under compulsion, but rather obeying him of their own will.

(With this, I can proudly protect them as tamed monsters of the Tamer’s Guild!)

As the Guild Master of the Tamer’s Guild, Orlock was in a position where he received complaints from church officials and nobles who harbored negative sentiments toward the undead. If they angrily demanded after knowing about Vandelieu taming the undead, "Are you joking about taming the undead!? That is unacceptable! What will you do if the undead go on a rampage!?" he would retort, "In that case, the guild will take responsibility!" and have to chase them away.

That was why, if there were any issues with Vandalieu's taming, he couldn't allow the recognition of the undead as tamed monsters to protect his guild members. However, seeing the current situation, Orlock was convinced and relieved.

"Thank you, I understand. I will recognize these Blood Suckers as your tamed monsters. I apologize for the inconvenience I caused."

"No, I understand why you did this since this is an unprecedented situation. Thank you for conducting the examination despite being late at night."

In reality, Vandalieu was satisfied and grateful for Orlock's response. He found Orlock to be a reliable person with prompt actions and impartial judgments, similar to Bellard, the Guild Master of the city of Morksi.

"Lastly, I have one more question... Although Undead don't need to eat, I assume Zombies still have an appetite? How does that work?"

"Yes, I have already addressed that."

When asked by Orlock, Vandalieu took out a handheld bell from his pocket and rang it. Suddenly, Saria, Rita, and several beautiful women and girls, and handsome boys in maid outfits appeared, pushing a rattling wagon.

"We have brought the Blood Suckers' meals, Bocchan!"

Before he knew it, they swiftly arranged plates on a wooden table that had been quickly prepared, and started setting up the meals.

"W-Who are they!?"

The two sisters who led the way appeared human to Orlock, except for their wax-like complexion similar to Vandalieu's. However, the maids that followed them, when looked closely, some were Ghosts that had replaced their eyes with glass orbs and had no legs.

"They are Living Armors, human specimens in this mansion who transformed into undeads, and Ghosts. They are victims of the previous owner of the mansion. Naturally, I tamed them as well."

"There’s more!?"

"Of course. In a cursed mansion like this, it would be impossible for there to be only ten Blood Suckers, don't you think?"

Vandalieu said so, but Saria and Rita were not part of the cursed mansion's undeads; they were undeads that Vandalieu had brought from outside of Orbaume. However, it was troublesome to explain, so he decided to register them all as tamed monsters of the cursed mansion at once.

"I-it’s true that if you consider the size of this mansion... I suppose it wouldn't be unnatural."

And, as Orlock mentioned, this mansion belonged to Duke Jahan's younger brother and had been sealed for decades. Even if the number of Undead increased slightly, it would not be seen as unnatural.

The Senorpa Chamber of Commerce, which managed the mansion, could not have meticulously managed the inside of the cursed mansion to the extent that anyone who set foot on the premises would not return alive. They were only responsible for maintaining the seal of the mansion and did not go inside.

So, even if they were asked, "Was there really such underwear-like armor in the mansion?" or "Was there such a Living Armor in the mansion?", they wouldn’t be able to answer.

Perhaps Duke Jahan’s household had a detailed list of the items present in the mansion. However, even if there was such a list and High-leg Armor and Bikini Armor were not on it, Vandelieu could simply claim, "Someone must have brought them in from the outside after the mansion turned into a cursed one," and his words couldn’t be completely denied.

Though Duke Jahan’s household probably wanted to pretend that the mansion never existed, so even if there was such a list, they might have already disposed of it.

While such thoughts were being considered, the preparations for the Blood Suckers' meal were completed.

"The appetizer is blood soup with blood dressing made from a Bloodsucking Tree. The staple food consists of bread and Blood Cream. The main dish is Huge Boar liver with a blood sauce."

"Urp."

The fragrant scent of blood filled the air, and the Blood Suckers' eyes gleamed with excitement as they drooled. Orlock covered his mouth and staggered, overwhelmed by this sight.

"Enjoy your meal."

