The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time

Considering the battle against the enemies defending Botin and Peria, Vandalieu was more than powerful enough as he was now; he was capable of fighting against and defeating even gods and their servants. But the gods he would be fighting in the future were unlikely to be demigods with enormous bodies.

Gorn, Brateo, and Madroza had been among the most powerful demigods in existence, not only those that belonged to Alda’s forces.

Even with the combined strength of these three, they had been defeated by Vandalieu. Thus, no matter how many enemy demigods remained – the surviving demigods among the forces defending Peria, and the demigods who had not taken part in this battle – Vandalieu couldn’t imagine that they would try the same thing again.

“The next time they come at us, it’ll likely be with gods who make themselves able to use Skills and martial skills like Hajime Fitun, or the heroes they’ve been raising, with the gods descended on their bodies.”

Given what he had seen of Carlos and the others in the city of Morksi, these potential heroes weren’t a significant threat individually. Their physical capabilities were likely inferior to those of demigods.

But because they wielded powerful equipment and used martial skills to fight, if they were to come in numbers with good coordination and a solid plan of battle, they would be a large threat indeed.

“They’re not showing any signs of doing that just yet, but I’ll do my best to prepare as well.”

There were currently no signs of the potential heroes making moves together. But it was possible that something would cause them to gather together.

For example, Heinz finishing his trials and emerging from the Dungeon.

After defeating the enemy forces, gathering the spoils of war and returning to Gartland, a banquet was held to celebrate their victory.

At the conclusion of the battle, the great gods had congratulated Vandalieu and his companions for their victory and then returned to their Divine Realms. Before doing so, they had destroyed the pseudo-Divine Realms that they had descended upon, to ensure that the gods of Alda’s forces would not use them to descend after they left.

Vandalieu had set up Demon King Familiars to keep a lookout just in case, and if the gods of Alda’s forces tried anything, he would sense it immediately.

“Of course, this won’t be of much use if I return to the Bahn Gaia continent, so you guardian deities will have to put in some effort as well,” said Vandalieu.

“Yes, well, we have some newcomers as well, so I’m sure we’ll manage,” said Zozaseiba, the Colossus of Demon Snow Mountains, with a nod.

He was the only guardian deity of Gartland with a physical body. But he was refusing the offers of meat and enormous chunks of crab, only sipping small amounts of the mushroom and Satan Giant meat soup from the hot pot.

“But still… are you really sure about this? Even if they’re loyal to you, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be very friendly to us, right?” Zozaseiba asked, giving a pointed look at the newcomers… not Bakunawa, but the Ghosts that were just as large.

These were the spirits of the Ice Colossus Mugan and the Crab Beast-king Gabildes.

After their deaths, Vandalieu had captured their souls and turned them into Undead.

Ordinarily, Zozaseiba’s worries would be valid. There were some demigods whose spirits could not be guided by Vandalieu – this had been the case for Radatel, Brateo, Madroza, and Gorn.

But Vandalieu had already devoured all such spirits.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that,” said Vandalieu. “I’ve already repeatedly ordered them to obey you, and… I’ve threatened to devour their souls if anything happens to Gartland.”

The remaining spirits had been guided by Vandalieu, and although they would have chosen being destroyed over becoming Undead while they were still alive, after their deaths, they had sworn loyalty to Vandalieu and fought each other over who would be first to be turned into an Undead.

Of course, that alone wouldn’t guarantee that they would behave in a friendly manner to Zozaseiba and the other guardian deities of Gartland, but Vandalieu’s orders did.

On the surface, at least, they were smiling and making friendly conversation.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Zozaseiba. I haven’t seen you since you betrayed us and joined the Demon King’s army, have I?”

“It’s been a while. I never would have imagined that we’d be on the same side again.”

“What’s the matter? You’re not going to have any of my meat?”

Regardless of what they truly felt, they were making an effort, or at least putting on an act, to be friendly to Zozaseiba.

“… Are you really sure about this? They’re smiling, but I have a feeling that they’re baring their teeth more and more,” said Zozaseiba.

