Chapter 338: What do the new family members taste like?

King Corbitt, the important nobles of Central including Marshal Dolmad, and the administrators from the other duchies all stared in disgust at the black sword and shield held up by the knight, which had apparently been made from Demon King equipment. Those whose seats were close to the knight even got up to get further away.

That was how terrifying and repulsive the Demon King’s fragments were to them. Perhaps one could understand their reaction by keeping in mind that this sword and shield were made of a very harmful substance that had terrible effects on the human body.

Duke Jahan and the administrator from the Alcrem Duchy were no exception, either. It was true that V Cream was made from fragments of the Demon King as well, and Vandalieu had absorbed a countless number of fragments into his own body.

But that was no guarantee that the equipment being shown by Prime Minister Tercatanis was safe. It was made from the same materials that Vandalieu had a record of using safely, but that alone didn’t make the equipment itself safe. In fact, they questioned whether he could really use the Demon King’s fragments as materials when he wasn’t even in a cooperative relationship with Vandalieu.

“Allow me to be straightforward, Prime Minister. Is it safe to touch? It will not infest someone the moment they touch it?” asked Marshal Dolmad.

“No. Gentlemen, you should all know about Demon King equipment, which is made using the same seals that are placed on Demon King fragments,” said Tercatanis.

“You claim that this equipment is the same? But even Demon King equipment has the risk of going berserk!”

There had been numerous countries recorded in history as having used Demon King equipment in wars. Pieces of Demon King equipment were powerful weapons, rivaling the strength of Artifacts made of Orichalcum. If wielded by a superhuman among superhumans with the strength of an A-class adventurer, a single piece of Demon King equipment could lay waste to the army of a small nation in the blink of an eye.

But the fate of many nations who had won wars in this way was destruction due to the Demon King equipment becoming damaged and rampaging out of control… though of course, it was likely that many of these historical tales were fiction written to warn of the dangers of Demon King equipment.

But Prime Minister Tercatanis was unfazed. “There is no risk of the equipment going berserk,” he declared. “These pieces of equipment have been made from fragments of the Demon King, but they are not Demon King fragments themselves. I believe the administrator from the Birgitt Duchy, which is conducting research into the Demon King fragments, should understand what I am talking about.”

The Birgitt Duchy’s administrator was a fox-type Beast-kin with a long snout.

“… The research being carried out in our duchy is for the purpose of preventing the rampages of the Demon King fragments and sealing them more safely,” he corrected Tercatanis, wearing a bitter expression. “But I understand what the prime minister is trying to say. After fragments of the Demon King or Demon King equipment go on a rampage, they leave behind parts that are not alive… Things like fallen hair, chipped claws, and pieces of shell that have broken off. You are saying that this equipment is the same as these materials?”

Rampaging fragments of the Demon King fired parts of themselves as projectiles, and parts of them were broken off when they suffered damage from external attacks, and these parts were left behind in their wake. The needles and thorns produced by the Demon King’s Needles and the Demon King’s thorns, and the flesh, blood, and pieces of shell left behind by rampaging fragments, were examples of this.

The flesh and blood often evaporated or turned to dust, but needles, thorns, and fragments of bone and shell were often left behind.

Demon King equipment used tentacles or whiskers protruding from the seal as a whip, or the shell on the seal as a shield or a club, or horns protruding from the seal as a spear. But if the parts emerging from the seal were cut off, they could be regenerated.

Although this would depend on the fragment used for the equipment, the parts that were cut off would continue to exist. They would not infest people or monsters that came into contact with them, and even if Mana was poured into them, they would not regenerate.

In other words, they were not alive.

“Up until now, such broken remains have often been sealed at Churches, just like the fragments themselves, or disposed of in some way. However, historical documents in our possession carry records of examples where these broken remains were turned into equipment. After all, they would have become valuable equipment to use against rampaging fragments of the Demon King for those who did not possess Artifacts made of Orichalcum,” the Birgitt Duchy’s administrator said. “Prime Minister Tercatanis is likely attempting to do the same as them.”