As Vandalieu announced, the Blood Suckers let out a growl in place of saying "itadakimasu" and began eating using forks and spoons.

While they appeared ravenous, they showed a human-like quality rather than being mindless beasts.

"This is how I plan to satisfy their cravings for blood. By the way, I plan to use blood from monsters and animals preserved in a special way."

"I-I see. Then… Huh? Plan?"

"Yes, though I didn't have any blood of monsters or animals today, so I used my own blood instead."

Taming the cursed mansion and the undead, including the Blood Suckers, was an unforeseen circumstance. As a result, Vandalieu did not have the blood of monsters or animals for the Blood Suckers to drink.

Therefore, for Vandalieu, who had been drinking only the blood of Darcia and Bellmond recently, it was natural for him to use his own blood.

"Your blood!?"

Orlock couldn't comprehend what he just heard from Vandelieu and became perplexed.

"Yes. I’m a Dhampir, so my injuries heal quickly."

As soon as Vandalieu explained, the Blood Suckers paused their meal and began convulsing.

"Gruuaaahhh!"

Their bones creaked and they writhed in agony, their eyes widening to the limit. Their entire eyeballs changed color to a blood-like hue, their mouths split open to their ears, and their fangs and claws grew thicker and longer.

"Th-this is...!?"

"It seems like they've ranked up. Guild Master, are you familiar with the higher-ranked species of Blood Suckers?" Vandalieu asked.

"Ah, they should be of the race called Deep Blood Suckers. They are dangerous undeads that possess even greater ferocity and intelligence than regular Blood Suckers…!?"

As Orlock recalled his memories, he worried that the Blood Suckers that transformed into Deep Blood Suckers would break free from Vandalieu's control, forgetting their bond with their master and revert to being mere monsters.

"Deep Blood Suckers, they aren't a new species, but it seems satisfactory for a rank-up. Well then, let's celebrate by adding some blood pudding for dessert."

"Aaaaaahhh~!"

The Deep Blood Suckers cheered with joy at Vandalieu's decision. Seeing this, Orlock realized that his concerns had been completely off the mark.

"Now then, please check the other tamed monsters as well."

"Hmm? Ah, you mean those girls," Orlock turned his attention to Saria and the others who had brought the meals. While the Deep Blood Suckers had drawn most of his attention due to their danger and presence, he shouldn't neglect the fact that the girls were undead as well. It would still be necessary to conduct the examination with them promptly.

Considering how they behaved while preparing the meals, it seemed there was no need to worry, but it's better to minimize any potential risks that might arise when dealing with church officials or nobles.

"We also have Bloodsucking Trees, Living Statues, and Zombie Dogs in the garden."

"There’s even more!?"

"Yes, Eisen, please bring them over."

Vandalieu called out, and Eisen walked over.

"This way."

Behind her, several Bloodsucking Trees, moving stone statues, and dogs with partially exposed skulls and ribs lined up in rows.

By the way, the insect-type monsters were stored in Vandalieu's ‘Body World’. It was determined that there were too many to examine all at once, so they would be examined on another day, along with Pete and Quinn.

"........."

"Once you’ve done that, I’d appreciate it if you could also examine the undead inside the mansion, and discuss the measures for dealing with the hygiene issues of the undead. If you don’t mind, shall I arrange dinner and a room for you?"

"...I’ll count on you for that."

Tonight would be an overtime shift. Orlock had made up his mind.

And so, Orlock took a vacation for a while from the next day onwards due to mental fatigue. This allowed Vandalieu and the others to postpone the examination of Pete and the insect-type monsters until after they enrolled in the Adventurer's School.





Orbaume, the capital city of the Orbaume Kingdom, was home to a special Adventurer's School, commonly known as the Hero Preparatory School. It was the day of the entrance exam for the school, where late-born young children of nobles, influential merchants, and children of high-ranked adventurers would gather.