Their efforts seemed to be feeble and their acting was rather flimsy.

“It’s fine,” said Vandalieu. “And besides, they’re weaker than they look.”

The Undead demigods were so powerful that regular Ghosts couldn’t even be compared to them, but they were still far weaker than when they had physical bodies.

Even in the unlikely event that Zozaseiba ended up having to fight them, it was unlikely that he would lose that fight.

“Well, if you say so…” said Zozaseiba reluctantly.

“Now then, I’m going to where everyone else is, so talk to one of the Demon King Familiars if you need anything,” said Vandalieu.

Bidding the still-apprehensive Zozaseiba farewell, he walked away. There was nothing more to be achieved through trying to persuade Zozaseiba; it would be up to him to build up a relationship of trust with the Undead demigods on his own.

I’m sure he can get along with them like Eleanora and Isla… or become rivals?

“Ah, Emperor-dono, there you are! Come and have some of our drink!” said Zorg, the leader of the Snow Ice Titans, calling out to Vandalieu in a jolly mood.

“The Empress Mother told you not to let him drink alcohol, you know,” said Feltonia, the leader of the Androscorpions. “How about some jam made with cactus fruits instead?”

“So please, perform a song for us!” both of them said simultaneously.

The two of them had become psychologically addicted after the first time they heard Vandalieu perform a song.

“No, I’d rather not have more enormous wall paintings and floor paintings made of me,” said Vandalieu.

“Stop, you two! What are we supposed to do if His Majesty’s singing voice echoes throughout Gartland!” said Zalzarit, the leader of the Glaistigs.

She hastily scooped Vandalieu away and handed him over to Dediria, thus preventing a frenzied concert from taking place.

The inhabitants of Gartland were very much enjoying the banquet. They were also very eager to construct new statues of the resurrected Botin and Peria.

But there would be no dramatic changes taking place in Gartland. The only significant change was that the miasma’s effects had lessened as there weren’t multiple pseudo-Divine Realms on the surface anymore, so there would be fewer monsters coming and attacking through the ceiling.

The inhabitants’ underground lives would go on as usual.

“Other than the monster problem, none of us have huge problems that threaten our lives here,” said Dediria. “We have plenty of food, water, and land to live on. And from what I’ve heard about the battle on the surface… it seems we’re safer down here, where we have a ceiling.”

“I think you’re right,” Vandalieu agreed. “It would be dangerous to go out onto the surface of the Demon King’s Continent, even if you were to make use of the areas where the pseudo-Divine Realms were.”

The lands, the skies, and even the surrounding seas of the Demon King’s Continent were all Devil’s Nests. Unlike the Demon Continent where Zantark and the others were, there were monsters of Rank 13 and above present everywhere.

And if the people lived on the surface, there was no way to escape from the prying eyes of the gods of Alda’s forces unless they created a barrier. There wasn’t a single person who worshiped Alda among Gartland’s inhabitants, so the gods of Alda’s forces wouldn’t hesitate to involve them in their war against Vandalieu.

There were powerful monsters that could come attacking from the surrounding Devil’s Nests, and there were the gods of Alda’s forces to worry about. It was more peaceful to continue to live underground than to live on the surface, having to be wary of both of these threats.

There was a risk that gods could descend upon the Demon King’s Continent and unleash a powerful magical attack towards the ground in order to cause Gartland to collapse, but… Vandalieu and his companions had concluded that it wasn’t realistically likely for Alda and his forces to do this.

They had likely realized that Vandalieu and his companions had a base of operations underground, but they didn’t know the scale of it. They remained unaware of Gartland’s existence.

Thus, they had no way of telling whether Vandalieu had only created a small base that served as a place to rest in the tunnel he used to free Botin from her seal, or whether there was an enormous underground space. It was difficult to imagine that they would do something as risky as using up several gods’ worth of power to attack it.

Of course, Gartland’s walls and ceilings had been reinforced so that they wouldn’t collapse immediately, even in the unlikely event that it was attacked. This was also part of the reason Vandalieu had stationed the demigod Ghosts here.