“Precisely. But it seems that no matter how many words are used to explain, not everyone is able to understand,” Prime Minister Tercatanis said, taking the black shield from the knight. “Therefore, I shall provide a practical demonstration. Would someone be so kind as to try attacking me? Whether it’s with a sword or a spell, it doesn’t matter.”

Many of the nobles stirred and began murmuring among themselves.

Two of them volunteered, causing an even larger stir.

“May I?”

“I shall join you, then.”

The two who had volunteered were Duke Hadros Jahan and the administrator from the Alcrem Duchy.

“Duke Jahan, who is known to be a capable and valiant warrior,” Prime Minister Tercatanis mused. “Be gentle, please. And I do not think it needs to be said, but…”

“I know. I will aim for the shield. And rest assured; I won’t use ‘Familiar Spirit Descent,’” said Hadros.

Naturally, Hadros and the administrator from the Alcrem Duchy had volunteered in order to test the strength of the shield that Prime Minister Tercatanis had prepared, and report their findings to Vandalieu.

It was possible that Prime Minister Tercatanis’s equipment would go berserk, exposing them to danger, but they thought this was very unlikely. If that happened, Prime Minister Tercatanis himself was the most likely to die.

Hadros took an iron gauntlet from his bodyguard-secretary Ludario and placed it on his hand. “I said that I would not use ‘Familiar Spirit Descent,’ and this is not an Adamantite gauntlet made for combat; it is a gauntlet made of iron for ceremonial purposes. But the Level of my ‘Unarmed Combat Technique’ Skill is 6. It is not as great as my ‘Halberd Technique,’ but I take considerable pride in knowing that it is quite formidable. Are you really sure about this?”

Incidentally, he had said that he would not use the ‘Familiar Spirit Descent’ Skill, but that was simply because he didn’t want to do so in front of Tercatanis and the others. If he did use it, it would be a familiar spirit of Vida descending upon him from the sky, or a split entity of Vandalieu coming to him, rather than a familiar spirit of Alda.

“I do not mind. Even if your attack breaks my arm, or even if I am killed, I promise that you will not be held responsible. Would you like me to get that in writing?” Tercatanis offered.

“No, that’s not necessary,” said Hadros. “Now then… ‘Heavy Fist!’”

His fist began humming. Even though his gauntlet was largely ceremonial and made of iron, because he was born a Titan, he possessed exceptional physical strength. With the skills that he had fostered over the course of his life, he would likely be able to kill an ordinary knight straight through his shield.

His gauntlet-clad fist struck the black shield, creating a loud noise of impact that made the nobles shudder.

But Prime Minister Tercatanis was still standing. He let out a small groan, but not only had the black shield not shattered under Hadros’s fist; it had even absorbed the impact.

Hadros let out a gasp of surprise.

“It has performed even better than I expected,” Prime Minister Tercatanis remarked.

It was Hadros’s gauntlet that had a crack in it. If he had attacked with his full strength, using Skills like ‘Familiar Spirit Descent’ and ‘Surpass Limits’ as well, his fist might have been broken instead.

“But I must apologize for breaking your gauntlet. Allow me to pay for the damage,” Tercatanis said.

“No, I’m not worried about that. More importantly, what incredible strength. I would expect nothing less from a shield made using Demon King equipment. Even a Mythril or Adamantite shield wouldn’t have produced such a result,” said Hadros.

“Indeed. If it were a Mythril or Adamantite shield, even if the shield were to remain unharmed, I’m sure I would not have been,” Tercatanis agreed with what looked something like a sigh of relief.

Indeed, even a Mythril or Adamantite shield could have withstood Hadros’s attack, but they wouldn’t have absorbed the impact, and Tercatanis would likely have been sent flying backwards.

As someone who had been born to the house of a marquis, Urgen Tercatanis did have a taste for learning the art of combat. But it was just a taste. Hadros was a duke, but he was also known as a capable warrior, and there was a considerable difference in their strength.