Graduating from this school would give a prestigious shine, whether they joined the Knight’s Order or continued to work as adventurers. Moreover, the curriculum was more rigorous compared to regular Adventurer's Schools, resulting in a higher survival rate among graduates. For ordinary young individuals who had the aptitude, getting into this school meant having a gateway to success in life by gaining the connections and skills necessary.

To try to enroll in such an attractive school, many children and young people would gather every six months. Of course, it was not as intense as the entrance exams of Japan on Earth. At most, there would be a few hundred people.

"There are fewer people than I expected, Van."

"Unlike regular Adventurer's Schools, I heard that the eligibility for this school is limited to those under twenty-five years old. That might be why."

Among them, Pauvina stood out physically, towering over a head taller than the rest and drawing the attention. While there were other applicants who were Titans, as expected, she was the only one who reached a towering height of three meters.

"That's Darcia Zakkart's adopted daughter... Is she really of a Beast race? I've never heard of a pig-type Beast race."

"It seems that she has mixed blood from the Titans, so that's why she's so tall. I’ve never heard about it though... Maybe it's a rare species? She was said to have lived together with her family in a hidden village of the Dark Elves."

"Hmph, regardless of how rare her race is, it's the ability that will be judged. She may have power with that physique, but what about the rest?"

While the other children whispered about Pauvina, she didn't seem to pay much attention.

"So, where's the Dhampir? I heard he's taking the exam too. Could it be that the doll she's carrying is him?"

"Is that a doll? It's quite big."

"Wah, it moved!?"

Although Vandalieu's presence had garnered attention, it went relatively unnoticed afterwards due to his lack of presence.

As the bell signaling the start of the exam rang, the applicants entered the school grounds to face the first test that everyone takes. This test assesses fundamental abilities required for adventurers, such as endurance and basic academic skills.

They participated in a marathon while carrying weights simulating leather armor and baggage. After that, there was a math test to calculate the distribution of their own Vitality and Mana, followed by a reading and writing test to assess their ability to read and understand commission requests.

It was rather cruel to have a written test right after a physical test, but it was necessary for them to be aware of their Vitality and Mana even in the midst of intense physical activity and tense combat. If they couldn't handle it, they might as well attend a regular Adventurer's School.

"Van, it must be hard (to avoid standing out)."

"I've been practicing, you know."

Indeed, for Vandalieu and Pauvina, the exam was a piece of cake. It was so easy that when they ran like how they would for a light jog, they effortlessly outperformed the other children, so they had to hold back considerably.

The examiners could sense that they were holding back to some extent.

(I see, they're conserving their physical strength to stay sharp for the written test. This exam is not about speed, and as long as they complete it, they pass. It's a good tactic.) One examiner observed, being impressed.

After the written test, they took a break until the afternoon. After lunch, each applicant would take separate exams based on their skills and aspirations. This is because the qualities required are different for different aspirations. For instance, those aspiring to be front-line fighters would require martial skills, those aspiring to be rear-guards would require the ability to use magic, and those aspiring to be scouts would require other different qualities.

"Attention!"

Vandalieu and Pauvina, who had finished eating Darcia's homemade lunch, turned their gaze toward a man who appeared at the venue.

He was a red-haired Elf with a rugged face and a well-toned body, evoking the image of a seasoned warrior. Indeed, there was no flaw in his movements. Even to Vandalieu's eyes, it was clear that he was not an ordinary person.

However, he gave off a somewhat tired atmosphere, especially in his eyes, which were lifeless and resembled those of a dead fish.

"I’m Dandolip, the person entrusted with overseeing the second part of the exam as the supervisor. If you manage to get accepted, I might end up teaching you some things. Whether you're a noble or anything else, I won’t discriminate or differentiate, so keep that in mind as you approach the exam," he declared sternly before announcing the start of the second half of the exams.

"Van, what's wrong?" Pauvina asked Vandelieu, as he stopped and tilted his head among the standing and walking applicants.

"No, it’s just that the voice of that Elf named Dandolip resembled that of Rudolf," Vandalieu said as he recalled the blue-haired Elf bard who had received lessons from Kanako in the city of Morksi.

“Perhaps they are brothers.”