“Of course, there are also many who don’t wish to move to the surface, but would like to go traveling there. I hope we’ll be able to continue our exchanges. Everyone is very interested in the things that are produced in the Demon Empire of Vidal, after all,” Dediria said. “And we, too… would like to go back to visit the lands where we were born,” she added.

After she was driven from her homeland by the attack of Heinz’s party, the Five-colored Blades, Dediria had escaped to Gartland along with the Merfolk tribe who guarded a fragment of the Demon King and worshiped Marisjafar, the Righteous Evil God of the Crimson South Sea.

“I understand,” said Vandalieu.

“Thank you. But they’ve apparently set up bases there, so it doesn’t matter if we cannot visit until decades from now. After all, us Majin do not age, and Doraneza is a Merfolk, who are a long-lived race as well,” Dediria said.

She seemed to be very patient on this matter – perhaps even willing to wait until Heinz died of old age.

“More importantly,” Dediria said, her distant, reminiscing expression fading as she changed the subject, “I have been told that you have yet to decide on who to take with you as your familiars when you go to adventurers’ school?”

Indeed, Vandalieu intended to use his membership at the Tamers’ Guild to bring monsters and members of Vida’s races with him, who normally wouldn’t be allowed to enter human cities, as familiars.

If he didn’t, the people of the city wouldn’t have any opportunities to actually see members of Vida’s races. His experiences in Morksi and Alcrem had taught him that.

However, the problem was –

“… Why are you bringing that up?” Vandalieu asked apprehensively.

“Of course, it’s because I would like to volunteer myself as a candidate,” Dediria replied. “I’m a Majin, so I’m eligible, aren’t I?”

“Wait! If that’s the case, pick me! I’ll go with you!” interrupted the Majin King Godwin, who would no longer be king once spring came. “I’m a Majin, too! And most importantly, I’m capable of fending off most enemies on my own!”

“One moment! In that case, how about a Pure-breed Vampire?” suggested Zod. “I must accompany Schneider-dono and my other companions, so I believe you should choose from among Erpel and the others.”

“How about an Androscorpion?!” exclaimed Feltonia, jumping at the opportunity to suggest her own race of people.

“Hmph. You should consider a Glaistig… or a Pabilsag, too,” said Feltonia.

“Everyone, you haven’t forgotten that familiars must wear collars on their necks, have you?” said Vandalieu, checking just in case.

But Godwin and Zod nodded, as if to say, “So what?” … Dediria and the others seemed rather hesitant, however.

“Van-sama! Those who would hesitate to wear a collar are not worthy of serving as your familiars,” Eleanora declared. “So please, choose me!”

“Eleanora, you’re undercover in the city of Morksi as a human,” Vandalieu pointed out.

“Then pick me! I haven’t even been to the city of Morksi, you know!” said Vigaro.

“How about continuing to have us as your familiars?!” suggested Privel. “Information about us being your familiars has probably reached the royal capital, after all, Van-kun!”

“Doing that may help to keep the Guilds and nobles of the royal capital from being too suspicious of us,” added Gizania.

Incidentally, Doraneza was attending the feast in a large water tank; she was listening to the conversation unfold but refraining from saying anything, as the royal capital was on dry land.

Fortunately, Bakunawa, who had been playing with Luvesfol, seemed to be uninterested in going to the royal capital. “Papa, I want to stay here. I think I’ll be able to eat more yummy things above this place rather than this ‘royal capital’ with lots of humans.”

Staying in the Demon King’s Continent, with countless edible creatures, seemed to be the more attractive choice to him than going to the royal capital that was filled with nothing but people.

This was wonderful news for the people of the royal capital, and terrible news for the monsters of the Demon King’s Continent.

“Very well. I’ll tell you all about it when I come back, so be a good boy and listen to Uncle Zozaseiba and the others while I’m away,” said Vandalieu.

“Uh-huh,” said Bakunawa.

“By the way, is Luvesfol alright?”