Following this, the administrator from the Alcrem Duchy cast a few spells that he had also learned as a hobby at Prime Minister Tercatanis’s shield, but the black shield completely blocked both the extreme heat and the extreme cold they produced.

“The shield performs very well, as you can see. I don’t think it is difficult to imagine how powerful a sword made from the same material would be. And as you can see, I have not been infested by the Demon King fragment,” Tercatanis said. “I propose that we mass-produce this equipment and equip our soldiers with it. If there is anyone who objects to this, I would like to hear your opinion.”

With the duke and administrator’s help, he had successfully carried out a practical demonstration of the performance of the equipment that had been made using Demon King equipment. The nobles had reacted loudly when they saw it, but it seemed that this was not enough to reach a majority vote.

The reason for that was the terrible image this equipment would have, simply from being made using fragments of the Demon King, no matter how powerful and safe it was.

If the kingdom’s soldiers were equipped with it, it would immediately raise their strength in combat by a tremendous amount. But given the opposition that would no doubt come from the Church and the soldiers themselves, it wasn’t so easy to carry this proposal out.

Indeed, Hadros opposed the proposal as the ruler of the Jahan Duchy, where the Church of Alda had great influence. The administrator of the Alcrem house opposed it as well.

… Having been told by Rikudou that the Alcrem Duchy and Hadros Jahan had allied themselves with Vandalieu, Tercatanis had to resist remarking, ‘Quite shameless, aren’t you?’

But the two of them claimed that no matter how well the equipment performed, it could not be declared to be safe without observing and verifying the process used to create it. This was a sensible opinion, and the other nobles agreed.

“In order to put this proposal into action, the production process must be checked. If any part of the process is dangerous, then there is still the risk of a Demon King fragment going berserk,” said Hadros Jahan, clearly pressing Tercatanis to be open with this information so that he could report it to Vandalieu.

“And we must also verify whether we can respond swiftly in the event a Demon King fragment does go berserk. As you are aware, Prime Minister, there are specialist researchers in our duchy. If you wish, I could ask them to cooperate with you,” said the administrator from the Birgitt Duchy, promoting the research projects that were being conducted in his region.

On the other hand, the administrator of the Sauron Duchy was in agreement to adopt the equipment. Duke Sauron had attempted to take advantage of the current turmoil in the Amid Empire to retake the former Scylla territory, even at the cost of indebting himself to the other duchies in order to form a united army, but that army had been defeated. Thus, he was frantic to rebuild the duchy’s military forces.

“As we have just witnessed, the equipment’s performance is equal to or greater than Mythril and Adamantite equipment. We would very much like to provide them to the soldiers of the Sauron Duchy who guard the borders of our nation!” the administrator from the Sauron Duchy said.

But the other nobles argued for caution, effectively opposing this.

“Preposterous! What will you do if this ends up provoking the Amid Empire? Even with a few pieces of powerful equipment, your soldiers will be crushed by a large army or elite forces!” one of them exclaimed.

“In the end, they are still just swords and shields that perform well. Even if equipping an ordinary knight with these would let him do the work of a hundred men, an invading army from the empire will number in the tens of thousands. And the Mirg shield-nation’s fortresses are far too sturdy for us to make our own move against them,” said another.

“Indeed. It has already been years since they lost six thousand elite soldiers in the expedition to the Boundary Mountain Range. Given the elite forces that are being rebuilt and the border guards who were never affected by the expedition, it will not be so easy to carry out an assault – and a few well-performing swords and shields won’t change that,” said Marshal Dolmad.

Marshal Dolmad’s words were particularly convincing, drowning out the argument of the Sauron duchy’s administrator.

“Tercatanis, just where and how are you making this equipment?” the king asked. “Don’t tell me that you can’t even reveal where it is made?”

“Your Majesty, I apologize, but I cannot reveal that information here, not even at your command. There is no telling where this information will be leaked, and if someone with radical beliefs were to use this information to plot something, it would lead to a great disaster,” said Tercatanis. “But what I can tell you is that it is being created by the craftsmen, clerics, and alchemists under my command.”