The eyes of Luvesfol, who was being swung around wildly while gripped in Bakunawa’s hand, looked completely dead. Vandalieu had been watching with a smile on his face, as Bakunawa’s playing had resembled a child playing with a toy plane, but… it seemed that this had been an extremely harsh experience for Luvesfol.

“Help… me…” Luvesfol groaned.

Looking at him, Vandalieu had a feeling that Luvesfol wouldn’t be able to serve as Pauvina’s familiar in the royal capital.

It had already been decided that Vandalieu would bring Pauvina with him to the royal capital… not only because of reasons like Vandalieu being afraid of attending school alone, but also because it was a part of his strategy to make members of Vida’s races more readily accepted by the people.

She was capable of acquiring Jobs as well, so even if people were suspicious, the plan was to just insist that she was an unusual type of Beast-kin. Vandalieu planned to have Duke Alcrem provide a document to certify her identity.

“Luves, let’s have you do some Leveling when we cull the monster numbers on the Demon King’s Continent,” said Vandalieu.

“Kid! We’re still not allowed to go with you?!” said Borkus.

Pete hissed, and Knochen gave a sad groan.

In human societies, Undead and bug monsters were considered to be untamable.

“I’m planning to have you become our familiars after Pauvina and I rise to reasonably high positions within the Adventurers’ Guild,” Vandalieu told them.

Such monsters were considered to be untamable, but Vandalieu believed that if he became an adventurer with a solid reputation and insisted that he had tamed them, then people would have no choice but to accept it as truth.

Of course, he intended to have more powerful nobles, merchants, and people connected with churches as allies by then.

“Vandalieu!” said Darcia, calling out to her son.

“Mom? Of course I’m going to bring you –”

“That’s not it! I just received a Divine Message! Apparently, the door to the Dungeon created by Alda that we went to has been opened!”

Upon hearing this, there was an uproar among the people who were attending the banquet. The ‘Blue-flamed Sword’ Heinz, who was Alda’s hero and a sworn enemy of Vida and Vandalieu, had opened the door to the Dungeon.

In other words, the trial of Heinz and the rest of the Five-colored Blades was over, and they were able to leave.

“Heinz and his companions…” Vandalieu murmured.

He had already suspected that Heinz and his companions were still alive, and he had confirmed this with the spirits of the defeated demigods.

He had also learned that the final stage of Heinz’s trial was to resurrect Bellwood, who legends said had fought against the Evil God of Sinful Chains in a battle that resulted in the fall of both.

“Bellwood has been resurrected?! H-how could this be…!” Zozaseiba exclaimed, trembling in fear.

“No way…! I-it’s over… we’re going to be killed…!” said Luvesfol, looking so pale that he looked like he was going to drop dead on the spot.

“Mom, have Heinz and his companions left the Dungeon?” Vandalieu asked.

“No, it seems that they haven’t come out yet,” said Darcia. “It seems that the door’s opened, and everyone is just confused.”

There were worshippers of Vida who were cooperating with Alda’s peaceful faction waiting outside Alda’s Dungeon as well. Vida had apparently learned about what was happening around the Dungeon through them.

According to them, the door had opened, but there were no signs of Heinz and his companions, and the worshippers were hesitant to enter the Dungeon themselves.

Zozaseiba and Luvesfol were visibly relieved to hear Darcia’s answer.

But given that the door had opened, Heinz had either completed his trial or died trying. And Vandalieu was aware of that Dungeon’s special characteristics… its ability to create battle scenarios that were like advanced simulations, including elaborate copies of enemies for Heinz and his companions to fight against using avatar bodies. Given the Dungeon’s nature, he couldn’t imagine that Heinz had died.

In other words, he believed that Heinz had completed his trial, and Bellwood had been resurrected.

“Why is there no sign of the resurrected Bellwood, or Heinz and his party who resurrected him? Do you have any ideas?” Vandalieu asked.

Once again, it was Darcia who answered. “I think Heinz’s body is still unable to withstand Bellwood’s power.”

“What do you mean by ‘withstand?’” asked Sam.

“Sam-san, the reason Alda had Heinz awaken the heroic god Bellwood was likely so that he could summon him onto his own body to fight,” said Darcia. “I’m sure his intention was to gain an ally who is powerful enough to defeat Vandalieu.”

That was why Alda had made Heinz and his companions undergo trials that would leave them with bodies that would be able to withstand having gods summoned upon them. Darcia was almost certain of this, as the Dungeon’s trials had not been designed for training the mind.

“But I mean, you can summon Vida-sama onto yourself as well, can’t you, Darcia-sama?” asked Rita.

Darcia shook her head. “What I can summon is far greater than a spirit clone, but it’s still just a portion of Vida-sama – less than half of her being. And before I was brought back to life, I stayed in Vida-sama’s Divine Realm for a long time, until we were in tune with one another. Vandalieu made a really sturdy body for me, too. In Heinz’s case, no matter how great an affinity he and Bellwood have for each other, summoning another being – one of a far greater existence, at that – will take a huge toll on his body.”

In other words, Darcia had been built and refined since before her reincarnation to grant her the innate qualities that would allow her to serve as a vessel to summon a part of a great god.

But although Heinz had earned the right to serve as a god’s vessel, he had acquired the required qualities not innately, but by force. That would mean that his body would suffer a much greater burden than Darcia’s.

“… So, what exactly does that mean?” Vandalieu asked.

“I think it means that after resurrecting Bellwood in the Dungeon, he used Bellwood’s power. I don’t know why, but it’s left him too fatigued to even move, so that’s why he hasn’t come out,” Darcia explained.

Everyone froze as they listened to this… and then a few seconds later, gave a great, collective sigh.

“In other words, because Heinz is a mortal, he won’t be able to make full use of Bellwood’s power for a while,” said Zozaseiba, collapsing to his knees with relief.

“Indeed,” said Zod, his expression softening. “If he had free control over that power, he would likely try to attack us right away.”

“For now, let’s be even more vigilant with our monitoring of the situation. I’ll put more Demon King Familiars in the Boundary Mountain Range, the former Scylla territory, and the borders of the Alcrem Duchy as well – to make sure that if Heinz and his allies come, we’ll be able to make a pre-emptive strike,” said Vandalieu.

Even if Bellwood’s power could only be used for a short period at a time, Vandalieu couldn’t afford to allow it into his territory. A single swing of a sword using that power could pulverize an entire castle.

Vandalieu would make a pre-emptive strike in unpopulated areas with no innocent people that could get caught up in the conflict, to kill Heinz before he could do anything.

Nobody opposed Vandalieu’s will on this matter… If Farmaun were here, he might have suggested a more reasonable approach, like sending a warning letter telling Heinz to stay away and not harm members of Vida’s races. But unfortunately, he was not present.

His acquaintances Deeana and Tiamat were here, but there wasn’t a single peaceful thought in their minds; they were fully preoccupied with thinking of ways to prevent Bellwood’s violent tyranny from reaching them.

To them, Bellwood was none other than the man who had led the attacks carried out by Alda’s forces, killing those they regarded as their siblings and children.

“All that’s left to worry about is… Master Zod, Gufadgarn, do you think I can defeat Bellwood?” Vandalieu asked.

The only question left was whether or not Vandalieu’s abilities would be effective against Bellwood… against Heinz, with Bellwood summoned upon him. Vandalieu’s question was directed at these two because they had known Bellwood when he was still a mortal, when he summoned Alda upon himself to slay the Demon King.

Zod frowned. “In a competition of strength, you would be utterly defeated. In a battle to the death, depending on the circumstances, I believe you could win.”

“Bellwood’s power surpasses yours, great Vandalieu. But in a battle with your lives at stake, he will not be victorious,” said Gufadgarn, expressionless as ever.

Bellwood was faster and stronger than Vandalieu, superior in all physical aspects. But the way he fought was stubbornly straightforward.

There were no tricks or deception behind his sword, only pure speed and sharpness.