Following this, discussion on this topic continued… In other words, no conclusion was reached, and further discussion was postponed until a later date.

Now then, how much time have I bought with this? Tercatanis wondered. Assuming that the administrator of the Alcrem house and Hadros Jahan will leak this information to Vandalieu…

He had done all of this under the presumption that this information would reach Vandalieu. In fact, it would trouble him if it didn’t.

Vandalieu being fooled by the false information that Tercatanis was creating equipment made from fragments of the Demon King and believing that this was the reason he had been gathering the Demon King fragments… was unlikely.

But I should be able to divert his eyes away from my lord. I’m sure they’ll spend some time looking for an equipment workshop and craftsmen that don’t exist, Tercatanis thought.

The equipment he had prepared for today was something that Rikudou had made himself. There was no workshop, no craftsmen, and no alchemists. This was all an act that he had fabricated.

But he was not the only trickster making his move here.

“… Was this sufficient?” whispered Hadros, so quietly that even the nearby Ludario couldn’t hear him, as he left the council chamber.

“Of course. Thank you very much, Hadros,” whispered the tiny Demon King Familiar hidden in his ear. “I was surprised when you suggested that I sneak into a council attended by the prime minister, but it went unexpectedly well.”

“I did not imagine that you would hide in my ear, either.”

Incidentally, a Demon King Familiar of the same type was also hiding in the ear of the administrator from the Alcrem Duchy.

“I’ve made these Demon King Familiars exceedingly small, after all… though I can’t do anything but see and hear what’s going on outside, since I’m hidden in your ear. And I’ve got a limited lifespan,” the Demon King Familiar said. “But it seems that your intuition was right.”

Having learned from Hadros that Prime Minister Tercatanis had been gathering fragments of the Demon King and Demon King equipment, the first thing that Vandalieu had decided to do was gather more information. The Church of Alda had also gathered multiple fragments in one place so that they could be strictly guarded, but Hadros had sensed that Tercatanis was doing something different.

He had spent many years in the political world, and he had done much business with the Church. His instinct had told him that Tercatanis had a different motive – and he had been right.

“What do you think of the Demon King fragment equipment made by the Tercatanis house?” Hadros asked.

“I have quite a good eye for equipment. The equipment he showed today was about the same as Mythril and Adamantite equipment… In other words, I would say it’s poor work, if I were to put it kindly. If I were to not put it so kindly, it looks like nothing more than a toy to me,” the Demon King Familiar said.

Hadros was a little surprised by Vandalieu’s evaluation of the equipment. But Tarea and Datara, who made transformation equipment and weapons from materials given to them by Vandalieu, would likely give the same evaluation.

“Please calm down and think about it rationally, Hadros. That equipment is made from Demon King fragments and Demon King equipment, which nothing stands a chance against other than Orichalcum,” the Demon King Familiar explained. “It’s problematic for the resulting equipment to be frailer than Orichalcum and only be equivalent to Mythril or Adamantite, isn’t it?”

“Indeed… I suppose it’s like using steel to create a shield that’s only as hard as bronze,” said Hadros. “But if he can create an unlimited amount of equipment just by pouring Mana into the Demon King equipment, isn’t it more convenient than making equipment using Mythril or Adamantite?”

“That’s true, but I find it hard to believe that it will reduce costs as much as the prime minister claims. If this equipment could be mass-produced that cheaply, and this was the reason he wanted the equipment to be adopted, then I think he would have emphasized that point more strongly in today’s council and prepared a large quantity of shields, swords, spears, armor, and such to demonstrate it.”

It was easier to acquire materials from Demon King equipment than carrying them out of dangerous Dungeons or mining them and then refining them. Ordinarily, it would be difficult to create and maintain a safe system that made this possible. But if it was possible, then an infinite quantity of materials could be harvested, just as Vandalieu was doing.

If this was what Prime Minister Tercatanis was trying to show, it was strange that he had only shown a single sword and shield in his demonstration.