If an enemy could evade his extremely fast sword, then he would cut them down with attacks that were even faster than they were.

If an enemy had an impenetrable defense that could stop his sword, he would cut them down with a supremely powerful attack that could break through that impenetrable defense.

If an enemy attacked him with projectiles at distances his sword could not reach, he would cut them down by approaching them at impossible speeds while evading the attacks.

If an enemy possessed no physical form that a sword could cut, then he would cut them down with his sword that could cut even beings with no physical forms.

If an enemy created countless copies of themselves to conceal which of them was the real one, his sword would cut down all of them simultaneously.

That was the kind of champion he was. Incidentally, he was not inept in the use of magic, but… given the way he used it, one could simply replace ‘sword’ with ‘magic’ in the above analogies.

Even when he slew the Demon King Guduranis, he had summoned the entirety of Alda’s being upon himself and pierced his foe’s barrier with a single attack that contained an unimaginable quantity of concentrated power.

Gufadgarn explained that the reason only three thousand people survived the war against the Demon King was because Bellwood had taken too long to gather the power required to pierce the Demon King’s barrier.

“Of course, given the situation, there was no other way to slay the Demon King. Shizarion had been destroyed, and Zantark was still in a frenzied state, so Nineroad and Farmaun were unable to summon their own gods upon themselves. Vida was still alive, but Zakkart, the only one who could withstand being her vessel, was already dead,” Zod, who had fought in the battle that day, said in Bellwood’s defense.

But Gufadgarn had no sympathy for him. “That is precisely why it was such a tragedy that the great Vandalieu’s predecessors, the great Zakkart, Solder, Ark, and Hillwillow, were not there. If they were, there would have been other ways to seize victory. And even during the war between Vida and Alda that followed, he was the same. If he is still the same now, then his power is surely even more tremendous due to his ascension to divinity as a heroic god. However, with the great Vandalieu’s planning, victory is not impossible.”

Bellwood possessed unbelievable power, but Vandalieu was the extreme opposite – the kind of fighter who used bizarre and unexpected methods. As long as he and Bellwood did not fight head-on, there was certainly hope for victory.

Deeana and the others nodded, seeming to agree.

“Thank you. That was very informative,” said Vandalieu. “Now then… let’s stay wary of Heinz and his allies, but do exactly as planned while he’s still unable to move.”

There was no change to the fact that the area around Alda’s Dungeon was dangerous due to the gods of Alda’s forces guarding it. With that being the case, Vandalieu would focus on consolidating his position and gathering more allies.

He would gather more allies for Vida’s faction in the royal capital, disrupting the ability of Alda’s forces to establish a foothold in the Orbaume Kingdom, and whittle away at their power by decreasing the number of people who worshiped them.

Job explanation (Written by Luciliano):

Divine Guider

Rather than being a Job for a Guider who guides gods… this Job is for guiding those who are trying to reach godhood, those who will become gods in the future, and those with the divine protections of gods. Thus, it does not seem to be a Job that has a great impact on already-existing gods.

It is possible that it will become a trump card against the potential heroes that the gods of Alda’s forces are nurturing, but… it would probably be best not to put too much hope in it.

Carlos had already become the way he is now before Master acquired this Job, so I do not believe it will cause such drastic changes.

I find myself unable to stop the excited pounding of my heart when I think about the possibility of the creation of curious forms of Undead such as Jane Doe as a result of this Job.

Title explanation:

Liberator of Goddesses

The Title of one who has freed goddesses – Botin, in the most recent case. It is a Title granted by Botin herself, and if it were to be revealed, it would likely draw a great deal of respect from the Dwarves who worship Botin and her subordinate gods.

Title explanation:

Great Demon King

The Title granted to a being who has surpassed the Demon King Guduranis, or can be expected to do so in the future.

In the world of Lambda, the Demon King represents an abominable and dreadful being, but the meaning of ‘Great Demon King’ has yet to be defined.

None have acquired this Title before. Vandalieu is the first ‘Great Demon King.’