“And the sword and shield themselves were crudely made,” the Demon King Familiar continued. “It’s as if someone had taken a lump of material and shaved it down, or as if someone had simply poured the material into a sword-shaped or shield-shaped mold – though I couldn’t see the sword up close, so I can’t be certain.”

“I see,” said Hadros. “That might be the reason behind its lesser performance. Given that, I suppose that’s why he only allowed the shield to be tested. With that being the case, perhaps the craftsmen and alchemists that the prime minister spoke of don’t exist, or if they do, they are nameless individuals with crude skills,” Hadros concluded.

If one thought about it, if there were craftsmen and alchemists capable enough to be employed by the the prime minister involved in the crafting process, they would have included at least one decorative element, even if these were just prototypes, and they would have added properties beyond just being hard and absorbing impacts.

After all, their employer would be displaying their works before King Corbitt, Marshall Dolmad, and every other top-ranking noble who ran the kingdom, as well as the administrators dispatched by every duchy. Their lives were decided by the quality of their work, so there was no chance that they would pass up the opportunity to show their best creations.

And the proposal to equip the soldiers with this equipment meant providing them not only to lowly infantrymen, but to the knights and the generals who commanded them as well. With that being the case, they had to pay attention to the equipment’s appearance as well, not just its performance.

“The fact that no effort was put into the equipment’s appearance means that this is false information. False information that’s been made poorly in a hasty manner, at that,” said Hadros. “Those at the council, including myself, were caught up in how shocking it was that the equipment was related to the fragments of the Demon King, and didn’t pay attention to the details. It’s very helpful that I got to hear your opinion.”

“No, you’re the one who’s been very helpful,” said the Demon King Familiar. “Now then, I will see you another time.”

Hadros felt a squirming in his ear, and something resembling a tiny rhinoceros beetle fell from it. Hadros caught it and wrapped it carefully in his handkerchief.

“Your Excellency?” said Ludario, giving Hadros a quizzical look.

“Ah, this is what’s known as a temporary farewell,” said Hadros. “I’ll tell you the details of what we discussed on the way back to the mansion.”

This place was a danger zone, but Hadros walked towards the reception room in a calm manner so that nobody could tell that he felt endangered. In the reception room, he talked with the administrators from the other duchies, the nobles of Central, and King Corbitt to exchange opinions and information… political talk, in other words. After that, he left the royal castle.

“How unlucky he is. If things happened just a little later, he could probably have stayed holed up safely in his own territory,” Hadros remarked.

“If you are talking about King Corbitt, then you are indeed right, but with things being the way they are, I’m sure he would be in danger no matter where on the Bahn Gaia continent he is,” said Ludario.

“You’re absolutely right, Ludario.”

《You have acquired the ‘Colossus Emperor’ Title!》

Meanwhile, on the Demon King’s Continent, a father and his son were talking to one another.

“So because of that, you have a new older sister and a new stepmother. And for some reason, I just acquired the ‘Colossus Emperor’ Title,” said Vandalieu.

“Papa, you’re amazing! I can’t get enough of this texture!” said Bakunawa as he munched on an enormous boulder.

“I suppose your new friend, Duke Jahan, is the reason for that Title. It simply means that you have been acknowledged not only by the Titans within the Boundary Mountain Range, but outside it as well,” said Tiamat, not seeming particularly interested in the Title. “I am more curious about the woman you have married after me, and your child. Just when did you have her bear a child?”

“Elizabeth-sama is my stepdaughter,” said Vandalieu.

“Why do you use ‘-sama’ for your daughter?”

“Because that’s what I did before she became my stepdaughter, and I felt it would be weird to change that now.”

“… I would think that most would consider becoming the stepfather of a girl you refer to with ‘-sama’ is strange in and of itself, but, well, I shall not mention it. It seems that mortal society is as complicated and mysterious as always.”

That was how Tiamat apparently perceived human society on the Bahn Gaia continent. Duke Alcrem and Duke Jahan would have agreed with her, so she couldn’t be blamed for seeing it that way.

“I wonder what Onee-chan will taste like? Will she be delicious like Papa?” said Bakunawa.

“Come now, boy. You mustn’t eat her,” Tiamat chided. “You are only allowed to eat enemies, things we tell you that you can eat, and Papa.”

“Okay,” Bakunawa said obediently. “I’ll keep it to just licking, then.”

“… Will Elizabeth-sama be alright?” Vandalieu wondered. “But it might be helpful to have Bakunawa remember what she tastes and smells like, in case of emergencies.”

The gluttonous Elder Dragon Bakunawa had a sense of smell whose sharpness was rivaled only by his sense of taste. But his olfactory organs were sharper on his tongue than in his nose. Thus, by licking something, he could learn not only their taste, but their scent as well.

And once he remembered their scent and taste, if they were to ever get caught in Bakunawa’s mouth, he would take notice and spit them out before swallowing them.

“The party is apparently able to defeat Rank 5 monsters even without me these days, so she might be fine if it’s just being touched by his tongue,” Vandalieu decided.

“More importantly, you have finally changed Jobs, haven’t you? What have you become this time?” Tiamat asked.

“I have. I’ve become a ‘Demon Ruler’… The moment I did, one of my Inner Worlds that I hadn’t decided on a use for became filled with Demon-type monsters, and my Level maxed out again, so I’ve become a ‘Spirit Therapist,’” Vandalieu replied.

After enrolling at the Adventurers’ School, Vandalieu had been prioritizing the Leveling of Elizabeth and his other companions, as well as Amelia’s treatment, and no powerful enemies had emerged until he learned that Prime Minister Tercatanis was plotting something. Thus, the rate at which his Level increased had become very slow.

But after finally reaching Level 100, he had changed Jobs to ‘Demon Ruler’ because it sounded like a Job whose Level would increase quickly if he did things related to Demons.

As a result, for some reason, one of his Inner Worlds had become filled with Demon-type monsters. There were so many Demons that it resembled some kind of hell, and they called the Vandalieu of that Inner World their king and swore loyalty to him.

And Vandalieu had just noticed that there were slightly less souls floating around him than before.

“I suppose ‘Demon Ruler’ is a Job that allows me to create Demons. The notification in my head told me that I’ve acquired the ‘Demon Binding Technique’ and ‘Demon Transmutation’ Skills, too, though they’ve already fused with other Skills.”

He could create Demons using Mana and his own flesh and blood, and place nearby souls into them. The process was the same as when he created Golems or carried out pseudo-reincarnations.

Because he had already acquired the ‘Qliphoth’ Job and possessed the ‘Inner Worlds’ Skill, a vast horde of Demons had been created and filled one of his Inner Worlds, and that had likely caused his Level to reach the cap once more.

“Ah, I found one. A delicious piece of bone,” said Bakunawa, bringing over a white fragment on the tip of his tongue.

“Hmm. Well then, Vandalieu, your blood–” Tiamat began.

“No, I promised that I’d give the second one to Knochen. Please put your plans for a second child on hold,” Vandalieu said.

Job explanation: Qliphoth

A Job that allows one to gain the ‘Inner Worlds’ Skill, which creates ten worlds inside their bodies. The size of the Inner Worlds depends on the quantity of Mana that the user possesses.

Some possible conditions for acquiring this Job include traveling to other worlds multiple times and possessing a ‘[X] Binding Technique’ Skill.

Job explanation:

Demon Ruler

A Job that indicates that one is a ruler of Demons who even rules over their creation. Acquiring this Job grants the ability to create Demon-type monsters just like any other familiar. However, one cannot create Demons stronger than themselves, and in many cases, the Demons are considerably weaker (one would reliably be able to defeat the strongest Demon they could create as long as they do not let their guard down). The stronger the Demon, the more Mana is consumed to create it. Vandalieu is no exception to these rules.

A Demon that Vandalieu could reliably defeat as long as he does not let his guard down would be one that the average A-class adventurer would barely be able to defeat by fighting with everything they have.

Incidentally, the definition of ‘reliably be able to defeat as long as they did not let their guard down’ includes scenarios where the Demon attempts to avoid battle by fleeing or hiding.